Yikes! Dont Confuse These 7 Tricky Spanish Words

Yikes! Dont Confuse These 7 Tricky Spanish Words Suzy S. As a beginner learning Spanish, its easy to feel overwhelmed by new vocabulary. How do you keep track of all of the Spanish words and meanings? Not to mention all the false cognates that  are out there! Fortunately, with practice, Spanish words and phrases  will become like second nature to you. Just watch out for the tricky word pairs! For a helpful lesson,  our friends at Lingolistic  recently shared an article with us  with some words that are particularly confusing for beginners. Here are a few of them: Vaya, valla Vaya: to indicate surprise, either for a bad or a good reason. It also works as the verb “to go,” which is where most people make mistakes. Example: “ ¡Vaya noche, me lo he pasado genial!” (What a night, I had a wonderful time!). Valla: it sounds the same, but it means “fence.” Example: “Ayer pinté la valla de verde” (I painted the fence green yesterday). So  remember: vaya for the verb, valla for the object. Haber, a ver Although the difference is quite big, people tend to make this mistake very, very frequently since both sound the same. Haber: the verb to indicate “there is” or “there are.” Example: “Hay un coche estropeado” (There is a broken car there). A ver: the meaning is “let’s see,” but people usually use the previous verb (haber) instead. Example: “A ver, qué comemos hoy” (Let’s see, what do we have for lunch). Ay, hay, ahí If youre a Spanish learner, this might be a headache, but don’t worry, there is a sentence to make it clearer: “Ahí hay un hombre que dice ¡ay!” (Over there, there is a man saying ouch!). Ahí: “there, over there” Hay: the verb “haber” in present  tense, “there is/are” Ay: a moan, “ouch” Continue reading the article here, and make sure to check out the other resources Lingolistic  has available for Spanish learners! Readers, what other word pairs do you get confused? Ser vs. estar is another one our tutors have pointed out. Let us know what Spanish words and meanings you struggle with by leaving a comment below!   Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher