Author's Bio and Articles

Heather Broster

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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.


Spanish Word of the Day: Silla (chair)

The chair, known as silla in Spanish, has been in use since Ancient Egypt and has been prevalent in the Western world since the time of the Greeks and Romans. Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation Silla is derived from the Old Spanish siella, which originates from Latin sella meaning seat. It is ultimately derived from …

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Spanish Word of the Day: Oso (bear)

The word for bear in Spanish is oso and it is derived from the Latin word ursus. Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation It is a masculine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles: However, if you are referring specifically to a female bear, you can use the feminine equivalent osa. Here are the articles it takes: Sadly, only …

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Spanish Word of the Day: Toalla (towel)

A household item we often take for granted is the humble towel, which is known as toalla in Spanish. The term derives from the older term tobaja, ultimately originating from Proto-Germanic *þwahilō, similar to Frankish *þwahila. Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation Toalla is a feminine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles: There …

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Spanish Word of the Day: Primavera (spring)

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 …

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Spanish Word of the Day: Sonrisa (smile)

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 …

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Spanish Word of the Day: Taza (cup)

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 …

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