¡Verbos que confunden! - VC
Verbs that Confuse!
Common But Confusing Verbs in Spanish
The following list is made up of EXTREMELY HIGH FREQUENCY
VERBS that are OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD AND MISUSED by
learners of BOTH Spanish and English. They are not only very
common, but VERY IDIOMATIC. That means that the IDEAS are
expressed in very different ways in Spanish and English. To make your
Spanish more authentic and idiomatic, it would pay to learn the usage
of these verbs. Most textbooks don’t do a very good job of introducing
these and many are not introduced at all. Notice also that verb phrases
often involve PRONOUNS as well. In the examples you will see many
SUBJECT, OBJECT, POSSESSIVE and REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS. It
would be very advisable to understand how these work with verbs. They
are listed in batches of three because we will study and practice
approximately three per week in Spanish 2.
Caution: This document does not show all the conjugated forms of all
these verbs in different tenses. You will need to go to a verb chart such
as those found in SpanishDict.com or (though not as good) the hardback
textbook.
= EQUALS (Same idea expressed, though structurally and idiomatically different)
≠ NOT THE SAME (opposites or easily confused items that don’t mean the same)
≈ SIMILAR, BUT NOT EQUAL (synonyms – meanings overlap, but differ too)
VC-1. To BE
VC-2. To HAVE
VC-3. To DO or To MAKE
(pg. 2)
(pg. 2)
(pg. 3)
VC-4. To SAY vs To TELL
VC-5. To "LIKE" (and verbs "like" it)
VC-6. To TAKE
(pg. 3)
(pg. 3)
(pg. 4)
VC-7. To RIDE vs GO vs WALK
VC-8. To LEAVE (and To LET)
VC-9 To ASK
(pg.5)
(pg. 5)
(pg. 6)
VC-10. To KNOW
VC-11. To MEET
VC-12. To LOOK
(pg. 6)
(pg. 7)
(pg. 7)
VC-13. To THINK
VC-14. To PUT
VC-15. To LOVE vs To WANT
(pg. 8)
(pg. 8)
(pg. 8)
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VC-16. To "HAVE FUN"
VC-17. To TRY
VC-18 TO MISS
(pg. 8)
(pg. 9)
(pg. 9)
VC-19. To RETURN
VC-20. To SAVE
VC-21. To PLAY
(pg. 9)
(pg. 9)
(pg. 10)
VC-22. To KEEP vs To "KEEP ON"
VC-23. To STAY
VC-24. To REALIZE
(pg. 10)
(pg. 10)
(pg. 10)
VC-25.
VC-26.
VC-27.
VC-28.
To CALL vs BE-CALLED
(pg. 11)
SHOULD; OUGHT; SUPPOSED vs. To OWE (pg.11)
To WEAR
(pg. 11)
To STOP
(pg.11)
VC-29 To GET
(pg. 12)
1. To BE (ser ≠ estar)
These two are the BIGGIES. Both mean “to be.” “Ser” is “what someone or
something IS.” It involves describing CHARACTERISTICS of the person or thing.
“Estar” is the “current state” of someone or something. It involves describing the
CONDITION or LOCATION of someone or something. Being something temporary or
permanent sort of differentiates between them, but be careful!! “Yo soy un freshman.”
Even though I’m only a freshman for one year (hopefully) is irrelevant. It is WHAT I
AM. “Yo soy norteamericano.” “”Tú eres una estudiante.” etc. On the other hand,
“Madrid está en el centro de España.” Even though Madrid is not moving anywhere, the
verb “estar” is still used. But…”Madrid ES la capital de España.” Sometimes, one
needs to be careful. “Ella es lista.” = “She is smart.” “Ella está lista.” = “She is ready.”
Though one can “learn the rules” about these two verbs, it pays to be sensitive to their use
in everyday language; they are both used ALL THE TIME!
2. To HAVE (Uses of "tener")
“Tener” means “to have.” Nothing too difficult about that. But be careful – a
very COMMON use is “to have to” (an obligation, not possession). “Tener que ∞” (∞ =
infinitive) For example, “Yo tengo comida.” = “I have food.” “Yo tengo que comer.” =
“I have to eat.” (Normally, “que” doesn’t mean “to,” it means “that” or “which” – but in
this structure ONLY, it corresponds to “to.”)
The really tricky usages of “tener” are the MANY idiomatic phrases that use
“tener” = “to have” whereas English uses some form of “to be.” For example, “I am
fifteen years old.” = “Yo tengo quince años.” (I have fifteen years.) The list goes on: “to
be hungry” = “tener hambre” “to be sleepy” = “tener sueño” “to be thirsty” = “tener
sed.” Two common and interesting idiomatic expressions are: “tener que ver” (to have
to see) = “to have to do” For example, when Ana in Cuarto Misterioso asks “¿Qué tiene
que ver Rafael con el robo del tesoro?” = “What does Rafael have to do with the robbery
of the treasure?” Another idiomatic expression is “tener ganas de ∞” = (to have desires
of ∞) = “to really want to do something” or “to feel like doing something.” For example,
“José tiene ganas de salir con Conchita.” = “José really wants to go out with Conchita.”
