Do you know what a phrasal verb is? According to the Oxford Language Dictionary, it is "an idiomatic phrase consisting of a verb and another element, typically either an adverb... a preposition... or a combination..." Some common examples of the countless English phrasal verbs are "break down," "break up, "put in," "put on," and so forth, and while there are far less phrasal verbs in Spanish, there are many common ones it would behoove you to know. For this purpose, we have comprised a list of 35 with examples from Yabla's Spanish video library.

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Spanish vs. English Phrasal Verbs

While some Spanish phrasal verbs can be translated literally into English, others employ a different preposition than their English counterparts or have totally different literal translations. With this in mind, let's look at the list.

 

1. Acabar de (to have just done something)

The verb acabar (to finish) plus the preposition de (from/of) plus an infinitive Spanish verb (the "to" or -ing form) means that one "has just" completed some action. Let's take a look:

 

Acabamos de disfrutar de Jarabe de Palo.

We just enjoyed Jarabe de Palo.

Caption 25, Tu Música Rock en español

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2. Acordarse de (to remember, remember to)

The reflexive verb acordarse de is a synonym for recordar (to remember) in Spanish. Both are used to talk about what one "remembers" or "remembers to" do:

 

Me acuerdo de estar aquí con mi perro,

I remember being here with my dog

Caption 53, Amaya Recordando - Part 1

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3. Acostumbrarse a (to get used to, accustomed to)

The reflexive verb acostumbrarse plus the preposition a means "to get used to" or "accustomed to" something:

 

y nos acostumbramos a ir a playas,

and we got used to going to beaches,

Caption 40, El coronavirus La cuarentena en Coro, Venezuela - Part 1

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4. Alegrarse de (to be glad, happy or pleased about)

Yet another reflexive verb, alegrarse de, is used to talk about one being happy or pleased about something. You will often see it alongside the conjunction que plus a verb in the subjunctive mood, as we see below:

 

Me alegro de que le guste.

I'm glad you like it.

Caption 15, Los casos de Yabla Problemas de convivencia - Part 2

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5. Caer(le) bien (a alguien) (to please someone)

Although caer bien literally means "to fall well," like the verb gustar, it is used to describe the idea of "liking."  Like gustar and other verbs like gustar, it is usually employed with an indirect object pronoun in sentences where, grammatically speaking, it is the object of the sentence (what is liked) that performs the action. Let's see an example:

 

Creo que a Lola no le cae bien.

I think Lola doesn't like her.

Caption 60, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 8: La prima de la dueña - Part 6

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6. Caer(le) mal (a alguien) (to displease)

You might have guessed that caer mal (literally "to fall badly") means the opposite of caer bien and functions similarly to convey the idea that one does not like someone or something:

 

Creo que le caigo mal a mi jefe.

I think that my boss doesn't like me.

Caption 21, El Aula Azul La Doctora Consejos: Subjuntivo y condicional

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7. Casarse con (to marry, get married to)

Interestingly, while we get married "to" someone in English, the Spanish verb for "to marry" contains the preposition con, making its translation "'to marry with":

 

El príncipe se casó con ella

The prince married her

Caption 61, Cleer La princesa y el guisante

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8. Contar con (to count on)

Whereas the Spanish verb contar by itself can have such diverse meanings as "to tell" and "to count," with the preposition con, it means "to count on" (not with!).

 

Sabes que puedes contar con todas en cualquier momento, en cualquier necesidad que tengamos.

You know that you can count on all of them at any time, for any need that we might have.

Captions 28-29, Mari Carmen La amistad

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9. Dar con (to find)

As you can see, the phrasal verb dar con does not mean "to give with"! Let's see its correct translation in an example sentence:

 

Ayer di con mis zapatos.

Yesterday I found my shoes.

Caption 26, Lecciones con Carolina Verbo - dar

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10. Dar por (to presume, consider)

As our friend Carolina explains in her video on the verb dar, which means "to give" on its own, the phrasal verb dar por can mean different things when used with an adjective vs. a participle. Let's see an example of each:

 

A su marido lo dieron por muerto en la guerra.

Her husband was presumed dead in the war.

Caption 32, Lecciones con Carolina Verbo - dar

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Doy la fiesta por terminada.

I consider the party finished.

Caption 30, Lecciones con Carolina Verbo - dar

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11. Darse prisa (to hurry, hurry up)

In this case, the reflexive form of the verb dar is employed along with the noun prisa (hurry/rush) to mean "to hurry" or "hurry up":

 

Pues, dese prisa, se lo está llevando la grúa.

Well, hurry up, the tow truck is taking it.

Caption 38, Los casos de Yabla El perrito malcriado - Part 2

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12. Dejar de (to quit or stop)

The Spanish verb dejar plus de plus an infinitive verb means "to stop" or "quit" doing something:

 

"Mi marido dejó de fumar hace ya cuatro años".

"My husband quit smoking four years ago now."

Caption 26, Aprendiendo con Silvia Significados del verbo dejar - Part 2

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We should mention that the negative version of this phrasal verb, no dejar de, can be utilized to express the idea of "always," as we see here:

 

no deja de haber muchísima gente.

there are always a ton of people.

Caption 18, Con Marta por Madrid La Plaza del Sol - Part 1

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13. Depender de (to depend on)

The Spanish version of "to depend on" would be "to depend of" if translated literally:

 

depende de la porción que vayan a hacer;

it depends on the portion you're going to make;

Caption 27, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Karla y el pozole - Part 2

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14. Enamorarse de (to fall in love with)

Similarly, one falls in love "of" someone instead of "with" them in Spanish:

 

Me enamoré de un chico, que es el padre de mis hijos,

I fell in love with a guy, who is the father of my children,

Caption 11, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Adriana y la fiesta de los muertos - Part 1

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15. Encontrarse con (to meet up with, get together with)

While encontrarse con sounds like it would mean "to find oneself with," its actual meaning is "to get together" or "meet up with" (which is not too far off!):

 

Y "anteayer" me encontré con unas amigas,

And "the day before yesterday," I met up with some friends,

Caption 12, Aprendiendo con Silvia Horas, fechas y períodos de tiempo - Part 3

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16. Echar a (to start, to do suddenly) 

The Spanish verb echar can have different meanings from "to throw" to "to fire." In conjunction with the preposition a and a verb in the infinitive, however, it means "to start to" do something, usually in a sudden fashion. Let's see two examples: 

 

Se asustó, echó a correr y no hubo manera de cogerlo.

It got scared, it took off running, and there was no way to get it.

Caption 62, Soledad Positivo y negativo

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El marido se echó a reír al ver la cara de sorpresa de su esposa.

The husband burst out laughing when he saw his wife's surprised face.

Caption 32, Cleer El espejo de Matsuyama

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17. Echar de menos (to miss)

We bet you wouldn't guess that something that seems to mean "to throw of less" is a synonym for extrañar (to miss) in Spanish:

 

Ay, yo os he echado de menos.

Oh, I've missed you.

Caption 4, Con Marta por Madrid El Palacio Real y Doña Manolita - Part 1

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18. Estar para (to be up for, in the mood for)

Estar para literally means "to be for," which is pretty close to its English equivalents "to be up for" or "in the mood" for something: 

 

Es que ya no estoy para tantas vueltas y me siento cansado.

It's just that I am not up for so many rounds and I feel tired.

Caption 44, Guillermina y Candelario El parque de diversiones - Part 1

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19. Estar por (to be about to)

Estar por, in contrast, typically means "to be in" or "around" some area or, when accompanied by an infinitive, becomes a phrasal verb that means "to be about to" do something. Let's see an example of each of these uses:

 

Yo estaba por ahí, todavía estaba caminando, ¿no? 

I was around there, still walking, right?

Caption 21, Federico Kauffman Doig Arqueólogo - Part 3

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que todo está por... por... por empezar,

when everything is about to... to... to start,

Caption 65, Amaya Recordando - Part 3

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20. Hablar de (to talk about)

While hablar alone means "to speak" or "to talk," if you want to express the idea of "talking about" something, use the Spanish phrasal verb hablar de:

 

Mi amiga Amaya os habló de este lugar maravilloso

My friend Amaya talked to you about this wonderful place,

Caption 7, Montserrat El burrito Luz

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21. Llevar a cabo (to carry out)

Since the Spanish phrasal verb llevar a cabo can be literally translated as "to take to the ending," it makes sense that its various English equivalents include "to carry out," "do," "perform" and "accomplish":

 

Para llevar a cabo estas funciones se necesitan tres figuras claves en el proceso terapéutico:

To carry out these roles, three key figures are needed in the therapeutic process:

Captions 35-36, Isabel Lavesa Terapia asistida con animales

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22. Olvidarse de (to forget)

Although the idea of "forgetting" in Spanish is often expressed as a no fault construction (something more like "it slipped my mind"), the more straightforward way to say that one forgot something in Spanish is with the Spanish phrasal verb olvidarse de:

 

¡Ah! Me olvidé de estos dos elementos.

Oh! I forgot these two items.

Caption 63, Dayana Rutina de belleza y aseo

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23. Pensar de (think of, think about)

Like the English "think of" or "about," the Spanish phrasal verb pensar de is used to talk about the belief or opinion one has of something or someone. 

 

¿Qué piensas de tu nuevo jefe?

What do you think of your new boss?

Caption 77, Carlos explica Tuteo, ustedeo y voseo: Conjugación

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24. Pensar en (to think about)

Pensar en, on the other hand (literally "to think on") is used to talk about one's process of thinking "about" something:

 

25. Ponerse a (to start)

Similar to echar a, ponerse a plus an infinitive verb refers to "starting" an action. 

 

y al verlas como antes se puso a bailar."

and when she saw them like before, she started to dance."

Caption 60, Cleer Rafael Pombo y "Pastorcita"

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26. Preocuparse por (to worry about, be concerned about)

If you wish to talk about what you "worry about," use the Spanish phrasal verb preocuparse por:

 

que sepan que hay personas que se preocupan por ellas.

so that they know that there are people who are concerned about them.

Caption 8, Transformación Estética

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27. Quedarse con (to keep, end up with)

In her video series on the verb quedar, Silvia mentions the phrasal verb quedarse con, which can have several different meanings including "to keep," "end up with" or "be left." Let's take a look at two captions that include it:

 

"Tras el divorcio, ella se quedó con el chalé

"After the divorce, she kept the chalet,

Caption 56, Aprendiendo con Silvia Significados, usos y expresiones con "quedar" - Part 3

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Toda la familia "se quedó con la boca abierta".

The whole family "was left open-mouthed."

Caption 8, Aprendiendo con Silvia Significados, usos y expresiones con "quedar" - Part 7

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28. Quedarse sin (to be left without, to end up without, to run out of)

As you might imagine, quedarse sin often means the opposite of quedarse con ("to be left" or "end up without"), but it can also mean "to run out of" something:

 

Nos quedamos sin guitarrista, sin banda y sin concurso; ¡no!

We are left without a guitarist, without a band and without a contest; no!

Caption 16, X6 1 - La banda - Part 6

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No, se quedó sin nafta. -¿Qué?

No, it ran out of gas. -What?

Caption 4, Yago 7 Encuentros - Part 11

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29. Reírse de (to laugh at)

To talk about something or someone you "laughed at," use the Spanish phrasal verb reírse de:

 

Nos reímos de la muerte.

We laugh at death.

Caption 28, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Adriana y la fiesta de los muertos - Part 3

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30. Salir de (to leave, leave from)

As you probably know, salir by itself means "to leave." That said, when referring to leaving a particular place, salir de is the correct Spanish phrasal verb to choose. 

 

Y cuando salimos de la iglesia me dice mi padre:

And when we left the church my father says to me:

Caption 52, María Marí Su pasión por su arte - Part 1

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31. Soñar con (to dream about)

While it might seem strange to English speakers, the literal translation for this Spanish phrasal verb is "to dream with" (rather than "about"):

 

y muchas veces incluso sueño con aquellos tiempos.

and very often I even dream about those times.

Caption 49, Clara y Cristina Saludar

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32. Tener que (to have to)

Rather than meaning "to have that," the Spanish phrasal verb tener que plus an infinitive means "to have to" do something:

 

Todos tenemos que superarlo y tenemos que empeñarnos en ello.

We all have to overcome it, and we have to be set on doing it.

Captions 74-75, Soledad Compartir tus problemas

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33. Tratar de (to try to)

When you want to describe something that you're "trying to" do, use the infinitive following the Spanish phrasal verb tratar de:

 

trato de alimentarme bien, de tomar agua,

I try to eat well, to drink water,

Caption 26, Otavalo Ejercicios

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34. Venir a (to come to)

When talking about "coming to" a place, use the phrasal verb venir a, which translates very literally to English. 

 

¿qué consejos le darías a un turista que viene a Barcelona?

what advice would you give to a tourist who's coming to Barcelona?

Caption 51, Carlos y Xavi Part 4 Tradiciones y comida de Barcelona

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35. Volver a (to do again)

And finally, when used with an infinitive, volver a (literally "to return to") means to perform some action again. Let's see two examples:

 

volvimos a revalidar el título

we locked in the title again

Caption 90, Viajando con Fermín Final Copa del Rey

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y mi mamá no se volvió a casar,

and my mother didn't remarry,

Caption 55, La Sub30 Familias - Part 2

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Spanish/English Phrasal Verb Study List

After perusing our list of 35 Spanish Phrasal Verbs, we have compiled a list of all of them along with their English translations so that you may study or review them at your leisure:

 

1. Acabar de: to have just (done something)

 

2. Acordarse de: to remember/remember to

 

3. Acostumbrarse a: to get used to/accustomed to

 

4. Alegrarse de: to be glad/happy/pleased about

 

5. Caer(le) bien (a alguien): to please (equivalent of "to like")

 

6. Caer(le) mal (a alguien): to displease (equivalent of "to not like") 

 

7. Casarse con: to marry/get married to

 

8. Contar con: to count on

 

9. Dar con: to find

 

10. Dar por: to presume/consider

 

11. Darse prisa: to hurry/hurry up

 

12. Dejar de: to quit or stop (doing something)

 

13. Depender de: to depend on

 

14. Enamorarse de: to fall in love with

 

15. Encontrarse con: to meet up/get together with

 

16. Echar a: to suddenly start to (do something)

 

17. Echar de menos: to miss

 

18. Estar para: to be up for/in the mood for

 

19. Estar por: to be about to (do something)

 

20. Hablar de: to talk about

 

21. Llevar a cabo: to do/carry out/perform/accomplish

 

 

22. Olvidarse de: to forget

 

 

23. Pensar de: to think of/about (hold a belief)

 

24. Pensar en: to think about (the thought process)

 

25. Ponerse a: to start to (do something)

 

26. Preocuparse por: to worry/be concerned about

 

27. Quedarse con: to keep/end up with/be left with

 

28. Quedarse sin: to be left without/end up without/run out of

 

29. Reírse de: to laugh at 

 

30. Salir de: to leave/leave from (a place)

 

31. Soñar con: to dream about

 

32. Tener que: to have to (do something)

 

33. Tratar de: to try to (do something)

 

34. Venir a: to come to (a place)

 

35. Volver a: to do (something) again

 

That's all for today. We hope that this lesson has helped you to better navigate many of the most common phrasal verbs in Spanish, and don't forget to write us with your questions and comments.

