Month: March 2023

Categories
Spanish as a language

15 Spring Sayings & Quotes About Spring in Spanish

iscribo-springsayingsinspanish-blogimage
15 Frases y Expresiones de Primavera en Español | iScribo

Spring is finally here! What better way to celebrate it than with these spring expressions in Spanish about this beautiful season. The flowers, the trees, the colours, the beginning of the good weather… We have endless reasons to teach you the best weather Spanish phrases.

Learn today with iScribo some common expressions in Spanish and practice them to improve your cultural knowledge of the language. Some of them are traditional, others are beautiful spring quotes and there are also those of writers and artists. We’ve already told you about some Spanish expressions in the past, but today it’s all about expanding your spring vocabulary. Read on to find out what they are.

Spring Sayings in Spanish

1. La primavera, la sangre altera (spring is in the air): just as the weather changes, psychology studies the reasons for mood swings in this season. These “issues” in people’s mental health gave rise to this saying.

2. En abril, aguas mil (April showers bring May flowers): although it is used by all Spanish-speaking countries, its origin dates back to the driest and most arid areas of Spain, when it always used to rain a lot in April. Nowadays it doesn’t usually happen.

3. Hasta el cuarenta de mayo, no te quites el sayo: (one robin doesn’t make a spring): don’t trust it! Spring is treacherous and you might be warm and then cold the next day. That’s why you should always carry a jacket just in case… That’s what this proverb says.

4. Camina ligeramente en la primavera; la madre tierra está embarazada (literal – walk lightly in the spring; mother earth is pregnant): this is a Native American Indian proverb from the Kiowa tribe about blooming in spring. You can find many more here in this very interesting article in Spanish.

5. Al cruzar el sol por Aries, crecen los días y cambian los aires (literal – as the sun crosses Aries, the days grow longer and the air changes): it means that as spring arrives, the days grow longer and it affects people’s moods. It has a similar meaning to the first weather Spanish phrases.

6. El romero verde o malva, en la primavera estalla (literal – the green or mauve rosemary, in the spring bursts): in the spring flowers bloom. This season implies the rebirth of plant life in almost all its majority, as is the case with rosemary.

7. Cuando al sapo veas andar, agua primaveral: (literal – When you see the toad walk, (sing of) spring waters): This proverb tells us that with the good weather, many animals begin to live outdoors, even if it coincides with the spring rains.

Spring Sayings and Quotes By Authors

8. “Podrán cortar todas las flores, pero no podrán detener la primavera” (They can cut all the flowers, but they can’t stop spring), by Pablo Neruda. Spring is so eagerly awaited that nothing can take away our illusion.

9. “Mientras haya en el mundo primavera, ¡habrá poesía!“(As long as there is spring in the world, there will be poetry), by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer. What a beautiful simile between art and this season.

10. “En una rosa caben todas las primaveras” (In a rose, there is room for all the springs), by Antonio Gala. Each flower is unique, just like people, and spring!

11. “La primavera es el momento de los planes y los proyectos” (Spring is the time of plans and projects), by Leon Tolstoy. Spring is the best time to try new things.

12. “El invierno está en mi cabeza, pero la eterna primavera está en mi corazón” (Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart), by Victor Hugo. This metaphor compares difficult times with the hope we feel inside that power to make us strong when we face adversity.

13. “La primavera le brinda un espíritu de juventud a todo” (April hath put a spirit of youth in everything), by William Shakespeare. This is another phrase to encourage us to take up new projects. The joy of spring has touched even the most tragic writers!

14. “Era uno de esos días de marzo cuando el sol brilla cálido y el aire sopla frío, cuando es verano en la luz pero invierno en la sombra” (It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade), by Charles Dickens. This describes the bleak transition from winter to spring in one day.

15. “En la primavera he contado 136 tipos diferentes de clima en 24 horas” (In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours), by Mark Twain. The truth is that nobody understands what is going on with the weather during spring!

The Desire to Learn Also Blossoms

Not only at the beginning of each year, spring is a time for personal renewal. We can think about our resolutions as we approach the halfway point of the year and start new challenges. iScribo wants you to write in Spanish without grammatical, spelling or stylistic errors. Our proofreader is here to help you. How about trying some weather expressions in Spanish for spring with some inspiring ideas? Tell us in the comments what you’ve come up with.

Categories
Culture around Spanish language

14 Series of Recommended Novels in Spanish

iscribo-seriesandnovelsinspanish-blogimage
14 Sagas de Libros Imprescindibles en Español | iScribo

Reading is the passion of many people. Through literature, we can discover the best novels in Spanish around the globe. Whether they are books on Spanish culture, or the best Latin American authors to read, these books in Spanish will help you to see the difference between styles from different countries.

