Eating and drinking in Spanish
Food and liquids call for different verbs: compare eating and drinking in everyday Spanish sentences.
Read and practiseAdventure journal
Spanish: Choosing between similar words
Spanish: Distinguish easily confused meanings and constructions with contrasting contexts, clear boundaries and explained answers.
Adventure journal
Spanish: Choosing between similar words
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Day and night in Spanish
Sunlight or darkness? Contrast the Spanish words for day and night in simple everyday sentences.
Read and practiseHere and there in Spanish
Near the speaker or farther away? Compare two Spanish place words in clear everyday situations.
Read and practiseToday and tomorrow in Spanish
This day or the next? Distinguish two Spanish time words in plans, schedules and everyday sentences.
Read and practiseBig and small in Spanish
A large box or a small glass? Compare two size adjectives and practise their agreement with nouns.
Read and practiseMuch and little in Spanish
A full jug or a nearly empty one? Express large and small quantities and match the form to the noun.
Read and practisePedir and preguntar: two ways to ask
Distinguish Spanish pedir for requesting something from preguntar for posing a question or asking about something.
Read and practiseSaber and conocer: knowledge and familiarity
Distinguish Spanish saber for knowing a fact or how to do something from conocer for familiarity with people or places.
Read and practiseLlevar and traer: taking and bringing
Distinguish Spanish llevar and traer by the direction of movement relative to the conversational reference point.
Read and practiseIr and venir: direction from the speaker
Choose Spanish ir and venir for movement away from or toward the speaker, using location and perspective as clues.
Read and practiseOír and escuchar: hearing and listening in Spanish
Compare Spanish oír for perceiving sound and escuchar for attentive listening, including overlap in real usage.
Read and practiseAsking and answering in Spanish
A question needs a reply: distinguish the person seeking information from the person giving an answer.
Read and practiseBuying and selling in Spanish
Who pays and who offers the goods? Identify buyer and seller and describe both sides of a transaction.
Read and practiseEntering and leaving places
Inside or outside? Distinguish the Spanish verbs for crossing into a place and moving out of it in everyday situations.
Read and practiseOpening and closing in Spanish
A door or a box can be opened or closed: choose the Spanish verb that matches the action in everyday situations.
Read and practiseMoving up and down in Spanish
From a roof to a basement, choose the Spanish verb that describes upward or downward movement in context.
Read and practiseArrival and departure in Spanish
A train reaches a station or leaves a port: distinguish arrival and departure and their Spanish prepositions.
Read and practiseSleeping and falling asleep in Spanish
A night of sleep and the moment it begins call for different Spanish forms; see how pronouns change with the person.
Read and practiseWaking someone and waking up in Spanish
A noise wakes a child, but a child wakes up: see how Spanish distinguishes the two actions and changes the pronoun.
Read and practiseWashing things and yourself in Spanish
A bicycle needs cleaning and hands need washing: see how Spanish distinguishes washing something from washing yourself.
Read and practisePutting things down and putting clothes on
A book goes on a table and a coat goes on your body: see how Spanish distinguishes placing an object from getting dressed.
Read and practiseSentir and sentirse in Spanish
Compare sentir with a noun and sentirse with an adjective to describe sensations and personal states in Spanish.
Read and practiseWith and without in Spanish
A companion or an absent ingredient? Contrast two Spanish prepositions through everyday situations.
Read and practiseInside and outside in Spanish
A box or the space beyond it? Contrast two expressions that locate things in and outside a place.
Read and practiseAbove and below in Spanish
A lamp over a table or a ball under a chair? Compare two Spanish expressions for vertical position in everyday settings.
Read and practiseNear and far in Spanish
A pharmacy by the square or a village far from the coast? Express distance from a reference point with two Spanish phrases.
Read and practiseWell and good in Spanish
An action done well or a good idea? Distinguish the Spanish adverb from the adjective and make the adjective agree.
Read and practiseBad actions and bad things in Spanish
A bad performance, a bad day or spoiled soup: choose the Spanish form that describes an action or a noun.
Read and practiseKnowing a place and visiting it
A familiar neighborhood and a trip to a museum call for different Spanish verbs: distinguish knowing a place from visiting it.
Read and practiseReturning or giving something back in Spanish
A person comes back home, while a borrowed book goes back to its owner: compare two Spanish verbs for returning.
Read and practiseDejar and salir: leaving things and leaving places
Distinguish Spanish dejar for leaving an object somewhere from salir de for departing from a place, using six contextual examples.
Read and practiseHablar and decir: talking and saying in Spanish
Compare hablar de a topic and hablar con a person with decir something, using six contextual Spanish examples.
Read and practiseDesde and hasta: starting and ending points in Spanish
Distinguish desde for a starting point and hasta for an ending point in time and place, with six examples in context.
Read and practisePorque and por eso: reason and result in Spanish
Distinguish porque introducing a reason from por eso introducing a result, using paired Spanish examples.