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Do you know how to say "to get" in Spanish? Due to the numerous ways in which this word can be used in English, there is no "one size fits all" translation for this term. That said, let's explore the many meanings of the verb "to get" in English and learn their Spanish equivalents.

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Meanings of "To Get" and Their Spanish Equivalents

Breaking down the verb "to get" in English into many of its possible definitions, let's find out which verbs are used to express these ideas in Spanish and hear them in context. 

 

1. To obtain or acquire: obtener, conseguir

 

"Efectivamente. Acaba de conseguir otro trabajo".

"Indeed. He just got another job."

Caption 60, Carlos explica 20 formas de decir sí sin decir sí

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2. To receive: recibir, tener

 

"Hoy recibí la carta".

"Today, I got the letter."

Caption 46, Carlos explica Los artículos en español - Part 2

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Note that while the verb tener typically means "to have," it is a word that sometimes changes meaning in the preterite tense. Hence "Tuve una noticia" could be translated as "I got some news."

 

3. To achieve, win, or earn: sacar, ganar, obtener

 

lograr obtener un buen resultado en el examen. 

to manage to get a good grade on the exam.

Caption 42, Carlos explica Las preposiciones 'por' y 'para' - Part 1

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4. To fetch or bring: traer

 

voy y te traigo la cerveza. 

I'll go, and I'll get you the beer.

Caption 39, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 12 - Part 6

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5. To buy: comprar

 

es en el caso que se nos termine la pasta dental y no podamos salir a la tienda a comprar otra. 

is in case we run out of toothpaste and we can't go to the store to get another one.

Captions 50-51, Otavalo Consejos de salud bucal

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6. To understand: comprender, entender

 

Yo no entiendo por qué quieres actuar en esa obra. 

I don't get why you want to act in that play.

Caption 32, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 9 - Part 3

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Candelario se puso triste.

Candelario got sad.

Caption 44, Guillermina y Candelario El Gran Rescate

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Keep in mind that a number of Spanish verbs intrinsically contain the idea of "to get" in the sense of "becoming." For example, the verb entristecerse also means "to get sad." Additional examples include mejorar (to get better), empeorar (to get worse), molestarse (to get annoyed), alegrarse (to get happy), and many more. 

 

8. To catch: agarrar, coger, agarrar

 

Todos pillamos el COVID y tuvimos que quedarnos en casa durante casi dos semanas.

We all got COVID and had to stay home for almost two weeks. 

 

Regarding the use of the verb coger in this context, be aware that while it is extremely common in Spain, in many Latin American countries like Mexico, it has a vulgar connotation and should thus be exercised with caution. 

 

Translations for Additional Common Expressions With "To Get"

 

10: To get to: tener la oportunidad de, tener la ocasión de, poder hacer

 

Incluso tuve la oportunidad de jugar a nivel competitivo.

I even got to play at a competitive level.

Caption 28, Club 10 Capítulo 2 - Part 2

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11: To get [someone] to [do something]: lograr que, conseguir que, convencer a 

 

y logré que para este caso nombraran a una juez que es amiga mía.

and, for this case, I got them to appoint a judge who's a friend of mine.

Caption 19, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 2 - Part 11

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Remember that with all of these expressions, verbs that follow the conjunction que in Spanish should be conjugated in the subjunctive. 

 

12. To get [something done]: mandar + infinitive, hacer que + verb in subjunctive 

 

dónde la pueden mandar hacer o...

where you can get it made, or...

Caption 57, Rueda de la muerte Parte 1

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An alternative way to express this would be: dónde pueden hacer que la hagan.

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That's all for today. We hope that this lesson has helped you to realize the numerous ways in which the English verb "to get" is used and that you now know which Spanish verbs to choose for similar situations. Don't forget to write us with your questions and suggestions. 

Let's start this lesson off with a quote that refers to a very important and oft-mentioned concept in Spanish: 

 

Veamos el verbo en infinitivo

Let's look at the verb in infinitive

Caption 13, Carlos explica El modo imperativo 2: Irregulares, Usted + plurales

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Most simply put, the infinitive is the impersonal, unconjugated, or "to" form of a verb, such as "to swim," "to see," or "to dance" in English. Let's take a closer look at Spanish infinitives and learn many of their potential uses.

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Types of Infinitives in Spanish 

Do you know how many types of infinitive verbs there are in Spanish? Let's hear the answer from Yabla's popular teacher Carolina:

 

Con infinitivo tenemos tres tipos de verbos: verbos que terminan en "ar", como "cantar", verbos que terminan en "er", como "comer" y verbos que terminan en "ir", como "salir".

With infinitive we have three types of verbs: verbs that end in "ar," like "cantar" [to sing], verbs that end in "er," like "comer" [to eat] and verbs that end in "ir," like "salir" [to leave].

Captions 11-14, Lecciones con Carolina El gerundio - Part 1

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These three categories of infinitive verbs determine the patterns according to which regular verbs are conjugated in all of the various verb tenses in Spanish. Although there are far too many to name, we have provided below ten of the most common Spanish infinitives in each category. The bold print indicates some irregular or stem-changing verbs whose conjugations deviate from the norm.

 

-AR Verbs	-ER Verbs	-IR Verbs
dar (to give)	aprender (to learn)	abrir (to open)
estar (to be)	comer (to eat)	decir (to tell)
hablar (to talk)	creer (to believe)	describir (to describe)
llamar (to call)	hacer (to make/do)	escribir (to write)
llegar (to arrive)	poder (to be able)	pedir (to ask)
llevar (to take/carry)	querer (to want)	recibir (to receive)
pasar (to spend)	saber (to know)	salir (to leave)
quedar (to remain)	ser (to be)	sentir (to feel)
tomar (to take)	tener (to have)	venir (to come)
trabajar (to work)	vender (to sell)	vivir (to live)

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Uses of Spanish Infinitives 

Now that we understand what an infinitive verb is, let's learn some of the ways in which these non-conjugated verbs can be employed in Spanish. 

 

Spanish Infinitives After Certain Conjugated Verbs

Many specific conjugated verbs in Spanish can be followed immediately by an infinitive verb. In this case, the infinitive may be translated into English with either the "to" or present participle (-ing) form, depending upon the specific verb and context. Let's see a couple of examples with querer (to want) and evitar (to avoid), which are often followed by infinitive verbs:

 

Perfecto. Yo quiero viajar a Japón. ¿Sí?

Perfect. I want to travel to Japan. Right?

Caption 77, Clase Aula Azul Pedir deseos - Part 1

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"Evita beber desde media tarde bebidas estimulantes

"Avoid drinking, starting from mid-afternoon, stimulant drinks

Caption 24, Aprendiendo con Silvia Consejos para dormir mejor - Part 1

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Although the list of these tverbs that are frequently followed by the infinitive is quite long, some additional common ones include buscar (to seek), deber (to have to/must), esperar (to hope), intentar (to try), necesitar (to need), soler (to usually), tener que (to have to), and temer (to fear).

 

Spanish Infinitives Following Prepositions

When a verb follows a preposition in Spanish, it should be in the infinitive form. In these cases, Spanish infinitive verbs will be translated with the -ing form of the verb. Let's look at some examples:

 

Antes de empezar, necesito mis anteojos.

Before starting, I need my glasses.

Caption 19, Natalia de Ecuador Los adverbios de orden

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¡Perdónalo! Lo dijo sin pensar.

Forgive him! He said it without thinking.

Caption 34, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 10 - Part 4

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Some other prepositions after which infinitive Spanish verbs are often found include, but aren't limited to: a (to, at), con (with), de (from, of), después de (after), and en (at/in/on).

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Spanish Infinitives After Fixed Expressions

There are many common fixed expressions in Spanish that include prepositions and thus require the infinitive, including the near future tense, ir a + infinitive ("to be going to" do something), pensar en + infinitive ("to think about" doing something), dejar de + infinitive ("to stop" or "quit" doing something), tener ganas de + infinitive ("to feel like" doing something), haber que + infinitive (for some action "to be necessary"), estar por + infinitive ("to be about to" do something), and countless more! Let's see a few of these in action:  

 

que tengo ganas de saltar y bailar.

that I feel like jumping and dancing.

Caption 4, Aprendiendo con Silvia Las emociones - Part 6

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Había que pagar el precio.

One had to pay the price.

Caption 2, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 5 - Part 5

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¡Ya deje de hablar de esa niña!

Stop talking about that girl already!

Caption 7, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 6 - Part 2

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Spanish Infinitives as Nouns

Sometimes, like in English, Spanish infinitive verbs can function like nouns, as in the following excerpt: 

 

Me encanta comprar.

I love shopping.

Caption 40, Ariana Mi Semana

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Note that in such cases, while the article is not required, it may be added for emphasis as follows:

 

Ahora hasta de hablar,

Now even about talking,

los muchachos les da pena el hablar maya.

the young kids are embarrassed about speaking Maya.

Caption 54, Yabla en Yucatán - Don Salo - Part 1

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Spanish Infinitives as Commands

In certain situations, such as explaining how to do something step by step in a manual, cookbook, show, etc., or telling the public on a sign or some other medium what they can and cannot do, Spanish verbs in the infinitive can be construed as commands. Let's take a look: 

 

"No fumar. Esto produce la muerte".

"Don't smoke. This causes death."

Caption 56, Los médicos explican - Las migrañas

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An alternative translation on a sign might be: "No smoking." 

 

That's all for today. We hope that this lesson has helped you to understand what infinitive verbs are and many of their possible uses. Can you think of any more? Don't forget to write us with your suggestions and comments.

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Do you know how to read una receta (a recipe) in Spanish and/or talk about the various actions one must perform to prepare una comida (a meal)? In order to help you do so, we've taken fifty of the most popular cooking verbs in English, then given you the equivalent Spanish term(s) for each, along with lots of examples from our Yabla Spanish library. Let's get started!

 

 

Top 50 Cooking Verbs With Spanish Translations 

 

1. Add: agregar, añadir, poner, colocar, 

When talking about "adding" in an ingredient, there are various choices! While the first two mean "to add," the second two literally mean "to put" or "place" but are frequently seen in recipes to describe the same action:

 

Una vez sudado los ingredientes, le colocamos: salsa inglesa,

Once the ingredients are stewed, we add in: Worcestershire sauce,

Captions 50-51, Recetas de cocina Pabellón criollo

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2. Beat: batir

 

El siguiente paso es batir ocho o nueve huevos.

The next step is to beat eight or nine eggs.

Captions 37-38, Clara cocina Una tortilla española

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4. Boil: hervir

 

5. Blend: mezclar, incorporar, juntar, combinar, licuar, batir 

There are many ways to describe the action of "blending" in Spanish. While the first four options we have listed are more likely to refer to simply "mixing thoroughly," batir and licuar tend to describe more vigorous actions and perhaps even some instrument like a una/a batidor/a (whisk) or licuadora (blender).

 

Todo esto vamos a llevar a licuar, a dar vueltas

All of this, we're going to blend, to spin around,

Caption 29, Mónica Batido

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6. Bake: hornear

 

 

7. Barbecue: asar, hacer a la parrilla, hacer a la barbacoa

 

y vamos a asar dos tiempos la parte de la grasa

and we're going to barbecue the part with the fat two times

Caption 49, Osos en la cocina Carne asada

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8. Cut: cortar

 

Vamos a cortar en pedazos pequeños también la lechuga,

Let's also cut the lettuce into small pieces,

Caption 16, Ana Carolina Receta para una picada

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9. Cover: cubrir

The verb cubrir might refer to covering something with una tapa (a cover/lid) or something else, like water:

 

Vamos a cubrirlo y vamos a subirle el fuego.

We're going to cover it, and we're going to increase the heat.

Caption 37, Cocinando con Miguelito Pollo sudado - Part 2

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10. Cook: cocinar, cocer

 

11. Cool: enfríar

 

Luego, pones el papel encerado por encima y dejas que enfríe.

Then, you put the wax paper on top and you let it cool.

Captions 26-27, Manos a la obra Postres de Minecraft

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12. Chop: picar, trocear

13. Dice: cortar en dados, trocear

The Spanish word dados literally means "dice," as in the dice you play games with. Cortar en dados (literally "to cut in dice") is thus one of the ways to talk about the "dicing" action in Spanish:

 

Cortarlo en dados y freírlos hasta dorar.

Dice it, and fry them until browned.

Caption 50, Cómetelo Crema de brócoli - Part 5

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14. Drain: escurrir, colar

Although the verbs escurrir and colar can both mean "to drain," as in simply getting rid of excess liquid, they can also mean "to strain," as in running something through a colador (colander, sieve, etc.) to separate the solid from the liquid:

 

Ahora cuela los garbanzos con un colador. Escúrrelos bien.

Now, strain the chickpeas with a strainer. Drain them well.

Captions 40-41, El Aula Azul Receta de garbanzos

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15. Fry: freír

 

En la sartén, un poco de aceite y fríes la mezcla.

In the frying pan, a little bit of oil, and you fry the mixture.

Caption 35, El Aula Azul Adivinanzas de comidas - Part 1

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16. Flip: voltear, dar la vuelta 

 

la volteamos y hacemos lo mismo y podemos ir volteándola hasta que esté totalmente cocinada.

we flip it, and we do the same thing, and we can keep flipping it until it's totally cooked.

Captions 34-35, Dany Arepas - Part 2

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17. Grind: moler, triturar

Note that these words can also be used as equivalents of the English "to crush."

 

y después de eso procederemos a molerla.

and after that we will proceed to grind it.

Caption 51, Una Historia de Café La Tostión

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18. Grate: rallar

 

¿Qué, sos un queso pa' que te ralle?

What, are you some cheese for me to grate?

Caption 70, Muñeca Brava 39 Verdades - Part 10

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19. Grill: cocinar/asar a la parrilla, cocinar a la brasa/asar a la brasa

You might have noticed that the terms for "to grill" and "to barbecue" in Spanish are similar, and people often confuse these actions ("barbecuing" tends to describe cooking something for longer over a lower heat, and perhaps on an actual "barbecue"). Most of the time, context should let you know which meaning is intended. 

 

Ahora vamos a asar las arepas.

Now we are going to grill the arepas.

Caption 31, Recetas de cocina Arepas colombianas

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20. Heat: calentar

 

Lo ponemos en la estufa... y lo vamos a calentar a un fuego medio o bajo.

We put it on the stove... and we're going to heat it over medium or low heat.

Caption 18, Cocinando con Miguelito Pollo sudado - Part 1

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21. Knead: amasar

 

Entonces, tenemos que amasarla bien.

Then, we have to knead it well.

Caption 66, Recetas de cocina Carimañolas

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22. Light: encender 

 

es que, si cada persona en el cuarto enciende un fósforo al mismo tiempo,

is that, if every person in the room lights a match at the same time,

Captions 52-53, Eljuri Hablamos Con La Artista Sobre Su Nuevo Álbum

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Similarly, the verb encender can also mean "to turn on."

 

23. Measure: medir

 

¿Y medís la grasa que tiene,

And you measure the fat that it has,

Caption 17, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 14

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24. Mix: mezclar, batir, incorporar

 

eh, que sea grande y espacioso para poder mezclar.

um, which is large and spacious to be able to mix.