You can find and discover these recommended novels in Spanish on the shelves of any library. You can also enjoy debates and discussions on the Internet. Get excited to learn in a different way with these must-read book sagas with different literary genres, such as historical, romantic and crime books in Spanish.

Spanish Contemporary Authors & Their Series

Spain boasts a wealth of literary talent on all four sides. Today we bring you some famous and recommended Spanish books that come in series for you to enjoy and learn at the same time:

1. The Baztan Trilogy: For any thriller lover, this trilogy by Dolores Redondo brings you a story of Basque and Navarre mythology in an interesting plot that will not leave you indifferent.

2. The Snow Girl: This trilogy by Malaga-born author Javier Castillo shows us a series of intrigue surrounding the disappearance of a young girl at the Thanksgiving parade. You will discover a well elaborated plot with jumps in time as you try to crack the case like a real detective.

3. The Cemetery of Forgotten: Not only is it a homage to 20th century Barcelona, but this tetralogy by Carlos Ruiz Zafón ranges from thriller to true horror.

4. Episodes of an Endless War Series: The iconic and much-loved writer from Madrid, Almudena Grandes, was a true master of series and the exaltation of women in society. If you want to discover a bit of Spanish history through dramatic narratives, this series will not leave you indifferent.

5. Julia Domna Series: The Valencian writer and winner of the 2018 Planeta Prize, Santiago Posteguillo, is a master of historical narrative. His great knowledge of the emperors and the Roman era takes us on a journey through history.

Sagas & Trilogies from Mexico

6. Mundo Umbrío: Jaime Alfonso Sandoval surprises us with this saga of literature and fiction in a plot of secrets and otherworldly murders that shake the life of a girl who seeks justice. Interesting, right?

7. Quidea Legends: Juan Comparán Arias delights us with a fantasy saga in a world, Quidea, but in different times in each book. It is catalogued as an endearing series full of kindness that can touch your soul.

8. Maya: Discover the Mayan culture with Carlos Gavira and Martha Athie. This science fiction saga helps us to discover the prophecy of the Mayas with touches of fantasy.

Other Latin American Sagas

9. Brooklin Brujas: The Ecuadorian-American writer Zoraida Cordova brings us a fantasy series with the story of different witches who have to face curses and challenges because of their own condition.

10. Santiago Quinones: The Chilean writer Boris Quercia brings us this very entertaining crime and intrigue series to get to know the multifaceted city of Santiago.

11. The Night Will Be Long Series: this trilogy by Colombian Santiago Gamboa combines stories of journalism and the FARC in a gripping crime novel that will not only teach us, but also keep us entertained.

12. Patagonia Trilogy: Argentinean author Cristian Perfumo dazzles us with this suspense saga set in Patagonia. The mystery behind each chapter will make us “devour” each page until the end.

13. Alonso Christiano Series: discover the history of ancient Peruvian civilisations with love, adventure and intrigue, what more could you ask for from Peruvian writer Miguel Salomón?

14. Un Dulce Encuentro: this saga by Honduran writer Kris Buendía presents a romantic story with drama, adventure and suspense.

Learn From Home

Books open frontiers and allow us to travel even if we can’t afford it. The series we have suggested today will help you improve your Spanish and broaden your knowledge of different cultures. What grammatical structures stand out to you when you read famous authors from Spanish-speaking countries in their best-selling series? Practise the way you write with iScribo’s grammar checker and tell us in the comments.

Categories
Writing in Spanish

The 8 Best Spelling Rules for Numbers in Spanish

iscribo-numbersinspanish-blogimage
Si tienes dudas sobre cómo se escriben los números en español o de cómo utilizar los decimales y símbolos, iScribo te trae las mejores claves de redacción.

The spelling rules for numbers differ from one language to another. When you speak several languages, it is common to mix up the rules and confuse the spelling of numbers.

Today we’ll show you some tips for spelling ordinal numbers in Spanish and spelling cardinal numbers in Spanish.

Ordinal numbers are numbers that indicate order or position in a sequence, for example, primero (first) or vigésimo (twentieth). Cardinal numbers express quantity in relation to the series of natural numbers, for example, uno (one) or veinte (twenty).