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or “Pedro no tiene ganas de hablar de su pasado.” = “Pedro doesn’t feel like talking
about his past.”
3. To DO or To MAKE (Uses of "hacer")
“Hacer” basically means “to do” or “to make.” It is often used in idiomatic
expressions, such as with time and weather. “Hace buen tiempo.” (Makes good weather)
= “The weather is nice.” “Hace sol.” = “It’s sunny.” On the other hand, “Hace tiempo
que…” (Makes time that…) (“tiempo” can mean either “time” or “weather”) “It’s been
a long time since…” For example, “Hace dos años que yo juego al béisbol.” = (Makes
two years that I play at-the baseball) = “I’ve been playing baseball for two years.”
Also…”Hace (un period de tiempo) = “a period of time ago” For example, “Hace tres
meses…” = “Three months ago…”
A common idiom is “hacer un viaje.” (to make a trip) NOT “to take a trip”!
“Nosotros hicimos un viaje a Costa Rica.” = “We took a trip to Costa Rica.”
Another idiomatic use of this verb is as the reflexive “hacerse.” (to make-oneself)
It’s used in the sense of “to become,” as in “Ella quiere hacerse abogada.” = “She wants
to become a lawyer.” Also, “They became friends.” in idiomatic Spanish would be
“Ellos se hicieron amigos.” (They themselves made friends.)
4. To SAY vs. To TELL (decir ≠ hablar)
Both of these have to do with speaking and, although students don’t tend to confuse them
in their native English, they tend to have difficulty with them when speaking Spanish.
First, “decir” = “to tell” or “to say.” (not much difference there; they’re synonyms)
“Hablar” = “to speak” or “to talk.” (again, synonyms) “Decir” is only used when there is
a message as a direct object; something is said. As in English, you can talk about
something, but you say something. The presence or absence of the preposition “about”
(de, sobre, acerca de) makes all the difference. “He speaks Spanish.” = “Él habla
español.” “He tells me something in Spanish.” = Él me dice algo en español.” “She told
her friend about the problem.” = “Ella le dijo a su amiga del problema.” “She talked to
her friend about the problem.” = “Ella le habló a su amiga del problema.” (OK, the
differences are subtle here – In the first it’s like she admitted something – In the second
it’s like she was seeking advice.) Just know that generally “decir” and “hablar” are not
interchangeable.
5. To "LIKE" (and verbs "like" it) (gustarle) ≠ (to like)
This is a common and very confusing verb. Idiomatically, in terms of the
meaning of the two ideas expressed, they are the same. “Gustarle” = “to like.” But, in
terms of grammatical structure, they are very different. “Gustarle” means “to please
someone.” (“le” is the indirect object pronoun – refer to your Pronoun Chart for all of the
indirect object pronouns – they go before the verb in Spanish!) “He likes pizza.” = “Le
gusta pizza.” (to-him pleases pizza) In English, “he” is the subject and “pizza” is the
direct object. In Spanish, “pizza” is the subject and “to him” is the indirect object. This
works in all tenses. “I liked the movie.” = “Me gustó la película.” (to-me pleased the
film) or “They liked to go to the beach.” = “Les gustaba ir a la playa.” (to-them used-toplease to-go to the beach). Sometimes in Spanish, a “double indirect object” is used for
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added emphasis. “Ricardo likes Ana.” (as opposed to some other guy liking her) = “A
Ricardo le gusta Ana.” There are a number of verbs that work just like “gustar.” They
all are formed with the indirect object pronoun changing with the persons doing the
"liking" or whatever the meaning of the verb is. Here are some of the most common:
a. “encantar” = (to enchant) = “to love”(to do something) Example: “A ella le encanta
tocar la guitarra.” = “She loves to play the guitar.”
b. “interesar” = “to interest” Example: “Me interesa la política.” = “I’m interested in
politics.”
c. “importer” = “to matter to” “to care about” Example: “No me importa” = “It doesn’t
matter to me.” OR “Les importa el medio ambiente.” = “They care about the
environment.”
d. “parecer” = “to seem,” “to appear” Example: “A José le parece que ella no quiere
hablar.” = “It seems to José that she doesn’t want to talk.”
e. “doler (ue)” = “to hurt” Example: “Me duele la cabeza.” = (to-me hurts the head) =
“My head hurts.”
f. fascinar = “to fascinate” Example: “Nos fascinan los insectos.” = “We are
fascinated by insects.”
g. molestar = “to bother or annoy” (not – “molest”!) – “Ella me molesta cuando canta.”
