Category: Writing in Spanish

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Writing in Spanish

10 Homonym Words in Spanish for Every Now & Then

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Si quieres saber a qué llamamos palabras homónimas y aprender algunos ejemplos, no te pierdas esta entrada de iScribo. Escribe mejor en español hoy mismo.

Homonyms in Spanish language are words that are pronounced the same or in a very similar way but are spelled differently.

They are divided into homophones, which are those that are pronounced the same but their spelling and meaning are different, and homographs, which are spelled and pronounced the same but their meaning is different. Here are some Spanish homonyms and examples to help you understand them.

5 Homophone Words

1. Astaand hasta

Asta is a noun and means “horn”, like that of the bull, and it can be as well the “mast” of the flags.

Ese toro tiene un asta muy afilada, el ganadero debe tener cuidado. (That bull has a very sharp horn, the rancher should be careful.)

La bandera está a media asta en señal de duelo. (The flag is at half-mast as a sign of mourning.)

Hasta, is a preposition and indicates the final limit of a trajectory in time and space.

Hoy trabajaré hasta que me canse. (Today I will work until I feel tired.)

2. Bello and vello

The first word is an adjective and indicates that something is beautiful or pretty:

Qué bello el final de la película. (How beautiful the end of the film.)

The second word is a noun synonymous with short, soft hair on the human body or on fruit:

El melocotón me da dentera por su vello. (The peach gives me chills because of its fuzz.)

3. Hora and ora

Hora is a noun used as a measure of time, although it has several meanings:

Sesenta minutos hacen una hora. (Sixty minutes make an hour.)

Ora is distributive conjunction meaning “now” and is also a conjugation of the verb “orar”:

Ora ríe, ora llora. (Now they laugh, now they cry.)

Ora, que estamos en misa. (Pray, so we are at Mass.)

4. Naval and nabal

Naval is an adjective relating to navigation and nabal is another adjective pertaining or relating to turnips:

La flota naval está expuesta en el puerto. (The fleet is on display in the harbour.)

El campo nabal está listo para la recolección. (The nabal field is ready for harvesting.)

5. Sabia and savia

Sabia is an adjective indicating “wisdom” and savia is a noun meaning the liquid of plants.

Jaime es una persona muy sabia. (Jaime is a very wise person.)

El árbol tiene un corte y se le ve la savia. (The tree has a cut and you can see the sap.)

5 Homograph Words

6. Amo

It can be the first person of the verb “amar” or the noun synonymous with “owner”:

Te amo más que a mí misma. (I love you more than I love myself.)

El amo de ese perro debe estar cerca. (The owner of that dog must be nearby.)

7. Clavo

In both cases it is a noun, one is a piece of metal and the other is a cooking spice:

Dame el clavo que cuelgue el cuadro. (Give me the nail so I can hung the picture.)

A esta carne le pega el sabor del clavo. (This meat should be flavoured with cloves.)

8. Gato

Defines two completely different nouns. One is the animal and the other is the mechanical tool.

El gato de Marina es siamés. (Marina’s cat is a Siamese.)

Para cambiar la rueda necesitas un gato. (To change the wheel you need a jack.)

9. Pasta

Two different nouns to express food or as a colloquial synonym for “money”:

Hoy comemos pasta con pesto. (Today we are eating pasta with pesto.)

No tengo pasta para pagar el cine. (I don’t have money to pay for the movies.)

10. Vino

Can be the noun defining the alcoholic beverage made from grapes or the verb “venir” conjugated:

Me encanta el vino tinto. (I love red wine.)

Marta vino a jugar al tenis. (Marta came to play tennis.)

Practise with iScribo

With our spelling and grammar checker you can learn many aspects of the Spanish language while improving your writing for work or personal reasons. Visit our website and find out how to use our tool.

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Writing in Spanish

9 Expressions and Idioms in Spanish Easy to Learn

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9 Expresiones y Dichos Populares en Español | iScribo

Spanish language has an endless number of expressions worthy of the most creative minds. Many of these idioms in Spanish have very curious stories that were born in past centuries.