Caption 25, Dany Arepas - Part 1

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25. Microwave: cocinar en microondas

 

Ahora voy a cocinar en microondas las palomitas.

Now, I'm going to microwave the popcorn.

 

26. Mash: hacer puré de algo 

"Haz puré con un aplastador de papas" means "Mash with a potato masher." Now, let's look at a clip that describes the result of this action!

 

Ella va a hacer un puré de papa y yo voy a hacer la pechuga.

She is going to make some mashed potatoes, and I am going to make the chicken breast.

Caption 27, Misión Chef 2 - Pruebas - Part 7

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27. Melt: derretir 

 

Derrítalo en agua caliente. Eh... derretirlo... eh...

Melt it in hot water. Um... melt it... um...

Captions 29-30, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 5: Ha nacido una estrella - Part 7

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28. Mince: moler, picar 

 

Lo vamos a picar como en una crema.

We're going to mince it like in a cream.

Caption 77, Cómetelo Crema de brócoli - Part 2

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29. Marinate: marinar, adobar

 

Lo dejamos marinar una hora en el refrigerador

We let it marinate for one hour in the refrigerator

Caption 9, Osos en la cocina Pollo asiático

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30. Peel: pelar

 

El primer paso es pelar las patatas,

The first step is to peel the potatoes,

Caption 23, Clara cocina Una tortilla española

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31. Pour: verter algo en, volcar algo en, poner algo en 

 

y vierte un poco de aceite.

and pour in a bit of oil.

Caption 55, El Aula Azul Receta de garbanzos

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32. Roast: asar, rostizar, tostar

Take note that in addition to "grill" and "barbecue," the Spanish verb asar can also mean "to roast," or "cook in an oven or open fire." When talking about "roasting" coffee beans, nuts, or seeds, however, the verb tostar (literally "to toast") is commonly employed to describe the "roasting" action:

 

El café se tuesta entre doscientos y doscientos cincuenta grados centígrados.

Coffee is roasted at between two hundred and two hundred fifty degrees centigrade.

Caption 7, Una Historia de Café La Tostión

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33. Refrigerate: refrigerar, enfríar

 

Refrigera la torta por dos horas antes de servir.

Refrigerate cake for two hours prior to serving. 

 

34. Roll out: estirar

The verb estirar, which usually means "to stretch," can also refer to "rolling out" dough, for example, with a rolling pin:

 

el rulero, empezar a estirar la empanada.

the rolling pin, start to roll out the empanada.

Caption 37, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Lalo y la receta de la empanada

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35. Rinse: enjuagar, desinfectar

Although enjuagar is the most common verb meaning "to rinse," sometimes the verb desinfectar can be used when referring to "rinsing" food items.

 

las frutas, lo... las lavamos, las desinfectamos,

the fruit, we... we wash it, we rinse it,

Caption 15, Otavalo Mali Tea

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36. Stir: remover, revolver

Have you ever heard of "false friends," or false cognates in Spanish? While remover sounds like "to remove" and revolver resembles "to revolve," both of these verbs mean "to stir" in Spanish (the latter making a bit more sense!). Meanwhile, the false friend estirar, which looks and sounds more like "to stir," means "to stretch" (or "roll out," as we learned earlier). 

 

Recordad: remover bien la mezcla.

Remember: Stir the mixture well.

Caption 65, El Aula Azul Receta de natillas

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37. Scramble: revolver 

In addition to "to stir," the Spanish verb revolver can also mean "to scramble."

 

Revuelve los huevos en una sartén de acero inoxidable. 

Scramble the eggs in a stainless steel frying pan. 

 

38. Sprinkle: espolvorear, rociar

 

Espolvorea con azúcar y canela. 

Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. 

 

39. Squeeze: exprimir, sacar(le) jugo 

 

Exprimimos medio limón por cada trozo de carne.

We squeeze half a lemon for each piece of meat.

Caption 36, Osos en la cocina Carne asada

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40. Spread: untar

 

con queso y mantequilla que puedes untar sobre el pan.

with cheese and butter that you can spread on the bread.

Captions 40-41, Natalia de Ecuador Alimentos para el desayuno

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41. Steam: cocer/cocinar al vapor 

 

42. Simmer: hervir a fuego lento

This Spanish verb literally means "to boil at low heat," which is what "simmering" refers to:

 

Hierve el guiso a fuego lento por tres a cuatro horas.

Simmer the stew for three to four hours. 

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43. Slice: cortar, cortar en lonchas, cortar/picar en rebanadas

 

Picamos en rebanadas.

We slice [them].

Caption 15, Recetas de cocina Ensalada de pepino

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44. Sauté: saltear, sofreír

 

45. Sift: tamizar, cerner 

 

De un litro, hay que cogerle y cernirle

From one liter, you have to take it and sift it,

Caption 102, Comunidad Tsáchila Ayahuasca y plantas curativas

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46. Toss: mezclar, revolver, remover

Notice that the Spanish words for "tossing" a salad are not the literal translations for the word "toss" as in "throw," but rather mean "to mix" (mezclar) and "to stir" (revolver, remover). 

 

Verter el aderezo en la ensalada y revolver poco antes de servir.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss just before serving. 

 

47. Toast: tostar

 

La uso para tostar el pan del desayuno por las mañanas.

I use it to toast the breakfast bread in the morning.

Caption 29, Aprendiendo con Zulbany Piensa rápido

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48. Weigh: pesar

 

Para cada jarra de café debo pesar siempre la misma cantidad

For each mug of coffee I must always weigh out the same amount,

Captions 53-54, Una Historia de Café La Tostión

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49. Whisk: batir, usar una batidora/un batidor de varillas

The previously discussed Spanish verb batir can also be used for the action of "whisking." To be more specific, you might also mention the name of the "whisk" instrument:

 

Usando una batidora de varillas, bate la mezcla hasta que esté uniforme. 

Using a wire whisk, blend mixture until it is uniform. 

 

A much simpler translation with the same meaning would be simply: "Whisk mixture until uniform." 

 

50. Wash: lavar

 

Mientras lavamos el tomate y vamos preparando la ensalada,

While we wash the tomato and we're making the salad,

Caption 28, Fermín Ensalada de tomate

 Play Caption

 

We hope that this lesson on the top Spanish verbs for cooking has brought to light a lot of new cooking vocabulary as well as making you aware of a multitude of Yabla videos you might not have seen with a ton of scrumptious recipes to try! And if you do, we would love for you to write us with your experiences and comments!

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In caption 8 of his electric press kit, Spanish artist Javier García uses the common Spanish verb dejar with the meaning "to leave": 

 

Do you "know" the difference between the Spanish verbs saber and conocer? Although they both mean "to know" in Spanish, there are subtle differences between them. Let's explore them!

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The Spanish Verb Saber

The Spanish verb saber describes "knowing" something concrete, such as a fact, information, or skill. Let's take a look at each of these subcategories with examples from our Yabla Spanish library. 

 

Facts

The verb saber in Spanish is used to talk about "knowing" (or not knowing!) specific facts:

 

¿Ya sabes que el pez globo es venenoso?

Do you know that the puffer fish is poisonous?

Caption 33, Guillermina y Candelario El paseo sobre el mar

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No sabía que estaba embarazada.

I didn't know she was pregnant.

Caption 75, Confidencial: Asesino al Volante Capítulo 2 - Part 11

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Note that the Spanish verb saber falls into the category of Spanish verbs that change meaning in the preterite tense, as its meaning changes in the preterite from "to know" to "to find out."

 

Así supe que su nombre era Lucía,

That's how I found out that her name was Lucía,

Caption 30, Luis Guitarra Historia de Lucía - Part 1

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Information

The Spanish verb saber can also describe having knowledge of particular information:

 

¿Y sabes a qué hora abren?

And do you know what time they open?

Caption 25, Español para principiantes Hablando de ubicaciones

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¿Eh? Estoy seguro que ella sabe dónde está el Gringo.

Right? I am sure that she knows where the Gringo is.

Caption 44, Yago 3 La foto - Part 6

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Skills

When talking about skills, the formula saber + infinitive is used to say that someone "knows how" to do something. Let's take a look. 

 

Pues yo quería mostrarle que también sé hacer muchas cosas.

Well, I wanted to show her that I know how to do a lot of things too.

Caption 37, Guillermina y Candelario Una Amiga muy Presumida - Part 1

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En la vida hay que saber relajarse,

In life, you need to know how to relax,

Caption 44, Ana Teresa 5 principios del yoga

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The Spanish Verb Conocer

The Spanish verb conocer, on the other hand, refers to being familiar with or acquainted with something, which could be a person, place, or thing. Let's see some examples from each category.

 

People

The Spanish verb conocer is employed to talk about "knowing" people, in the sense of being acquainted with them.

 

Por ejemplo: Conozco a María.

For example: I know María.

Caption 11, Lecciones con Carolina Saber y conocer

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Y cuando pasó el tiempo conocí a Edgar, ¿no? Nos conocimos en la escuela.

And as time went by I met Edgar, right? We met at school.

Caption 14, Belanova Entrevista - Part 2

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Notice that, in both examples above, the Spanish pronoun a appears after the verb conocer and before the person. This so-called personal a is necessary when a person is the object of a Spanish sentence. Additionally, we see that the meaning of the verb conocer also changes meaning in the preterite from "to know" to "to meet."

 

Places

Although it is sometimes translated as "to know," when used in reference to places, the Spanish verb conocer usually denotes having actually been somewhere rather than just awareness of its existence. That said, let's take a look at some alternative translations:

 

¿Conoces las Islas Canarias?

Have you been to the Canary Islands?

Caption 89, Clase Aula Azul El verbo gustar - Part 5

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Conocí las islas Barú de... de Colombia

I visited the Barú Islands in... in Colombia

Caption 89, Cleer y Lida Juego de preguntas y respuestas - Part 2

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Things

The verb conocer in Spanish can also refer to familiarity with objects and might thus be translated with either "to know" or "to be familiar with":

 

Realmente son frases que vuestros compañeros no conocen, entonces es una información nueva para ellos.

They really are sentences that your classmates don't know, so it's new information for them.

Captions 45-46, Clase Aula Azul Información con subjuntivo e indicativo - Part 4

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¡Ah! Pues yo no conocía esta tablet.

Oh! Well, I wasn't familiar with this tablet.

Caption 74, El Aula Azul Ester y Paula

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Having seen these parameters and examples, we hope you now "know" the difference between saber and conocer in Spanish! To further explore this topic, check out Lecciones con Carolina: Saber y conocer. And, don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments. 

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The Royal Spanish Academy's Dictionary of the Spanish Language lists 25 different meanings for the Spanish verb pegar, whose English translations range from "to stick" to "to hit"! Although we won't cover all of them, today's lesson will touch on many of the most common ones, backed by lots of examples from the Yabla Spanish video library. Are you ready?!

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1. To paste, glue, or stick on

The Spanish verb pegar is often used to describe attaching one thing to another. While this could involve some substance like glue or paste, in other cases, it might simply entail "sticking" one thing onto another via another means, like sewing (as in the example pegar un bóton, or "sew on a button"). Let's take a look at a couple more examples:

 

2. To stick to or burn 

Similarly, the reflexive form of pegar, pegarse, is used to talk about things that "stick to" other things and might even be translated as "to burn" or "stick to the pan" in the context of cooking.

 

Y queremos que la harina no esté muy seca y no muy mojada para que no se pegue a las manos

And, we want for the flour to not be very dry and not very moist so that it doesn't stick to one's hands

Captions 43-44, Dany Arepas - Part 1

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Bueno, entonces vemos que esto se está empezando a pegar al fondo. 

Well, so we see that this is starting to stick to the bottom.

Caption 1, Cocinando con Miguelito Pollo sudado - Part 2

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3. To hit, beat, strike, or smack 

In contrast to the former meanings, the Spanish verb pegar can also mean to "hit" someone, as in physically striking them:

 

Ella era muy amorosa, ella nunca... nunca me pegó, ni una palmada ni nada. 

She was very loving. She never... never hit me, not a spank or anything.

Caption 2, La Sub30 Familias - Part 11

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4. To give/strike (with certain nouns)

The verb pegar often appears with specific nouns like tiro (shot), bofetón (slap), patada (kick), etc., to talk about specific types of "striking." For example, you might hear that a soccer player le pegó una patada fuerte a la pelota ("gave the ball a good kick") or that someone le pegó un bofetón ("slapped him" or "gave him a slap"). Let's see an example with un tiro:

5. To strike a spot intensely

The verb pegar in Spanish might be employed to talk about sun, light, or even wind that falls upon (or is particularly frequent in) a particular surface or area:

 

The verb pegar in Spanish can entail "pulling" something "up" to something else or "moving (it) closer." For example, you might say: "Pegué la cama a la pared" (I pulled up the bed up to the wall). Let's see one more example:

 

Puedes pegar un poco el brazo hacia ti.

You can bring your arm a bit closer to you.

Caption 21, Bienestar con Elizabeth Activar las articulaciones

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8. To touch 

9. To match

 

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Slangy Meanings of the Spanish Verb Pegar

In addition to its more traditional uses, the verb pegar can be found in lots of idiomatic expressions and may be used differently in different countries and regions. In the Dominican Republic, for example, it is common to use the Spanish verb pegar to talk about actions that began suddenly, as in the case of "Pegó a correr" (He took off running). In other regions, you might hear expressions like "Me pegó la depresión" (I got depressed) to give us a sense that the speaker was "stricken" by depression, while "Me pegué una siesta" is another way to say "I took a nap." 

 

While the less textbook meanings of the verb pegar can seem endless, here are a smattering of examples whose meanings feel like logical extensions of some of the more traditional definitions we covered:

 

Era lo que yo había aprendido y entonces, eh, me pegué con ellos

It was what I had learned and so, um, I hooked up with them

Captions 28-29, Willy Entrevista - Part 2

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hoy le pego a ese duraznito de Amalia Durango, ¿oyó?

today I'll hit it with that peach Amalia Durango, you hear?

Caption 11, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 4 - Part 9

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Yo sólo quiero pegar en la radio 

I just want to catch on on the radio

Caption 1, Bacilos Mi Primer Millón

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The Spanish verb echar can be used in many different ways and appears in a host of different Spanish idiomatic expressions. Let's explore the many meanings and uses of the Spanish verb echar.

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Standard Meanings of the Verb Echar

While the first definition of echar in dictionaries is typically "to throw," it can refer to any literal or figurative movement from one point to another and can thus be translated in many fashions depending upon the context. Let's take a look at several of its most common meanings with examples from our Yabla Spanish library.

 

To Throw:

Although the Spanish verb echar can literally mean "to throw," "toss," or "hurl" something, it is probably more common to hear verbs like tirar, lanzar, or arrojar used with this meaning. That said, let's take a look at an example where echar means to physically throw something:

 

y le echas harina y se lo pones en el pelo y... ¡Chwak!

and you throw flour on her and you put it in her hair and... Bam!