“She gets on my nerves when she sings.”
h. extrañar = “to seem strange” – Le extraña a José que Rafael sabía dónde estaba la
llave.” (Note: “extrañar” without the indirect object just means “to miss” someone or
something you don’t have. Example: “Me extraña que yo no extraño a mi hermana.” =
“It seems strange to me that I don’t miss my sister.”
i. tocar = “to be one’s turn to do something” = “Me toca a mí” (to-me touches to me) =
“It’s my turn.” = “Le toca a ella” = “It’s her turn.” (Note: “tocar” basically means “to
touch,” but it can also mean “to play an instrument or music.”
6. To TAKE llegar ≠ llevar ≠ tomar ≠ (sacar ≠ quitar)
The two most common forms of "to take " are "tomar" and ""llevar." To further
complicate things, the similar-looking verb "llegar" is often confused with "llevar."
“Llegar” means “to arrive” or “to get somewhere.” It is a regular -ar ending verb with the
exception that when the letter “g” is followed by “e” or “i” you have to add “u” as in “I
arrived.” (Yo llegué.) “Llevar” means “to carry,” “to wear,” (in the sense that you have
clothing on now) and, most commonly, “to take someone or something to another place.”
“He takes her home in his car.” = “Él la lleva a casa en su carro.” This creates yet
another confusion because in English we have one verb “to take.” The Spanish verb
“tomar” also means “to take,” but is totally different. It is used in the sense of “taking
ahold” of something or picking something up. It is also used in the sense of “taking” a
bus or train or “taking” a class or course. To add a bit more to the confusion, “tomar” is
the verb used in Spanish for “imbibing a drink.” In English, we “have” a Coke or a
coffee. In Spanish, one “takes” a drink. For example, “Yo tomo limonada.”
Another very idiomatic use of “llevar” is in the reflexive “llevarse bien o mal con
una persona.” = “to get along with someone.” (to carry oneself with someone) “José se
lleva bien con Francisco.” “A veces Ana y su madre no se llevan bien.” = “Sometimes
Ana and her mother don’t get along.”
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sacar ≠ quitar
“Sacar” and “quitar” mean “to take out” and “to take off,” respectively. Literally,
these verbs are the opposites of “meter” and “poner.” “Yo metí la hoja en la carpeta.” =
“I put the sheet into the binder.” “Yo saqué la hoja de la carpeta.” = “I took the sheet out
of the binder.” “Yo me puse los zapatos.” (I myself put-on the shoes.) = “I put my shoes
on.” The opposite of that would be “Yo me quité los zapatos.” = “I took my shoes off.”
(I myself took-off the shoes.) Note that these two verbs are REFLEXIVE verbs, that is,
the subject and object are the same.
“Llegar” is also used idiomatically is such phrases as “llegar lejos.” (to arrive far)
= “to go a long way” or “to go far.” “Yo dije que Merche iba a llegar lejos como
periodista.” = “I said that Merche was going to go far as a journalist.” “Llegar a ser”
means “to become.” Literally: (to-arrive to be) For example, “Merche va a llegar a ser
una periodista famosa.” = “Merche is going to become a famous journalist.” Compare
this with another meaning for “to become” in #3.
7. To RIDE vs GO vs WALK (Ir en ≠ montar)
Both of these can mean “to ride.” But be careful! “Ir en (means of vehicular
transport) means to “go by” or “ride inside.” “Vamos en carro.” = “We’re going by
car.”or “We’re riding in the car.” “Fui en avión.” = “I went by plane.” (You could also
say “Yo vuelo” = “I fly.” Or “Yo volé.” = “I flew.”) “They go by bus.” = “Van en
autobús.” You can’t, however, use that when you are not inside the vehicle. “Montar”
literally means “to mount.” (You have to “ride on” it. “Yo monto mi bicicleta.” = “I ride
my bike.” “Él montó su caballo.” = “He rode his horse.” “We rode the carnival ride.” =
“Montamos la atracción.”
caminar = ir a pie ≈ andar
All three of these verbs can mean “to walk.” Generally, “caminar” is the safest to use. It
always means “to walk.” “A baby learns to walk.” = “Un bebé aprende caminar.” “Ir a
pie” (to go on foot) of course means the same thing, but is usually used in the context of
contrasting it with some other way of getting there. You’re walking instead of taking the
car, bus, bike, etc. “Andar” also means “to walk” but has other broader idiomatic
meanings. It can also mean “to go” in some other transport (boat, train, horse, etc.) but in
the sense of “moving around” or “going around.” It can also simply mean “to get going.”
