grammar
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The Hidden Logic of the Spanish Subjunctive
In the previous article we saw that the subjunctive is not really about time. What it signals is something subtler: the speaker’s distance from reality. Once you start looking at Spanish through that lens, something interesting happens. The long lists… Continue reading
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Say More with Less: Datives in Spanish
[Para español, ver abajo.] This article explores a subtle yet powerful feature in Spanish grammar—dative of interest. It involves optional particles that add nuance, emotion, and naturalness—helping you sound more like a native speaker. The dative of interest (me, te,… Continue reading
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Riqueza do português brasileiro
[Bajar para español.] [Scroll down for English. ] O português brasileiro, um tesouro linguístico com características únicas, desafia aqueles acostumados à fonética mais estável e às estruturas gramaticais mais uniformes de idiomas como o espanhol. Nesta exploração, vamos analisar as… Continue reading
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Cuando el español se cuela en tu inglés
Como hispanohablantes, nuestro aprendizaje del inglés sigue patrones que a veces ayudan, pero también generan transferencias negativas. Por ejemplo, omitimos palabras: “Today [it] is raining”, “She is [a] teacher”, “Explain [to] me what you said”. También confundimos estructuras: “I am… Continue reading
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The Subjunctive Isn’t About Time (and That’s the Problem)
The subjunctive mood in Spanish expresses doubt, subjectivity, uncertainty, and hypothetical situations. It allows speakers to step outside of fact and into interpretation, adding nuance when talking about feelings, desires, reactions, or possibilities. Understanding how it works is essential for achieving fluency and… Continue reading
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Say More with Less: The Power of «Se»
[Para español, ver abajo.] This article explores a subtle yet powerful feature in Spanish grammar—aspectual se. It adds nuance and naturalness, helping you sound more like a native speaker. Aspectual se uses reflexive pronouns (me, te, se, nos, os) with… Continue reading
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¿El agua o la agua?
[For English, see below] ¿Sabías que en español existe un artículo femenino especial para palabras que comienzan con el sonido /a/ tónico como “el agua” “el hacha”, y “el águila«? Aunque hoy es un vestigio del pasado, en castellano medieval era una práctica común llamada elisión. Un… Continue reading
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One Clock, Two Grammars
Why do we say «es la una» but «son las dos» in Spanish… and yet in English everything collapses into “it’s one”, “it’s two”? It seems like a small inconsistency, but it raises a better question: what is each language… Continue reading
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Mistakes When Learning Brazilian Portuguese
For frequent mistakes in Spanish, click here. If you’re on your browser, open the below image in a separate tab for best resolution. Another frequent mistake by Portuguese language learners is the formation of plurals with words ending in -l – click the… Continue reading