Caption 17, Club 10 Capítulo 1 - Part 1

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To Throw Out/Away:

The Spanish verb echar can also be used in the way we use the verbs "to throw" something "out" or "away," whether literally or figuratively. Let's look at an example of each: 

Todo estaba tranquilo y lo echaste a la basura

Everything was calm and you threw it in the garbage

Caption 3, Sondulo Que te vaya mal

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To Add/Put in:

The verb echar in Spanish often appears in recipes and other contexts when talking about "adding" or "putting in" some ingredient, etc. Let's take a look:

 

Le voy a echar un poco de nata...

I'm going to add a bit of cream to it...

Caption 47, Cómetelo Crema de brócoli - Part 9

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Bueno, también le podemos echar diferentes clases de condimentos.

Well, we can also put in different kinds of seasoning.

Caption 24, Cocinando con Miguelito Pollo sudado - Part 2

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To Pour:

Along these same lines, echar can also be used to mean to pour something into something else: 

 

Solo falta echarla en el molde 

We just need to pour it into the mold

Caption 38, Cleer y Lía El día de la madre

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To Kick Out/Throw Out/Expel/Fire: 

The verb echar in Spanish may also refer to getting rid of someone in the sense of throwing or kicking them out, temporarily or permanently:

 

No sé qué hace este señor todavía acá, lo eché esta misma tarde.

I don't know what this gentleman is still doing here. I threw him out this very afternoon.

Caption 33, Muñeca Brava 3 Nueva Casa - Part 4

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Se mueren por saber por qué echó a la chirusa.

They're dying to know why she fired the vulgar girl.

Caption 42, Carlos y Cyndy Comentario sobre Muñeca Brava

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To Expel/Emit/Give Off: 

And speaking of "expelling" and "fire," the verb echar in Spanish can also mean to "expel," "emit," "give off," or "spew" fire or smoke, for example: 

 

Pero eso no lo iba a entender un dragón al que solo le interesaba rugir y echar fuego por la boca.

But a dragon who was only interested in roaring and spewing fire from his mouth wasn't going to get it.

Caption 49, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 1 - Part 7

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To Start:

And, to conclude with our more standard uses of the Spanish verb echar, the formula echar + infinitive means "to start" [doing something]:

 

y ven la batidora, echan a correr.

and they see the blender, they start to run.

Caption 31, Cómetelo Crema de brócoli - Part 8

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This meaning might also be seen with the reflexive version of the verb, echarse.

 

Pero ya las lágrimas se echaban a correr

But the tears were starting to fall

Caption 8, Jeremías Uno y uno igual a tres

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More Meanings of the Reflexive Verb Echarse

Let's take a look at some additional uses of the reflexive verb echarse. 

 

 

To Lie Down/Get Down/Throw Oneself

The reflexive verb echarse can be used to talk about "lying down" as in Me voy a echar en la cama (I'm going to lie down in bed) or generally "throwing oneself" or "getting down":

 

Los hombres que cuando se les dicen de echarse al suelo es que no quieren ninguno.

When men are told to get down on the ground, the thing is that no one wants to.

Captions 52-53, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 8

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To Move

The reflexive verb echarse can additionally have the connotation of moving from one place to another, as in the first example, and is therefore heard often in songs, as in the second, with various translations to tell people how they should move.

 

donde el pueblo se echa a la calle junto a miles de visitantes

where the town goes out onto the street along with thousands of visitors

Caption 57, Viajando con Fermín Frigiliana, Málaga

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Échate pa' un lado

Move aside

Caption 8, Javier García EPK - Part 2

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Idiomatic Expressions with the Spanish Verb Echar

Now, let's look at several Spanish idioms that involve the Spanish verbs echar or echarse with examples in context:

 

Echar la culpa (to blame)

 

¡Y me echó la culpa de todo!

And she blamed everything on me!

Caption 13, Guillermina y Candelario La Peluqueria del Mar - Part 1

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Echarse a reír/llorar (to burst out laughing/crying)

 

El marido se echó a reír al ver la cara de sorpresa de su esposa.

The husband burst out laughing when he saw his wife's surprised face.

Caption 32, Cleer El espejo de Matsuyama

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Después de haberse marchado todos, estaba sola en casa y se echó a llorar.

After everyone had left, she was alone in the house and burst out crying.

Captions 29-30, Cuentos de hadas Cenicienta - Part 1

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Echar la/una siesta (to take a nap/siesta)

 

Después de comer, solemos echar la siesta

After eating, we usually take a nap

Caption 20, El Aula Azul Actividades Diarias

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Echar la llave (to lock)

 

Ahora cerramos la puerta, echamos la llave

Now we close the door, we lock it,

Caption 12, Escuela BCNLIP Clase con Javi: el futuro - Part 1

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Echar de menos (to miss)

 

De España echo mucho de menos el clima,

From Spain, I really miss the weather,

Caption 39, Álvaro Arquitecto Español en Londres

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Echar la/una mano (to lend a hand)

 

para que nos eche una mano y les vamos a dar

so that he can lend us a hand and we are going to give them

Caption 50, Club de las ideas Bioparc

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Echar(le) un vistazo (to take a look)

 

De acuerdo, deje que eche un vistazo.

OK, let me take a look.

Caption 63, Negocios Empezar en un nuevo trabajo - Part 2

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Echarle ganas (to work hard)

 

Así es y pues aquí mira, trabajando, echándole ganas y...

It's so, and well, [we] are here, [you] see, working, giving it my all and...

Caption 17, Edificio en Construcción Hablando con los trabajadores - Part 2

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Echar a perder (to mess up/spoil/ruin or bankrupt)

 

No puedo, negrita, ya eché a perder como diez laburo'.

I can't, honey. I already messed up like ten jobs.

Caption 3, Muñeca Brava 3 Nueva Casa - Part 5

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Echar (más) leña al fuego (to add (more) fuel to the fire)

 

¡Callate, Rufino! No eches más leña al fuego, ¿querés?

Shut up, Rufino! Don't put more wood into the fire [don't add fuel to the fire], will you?

Caption 23, Yago 8 Descubrimiento - Part 2

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Echar las campanas al vuelo (to vehemently celebrate prematurely)

 

Todavía no ha jugado el partido de fútbol y ya está "echando las campanas al vuelo", 

He hasn't played the soccer match yet, and he's already "throwing the bells in the air,"

Captions 45-46, Aprendiendo con Silvia Campanas - Part 2

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Although the literal meaning is totally different, this Spanish expression is comparable to the English idiom about "counting one's chickens before they are hatched." For more such examples, check out this lesson on Spanish idioms and their (very different) English equivalents.

 

As there are so many standard and idiomatic ways to use the Spanish verb echar that it would be impossible to name them all, we've provided just a smattering! Don't hesitate to write to us with any more you come across, or with any ideas for future lessons. ¡Hasta la próxima!

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In English, we use the verb "to meet" and the nouns "meet" and "meeting" in a plethora of nuanced ways. Let's explore the various manners in which these different types of meetings are expressed in Spanish. 

 

"To Meet" Someone (For the First Time) 

The English verb "to meet" can mean "to make acquaintance" with someone. Although the Spanish verb for "to meet" in this sense is conocer, remember that in the present and other tenses, this verb can also mean "to know" or "be familiar with":

 

Por ejemplo: Conozco a María.

For example: I know María.

Caption 11, Lecciones con Carolina Saber y conocer

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In the preterite tense, however, the meaning of the verb conocer typically changes to "meet" in the sense of having "met" someone for the first time: 

 

Conocí a mi marido, Carlos, hace unos dieciocho años.

I met my husband, Carlos, about eighteen years ago.

Caption 9, Burgos María de los Ángeles

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To find out more similarly-evolving verbs, check out this lesson on verbs that change meaning in the preterite tense. 

 

In other tenses, conocer can mean "to know," "to meet," or even to "have been" somewhere, and context will typically tell you which meaning is meant. But, since "meeting" is the topic at hand, let's take a look at a couple more examples where the verb conocer means just that:

 

Le gusta mucho conocer personas nuevas.

She likes very much to meet new people.

Caption 21, El Aula Azul Mis Primos

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Encantadísima de conocerte.

Very nice to meet you.

Caption 39, Yago 4 El secreto - Part 11

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"To Meet" as in "Get Together" 

There are several verbs that mean "to meet" as in "get together" with someone in terms of some outing, for coffee, or even a more formal "meeting" in Spanish. Let's take a look at some of them in action:

 

Reunirse (con)

 

y ahí nos reunimos varias personas

and several of us get together there

Caption 41, Cleer Entrevista con Jacky

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Espero que esta situación pase rápido para poder reunirme con mis amigos, familiares

I hope this situation gets over soon so I can meet with my friends, relatives,

Captions 34-35, El coronavirus La cuarentena en Coro, Venezuela - Part 2

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Encontrarse (con)

 

Nos vamos a encontrar a las cuatro. -Ajá.

We're going to meet at four. -Uh-huh.

Caption 53, Yago 12 Fianza - Part 6

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Sí, me voy a encontrar con una amiga.

Yes, I'm going to meet a friend.

Caption 4, Muñeca Brava 46 Recuperación - Part 4

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To see more uses of the verb encontrar(se), be sure to look at this lesson on The Many Facets of the Verb Encontrar.

 

Quedar

 

y quedamos en la escuela por la mañana.

and we met at the school in the morning.

Caption 25, El Aula Azul Dos historias

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In Spain, where they often use the present perfect  more than in Latin America, the verb quedar is often heard in that tense to talk about "meeting" or "having made plans with" someone, as follows:

 

Hemos quedado a las ocho. 

We've made plans for eight o'clock/We're meeting at eight o'clock.

 

He quedado con Juan para ir al cine.

I've made plans with Juan to go to the movies. 

 

 

Verse (con)

 

¿Usted cree que pueda verse con usted y con Amalia?

Do you think that he can meet with you and with Amalia?

Caption 43, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 1 - Part 5

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Juntarse (con)

 

A ver si nos juntamos,

Let's see if we can get together,

Caption 31, Festivaliando Mono Núñez - Part 13

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Asking Someone "To Meet"

If you want to ask a new (or old) friend, "Do you want to meet/hang out/get together"? you could use any of these verbs. Here are some examples of people asking other people to "meet" or get together: 

 

¿Nos podemos encontrar ahora?

Can we meet now?

Caption 51, Cuatro Amigas Piloto - Part 5

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Pero ¿en dónde nos podemos ver?

But where can we meet?

Caption 41, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 3 - Part 13

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You can also use the verb salir to ask someone "to go out" with you, which, like in English, might often (but not always) have a romantic connotation:

 

¿Te gustaría salir conmigo alguna vez? 

Would you like to go out with me sometime? 

 

"Meetings" in Spanish

So, how do you say "meeting" in Spanish, for example, a business or some other type of meeting? Let's take a look:

 

La junta

 

si acaso tengo alguna junta, 

if perhaps I have some meeting,

Caption 12, Yo estudio en el Tec de Monterrey

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La reunión

 

Yo sé pero entiéndame, tengo una reunión con mi jefe.

I know, but understand me, I have a meeting with my boss.

Caption 25, Tu Voz Estéreo Embalsamado - Part 6

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Note that when the noun la reunión means "the meeting" in Spanish, it can be thought of as a "false cognate," or word that sounds like an English word but actually means something different. However, along with el reencuentro and even el encuentro in some contexts, la reunión can also mean "reunion" as in "una reunión familiar" (a family reunion) or, alternatively, a social "meeting" or "gathering":

 

Usted me acaba de confirmar que ese tipo sí está aquí en esta reunión

You just confirmed to me that that guy really is here at this gathering,

Caption 30, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 5 - Part 10

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The noun el encuentro can additionally be used to talk about such a "gathering":

 

se crea un ambiente propicio para el encuentro familiar.

a favorable environment is created for family gatherings.

Caption 30, Coro, Venezuela La Zona Colonial

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Or, it might describe something on a larger scale, which might additionally be translated as something like a "conference":

 

Chance "Meetings" (or "Encounters")

Note that you can also use el encuentro to describe an incident of "running into" someone, as in a chance "meeting" or "encounter," or even an "encounter" in terms of a "meetup" or "hookup" with a friend or more than a friend: 

 

Era Pablo Echarri, y luego de ese encuentro ya nada sería igual en la vida de ambos

It was Pablo Echarri, and after that encounter, nothing would be the same in their lives.

Captions 64-65, Biografía Natalia Oreiro - Part 6

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Bueno, yo creo que necesitaba un encuentro más personal.

Well, I think that I needed a more personal encounter.

Caption 3, Muñeca Brava 18 - La Apuesta - Part 12

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Note that the word "meeting" could be substituted for "encounter" in either one of these sentences.

 

Still More Ways "To Meet"

Although there are many more ways in which the verb and noun forms of "meet" can be used in English with different Spanish equivalents, let's conclude with a few additional examples:

 

Track Meets, etc.:

So, what if we are talking about a sports "meet"? This type of event is often referred to as una competencia (literally "a competition") or un campeonato (a championship), e.g. una competencia de atletismo (a track meet) or un campeonato de natación (a swim meet). And, although the noun el encuentro can sometimes refer to such events as well, in the context of sports, el encuentro might also be translated as "match" or "game":

 

el encuentro dura noventa minutos en total,

the game lasts for a total of ninety minutes,

Caption 17, Sergio El fútbol en España

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And, when two sports teams "meet" one another, the verb that is used is enfrentarse (literally "to face"), as in: Los dos equipos se enfrentaron (The two teams "met" or "faced off"). 

 

To Meet (As in "An Obligation"):

The verb used to talk about "meeting" or "fulfilling" a requirement or obligation is cumplir con:

 

El primer paso importante para ello es cumplir con todos los requisitos.

The first important step for it is to meet all of the requirements.

Caption 4, Raquel Abrir una cuenta bancaria

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Hence the noun for not fulfilling or "meeting" such duties, etc. is incumplimiento (nonfulfillment). 

 

To Meet (As in "Converge")

For our final example, the verbs that mean "to meet" in the sense of things "converging" or "coming together" include confluir and unirse. Let's look at an example with the latter (although the former could be substituted with the same meaning):

 

mucho movimiento, mucho tráfico porque se unen muchas calles importantes de la ciudad.

a lot of movement, a lot of traffic because many important streets of the city meet.

Captions 38-39, El Trip Madrid

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We hope that this lesson has taught you how to talk about the many forms of "meeting(s)" in Spanish. There are, of course, a lot more Spanish nouns and verbs that could be translated as "meet" or "meeting" in English in different contexts. Can you think of any more? Let us know with your suggestions and comments.

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Just when you thought you'd memorized the meanings of a bunch of infinitive verbs (their "to" forms, like saber (to know), poder (to be able), etc.), you find out that there are some verbs that actually change meanings from one tense to another! Verbs that mean one thing in tenses like the Spanish present indicative tense and the imperfect tense in Spanish but change meaning in the Spanish preterite tense will be the focus of today's lesson. 

 

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What Is the Spanish Preterite Tense?

In a nutshell, there are two "main" past tenses in Spanish: the imperfect tense in Spanish, which is used to describe past actions that were ongoing, in progress, or interrupted, and the Spanish preterite tense, which describes completed past actions. As we mentioned, as the meaning of some Spanish verbs actually changes in the preterite tense in Spanish, let's take a look at some examples of several of these verbs and their translations in the present, the imperfect, and, finally, the preterite, via examples from Yabla Spanish's video library. 