8. To LEAVE (and To LET) (dejar ≠ salir)
Both of these verbs can mean “to leave.” They are very different from each other.
“Salir” means “to exit,” “to go out,” or “to depart.” “José is going out with Conchita.” =
“José sale con Conchita.” “She left Madrid yesterday.” = “Ella salió de Madrid ayer.”
(Note: when “departing” from a place, you must insert the preposition “de” in Spanish;
this isn’t done in English.) “Salir” is a regular verb except that in the present tense the
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“yo” form ends in “-go” (like a number of other verbs do). “Yo salgo a las doce.” = “I’m
leaving at twelve.” Another very idiomatic meaning (peculiar to a language) of “salir” is
“how one does at some performance.” Where we say “He does well on tests.” or “She
did well in the race.” in Spanish this is expressed as “El sale bien en examenes.” and
“Ella salió bien en la carrera.” Do NOT use the verb “hacer” in this context.
“Dejar” is a common verb with several meanings. One meaning is “to leave
behind.” To say “I left my backpack in the room when I left the room.” would be “Yo
dejé mi mochila en el salón cuando salí del salon.” “Dejar” also means “to let,” “to
allow,” or “to permit.” “The teacher lets the students go to the bathroom.” = “El profesor
deja a los alumnos ir al baño.” Besides “Puedo ir al baño.” you could ask “¿Me déjà(Ud.)
ir al baño?” (Me (you) let go to-the bathroom?) A third meaning of “dejar” is “to stop
doing something.” In complete sentences, the verb “dejar” is followed by “de” and then
an infinitive verb. For example, “He stopped smoking” = “El dejó de fumar.” You could
tell another student to stop bothering you by saying “¡Deja de molestarme!” “He won’t
stop talking.” = “Él no deja de hablar.”
Spanish also has no verb for “to drop.” They say “to let fall.” = (dejar caer) For
example, “She dropped her pencil on the floor.” = “Ella dejó caer su lápiz en el piso.”
9. To ASK
(preguntar ≠ pedir)
Both of these verbs can mean “to ask” and are often confused. “Preguntar” means
“to ask for information.” “Pedir” means “to ask for something in a material sense. It can
also be translated “to request,” “to order (in a restaurant, online, from a catalog, etc).”
For example, if I walk into Wendy’s and ask how much a Frosty costs…”Yo pregunto
cuanto cuesta un Frosty.” I’m seeking information (the price). Then I decide to order.
“Yo pido un Frosty.” (Note that “pedir” is a stem-vowel changing verb e>i) A common
use of “pedir” is to “pedir perdón” = (to ask for pardon) = “to ask forgiveness” or “to say
you’re sorry.” It’s used in such phrases as “pedir permiso.” Another odd idiomatic use is
“pedir prestado.” “Prestar” means “to lend” in Spanish. Spanish has no verb for “to
borrow.” You have to “ask (that it be ) lent.” “Yo pedí prestado un lápiz de mi
compañera.” = “I borrowed a pencil from my partner.”
10. To KNOW
(saber ≠ conocer)
Both of these verbs can mean “to know.” They are very different from each
other. “Saber” means “to know information.” “I know the answer.” = “Yo sé la
respuesta.” “Conocer” means “to be acquainted with” or “to get to know.” “I know
Merche.” = “Yo conozco a Merche.” (Note the insertion of the “personal ‘a’” – this is
done in Spanish when the object of a sentence is a human being.) “Conocer” also means
“to meet for the first time.” (“To meet up with people” or “to get together with someone
you already know” are different verbs – “reunirse” or “encontrarse”) “I met María at the
party.” = “Yo conocí a María en la fiesta.” “I want to meet Shakira.” = “Yo quiero
conocer a Shakira.” In the imperfect, “conocer” means “used to know” or “knew.” “El
conocía a ella.” = “He knew her.”
Whereas “conocer” means “to meet for the first time” in the preterite (←), “saber”
means “to find out” in the preterite (←). “Merche found out the man was in Medina de
Rioseco.” = Merche supo que el hombre estaba en Medina de Rioseco.” In the imperfect,
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“sabía” just means “knew.” “Merche didn’t know the man was here.” = “Merche no
sabía que él estaba aquí.”
11. To MEET (encontrarse ≈ reunirse ≈ hallarse ≠ conocer(se)) + (encontrar ≈ reunir ≈ hallar)
This may seem like a kind of confusing equation. All the above verbs have to do with the
English verb “to meet.” They are used in very different ways. The first three (encontrarse
≈ reunirse ≈ hallarse) all have to do with “meeting up or getting together with others.”
