Word of the Day

How about fulanito: Little so and so. (male) or fulanita (female)

próximo prok'-see-moh (adjective)
next

Examples

1. ¿Qué es lo próximo que hay para hacer para completar la tarea?

What is the next thing to do to complete the task?

2. En mi próximo apartamento, tendré un balcón con una parrilla.

In my next apartment, I'll have a balcony with a grill.

Rosa Venus wrote:Can you say, "Cada fulano, mengano y zutano fueron a la fiesta"? Part of me wants to phrase it, "todo fulano, mengano...."? todo en vez de cada? Gracias!

Cada would be correct. And I believe it calls for the second person singular (fue). But it sounds like an English construction and not an expression that a native Spanish speaker would use.

Thanks seisdedos. And yes, I continually make that second person singular versus plural mistake.

When I have friends over my wife sometimes refers to them as fulanito,zutanito and menganito.

dibujar dee-boo-hahr' (verb)
to draw, to sketch

Examples

1. No te sorprendas si tienes que dibujar un modelo desnudo para tu clase de arte.

Don't be surprised if you have to draw a nude model for your art class.

2. De niño, Ramón siempre dibujaba edificios antiguos; pero ahora, como arquitecto, diseña rascacielos modernos.

As a kid, Ramón always sketched old buildings; but now, as an architect, he designs modern skyscrapers.

el interior een-teh-ree-ohr' (noun)
interior, inside

Examples

1. El interior del restaurante estaba decorado con papel pintado rojo y adornos en oro.

The interior of the restaurant was decorated with red wallpaper and gold trimmings.

2. A pesar de ser exitosos en sus carreras, ambos Claudia y Ramón sentían un vacío en su interior que ninguno sabía cómo llenar.

Despite being successful in their careers, both Claudia and Ramón felt a void inside that neither of them knew how to fill.

el contacto kohn-tahk'-toh (noun)
contact

Examples

1. Nos mantendremos en contacto mientras yo esté de viaje en Argentina.

We'll keep in contact while I'm traveling in Argentina.

2. Después de que Claudia y Ramón se conocieron en el mercado, Ramón fue el que primero inició el contacto, llamando a Claudia al día siguiente.

After Claudia and Ramón met at the market, Ramón was the first one to initiate contact, calling Claudia the next day.

comportar kohm-por-tar' (verb)
to behave

Examples

1. Los hijos de Ana María son muy bien comportados, a diferencia de los hijos de Verónica que siempre están corriendo y gritando por todos lados.

Ana María's children are very well behaved, unlike Verónica's who are always screaming and running around everywhere.

2. Ramón se comportó muy mal con Claudia en su primera cita. Casi no le hablaba ni la miraba, ¡pero era porque ella le gustaba tanto!

Ramón behaved badly with Claudia on their first date. He barely spoke to her or looked at her, but it was because he liked her so much!

Spanish slang:

Mucha lengua, poca acción.

All talk and no action.

Can of course be used as a double entendre for the more adventurous of mind.

Wouldn't it be "All talk & little action"?

Here's another one:
"Quema mucho el sol".
It's a play on words,a way of saying:Que mamon eres or Que mamadas son, in a less vulgar way.
Loose translation:You suck or this sucks.
There are some great Mexican dichos out there,maybe some of you would like to share some of your favorites.
Here's another one:A lo que te truje Chencha.

CanuckBob wrote:Wouldn't it be "All talk & little action"?

Well yes, if you translated it literally, but you can't really do that, or maybe you can but, it sounds kind of stilted to me.

When you're working with expressions, you really look for the similarities to your own, if there are any. Some are exclusively Mexican.

cerrado seh-rrah'-doh (adjective)
closed

Examples

1. Ellos no sabían que el museo está cerrado los domingos y no pudieron ver la exhibición.

They didn't know the museum is closed on Sundays and they weren't able to see the exhibition.

2. Por más que fuera un poco torpe, a Claudia le gustaba Ramón; pero después de su divorcio de Eduardo tenía el corazón cerrado al amor.

Even though he was a little awkward, Claudia liked Ramón; but after her divorce from Eduardo, her heart was closed off to love.

emprender ehm-pren-der' (verb)
to undertake, to embark on

Examples

1. Carolina emprendió la remodelación de su casa sola y sin saber nada de la construcción y la decoración.

Carolina undertook the remodeling of her house all alone and without knowing anything about construction and decoration.

2. Tras ser rechazado por Claudia, Ramón dejó todo atrás y emprendió un viaje a Latinoamérica para despejar su mente.

After being rejected by Claudia, Ramón left everything behind and embarked on a trip to Latin America to clear his mind.

el recuerdo rre-coo-ehr'-do (noun)
memory, keepsake

Examples

1. Compro imanes de diferentes países como recuerdos de mis viajes.

I buy magnets from different countries as keepsakes from my trips.

