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votes
4 answers
When to use "que" and "de que"
Español
En ciertas oraciones no sé si es más correcto usar que o de que. ¿Cuáles son las reglas para utilizar que/de que?
Ejemplos:
Estoy seguro que me fue bien.
Estoy seguro de que me fue bien.
English
In some sentences I don't know when it is…
dusan
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5 answers
When is uppercase used in English but lowercase in Spanish?
There are many cases where English uses capital letters (e.g. January) but Spanish uses lowercase (e.g. enero). Grammar or orthography books have long lists of all the cases where capital letters are used. But I thought it would be useful to see a…
jrdioko
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25
votes
6 answers
"Está hecho de..." why not "es hecho de"?
I've seen "Está hecho de ..." used to mean "It's made of ...".
Why is the verb estar and not ser? Isn't this an adjective that's permanent and not going to change?
I can understand phrases like "la puerta está abierta" because that's a temporary…
Nathan Greenstein
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24
votes
3 answers
Why do we say "Qué hora es" instead of "Qué hora está"?
I was taught that está is used in certain contexts meaning a temporary state (like emotion). Isn't "time" always temporary in that it is constantly changing? If so, why don't we use está instead of es?
David G
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24
votes
6 answers
Difference between "por" and "para"
Even after taking 4 years of college Spanish and living abroad, I still don't have a very firm control of when to use por or para. What are the basic rules on when to use either.
Eric Di Bari
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24
votes
3 answers
How do I know whether to attach a direct object pronoun to the infinitive?
I often struggle to decide what sounds right when I need to use direct object pronouns. Lessons on these pronouns have not been much help because they teach that when using a direct object pronoun it is okay to either leave it on its own or attach…
aedia λ
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24
votes
4 answers
What's the correct way to say printed?
What's the preferred past participle of imprimir, imprimido or impreso?
For example:
He imprimido el email que me enviaste.
He impreso / Tengo impreso el email que me enviaste.
Alfredo Osorio
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23
votes
6 answers
"Vaso de agua" or "vaso con agua"? Which is correct?
English
What's the correct way to express that something "serves as a container for something else"?
Example:
¿Quieres un vaso de/con agua?
Should we use de or con? Are both correct? Why?
If we use "de" it could be interpreted as the material of…
Alfredo Osorio
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23
votes
2 answers
What is the history of the "personal a"?
What is the historical origin of the "personal a" in Spanish?
Examples of the personal a:
George sees Mary. -> Jorge ve a María.
I see the waitress. -> Veo a la mesera.
But with the exact same sentence structure, the 'a' is omitted when…
Flimzy
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23
votes
3 answers
Why are certain words ending in "a" masculine?
English:
I'm referring to words like "el tema" or "el lema". Most words ending in "a" are feminine.
This is actually the opposite of a similar question,
¿Por qué es la palabra «mano» femenina?
Spanish:
Me refiero a palabras como "el tema" o "el…
Tom Au
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23
votes
2 answers
Is the use of @ instead of 'a' or 'o' in order to refer to both masculine and feminine accepted?
I have seen several times the use of @ instead of 'a' or 'o' for referring to masculine and feminine words at the same time. For example:
Hola a tod@s.
Is this an accepted use?
J. Calleja
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23
votes
9 answers
Difference between "computadora" and "ordenador"
Español
Vi un cartel fuera de una tienda que decía: "Computadoras y ordenadores" en un cuadro "cubano" fuera de New York City,
En un principio, creo que ambas palabras significan "computer". Pero, ¿hay alguna sutil diferencia entre las dos, por…
Tom Au
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23
votes
11 answers
How do you say a "shot" referring to alcohol?
What are some common ways of saying a shot of liquor? This can be referring to a small, usually 1 to 2 ounce drink taken all at once or can be a measure of liquor.
For example:
I ordered a round of shots for the table.
We took a shot of…
Rachel
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23
votes
2 answers
Why is it 'Santo' Tomás/Domingo, not 'san'?
As far as I know, those two are the only exceptions. Is there a particular reason for this?
Voriki
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23
votes
10 answers
What is the symbol "&" called in Spanish?
The symbol & is a representation of the Latin word et (see DPD, Appendix 4). Wikipedia claims that the symbol itself is called et; however, the DRAE's entry for et doesn't list the symbol as a meaning of the word, and I have never heard anybody use…
J. Calleja
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