Become a fluent Spanish speaker We have talked so many times about the important of not translate every single word from your native language into the language you are learning, why? Because sometimes it just does not work.

- By

Hola chicos

Today I will be talking to you about the importance of not translate everything (that is not new is it?) Because every language has its own personality and common day a day sentences in your language might not have a exactly translation in Spanish, but a lot of learners do not know that, except you have a Spanish friend helping you out with your language, you live in Spain or you are a super geek/fan of Spanish movies/books. But…do not panic, if you do not have anything of these, you are lucky, you got me!:) and I will be sharing with you some of the most common sentences in English in the daily conversations and their Spanish equivalent, that again, bad news…. you just need to learn….but once you do that you will be closer to the Spanish fluency and become a fluent Spanish speaker.

 

Become-a-fluent-spanish-speaker

Become a fluent Spanish speaker

1-¿Con qué frecuencia?-how often?

Such a popular sentences but still a lot of people I know struggle everytime I ask them ¿con qué frecuencia hacen algo? –“how often do they do things”

So get your notebook and write this one down, it is a must

Con-qué-frecuencia-how-often

2-De ninguna manera-no way

De-ninguna-manera-no-way

Again quite a typical one, when there is no way to do something, like there is no way you going to visit your in-laws during the weekend…-De ninguna manera vas a hacerlo” no way you will do it”

3-De todas maneras-anyway,

De-todas-maneras-anyway

A lot of time people get stuck when they have done a break from their speech and they realize they lost the plot and want to come back to the main point, imagine you are planning a trip with some friends and you are planning the transport but some of them starting to talk about everything you could see in your destination,  when he realized he would want to come back to his main point

in English is easy

“Anyway as I was telling you I think travelling by train is better”

In Spanish too 🙂 De todas las maneras como te estaba diciendo, creo que viajar en tren es mejor”

We use as well to make sure the other person gets the point we want to make

In the party was a lot of people and it finished quite early but it was a good party anyway.-“había mucha gente en la fiesta y terminó bastante pronto, pero de todas las maneras fue una buena fiesta”

4-No importa/da igual-never mind

No-importa-da-igual-never-mind

To show that something is not important, if you go to see a friend for a coffee but they are busy and can not make it, they will apologized and if it is not a big deal for you you would say

Never mind, we will meet another day, I just passed by because I was close-“No importa, quedamos otro día solo he pasado porque estaba cerca”

5-Lo consultaré con la almohada-I will sleep on it

Lo-consultaré-con-la-almohadaI-I-will-sleep-on-it

Pretty much the same, in English you sleep on it, in Spanish we consult it with the pillow.-

If you have an important decision to make, you can ask for more time saying

Ok give me some time I will sleep on it-“vale, dame un poco más de tiempo, lo consultaré con la almohada”

6-¿Cuál es el truco?-whats the catch?

Cuál-es-el-truco-whats-the-catch

If someone is telling you something too good to be real you will ask

What is the catch? It is impossible something is that good– “¿Cuál es la trampa? Es imposible que algo sea tan bueno.”

7-Cuanto antes mejor-the sooner the better

If you want to get something done because is annoying, it will take time and you can not stop thinking about it, cuanto antes lo hagas mejor-“the sooner you do it, the better”

Cuanto antes mejorthe sooner the better

8-cara o cruz- Heads or tails

Heads-or-tails-in-spanish

Here is a good one

If you are at home with your flatmates on a Sunday afternoon and you need something from the supermarket and you are too lazy to go you could play “cara o cruz”, heals or tails to see who is the unluckiest one 🙂

9-Aprender de memoria-learn by heart

A good example to describe what you need to do with these sentences 🙂

Aprender de memorialearn by heart

10-Que yo sepa-As far as I know

Useful if you want to give your opinion but you are not quite sure…

Que-yo-sepa-as-far-as-I-know

Que yo sepa el restaurant cierra a las 8, pero podemos ir-“as far as I know the restaurant closes at 8 but we can go”

11-Igualmente-likewise

If you meet someone you like and he is quicker than you saying nice to meet you, instead of “nice to meet you too” you can say “igualmente”-likewise , shorther!

Igualmente-likewise

12-no lo aguanto-I can’t stand it

When something or someone is not your cup of tea, or let’s say you can’t stand them…time to use “no le aguanto”

no-lo-aguanto-I-can-not-stand-it

And the last one

13-!Cuánto tiempo sin verte!-long time no see you!

Cuánto-tiempo-sin-verte!-long-time-no-see-you!

I know I know…there are more and more, and I will keep giving them to you, but for this week, I think you have enough study material,

But if you have a burning sentences you use it in English so much and it is not on the list, feel free to ask it on the comments and I will give you the equivalent in Spanish, in the meanwhile, enjoy and learn some Spanish.

 

HOMEWORK-Practice-Because as I said every language is different with its own twist, and there is not way to master a language if you haven’t lived in the country or have constant contact with the language, or….you have a weekly dose of Spanish to read and take action, read it is good (until you forget) that is why practice become an important thing in the learning process, so come over to the comments and leave a note using one of the expressions we learned above.

 

And as usual NOW, it is your turn if you like the post, please do not keep it as a secret, share with family, friends and pet who might benefit from it.

 

!Feliz día!Hablamos pronto

Happy day, we will speak soon

 

Untitled design

Leave a Reply