La Palabra

[Dr. Shane]

Gerunds: turning verbs into nouns

The gerund is sometimes defined as a verb form that can be used as a noun, such as the word "smoking" in the sentence "smoking is bad for your health." However, the Spanish gerund — unlike the gerund of Latin — generally cannot be used as a noun. Thus, the equivalent Spanish of the sample sentence would be "fumar es malo para la salud." Note that the infinitive fumar, not the gerund fumando, is used.

[John317]

SHANE

CAN you tell me the words " METEOR"

"shower" and "eclipise"

thank you again

dgrimm60

I ain't Shane but Meteor is metriolito; eclipse is Eclipse (in Spanish you pronounce every letter); and shower of stars is lluvia estrellas.

[Dr. Shane]

Thank you. I would have had to look up each of those.

[Dr. Shane]

The word other does depend on the gender of the noun it is in reference to.

Other = otro, otra

Secret - secreto

La mujer le gusta la otra tienda del Secreto de Victoria.

The woman likes the other Victoria's Secret store.

[monica]

The correct sentence is: A la mujer le gusta la otra tienda del Secreto de Victoria. Don't omit "a".

[Dr. Shane]

Thank you. Not only is Spanish my second language, I live where the Tex-Mex hybrid is dominant. Something I have noticed about Mexicans is that they will rarely correct my Spanish and often times they pretend to understand when I am so messed up they couldn't possibly know what I am trying to say.

[monica]

I hope my comment didn't annoy you. So, you are a Spanish teacher, aren't you? Or at least you like Spanish.

[Gail]

Thank you. Not only is Spanish my second language, I live where the Tex-Mex hybrid is dominant. Something I have noticed about Mexicans is that they will rarely correct my Spanish and often times they pretend to understand when I am so messed up they couldn't possibly know what I am trying to say.

AT least you recognize it!

[Dr. Shane]

Your comment didn't offend me at all. I am not a Spanish teacher, I am a building contractor in South Texas, just a few miles north of the Mexican border. I am married to a Spanish-speaking Salvadoran and Spanish is the language spoken in our home. We do missionary work just across the border at lease one Sabbath each month.

There is a culture difference. In America, it is common for someone to correct another person's English. While some are annoyed by this practice, it is not taken as a personal insult. In Mexico, when a person corrects another person's use of the language, it is seen as an insult. Thus as a business leader, or a missionary, native Spanish speakers will rarely correct me Spanish - even if it means pretending to understand me.

[Dr. Shane]

The word "OK" is the same in Spanish and has to be a word borrowed from English. I have heard it used in Central America and Mexico, I don't know the extent of its usage in other parts of Latin America, certainly it is safe to use in Spanish-speaking circles within North America.

Another term used is "esta bien". Esta comes from the verb "estar" which is the infinitive form. It is translated "to be" In English the verb is conjugated "I am", "He is" "We are" "You are" etc.

Example: "¿Está bien, ella?"

Translation: "Is she alright?"

WARNING: In Spanish there are two verbs "estar" and "ser" that are translated into the English verb "to be". As a general rule, "estar" refers to temporary states and "ser" refers to permanent states. Examples of temporary states are being hungry, tired, happy, or in a specific location (I am at home/Estoy en casa). Permanent in this sense doesn't mean lifetime but rather an extended time. Examples are marital status, a person's sex (male/female), religion, ethnicity or nationality.

Some words change meaning depending on the verb used.

Estoy listo = I am ready.

Soy listo = I am smart.

Note how one is a permanent state and one is momentary.

The word "caliente" is translated "hot" however it has a common sexual use which also changes depending on the verb used. "Estoy caliente" is translated "I'm hot" but is not what one would say if they were sweating due to heat. They would say "Tengo calor". The term "Estoy caliente" would refer to a person being sexually aroused. If one changes the verb to "ser" and says "Soy caliente" it would mean "I am always sexually aroused" or simple meaning that a person is promiscuous. When I was studying Spanish in Mexico with a group of students from Minnesota we all went to the beach. While there one of the female students from Minnesota said "Soy caliente" while on the beach in her bikini. She turned a lot of Mexican heads and raised some eyebrows. She was trying to say she was hot and sweaty but the natives understood her to say she was promiscuous.

[monica]

Another word that means OK is, maybe only in Spain, "vale." It's ok - Vale.

And sometimes "venga". "Venga" also means "come!" (formal).

P.S. Shane, tell me if I am not allowed to post here.

[Dr. Shane]

monica, please post all you want. My exposure to European Spanish is quite limited. My company is currently working on a library project in Equatorial New Guinea and they speak European Spanish. However since I am not directly involved with it, my exposure there is limited too.

[Dr. Shane]

Word: no

Pronunciation: NOH

Meaning: not, non- (as a prefix), un- (as a prefix), no

Example: Es una historia con un final no feliz.

Translation: It's a story with an unhappy ending.

[Dr. Shane]

Word: pero

Pronunciation: PEH-doh (Note that the Spanish r here is pronounced with a tap of the tongue against the front of the palate.)

Meaning: but

Example: Actualicé la lista de servidores, pero no puedo descargar nada.

Translation: I updated the list of servers, but I can't download anything.

Warning: If pronounced incorrectly it may sound like "perro" (dog) or "Pedro" (Peter)

[Dr. Shane]

Word: colon

Pronunciation: Ko-lon

Meaning: Columbus

Example: Cristóbal Colón descubrió América en 12 de octubre de 1492.

Translation: Christopher Columbus discovered America on October 12, 1492.

Extra: This is also the monetary currency for a few countries.

[Dr. Shane]

Word: la gente

Pronunciation: HEN-teh (Note that in most areas, the Spanish g in this word is pronounced with a guttural sound.)

Meaning: people

Example: La gran mayoría de la gente de Panamá no tiene acceso a Internet.

Translation: The large majority of the people of Panama don't have access to the Internet.

Warning: Gente takes a singular verb: La gente es

[Dr. Shane]

Word: la madera

Pronunciation: mah-THEH-rah (The d here is pronounced somewhat like the "th" in "though." The Spanish r here is pronounced with a tap of the tongue against the front of the palate.)

Meaning: wood, timber, lumber

Example: La madera es una sustancia dura y resistente que constituye el tronco de los árboles

Translation: Wood is a hard and strong material that makes up the trunk of trees.

[Dr. Shane]

Word: el horno

Pronunciation: OHR-noh (The Spanish r here is pronounced with a tap of the tongue against the front of the palate.)

Meaning: oven, furnace, kiln

Example: Sacar del horno, y servir acompañado de papas y ensalada.

Translation: Remove from the oven and serve accompanied with potatoes and salad.

[Dr. Shane]

Word: mantener

Pronunciation: mahn-teh-NEHR (The Spanish r here is pronounced with a tap of the tongue against the front of the palate.)

Meaning: to maintain, to keep, to support

Example: Quiero que mantengas limpia tú habitación.

Translation: I want you to keep your room clean.

Warning: Mantener is conjugated in the same was as tener. For example, "I maintain" is mantengo.