Read and practiseHay and está: existence and location in Spanish
Compare hay for introducing the existence of something with está or están for locating an identifiable person or thing.
Read and practiseTodavía no and ya no: not yet and no longer in Spanish
Distinguish Spanish todavía no for something not yet true from ya no for a situation that no longer holds.
Read and practiseAntes de and después de: before and after in Spanish
Distinguish antes de and después de with a noun or infinitive to describe the order of everyday events.
Read and practiseTambién and tampoco: agreeing with positive and negative statements
Use también to add a positive match and tampoco to add a negative match in common Spanish responses.
Read and practiseSaber and poder with an infinitive: skill and possibility
Compare saber plus an infinitive for a learned skill with poder plus an infinitive for a current possibility or permission.
Read and practiseRecordar and acordarse de: remembering something
Compare the constructions recordar algo and acordarse de algo when talking about remembering a fact or thing.
Read and practiseIr and irse: going and leaving in Spanish
Compare ir to a destination with irse when the speaker highlights departure, using the matching personal pronouns.
Read and practiseEmbarazada and avergonzada: a Spanish false friend
Distinguish embarazada, commonly meaning pregnant, from avergonzada, meaning embarrassed or ashamed.
Read and practiseVer and mirar: seeing and looking in Spanish
Compare ver for seeing or perceiving with mirar for directing attention, while recognizing that uses can overlap.
Read and practiseAsistir a and ayudar a: attending and helping in Spanish
Distinguish asistir a una reunión, meaning attend a meeting, from ayudar a una persona, meaning help a person.
Read and practiseTener que and hay que: personal and impersonal obligation
Compare tener que when a person is specified with impersonal hay que when the sentence does not name who must act.
Read and practiseAprender and enseñar: learning and teaching in Spanish
Distinguish aprender for gaining knowledge or a skill from enseñar for helping someone learn it.
Read and practiseA tiempo, en punto and con retraso: talking about timing
Distinguish a tiempo for being on time or in time, en punto for an exact stated hour and con retraso for lateness.
Read and practiseApagar and cerrar: turning off and closing in Spanish
Distinguish apagar for turning off a light or device from cerrar for closing a door, window or program.
Read and practiseDurante and desde hace for duration
Distinguish a duration within an event from a period that began in the past and continues now.
Read and practiseMuy and mucho: intensity and quantity in Spanish
Distinguish muy before common adjectives from mucho after a verb or before a masculine singular noun.
Read and practiseQuedar en and quedarse con
Distinguish agreeing on an action with quedar en from keeping something with quedarse con in Spanish.
Read and practisePrestar and pedir prestado: lend or borrow
Distinguish the lender from the borrower in Spanish with prestar and pedir prestado, including regional variation.
Read and practisePor and para: creator and recipient in Spanish
Distinguish por introducing the creator in a passive sentence from para introducing the intended recipient.
Read and practisePero and sino: contrast and correction in Spanish
Choose pero for a contrast and sino to replace an explicitly rejected idea, including sino que before a conjugated verb.
Read and practiseLlevarse bien and caer bien: getting along and liking someone
Distinguish a good relationship expressed by llevarse bien con from a favorable impression expressed by caer bien a alguien.
Read and practiseWanting things and loving people
A cup of tea or a loved one? See how Spanish expresses desire and affection, and why a person may need a personal preposition.
Read and practiseOpinions and thoughts with pensar
An opinion about a proposal and a thought about a person call for different patterns of the Spanish verb pensar.
Read and practiseDreaming and sounding in Spanish
A dream about a place and the sound of a bell call for different Spanish verbs; see how the tilde and preposition change meaning.
Read and practiseEstar de acuerdo and ponerse de acuerdo: agreeing and reaching agreement
Compare estar de acuerdo for an existing agreement or opinion with ponerse de acuerdo for reaching agreement through discussion.
Read and practiseAgreeing and remembering in Spanish
A group can agree on a plan, while one person remembers a detail: two related Spanish forms express different actions.
Read and practiseFinding things and running into people
A lost key or a chance meeting? Distinguish finding an object from unexpectedly meeting someone in Spanish.
Read and practiseCarrying objects and wearing clothes
A box in your hands or a jacket on your body? Compare taking an object with wearing a garment in Spanish.
Read and practiseArranging to meet and staying somewhere
A meeting in the square or an evening at home? Compare arranging a meeting with staying in a place in Spanish.
Read and practiseTrying an action and stating a subject
An attempt to open a window or a film about a family? Compare trying to act with identifying the subject of a work.
Read and practiseSuiting someone and feeling well
A jacket may suit you, while a good night’s rest may help you feel well: distinguish these two Spanish constructions.
Read and practisePrice and spending in Spanish
A ticket has a price, while a traveller spends money: learn how Spanish expresses these two sides of a purchase.
Read and practiseQuedar and faltar: what remains and what is missing
Compare quedar for something that remains available and faltar for something absent or still needed, including overlap with time remaining.
