Used in an exclamation, the Spanish word ¡qué! is equivalent to "what...!," "what a...!," or "how...!" ¡Qué! can be used with:
¡Qué! can also be used with a noun followed by an adjective. In this case the adjective is usually preceded by the word tan or más: ¡Qué niño tan fuerte! (What a strong kid!). You can hear another example of this by clicking on the following free demo of the Yabla Player. Remember that you can repeat the phrase, pause it, loop it, make it go slow, search the dictionary, and hide the captions.
The noun cuenta (account) and the verb contar (to count, to tell) come from the Latin word computāre, to count, calculate, or estimate. This phrase combines it with the verb dar (to give), always in its reflexive form darse (to give to oneself). Darse cuenta can be used as a complete single phrase or you can add a direct object preceded by the preposition de (of, from).
¡El vidro está roto! -Sí, me doy cuenta.
The glass is broken! -Yes, I realize.
Ella se dio cuenta de la fuga de gas ayer.
She became aware of the gas leak yesterday.
Él no se da cuenta de todos los detalles.
He doesn't notice all the details.
And now, click on the video to listen to Raquel using the phrase in a real situation. You can repeat it, pause it, loop it, make it go slow, search the dictionary, and hide the captions.
*Note that some strong language is discussed, so sensitive readers may wish to skip this lesson.
When something is importante (important), people usually care about it. In Spanish, the simplest way to say that one doesn’t care about something is to negate the verb importar (to care), as Victoria does when Federico asks her how she's feeling:
Que ya no me importa nada, Federico.
That I don't care about anything now, Federico.
Caption 20, Muñeca Brava - 41 La Fiesta - Part 4
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However, it’s possible—and very common—to use the verb importar without negation to express a lack of caring. The trick is to add to me importa (or me interesa) to a noun that conveys the idea of something of negligible value. Comino, pepino, cacahuate, and bledo are a few examples of such nouns. Let’s learn how to actually use them.
Semillas de comino (cumin seeds) are so minuscule that they are close to nothing:
Perdés el tiempo, querido. Absolutamente.
You're wasting your time, darling. Absolutely.
Porque me interesa un comino su candidatura.
Because I don't give a damn about his nomination.
Captions 39-40, Muñeca Brava - 41 La Fiesta - Part 5
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Using pepino (cucumber) or cacahuate (peanut) is also very common:
¡Se lo dije al mayordomo, me importa un pepino!
I told the butler, I don't give a damn!
Caption 30, Muñeca Brava - 7 El poema
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Another common word to use is bledo, or pigweed. For the Spanish, this plant, although edible, was considered flavorless. They brought the expression over with them to Latin America (where in fact the plant and its seeds have been consumed since pre-Hispanic times, for their nutritional and medicinal properties).
¡Me importan un bledo los quinientos mangos!
I couldn't care less about the five hundred bucks!
Caption 35, Muñeca Brava - 8 Trampas
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If you want to add extra emphasis you can use the interjection carajo ("damn" or "hell").
¿Y a vos qué carajo te importa?
And to you, what the hell does it matter?
Caption 20, Yago - 2 El puma
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In fact, you can use any bad word you can come up with. That includes all the really vulgar ones, but here are two examples that are not so offensive:
¿A mí qué diablos me importa su vida?
What the hell does your life matter to me?
Caption 6, El Ausente - Acto 2
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Y no por ellos que me importan un diablo.
And not because of them who don't matter a damn to me.
Caption 4, El Ausente - Acto 3
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Finally, we want to introduce you to a curious expression: me vale. It’s only used in Mexico and it’s interesting because it’s quite contradictory. While its literal meaning would be something like “I care” it actually means the exact opposite. This happens because, in Mexico, the verb valer (to be worth) can replace the verb importar (to care) in phrases such as the ones mentioned before. So me vale un pepino, me vale un comino, etc. are all very common. At some point, Mexicans just shortened these phrases to me vale:
Después de eso me vale si muero
After that I don't care if I die
Caption 32, Los Originales de San Juan - Ojala La Vida Me Alcance
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The common—and very contradictory—Mexican phrase me vale madres belongs to this group. It means “I don’t give a damn about it!” but its literal meaning is something like “It’s worth what my mother is worth to me.” Quite puzzling, right? Especially given the proverbial Mexican affection for their mothers!