1. Separation With More Than Three Digits

When a number has four digits, the RAE recommends writing them together, but if there are more than four digits, leave a space between each group of three, never use a full stop or a comma for this purpose:

DON’T:

3.400

3,400

3 400

456,000

100500600

DO:

3400

456 000

100 500 600

2. Concordance

Figures can be followed by nouns but remember that the word thousand is an adjective, so you will have to make the concordance as such:

DON’T:

Cuarenta miles de puestos de trabajo

(Forty thousand Jobs)

DO:

Cuarenta mil puestos de trabajo

3. Figures or Letters?

Don’t mix numbers and letters when using numerical adjectives:

DON’T:

40 mil kilogramos

Cuarenta 1000 kilogramos

(Forty thousand kilograms)

DO:

40 000 kilogramos

Cuarenta mil kilogramos

4. Symbols

When a number goes with a symbol, always leave a blank between the number and the symbol:

DON’T:

5Kg

100%

DO:

5 kg

100 %

5. Alternation

To express alternation between numbers to separate quantities, we will use the conjunctions o and u (or) when needed and never a slash:

DON’T:

Había 10/12 personas

Peso 80/81 kg

(There were 10 or 12 people

Weight 80 or 81 kg)

DO:

Había 10 o 12 personas

Peso 80 u 81 kg

6. Decimals

A comma is recommended to separate decimals, although the use of a full stop would be permitted.

DO:

67 982,89

7. Write With Numbers

Page numbers, years and street numbers. After all, in some contexts, the aim is to facilitate the work of others. For example, it is much easier for a postman to read C/ Conde Mariscal, 67.

DON’T:

Página ochenta de cuatrocientas

Calle Recoletos, veintitrés

(Page eighty of four hundred

Calle Recoletos, twenty-three)

DO:

Página 80 de 400

Calle Recoletos, 23

8. Write With Letters

Expressions are always written in letters, as are numbers in legal documents, to avoid confusion.

DON’T:

Cada 2 por 3

DO:

Cada dos por tres

(Every now and then)

From Numbers to Letters

Sometimes you may wonder how to write out numbers to letters in Spanish. Well, you can use iScribo’s spelling and grammar checker to make sure you write them properly. We advise you to learn the RAE rules before practising. Are you confident to write some numbers with letters in the comments?

Categories
Writing in Spanish

6 Types of Writing Tones for Expressing Yourself Properly

iscribo-commontonesinspanish-blogimage
6 Types of Writing Tones for Expressing Yourself | iScribo

When it comes to people, we are not the same. This authenticity makes our characteristics unique and non-repetitive. We may share some aspects but not all of them. To know how to express yourself in Spanish when writing, keep in mind that it works the same way: there are different writing tones, almost as many as there are writers.

What kind of tones are there in writing? In writing, tone is the writer’s expression of the subject, audience and message. Everything counts in writing, from vocabulary to phrasing to intention and style. While style focuses more on syntax, tone focuses on attitude.

Learn today with iScribo 6 writing tones examples so that you can identify the one that best suits your needs and style.

1. Serious Tone

The serious tone is one of the most common types of writing in journalism, as it is factual, direct and focused. It can also be used in somber or solemn literature, which is very common in trends such as realism.

Here is an example of a serious tone in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment:

“Peter Petrovich belonged to that class of people who on the surface are very polite in society, who make a great point of behaving properly, but who are completely disconcerted when they are contradicted about anything, and become more like sacks of flour than elegant, lively people of society.”

2. Humorous Tone

The author’s intention with the humorous or comic tone is to make the reader laugh, they want to amuse the audience. It can sometimes be confused with sarcasm but, unlike sarcasm, humour is intended to entertain. It is the opposite of dramatic or sombre tone.

An example of a humorous tone would be a monologue which, mind you, before performing it, must be written. Practise your Spanish with this one we’ve mentioned.

3. Sarcastic Tone

Also known as ironic tone and its purpose is to persuade through contrarian humour, that is, sometimes it mocks or offends someone. It is often intended to provoke a critical reaction in the reader. Taken to the extreme, it can provoke satire, such as Francisco de Quevedo’s very famous sonnet, A una nariz.

«Once there was a man stuck to a nose

It was a nose more marvellous than weird,[…]».

4. Intriguing Tone

Also known as curious tone, it is quite common in thrillers and stories of intrigue. It is very common in literature because of the number of followers it gets. This tone awakens a certain uneasiness inside, sometimes you even hold your breath without realising it, it disconcerts you at some point. This is because you anticipate, or at least try to anticipate, the plot, you want to uncover the story.

Any mystery novel by Agatha Christie or Mary Higgins Clark is the perfect example, but you can also find it in some journalism articles.

