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.
If you ask someone about their favourite season, it’s a safe bet that many will pick spring, or primavera in Spanish. Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation It derives from the Late Latin primavera, which goes back to the Classical Latin ablative primo vere, signifying “at the beginning of spring.” Primavera is a feminine noun, so …
Whenever you walk past someone on the street, it’s always nice to greet them with a friendly smile, which translates to sonrisa in Spanish. If you have trouble remembering this word, I find it helps to mentally associate it with the word sunrise, as they sound so similar! Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation The term …
The word for a cup in Spanish is taza, which derives from the Arabic طاسة (ṭassah), and ultimately comes from Persian تاس (tâs). Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation Taza is a feminine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Compré esta bonita taza en el mercado. I bought this nice cup at …
When you hear the word sombrero, the first image that likely comes to mind is the traditional wide-brimmed Mexican men’s hat. However, in the Spanish language, sombrero generically refers to any hat with a brim that runs completely around the crown. Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation It’s common for specific terms to be borrowed from …
What do Spanish speakers call the insect that buzzes from flower to flower, collecting pollen to make honey? The answer is abeja! Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation This word derives from the Old Spanish abeja, which in turn comes from Latin apicula. Abeja is a feminine noun whose plural form is abejas and it takes …
One of everyone’s favourite insects is the ladybug (or ladybird if you are from the UK). Its name in Spanish is just as lovely as the insect itself: mariquita. Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation This word is the combination of marica (from María, the biblical figure) and the diminutive suffix -ita. Below are the definite …