Almost Fluent Flashcards
skunk
Skunks give off a horrible smell when they feel threatened.
el zorrillo
Cuando se sienten amenazadas, las mofetas segregan un olor infernal.
currently
actualmente
immediately / right away
enseguida
I see my brother.
Veo a mi hermano.
Let’s invite our teachers!
¡Invitemos a nuestros profesores!
Everyone fears death
Todo el mundo teme a la muerte
I bought a dog.
Compré a un perro.
personal “a” which precedes direct objects that refer to people, personified nouns, and animals
I see someone.
Veo a alguien.
The personal a is also used in front of pronouns that replace people.
He doesn’t love anyone
No quiere a nadie.
I invited my brother. Did you invite mine?
Invité a mi hermano. ¿Invitaste a lo mío?
Who did you call?
I called Paco.
¿A quién llamaste?
Llamé a Paco.
front of interrogative words like quién and cuánto when the answer to the question requires the personal a.
How many (of the people) do you know? I know Ana and Luís.
¿A cuántos conoces?
Conozco a Ana y Luís.
I have two brothers.
I saw the group yesterday.
We’re looking for a singer.
Tengo dos hermanos.
Vi el grupo ayer.
Buscamos un cantador.
not used after the verb tener, with collective nouns, or with nouns referring to unspecified people.
I really screwed up
así la cagué
Spread
The radio station spread the news about the actor’s death.
Esparciar
La radio esparció la noticia de la muerte del actor.
I need a little water. I am very thirsty.
Necesito un poco de agua. Tengo mucha sed.
Carlos brought a few friends to the party.
Carlos trajo a unos pocos amigos a la fiesta.
personal A + poco
At midday I never eat much. (always eat little)
A mediodía siempre como poco.
There aren’t many beers left in the fridge.
Quedan pocas cervezas en el refri
My boss works as hard as his employees.
Mi jefe trabaja igual de duro que sus empleados.
tanto/como (same structure)
He has as many cats as she does.
Tiene tantos gatos como ella.
*tanto adjusts to what you are comparing (with nouns)
Rosario drinks as much as Carmen.
Rosario bebe tanto como Carmen.
tanto como never changes m/f after a noun (as much as)
I will never get used to how you live
Nunca me acostumbro a cómo vives.
acustombrar + a siempre
to approach / to get closer to something
The officer, he walked up to the vehicle.
acercarse a (siempre con 'a') El oficial se acercó al vehículo.