Learn to Speak Spanish
5 Super-Cool Verbs To Spice Up Your Spanish
Practising verb drills is a must-do exercise when learning to speak Spanish but,
let's be honest, it's not the most exciting activity to help us learn the
Spanish language, in fact it can be a real drag! And as well as conjugating the
verbs in their numerous tenses, there are also common uses of verbs on the
streets that aren't taught in formal courses and knowing them will add a dash of
authenticity to your spoken Spanish. Here's 5 cool verbs you can sprinkle into
your spoken Spanish that are sure to win you many admiring new friends in the
Hispanic world!
Our first cool verb is a big favourite of mine. The reflexive form of Antojar,
Anojarse, means to have a craving for something, to have a real
desire for something. I use this a lot when it comes to food and on one
memorable occasion I left the camerera - una verdadera buenona - well impressed
when I said:
"Se me antoja una hamburgesa con queso" - I really fancy a cheeseburger.
You can also use it to say you're not in the mood to do something, like this:
"¿Por qué no vas a ir a la fiesta?" - Why aren't you going to the party?
"Porque no se me antoja." - Because I'm not in the mood for it.
Like I say, I use it mostly when it comes to eating and if you use this in a
restaurant you will make a very good impression - and get excellent service!
The verb Echar - To Throw - has a multitude of uses, way too many to list
all of them here. And some uses are so streetwise I daren't add them here if you
know what I mean! But here's some really cool expressions involving Echar that
you can easily introduce into your daily conversations.
Echar de menos - is to miss someone or something. I was enjoying a
pleasant evening out with a very good Spanish friend of mine who is married to a
Brazilian. As we were talking, she suddenly looked very sad and I asked my
friend:
"Qué pasa con Cleo?" - What's wrong with Cleo?
He replied: "Ella echa de menos a su familia en Brasil". She's missing her family
in Brazil.
If you want to say to someone: "Put some elbow grease into it", or "make an
effort" or even "go for it", you can say: "¡Echale ganas!"
But this is an absolute beauty. You know when something happens that makes your
blood boil - say, someone steals your car and you're in a foul temper and you're
shouting and ranting and raving? Here's what the Spanish say:
"¡Mira! Alguien ha robado el coche de Pablo, ¡Él echa espumarajos!" -
"Hey! Someone has stolen Paul's car, he's fuming!"
Echar espumarajos - To be foaming at the mouth.
Next up is a cracker that will demonstrate to Hispanic people that you possess
the highly respected quality of "Educado/a", meaning not that you are educated
but that you are well-mannered and polite. This simple but very polite phrase is
a use of Querer - "To want" - and it took me a year to discover it!
It's something that happens to all of us. You're walking along the street lost
in your own thoughts when you accidentally bump into someone. Normally, you can
just say "Disculpe" or "Perdona" - both of these are fine. But to convey that
extra-special educado quality you say:
"Perdona. Sin querer" - I'm sorry, it was an accident. The literal
translation is:
Sorry, it wasn't intentional.
Quick, easy but it's one very cool, very important phrase to have under your
belt.
Seguir, a verb that means "to follow" or "to continue" gives you several
cool phrases to sprinkle into your spoken Spanish, especially with the "to
continue" meaning. No ceremony here, just a quick-fire list of "plug-and-play"
dead-easy expressions for you to dial-in:
Sigo bebiendo - I keep drinking; ¿sigues creyendo en dios? - Do you still
believe in God?; Pablo sigue comiendo - Paul keeps eating; Seguimos riendo - we
keep laughing; seguís gritando - you all keep shouting; Ellos siguen cantando -
They keep singing.
¿Muy fácil, verdad?
Our fifth and final one is a cool little verb you will rarely discover in formal
courses. Lograr means "to manage" and it is a handy little verb to
acquire. A couple of examples for you:
"Si yo logro salir de trabajo antes de las cinco, llegaré a tu casa a las seis"
"If I manage to leave work before 5 I'll be at your house for six o'
clock."
"Logré fijar la televisor así que podremos mirar el fútbol esta noche."
"I managed to fix the TV so will we be able to watch the football tonight."
Really easy but so useful, yes?
So there you have 5 very cool verbs that will add authenticity and
vibrancy to your spoken Spanish. A streetwise idea is to get these phrases
dialled-in and then start playing around with these verbs to find more phrases
you can add to your conversations that reflect your own personality. And it's
fun to play around with verbs like this and it beats verb-drills sin lugar a
dudas - that's an extra cool phrase for you!
¡Echale ganas!
Un abrazo, hasta pronto,
Peter.
Peter Christian is the author of "Streetwise Spanish" and you can find more
really cool tips to help you speak vibrant, authentic Spanish over on his
website at:
http://www.streetwisespanish.com |