We hope you have enjoyed this lesson!
Did you watch our video about Spanish negation? In it, Marta explains that to make a negative sentence in Spanish, you basically need to place the word no before the verb in any given sentence, like this one from our animated friend Guillermina:
No quería que jugáramos con nuestros juguetes.
She didn't want us to play with our toys.
Caption 49, Guillermina y Candelario - El mundo de los juguetes perdidos
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By combining the word no with the word ni (nor) you can negate more than one idea:
Porque sin ti no me importan los minutos ni los días
Because without you I don't care about minutes or days
Caption 8, Belinda - Bella Traición
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As in English, you can use ni (nor) as many times as you want:
No te conoce el toro ni la higuera,
The bull does not know you, nor the fig tree,
ni caballos ni hormigas de tu casa.
nor the horses, nor the ants at your house.
Captions 4-5, Acercándonos a la Literatura - García Lorca - Alma ausente
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There are some other negative words in Spanish: nada (nothing), nadie (nobody), jamás (never), nunca (never), and tampoco (neither). How are these negative words used in Spanish? You place them right before the verb:
Mira, nunca me vayas a olvidar
Look, never forget me
Caption 24, Alberto Barros - Mano a mano
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You can also combine these words with the word no. In this case you should use no before the verb and the additional negative after it:
Porque en el campo no hay nadie. -Claro.
Because there is nobody in the field. -Of course.
Caption 19, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa
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As you can see, this leads us to probably the most interesting thing about negation in Spanish: the fact that double and triple negatives are very common:
No me gusta deberle nada a nadie.
I don't like to owe anything to anyone.
Caption 12, El Ausente Acto 2 - Part 5
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Notice how in the previous quote the English translation uses the negative “don’t” first, and then the affirmative “anything” and “anyone” instead of “nothing” and “nobody” (which are the literal equivalent to nada and nadie). This is so because formal written English doesn’t use double negation. By contrast, the general rule in Spanish is not to mix negative and affirmative words in the same sentence. See for example:
Yo no pido nada más
I don't ask for anything else
Caption 14, Enrique Iglesias Alguien soy yo
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Where Spanish uses two consecutive negatives (no and nada), English uses one negative (don't) and one affirmative (anything). Saying "Yo no pido algo más" or "Yo pido nada más" in Spanish is similar to saying “I don’t ask for nothing else” in English.
Learning the numbers from one to one hundred in Spanish is a very straightforward task. In fact, our friends at El Aula Azul created a very useful video to aid us with the basics.
While you will see that it isn't really necessary to memorize every digit from one to one hundred, we'll give you a couple of tips to keep in mind. Let's learn the numbers in Spanish!
These you do need to memorize, and the numbers from one to ten are as follows: uno (1), dos (2), tres (3), cuatro (4), cinco (5), seis (6), siete (7), ocho (8), nueve (9), and diez (10). We suggest that you practice them by saying them out loud a number of times. Let's see how to pronounce these numbers:
Uno. Dos. Tres. Cuatro. Cinco. Seis. Siete. Ocho. Nueve. Y diez.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. And ten.
Captions 2-11, El Aula Azul Los Números del 1-100
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The numbers from eleven through twenty-nine also require some memorization, specifically those from eleven through fifteen, which are as follows: once (11), doce (12), trece (13), catorce (14), and quince (15). Let's learn how to say them:
Once. Doce. Trece. Catorce. Quince.
Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen.
Captions 13-17, El Aula Azul Los Números del 1-100
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You will then notice that there is a basic pattern to form the following digits: simply take diez (10) or veinte (20) and follow them with y plus the corresponding single digit to form your desired number. For example, if ten is diez, and six is seis, then sixteen will be "diez y seis." Similarly, if twenty is veinte and four is cuatro, then twenty-four must be "veinte y cuatro." Right? Well, almost!
