Spice up your Spanish

In English we often use phrases like 'You look really good today!' or 'You look worried - is something bothering you?' when we meet people.

In Spanish you could use 'te veo' literally: I see you. You can use this in the same way you would use the verb 'estar'.

Por ejemplo:Estás preocupado. ¿Qué pasa? - You're worried. What's happening? is OK but to be more streetwise you could say:- 'Te veo preocupado. ¿Qué pasa?' - You look worried. What's happening?

If someone looks happy, you could say:'Estás alegre' - You're happy but 'Te veo alegre' - You look happy is more appropriate.

If you want to compliment someone on how they look, this is OK:- 'Estás realmente linda esta noche' - You're really pretty this evening but it doesn't sound half as good as:- 'Te veo realmente linda esta noche' - You look really pretty this evening.

These tips and more come from Peter Christian's, 'Streetwise Spanish - How To Confidently Plug-In To The Language and Culture of the Hispanic World'. For more information go to

http://www.streetwisespanish.com