Author: Spanish Ace

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face: la cara, el rostro

la cara

  • la cara: face, countenance
  • jugar a cara o cruz: (when tossing a coin, “heads or tails”, but “face or cross”)

el rostro

  • el rostro: the pointed side of a ship; human face
  • rostro a rostro: face to face

Cuando juego a cara o cruz prefiero ver mi oponente rostro a rostro.
When I play heads or tails I prefer to see my opponent face to face.

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evidence: evidencia

–¡Capitán! Toda la evidencia sugiere que fuera un ataque hecho por monos. Mire todas estas cáscaras de plátano. ¿Qué piensa usted?–

“Captain! All evidence suggests that it was a monkey attack. Look at all these plantain skins. What do you think?”

evidencia

–No te des vergüenza. Aquí no había ningún plátano. Solamente veo cáscaras de banana.–

“Don’t embarrass yourself. There were no plantains. I only see banana skins.”

El diccionario dice…banana

Personally, I thought banana was like Florida, Colorado, California–just another word borrowed from Spanish and so often used by English speakers no one recognized its origin. Apparently, however, it is a word that Spanish and Portuguese explorers borrowed when they brought the banana with them from Africa to the New World in 1516. “Banana” was perhaps originally from the Wolof language, spoken in West Africa.
Either way, Spanish has apparently adopted it like French has adopted the word “jeans”. While some may argue the two words can be used interchangeably, for me there is a difference in flavor between what English speakers traditionally recognize as a banana and the flavor of a plantain.
For more info, visit https://www.etymonline.com/word/banana

DARSE VERGÜENZA and a note on –güe–

In Spanish “ge” and “gi” sound exactly like “je” and “ji”, (“ají” and “agí” sound exactly alike). If you want the “g” sound before an “e” or “i”, you put an “u” in the middle. For example, in “águila”, the “g” in the “gui” sounds like the “g” in “gato”. Here the “u” is a silent “u” (like the u in “queso”)

If you want that the “u” in “gue” or “gui” having a sound, you put the dots over it.

So:

  • “ge” has 2 sounds (“j” and “e”)
  • “gue” has 2 sounds (“g” and “e”)
  • and “güe” has 3 sounds (“g”, “u” and “e” )

In Spanish “u” and “ü” have the same sound.

(taken from spanishdict.com)

In other news…

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duck: el pato

  1. duck: el pato
  2. duckling: el patito
  3. to duck: agacharse (to bow down); esconderse (to hide oneself)

A mí no me gusta comer el pato. La carne siempre tiene demasiado pingüe (fat) para mí.

El patito sí sabe nadar, pero nunca aprenderá a caminar derecho.

Cuando hay examen, los estudiantes se agachan en las sillas y algunos se esconden debajo de la mesa.

 

 

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carnivore: carnívoro

La hermana de mi esposa era carnívora, se convirtió a ser fitófaga*, pero este fin de semana va a comer la carne de nuevo.

*fitófago es una persona que come una dieta vegeteriana