A little trick will help you to learn to spell the names of the numbers sixteen through nineteen as well as twenty-one through twenty-nine correctly. Although those numbers were previously spelled as two words, their modern spellings are now preferred: Sixteen is written "dieciséis," nineteen is "diecinueve," twenty-nine is "veintinueve," and so on.
The pattern is that, while the numbers sixteen through nineteen employ the prefix dieci (rather than diez y) followed by six through nine, the digits twenty-one through twenty-nine use "veinti" (not "veinte y") plus the numbers one through nine. Voilá! The number sixteen is therefore spelled dieciséis while twenty-four is veinticuatro. Let's see some of these numbers:
Dieciséis. Diecisiete. Dieciocho. Diecinueve.
Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen.
Captions 18-21, El Aula Azul Los Números del 1-100
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And some more:
Veintiuno, veintidós, veintitrés.
Twenty one, twenty two, twenty three.
Captions 25-27, El Aula Azul Los Números del 1-100
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The good news is that, after treinta (30), the previous spelling returns, and you can once again use the basic pattern: thirty-one is "treinta y uno," forty-eight is "cuarenta y ocho," etc. All that are left to memorize are th
Treinta. Treinta y uno, treinta y dos. Treinta y tres. Cuarenta. Cuarenta y uno, cuarenta y dos.
Thirty. Thirty one, thirty two. Thirty three. Forty. Forty one, forty two.
Captions 28-32, El Aula Azul Los Números del 1-100
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Y parece que se ha armado todo un alboroto. -¿Eh?
And it seems it kicked up a big fuss. -Huh?
Caption 48, Yago - 5 La ciudad - Part 7
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Donde realmente se aconglomera todo el relajo
Where all the mess comes together...
y todo el... el desmadre, ¿no?
and all the... the chaos, right?
Captions 41-42, Amigos D.F. - Clima en el DF
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¿Cómo está la familia?
How is the family?
Bien. -Seguro que estuviste haciendo despelotes vos.
Fine. -Surely you were causing trouble.
Captions 2-3, Yago - 1 La llegada - Part 7
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Con todo el quilombo que tuve ¿qué querés?
With all the mess that I had, what do you expect?
Se me escapó.
It came out.
Captions 18-19, Yago - 4 El secreto - Part 2
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Aquí estoy yo, no te va a pasar...
Here I am, [nothing] is going to happen to you...
-Tanto lío por una mucamita.
-So much fuss over a little housemaid.
Caption 39, Muñeca Brava - 44 El encuentro - Part 10
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Now, if you have a taste for more exotic words, we suggest you learn them from the masters, Puerto Rican band Calle 13, who give us three colorful expressions: bullanga (ruckus), burundanga (mess/disarray) and jolgorio (revelry):
Que por ahí viene la ganga con una bullanga
From somewhere the gang is coming with a commotion
a llenarse los ojos con tu burundanga.
to fill up their eyes with your disarray [mix-up, mess].
Captions 48-49, Calle 13 - Cumbia de los Aburridos
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Se formó el jolgorio en el purgatorio
Revelry went on in purgatory
Caption 58, Calle 13 - Tango del pecado
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Mi nombre es Crista Pérez...
My name is Crista Perez...
y soy estudiante de economía.
and I am a student of economics.
Captions 1-2, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana - Crista Pérez
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Mi nombre es David del Valle.
My name is David del Valle.
Tengo veintiún años y soy estudiante de negocios internacionales.
I'm twenty-one years old and I'm a student of international business.
Captions 1-2, Amigos D.F. - Consejos para la calle
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Yo ya sé que Andrea es una tonta por estar celosa de una sirvienta.
I know that Andrea is silly for being jealous of a maid.
Caption 54, Muñeca Brava - 41 La Fiesta
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The same is true for nouns for roles or professions that end in a: el/la contrabandista (the smuggler), el/la policía (the police officer), el/la turista (the tourist), el/la baterista (the drummer), el/la artista (the artist). Notice how both circus artist Francisco Javier and Colombian TV star Natalia Oreiro refer to themselves as artista, but change the article based on their respective genders.
