SpanishDict Releases Free iPhone App

Sep 29 | 2 comments | announcements

Now you can take SpanishDict with you anywhere in the world! No need to be connected to the internet to have access to our complete dictionary, a talking phrasebook, an interactive vocabulary game, the word of the day, and your very own favorites list. And of course, it’s all free!

Browse the full version of our Spanish-English dictionary with the same features you love on the web: multiple definitions, auto-suggest as you type, and audio pronunciations without ever having to be connected to the internet.

The phrasebook includes over 700 phrases and words with audio pronunciations by native Spanish-speakers and both the English and Spanish translations. This is a priceless tool when you are traveling and need to know how to ask “Do you have double rooms?” at a hotel or “Would you like to dance?” to that cutie at the dance club.

The word game is surprisingly addictive for Spanish-speakers of all levels, from beginner to native. The game gives you the word and the pronunciation by a native speaker, and you just have to choose the correct translation. The more words you get right, the harder they become. See if you can get all the way to level 15!

And don’t worry about missing the word of the day if you are away from the internet either. There is a complete set of word of the day entries right there in the app! You can even add your favorite words to your “Favorites” to remember for later or simply to email to yourself.

We are super excited about this new app and how it give you so many more resources for learning and practicing Spanish. You can download it from the iTunes app store. We hope you enjoy it and if you do, please tell your friends and leave positive feedback on the app page in iTunes.

Check out the New SpanishDict Mobile

Aug 18 | 1 comments | announcements

You can now access SpanishDict from your cell phone! SpanishDict Mobile’s slimmed down interface packs a lot of punch: you can lookup words in the dictionary, translate phrases, and conjugate verbs—all from a single search box. Whether you’re at the supermarket and want to translate Spanish ingredients, or you want to tell your girlfriend’s Spanish-speaking mother what a lovely home she has, you can use SpanishDict Mobile for your Spanish translation needs wherever you are.

SpanishDict Mobile is optimized for your cell phone to present Spanish translations in the clearest, fastest format possible. Here are some of the SpanishDict features you know and love that you can now find on SpanishDict Mobile:

• Word definitions, phrase translations, and verb conjugations that are all available by searching in one single bar
• Quick translations are available for thousands of words
• Jump-to conjugations for any verb that appears on the same page as its definition, so there’s no need to click to another page
• Super fast phrase translations
• The ability to return to the full version of SpanishDict by clicking the link on the bottom of our mobile homepage, just in case you still can’t find what you’re looking for

We hope that SpanishDict Mobile helps make Spanish learning and translation more convenient than ever. Simply visit SpanishDict.com from your cell phone to check it out.

Welcome to the New SpanishDict!

Aug 06 | 2 comments | announcements

Welcome to the new SpanishDict.com! We are delighted to announce the release of the new SpanishDict.com. With over 100 improvements to the site, we are breaking down the barriers to learning Spanish. It is now easier than ever to translate words in our comprehensive dictionary, practice vocabulary with our multimedia flashcards, get answers to your questions in the Answers section, and actually learn Spanish with our full-length, professional video courses. Check out the video for a tour of some of the new features.

We hope you enjoy the site and good luck with your Spanish!

New Feature Highlights

Dictionary

• Find conjugated verbs - If you enter the word like “fuiste” we will point you to the verb “ir”
• Did You Mean? - a powerful algorithm for suggesting the correct spelling of misspelled words
• Quick dictionary translations – bold, easy-to-find translations are included right at the top of the page for the most common words
• Integrated forum search on the dictionary page – easily find answers relating to your search term
• Intelligent auto suggest - dictionary auto suggestions are sorted by popularity making it more likely that your word is suggested

Answers Forum

• All new answers forum that is faster, prettier, and more helpful
• Auto preview your question as you type
• Auto-suggested answers as you ask a question
• Thumbs up for good questions and answers
• Flagging of spam, commercial, and inaccurate posts
• Reputation system that unlocks more features as you earn more reputation
• Badges system that recognizes great contributions to the site and makes participation more engaging

Chat

• One-on-one video and text chat that matches you with other users who are looking to practice
• Sample conversations that you can use to practice your Spanish
• Quick translation tool that translates words and phrases without leaving the page