Popular sayings vary from region to region and from country to country – what can we say about the diversity of Spanish! All the variants we appreciate are what make our language so rich and diverse.

Discover different ways of expressing situations like a real Spanish speaker. iScribo explains how to say some everyday Spanish expressions in a vivid way.

Expressions with Household Utensils

1. En casa de herrero, cuchillo de palo (the shoemaker’s son always goes barefoot): Apart from Spain, this is a very popular saying in Latin America. It means that someone lacks something they should have. It is also used when children do not follow the same career path as their parents.

— Tú eres profesor de inglés, seguro que hay algún diccionario por aquí.

— ¡No tengo ninguno! En casa de herrero, cuchillo de palo.

(You’re an English teacher, I’m sure there’s a dictionary around here somewhere.

I don’t have one! The shoemaker’s son always goes barefoot.)

2. Irse la olla (to lose your marbles): There are variants such as irse la pinza. Its origin goes back to the time of Louis XV of France, when the pot containing the entire court’s dinner disappeared. It had been a joke by the kitchen helpers, but it was decided that it was the cooker’s fault because he was mad.

Se me ha ido la olla y no he cerrado la puerta de casa al salir.

(I lost my marbles, I didn’t close the door when I left the house.)

3. Pagar los platos rotos (to pay the price): When you unjustly suffer the consequences of an action committed by a third party. Another expression that means the same thing is pagar el pato or cargar con el mochuelo. Its origin dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries when the Christian society charged against the Jewish people.

He pagado los platos rotos por tu culpa.

(I have paid the price for you.)

Expressions with Animals

4. Dar gato por liebre (to take for a ride): To deceive or cheat someone. The expression dates back to the Middle Ages, when due to the similarity of the two animals, cat was served as the main course but was advertised as a hare instead.

Creía que este bolso era verdadero pero me han dado gato por liebre.

(I thought this bag was original, but I’ve been taken for a ride!)

5. Ver las orejas al lobo (to see the writing on the wall): Means that you have become aware of imminent danger. Its origin is unknown.

Están despidiendo a mucha gente en mi trabajo y le he visto las orejas al lobo.

(A lot of people are being made redundant at my job and I’ve seen the writing on the wall.)

6. Tener memoria de elefante: (to have an elephant’s memory): To have a brilliant memory. It comes from a study published in the 19th century in which the brains of some animals were measured. It was surprising that elephants had this muscle very well developed and, moreover, their learning capacity was extraordinary. The opposite expression is tener memoria de pez (to have a goldfish memory.)

Marcos se acuerda de lo que hizo hace diez años, tiene memoria de elefante. Yo, en cambio, tengo memoria de pez.

(Marcos remembers what he did ten years ago, he has the memory of an elephant. I, on the other hand, have the memory of a goldfish.)

Expressions with Colours

7. Verlo de color de rosa (to see all peaches and cream): It means that someone is too optimistic. It comes from the 19th century when optimistic ladies became interested in current affairs.

El examen no es tan fácil, lo ves todo de color de rosa.

(The test is not so easy, you see all peaches and cream.)

8. Poner verde a alguien (to call someone every name in the book): It means that someone is being criticised. The origin is uncertain, one of the theories is that when food expires, it turns green. However, all the supposed origins coincide with the negativity of the expression.

No deberíais poner verde a Carla si ella no está delante, qué mala educación.

(You shouldn’t call Carla every name in the book if she’s not here, that’s rude.

9. Ponerse morado/a (to fill your boots): overeating until you can’t eat anymore. There is also the variant ponerse ciego/a or ponerse las botas. Its origin is purely medical, as there is a disease called cyanosis, which consists of having breathing problems after having eaten too much and the skin turning purple.

Me puse morada en la boda de Pepe, qué rica estaba la comida.

(I filled my boots at Pepe’s wedding, the food was so good.)

Expressions for All Tastes

Idioms in Spanish are used on a daily basis. Knowing the expressions of all the Spanish-speaking countries is a complicated task, as there are countless of them.