Sí, tú sabes que con el tiempo uno llega a ser un artista completo.
Yes, you know that with time you become a complete artist.
Caption 26, Circo Infantil de Nicaragua - Learning the Trade
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...porque yo ya me creía una artista de verdad.
...since I believed myself to be a real artist.
Caption 75, Biografía - Natalia Oreiro
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Welcome to our very basic lesson about gender in Spanish. How can we tell the gender of nouns in Spanish? Let’s look at the most general rule: Words that end in "a" are feminine, while those that end in "o" are masculine. Pretty easy, huh? Let's look at some examples:
Y la casa es súper bonita.
And the house is super nice.
Caption 86, Blanca y Mariona - Vida en general
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Since the word casa is a feminine noun, the speaker uses the definite feminine article la before the noun. Let's see another one:
El libro es tan bueno
The book is as good
Caption 21, Karla e Isabel - Comparativos
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In this case, the speaker uses the definite masculine article el before the masculine noun libro. By the way, please feel free to check our beginner-level lesson about definite and indefinite articles in Spanish grammar.
The unfortunate thing, however, is that this simple rule is not always true, as our friend Arume proves when she correctly says "el tema" (the topic) and not "la tema," which would be incorrect.
Y bueno ahí surge ya el tema de tengo novio, no tengo novio.
And well, that's when the topic of whether you have a boyfriend or not comes up.
Caption 75, Arume - La Vida Escolar
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Furthermore, in the first installment of our series on Andalusian farmers, "Del Campo a la Mesa," the eldest picker illustrates another exception when he says, correctly, "las manos" (the hands):
Pa' ganar cincuenta euros tienes que mover mucho las manos.
To be able to earn fifty Euros, you have to move the hands a lot.
Caption 29, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa
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And it's not just such exceptions but also some rules that can complicate the situation. For example, do you know why the Mexican band Café Tacuba’s lead singer says "el agua," using the masculine article "el" (the) instead of the feminine article "la" (the)?
El agua derramada está
The water is already spilled
Caption 17, Café Tacuba - Volver a comenzar
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It’s not because agua is a masculine noun but rather because of a rule in Spanish that states that any feminine noun that begins with a stressed "a" should take the masculine articles (el and un) in its singular form in order to facilitate pronunciation (by avoiding two "a" sounds in a row). This is similar to the manner in which the indefinite article "a" in English changes to "an" before vowels.
You will note, however, that this rule does not apply to the plural forms, which maintain their feminine articles (which end in "s" rather than "a" and thus don't pose the same pronunciation challenge):
Ellos vinieron aquí, a las aguas de la Charca Larga,
They came here, to the waters of Long Pond,
y había muchos seres extraños.
and there were many strange beings.
Captions 42-43, Salvando el planeta Palabra - Llegada
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And, in cases in which the "a" sound is unstressed, the rule doesn't apply, either:
La aceituna que yo he recogido está aquí.
The olive[s] that I have harvested [are] here.
Caption 19, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa
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In conclusion, let’s just say that native Spanish speakers learn the gender of words by hearing and using them constantly in real situations and not by memorizing exceptions or wondering whether the word tristeza (sadness) feels more masculine or feminine. That said, the more we immerse ourselves in authentic Spanish, the more we, as learners, can begin to “intuitively” know the gender of nouns that we frequently encounter, including those that don’t follow the common pattern.
In any case, if you feel ready to explore some of the rules and exceptions of gender in Spanish, we invite you to take a look at our lesson about the gender of inanimate objects in Spanish. We hope that this brief introduction to gender in Spanish was useful, and please feel free to send us your suggestions and comments.
Hay tipos así... tipos así que se rajan.
There are guys like that... guys like that who back out.
Caption 75, Muñeca Brava - 43 La reunión - Part 6
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¡No sea rajón!
Don't be cowardly!
