holavocab

Ahí

Ahí

Today’s Spanish word of the day is “ahí”. It’s an adverb meaning “there”. Confusingly, Spanish has several other, very similar, words that also translate as “there”. However, they have slightly different uses. Here’s a quick summary: “Ahí” can also be used to refer to relatively recent moments in the past, similar to how the word […]

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Calmar

Calmar

Today’s Spanish word of the day is “calmar”. As you might have guessed, it’s a verb meaning “to calm” or “to soothe”. The pronominal verb form “calmarse” can be translated as “to calm down” or “to quiet down”. While “calmar” looks a lot like the English word “calm”, remember that the ‘l’ is pronounced in

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Estado

Estado

Today’s Spanish word of the day is “estado”. It’s a masculine noun meaning “state”, both in the sense of a political state and in the sense of a state of being. When referring to finances, it can translate as “statement”, for example “estado de cuenta” (“bank statement”). In some contexts, it can also translate as

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Tanto

Tanto

Today’s Spanish word of the day is “tanto” in the masculine form, or “tanta” in the feminine form. It can be used as an adverb, adjective or pronoun meaning “so much”. For example: The plural (“tantos”/“tantas”) translates as “so many”. For example: The word is shortened to “tan” before adjectives and adverbs. In these contexts,

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Bien

Bien

Today’s Spanish word of the day is “bien”. It’s usually used as an adverb translating as “well” or “OK”. It can also be used as a masculine noun meaning “good”, “benefit” or “property/asset” (especially when used in the plural). “Bien” is easy to confuse with “bueno”. The distinction is similar to that of “good” and

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Oído

Oído

Today’s Spanish word of the day is “oído”. It’s a masculine noun meaning “hearing” or “ear”, in particular the inner ear. Confusingly, there is another word in Spanish that also translates as ear: “oreja”. However, “oreja” refers more to the outer ear, for example the fleshy part where you might have a piercing. “Oído” refers

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Cielo

Cielo

Today’s Spanish word of the day is “cielo”. It’s a masculine noun meaning “sky” or “heavens”. It can also be used as a term of endearment with a similar meaning to “darling” or “sweetheart”. The plural can be used as an interjection to express surprise: The word “cielo” comes from Latin caelum, which had the

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Disculpar

Today’s Spanish word of the day is “disculpar”. It’s a verb meaning “to forgive” or “to excuse”. In the reflexive form “disculparse”, it translates as “to apologize”. One way to say “sorry” or “excuse me” in Spanish is to simply say “disculpe” (formal) or “disculpa” (informal). The word “disculpar” was formed by joining the prefix

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Vivo

Vivo

Today’s Spanish word of the day is “vivo” in the masculine form, or “viva” in the feminine form. It’s an adjective that usually translates as “alive”. Depending on the context, it can also mean “lively”, “bright” or “intense”. If you want to refer to a live performance or event, you would say it is “en

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Correcto

Correcto

Today’s Spanish word of the day is “correcto” in the masculine form, or “correcta” in the feminine form. If you hadn’t guessed, it’s an adjective meaning “correct”. It can also mean “polite” or “proper”, in the sense of being well-mannered, or “honest”. Like the English word “correct”, it comes from Latin correctus meaning “put straight”.

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