They are all REFLEXIVE. (Check out in other resources how to conjugate reflexive
verbs.) “Encontrarse” (to-encounter-oneself) is used in the sense of “to meet up with
someone,” “to meet with someone” “to find oneself somewhere.” Examples: “Yo me
encuentro con Ashley en el corredor a menudo.” = “I meet up (or “run into”) with
Ashley in the hallway often.” “Él se encuentra con sus amigos los lunes por la noche
para ver fútbol americano.” = “He meets (or “gets together”) with his friends on Monday
nights to watch football.” The difference between these two is subtle, but generally
“encontrarse is used more often in the sense of “happen upon” without planning.
“Reunirse” generally refers to a planned, scheduled, intentional meeting. “Hallarse” is
another synonym that, in some areas is exactly the same as the other two, but more
officially means a “spontaneous, unplanned meeting up.” He happened upon an old
friend.” = “Él se halló con un viejo amigo.” (by chance!) Note that when you use these
three verbs non-reflexively they don’t mean “to meet,” but rather “to find, encounter,
happen upon.” Él encontró sus llaves.” = “He found his keys.” (he was looking for)
“Ellos se hallaron en una cueva.” = “They found themselves in a cave.”
Be careful not to confuse “conocer” with these verbs! (See #10) It means “to become
acquainted with” (to “meet for the FIRST TIME”) or “to know” someone or some place
as in having already been introduced or having physically been there. “He met her in
school.” (first time) = “Él la conoció en la escuela.” but... “He met her yesterday in
school.” (a planned meeting) = “Él se reunió con ella ayer en la escuela.”
12. To LOOK
(buscar ≠ mirar ≠ parecer)
Sometimes a verb in English changes its meaning depending on the word that
follows it. “Look” is an example. “Buscar” means “to look FOR” or “to search.” It’s a
regular –ar ending verb. Be careful NOT to use the Spanish prepositions “para” or “por”
after it. For example, “I look for my backpack every morning.” = “Yo busco mi mochila
todas las mañanas.” You DO, however, add a “personal ‘a’” when you are looking for a
person! For example, “I’m looking for María.” = “Yo busco a María.”
“Mirar” means “to look AT,” “to gaze,” “to stare,” or even to “watch” (TV, for
example). “Yo miraba el juego de fútbol.” = “I was watching the soccer game.”
“Parecer” means “to look LIKE.” For example, “Él parece a su hermano.” = “He
looks like his brother.” “Parecer” also functions very often like “gustarle “ type of verb
as in section 4 above. It is used with the INDIRECT OBJECT PRONOUNS. For
example, “Me parece que…” = “It seems to me that…” is a very common way to start
opinionated statements. “¿Qué te parece?” is a very common question asking “What do
you think about that?” or “How’s about it?”
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13. To THINK
(pensar ≈ creer BUT ALSO pensar ≠ creer)
“Pensar” means “to think.” “Creer” means “to believe.” Both are used in the
sense of “to think” when it is TO HAVE AN OPINION. Basically, “Yo creo que el Sr.
Martín es simpatico” is no different from “Yo pienso que el Sr. Martín es simpático.”
The difficulty is they are not always interchangeable. “Pensar” is “to think thoughts” so
“I thought and thought and finally decided.” = “Yo pensé y pensé y finalmente decidí.”
Whereas “He doesn’t believe what I say.” = “Él no cree lo que yo digo.”
Another caution: “pensar de” means “to think about someone or something in an
opinionated way” while “pensar en” means “to think about someone or something as in
having it on your mind.” “¿Qué piensas de ella? = “What do you think of her?”
“¿Piensas en ella?” = “Are you thinking about her?”
14. To PUT (meter ≠ poner)
Both of these verbs can mean “to put.” “Meter” is generally “to put in” and
“poner” is “to put on.” “Meter un gol” = “to score a goal.” “Meterse” (to put oneself
in) = “to get involved” or more negatively, “to mess with,” “to poke into other’s
business.” “Yo no me meto.” = “I don’t get involved.” “I don’t mess with that.” “It’s
none of my business.” “Poner” = “to put on.” “Ponerse” is used with putting things on
yourself, like clothing. “Yo me pongo una camiseta.” = “I am putting on a T-shirt.”
“Ponerse” also has a more idiomatic usage in “getting” or “becoming” in a different
mental state or frame of mind. “Él se pone nervioso.” = “He gets nervous.” (He himself
puts nervous.) “Ella se puso furiosa.” = “She became furious.”
15. To LOVE vs To WANT
(querer ≈ amar)
The verb “querer” generally mean “to want.” (It is a “stem-vowel change” verb,
so the “e” in the first syllable changes to “ie” in all but the “nosotros and vosotros” forms
of the verb in the present tense. “I want money.” = “Yo quiero dinero.” “We want a new
house.” = “Queremos una casa nueva.”
