Madrigals Magic Key to Spanish (161 page)

Some words require accents when they are used in exclamations or in questions.

Acabar de (plus infinitive),
to have just

Acabo de llegar,
I have just arrived

Adiós,
good-by

A pesar de,
in spite of

¡Apúrese!
Hurry up!
(Mex.)

Bueno,
O.K., all right

Buenos días,
good morning

Buenas noches,
good evening, good night

¡Buena suerte!
Good luck!

Buenas tardes,
good afternoon

Claro,
of course
(
clear
)

Claro que no,
of course not

Cómo no,
of course
(
how not
)

Como usted quiera,
as you wish, as you like

Con mucho gusto,
with much pleasure, I’d be delighted

Con razón,
no wonder
(
with reason
)

¿Cuánto va a durar?
How long is it going to last?

Cuidado,
take care, watch out, look out

Cuídese,
take care of yourself

Dar la mano,
to shake hands
(
to give the hand
)

Dejar de (plus infinitive),
to stop

Dejó de verlo,
she stopped seeing him

De nada,
you are welcome
(
of nothing
)

¡Dése prisa!
Hurry up!
(
Give yourself haste!
)

Despacio,
slow
(road sign)

¿De veras?
Really? Is that so?

Dicho y hecho,
no sooner said than done

Duerma bien,
sleep well

Echar la culpa,
to blame
(
to throw the fault
)

Échemelo,
toss it to me

El gusto es para mí,
the pleasure is mine

Encantado (masc.), encantada (fem.),
delighted, enchanted

Es muy divertido,
it’s very amusing

Espantoso,
ghastly

Espero que se divierta,
I hope you’ll have a good time

Espero que se mejore,
I hope you, he she will get better

Está a cargo de,
he’s in charge of

Esta vez,
this time

¡Figúrese!
Just imagine!
(
figure!
)

Gracias,
thank you

güero, (masc.), güera, (fem.),
blond
(slang, Mex.)

Hacer caso,
to pay attention
(
to make a case
)

Hecho a mano,
hand made

Haga caso,
pay attention
(
make a case

Hágalo pronto,
do it right away

Hágame un favor,
do me a favor

Hasta luego,
good-by, so long
(
till later
)

¡Imagínese!
Just imagine!

La echo de menos,
I miss her

Lléveselo,
take it away

Lo echo de menos,
I miss you
(masc.),
him, it

Lo siento,
I’m sorry, I feel it

Lo volví a ver,
I saw him again

Más o menos,
more or less

Más vale tarde que nunca,
better late than never

Me alegro,
I’m glad

Me alegro de verlo (verla),
I’m glad to see you

Me cayó en gracia,
it amused me

Me da lástima,
I feel sorry for him, her, it
(
it gives me pity
)

Me divertí,
I had a good time

Me duele,
it hurts me

Me duele la cabeza,
my head aches
(
my head hurts me
)

Me hace falta,
I miss you, him, her, it

Mejor dicho,
better said

Meter la pata.
to stick your foot in it

Mire,
look

Muchas gracias,
thank you very much

Mucho gusto,
how do you do
(on being introduced)

No es justo,
it isn’t fair
(
it isn’t just
)

No hay de que,
you are welcome
(
there is not for what
)

No importa,
it doesn’t matter

No le hace,
it doesn’t matter

No lo haga,
don’t do it, stop it

No me ande con esas,
don’t come around with that, don’t give me that stuff

¡No me lo diga!
Don’t tell me!

No se moleste,
don’t bother, don’t trouble yourself

No se preocupe,
don’t worry

No se tarde,
don’t be long

Nos vemos,
I’ll be seeing you
(
we’ll be seeing each other
)

No tiene razón,
you’re wrong
(
you haven’t reason
)

Otra vez,
again

Para peores cuentas,
to make things worse

Parece mentira,
it doesn’t seem possible
(
it seems like a lie
)

Parece que va a llover,
it looks as if it’s going to rain

Pase adelante,
come in

Peligro,
danger
(road sign)

Permítame,
allow me

Permítame presentarle a mi amigo,
allow me to present my friend
(
to you
)

Plata, slang for
money
(
silver
)

Poco a poco,
little by little

Por nada,
you are welcome

Por supuesto,
of course
(
supposed
)

Quédese,
stay

¡Qué extraño!
How strange!

¿Qué hay de nuevo?
What’s new?

Qué lástima,
what a shame, what a pity

¿Qué le hace?
What does it matter?

¿Qué le parece?
What do you think of that!

¿Qué pasó?
What happened, what’s up?

¡Qué raro!
How strange!
(
How rare!
)

¿Qué se le ofrece?
What can I offer you?
(
What can be offered to you?
)

¡Qué sorpresa!
What a surprise!

Qué va,
of course not

Rascacielos,
skyscraper
(
sky scratcher
)

Salió bien,
it came out well
(
it went out well
)

Salud, (
health
),
God bless you
(a word you say when someone sneezes, and also a toast)

Seguro,
sure

Se me hizo tarde,
I’m late
(
it made itself late for me
)

Se me olvidó,
I forgot, I forgot it

¿Se puede?
May I? May I come in?