The best way to learn them correctly is to use them over and over again until they stick in your mind. Don’t forget to use iScribo’s spelling and grammar checker to improve the level of your Spanish documents. Ensure the correct spelling of your Spanish documents with our artificial intelligence-based tool.

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Writing in Spanish

15 Tips To Help You Expressing Love In Spanish

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15 Consejos Para Escribir Una Carta de Amor | iScribo

Nowadays it is easy to find ideas and inspiration on the Internet, either on a website, blog, or social media to write about love in Spanish.

Thanks to technology, we have templates, millions of classic or modern poems to copy, or even some tricks from influential people that teach you how to write a letter.

Emoticons, a virtual letter, a WhatsApp message… anything goes to make a declaration. However, if we want to be original and romantic, why not resort to the traditional method of writing a love letter in our own handwriting?

Sit down, read, and get inspired to write an epic declaration of love.

Characteristics

The first thing we need to be clear about is the purpose of the love letter.

In this little piece of paper, we are going to express our feelings and emotions, as well as include our authenticity, vulnerability, and essence. It is not enough just to say I love you in Spanish.

Think that the aim of the letter is to move someone so that they become emotional. It will be a memory that they will keep in a drawer and in their heart for the rest of their life.

Is it a summer love? Our purpose today is not to write a goodbye letter to a lover, so if this is your case don’t worry, you can always reflect that the letter is a “see you soon” and not a goodbye letter. Thanks to technology, nowadays there is no such thing as a summer love that you will never see again.

Sentences you can Use

Reflect on your love story so that the inspiration flows all at once and you don’t have to stop and think.

Once memories come to mind, either of the person’s physicality or personality or of shared experiences, use these sentences as a structure to help you write your love letter. But don’t copy them word by word! Personalise them with your own memories.

1. Hay tantas cosas bonitas que me gustaría decirte que no sé por dónde empezar.

(There are so many beautiful things I would like to say to you that I don’t know where to start.)

2. Recuerdo la primera vez que te vi, estabas radiante con esa chaqueta que realzaba el color de tus ojos.

(I remember the first time I saw you; you were radiant in that jacket that brought out the colour of your eyes.)

3. ¿Te acuerdas de aquella vez que paseamos por la playa al atardecer?

(Do you remember the time we walked along the beach at sunset?)

4. Juntos hemos creado momentos irrepetibles, como aquella vez que no podíamos parar de reír.

(Together we have created unrepeatable moments, like that time when we couldn’t stop laughing.)

5. Me encanta cuando cantas, aunque no sepas muy bien cómo, pero llenas la habitación de alegría.

(I love it when you sing, even if you don’t really know how, but you fill the room with joy.)

6. Me enamoré perdidamente de ti en nuestro primer viaje juntos a París.

(I fell madly in love with you on our first trip to Argentina together.)

7. Lo que más me gusta de ti es tu sonrisa. No dejas de sonreír y eso me transmite paz y amor.

(What I love most about you is your smile. You never stop smiling and that gives me peace and love.)

8. Cada vez que escucho nuestra canción me inundan recuerdos felices en la mente.

(Every time I hear our song, happy memories flood my mind.)

9. En mi cabeza resuena tu nombre como una melodía dulce de inspiración de amor.

(Your name resounds in my head like a sweet melody of love and inspiration.)

10. Cuando pienso en los baches que hemos superados juntos, como aquella vez que […]. Lo superamos juntos, ¡formamos el mejor equipo!

(When I think of the bumps we’ve overcome together, like that time when […]. We got through it together, we make the best team!)

11. Siempre dices lo adecuado en el momento oportuno. No hay mayor apoyo que el que tú me das.

(You always say the right thing at the right time. There is no greater support in life than yours.)

Some Additional Resources

You probably already have a good love letter if you have completed all the above points, but there are some additional resources that never fail and look great.

You can include a love poem or just a few verses that remind you of your soul mate. We recommend the classics by Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer and Mario Benedetti, they never fail!

If you are overflowing with inspiration, I recommend you write an original poem, with metaphors and allegories. You’ll see that it will be beautiful, and your soul mate will surely like it even more for its sentimental value.

