Streetwise Spanish

I used to get regular emails from Peter Christian at the Streetwise Spanish website and then they dried up. Now he is back with some good tips on using verbs.

“They're an essential part of learning to speak Spanish but if you're anything like I am, you'll also regard them as one of the most boring parts! I'm talking about verb drills of course and another problem with them is that many common verb uses aren't taught in formal language courses, uses that will add an authentic flourish to your spoken Spanish. Here's 10 really cool verbs you can add to your vocab that'll help you make a fantastic impression with the native Spanish speakers throughout the Hispanic world!

First up we have the verb Andar - To Walk. This is the straight-forward usage, as in: Ando a las tiendas - I'm walking to the shops. But what if you were asked:

¿Por dónde andas?

This is a cool way of asking: "Where are you" and not "to where are you walking?". Andar has many more uses like this but one I like refers to how things are working:

- Mi reloj no anda bien - My watch isn't working well."

- ¿Qué tal anda tu moto nuevo? - How's your new motorcycle going?

And one more very cool phrase is to use Andar to say "have a nice day" - Ándale pues - which is common in the Americas.

Here's a verb that is a big favourite of mine. The reflexive form of Antojar, Antojarse, 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 (very attractive) camerera very impressed when I said:

- Se me antoja una hamburguesa con queso - I really fancy a cheeseburger.

You can also use 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!

Dejar, - To Leave - provides us with a couple of great phrases that are really useful to have when you're being pestered by all manner of sales people and con-artists on the streets of major cities like my adopted home city of Barcelona. In summer, rarely will a week pass by without me needing these phrases:

- Déjame en paz - Leave me alone

- Déjalo - Leave it (You can also use this when you want to drop a subject from conversation.)

The verb Echar - To Throw - has a multitude of uses, way too many to list all of them here. And some uses just aren't appropriate to be included here, such Spanish is a little bit tooooo streetwise if you know what I mean! But here's a couple of really cool phrases 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 Brasil.

And a nice quick usage of echar for those times when you want to say to someone: "Put some elbow grease into it", or "make an effort" or even "go for it", you can simply 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.

Here's a 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 tele asi que podremos mirar el fútbol esta noche. - I managed to fix the TV so will we be able to watch the football tonight.

I'm sure your familiar with the common usage of Parecer, to seem, e.g. me parece bien - it's good with me. But the reflexive form, paracerse is another cool verb to master and it means "to look like." So:
- Me parezco a mi padre - I look like my father.
Pero ¡cuidado! If you want to say "it looks like" then you need to use parecer que, like this:
- Parece que va a ser un día calorazo - it looks like it's going to be a very hot day or - Parece que va a llover - it looks like it's going to rain.

Next up is a power verb with a myriad of meanings. Quedar is sometimes called a "catch all" verb and with good reason! But here's a couple of nice and easy phrases relating to money that use the reflexive you can add to your vocab right now:

- Me quedé con diez euros - I kept ten euros

- Quédase con el cambio - Keep the change

which can be shortened to: Quédatelo - Keep it.

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" - that took me a year to discover it!

It's something that happens to all of us. You're walking along minding your own business when you accidentally bump into someone. Normally, you can just say "Disculpe" o "Perdona" - both of these are fine. But to convey that extra-special educad@ 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, - 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?

This is another favourite cool verb of mine that'll really win you the admiration of native speakers. Soler doesn't really have an English equivalent and it used to describe your regular habits and actions. Examples will work the best here:

- Suelo ir al bar saliendo del trabajo - I normally go to the bar after work

- Suele cenar a las ocho cada noche - He normally has dinner at 8 'o' clock every night.

- El aútobus suele llegar a las tres - The bus usually arrives at 3 'o' clock.

It's a great little verb and fun to play around with and form your own phrases that reflect your daily routines."

You can visit Peter’s site at http://www.streetwisespanish.com/.