 

Spanish Verbs That Change Meaning in the Preterite Tense 

 

1. Conocer (to know)

Let's take a look at some examples of the Spanish verb conocer in the present and imperfect tenses:

 

Present Tense:

porque conozco un sitio muy bueno y podemos ir.

because I know a very good place and we can go.

Caption 67, Cleer Entrevista a Giluancar

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Imperfect Tense:

Pablo Escobar conocía La Catedral como la palma de la mano,

Pablo Escobar knew La Cathedral like the back of his hand

Caption 42, Los Tiempos de Pablo Escobar Capítulo 2 - Part 6

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In both the Spanish present indicative and the imperfect tense, the Spanish verb conocer means "to know" in the sense of "being familiar with." However, in the preterite tense, the Spanish verb conocer has a different meaning. Let's take a look:

 

Preterite Tense:

Cuando yo conocí a mi esposa, hace nueve años, la primera cosa yo le dije a ella, te... tú vas a ser la mamá de mis hijas.

When I met my wife, nine years ago, the first thing I said to her, you... you are going to be the mom of my daughters.

Captions 52-54, La Sub30 Familias - Part 4

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As you can see in this example, as the preterite tense in Spanish limits an action to a specific moment in time, the meaning of the Spanish verb conocer changes to "to meet" in the Spanish preterite tense. 

 

2. Poder (to be able)

The Spanish verb poder means "to be able," in the sense of "can" in the present or "could" in the past. Let's see some examples:

 

Present Tense:

Detrás de mí podemos observar la ciudad antigua

Behind me, we can observe the old city

Caption 11, Ciudad de Panamá Denisse introduce la ciudad

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Imperfect Tense:

Yo pensé que podía saltar muy alto.

I thought I could jump really high.

Caption 14, Guillermina y Candelario Una Amiga muy Presumida - Part 2

 Play Caption

 

So, how does the meaning of the Spanish verb poder transform in the preterite?

 

Preterite Tense:

Es que no entiendo cómo pudo entrar aquí.

It's just that I don't understand how he managed to get in here.

Caption 20, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 2 - Part 8

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Although "It's just that I don't understand how he was able to get in here" could also be a viable translation, in some contexts, this English rendition would not make it clear whether someone actually did something or merely had the ability to do so. Hence, the important thing to remember when the Spanish verb poder is conjugated in the Spanish preterite tense is that it ceases to describe merely the potential for something to happen and states that it actually did. "To manage" (to do something) is thus a common translation for the Spanish verb poder in the preterite tense that makes this distinction clear. 

 

3. No poder (to not be able)

The meaning of no poder in both the present and imperfect tenses in Spanish is pretty straightforward: "to not be able to," in other words, "can't" in the present and "couldn't" in the (imperfect) past:

 

Present Tense:

¿Cómo que no pueden hacer nada? ¿Cómo que no pueden hacer nada más?

What do you mean you can't do anything? What do you mean you can't do anything else?

Caption 17, Yago 3 La foto - Part 2

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Imperfect Tense:

Y no podía estudiar.

And I couldn't study.

Caption 1, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 5 - Part 3

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So, what about the preterite? If we know that the preterite form of the Spanish verb poder means "to manage to" do something, it follows that the preterite form of no poder can mean "to not manage to," or, better yet, "to fail to" to do something.

 

Preterite Tense:

Si usted no pudo controlar su matrimonio ¿cómo va a controlar y dirigir y manejar el interés público?

If you failed to control your marriage, how are you going to control and direct and manage public interest?

Captions 58-59, Muñeca Brava 43 La reunión - Part 3

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While we might alternatively translate "si usted no pudo controlar su matrimonio" as "you couldn't control your marriage" or "you weren't able to control your marriage," the important thing to remember is that the verb poder in the preterite means that something in the past was attempted but did not come to fruition.

 

4. Saber (to know)

The Spanish verb saber typically means "to know" (in the sense of facts or information) in the present, imperfect, etc.:

 

Present Tense:

No es información nueva, y ellas lo saben.

It's not new information, and they know it.

Caption 7, Clase Aula Azul Información con subjuntivo e indicativo - Part 3

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Imperfect Tense:

Sí. Si algo sabíamos era que la plata no crece en los árboles.

Yes. If we knew anything, it was that money didn't grow on trees.

Caption 28, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 10 - Part 2

 Play Caption

 

However, because the preterite tense in Spanish narrows the timeline of such "knowing" down to a specific moment, the meaning of the Spanish verb saber transforms, in the preterite tense, from "to know" to "to find out":

 

Preterite Tense:

A tal punto que yo me alegré mucho, mucho, cuando supe que ibas a pasar veinticinco años en la cárcel.

To the point that I was very happy, very, when I found out you were going to spend twenty-five years in prison.

Captions 56-57, Yago 14 La peruana - Part 1

 Play Caption

 

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5. Tener (to have)

The verb tener in Spanish means "to have" in most tenses, as in the following excerpts:

 

Present Tense:

Todas las estaciones tienen sus ventajas.

All of the seasons have their advantages.

Caption 42, Clara explica El tiempo - Part 2

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Imperfect Tense:

Tenía una casa pues, amueblada de cuatrocientos metros

I had a, well, furnished, four-hundred meter house,

Caption 79, 75 minutos Gangas para ricos - Part 8

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And, although the meaning of the Spanish verb tener doesn't always change in the preterite, it sometimes takes on the meaning of "to receive" or "to get," as in the case of: Tuve una carta (I got a letter). Let's look at an additional example:

 

Preterite Tense:

Y bueno, ahí tuve otras proposiciones, que no eran tampoco un sueño, pero eran mucho más interesantes que lo que tenía en Cuba,

And well, there, I got other proposals, which weren't a dream either, but they were much more interesting than what I had in Cuba,

Captions 49-51, Orishas Entrevista Canal Plus

 Play Caption

 

6. Querer (to want) 

The verb querer in Spanish most often means "to want." Let's see it in action:

 

Present Tense:

Amigos de Yabla, hoy los queremos invitar a aprender español

Friends of Yabla, today we want to invite you to learn Spanish

Captions 1-2, El Hatillo, Caracas, Venezuela El cuatro

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Imperfect Tense:

Yo de niña pensaba que quería ser bailarina. ¿Qué pensabas tú?

As a little girl I thought that I wanted to be a dancer. What did you think?

Caption 20, Conjugación El verbo 'pensar'

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In the preterite tense, however, the Spanish verb querer "puts a limit" on this past "wanting" and becomes a manner of saying that someone "tried" to do something:

 

Preterite Tense:

Yo quise ser su amiga, pero no me dejó.

I tried to be his friend, but he didn't let me.

Caption 38, Guillermina y Candelario Un marciano en la playa - Part 1

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7. No querer (to not want) 

In our first two tenses, the Spanish verb phrase no querer means exactly what it sounds like: "to not want." Let's examine some clips that demonstrate this construction in the present and imperfect:

 

Present Tense:

 

Es que yo no quiero vivir en el centro.

The thing is, I don't want to live in the downtown area.

Caption 71, El Aula Azul La Doctora Consejos: Subjuntivo y persona ideal

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Imperfect Tense:

 

y en un principio le dije que no quería tener un gato en casa.

and at first, I told her I didn't want to have a cat in my home.

Caption 32, Fermín y los gatos Mi gata Poeska

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The preterite form of the Spanish verb querer, on the other hand, means that someone not only "didn't want" to do something at a specific point in the past, they actually didn't (or "wouldn't"):

 

mi otra hermana, Zoraida Zárraga, mi sobrino, Harold Blanco, que no quisieron presentarse por temor a cámara.

my other sister, Zoraida Zarraga, my nephew, Harold Blanco, who refused to appear due to camera shyness.

Captions 11-13, Coro, Venezuela Relaciones familiares

 Play Caption

 

So, we see that the meaning of the verb no querer in Spanish can sometimes become to "to refuse" in the preterite tense. 

 

We hope that this lesson has edified you regarding the alternative meanings of some Spanish verbs when they are conjugated in the preterite tense. Can you think of any we missed?  Don't forget to tell us with your suggestions and comments. 

 

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Are you familiar with the Spanish verb quemar and its reflexive counterpart quemarse? Although a common translation for both of these verbs is "to burn," they have many additional, nuanced translations, including some idiomatic ones, which this lesson will explore.

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Quemar vs. Quemarse

In some cases, distinguishing between a verb and its reflexive form is a bit challenging. Most simply put, the verb quemar often means "to burn" in the sense of a subject "burning" on object, for example, when something has the ability "to burn" other things due to its high temperature or something or someone "burns" something else, as in the example: Yo espero no quemar la torta (I hope not to burn the cake). Let's take a look at some additional examples:

 

me encanta, eh... usar salvia

I love to, um... use sage

que incluso tengo en mi... en mi jardín.

that I even have in my... in my garden.

La quemo y con eso recorro mi casa

I burn it, and I go around the house with it,

Captions 31-33, Tatiana y su cocina - Sus ingredientes "mágicos"

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Mili, quemá esa camisa por favor; que desaparezca;

Mili, burn that shirt please; it should disappear;

Caption 10, Muñeca Brava - 46 Recuperación

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In contrast, the reflexive form, quemarse, refers to an action that happens on its own or within itself and, thus, frequently describes someone or something "burning itself" or "getting burned":

 

No es nada, señora. -¿Cómo no me voy a preocupar

It's nothing, ma'am. -How am I not going to be worried

si te quemaste? -¡Ay pero qué tonta!

if you burned yourself? -Oh, but how foolish [I am]!

Captions 22-23, Yago - 8 Descubrimiento

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Note that an alternative translation for te quemaste in this sentence could be, "you got burned." Let's look at an additional example:

 

Este es el color, aproxi'... es como marrón dorado

This is the color, approx'... it's like golden brown,

pero no muy oscuro porque si no, se quema la arepa.

but not very dark because, otherwise, the arepa gets burned.

Captions 40-41, Dany - Arepas

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While se quema la arepa could also be expressed with the phrase "the arepa burns," the important thing is that, with the reflexive form, the process is happening by or to itself rather than with a subject performing the action on some object.

 

Non-Physical Meanings of the Verb Quemar

Like the English verb "to burn," the Spanish verb quemar also has meanings that extend beyond the literal meaning of physical burning. Let's take a look:

 

En... Y en las noches, eh, siento que, que todo el brazo me quema.

At... And at night, um, I feel that, that my whole arm burns.

Caption 13, Los médicos explican - El tratamiento de las fracturas

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Siento dentro de mí ese sentimiento

I feel inside me that feeling

Que es grande, profundo y me quema por dentro. Yo sé que es amor

That's big, deep, and it burns me inside. I know it's love

Captions 25-26, Alberto Barros - Mano a mano

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So, we see that, like the word "burn" in English, the Spanish verb quemar can extend to intense physical and emotional sensations, which is why both the Spanish and English versions often appear in music and literature. 

 

Just like in English, the Spanish verb quemar can also mean "to work off," as in "to burn calories," etc.:

 

And finally, as we can refer to "burning," or recording, a CD in English, we could also quemar un compact in Spanish. 

 

Alternative Translations for the Verb Quemarse

So, what about quemarse? In certain contexts, the Spanish verb quemarse can also mean to "burn down," in the sense of getting destroyed by fire. Let's take a look:

 

Y hace unos veinticinco años se quemó todo este edificio. 

And about twenty-five years ago this whole building burned down.

Caption 5, Yago - 12 Fianza

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In other cases, quemarse can mean "to burn out" or "blow" (as in a fuse), as in ceasing to work due to excessive friction or heat:

 

Se me quemó una lamparita... 

A light bulb burned out on me...

Caption 77, Verano Eterno - Fiesta Grande

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Yet another possible translation for quemarse in some contexts is "to go up in smoke," in the sense of catching fire:

 

porque cuando se escapan sueltan chispas

because when they get loose they give off sparks

que provocan que se queme la instalación eléctrica,

that make the electrical system go up in smoke,

y puede provocar un incendio. 

and it can cause a fire.

Captions 52-54, Club de las ideas - La motivación

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If someone exclaims, "¡Te quemaste!" to you after a day at the beach, you might assume they are conveying to you that you've gotten a sunburn, and, in some countries, that might be true. However, this very same expression is utilized in other countries, like Argentina, to tell someone they got a suntan. We see this usage in the following clip, where the speaker refers to herself as quemada, which literally means "burnt":

 

A mí me encanta estar quemada

I love being tan,

pero este sol me recalienta la cabeza,

but this sun is overheating my head,

Caption 22, Muñeca Brava - 30 Revelaciones

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Then, in the following passage, the verb quemarse has been translated as "to grill" since it refers to the manner in which this fish is cooked, rather than it actually burning:

 

Es más higiénica y se quema el pescado pero no se cae la caña.

It's more hygienic, and the fish grills, but the cane doesn't fall.

Caption 16, Málaga - La tradición de los espetos

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In some cases involving cooking, the English verb "to char" could be another possible translation. 

 

Quemarse as an Idiomatic Expression

We'll conclude this lesson by mentioning an idiomatic use of the verbs quemarse, which, in some cases, is a rough equivalent of the English "to blow it" or "screw up." For example:

 

 

Let's take a look at a similar example from the Yabla video library:

 

Hablando de quemar,

Speaking of burning,

cómo me quemé con Andrea, mi vida, por favor.

I really burned my bridges with Andrea, my dear, please.

Caption 28, Muñeca Brava - 30 Revelaciones

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As the speaker is referring to making a mistake with a particular person during an argument, the English expression "to burn one's bridges" adequately conveys this idea in this context. Interestingly, another manner of saying this in Spanish is quemar las naves (literally "to burn one's boats").

 

We hope you've enjoyed this lesson, which mentions just some of the many uses of the Spanish verbs quemar and quemarse. Can you think of more? Don't hesitate to let us know with your suggestions and comments. 

 

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What are reflexive verbs in Spanish? A reflexive verb is a verb in which the subject (person or thing that completes the action) and object (person or thing that receives the action) are one and the same. In other words, the action "reflects back" onto the subject, or entails something one does to or for him or herself. It is no wonder then, that many of the things we "do to ourselves" in our daily routines (e.g. shaving ourselves, washing ourselves, etc.) fall into the category of reflexive Spanish verbs. 

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Recognizing Spanish Reflexive Verbs 

 

How can we recognize Spanish reflexive verbs? The main way to distinguish reflexive verbs in Spanish is by the fact that they all end in the pronoun se in their infinitive form. To take a very simple example, while the verb hablar means "to talk," hablarse is a reflexive verb meaning "to talk to oneself." However, the translations for reflexive verbs in Spanish aren't always so straightforward. 

 

As we often say just "I shave" or "I wash" in lieu of "I shave/wash myself," the English translations of Spanish reflexive verbs won't always include pronouns like "myself," "yourself," etc. In other cases, the meanings of verbs like parecer (to seem) completely change in their reflexive forms (parecerse means "to look like"). And so, as there are a lot more reflexive verbs in Spanish than in English, many of which may not "seem" reflexive, with increased exposure to Spanish, we will learn which English concepts are expressed with Spanish reflexive verbs.

