I have been thinking about how to celebrate my husband’s cumpleaños (birthday) and that got me thinking about the origin of this word. Cumpleaños is a compound word derived from the Spanish verbs cumplir (to fulfill or complete), which comes from the Latin word complere, meaning to fill up or complete; and años (years), coming …
A useful word to know when discussing feelings or various other situations is profundo, the Spanish word for deep. Profundo comes from the Latin profundus, which shares the same meaning. Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation As an adjective, profundo must agree with the subject it is describing in both gender and quantity. Ella tenía sentimientos …
A very useful word to know is the Spanish term for machine – máquina. This word can describe many essential items in the modern world. It derives from the Latin machina, meaning a machine or engine, and originates from the Ancient Greek μαχανά (makhaná), which carries the same meaning. Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation Máquina …
The Spanish word for strong, fuerte, comes from the Latin adjective fortis meaning strong and also brave (valiente). Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation Fuerte is an invariable adjective, meaning it does not change to agree with the gender of its subject. However, it does change to agree in number, becoming fuertes in the plural form. ¡Es …
An animal that has lived and worked alongside humankind for centuries is the horse or caballo in Spanish. Caballo comes from the Latin caballus meaning packhorse, of disputed origin. One theory is that the word originally came from the Ancient Greek καβάλλης (kabállēs), a loanword from an Asiatic language. Latin American Pronunciation European Pronunciation Caballo is 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 …