Ni que fuera el diablo en persona.
It's not like he is the devil incarnate.
Captions 34-35, El Ausente - Acto 3 - Part 3
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Voy a hablar con mi abuela sobre la cuestión
I'm going to talk to my grandmother about the matter
y la voy a hacer rajar de la casa.
and I'm going to get her fired from the house [staff].
Captions 29-30, Muñeca Brava - 18 - La Apuesta - Part 4
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And Martita, who actually committed the misdeed Mili's been accused of, enjoys a brief moment of victory:
Sí, me encantó que la rajaran.
Yes, I loved that they kicked her out.
Caption 64, Muñeca Brava - 7 El poema - Part 5
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Uh, entonces me voy rajando a avisarle al Club,
Uh, so I'm running to tell the Club,
a los chicos que tengo novia.
to tell the boys that I have a girlfriend.
Captions 52-53, Muñeca Brava - 41 La Fiesta - Part 8
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Finally, Milagros quotes Sister Cachete, echoing one of the most common Argentine uses of rajar, “to run away”:
Que cuando a vos te empieza a pasar algo adentro así, como fuerte...
That when you start feeling something inside like this, like, strong...
lo conveniente es rajar.
the advisable thing is to run away.
Captions 31-32, Muñeca Brava - 44 El encuentro - Part 2
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El canal de aire debe tener un tope.
The air channel should have a cap.
Caption 27, Instrumentos musicales - Ocarinas
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...quiere decir que está a tope, lleno.
...means that it's to the top, full.
Caption 27, Burgos - Chistes y un dicho chistoso
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Toparás con un par de secretarias pendejas
You'll bump into a couple of stupid secretaries
Caption 30, Molotov - Hit Me
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Topar also appears in the expression toparse con algo (to bump into something), as we see here used by our buddies in Mexico City discussing pedestrian etiquette:
Aquí les va un ejemplo de lo que pueden hacer si se
Here goes an example of what you can do if you
topan con ciertas circunstancias.
bumped into certain circumstances.
Captions 10-11, Amigos D.F. - Consejos para la calle
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Es una canción dura pero... pero a la vez gratificante, ¿no?
It is a tough song but... but at the same time rewarding, right?
Caption 32, David Bisbal - Haciendo Premonición Live
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Don’t mix up this word with a veces, which means “at times,” “occasionally”, or “sometimes.” Dany, our Venezuelan chef, demonstrates perfectly:
Entonces a veces habrá que voltearla
So, sometimes it would be necessary to flip it
un par de veces más antes de terminarla.
a couple of times more before finishing it.
Caption 44, Dany - Arepas
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Quieras o no, era un sueldito
Like it or not, it was a little wage
que de vez en cuando venía bien.
that from time to time came in handy.
Captions 55-56, Biografía - Natalia Oreiro
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Miénteme una vez
Lie to me once
Caption 13, Bárbara Muñoz - Miénteme
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¿Por qué no te acostás de una vez y apagás la luz?
Why don't you get in bed at once and turn off the light?
Caption 35, Muñeca Brava - 18 - La Apuesta
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No, uh, no, no, este, quiero a ver si me entendés de una vez por todas.
No, oh, no, no, um, I want to see if you understand me once and for all.
Caption 51, Yago - 2 El puma
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Cillar de Silos. Muy bueno.
Cillar de Silos. Very good.
-¿Cuánto vale?
-How much is it?
Captions 65-66, Casa Pancho - vinos y pinchos
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Todo lo hicieron por debajo del agua, ¿eh?
They did everything under the table, eh?
Y eso no está bien. No se vale eso.
And that's not right. That's not fair.
Captions 23-24, ¡Tierra, Sí! Atenco
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Haz de cuenta de que ya yo no existo, no te resisto.
Pretend I no longer exist, I can't stand you any longer.
Caption 48, Dante Spinetta - Donde
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The verb sumar means “to add.” The adjective sumo means “high” or “great”, for example sumo sacerdote gives us “high priest.” A lo sumo is a common saying that means “at most.” You may have heard it in our popular telenovela Muñeca Brava, uttered by Rocky, the chauffeur, when he explains that he's done his best not to gossip.
