Commonly Confused Words Flashcards
cuestionar
to question (philosophically)
hacer una pregunta
to ask a questino
pedir
to ask for
preguntar
to ask a question
preguntar por
to ask about (a person or thing)
convertirse en + noun
Trannsformarse en + noun
some object changes into another (becomes). I.e. El agua se convirtio en hielo.
Hacerse + noun or adjective
indicates a gradual change through someone’s effort. Me pregunto que se hizo de juan. (I wonder what happened or became of Juan)
Llegar a ser + noun or adjective
indicates a gradual change over time. Ana llegara a ser rica si sigue trabajando tanto. (Ana will become rich if she keeps working so much).
Meterse a
indicates a change in profession or activity, usually in a derogatory sense. i.e. Mi tia fue a hollywood para meterse a actriz aunque no tiene talento.
Ponerse + adjective
indicates an involuntary change of state. Al oir la noticia, Marta se puso emocionada.
Quedarse + adjective
indicates that a person or object has been left in a certain state, often by some sort of loss. Aunque se quedo(‘) sardo, Beethoven siguio(‘) componiendo musica hasta su muerte.
Volverse + adjective
indicates a sudden, often irreversible change. Jose se volvio(‘) loco y dejo(‘) su trabajo.
cansarse
to get tired
casarse
to get married
emocionarse
to get excited
enfadarse
to get angry
enfriarse
to get cold
enojarse
to get angry
enrojecerse
to turn red, to blush
mojarse
to get wet
secarse
to become dry, to dry out
adelgazar
to become thin, to lose weight
engordar
to become fat, to gain weight
esordecer
to become deaf, to go deaf
envejecer
to become old, to age
cuidar
to take care of something or someone
importar
to matter
cerca
physical proximity
cercano
refers to physical proximity or degree of separation of blood relatives
intimo
refers to relationships other than family, friendship, emotional ties, etc.
unido
refers to closeness of family members, but with no reference to blood ties
dato
piece of information
hecho
a known reality
comico
comical
curioso, extrano
odd, strange
divertido
entertaining
paracer
to seem
paracerse a
to look like
dar con, encontrarse con
to meet someone by chance
encontrar
to meet someone either intentionally or by chance
reunirse
to meet someone in an official capacity
verse con
to meet someone by appointment
calidad
quality
cualidad
a characteristic or trait
rasgos
traits
aumentar
to increase (amount of)
criar
to care for/to raise
cultivar
to raise, to cultivate (crops)
educar
to rear up, to bring up
levantar
to raise physically up, to lift
subir
to take something up, to make higher
ahorrar
to save money
guardar
to keep, to set something aside, to put something away
salvar
to rescue
dejar de + infinitive
to stop doing something. i.e. 5 Secretos para dejar de trabajar a los 40 años.
detener
to detain (someone)
detenerse
to pause, to come to a stop
impedir
to stop someone from doing something, to impede
parar(se)
to stop (to come to a stop)
apoyar
to back, to support emotionally
mantener
to support financially
soportar
to bear, to tolerate
sostener
to sustain, to hold up physically
dar un paseo/paso
take a walk/step
hacer un viaje
to take a trip
llevar
to carry from one place to another
quitar
to take something away
quitarse
to take off (article of clothing)
tardar en + infinitive
to take time to do something
tener lugar
to take place
tomar
to take (general meaning), to drink (i.e. tomaste cafe?)
hora
a specific time of day or night
rato
a brief amount of time, a while
tiempo
time in an abstract sense
vez
instance, occurrence
intentar + infinitive
to try to do something
tratar de
to be about, or to try
