Like the word comprehend in English, this word has to do with grasping or taking hold of something. It is used to mean to understand. In reality it carries with it the idea that the English idiom “wrap your head around something” tries to convey.
It also means to include or comprise of certain substances, contain.

No, I am not talking about the verb, rather the noun. A traje de smoking, or commonly just called smoking, is a tuxedo. It is also commonly spelled esmoquin. When we were in language school it took us a while to figure out that “renta de smoking” had to do with renting tuxedos and nothing […]

Ver, mirar and buscar all deal with different aspects of seeing.
Ver is to see.
And mirar is to look at or watch.
But buscar is to look for.
I hope to see (ver) the person I am looking for (buscar) while watching (mirar) this performance.

If you are more than a 3rd day student of Spanish, you certainly know that papel is the word for paper. But it also has another meaning that is quite interesting. It means role, as in, to play a role. Someone’s part in a play or set of actions is their papel.
I think of the […]

Bateria has been a fascinating word because it means many things and there are several ways to talk about what we call batteries in English.
If you are talking about a car battery you could call it a batería, but more commonly it is called an acumulador in Mexico. A flashlight battery has the name pila […]

Most often used to mean available. For example, a billboard will often say disponible with a phone number to the side. This simply means that it is available for rent.
The word can also be used to mean that something is ready, though there is another word typically translated as ready…listo.
The idea of being at someone’s […]

This word means rubber. Goma is used as well. Hule is a word that I associate more with the rubber that is used in cars. This association comes because when I needed some rubber and felt window seals for my car, I was sent to a casa de hule. There are many of them around […]

There are many ways to say gift in Spanish.

Regalo 
Dádiva
Obsequio
Presente
Memoria
Recuerdo
Gratificación

Each one has its own nuances, but they all can be used to mean a present or gift. In my research, I found other words that I had never heard before, such as: agasajo and legado. It will be interesting to study those words too.

A common way to say accident would be accidente. Another way to say it, with an emphasis on the negative nature of it, is percance. It carries with it the idea of a mishap or misfortune.
The dictionary defines mishap as an unfortunate accident. That very much rings true with the meaning of percance.
I first heard […]

When I started running for exercise a while back I was surprised at the odd use of the word atletismo (atleta, atlético). As a US American, I have always heard the word used to mean sports in general. But through learning Spanish I have found out that the word specifically is used to mean track […]