“what Does It Feel Like To Be A Multifandom?”

Boost your Spanish with more complex synonyms for words you already know

Here you have some words/expressions (in bold) that you can use to show off while speaking Spanish. A native will know them, but if you use these you will impress them. Also, in your writings these words will look quite good. NOTE: Some of them are quite formal and not used in conversations.

similar - semejante, afín, cercano, aproximado, símil, parecido (adj.) (similar)

parecerse - asemejarse, semejar, darse un aire, recordar a (to resemble)

divertido - ameno, entretenido (adj.) (fun)

difícil - peliagudo, arduo, espinoso (adj.) (difficult)

fácil - sencillo, factible (adj.) (easy)

empezar - emprender (to begin)

terminar - concluir, ultimar, finiquitar (to finish)

la misión -  la empresa, el cometido, la tarea, la labor, el quehacer  (mission, duty)

caro - costoso, prohibitivo (adj.) (expensive)

barato - asequible, económico (adj.) (cheap)

distraer, desentender, simular - hacerse el sueco (expression, lit.

to do the Swedish. To avoid doing something that you must do)

enfermo - aquejado, indispuesto, alicaído (adj.) (sick, ill)

la historia - el cuento, la leyenda, la fábula (story, tale)

el cotilleo - chisme, chismorreo, enredo (gossip)

aprender - cultivarse, formarse, educarse, empollar (to learn)

gustar - cautivar, embelesar (to like)

saber - estar al corriente, estar al tanto (to know about something)

siempre - perpetuamente, constantemente, continuamente (always)

malo - diabólico, maléfico, maldito, ruin, infame, sinvergüenza, insolente, maligno, malicioso, depravado, inmoral, pérfido (adj.) (bad, as in “a bad person”)

malo - nocivo, dañino, perjudicial, nefasto (adj.) (bad)

comprar - adquirir, obtener (to buy)

la tienda -el comercio, el establecimiento, el negocio, la botica (shop)

continuar -prorrogar, prolongar, preservar, aguantar, proseguir (to continue)

buscar - indagar, rebuscar, escudriñar, revolver (to search)

contestar - objetar, contradecir, rebatir, refutar, rechazar, disputar, discutir, argüir (to reply, as in refute)

abandonar - marcharse, desaparecer, largarse, ausentarse (to abandon, as in “to leave a place”)

feliz - radiante, contento, risueño, campante (adj.) (happy)

triste - afligido, apenado, desconsolado, abatido, entristecido, apesumbrado, desolado, deshecho, desamparado, mustio, taciturno, tristón (adj.) - sad

antipático - desagradable, enojoso, aguafiestas, pesado (adj.) (obnoxious)

la ciudad - la urbe, la localidad, el municipio, la población

 (city)

el país - la nación, la patria, el pueblo, el estado (country)

la familia - la estirpe, el linaje (family)

los padres - los progenitores, los ascendientes, los antecesores (parents)

la casa - el domicilio, la vivienda, la residencia, la morada, el inmueble, la edificación (house)

Grammar

Lesson Twenty: Telling Time

Masterlist

Previous Lesson

안녕하세요 여러분! Today we are going to learn how to tell time in Korean! ⏰

시작합시다!

Hours

When telling time, you are going to be using both Native Korean numbers and Sino-Korean numbers. In the case of saying the HOUR, you would you Native Korean.

When you say the hour, four numbers are going to change their form a little bit and those numbers are 1, 2, 3, and 4.

하나 ~ 한

둘 ~ 두

셋 ~ 세

넷 ~ 네

To say the hour, you are going to be using this conjugation (시 = Hour):

Number + 시

Examples:

다섯 시 (5시) = 5 o’clock

여섯 시 (6시) = 6 o’clock

일곱 시 (7시) = 7 o’clock

여덜 시 (8시) = 8 o’clock

Minutes

In the case of saying MINUTES, you would use Sino-Korean numbers.

To say minutes, you are going to be using this conjugation (분 = Minute):

Number + 분

Examples:

구 분 (9분) = 9 minutes

십 분 (10분) = 10 minutes

십일 분 (11분) = 11 minutes

십이 분 (12분) = 12 minutes

Then, you just put the hours and minutes together! (Ex: 아홉 시 십삼 분 = 9시 13분 = 9:13)

Sample Sentences

-

“공원은 오전 열시 반분*부터 오후 다섯시까지 개방된다.”

The Gardens are open from 10:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

열 (10) + 시 = 10 o’clock

반 (half) + 분 = 30 minutes

오전 = Morning, a.m.

오후 = Night, p.m.

다섯 (5) + 시 = 5 o’clock

*Instead of saying 삼십 분 for 30 minutes you can say 반 which means ‘half’.

-

“그 열차는 두시 사십오분에 부산에 도착할 예정이다.”

The train is timed to reach Busan at 2:45.

두 (2) + 시 = 2 o’clock

사십오 (45) + 분 = 45 minutes

-

“나는 보통 늦어도 일곱시까지는 기상하는 것을 규칙으로 하고 있어요.”

I generally make it a rule to be up by 7.

일곱 (7) + 시 = 7 o’clock

whatever he does it’s onew condition

pro-tip for all language learners: if you’re in the beginner level, USE THOSE CHILDREN’S VIDEOS!!! Yes, those videos with cartoons and rhymes. Yes, even if you’re a 37 years old man with two kids and a job. Those videos are the most fun and probably the most efficient way to build up your base for any language. Don’t let any irrelevant “shame” stop you from enjoying your language learning experience. 

A common mistake English speakers make in learning a new language is translating every word in English literally. By extension, this also involves translating whole sentences word for word.

This is a wee (actually, not that wee) problem for a few reasons:

It means that you will be translating words that don’t have an equivalent in the target language.

