Desafiar is to challenge. It can also mean to stand up to.
In English we see these as two different sides of the same conflict. One person challenges and the other one stands up to the challenge.

Aula is a classroom. Also the words salón and clase are used. But clase is used more to mean the people, not the classroom.
On the university level aula is used to mean a hall, as in a lecture hall.

Sangre, as you probably know, is blood. It is the noun form.
The verb is sangrar, to bleed.
Bleeding, the gerund, is sangrando.
And the adjective bloody is sangriento.

Walking through an office supply store today I ran into a section of estuches para discos. Just looking at them, I knew what they were, but certainly the word estuche was a new one for me. Estuche is a case. I was looking at CD cases at the store today.

Aún (with the accent) means still. If it is used in a negative sentence it means yet. For example: Aún estamos aquí is We are still here. But Aún no fueron is They have not left yet.
However, aun (without the accent) is even. Therefore the example of Aun cuando fueron is Even though they left.
With […]

Can you guess what adivinar means? That’s right.
Adivinar means to guess. Conjetura is a conjecture. And suponer is to suppose.

Repente means a burst (of speed) or a fit (as in going wild). Most commonly this word is used in the phrase “de repente,” which means suddenly.
I had thought the term de repente meant maybe or perhaps, but since I have been in Mexico I have heard it used to mean immediately or all of […]

Rompecabezas does not have anything to do with head banging music that you listened to in high school. Rompecabezas can be any type of puzzle or riddle, but most commonly used to indicate a jigsaw puzzle.

Mueble is furniture.
A mueblería is a furniture store. 

Merienda is a new word that I picked up today. It means a mid-afternoon snack. Or what some people would call tea.
This would be related to almuerzo which is a mid-morning snack. Sometimes almuerzo is used to mean lunch.
Both can be verbs too. Merienda is the noun and merendar is the verb. Almorzar is the […]