Who doesn’t like to be the inspiration for a love poem?

Add some Handmade Crafts

Since you are going to write the love letter by hand, add some personal and homemade touches that will be the cherry on the cake to your declaration of love.

12. Douse the paper with some of your perfume. A couple of swipes of the spray are enough but don’t overdo it. Keep in mind that this should be done before writing so that the ink doesn’t smear and ruin the letter you’ve already written.

13. You can add a bit of glitter in the margins or make shapes, like a heart.

14. Draw a hand-drawn picture as a background for the paper.

15. Don’t forget to sign it!

Show Love Wherever you Go

Once you have written the letter, use our tool to correct any mistakes it might have. You can also accompany the love letter with some flowers or a bright and cheerful flowerpot. No matter what the love letter looks like, I’m sure they will love it and keep it forever. Don’t forget that the important thing in life is to pass on the good and leave a mark of love and happiness wherever you go.

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Writing in Spanish

20+ Easy Ways To Express Emotions in Spanish

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26 Maneras Fáciles De Expresar Emociones En Español | iScribo

Not being able to express ourselves clearly can be frustrating. Expressing feelings or emotions is essential to be able to have quality conversations with our family and friends.

Some people are very expressive with their facial emotions and verbal language, just by looking at their faces, we can get an idea of what they are thinking or how they feel.

The most important thing when expressing emotions is to do it politely and respectfully towards the people we are talking to, this is the only way to practise quality communication.

The number of expressions in Spanish to show our state of mind is immense. We can be sad, happy, healthy, and so on. Learn the sentence structure and you will see how easy it is once you practise it.

At iScribo, today we bring you some formulas to express emotions and feelings so you can expand on the grammatical structures you already know.

Sentence Structure

You can use the basic structure of subject + verb + complements or you can turn the sentence around to emphasise:

Estoy contenta de estar hoy aquí (omitted subject ME + verb + complements).

(I’m happy to be here today.)

Contento me tienes…. (complements + verb + omitted subject YOU).

(I’m not happy with you…)

To start with, use the standard structure, which is the one you normally use. Gradually introduce inverted sentences as you become more proficient.

Elements of the Sentence

Feelings are often expressed with the verb ESTAR (to be). Just conjugate it.

Estoy cansado de hacer ejercicio (estar + adjective)

(I’m tired of exercising.)

Estamos bien, no preguntes más (estar + adverb)

(We are ok, don’t ask again.)

Another frequent verb to express feelings is SENTIR (to feel). This one is also easy, as you can associate the verb with the word family (sentir and sentimientos).

Me siento triste por lo que te ha pasado (sentir + adjective)

(I feel sad about what happened to you)

¿Sientes el amor lo mismo que yo? (feel + noun)

(Do you feel love the same way I do.)

There are other verbs, which we will see further down in the sentences, that help us to emphasise or give more strength to what we want to say, such as GUSTAR, ENCANTAR, DETESTAR, etcetera.

The next thing you need to know is that emotions are expressed with adjectives at the basic levels. However, they can also be expressed with nouns, adverbs, or other categories.

We have highlighted these grammatical categories in bold in the examples above so that you can see the difference.

Don’t forget that most of the time when there is a verb involved, in addition to the auxiliary, you have to use the subjunctive.

Expressing Positive Feelings

#1 Estoy muy contenta porque he aprobado el examen.

#2 Estás radiante con ese vestido.

#3 Estás a un nivel increíble.

#4 Están deseando que lleguen las vacaciones.

#5 Sentimos tu alegría como si fuera nuestra.

#6 ¡Me encanta tu actitud!

#7 ¡Sigue por buen camino!

#8 Me flipa la paella.

#9 ¡Qué alegría ver tan graciosa a la niña!

#10 Es increíble que nos hayamos encontrado.

#11 Me parece maravilloso que cambies de trabajo.

#12 Siento admiración por lo que has conseguido.

#13 Es estupendo que pueda venir a verte tu madre.

Expressing Negative Feelings

#14 Estoy triste porque te han echado del trabajo.

#15 Hoy estoy floja.