Flashcards

• Popular flashcard sets are previewed directly on the front page
• Creating flashcards is easier than ever with one-click auto translations
• Challenge a friend to score a higher score than you with the challenge a friend link
• Print flashcards in a pre-formatted flashcard layout

Learn Spanish

• Compare your writing and speaking responses with new model answer responses
• Check the spelling of your response on the Write section of the lessons

Reference

• Reference articles are intelligently linked to dictionary search results: search for “ser” and we will show you a quick link to the “ser verses estar” article in the reference
• Reference articles will improve and expand over time as the top contributors to the site will now have the ability to create and edit articles

There is really a lot more to show off, but I will leave a few surprises for you to discover. Hope you like the new features. Leave your feedback in the comments.

Variants in Spanish Food Vocabulary

Jun 30 | 0 comments | language

You know when you are traveling abroad, feeling all confident after taking all those lessons and studying all those flashcards, and you walk into a little cafe or restaurant, ask for some peach juice, and the waiter just stares at you? You know you formed your question correctly, you studied so hard and even consulted the phrase book before asking! Well, did you ask for “zumo de melocotón” or “jugo de durazno”? It makes all the difference.

Depending on where you are, Spanish food vocabulary can be completely different from what you may have learned. And while this may be frustrating at times, it is also one of the greatest things about Spanish and it’s ability to adapt and evolve with the people who are speaking it. I mean, think about all the different ways English-speakers have come up with to say bathroom: toilet, water closet, loo, restroom, etc. So I say take this chance to learn a few extra words that all mean the exact same thing! That way when you are traveling in Argentina, you won’t get that disappointed look from that cute waiter or waitress. Take a look at a few more examples I found below and study hard!

Popcorn: palomitas (Mexico, Spain), cabritas (Chile), crispeta (Colombia), pochoclo (Argentina, Uruguay), cotufas (Venezuela), rositas (Cuba), popororo (Guatemala)

Catfish: siluro (Spain), bagre (Latin America)

Tortilla: tortilla (Mexico and central America), omelete-like egg dish (Spain)

Strawberry: frutilla (Argentina), fresa (Spain, Latin America, South America)

Avocado: palta (Bolivia, Peru, Southern Cone*), aguacate (Spain, Latin America, Northern South America)

Sweetcorn: maíz (understood everywhere), tierno, elote (Mexico), choclo (South America), jojoto (Venezuela)

Bean: poroto (Argentina), alubia, judía (Southern Cone*), frijol (Spain), caraota (Venezuela)

Pepper: pimiento (Spain), ají (Argentina, Uruguay, Peru), pimentón (South America), chile (Mexico)Variants in Spanish Food Vocabulary

How to Say “Thank You” in Spanish

Jun 02 | 0 comments | language

When I am traveling, I find that many of the people I meet are so wonderful and open to helping out a traveler who just wants to learn a little more about their culture, country, or town. I also find that I am saying “gracias” about a hundred times a day! So in an effort to expand my daily vocabulary, which is always a good idea anyway, I sought out some new and maybe even poetic ways to give thanks for all the little, and big, things total strangers do for me when I need it the most.

I find that saying Te agradezco la ayuda/la información/etc. is a great way to communicate a deep thankfulness and appreciation for whatever the person just gave you. A couple other similar phrases are Estoy agradecido por…(or of course Estoy agradecida if you are a woman) and Siento agradecido/a por…They all mean about the same thing, being thankful and appreciative of whatever the person has given you.

Another of my favorite ways to be thankful is to relate to the person just how much they have helped me. Me ha ayudado mucho/muchísimo (You have helped me so much) or Me ayudará la información, etc. (This information will really help me.) It’s always a good idea to let the person know that not only do you appreciate what they he or she has given you but that you will be using it in the future. You just have to remember your future tense, right?

Last of all, if I find I have exhausted these other thank yous and I am really looking to impress, I might try something a little more formal. Te doy gracias por… is always a winner. It may be a little old fashioned and formal, but you know some people are really into all the pomp and circumstance.

So, there is a thank you for each and every situation, and I can promise that a well thought out thank you can take a long way when you happen to be a long way from home. So try a few of these newfangled terms of appreciation, you’ll thank me!