 

Conjugating Spanish Reflexive Verbs: Reflexive Pronouns

 

To conjugate reflexive verbs in Spanish, we must memorize the reflexive pronouns that correspond to each personal pronoun: yo (I), tú (you), etc.. Reflexive pronouns are most often placed before the verb, which is conjugated "as usual" (in the same way as its non-reflexive form). To demonstrate this, let's take a look at the reflexive pronouns and the simple present conjugation of the regular verb despertar (to wake up). We will then show you the conjugation of its reflexive form (despertarse).

 

Personal Pronoun	Reflexive Pronoun	Despertar	Despertarse
yo	me	despierto	me despierto
tú	te	despiertas	te despiertas
él, ella, usted	se	despierta	se despierta
nosotros/as	nos	despertamos	nos despertamos
vosotros/as	os	despertáis	os despertáis
ellos/as, ustedes	se	despiertan	se despiertan

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Reflexive Verbs in Spanish for Your Daily Routine

Now that you know the Spanish reflexive pronouns and how to conjugate reflexive Spanish verbs, let's take a look at some examples of reflexive verbs in Spanish for describing things that many of us do on a daily basis, with lots of instances from our Yabla video library as always! Here is our list of Spanish reflexive verbs for your daily routine: 

 

 

3. Bañarse

 

The Spanish noun baño means "bath," and the verb bañarse can mean "to take a bath" as well. However, as bañarse can also be the more general "to bathe," a person might even use this verb to express the fact that they are taking a shower! Let's look at an example of this reflexive Spanish verb: 

 

Uno se baña todos los días, mijita.

One bathes every day, my girl.

Caption 41, Muñeca Brava - 33 El partido

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On the other hand, if a person at the beach expresses their desire to bañarse, rather than wanting to wash the sand off of themselves, they are letting you know they would like to take a dip! The Spanish reflexive verb bañarse can also mean "to go swimming," a translation that often comes as a surprise to English speakers:

 

No hay muchas olas grandes como en Atacames.

There aren't many big waves like in Atacames.

Es más tranquilo para bañarse.

It's more peaceful to go swimming.

Captions 62-63, Pipo - Un paseo por la playa de Atacames

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4. Ducharse

 

In the morning, at night, or after the beach, indeed, one might need to ducharse (to take a shower):

 

¿Qué está haciendo Silvia?

What is Silvia doing?

Silvia se está duchando.

Silvia is taking a shower.

Captions 11-12, El Aula Azul - Actividades diarias: En casa con Silvia

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Note that, in this example, the verb ducharse is conjugated in the present progressive tense. As with the present indicative and all other tenses, verbs are conjugated in the exact same way as they would be were they non-reflexive, with the addition of the appropriate reflexive pronoun. 

 

5. Lavarse

 

The reflexive verb in Spanish lavarse generally means "to wash (oneself)." Let's look at an example: 

 

Por ejemplo, "Yo me lavo".

For example, "Yo me lavo" [I wash myself].

La acción recae sobre la persona

The action falls back upon the person

que realiza la acción.

who carries out the action.

Pero, "Yo lavo los platos".

But, "Yo lavo los platos" [I wash the dishes].

Captions 45-48, Lecciones con Carolina - Verbos reflexivos

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In this informative video about Spanish reflexive verbs, Yabla fan favorite Carolina explains the difference between reflexive and non-reflexive verbs, in this case the verbs lavar (to wash) and lavarse (to wash oneself). Let's look at an additional example: 

 

Yo me lavo las manos. Tú te lavas las manos.

I wash my hands. You wash your hands.

Captions 19-20, Fundamentos del Español - 9 - Verbos Reflexivos

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Unlike in English, where we express the idea of washing one's hands or some other body part with a possessive pronoun (my, your, etc.), this is not the case in Spanish. Instead, we use the definite article for the noun in question, manos (hands), in this case, las (the). Because the reflexive pronoun already indicates that the action is something we do to ourselves, it would be redundant in Spanish to say: Yo me lavo mis manos. As the correct way to express this is "Yo me lavo las manos," it might help you to remember the literal but non-sensical translation: "I wash myself the hands."

 

That said, let's move on to something else that's expressed with the notion of "washing" in Spanish: lavarse los dientes (to brush one's teeth). 

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6. Lavarse/cepillarse los dientes

 

Lavarse los dientes (literally "to wash one's teeth") is one of saying "to brush one's teeth" in Spanish: 

 

Después, ehm... suelo lavarme los dientes en el baño,

After that, um... I usually brush my teeth in the bathroom,

Caption 3, El Aula Azul - Actividades Diarias

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Different countries, regions, or individuals might instead use cepillarse los dientes, which also means "to brush one's teeth." Let's check out an example in the preterite tense: 

 

Se cepilló los dientes,

He brushed his teeth,

Caption 20, Aprendiendo con Carlos - El microrrelato

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7. Cepillarse el pelo/cabello

 

By extension, the noun el cepillo means "the brush," and we might have a cepillo de dientes (toothbrush) as well as a cepillo de pelo/cabello (hair brush), as in the following caption:

 

Sí... -¿Qué necesitamos para ir allí?

Yes... -What do we need to go there?

El cepillo de dientes.

A toothbrush.

El cepillo del pelo.

A hair brush.

Captions 49-51, Un Viaje a Mallorca - Planificando el viaje

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So, you've probably surmised by now that the verb cepillarse el pelo/cabello means "to brush one's hair."

 

8. Peinarse

 

The verb peinarse can mean "to comb one's hair" with a comb (un peine), "to brush one's hair," or "to do" or "style" one's hair in general:

 

Por eso paró en la playa

That's why she stopped on the beach

para mirarse en el espejo y peinarse.

to look at herself in the mirror and comb her hair.

Captions 21-22, Guillermina y Candelario - Mi Amiga la Sirena

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9. Afeitarse

 

Afeitarse is the verb for "to shave" (oneself, of course)!

 

Vos sabés lo que es todas las mañanas...

Do you know what it's like every morning...

mirarse en el espejo cuando uno se afeita

to look at oneself in the mirror when one's shaving,

Captions 30-31, Muñeca Brava - 8 Trampas

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10. Maquillarse

 

The next step in one's morning routine might be maquillarse (to put on makeup):

 

Aquí, siempre me maquillo para mis conciertos.

Here, I always put on makeup for my concerts.

Caption 47, Ariana - Mi Casa

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Alternatively, one might say Aquí, siempre me pinto para mis conciertos, as pintarse (literally "to paint oneself") also means "to put on makeup." 

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11. Vestirse

 

Vestirse is the way to say "to get dressed" in Spanish. 

 

Yo salgo y... y te vistes.

I'll leave and... and you get dressed.

Caption 30, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 2

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Another way to say this might be ponerse la ropa (to put on one's clothes). 

 

12. Sacarse la ropa

 

Although sacarse la ropa is one manner of saying "to get undressed" or "take off one's clothes," there are many other examples of reflexive verbs in Spanish that mean the same thing, including: quitarse la ropa, desvestirse, and desnudarse. Let's look at a couple of examples: 

 

Si "Libertinaje" te saca...

If "Libertinaje" takes off your.....

te invita a sacarte la ropa,

invites you to take off your clothes,

Captions 4-5, Bersuit Vergarabat - EPK

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Y se desnuda poco a poco y se convierte en tu piel

And she gets naked little by little and she becomes your skin

Caption 6, Reik - Inolvidable

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As you can see, the more literal "to get naked" might be an alternate translation for desnudarse. 

 

13. Acostarse 

 

We're finally getting to the end of our daily routine, when it's time for us to acostarnos (go to bed): 

 

Tranquilícese, vaya a acostarse y deje de pensar en imposibles.

Calm down, go to bed, and stop thinking about impossible things.

Caption 31, Muñeca Brava - 48 - Soluciones

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14. Dormirse

 

And finally, once in bed, it's time to fall asleep! While the non-reflexive dormir means "to sleep," dormirse means "to fall asleep." 

 

Me dormí pensando en ti; pensando en ti, me desperté

I fell asleep thinking about you; thinking about you, I woke up

Caption 10, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa

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More Reflexive Verbs in Spanish 

 

Of course, this is just a partial list of reflexive verbs in Spanish that might be applicable to our daily routines. There are a lot more common reflexive verbs in Spanish that describe things one might do on a daily basis, including secarse (to dry oneself off), sentarse (to sit down), sentirse (to feel), emocionarse (to get excited), encontrarse con alguien (to meet with someone), acordarse de (to remember), olvidarse (to forget), sonreírse (to smile), reírse (to laugh), despedirse (to say goodbye), irse (to leave), and many, many more! 

 

For additional information on Spanish reflexive verbs, check out this video from the series Fundamentos del Español. And don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments.

A recent Yabla video entitled La Doctora Consejos: parecer y parecerse demonstrated the difference between the verb parecer (to seem) and the reflexive verb parecerse ("to look like" or "be similar"). Although, at first glance, the difference between these two verbs might seem simple, this can be confusing when pronouns are thrown into the mix.

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When no pronouns are present, it will be quite obvious that the verb in question is parecer. Let's take a look:

 

La verdad es que pareces cansado.

To be honest, you seem tired.

Caption 11, El Aula Azul - La Doctora Consejos: parecer y parecerse

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Las cosas son más fáciles de lo que parecen.

Things are easier than what they seem.

Caption 25, Carlos explica - Acentuación Cap. 3: La división en sílabas

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On the other hand, when a sentence does involve pronouns, these two verbs become a bit harder to distinguish. One reason for this is that, although parecerse employs reflexive pronouns, while parecer is often accompanied by indirect object pronouns, there is some overlap in terms of the forms of these two pronoun types. Let's take a look:

 

Personal Pronoun	Reflexive Pronoun	Indirect Object Pronoun
yo	me	me
tú	te	te
él, ella, usted	se	le
nosotros, nosotras	nos	nos
vosotros, vosotras	os	os
ellos, ellas, ustedes	se	les

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Should we encounter se then, we will know it is reflexive, while we will recognize le or les as indirect object pronouns. However, as you will notice that the reflexive and indirect object pronouns that correspond to four out of the six personal pronouns appear identical (me, te, nos, and os), how can we tell whether an instance of parecer accompanied by one of these pronouns is indeed parecer or its reflexive counterpart? 

 

Let's start with the verb parecerse. Keeping in mind that this is a reflexive verb, note that it is conjugated "as usual" to agree with its subject's corresponding personal pronoun: in other words, just like the verb parecer with the addition of the appropriate reflexive pronoun. With this in mind, let's take a look at the present indicative forms of parecer and parecerse:

 

Personal Pronoun:	Present Indicative of Parecer:	Present Indicative of Parecerse
yo	parezco	me parezco
tú	pareces	te pareces
él, ella, usted	parece	se parece
nosotros, nosotras	parecemos	nos parecemos
vosotros, vosotras	parecéis	os parecéis
ellos, ellas, ustedes	parecen	se parecen

 

Now, let's look at some examples of the verb parecerse in action:

 

En eso me parezco mucho a mi madre. 

I'm a lot like my mother in that way.

Caption 38, El Aula Azul - La Doctora Consejos: parecer y parecerse

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¡Nos gustan las mismas cosas!

We like the same things!

Nos parecemos. 

We are similar.

Captions 40-41, Conversaciones en el parque - Cap. 2: Cafe y bocadillos

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pero entonces tienes que decir, "Mis ojos se parecen a los ojos de mi madre", 

but then you have to say, "My eyes look like my mother's eyes,"

Caption 28, Clase Aula Azul - El verbo parecer

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Note that with the verb parecerse, the conjugations agree with the sentence's subjects, or who or what is performing the action of the sentence: in these cases yo (I), nosotros (we), and mis ojos (my eyes). In other words, we conjugate them in accordance with who or what "looks like" or "is similar to" something else.   

 

In contrast, when the verb parecer is accompanied by an indirect object pronoun, this verb falls into a class of verbs that function in a manner similar to the verb gustar. While we use the same conjugations of parecer (present indicative, etc.), the person or thing to whom or which something seems a certain way becomes the object of the sentence (receiver of the verb's action), while what seems that way to that entity is the subject. Let's take a look at some examples:

 

¿Qué cosas te parecen muy importantes en tu día a día? 

What things seem very important to you in your daily life?

Caption 25, El Aula Azul - La Doctora Consejos: parecer y parecerse

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Here, parecer is conjugated in accordance with las cosas (the things) that seem important rather than the person to whom they are, and the indirect object pronoun te tells us that the person they seem important to is tú (you). In addition, when parecer is accompanied by an indirect object pronoun, it entails an opinion, similar to the idea in English that someone "thinks" something. So, although, in the above example, parecer is translated as "to seem," an additional translation might be: "What things in your daily life do you think are important?" Let's look at another example:

 

A ti te parece bonita. 

You think it's pretty [literally "To you it seems pretty"].

Caption 11, Clase Aula Azul - El verbo parecer

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Were this the verb parecerse utilized with the reflexive pronoun te, the conjugation would instead be: te pareces (you look like). However, this is an instance of the verb parecer conjugated in the third person singular (parece) and accompanied by the indirect object pronoun te to indicate that what "seems" pretty to "you'" is "it'" (we know from the previous sentences that the "it" is the city of San Sebastian, Spain). And as with the verb gustar, adding a mí (to me), a ti (to you), a ellos (to them), etc. is optional but not essential for adding emphasis to this construction. 

 

Let's conclude with one last example:

 

y además podéis aprovechar para dar vuestra opinión

and you can also take the opportunity to give your opinion

sobre qué os parece este espacio y qué os parecen mis recetas.

about what you think of this space and what you think of my recipes.

Captions 36-37, La cocina de María - Tortilla de patatas

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Again, remember that although os parece and os parecen have both been translated as "you think" here, which tends to be the more common way to express this idea colloquially, the more literal translations of sentences like this one (in this case, "and you can also take the opportunity to give your opinion about how this space seems to you and how my recipes seem to you") are useful to keep in mind when attempting to decipher or create such structures.

 

We hope this lesson has helped you to better differentiate the verbs parecer vs. parecerse when pronouns are present, particularly since many of the reflexive and indirect object se parecen (look alike). For an even more in-depth exploration of this topic, check out Clase Aula Azul's series entitled El verb parecer (The Verb Parecer).

 

That's all for today, and don't forget to send us your questions and comments. 

In the first part of this lesson, we focused on the difference in perception in English versus Spanish when it comes to expressing the concept of "liking." Although in English, the subject of a sentence (the person, place, thing, or idea who performs the action of the sentence's verb) is perceived to "perform the action" of "liking" onto the object of the sentence (the receiver of the action, or "what is being liked"), in Spanish, the opposite is true. Let's review this concept with a simple example:

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Me gustan mucho las ciudades.

I really like cities.

Caption 58, Carlos y Cyndy - Uso del Voseo en Argentina

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In English, "I" is the subject and "cities" is the object because "I" am the person who performs the action of liking upon "cities." In Spanish, on the other hand, las ciudades (the cities) are the subject that are thought to "cause" the implied object "yo" (I) to like them. As this functions similarly to the English verb "to please," it is useful to keep in mind the alternative translation "Cities really please me" when thinking about this and other sentences with gustar. 

 

Armed with this information, let's explore how to create and understand Spanish sentences with this verb. First off, how do we express in Spanish the English concept of who or what is "doing the liking"? In other words, how would one say, "I like" or "you like" or "they like," etc.? In order to do this, Spanish employs the following indirect object pronouns with the verb gustar as follows:

 

        -(A mí) me gusta/n: I like.