#16 Me encuentro enfermo, me duele la cabeza.

#17 Odio que me hables así.

#18 Detesto la cebolla.

#19 Siento mucho lo que te ha pasado.

#20 No me gusta que le hables así a tu amiga.

#21 No tengo ganas de salir ni de hacer nada.

#22 Qué decepción que hayamos perdido.

#23 Siento un vacío inmenso al alejarme de ella.

#24 Me ha dado mucho miedo el pasar la noche sola.

#25 No soporto a José.

#26 No aguanto esta película.

There Are Many Ways To Express Emotions!

Every day brings us millions of opportunities to express ourselves. From a bad face to the most extreme joy. Practically every time we speak, we are expressing emotions.

Pay close attention to what you do every day from the moment you get up to the moment you go to bed, and you will see that every few minutes you will identify an action that you can practice expressing emotions.

We also leave you with an entertaining video so you can see more examples and learn a little more. Also, don’t forget that iScribo corrects your Spanish and improves the way you express yourself. And remember! Don’t forget to be kind, we need positive and empathetic people to make this world a better place.

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Writing in Spanish

4 Rules You Must Know About Italics In Spanish

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4 Reglas para Usar La Letra Cursiva En Español | iScribo

Cursive or italic writing is the type of writing in slopping letters. Whether or not to write in italics will depend on the stylebook of each media company, but it is better to know what the rules say about its use.

Italics are used to indicate that a word, or a group of words, has a special meaning within the sentence.

Today iScribo brings you a series of easy rules so that you can use italics without any problem.

1. Figurative Uses

We must write in italics certain words or expressions whose value is figurative. In other words, they have a metaphorical meaning that would not normally be used with that word.

Se quedó entre los finalistas en la entrevista.

(He/she was among the finalists in the interview.)

2. Foreign Words

Words that do not belong to Spanish but that we use anyway are written in italics.

In many cases, these words have a graphic adaptation into Spanish that very often corresponds to the pronunciation of the word.

For example, memorandum is a Latin word that can be written in italics with its Latin spelling or adapted to Spanish, in this case memorándum or memorando.

It should be noted that, although the Latin spelling is correct, whenever we can adapt the word to Spanish, we should do so.

3. Titles of Books, Plays or Films

The titles of books, plays, films, etc. are written in italics, regardless of the language in which they are written.

Here are two examples to help you assimilate it better:

Hace unas semanas se estrenó la precuela de Toy Story.

(A few weeks ago, the prequel to Toy Story was released.)

Cuando viajé a París vi el cuadro de Los girasoles de Van Gogh.

(When I travelled to Paris I saw the painting Sunflowers by Van Gogh.)

4. Nicknames

Nicknames are written in italics when they are placed between first name and second name.

Of course, the rest of the sentence is written in normal letters:

Diego Armando el Pelusa Maradona falleció hace unos años.

(Diego Armando el Pelusa Maradona passed away a few years ago.)

Italics or not italics

Don’t worry if you don’t quite know whether a word is italicised or not. We are fortunate that each stylebook dictates its own rules about italic writing. Our advice is to always follow the rules unless someone tells you otherwise for a specific purpose. You will see that practice will make you learn the rules little by little.

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Writing in Spanish

5 Tips To Use Gender-Inclusive Language In Spanish

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iScribo advocates the use of inclusive language in all areas. Today we give you 5 tips for using gender-inclusive language in Spanish without making mistakes.

Spanish is a sexist language. Just like that. English is fortunate to be a language in which gender is not an issue.

It is not our fault that society evolved in that direction. We have been speaking Spanish for centuries and the formation of the language took place in masculine spheres and gender-neutral language was never used before.

While it is true that the RAE is very conservative when it comes to the evolution of Spanish, there are things we could do to adapt the language to the present and make it inclusive so that it represents the whole of society.

iScribo tells you how you can contribute to adapting the language by using gender-inclusive language without making mistakes.

1. Avoid made-up words

Almost everyone wants to use inclusive language, but this does not mean that we have to disrespect the Spanish language.