The verb “amar” means “to love.” (“el amor” is the noun) It can mean any kind
of love…friends, family, other people, things, places, etc. It is a “regular –ar ending”
verb. So, “I love my life.” = “Yo amo mi vida.” “He loves his cat.” = “Él ama su gato.”
“They love their iPhones.” = “Ellos aman sus iPhones.” When “querer” means “to love”
it is almost always directed toward people. Though both verbs can be used in “romantic
love” situations, I believe “querer” is used a bit more often. “I love you” = “Yo te
quiero.” (Although “Yo te amo” works just as well!) “She loves her children” = “Ella
quiere a sus hijos” or “Ella ama a sus hijos.”
16. To "HAVE FUN" (divertirse) = (to have fun)
(pasarlo bien) = (to have a good time)
O.K., these two verbs really do express the same idea. However, they are very
different structurally. Literally, “divertirse” means “to divert oneself.” (This verb is a
reflexive verb – refer to your Pronoun Chart for all the reflexive pronouns – they go
before the verb in Spanish! – Also “divertir” is a verb with a “stem vowel change.” The
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“e” in the infinitive changes to “ie” in the present tense only.” So, “I have fun.” = “Yo me
divierto.” (I myself divert.) Another similar phrase is “pasarlo bien.” This literally
means (to pass it well.) It is used in the sense of “to have a good time.” (“lo” is the
direct object pronoun for “it.”) So, “I am having a good time.” = “Yo lo paso bien.” or
“They had a good time.” (←) = “Ellos lo pasaron bien.” DO NOT use such phrases as
(Yo tuve un buen tiempo.) or (Yo tuve divertido.) These sound extremely literal and are
about as awkward in Spanish as some Spanish-speaking saying “I diverted myself.” or “I
passed it well” in English. It doesn’t sound right!
17. To TRY
(tratar de ∞ ≈ intentar ≠ probar)
All three of these verbs means “to try.” The first is perhaps the most common. It
is a regular –ar verb used with another verb in the infinitive. “Yo trato de estudiar.” = “I
try to study.” “El trataba de abrir la puerta.” = “He was trying to open the door.”
“Intentar” is quite similiar but generally refers to a more purposeful action. “El intenta
meter el gol.” = “He attempts to make the goal.” “Yo intenté sacar una ‘A’” = “I tried to
get an ‘A’.” “Probar” on the other hand is very different. This means “to try out.” “Ella
prueba la enchilada de pollo.” = “She tries (or ‘tastes’) the chicken enchilada.” “Yo
pruebo la chaqueta.” = “I try on the jacket.” “Ellos probaron el carro.” = “They took the
car on a test drive.” Indeed, the word “prueba” (test, quiz, proof, evidence, trial) comes
from this verb.
18. To MISS
(perder ≠ extrañar)
Both of these verbs can mean “to miss,” but they’re very different. “Perder” is basically
“to lose.” (Normally, its opposite is “ganar,” which means “to win” or “to earn”)
“Perder” is also very often used as in “to lose an opportunity.” “I don’t want to miss my
show.” = “Yo no quiero perder mi programa.” “He missed the bus.” = “Él perdió el
autobús.” “She never misses class.” = “Ella nunca pierde clase.” “Extrañar” is used
when you “miss” (long for) something or someone you no longer have or is gone. “I
miss my mother.” = “Yo extraño a mi madre.” (A synonym of this, particularly in Spain,
is “echar de menos” (to-toss of less). Ex. “Yo echo de menos a mi madre.”) “He was
missing his own bed.” = Él extrañaba su propia cama.”
19. To RETURN
(volver ≠ devolver ≠ volverse ≠ volver a ∞ (infinitive)
All four of these verbs are built on the root verb “volver” (to return, to go back).
“Volver” has a synonym in Spanish – “regresar.” (pretty much interchangeable)
“Devolver,” on the other hand, requires a direct object. You have to have something to
give back to someone. For example, “He goes back to the library and returns the book.”
= “Él vuelve a la biblioteca y devuelve el libro.” The reflexive verb “volverse” means
“to turn around.” “He turns around and talks to the girl behind him.” = “Él se vuelve
(himself turns) y habla con la chica detrás de él.” “Volver a ∞” is an idiomatic
expression for doing something “again.” (to-return to do) “After going to the bathroom,
he goes back to playing basketball.” = Después de ir al baño, él vuelve a jugar al
básquetbol.”
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20. To SAVE
(rescatar ≈ salvar ≠ ahorrar ≈ guardar ≈ almacenar)
All of these verbs have something to with “to save.” “Rescatar” is “to rescue.”