Siéntese, por favor,
sit down, please

Sin falta,
without fail

¿Tan pronto?
So soon?

¿Tan temprano?
So early?

Tengo un compromiso,
I have an appointment

Tiene razón,
you’re right
(
you have reason
)

Todo el mundo,
everybody
(
all the world
)

Tráigamelo,
bring it to me

Tratar de (plus infinitive)
to try to

Traté de verlo,
I tried to see him

Unas veces,
sometimes

Volver a (plus infinitive),
to do again

Volví a hacerlo,
I did it again

Ya,
already, now

Ya lo creo,
of course
(
now I believe it
)

Ya no,
no more, any more

Ya no puedo,
I can’t any more

Ya no puedo nadar,
I can’t swim any more

Ya terminé,
I’m through now
(
I already finished
)

Ya vino,
he’s here now
(
he already came
)

Ya voy,
I’m coming
(
I’m going now
)

Dar gato por liebre,
to cheat
(
to give a cat instead of a hare
)

Dejarlo plantado,
to stand him up
(
to leave him planted
),
to leave him waiting
(a date)

Echar la casa por la ventana,
to spend a lot of money on a party
(
to throw the house out the window
)

Echar una cana al aire,
to sow wild oats
(
to throw a white hair to the winds
)

Está entre la espada y la pared,
he’s between the devil and the deep blue sea
(
he’s between the sword and the wall
)

Habla hasta por los codos,
he, she talks all the time
(
he talks even through his elbows
)

Lo cogió con las manos en la masa,
she caught him red-handed
(
she caught him with his hands in the bread dough
)

Le tomó el pelo,
she pulled his leg
(
she took him by the hair
)

Le vió la oreja,
she made a fool of him
(
she saw his donkey ear
)

Ni a tiros,
not under any circumstance

No lo haría ni a tiros,
I wouldn’t do it under any circumstance
(
I wouldn’t do it even by bullets, I wouldn’t do it even if bullets were singing at my heels
)

Sabe a gloria,
it’s delicious
(
it tastes like heaven, glory
)

Se metió en camisa de once varas,
he bit off more than he could chew
(
he got into an eleven yard shirt
)

Se puso como fiera,
he got furious
(
he got like a wild beast
)

Soltar una carcajada,
to laugh, to guffaw
(
to release a belly laugh
)

Un rompecabezas,
a puzzle
(
a head breaker, a skull cracker
)

a
, to, at (time);
a la una
, at one

o’clock;
a las dos
, at two o’clock

abajo
, down, downstairs

abdominal
, abdominal

abogado, m
. lawyer

abominable
, abominable

abrazar
, to hug, to embrace

abrazo, m
. hug, embrace

abreviación, f
. abbreviation

abrigo, m
. coat

abril, m
. April

abrir
, to open

absolutamente
, absolutely

absoluto, -a
, absolute

absorber
, to absorb

abstención, f
. abstention

abstener
, to abstain

abstinencia, f
. abstinence

abstracción, f
. abstraction

abstracto, -a
, abstract

abuela, f
. grandmother

abuelo, m
. grandfather

abundancia, f
. abundance

abundante
, abundant

abusivo, -a
, abusive

acabo (de)
, I have just;
acabo de ver
, I have just seen

académico, -a
, academic

accesible
, accessible

accidental
, accidental

accidente, m
. accident

acción, f
. action

aceituna, f
. olive

acelerador, m
. accelerator

aceptable
, acceptable

aceptar
, to accept

acera, f
. sidewalk

acercarse
, to get close

acompañamiento, m
. accompaniment

acordar
, to remind

acordarse
, to remember

acordeón, m
. accordion

acostarse
, to go to bed, to lie down

acrobático, -a
, acrobatic

actividad, f
. activity

activo, -a
, active

acto, m
. act

actor, m
. actor;
actor de cine
, movie actor

actriz, f
. actress

acuático, -a
, aquatic

acumulación, f
. accumulation

acumulando
, accumulating

acumular
, to accumulate

acusación, f
. accusation

acusar
, to accuse

adaptable
, adaptable

adelante
, forward;
pase adelante
, come in

adhesión, f
. adhesion

adhesivo, -a
, adhesive;
tela adhesiva
, adhesive tape

adjetivo, m
. adjective

administración, f
. administration

admirable
, admirable

admiración, f
. admiration

admirar
, to admire

admisible
, admissible

adolescencia, f
. adolescence

adolescente
, adolescent

adopción, f
. adoption

adorable
, adorable

adoración, f
. adoration

adorar
, to adore

adulación, f
. adulation

adversario, m
. adversary

adversidad, f
. adversity

aeronáutico, -a
, aeronautic

aeropuerto, m
. airport

afable
, affable

afeitarse
, to shave

afinidad, f
. affinity

afirmación, f
. affirmation

afirmar
, to affirm

afortunado, -a
, fortunate

agencia, f
. agency

agente, m
. agent

agilidad, f
. agility

agitación, f
. agitation

agitar
, to agitate

agnóstico, -a
, agnostic

agonía, f
. agony

agosto, m
. August

agradable
, agreeable, nice

agradecer
, to be grateful for

agradecimiento, m
. gratitude, appreciation

agresivo, -a
, aggressive

agresor, m
. aggressor

agricultura, f
. agriculture

agua, f
. water;
el agua
, the water (use masc. article)

aire, m
. air

ajv, m
. garlic

al
, to the, at the, on the;
al cuarto para las tres
, at a (the) quarter to three;
al contrario
, on the contrary;
al fin
, finally