Todes (everyone), the use of @ or X is not an option, we have other alternatives.

The example is ‘We are all going to the party’:

⛔ Nos vamos a presentar todes en la fiesta.

⛔ Nos vamos a presentar tod@s en la fiesta.

⛔ Nos vamos a presentar todxs en la fiesta.

Instead, we can say:

✓ Nos vamos a presentar en la fiesta al completo.

✓ Nos vamos a presentar en la fiesta en conjunto.

2. Avoid gendered words

It is not the same to say los vecinos (the neighbours, masculine word in Spanish) as el vecindario (the neighbourhood, neutral word). We must use neutral words, even if we have to use other resources:

Let’s be creative in using inclusive language:

⛔ Seamos creativos para usar el lenguaje inclusivo.

 ✓ Recurramos a la creatividad para usar el lenguaje inclusivo.

We are very tired after the race:

⛔ Estamos muy cansados tras la carrera.

  ✓ El cansancio nos puede tras la carrera.

Sometimes it is enough to change an adjective or an adverb into a noun.

3. Try to lighten the discourse

In order not to use sexist language, many people resort to the heavy language of naming nouns, adjectives, and adverbs in both masculine and feminine, when in fact it would be enough to use a word that designates the collective:

            The students went out to the playground:

⛔ Los alumnos y las alumnas salieron al patio.

  ✓ El alumnado salió al patio.

4. Break down stereotypes

There are words that have become sexist throughout history, especially for professions such as a nurse, cleaner, and so on. Spanish nursing unions claim that the word nurse defines both the masculine and the feminine, but we can always use other resources:

✓ Profesionales de enfermería (nursing professionals).

✓ Colectivo de limpieza (cleaning collective).

5. Avoid using masculine pronouns

This is usually the case with masculine demonstrative pronouns: aquel, estos, etcetera. We can use quien or quienes instead:

Those who want to come, let them come:

⛔ Aquellos que quieran venir, que vengan.

  ✓ Quienes quieran venir, que vengan.

Miembras (members) and generalas (generals)

Sometimes, especially in politics, we tend to use inclusive language incorrectly. It happened to a Spanish minister back in 2008 in a notorious case: in the middle of Congress she said miembros y miembras (miembras doesn’t exist).

In the army, too, there are those who have said la generala (it doesn’t exist either) instead of la general. Let’s not forget that there are common nouns in terms of gender!

It may sound forced, but by using inclusive language, we will normalise it and it will become natural in our lives.

We also recommend that you read style guides from official or linguistic bodies. You are sure to learn a lot, as well as with our grammar checker, which helps you to use inclusive language correctly.

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Writing in Spanish

Hyphen vs Dash: The Use Of Punctuation In Spanish

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Raya Y Guion: Signos de Puntuación En Español

At first glance they may look almost the same, but if you look a little closer, these two spelling marks are completely different, not only in terms of their appearance but also in terms of their use.

Which is used for dialogue, the hyphen symbol, or dash symbol? What is a long dash? Clear up your doubts about these punctuation marks with the help of your favourite grammar checker.

Dash or long dash? I’m always confused!

Don’t worry, the Spanish m dash symbol (—) is often called a long dash (but the Spanish RAE advises against it) and is just that, a horizontal dash longer than the traditional Spanish hyphen symbol (-). Do not confuse it with the minus sign (–), which has an intermediate length.

It is very common to type a hyphen instead of the dash, as this sign is not on the normal keyboard. To type the dash symbol, use the combination ALT 0151 on your numeric keypad or look for it in the symbols under the Insert tab of the Toolbar. If you’re using your laptop, I’m afraid only the latter option will work.

When do you use the dash symbol?

This spelling sign has several uses, here are the two most frequent ones on the Spanish grammar:

  • To make incises: in this case, the dash can be replaced by commas or parentheses. If there are already parentheses in the sentence, use the dash instead. Keep in mind that the dash is attached to the first and last character it encloses.

Me gusta aprender idiomas —incluso el chino— aunque me cueste trabajo (I like to learn languages, even Chinese, although if it’s hard work).