        -(A ti) te gusta/n: You like.

        -(A él/ella/usted) le gusta/n: He/She/You like(s).

        -(A nosotros/as) nos gusta/n: We like.

        -(A vosotros/as) os gusta/n: You (all) like.

        -(A ellos/ellas/ustedes) les gusta/n: They like/You (all) like.

 

Let's take a look at some examples:

 

Y aquí tengo una blusa que me gusta.

And I have here a blouse that I like.

Caption 6, Ana Carolina - Salir de compras

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Muy bien, ¿te gusta esa música?

Great, do you like that music?

Caption 63, Carlos y Cyndy - Comentario sobre Muñeca Brava

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A nosotras nos gustan los colores del arcoíris.

We like the colors of the rainbow.

Caption 10, Español para principiantes - Los colores

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Note that, while in the third example, A nosotras was included before nos gustan, this is completely optional, and we could have written simply, Nos gustan los colores del arcoíris (We like the colors of the rainbow) to mean exactly the same thing. In fact, all such "a phrases" (a mí, a ti, a vosotros, etc.) indicated in parentheses above serve to add emphasis but do not change the meaning of sentences with gustar.

 

Now that we have learned how to indicate or know who or what is "doing the liking," let's focus on how to conjugate the verb gustar, which we will do in accordance with "what is being liked." Let's revisit the previous examples, as well as their alternative translations, to better understand this: 

 

Y aquí tengo una blusa que me gusta. 

And I have here a blouse that I like.

ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION: And I have here a blouse that pleases me

 

Muy bien, ¿te gusta esa música? 

Great, do you like that music?

ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION: Great, and does that music please you? 

 

A nosotras nos gustan los colores del arcoíris. 

We like the colors of the rainbow.

ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION: The colors of the rainbow please us. 

 

Notice that, since "what is being liked" is the subject that performs the action in Spanish, in the aforementioned examples, we see gustar conjugated in the third person singular (gusta) in the cases where the subject is singular (esa músical"that music" and una blusa/"a blouse") and third person plural (gustan) in the cases where the subject is plural (los colores del arcoíris/"the colors of the rainbow"). Similarly, the verb "to please" is conjugated in accordance with said subjects in English. 

 

What if, on the other hand, "what's liked" comes in the form of a verb's infinitive? In that case, the third person singular form of gustar should be utilized:

 

Y... aparte de... de la música, me gusta patinar.

And... apart from... from music, I like to skate.

Caption 14, Zoraida - Lo que gusta hacer

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While in all of the aforementioned examples, the verb gustar has been conjugated in either third person singular or plural, there are cases in which the subject calls for a diffrent conjugation. Let's take a look:

 

Me gustas.

I like you.

Porque sí.

Just because.

-Tú también me gustas mucho.

-I like you a lot too.

Captions 44-46, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 4

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ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION: You please me. Just because. -You please me too. 

 

Since the subject "being liked" is tú (you), gustar is conjugated in the second person singular: gustas, and the alternative translation "You please me" can again help us to grasp this construction. Let's examine a couple of additional examples:

 

A este chico le gusto mucho.

That guy likes me a lot.

ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION: I please that guy a lot. 

 

A ustedes les gustamos mucho. 

You guys like us a lot.

ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION: We please you guys a lot. 

 

As always, the verb gustar is conjugated in agreement with the Spanish sentences' subjects: yo/"I" (in the first person singular gusto) and nosotros/"we" (in the first person plural gustamos). 

 

Let's conclude with one final example: 

 

Y la directora de la biblioteca me dijo

And the director of the library told me

que el texto había gustado mucho.

that [people] had liked the text a lot.

Captions 48-49, Aprendiendo con Carlos - El microrrelato

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ALTERNATIVE TRANSLATION: and the director of the library told me that the text had pleased [people] a lot. 

 

Once again, gustar has been conjugated in the third person singular as había gustado (this time in the past perfect) in agreement with what is being liked: el texto (the text). However, the absence of an indirect object pronoun to specify who or what is "doing the liking" gives us the essence that the text is generally pleasing, in other words: people liked it. 

​

​We hope that these lessons have helped to shed some light on how to use/understand the verb gustar, which might initially seem daunting to English speakers. That's all for today, and don't forget to leave us your comments and suggestions.

Since its straightforward translation is "to arrive," you might wonder if the Spanish verb llegar is worth a whole lesson. However, this is language, and we always find new meanings, uses, and/or idiomatic expressions.

 

 

That said, let's take a few minutes to analyze this verb and see a qué conclusión podemos llegar ("what conclusion we can draw" or "come to").

 

Llegar a(l) + Place

When we refer to a place, llegar means "to arrive." 

 

Soñé que llegaba al colegio y estaba sin ropa.

I dreamed that I arrived at school and I was [there] with no clothes.

Caption 27, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 1

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Llegar a Alguien

Llegar can additonally mean to reach someone, either physically or emotionally. If someone shuts you out, no hay forma de llegar a esa persona (there's no way to reach that person). On the other hand, in the example below, the team at Biopark had not been able to physically reach the leopards. 

 

No había forma de... de llegar a ellos.

There wasn't any way to... to get close to them.

Caption 27, Animales en familia - Un día en Bioparc: Cachorro de leopardo

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Llegar + Point or Amount

Again with this idea of reaching, llegar can also be used with an amount or specific point in space as we see in the following examples: 

 

Supongo que si están un poquito más chaparritos,

I guess if you're a little bit shorter,

les ha de llegar al pecho.

it should come up to your chest.

Caption 24, Alan x el mundo - Mi playa favorita de México!

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Podremos estar llegando

We could be reaching

a los ochocientos mil euros aproximadamente.

eight hundred thousand euros approximately.

Caption 32, Los Reporteros - Crecen los robos en tiendas

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And speaking of money, there is a Spanish idiom that includes this verb: llegar a fin de mes (literally "to make it to the end of the month"), which is the Spanish equivalent of "making ends meet."

 

Llegar + Time References 

Llegar can be used with seasons, months, or times of day as well to indicate their beginning or arrival. In this context, it often translates as "to come": Cuando llega la noche / "When night comes" or "falls."

 

...y lo tuvo con ella hasta que llegó la primavera.

...and had him with her until spring came.

Caption 41, Cleer - El patito feo

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Llegar to Express Achievement 

Another meaning of llegar is "to achieve." It is actually a verb that collocates with éxito (success), so if you become succesful, has llegado al éxito (you've achieved success). 

 

De las etapas por las que pasan los conjuntos

Of the stages that groups go through

en su desarrollo y a lo que pueden llegar.

in their development and what they can become.

Captions 74-75, Arturo Vega - Entrevista

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Another possible translation of llegar is "to manage to" since when you llegas a hacer algo, you've succedeed in doing it after some effort.  

 

...de lo que yo quería como llegar a expresar, ¿sí?

...to what I wanted to, like, manage to express, right?

Caption 13, Bogotá - Fotógrafo José Segundo Quinche Pérez

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Llegar Preceded by si (to Introduce a Condition)

Sometimes, when llegar follows si to introduce a condition, it makes that condition a bit more remote since si llego a enterarme de algo is closer to if I happen to/manage to hear anything. 

 

Si llega a saber cualquier cosa que suceda

If you come to find out anything that happens

entre Milagros y su hermano, hágamela saber.

between Milagros and her brother, let me know about it.

Captions 21-22, Muñeca Brava - 33 El partido

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Si llega a pillarlos, me avisa y consigo la cámara.

If you manage to catch them, let me know and I'll get the camera.

Caption 72, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 4

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As you may notice, many of the meanings of the verb llegar are comparable to those of the English verb "to get" (e.g "to reach," "to arrive," "to manage," etc.).

 

We hope this lesson has been clear, but si llegan a tener dudas (if you happen to have any questions), don't forget to send us your questions, comments, and suggestions. ¡Hasta la próxima!

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¿Cómo te llevas con el español? (How do you get along in Spanish?) Wait— didn't llevar mean "to take"? Well, yes... you're right! The verb llevar often translates as "to take," and not just in phrases like "take your umbrella" or "take your children to school," but also in collocations like "to take time." And these are just a few of the uses of the verb llevar that we'll examine in this lesson. Actually, llevaría más de una lección (it would take more than one lesson) to cover all of its uses. But let's try and do our best here!

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Llevar Meaning "To Take" Something or Someone Somewhere

 

We can llevar something from one place to another and also accompany or guide someone somewhere, as in the following examples:

 

Tengo la posibilidad de llevar todos los días al colegio a mi hijo.

I have the chance to take my son to school every day.

Caption 53, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos - Part 18

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Le voy a llevar de compras.

I'm going to take him shopping.

Caption 7, Extr@: Extra en español - Ep. 2: Sam va de compras

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It is no wonder, then, that the term for "takeout food" (comida para llevar) in Spanish can be literally translated as "food for taking":

 

 

Llevar to Introduce Cause 

 

When this idea of direction goes beyond space to express cause, llevar means something closer to the verbs "to lead" or "to drive" in English, as in the following example:

 

Una cosa llevó a la otra, ¿no?

One thing led to another, right?

Caption 13, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 3

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A person might llevarte a la desesperación, a la ruina o a la locura ("lead" or "drive you to despair, bankrutpcy, or madness"), or maybe you are lucky and end up being very successful, like in this Yabla video:

 

Muchas veces, incluso nos puede llevar al éxito profesional.

Many times, it can even lead us to professional success.

Caption 13, Club de las ideas - Intuición

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Llevar Used with Time

 

Llevar also resembles "to take" when used with time, work, or effort to express that it is necessary to invest such time or effort in something. For instance, in one of our videos, María Sol explains that learning Spanish is a long process by saying that:

 

...de que puede llevar mucho tiempo.

...that it can take a long time.

Caption 29, GoSpanish - Entrevista con María Sol

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Yet, it can also be used to refer to the time that has gone by since the inception of something:

 

¿Cuánto tiempo llevas en Marbella? -En Marbella, cuarenta y un años.

How long have you been in Marbella? -In Marbella, forty-one years.

Caption 10, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos - Part 11

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Llevamos más de dos semanas sin agua.

We've been without water for more than two weeks.

Caption 24, Kikirikí - Agua

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Llevar Meaning "to Wear"

 

We also use llevar to refer to the clothing or glasses we "wear," or the way we have our hair, in sentences such as Llevaba lentes (He/She was wearing glasses) or María llevaba el cabello largo (María had long hair).

 

...y me gusta llevar faldas normalmente.

...and I like to wear skirts usually.

Caption 6, El Aula Azul - Actividades Diarias

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Llevar a Cabo

 

Another instance in which llevar can be translated as "to take" is when we use the expression llevar a cabo (to take place), which might also mean "to carry out" or "conduct" depending on the case/collocation.

 

Aquí se va a llevar a cabo el Campeonato WK.

Here, the WK Championship is going to take place.

Caption 3, Adícora, Venezuela - Víctor

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Dejarse Llevar

 

We'll often hear people inviting us to let go, relax, and enjoy the feeling of dejarse llevar (letting oneself go), another expression which incorporates this verb:

 

Hay que estar relajado y dejarse llevar, ¿no?

You should be relaxed and let yourself go, right?

Caption 12, Club de las ideas - Intuición

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Llevarse Bien/Mal 

 

Finally, we'll can state that nos llevamos bien/mal with a person or people to describe how well or poorly we "get along with" others.

 

Que la puedes llevar a una... a un sitio,

That you can take her to a... to a place,

y sabes que se va a llevar bien con todo el mundo...

and you know she'll get along with everyone...

Caption 61, Biografía - Enrique Iglesias

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As you can tell, there are so many uses of llevar that se hace difícil llevar la cuenta (it's hard to keep track) of all of them. We hope you enjoyed this lesson, and don't forget to send us your comments and suggestions. ¡Hasta la próxima!

Do you ever feel like practicing your Spanish over the phone? In this lesson, we would like to share with you the most important verbs you need to know when making or talking about a phone call. Also, we will show you the words you can use if you are wondering how to answer the phone in Spanish.

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1. Llamar (to call)

This is probably the most important verb when you want to indicate that you are making a call. Let's see some useful sentences.

 

When you are about to call someone:

 

Un momento, voy a llamar por teléfono.

One moment, I'm going to call [them].

Caption 6, Ariana - Cita médica

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When you want to say that you called someone:

 

Cuando llamé por teléfono, era para hablar con Lucio.

When I called on the phone, it was to talk to Lucio.

Caption 23, Yago - 14 La peruana

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When you want to indicate that someone called someone:

 

La primera vez que tu papá me llamó, no fue a la casa.

The first time your dad called me, it was not to the house.

Caption 42, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 5

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2. Responder (to answer)

Of course, when you call someone, you expect an answer. Let's see this verb in action.

Disculpa, estaba en una reunión y no pude responder tu llamada.

Sorry, I was in a meeting and I couldn't answer your call.

 

You can also use the verb contestar (to answer) in this situation:

 

Que pena, discúlpame.

I'm sorry, excuse me.

Tengo que contestar esta llamada.

I have to answer this call.

Captions 8-9, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 3 - Part 1

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The example above also provides us with another very useful noun: llamada (a call).

 

By the way, do you know how to answer the phone in Spanish? In English, we say 'hello' but what's about in Spanish? There are several options:

 

Bueno

Literally, bueno means 'fine' or 'well'. However, in this context, you can take bueno as a simple 'hello'. This way of answering the phone is very common in Mexico.

 

Hola

This is the Spanish equivalent of 'hello'.

 

¿Sí?

Literally, this means 'yes'. It is also a very normal way of answering the phone in Spanish. 

 

Diga or dígame

The translation of this is 'tell me'. A very common way of answering the phone in Spain.

 

Aló

This way of answering the phone is very popular in Colombia. It works as a simple 'hello'.

 

Buenos días, buenas tardes or buenas noches

Some people prefer to answer the phone according to the time of the day so you can say buenos días (good morning), buenas tardes (good afternoon) or buenas noches (good night).

 

3. Colgar (to hang up)

This is the verb you use when you need to get off the phone.

 

When you want to tell someone that you need to go:

 

Oye, tengo que colgar porque vamos a comer.

Listen, I have to hang up because we're going to eat.

Captions 56-57, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 8

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When you want to say that someone hung up on you or someone else:

 

Una mina llamó por teléfono a tu celular.

A girl called your cell phone.

Elena atendió, ella preguntó por vos y entonces Elena le dijo,

Elena answered, she asked for you and then Elena said to her,

"¿Quién habla?"

"Who is it?"

Y la mina colgó.

And the girl hung up.

Captions 43-45, Yago - 11 Prisión

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From the example above, you can also see that the verb atender (to respond) is another verb you can use instead of responder (to answer). Also, keep in mind that when talking about a smartphone you use the word celular throughout Latin America and the word móvil in Spain. If you prefer, you can also use the word teléfono (telephone).

 

4. Hablar (to talk)

Of course, you talk over the phone so if you want to express that action, you can say it like our friend Silvia from El Aula Azul:

 

Estoy hablando por teléfono.

I'm talking on the telephone.