5. Hopeful Tone

Also known as pacifying, this type of tone is used in texts of a reassuring or reconciliatory nature. They are not controversial at all, the vocabulary is neutral with positive overtones and is intended to make us put aside the negative and focus on the good things that can happen.

Self-help or religious texts use this type of tone for the most part, but it can also be found in social and journalistic themes, to send a message of encouragement to the reader in current adverse conditions. One example is newspaper articles at the time of confinement.

6. Loving Tone

Today, I want to finish the list with a close and intimate tone. The loving tone also gives us a glimmer of hope, as love will always be a wonderful thing in the world.

The loving tone is characterised using warm words with an affectionate and positive attitude, sometimes with respect and even adoration. It can be expressed in formal and informal contexts and can be extrapolated to texts of a serious nature or of an erotic nature.

It is also common to mix the amorous tone with others, as in Romeo and Juliet, with tragic overtones. Another example is the historical novel, as in Outlander.

Identify Yours and Practise!  

Tone expresses the feelings of the writer, or of the publication itself if the writer has been given specific guidelines. That is what style guides are for!

It is important not to confuse mood with tone. Mood is the atmosphere of the writing and is what the writer intends to trigger in the reader.

No matter what tone you are going to use, with iScribo you can learn how to express yourself in Spanish and correct all the documents you compose without having to worry about making mistakes. Do you identify with any of these types of writing tones? Do you know of any others that we haven’t mentioned? Tell us about them in the comments below.

Categories
Spanish as a language

What Are Spanish Toponyms & What is Their Origin?

iscribo-toponymsinspanish-blogimage
Qué Son los Topónimos y Cuál es su Origen | iScribo

As we have learnt on other occasions, there are several ways of telling different types of nouns in Spanish. One of the most important one is to differentiate between proper and common nouns and, within proper nouns, we find the Spanish toponymy.

What are Spanish toponyms? According to the RAE, it is a proper name of a place, that is, a geographical feature and toponymy is the science that studies the names of places, the toponyms!

Toponyms sometimes have personal names or surnames, for example, Baena, which is a town in Cordoba, Spain. In many other cases, proper names have been transformed over time and have acquired another form due to their use or the natural spelling of the Spanish language or social context.

Different Toponyms

Let’s take a closer look at the meaning of toponyms according to their origin, that is the formation of the words.

– Arabic Toponymy: the long stay of the Arabs in the Iberian Peninsula provided not only infrastructure, heritage and genetics, but also gave Spanish numerous phonemes and Arabic places names that have endured throughout history:

* Alcalá: comes from calá, which means castle, so, it is “the castle”.

* Gibraltar: comes from gebel, meaning mountain, so it is “Tarik’s mountain”.

* Guadalquivir: comes from wad, which means river, so it is “big river”.

– Canarian toponymy: the African islands also have a lot to contribute with Guanche – Canarian language – toponyms:

* Icod de los Vinos: on Tenerife, Icod comes from the indigenous Guanche kingdom Icode.

* Garachico: on Tenerife and means “small rock”.

* Isora: also in Tenerife, it means “high place”.

– Quechua toponymy: the Quechua territory covers the area comprising the Andes. This vast territory also enriches the language with so many Quechua words and phrases:

* Cochabamba: in Bolivia, it comes from q’ucha and panpa, and means “lake and plain”.

* Lonquimay: in Chile, it comes from lonco and mayu, meaning “head and river”.

* Carhué: in Argentina, it comes from carre and hue, and means “green place”.

Anthroponymy and Toponymy

The meaning of anthroponym is the proper names that designate humans, i.e. people. Although some people share a name, they are used to differentiating us from each other.

Some examples are Claudia, Timothy, William, Eulàlia or Mar, like the members of the iScribo team, although not all of them are in Spanish.

As Many Place Names as Places in the World!

There are as toponyms, as many places, rivers, mountains, etc. exist in the Spanish-speaking countries. Different types of nouns in Spanish can be a lot of fun because there are many ways to do it. Have you tried correcting Spanish toponyms with iScribo’s spelling and grammar checker? Anyway, while you are practising, can you tell us in the comments some toponyms and anthroponyms that catch your attention?

GET IT NOW
Sign up now

Want more Spanish tips?

Get them direct to your inbox

Sign up for tips and tricks to perfect your Spanish writing skills. You’ll be writing like a native in no time.

Free Trial until 30 September 2021: Our subscription programme does not start until 1 October 2021. So, as long as you provide us with a feedback you can use our site for free until noon 30 September 2021 (GMT)