It means that you’ll be losing the chance to use words in the target language that don’t have an English translation (advanced vocab).

You’ll be ignoring vital stylistic elements of speaking/writing in the target language. You’ll end up saying things that native speakers of the target language just don’t ever say, even if you use correct grammar and vocabulary.

Now, if you don’t get the hang of this in your target language, I repeat, do not panic. This process of getting the feel of your target language and familiarising yourself with advanced vocab words comes only with practice. It’s not possible to just learn off every rule/word/stylistic element in your target language.

Allow me to illustrate these issues using Spanish and French:

1. Translating words that don’t have an exact equivalent in the target language. Not every word in English has the exact translation in another language, thus a phrase or supplemental synonym is used to convey the meaning in context.

“I think I forgot to lock the door”. In Spanish, this is Pensé que olvidé cerrar la puerta con llave. Pay attention to the phrase for lock. There isn’t a single verb to convey the idea of locking a door. You just say that you close it with the key.

“I want to pass this test on the first try”. In French, this is Je voudrais réussir l'examen au premier essai. We use the word essai to indicate attempt or try, even though this word generally means essay in most other contexts.

2. Not using target language-specific words that don’t exist in English. Some words just don’t exist in English- don’t miss out the chance to use them in another language though! (this is basically the opposite of #1) It indicates a better grasp of the language, comparable to that of natives.

“Last night, I hardly got any sleep because I was anxious”. In Spanish, instead of directly translating the phrase “I hardly got any sleep”, you can use the word desvelado, which covers the entire concept of being unable to sleep. Anoche, estuve desvelado ya que estaba ansioso. In French, you’d say J’ai eu une nuit blanche hier car j’étais anxieux. 

“Although we are poor, we can manage with what we have”. In French, you’d never directly translate the word manage, but instead, you’d say Bien qu'on soit pauvre, on peut se débrouiller avec ce qu’on a. The verb se débrouiller expresses the entire concept of being able to get by and survive day by day with next to nothing.

3. The stylistic element. These are just manners of speaking that native speakers use, which includes sentences structures and word order, or even just expressions of choice that would be clunky in English.

In French, let’s say someone asks you, “Est-ce que tu ne voudrais pas une verre de l'eau avec ça?”. This means “Don’t you want a glass of water with that?”. The food is hot and spicy, so of course you’re thirsty. The first thing that comes to mind is to say, “Mais, oui!”. However, that’s not what is said. It’s not that the grammar or word choice is wrong, but generally, after agreeing with a negative sentence, si is used. You would respond, “Mais, si! J'ai soif!”.

In French, they throw in “ça” everywhere, just for emphasis. “Ça, c'est horrible!”, “Ce robe, ça, c'est très belle!”.

Word choice. Instead of saying “Going to this meeting is important”, one would say something akin to “The attendance of this meeting is vital”. “L'assiduité de la réunion, c'est d'une importance capital”. This is kinda why people like to say French is haughty and pretensive (je t'aime, ma petite langue). Nonetheless, this is more common in formal speech.

In Spanish, what comes to mind at first is the order of subjects and verbs. It’s rather common to hear the subject come after the verb(s), all the way at the end of the sentence. A mí madre matarón los narcotraficantes. El tango baila María todos los fines de la semana.

The word “lo” can precede an arbitrary noun. The normal thing to do is lo normal. The good thing is lo bueno. The physical thing is lo físico, and the sexy thing is lo sensual. You will rarely hear someone say “la buena cosa”.

So, how do you improve your grasp of a language? Well, listening to natives speak is definitely one way. You don’t need to visit the country or anything, but maybe get a pen pal, Tumblr friend and ofc, watch and read the news in your target language. Also, immerse yourself in books, movies, TV shows and music. Finally, practice writing and get a teacher or a native to check your work.

KOREAN LEARNING MASTERLIST:

originally a quick bookmark that became a comprehensive, work-in-progress, reblog-able masterlist of all korean posts i’ve made and come across on tumblr, ordered by topic/theme. last updated: 07/05/2019

VOCABULARY:

Time + Space:

eojetbam-studies: five a day #21 — time related vocab

eojetbam-studies: position in korean 어디에 있어요?

eojetbam-studies: countries in korean — 어느 나라 사람이에요?

eojetbam-studies: days of the week

koreanstudytips: frequency adverbs

dailydoseofkorea: korean geographic vocab

tamag0-studies: korean nationality vocab

Relationships:

eojetbam-studies: family in korean — 우리의 가족

Nouns:

koreanstudytips: animals in korean

eojetbam-studies: five a day #3 — thanksgiving related vocab

dailydoseofkorea: study session vocab

Adjectives:

eojetbam-studies: colors in korean — 한국어에 색들이

Verbs:

jesslearnslanguages: 25 common korean verbs

19tc: to like/to dislike

patroocle: sleep related vocab

Internet:

patroocle: on the internet

Other:

hyeyeonstudies: korean slang

learn-korean-with-alli: food + drink

GRAMMAR:

Particles / Attached Endings:

learn-korean-with-alli: object particle 를/을

adventuresinkorean: contrastive ending (으)나

yasuistudies: future tense and probability (으)ㄹ 거예요

koreangrumblings: without exception/the exception N치고/는

Taking Action:

koreanstudytips: let’s in korean

Negatives:

koreanstudytips: how to say don’t in korean

Other Grammar:

h-eonno: korean sentence structure

OTHER:

Honorifics:

koreanstudytips: 존댓말 vs. 반말

huge-hangoolies-fan: things everyone should know about using 반말

CONVERSATION:

cookingwithvannaa: sophia, do you want to make a cake?

The phrase “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” can apply to terrible things too. You may not realize the amount of pain, depression, or abuse you are living through until you experience what life can be without it