  • To introduce dialogue and dialogue breaks. As you will see in this example, the initial dash symbol needs a space with the word it introduces, but it is attached to the word of the clause:

— Hola, Pedro —dijo Sara. (‘Hello, Peter,’ said Sara).

Maybe what I need to use is a hyphen symbol…

The first thing you need to know is that in Spanish, the hyphen is called guion, a diphthong word, and the RAE recommends writing it without the accent (practise your Spanish and read this interesting article from Fundéu). Its main uses are:

  • To join words or other signs: tren Madrid-Granada (train Madrid-Granada), crítico-literario (literary critic).
  • To separate linguistic content:
  • Syllables: ca – sa (hou-se)
  • To mark suffixes or prefixes (where appropriate): -ísimo, pre-OTAN (before NATO).

It doesn’t stop there

We could spend days discussing the use of the dash symbol and hyphen symbol, and how to combine them with other spelling marks, but if you know these basic rules of punctuation in Spanish, you will be able to start using them without mistakes, and then expand your knowledge little by little. Follow our blog closely and our social networks to stay up to date with the latest in the use of Spanish grammar. Don’t miss a single detail with iScribo!

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Writing in Spanish

How to Learn Spanish on Your Own in 5 Easy Steps

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Cómo Aprender Español Por Tu Cuenta En 5 Pasos

When someone says, “Wow! Your Spanish is fantastic! “How did you find out?” “I taught myself,” I usually claim.

Sure, I made sure to chat to Spanish locals whenever possible, picking their brains on Spanish grammar, vocabulary, and local idioms, as well as a few other methods of language learning help.

But, for the most part, I studied Spanish on my own.

So, what were my ploys? How did I manage to achieve it?

There’s no denying that it took a long period and a lot of personal effort. Anyone who claims to be able to acquire a language in a few months is lying.

After a fast crash course in the classroom, you may be able to navigate a Spanish-speaking city while on vacation, but it won’t be enough to participate in a fluid conversation, go for a job interview, or even sing along to music without tripping over the words.

So, here are 5 simple steps to learn Spanish on your own that turn out to be the best way to learn Spanish:

1. Spend an hour each day working on Spanish grammar tasks

“Hugo Spanish in 3 Months” is a great basic grammar book and CD for beginners I discovered. It’s jam-packed with brief explanations and activities. All the answers are at the back of the book, and it is a great resource for learning the fundamentals: past, present, and future tenses; prepositions; common phrasal structures; and explanations of plurals and gender.

Set aside an hour at the end of each day to do the exercises. Keep doing this until the grammar becomes second nature.

You can even practise your Spanish grammar online on a very powerful tool.

iScribo is one of the best Spanish grammar correctors online today.

2. Subtitled movies and web series

You can use two strategies for this.

  • The first option is for novices to view Spanish films with English subtitles.
  • The second option is for advanced speakers to view Spanish films with Spanish subtitles.

It may seem strange to watch and read in Spanish at the same time, but it works wonderfully. 

Reading abilities increase far quicker than listening abilities. You’ll be able to significantly enhance your pronunciation by reading and listening at the same time.

It will also help you speak like the locals.

3. Listen to Spanish-language radio

After around two years of becoming pretty competent, you’ll find it fun to listen to the radio in Spanish.

It will be difficult for you at first. It might be very difficult to understand what someone says in a foreign language when you can’t see their lips, but I suggest perseverance.

You can get in an hour or two of listening to the radio on your phone while driving to and from work.

You can also keep the radio on in the background while you’re at home. Make a note of words that sounds strange to you and check them up later.

The process of learning to use the radio never ends.

4. Make Spanish your thinking language

Unless you relocate to a Spanish-speaking nation, you will not always have many opportunities to converse in Spanish this is why you can (and should) talk to yourself in Spanish.

In any case, we all chat to ourselves from time to time. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve left my house wondering whether I’d unplugged my curling iron and locked the front door. If you’re anything like me, you may as well do it in Spanish.

I’m not suggesting you conduct lengthy discussions with yourself in public, that would be ridiculous. But the next time you need or want to express yourself, consider saying it in Spanish.

