Reaching into the medical vocabulary is always intimidating. This week I am assisting a medical team by doing some basic translating. It is amazing to me how that there are many common words we use almost every day in English that I have no idea as to how to say in Spanish. Today I had […]

I thought clavado had something to do with nails–clavos–which it does. To hammer or drive in a nail is clavar. It can also mean to be stuck to something like having been nailed. But what got me to thinking about clavado is when I saw it used at a swimming pool. The word clavado is […]

When we get our visa renewed we have to send it to Mexico City for a prórroga. Prórroga is an extension. It can mean a renewal, but more specifically it means to add time to something. It is also used for overtime work. Prorrogar is to extend or postpone. It can mean to delay or […]

Tonight we are going to hear a guitarist. It is a special occasion and therefore I will wear a suit (traje). The suit coat is called a saco. It can also be a sports coat. Saco has some meanings outside of a fancy piece of clothing which does not seem to fit with a suit […]

Some words one can just look at and guess approximately what it is, not with these. Escoba is a broom. Barrer is what you do with a broom, to sweep.

Promedio is the average or middle of something. While there is nothing too exciting about the noun promedio, I thought it was interesting to find there was a verb, promediar. It means to divide in two or to mediate.

Manar means to flow or to pour forth. The idea is that it is something that comes out quickly like to gush. Figuratively it means to abound. A friend of mine used manar last week while he was teaching a class. I have never heard the word used that I can remember outside of this […]