A lo sumo se me escapó lo de la hija de Ramón.
What I disclosed, at most, was the issue about Ramon's daughter.
Caption 59, Muñeca Brava - 44 El encuentro
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Oh, sumamente inteligente, ¿verdad? -Lo sé. Lo sé.
Oh, extremely intelligent, right? -I know. I know.
Captions 28-30, Muñeca Brava - 43 La reunión
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Pena frequently refers to "sorrow" or "grief," as you may have discovered when listening to the melancholic lyrics of "Frente a Frente" by Enrique Bunbury:
Y así ahogar las penas
And like that drown our sorrows
Caption 15, Bunbury - Frente a frente
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Pena also can refer to "shame" or "pity," as used by Spanish soccer star Iker Casillas when discussing catastrophes, such as the earthquake in Haiti.
La... la pena es que siempre suceden en...
The... the shame is that they always go on in...
en los sitios más desfavorecidos.
in the most disadvantaged places.
Caption 27, Iker Casillas - apoya el trabajo de Plan
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It’s no surprise, then, that the common expression ¡Qué pena! is used to express "What a shame!" or "What a pity!"
Pena is often preceded by a form of the verb dar (to give), giving us the expression "dar pena." It can be used to express sorrow or sadness.
Me da pena verlos sufrir así.
It makes me sad to see them suffer like that.
In much of Latin America, dar pena is also commonly used to express a sense of feeling ashamed or embarrassed. We hear this in the worldwide hit Fuego from Colombia’s Bomba Estéreo.
Vamos hasta abajo, a mí no me da pena
Let's get down, I don't feel ashamed
Caption 25, Bomba Estéreo - Fuego
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Along the same lines, many Latin Americans also use dar pena to express feeling shy. When we visit Fonda Mi Lupita for lunch in Mexico City, the manager, José, tells us why Carmen, the cook, is doing her best to hide from the camera:
Ella se llama Carmen, que le da un poquito de pena.
That's Carmen, who is a little shy. [She feels a little embarrassed.]
Caption 31, Fonda Mi Lupita - Encargado
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Dar, in the case of dar pena, falls into the category of "verbs like gustar." The construction is not parallel with the way we usually express the same sentiment in English; a mí no me da pena literally translates to "[it] does not give me shame." This sounds rather awkward, of course, in English, where "I’m not embarrassed" is the common way to express the same sentiment. (In line with typical "verbs like gustar" construction, our Spanish natives agree that José would have been more grammatically correct if he had said a quien le da un poquito de pena.)
Pena can also commonly refer to "punishment," so it’s not unusual to see it used in phrases like con la pena de muerte (under the punishment of death) or la pena máxima permitida por la ley (the maximum punishment permitted by law).
Vale la pena ("it’s worth it") to keep an eye out for these and other interesting uses of the word pena!
Related lessons from our archives:
Merecer la pena
Le in "verbs like gustar"; Le in leísmo
Gustar: To like, to please, to taste
The Spanish verb caer means "to fall." Listen to what our artist friend Francisco tells us about a big coastal flood that took place in Venezuela a few years back:
Mucha madera cayó al mar.
A lot of wood fell into the sea.
Caption 13, Playa Adícora - Francisco
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When describing the tumble-down of a person, caer is very commonly used in the reflexive, caerse. Notice it when Venezuelan pop band Sondulo sings this line:
Si me caigo, me vuelvo a parar
If I fall, I stand up again
Caption 8, Sondulo - Que te vaya mal
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On the other hand, it is also possible to use caer when someone drops something.
¿Y en un momento se te cayó una birome al piso?
And at a certain moment you dropped a pen on the floor?
Caption 71, Cuatro Amigas - Piloto
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This is the same sort of “impersonal” (passive voice) construction that we saw in our lesson on olvidar. Literally, what the Spanish phrase is saying is that the pen fell and that this happened to “you.” (Spanish speakers will understand that you unintentionally dropped it.)