Yo hablo por teléfono.

I talk on the telephone.

Captions 49-50, El Aula Azul - Actividades diarias: En casa con Silvia

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5. Escuchar (to hear, to listen)

A phone call is about listening to someone else so this is a very important verb especially when you want to make sure the other person is able to listen to you.

Me puedes escuchar?

Can you hear me?

 

You can also use the verb oir (to hear) in this context:

 

¿Qué tal?

How are you?

Muy bien.

Very well.

Y ahora que te oigo, de maravilla.

And now that I hear you, wonderful.

Captions 33-35, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 3 - Part 13

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And that's it for today. Are you ready to make a phone call in Spanish? We hope so. And don't forget to send us your comments and suggestions.

Today's lesson will examine Yabla's "Top 12" picks for the most useful verbs for having a conversation in Spanish. This time, we'll focus on the meanings of those verbs as well as giving you a lot of simple, conversational examples from Yabla's Spanish video library. Additionally, we'll provide you with conjugation tables for the "Top 3" most useful Spanish tenses: the simple present, the imperfect (which describes ongoing or continuous past actions), and the preterite (which describes completed past actions).

 

In addition to the aforementioned links, you can consult this lesson entitled Spanish Verb Tenses Explained if you need to brush up on those tenses and more! Although memorizing all of these conjugations might seem a bit intimidating, it could really help your ability to converse in Spanish.

 

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1. Ser (to be) 

The fact that there are two verbs that mean "to be" in Spanish, ser and estar, can feel quite confusing for non-native speakers. Generally speaking, the verb ser is employed to describe more permanent characteristics. The acronym DOCTOR (description, occupation, condition, time, origin, relationship) is very useful for helping us to remember some of the many situations in which this verb is used. Let's take a look at how this verb is conjugated as well as some examples: 

 

Personal Pronoun	Present	Imperfect	Preterite
Yo	soy	era	fui
Tú	eres	eras	fuiste
Él, ella, usted	es	era	fue
Nosotros, nosotras	somos	éramos	fuimos
Vosotros, vosotras	sois	erais	fuisteis
Ellos, ellas, ustedes	son	eran	fueron

 

Soy profesor de fotografía.

I'm a photography teacher.

Caption 13, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos - Part 5

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Sus cuadros eran muy extraños.

His paintings were very strange.

Caption 25, El Aula Azul - Adivina personajes históricos

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También fuimos parte de todas estas, eh... mega empresas, pero...

We were also part of all these, um... mega companies, but...

Caption 22, Doctor Krápula - Entrevista

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Notably, although ser usually denotes permanence, while the preterite tense denotes that something had a definite ending point, the verb ser is used in the preterite to describe something that "was" in the past, but did come to a conclusive end. 

 

2. Estar (to be)

The verb estar also means "to be" for traits that are variable/less permanent. The acronym PLACE (position, location, action, condition, emotion) might help you to remember some contexts in which the verb estar should be chosen. Let's take a look: 

 

Personal Pronoun	Present	Imperfect	Preterite
Yo	estoy	estaba	estuve
Tú	estás	estabas	estuviste
Él, ella, usted	está	estaba	estuvo
Nosotros, nosotras	estamos	estábamos	estuvimos
Vosotros, vosotras	estáis	estabais	estuvisteis
Ellos, ellas, ustedes	están	estaban	estuverion

 

Sí... Vale, entonces, estamos aquí.

Yes... OK, then, we're here.

Caption 6, Curso de español - Disculpe, ¿hay un cine por aquí?

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Un poquito y ajá, y estaba triste porque

A little bit, and uh-huh, and I was sad because

dejaba mi familia y eso y ya.

I was leaving my family and all that and that's it.

Caption 70, Cleer - Entrevista a Lila

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Los árabes estuvieron en España más de seiscientos años.

The Arabs were in Spain for more than six hundred years.

Caption 23, Rosa - Antequera, Málaga

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Be sure to check out this lesson if you want to learn more about the difference between ser and estar. 

 

3. Tener (to have)

The verb tener means "to have" in Spanish. Let's take a closer look: 

 

Personal Pronoun	Present	Imperfect	Preterite
Yo	tengo	tenía	tuve
Tú	tienes	tenías	tuviste
Él, ella, usted	tiene	tenía	tuvo
Nosotros, nosotras	tenemos	teníamos	tuvimos
Vosotros, vosotras	tenéis	teníais	tuvisteis
Ellos, ellas, ustedes	tienen	tenían	tuvieron

 

¿Tienes plumones y tijeras?

You have markers and scissors?

Sí, tengo plumones y tijeras,

Yes, I have markers and scissors,

pero no tengo mi teléfono.

but I don't have my phone.

Captions 20-22, Conversaciones en el parque - Cap. 1: No tengo mi teléfono.

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Tenían mi mochila en la Oficina de Objetos Perdidos.

They had my backpack in the Lost and Found.

Caption 44, Raquel - Oficina de objetos perdidos

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La noche anterior a la rumba, tuve otro sueño.

The night before going out on the town, I had another dream.

Caption 1, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 7

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Additionally, we invite you to explore some of the many idiomatic expressions with the verb tener. 

 

And, we'll just take a second to mention that if you throw in the word que after the verb tener plus a verb's infinitive ("to" form), you'll have the very useful Spanish construction tener que that means, "to have to" (do something):

 

Hoy tengo que trabajar.

Today I have to work.

Caption 74, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos - Part 14

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Tuvimos que trasladarnos a esta nueva ciudad.

We had to move to this new city.

Caption 39, Ciudad de Panamá - Denisse introduce la ciudad

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4. Hacer (to make/to do)

The Spanish verb hacer can mean either "to make" or "to do." But, not to fear— typically, the context will let you know quite clearly which meaning is intended.

 

Personal Pronoun	Present	Imperfect	Preterite
Yo	hago	hacía	hice
Tú	haces	hacías	hiciste
Él, ella, usted	hace	hacía	hizo
Nosotros, nosotras	hacemos	hacíamos	hicimos
Vosotros, vosotras	hacéis	hacíais	hicisteis
Ellos, ellas, ustedes	hacen	hacían	hicieron

 

Y ¿tú qué haces?

And what are you doing?

Caption 24, Guillermina y Candelario - Un pez mágico

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Y yo no hacía esto. Yo hago otro acto, que es con las motos.

And I didn't do this. I do another act, which is with motorcycles.

Caption 35, Rueda de la muerte - Parte 1

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También hizo alguna película.

He also made a movie.

Caption 28, El Aula Azul - Adivina personajes históricos

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5. Ir (to go)

The Spanish verb ir means "to go." Let's check out some of its conjugations and uses:

 

Personal Pronoun	Present	Imperfect	Preterite
Yo	voy	iba	fui
Tú	vas	ibas	fuiste
Él, ella, usted	va	iba	fue
Nosotros, nosotras	vamos	íbamos	fuimos
Vosotros, vosotras	vais	ibais	fuisteis
Ellos, ellas, ustedes	van	iban	fueron

 

Voy a la piscina los lunes y los miércoles.

I go to the pool on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Caption 7, Ariana - Mi Semana

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Iba mucho con mi padre al campo.

I used to go with my father to the countryside a lot.

Caption 56, 75 minutos - Del campo a la mesa - Part 10

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¿Por qué fuiste al cine?

Why did you go to the movies?

Caption 48, Carlos explica - Las preposiciones 'por' y 'para'

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You might have noticed that the preterite form of the verb ir is conjugated in the exact same way as the verb ser. However, in most cases, context should help you to easily identify which verb is in use. 

 

Another great "trick" to be aware of is that adding an a plus a verb's infinitive to the verb ir is a very simple way of expressing what we are "going to" do and is, thus, an alternative to the future tense. Let's take a look: 

 

Vamos a hablar de mi familia, ¿sí?

We are going to talk about my family, OK?

Caption 2, Curso de español - Vamos a hablar de la familia

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Porque las chicas iban a salir, para no dejarte sola.

Because the girls were going to go out, so you wouldn't be alone.

Caption 11, Muñeca Brava - 18 - La Apuesta

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6. Venir (to come)

If we're going to talk about ir (to go), we'd better mention venir (to come)! Let's look:

 

Personal Pronoun	Present	Imperfect	Preterite
Yo	vengo	venía	vine
Tú	vienes	venías	viniste
Él, ella, usted	viene	venía	vino
Nosotros, nosotras	venimos	veníamos	vinimos
Vosotros, vosotras	venís	veníais	vinisteis
Ellos, ellas, ustedes	vienen	venían	vinieron

 

Yo vengo del sur de España

I come from the South of Spain

Caption 10, Carolina - Acentos

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¿Qué venía después?

What came next?

Caption 23, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 8

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Los otros cisnes vinieron hacia él.

The other swans came toward him.

Caption 50, Cleer - El patito feo

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7. Decir (to say)

The Spanish verb decir means "to say" or "to tell."

 

Personal Pronoun	Present	Imperfect	Preterite
Yo	digo	decía	dije
Tú	dices	decías	dijiste
Él, ella, usted	dice	decía	dijo
Nosotros, nosotras	decimos	decíamos	dijimos
Vosotros, vosotras	decís	decíais	dijisteis
Ellos, ellas, ustedes	dicen	decían	dijeron

 

Yo digo que Playa Balandra es el paraíso oficial.

I say that Balandra Beach is the official paradise.

Caption 67, Alan x el mundo - Mi playa favorita de México!

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Pero siempre me decía: ¡Mira! Mira eso allá.

But he always used to tell me: Look! Look at that over there.

Caption 42, Federico Kauffman Doig - Arqueólogo

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Y la señorita me dijo algo completamente diferente.

And the lady told me something totally different.

Caption 45, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 5

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Since we often say or tell things "to" others, you will notice that the verb decir is quite typically accompanied by indirect object pronouns like me (to me), te (to you), etc. to indicate the person to whom something is said or told. You can learn more about this and other aspects of this verb in our lesson entitled The Spanish Verb Decir.

 

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8. Poder (to be able)

The verb poder means "to be able." It can be used alone to say simply "I can," "you could," etc. but is often used in conjunction with an infinitive verb to express what it is one "is able" to do. Let see it in action:

 

Personal Pronoun	Present	Imperfect	Preterite
Yo	puedo	podía	pude
Tú	puedes	podías	pudiste
Él, ella, usted	puede	podía	pudo
Nosotros, nosotras	podemos	podíamos	pudimos
Vosotros, vosotras	podéis	podíais	pudisteis
Ellos, ellas, ustedes	pueden	podían	pudieron

 

¿Puedo ver el menú por favor?

Can I see the menu please?

Caption 12, Cata y Cleer - En el restaurante

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¿Por qué las cosas no podían ser sencillas?

Why couldn't things be easy?

Caption 31, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 10

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Gracias a su cola, pudieron volar.

Thanks to its tail, you were able to fly.

Caption 49, Guillermina y Candelario - Una aventura extrema

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To learn more about the verb poder and how it is used, we recommend the following lesson: The Verb Poder - Common Expressions.

 

9. Saber (to know)

This word means "to know," but, in its preterite form, can mean "to find out." 

 

Personal Pronoun	Present	Imperfect	Preterite
Yo	sé	sabía	supe
Tú	sabes	sabías	supiste
Él, ella, usted	sabe	sabía	supo
Nosotros, nosotras	sabemos	sabíamos	supimos
Vosotros, vosotras	sabéis	sabíais	supisteis
Ellos, ellas, ustedes	saben	sabían	supieron

 

Pero no sé dónde!

But I don't know where!

Caption 28, NPS No puede ser - 1 - El concurso

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No sabía qué decirle.

I didn't know what to say to her.

Caption 12, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 1

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Nunca supe la verdad

I never found out the truth

Caption 2, Aleks Syntek - Intocable

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10.  Querer (to want)

If we're going to converse in Spanish, we had better be able to say what we "want"! The verb querer can stand alone to express our desire for a particular thing or be used with an infinitive verb to say what we "want to do." Let's take a look:

 

Personal Pronoun	Present	Imperfect	Preterite
Yo	quiero	quería	quise
Tú	quieres	querías	quisiste
Él, ella, usted	quiere	quería	quiso
Nosotros, nosotras	queremos	queríamos	quisimos
Vosotros, vosotras	queréis	queríais	quisisteis
Ellos, ellas, ustedes	quieren	querían	quisieron

 

Porque realmente quiero mi propio baño.

Because I really want my own bathroom.

Caption 37, Cleer y Lida - Reservando una habitación

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Y algunos querían volver a su casa.

And some wanted to go back to their home.

Caption 13, Guillermina y Candelario - El mundo de los juguetes perdidos

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No me quiso decir su nombre.

She wouldn't tell me her name.

Caption 8, Yago - 14 La peruana

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Keep in mind that when the verb querer is used with no in the preterite, it can convey the idea that someone "wouldn't" do something or "refused to." 

 

One more important aspect of the Spanish verb querer is that, when speaking about actions that we "want" others to do or that we "want" to happen, the subjunctive form of the verb that follows is required (vuelvas instead of vuelves in the following example):

 

Quiero que... que vuelvas a New York.

I want for... for you to come back to New York.

Caption 23, Yago - 11 Prisión

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11. Dar (to give)

The Spanish verb dar means "to give." Let's look at some of its forms and examples:

 

Personal Pronoun	Present	Imperfect	Preterite
Yo	doy	daba	di
Tú	das	dabas	diste
Él, ella, usted	da	daba	dio
Nosotros, nosotras	damos	dábamos	dimos
Vosotros, vosotras	dais	dabais	disteis
Ellos, ellas, ustedes	dan	daban	dieron

 

Yo doy agua a mi gato.

I give water to my cat.

Caption 14, Lecciones con Carolina - Verbo - dar

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Adriana Espinel siempre daba unas respuestas tan profundas.

Adriana Espinel always gave such deep answers.

Caption 72, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 4

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Eh... Mi asistente me dio sus datos.

Um... My assistant gave me your information.

Caption 39, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 1

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Like the verb decir, the verb dar is often accompanied by indirect object pronouns to highlight the person to whom something is given. 

 

12. Ver (to see)

And, to conclude our list of the Top 12 Spanish verbs for carrying on a conversation, we thought it would be a good idea to give you a verb to describe the things you observe! 

 

Personal Pronoun	Present	Imperfect	Preterite
Yo	veo	veía	vi
Tú	ves	veías	viste
Él, ella, usted	ve	veía	vio
Nosotros, nosotras	vemos	veíamos	vimos
Vosotros, vosotras	veis	veíais	visteis
Ellos, ellas, ustedes	ven	veían	vieron

 

Eh... ¿Cómo veo la vida?

Um... How do I see life?

Caption 79, Adícora, Venezuela - El tatuaje de Rosana

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¡Pero veíamos serpientes por todos lados!

But we saw snakes everywhere!

Caption 41, Guillermina y Candelario - La Isla de las Serpientes

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Vimos una película.

We saw a movie.

Caption 14, Zulbani - Trip to Merida

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Although it was certainly tough to narrow down the top 12 useful verbs in Spanish for carrying on a conversation, we hope you've enjoyed this lesson and that it helps you to hold a lot of stimulating conversations! Let us know with your suggestions and comments if there are any other verbs or topics you'd like to learn more about. 

 

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