Today’s Spanish word of the day is “cercar”. It’s a verb meaning “to fence in”, “to enclose”, or “to surround”. It can also be used in military contexts to mean “to besiege”. The word “cercar” comes from Latin circare, meaning “to circle”, which is also the root of the English words “search” and “research”, with […]
Today’s Spanish word of the day is “problema”. As you might have guessed, it means “problem”. Although it ends in -a, “problema” is a masculine noun. That’s because it comes from the Greek word problema, which was treated as a neuter noun in Latin and absorbed as masculine in Spanish, along with other Greek-origin nouns
Today’s Spanish word of the day is “silencio”. It’s a masculine noun meaning “silence”. The word comes from Latin silentium, which in turn came from the Latin verb silere, meaning “to be quiet” or “to be still”. This is also the root of several English words including “silence” and “silent”. Example sentences El silencio en
Today’s Spanish word of the day is a two for one: “tío” and “tía”. “Tío” means “uncle”, and “tía” means “aunt”. The plural “tíos” would normally translate as “aunts and uncles”, unless you’ve specified previously that you’re only talking about uncles. While they literally mean “uncle” and “aunt”, in Spain the words “tío” and “tía”
Today’s Spanish word of the day is “hasta”. It’s a preposition that can translate as “until”, “up to” or “as far as” depending on the context. You’ve probably heard the word “hasta luego” (“see you later”), “hasta mañana” (“see you tomorrow”) and “hasta la vista” (“see you”). Interestingly, the phrase “hasta la vista” is very
Today’s Spanish word of the day is “interesante”. It’s an adjective meaning “interesting”. Like other adjectives ending in –e, it doesn’t change depending on gender. The word “interesante” is related to the verb “interesar” (“to interest”) and the noun “interés” (“interest”), which come from Latin interesse, meaning “to be of importance”. The Latin word interesse
Today’s Spanish word of the day is “mente”. It’s a feminine noun meaning “mind”. The word comes from Latin mens or mentis in the genitive form, which meant “mind” or “thought”. This is also the root of several English words including “mental”, “mention” and “dementia”. Many Spanish adverbs are formed by adding -mente to feminine
Today’s Spanish word of the day is “poder”. It’s a verb meaning “to be able to” or “can”, and also a masculine noun meaning “power”. You can also use the verb “poder” to express uncertainty in expressions like “puede que”, which means “it may be that” or “perhaps.” This structure is followed by a verb
Today’s Spanish word of the day is “momento”. It’s a masculine noun meaning “moment”. It can also translate as “time” if you’re referring to the precise time or moment at which something happened. The word “momento” comes from Latin momentum meaning “movement”, which is also the root of the English words “moment” and “momentum”, among
Today’s Spanish word of the day is “por”. It’s a preposition that can have several meanings, including “for”, “by”, “because of” and “through”. Some of the most common phrases and expressions in Spanish use the word “por”, including the following: The word “por” is often confused with the similar preposition “para”, which can also translate