The reflexive verb caerse is conjugated in relation to the object dropped, the pen, not to the person who (unintentionally) dropped it. It is only thanks to the indirect object pronoun te that we know that it was “you” (tú) who dropped it. As a consequence, if we remove the pronoun “te” the meaning of the sentence will change:
¿Y en un momento se cayó una birome al piso? -Sí.
And at a certain moment a pen fell on the floor? -Yes.
We find the same construction when Mexican first lady Margarita Zavala talks about her husband, Felipe:
Felipe es un... muy buen papá.
Felipe is a... very good father.
Pues se le cae la baba por sus hijos, les toma fotos...
Well, he drolls over his children, he takes pictures of them...
Captions 16-17, Felipe Calderón - Publicidad
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Caérsele (a uno) la baba is an expression used to express deep fondness for someone or something. Literally, la baba means “the drool.” So the idea is that you like something so much it makes you drool (or “the drool falls”/”you drool”). Of course it’s an expression and native speakers do not think about it in literal terms.
Note that this “impersonal” construction is not used if someone drops something intentionally, in that case we look to the verb tirar:
Cuando vio la pistola, tiró el cuchillo.
When he saw the gun, he dropped the knife.
Keep your eye out for these and other interesting uses of caer when you tune into Yabla Spanish for your daily dose of authentic Spanish.
A basic Spanish spelling rule: whenever you hear a nasal sound (m or n) before a p or b, you have to write m. For example, the first time you hear the word sombrero (hat), you might not be sure if you heard an m or an n sound before the b, but the rule tells us it has to be spelled with an m.
Un sombrero. Listones. Mire qué listones más bonitos
A hat. Ribbons. Look at what beautiful ribbons
para que se haga unos moños.
so that one can make some [hair] buns.
Captions 15-17, El Ausente - Acto 1 - Part 6
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This rule must be applied without exception. When a word that ends in an n is combined with a word that begins with a p or b to form a compound word like cien+pies → ciempiés (centipede) the n becomes an m. Some other examples of this are en+pollo (chicken) → empollar (to sit on eggs, to hatch), en+bala (bundle) → embalar (to pack) and en+belesa (the belesa is a narcotic plant) → embelesar (to captivate).
Vamos a empollar veinte criaturas
Let's hatch twenty children
Caption 16, Calle 13 - Tango del pecado
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Take note, this rule doesn’t apply to v, despite the fact that native Spanish speakers often conflate it with b. In fact, in Spanish, it is also a rule that you should always write n before v.
La gente no me parecía...
The people didn't seem to...
no me parecía el tipo de gente
they didn't seem to be the kind of people
con el que yo me quería involucrar.
I wanted to get involved with.
Captions 80-81, Arturo Vega - Entrevista - Part 2
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This rule is very useful when trying to figure out the proper way to spell certain Spanish words, especially considering that it is not uncommon to hear native speakers replace the m sound with an n sound. Listen to our Nicaraguan friend, Doña Coco:
Y hay mucho cristia'... este... católicos también.
And there's a lot of Christia'... I mean... Catholics also.
Caption 28, Doña Coco - Música
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We really hope that you never find yourself hanging upside down in a hunter's trap in the middle of the jungle. However, since a problem might aways be a la vuelta de la esquina (around the corner), words such as iayuda!, ¡auxilio! and ¡socorro! (all of them equivalent to “help!”) merit inclusion in every Spanish learner’s basic kit. With the appropriate intonation and volume, these words can make the difference for you in a difficult situation just like they did for Morena:
¡Socorro! ¡Socorro! ¡Sáquenme!
Help! Help! Get me out!
Captions 8-10, Yago - 2 El puma
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By the way, note that the word Socorro is also used as a female name in Spanish:
¿Usted por qué me dijo que Socorro estaba embarazada?
Why did you tell me that Socorro was pregnant?
-Porque está embarazada.
-Because she is pregnant.
