Heather Broster
Heather is a graduate in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario and an aspiring polyglot. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction. When she isn’t studying languages, she enjoys the great outdoors, exercising and spending time with her young son.
The other day, my four-year-old son received a party bag filled with fun items, including a bubble tub. Unfortunately, he spilled all its contents on our carpet before we could even blow a single pompa (bubble). Such is life! Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation The word pompa comes from the Latin pompa, which in turn …
When you eat a piece of toast with honey or jam, do you tend to eat it plain or do you enjoy untar mantequilla (spreading butter) on top to add some extra flavour? I can usually live without it, but there are people who can’t imagine eating toast without butter! Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation Mantequilla …
One of the hardest working farm animals (animales), along with the horse (el caballo) and mule (el mulo), is the donkey. This animal is known as a burro in Spanish. Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation The word burro has a complicated and ancient etymology. It traces back to the Late Latin burricus, referring to a …
When you look out your ventana (window) in the morning, what do you see? Do you see other casas (houses)? Or perhaps the montañas (mountains)? Some lucky people may even catch a glimpse of el mar (the sea). Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation Ventana is a feminine noun that comes from from the Vulgar Latin …
Peppa Pig is one of my son’s favourite TV shows, and anyone who watches it, even casually, knows her favorite pastime – jumping in muddy puddles! A puddle in Spanish is known as a charco. Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation The etymology of this word is uncertain. Many consider it to be imitative, or a …
Today’s Spanish word might not be the most thrilling, but it’s definitely practical, considering it’s a household item we rely on nearly every day! Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation Vacuum cleaner in Spanish is known as an aspiradora. It is the combination of the verb aspirar (to inhale) and the noun-forming suffix -dora. Aspiradora is …