“Salvar” means “to save” and can be a synonym. “Él rescató la niña del incendio.” Or
“Él salvó la niña del incendio.” = “He rescued/saved the girl from the fire.” “Salvar” has
a broader use such as in religious terminology or general “saving.” For example, “Jesús
salva almas.” = “Jesus saves souls.” or “Vamos a salvar la Tierra.” = “We’re going to
save the Earth.” “Ahorrar” is very different; it means to “save” something that would be
lost otherwise or “to save money.” “Yo ahorro dinero en mi cuenta de ahorros en el
banco.” = “I save money in my savings account in the bank.“ or “Yo hago una lista para
el supermercado para ahorrar tiempo.” = “I make a list for the supermarket to save
time.” “Guardar” means “to keep” or “to save” or “to guard.” “Almacenar” is similar,
but means more “to store up” or “to stockpile.” (save larger amounts) – Both “guardar”
and “almacenar” can be used in computing to “save” data.
21. To PLAY
(tocar ≠ jugar)
Both of these verbs mean “to play.” “Jugar” is to play a sport or a game. “Ella
juega vólibol.” = “She plays volleyball.” “Yo jugué al fútbol el año pasado.” = “I
played soccer last year.” “Tocar” means “to touch,” but also “to play” MUSIC. “Él toca
la guitarra.” = “He plays guitar.” “Ellos tocaban música todos los días.” = “They used
to play music every day.” See #5.i above for another very idiomatic use of “tocar.”
22. To KEEP vs To "KEEP ON" vs To FOLLOW (seguir ≠ conseguir ≠ perseguir)
Even though all three of these verbs have the “seguir” root, they’re different.
They are, however, conjugated exactly the same except for the prefix. “Seguir” means
“to follow,” “to keep on,” or “to continue.” “Yo lo sigo.” = “I’m following him.” “Yo
sigo con mis estudios.” = “I’m keeping on with my studies.” “Conseguir” means “to get”
as in “to receive something you were seeking to get” (a job, a purchase, etc.) It’s Spanish
synonyms are “recibir” and “obtener.” “Perseguir” means “to pursue” or “to chase” or
even “to stalk.” “Cazar” (to hunt) is a synonym.
23. To STAY
(quedarse ≠ quedarle ≠ quedar)
This is a varied verb. The reflexive “quedarse” = “to stay.” For example, “Me
quedo con mi amigo los sábados por la noche.” = “I stay with with friend on Saturday
nights.” “Nos quedamos en un hotel de lujo en la playa.” = “We stayed in a luxury hotel
on the beach.”
“Quedarle” on the other hand, functions like the “gustar” –like verbs up in #5. It
means “to remain” or “to have left.” For example, “Nos quedan dos meses en el
semestre.” = (to-us remain two months in the semester) = “We have two months left in
the semester.” “Me quedan dos oraciones en el examen.” = “I’ve got two sentences left
in the test.” This verb also can be used to express “something looking good on
someone.” “Las gafas de sol te quedan bien.” = “The sunglasses look good on you.”
“Le queda bien el vestido.” = “The dress looks good on her.”
Yet another somewhat more obscure meaning of “quedar” is to use it alone. It
means “to agree on a time to meet” or “to be located.” Synonomous with “estar.”
“Quedamos en reunirnos a las dos.” = “We agree to meet at two.” Also, “El hotel queda
en la playa.” = “The hotel is on the beach.”
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24. To REALIZE
(darse cuenta ≠ realizar)
Both of these verbs mean “to realize” but are often misused. The (by far) most
common meaning of “to realize” is to “come into awareness,” to “have the ‘light bulb’ in
your brain come on,” to “know for sure.” You CAN’T use the Spanish verb “realizar”
for that meaning. It has a much more limited, specialized meaning – “to bring to reality.”
For example, “He realized (made real, true) his dreams” is “Él realizó sus sueños.” The
correct Spanish verb is the (highly idiomatic and reflexive) verb "darse cuenta." (to-giveoneself account) For example, “I realize that I need to study after two ‘Ds’.” = “Yo me
doy cuenta de que necesito estudiar después de dos notas de ‘D’.” (I myself give account
of that I-need to-study after of two grades of ‘D’.”
25. To CALL vs BE-CALLED
(llamar ≠ llamarse ≈ “one’s name is”)
“Llamar” basically means “to call.” “The mother calls to her children.” = “La madre
llama a sus hijos.” (whether she’s doing it by shouting out in person or by calling on the
phone – it’s often best to clarify when it’s a phone call by adding “por teléfono” after a
form of llamar if that is indeed the case) The reflexive verb “llamarse” (to-call-oneself)
usually has to do with naming. “Yo me llamo Juan.” = “I’m called Juan.” (I myself call
Juan.) Idiomatically, there’s little difference between that and “My name is Juan.” BUT,
the MOST COMMON and aggravating “novice Spanish student mistake” is to think that
“Yo me llamo Juan” literally means “My name is Juan.” So, you get the classic “boo
boo” that so many new students make – “Me llamo es Juan.” (Myself I-call is Juan)
Please, please don’t commit this error! Either identify yourself as “Me llamo ___” or
“Mi nombre es___.”