Captions 78-79, Muñeca Brava - 44 El encuentro
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So, if you decide to use socorro to ask for help, just be sure to use the proper intonation… You don’t want people to believe that you are simply looking for your dear friend, Socorro.
We all have routines and actions that we "usually" carry out. We met a young lady at the El Aula Azul Language School in San Sebastian, Spain, who typically does the same things every day.
Yo normalmente me levanto a las siete de la mañana.
I normally get up at seven in the morning.
Caption 1, El Aula Azul - Actividades Diarias
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Silvia "normally" gets up at seven, expressed in Spanish much the same as we would in English.
However, where we English speakers tend to use the adverb "usually," Spanish speakers opt for the present tense of soler—a verb that means "to be accustomed to."
Silvia tells us:
Suelo ducharme con agua caliente.
I usually take a hot shower.
Caption 2, El Aula Azul - Actividades Diarias
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She "is accustomed to" showering with hot water; it is what she usually does.
Después, suelo lavarme los dientes en el baño,
After that, I usually brush my teeth in the bathroom,
y después desayuno.
and then have breakfast.
Captions 3-4, El Aula Azul - Actividades Diarias
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Then, she usually brushes her teeth in the bathroom, it's what she is accustomed to doing. Notice that in Spanish people "wash" (lavarse) their teeth. It's possible to use cepillarse (to brush), which is closer to the English, but lavarse is the more common way to express this activity.
This is also a good time to remind ourselves that Spanish tends not to use possessive pronouns when talking about body parts. Notice that Silvia says that she brushes "los dientes," not "mis dientes." We discussed this before in the lesson "Ojo - Keep an Eye on This Lesson."
Speaking of past lessons, we also took a look at soler before, but focusing on the imperfect tense, solía—which indicates that someone "was accustomed to" doing something, typically expressed in English as "used to."
Pura palabra... pura palabra...
Merely words... merely words...
nos divertimos a puras cosas de puro hablar.
we have fun with the simple act of talking.
Caption 27, La Banda Chilanguense - El habla de México - Part 2
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Have you checked out the construction workers from Mexico City that we are calling La Banda Chilanguese? These guys really do have a lot of fun just chewing the fat!
One of the ways they and other Mexicans spice up their conversation is through the use of refranes. A refrán is a popular saying or expression.
We see an example when aluminum worker Antonio says:
Voy a ir a darle porque es Mole de olla.
I'm going to get down to it because it is "Mole de olla".
Caption 32, La Banda Chilanguense - El habla de México - Part 1
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This is from the refrán “A darle que es mole de olla” which means “Get down to it [the task] because it’s hard and arduous.” Why this analogy to mole de olla? Because preparing mole de olla (literally “mole in a pot,” a type of beef stew) is hard work and time-consuming. (For those of you far from the gastronomic border, we are talking about “mo-lay,” a genre of Mexican sauces—not the funny-looking mammal known in Spanish as topo).
The Mexican Institute of Sound also makes use of a popular saying:
Si te queda el saco, póntelo pa' bailar
If the jacket fits, wear it to dance
Caption 5, Mexican Institute of Sound - Alocatel
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This is a play on another popular refrán, Si te queda el saco, póntelo which literally means “if the jacket suits you, wear it.” In English we have a similar expression which expresses the same thing, “If the shoe fits, wear it.” It means, “if you are worried that we are talking about you, it is because you think it applies to you, so accept it and don’t complain.”
Here are two more refranes that you might hear when visiting Mexico:
Entre menos burros, más olotes
The fewer the donkeys, the more cobs of corn
When would you say this? When some members of a party have to leave... the consolation is that there is more food and drink left for those who stay.
But what if more guests arrive than expected, and rations run low?
A falta de pan, tortillas
When there’s no bread, tortillas will do
This expression is used to express that we must make do with what we have.
Aside: It’s interesting to note that the well-known English expression “the more, the merrier,” as it was first recorded in 1520, contained a corollary that echoes the same sentiment as “entre menos burros...” The complete expression was this: "The more, the merrier; the fewer, the better fare" (meaning "with fewer there would be more to eat").
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