2. El recuerdo del dolor que sintió con la "muerte" de su madre hizo que Claudia buscara apoyo emocional en los brazos de su ex-marido Eduardo.

The memory of the pain she felt upon her mother's "death" made Claudia look for emotional support from her ex-husband Eduardo.

normal nohr-mahl' (adjective)
normal, usual, regular

Examples

1. No es normal que haga tanto calor en Diciembre, ¿será el calentamiento global?

It's not normal for it to be so hot in December, could it be global warming?

2. Trabajando día y noche en la cosecha de las uvas y la producción de vino, Ramón comenzó a sentirse más normal. Ya no pensaba tanto en Claudia ni en lo que pudiera haber sido.

Working day and night on harvesting the grapes and making wine, Ramón began to feel more normal. He no longer thought of Claudia that often nor of what could have been.

privado pree-vah'-do (adjective)
private

Examples

1. Prefiero tomar clases de canto privadas ya que quiero que la maestra me preste más atención.

I prefer to take private singing lessons since I want the teacher to pay more attention to me.

2. Claudia acabó escogiendo un cuarto privado y después de pasar la noche se encaminaron a Buenos Aires, llegando tarde en la noche.

Claudia ended up choosing a private room, and after spending the night there, they set off for Buenos Aires, arriving late in the night.

el futuro foo-too'-roh (noun)
future

Examples

1. No se sabe qué pasará en el futuro, sólo se puede vivir en el presente.

You don't know what will happen in the future, you can only live in the present.

2. Claudia y Ramón, felices porque finalmente aceptaron su amor, fueron interrumpidos por Eduardo, quien salió de la sombra para declararle su amor a Claudia. ¿Tendrán un futuro, Ramón y Claudia? ¿O será que ella escogerá a su ex-marido Eduardo?

Claudia and Ramón, happy because they finally accepted their love, were interrupted by Eduardo who came out of the shadows to declare his love for Claudia. Will Ramón and Claudia have a future? Or will she choose her ex-husband Eduardo?

cuánto koo-ahn'-to (adjective)
how much, how many

Examples

1. ¿En cuánto tiempo va a estar lista la comida? ¡Estoy hambrienta!

In how long will the food be ready? I am starving!

2. ¿Cuántas personas vienen a la fiesta esta noche?

How many people are coming to the party tonight?

el material mah-teh-ree-al' (noun)
material, element

Examples

1. ¿De qué material está hecho esa camisa?

What material is that shirt made of?

2. Mi papá tiene una compañía donde vende materiales de construcción.

My dad has a company that sells construction materials.

grave grah'-veh (adjective)
serious, deep (voice)

Examples

1. El motociclista está grave en el hospital después del accidente en la carretera.

The motorcyclist is in serious condition at the hospital after the accident on the highway.

2. El cantante de ópera tiene la voz grave y es el barítono perfecto.

The opera singer has a deep voice and is the perfect baritone.

a través ah trah-ves' (adverb)
over, through

Examples

1. A través de los años, los hermanos se pelearon y terminaron dividiendo la compañía en dos.

Over the years, the brothers fought with each other and ended up splitting the company in two.

2. A través de Anita, me enteré que mi ex-novio está saliendo con mi prima.

Through Anita, I found out that my ex-boyfriend is going out with my cousin.

el curso koor'-soh (noun)
course, direction

Examples

1. Gracias al curso de español que tomé en la universidad, ahora puedo solicitar a trabajos en Latinoamérica.

Thanks to the Spanish course I took in college, I can now apply to jobs in Latin America.

2. ¡En el curso de una semana he tenido seis exámenes, y todavía me falta una!

Over the course of one week I've had six exams, and I'm still missing one!

gobernar goh-ber-nar' (verb)
to govern

Examples

1. Es difícil gobernar un país que está tan fragmentado y que, para colmo, está a la quiebra.

It's difficult to govern a country that is so fragmented and, to make matters worse, bankrupt.

2. No dejes que tus emociones gobiernen tus acciones, tienes que tomar decisiones de manera más lógica.

Don't let your emotions govern your actions, you need to make decisions in a more logical way.

profesional pro-feh-see-oh-nal' (adjective)
professional

Examples

1. ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre un pelotero profesional y uno aficionado?

What is the difference between a professional baseball player and an amateur one?

2. Recuerda que para el evento de esta noche es vestimenta profesional.

Remember that tonight's event is business professional attire.