And if you come across any terms or translations, make a note of them and check them up later.

If it’s too sophisticated for you, you may chat to yourself in the mirror to increase your confidence for future discussions with native speakers.

5. Set your phone’s language to Spanish

Okay, I realise this one seems a bit intimidating, particularly if you’re new to it. But, if your objective is to include Spanish in your daily life, wouldn’t it make sense to make that adjustment on your phone?

After you’ve got used to the changeover, you’ll want to change the language settings on the rest of your devices.

This will undoubtedly be difficult if you are a beginner in Spanish. But if you already know where everything is on your phone, give it a chance.

If you find it too tough, you can simply change your settings back to English.

So there you have it, 5 easy steps to self-learning Spanish.

If you follow these instructions, you will one day be complimented on your Spanish and asked how you acquired the language so effectively. Then you may confidently say, “I taught myself!”

Categories
Writing in Spanish

What You Need to Know About the Spanish Imperative

Qué Tienes Que Saber Del Imperativo En Español
Qué Tienes Que Saber Del Imperativo En Español

The imperative mood is used to command or request something. Its main characteristics are that it does not appear in subordinate clauses, that it admits enclitic personal pronouns, and that the imperative verbs exist in the first person since we cannot give orders to ourselves.

You must keep in mind that there are regular and irregular verbs, and this is what will depend on how the verb is formed in the imperative. In this post we will focus on regular verbs.

Form and types of imperative

The imperative mood is only formed in the present tense; other grammatical resources, such as modal verbs, are used to give commands in any other tense.

There are two types of imperative:

  • The affirmative: ¡Ven aquí! (Come here!)
  • The negative: (que +) no + verb in the imperative mood (which is formed with the present subjunctive). ¡No conduzcas! (Don’t drive!)

Imperative in positive sentences with regular verbs

-ar-er-ir
Tú (you, second person of singular)bailabebeparte
Usted (you, second person of singular, polite form)bailebebaparta
Vosotros (you, second person of plural)bailadbebedpartid
Ustedes (you, second person of plural, polite form)bailenbebanpartan

Here you have some examples of imperative:

Bailad hasta que salga el sol (Dance until the sun comes up).

Bebed agua, hace mucho calor (Drink water, it’s very hot).

Partan antes de que sea tarde (Leave before it’s too late).

Imperative in negative sentences with regular verbs

-ar-er-ir
Tú (you, second person of singular)bailesbebaspartas
Usted (you, second person of singular, polite form)bailebebaparta
Vosotros (you, second person of plural)bailéisbebáispartáis
Ustedes (you, second person of plural, polite form)bailenbebanpartan

Some imperative examples:

Que no bailes así (Don’t dance like that).

No bebáis eso (Don’t drink that).

No partan antes del anochecer (Don’t leave before nightfall).

Most common errors

The most common mistake when forming the imperative mood is to use the verb in the infinitive, especially in the spoken language: *Sentaros en estas sillas (Sit on those chairs) instead of Sentaos en estas sillas.

This error is very frequent when using the verb ir (to go): *Ves a comprar el pan (Go to buy some bread) instead of Ve a comprar el pan.

*Irse is widely used in the spoken language, but is incorrect, it should be used id, idos and iros (not recommended but valid).

Some imperative examples:

* Irse de aquí antes de que me enfade (Get out of here before I get angry).

Id a por los gatos (Go get the cats).

Idos a la playa (Go to the beach).

Iros de compras al centro (Go shopping downtown).

The use of the infinitive as if it were an imperative is allowed only when preceded by a: ¡A comer! (Let’s eat!), and when the command is to a group in general and not to a single individual in particular: Salir por la puerta de emergencia y luego girar a la derecha (Exit through the emergency door and then turn right).

Practise non-stop

Practice is what gives the user all the confidence and skill necessary to form the imperative without mistakes. You will notice that in many regions and even countries, the incorrect use of imperative verbs is widespread. In iScribo we want to help you, so we invite you to try our tool and learn Spanish in the most correct way possible.

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