Alberto
, Albert

alcalde, m
. mayor

alcohol, m
. alcohol

alegórico, -a
, allegorical

alegrarse
, to be glad;
me alegro
, I’m glad

alfombra, f
. the rug

Alicia
, Alice

alistarse
, to get ready

almohada, f
. pillow

armamento, m
. armament

almorzar
, to have lunch

almuerzo, m
. lunch

alquilar
, to rent

alternativo
, alternative

alto, -a
, tall

amarillo, -a
, yellow

ambición, f
. ambition

ambicioso, -a
, ambitious

ambulancia, f
. ambulance

América
, America;
América del Sur
, South America;
América Latina
, Latin America

amigo, -a
, friend

amor, m
. love

amoroso, -a
, amorous

amputación, f
. amputation

amputar
, to amputate

analogía, f
. analogy

anatomía, f
. anatomy

andar
, to walk

anduve
, I walked

anémico, -a
, anemic

ángel, m
. angel

angélico, -a
, angelic

animación, f
. animation

animal, m
. animal

animar
, to animate

aniversario, m
. anniversary

año, m
. year

anoche
, last night

antena, f
. antenna

antenoche
, night before last

antes (de)
, before

anticipación, f
. anticipation

anticipando
, anticipating

anticipar
, to anticipate

antier
, day before yesterday

antiséptico, m
. antiseptic

antología, f
. anthology

Antonio
, Anthony

anual
, annual

anunciar
, to advertise, to announce

anuncio, m
. advertisement

apagar
, to put out (light)

aparente
, apparent

apio, m
. celery

aplaudiendo
, applauding

aplaudir
, to applaud

apostar
, to bet

apreciación, f
. appreciation

apreciar
, to appreciate

aprehender
, to arrest

aprender
, to learn

apretar
, to squeeze

aprieto, m
. a jam, a tight spot;
aprieto
, I squeeze

aprisa
, fase

aprobar
, to approve

aproximación, f
. approximation

aproximar
, to approximate

apuesta, f
. bet

apurarse
, to hurry

apúrese
, hurry up

árbol, m
. tree

archivar
, to file (letters)

archivo, m
. file (letters)

ardor, m
. ardor

Argentina, f
. Argentina

argumento, m
. plot (of a play, book, etc.)

aristocracia, f
. aristocracy

aristocrático, -a
, aristocratic

aromático, -a
, aromatic

arqueología, f
. archeology

arquitecto, m
. architect

arquitectura, f
. architecture

arreglar
, to arrange

arreglo, m
. arrangement

arrepentirse
, to repent

arrogancia, f
. arrogance

arrogante
, arrogant

arroz, m
, rice

arsenal, m
. arsenal

arsénico, m
. arsenic

artículo, m
. article

artificial
, artificial

artista, m., f.
, artist

artístico, -a
, artistic

ascender
, to ascend, to climb

asiento, m
. seat

asistencia, f
. assistance, attendance

asistido
, attended

asistiendo
, attending

asistir
, to attend

asociación, f
. association

asociar
, to associate

aspecto, m
. aspect

aspiración, f
. aspiration

aspirar
, to aspire

aspirina, f
. aspirin

astringente, m
. astringent

astronomía, f
. astronomy

astuto, -a
, astute

asustarse
, to get frightened;
no se asuste
, don’t get frightened

atacar
, to attack

atención, f
. attention

atender
, to attend, to take care of

Atlántico, m
. Atlantic

atómico, -a
, atomic

atractivo, -a
, attractive

atraer
, to attract

atravesar
, to cross

atreverse
, to dare

atribuir
, to attribute

atributo, m
. attribute

atrocidad, f
. atrocity

auditor, m
. auditor

aunque
, even though

aureomicina, f
. aureomycin

ausencia, f
. absence

austeridad, f
. austerity

auténtico, -a
, authentic

auto, m
. auto

autobiografía, f
. autobiography

autobús, m
. bus

autocrático, -a
, autocratic

automático, -a
, automatic

automóvil, m
. automobile

autor, m
. author

autoridad, f
. authority

autorización, f
. authorization

avenida, f
. avenue

aventura, f
. adventure

aversión, f
. aversion

aviación, f
. aviation

avión, m
. airplane

ay
, alas;
ay
, equivalent of “oh”;
ay no
, oh no;
ay sí
, oh yes

ayer
, yesterday

ayudar
, to help, to aid

azúcar
, sugar

azul
, blue