This is a word that falls into the false friends category. Lectura does not mean lecture. It is closely tied with the word escritura in that it refers to reading. Lectura, escritura y arithmética. Reading, writing and arithmetic.

Lectura de las palmas would be a palm reading. But, to read is leer. The gerund reading would be leyendo. Therefore lectura is the noun reading, whereas leyendo is the verb in the gerund form, reading.

Most people, whether they know Spanish or not, will recognize the word casa but hogar is not as well known.

Both refer to the place you live. Casa is a house. Hogar is a home.

Two other words perhaps a little less familiar are domicilio and morada.

Domicilio would be more of a legal term for residence.

Morada is a place where someone lives.

Escritura has several different meanings.

When your teacher is talking about your escritura they are referring to your handwriting or manner of writing.

When a judge is asking to see your property deed he will ask for your escritura.

When a pastor is talking about the Bible he may call it the Escrituras. Often it will be in the phrase Holy Scriptures which would be Sagradas Escrituras. 

Consuegro is a word we don’t even have an equivalent for in English. A person’s consuegro would be the father-in-law to that person’s son or daughter.

For example: if my son José were married to Maria, then Maria’s parents would be my consuegros. Two mother-in-laws would be consuegras with one another.

I think those are the hardest words to learn, those which have no English equivalent.

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 to do with sucking smoke down your throat.

As a bonus, do you know what a bow tie is called? Moño or pajarita.

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.