26. SHOULD; OUGHT; SUPPOSED vs. To OWE
deber (used before another verb) ≠ deber (alone)
The verb “deber” by itself means “to owe.” “I owe you five dollars.” = “Yo te
debo cinco dólares.” It is a “regular –er ending” verb, so, in the past, “He owed us a lot.”
= “Él nos debía mucho.”
Used with a second verb in the same clause, it is an entirely different verb! In the
present tense, it means “should,” “ought” or “supposed to.” In the past, the most
common translation is “was/were supposed to.” For example, “I should study.” = “Yo
debo estudiar.” “He ought to go.” = “Él debe ir.” “We are supposed to pay attention.” =
“Debemos prestar atención.” “They were supposed to be there.” = “Ellos debían estar
allí.”
27. To WEAR
(llevar ≈ usar)
“Llevar” basically means “to carry” or "to take somewhere." It can also mean "to be
wearing" at the moment. Although "usar" basically means "to use" and one "uses" it
exactly that way in Spanish - it also can mean "to wear" but in a general sense, not
necessarily at the present moment. For example, "She wears retro clothing, but is
wearing a uniform now." = "Ella usa ropa retro, pero lleva un uniforme ahora."
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28. To STOP (parar ≈ dejar de)
“Parar” basically means “to stop one's motion forward." "He stops the bus at bus
stops." = "Él para el autobús en las paradas de autobús." "Dejar (de)" means "to stop
doing something." "The kids stop talking when they get on his bus." = "Los niños dejan
de hablar cuando suben su autobús." (Compare "dejar" with its other uses in #8 above.)
29. To GET
"To GET" is probably the MOST CONFUSING (i.e. most "idiomatic") verb in
English to try to translate to Spanish. There are MANY verbs in Spanish that partially or
totally mean "get" in English. One of the first of many English meanings is "to receive"
"to obtain" or "to acquire." Spanish also has several verbs that fit that meaning - "recibir"
"obtener" "adquirir" and "conseguir." But be careful to not use "get in any other way
than to show "coming into possession of something new," be it a new car, new job, new
boyfriend or iPad.
A more pervasive use of "to get" in English has to do with CHANGING
something about yourself, (such as your physical position, mood, status, etc.) which in
Spanish is accomplished with REFLEXIVE verbs. For example, after sitting or lying
down, "I get up." In Spanish, one says "Yo me levanto." (I myself raise.) The list goes
on...
There are other many IDIOMATIC usages of "to get." Often you just have to use
a more SPECIFIC verb in Spanish to carry the idea. Remember the difference between
"idiomatic" and (literal). Note the sheer variety of different verbs in English used to
render "to get."
Idiomatic English
Idiomatic Spanish
Literal English (of the Spanish)
I get dressed.
I get sad.
I've got to go.
I don't get along with her.
How can I get there?
I got as far as page 12.
I never get an answer.
Get out of here!
I don't get it.
What gets me is why he did it.
Please get the doctor!!
Can you get me the scissors?
I want to get to know him.
I want to get a job.
I want to get revenge.
I need to get my weight down.
Yo me visto.
(I myself dress.)
Yo me pongo triste.
(I myself put sad.)
Tengo que irme.
(I-have "to" go-myself.)
Yo no me llevo bien con ella.
(I not myself carry well with her.)
¿Cómo puedo llegar allí?
(How can-I arrive there?)
Yo llegué hasta la página 12.
(I arrived until the page 12.)
Nunca me contestan.
(Never me they-answer)
¡Sal de aquí!
(Leave of here!)
Yo no entiendo.
(I not understand.)
Lo que me molesta es por qué lo hizo. ("that which me bothers...)
¡Por favor, llame al médico!
(Please, call the doctor!)
¿Me puedes buscar las tijeras?
(Me can-you look-for the scissors?)
Yo quiero conocerlo.
(I want to-be-acquainted-him.)
Yo quiero conseguir un trabajo.
(I want to-receive a job.)
You quiero vengarme.
(I want to-avenge-myself.)
Yo necesito bajar de peso.
(I need to-lower of weight.)
I saw her the night she got killed.
I can't get it out of my mind.
Let's get on to the questions.
Yo la vi la noche que fue asesinado.
No me lo puedo quitar de la mente.
Pasemos a las preguntas.
(I her saw the night that was murdered.)
(Not me it I-can take-out of the mind.)
(may-we-pass to the questions.)
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