Read and practiseSaving money and keeping objects
Money can be set aside for a goal, while keys can be stored in a drawer: distinguish these Spanish verbs in context.
Read and practiseTasting a sample and attempting an action
A spoonful can be tasted, while opening a window can be attempted: distinguish these uses of two Spanish verbs.
Read and practiseGetting and achieving in Spanish
A ticket, a permit or a difficult goal: compare two Spanish verbs for obtaining things and achieving results.
Read and practiseOcurrir and suceder: events and other meanings
An event can happen, an idea can come to mind, or one person can take over a role: compare these Spanish verbs.
Read and practiseChoosing and electing in Spanish
A table, a song or a representative can be chosen: compare two Spanish verbs and their overlapping uses.
Read and practiseObtaining or finding in Spanish
Tickets may be obtained after an effort, while lost keys can be found: distinguish the result from the discovery.
Read and practiseExplaining ideas and telling stories
A rule can be made clear and an event narrated: distinguish two Spanish verbs through examples and practice.
Read and practisePassive se and impersonal se: choosing singular or plural verbs
Compare passive se with an agreeing thing as subject and impersonal se with a singular verb in common public notices.
Read and practiseHearing about and talking about
A museum mentioned on the radio is something you hear about; a budget discussed at a meeting is something you talk about.
Read and practiseAt last and at the end
A delayed bus brings relief, while the end of a film marks a position: compare two Spanish expressions of eventuality.
Read and practiseEven and inclusive in Spanish
A surprising participant or an included final date: compare two Spanish adverbs and the separate adjective for inclusion.
Read and practiseContrasting alternatives and concessions
Two preferences may differ, while an unexpected outcome can defy the first statement; choose the right Spanish connector.
Read and practiseSpanish concessions: clauses and phrases
Rain or a busy schedule need not stop an action: compare Spanish ways to express a contrast with a clause, noun or infinitive.
Read and practiseCauses and positive outcomes in Spanish
A delay or a welcome discovery can both have a cause; the expression chosen shows how the speaker views it.
Read and practiseAccording to or depending on in Spanish
A report provides a source, while a budget can determine an outcome: compare two ways to introduce information and conditions.
Read and practiseHacer falta and necesitar: two ways to express need
Compare necesitar with a person as subject and hacer falta with the needed thing as subject, including singular and plural agreement.
Read and practiseConocer and reconocer: being familiar with and recognizing
Distinguish conocer for familiarity with a person or place from reconocer for identifying someone or something you have encountered before.
Read and practiseDeberías and tienes que: advice and necessity
Compare deberías for a recommendation with tienes que for a stated necessity in everyday Spanish.
Read and practisePronto and de pronto: soon, suddenly and perhaps
Distinguish pronto for a short time ahead from de pronto for an unexpected event, with a Colombian variant.
Read and practiseQué and cuál in Spanish questions
Compare qué in a request for a definition with cuál or cuáles when identifying one or more choices.
Read and practiseMás de and más que: numerical limits and comparisons
Distinguish más de before an exceeded numerical limit from más que when comparing people or actions.
Read and practiseTener razón and dar la razón: being right and agreeing
Distinguish having a correct point from acknowledging that someone else is right in Spanish.
Read and practiseActualmente and en realidad: currently and actually
Distinguish actualmente for the present time from en realidad for what is actually the case.
Read and practiseConclusion and contrast in Spanish
A conclusion follows from a premise, while a contrast presents an unexpected difference between statements.
Read and practiseFormal and conversational reformulation
Two Spanish reformulators clarify a statement, with different typical registers in formal writing and conversation.
Read and practiseConfirmation and illustrative facts
A confirmation supports an earlier statement; an illustrative fact adds concrete evidence to what has been said.
Read and practisePersistence and decisions regardless
An obstacle need not stop an action, and a decision can stand regardless of an uncertain circumstance.
Read and practiseConditions and repeated occasions
A helmet can be a condition for borrowing a bicycle; repeated bell rings describe occasions. Compare the two Spanish constructions.
Read and practiseTime and contrast with while
Two actions can happen together; two facts can also be contrasted. See how Spanish connects each pair.
Read and practisePrecautions and conditional clauses
A spare key or a possible storm calls for a precaution. Compare two Spanish clauses and the moods they require.
Read and practisePurpose clauses and changing subjects
An early departure avoids traffic; a slow explanation helps everyone understand. Compare two formal ways to express purpose.
Read and practiseConcession with pese a and a pesar de que
Rain or a whole clause can introduce an obstacle: choose the Spanish construction that matches what follows.
Read and practiseTopics and immediate timing in Spanish
A price can introduce a topic, while a train arriving can set the moment for a call; distinguish these two expressions.
Read and practiseSpanish starting thresholds and origins
A new schedule, a quantity limit or a view from a window: choose the Spanish expression that highlights the intended starting point.
Read and practiseConjecture and obligation in Spanish
A light is on or a rule requires a helmet: distinguish a reasoned guess from an obligation in Spanish.
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