Paella: The Star of Spain

May 19 | 0 comments | culture

Every country has its dish to boast about, but has there ever been a dish a country fights over more often? It seems that every region in Spain has a claim on the “correct” way to make a paella, just like they each claim to have the “correct” way to speak Spanish. But that’s another article. And I have to say, after trying every paella I could get my hands on, I think they are all right! Whether they are traditional Valencian, seafood, or mixed, give me a properly prepared paella and I am one happy lady.

Now where paella originated is a matter of debate with stories ranging from a cheap king serving his leftovers with rice to try to skimp on a feast bill to the Moorish influence of rice and fish casseroles. But the truth is probably that field workers would prepare a rice dish in a pan over the fire and add whatever ingredients they happened to have around, which usually included snails, rabbits, and vegetables. Once the main populace caught on, things got a little more involved.

The key to correct preparation, so I have been told my many a Spaniard, is the paellera. Also just called a paella itself, this pan has two looped handles and my dip slightly in the middle to hold the oil for sauteing. But the main importance is the fact that it is big, and I mean very big. The rice should be only as thick as “un ditet,” or the width of one finger, so about 1/2 an inch. You want as much rice touching the bottom of the pan as possible so you get that delicious, crispy layer called the socarrat. So if you don’t have a paellera hanging around, just grab the biggest stainless-steel or other all metal skillet you can find. Cast-iron isn’t the best choice since the sides are so deep and non-stick pans aren’t the best at creating that crispy bottom.

Next is the sofrito and this is where the debate begins. Sofrito is a combination of tomato, onion, garlic and a variety of spices, herbs, and peppers. It’s a little like the salsa we love so much with tortilla chips here in the US, but is cooked instead of raw and a good bit less chunky too.

The meat is of course the next big item on the big debate. For a traditional Valencian paella, you start sauteing rabbit, chicken, and/or snails, as well as beans and artichokes. This is the most famous paella recipe, and ask anyone from Valencia and they’ll tell you it’s the only correct way to eat a paella. There are also the seafood recipes that are more popular along the coast which include mussles, squid, octopus, fish, and all other delicious sea foods. Then there is the mixed paella, probably the most well-known throught the world as your standard paella. This is a delicious combination of the seafood and the Valencian paella with some spicy chorizo sausage probably thrown in there as well.

No matter what kind of paella you are eating you can know it tells a little bit about the cook. To make a great paella takes love, care, and attention to detail that you may not find in every restaurant out there boasting “traditional paella.” But don’t let that stop you! It sure doesn’t stop me from dipping my fork in the paellera for one last bite of the socarrat!

What is Cinco de Mayo All About?

May 05 | 0 comments | culture

If you’re like me, then you are definitely excited about the festivities of Cinco de Mayo, when everyone in the U.S. gets together and stands in long lines at mexican restaurants to enjoy fajitas, nachos, tacos, and their favorite drinks, all in celebration of Mexico’s independence…or not.

The idea that Cinco de Mayo is all about Mexican independence is a wide misconception in the U.S. Even many college Spanish majors don’t know the real reason they set aside May 5th for piñatas and lime flavored drinks, so read along and maybe you can win the big prize for Cinco de Mayo trivia.

Americans are sometimes a little disappointed to learn that Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independece Day, but rather a commemoration of the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. It was an important battle because the French outnumbered the Mexicans 2 to 1 and had not been defeated in almost 50 years, yet the Mexican army under General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín was victorious. Unfortunately, with money on the mind (France was trying to occupy Mexico to make them pay their debts), France deployed another 30,000 troops within a year and won Mexico City, installing Archduke Maximilian of Austria as ruler of Mexico. The story gets better when, after ending the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln helped Mexico to expel the French and assassinate Maximilian, thus restoring the Mexicans to power in their own country.

So even if the French did end up ruling Mexico for a while, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated to commemorate the bravery and victory of Zaragoza’s outnumbered army at the Battle of Puebla. So, during your festivities with friends and family, why not toast to the bravery of Mexico and maybe educate some of your fellow Americans on the real reason they are celebrating on the 5th of May.

Why Don’t I Understand Spoken Spanish?

Apr 28 | 3 comments | language

Your heart rate increases, the room seems smaller and stuffier, maybe you start to sweat a little too because it is time for the listening portion of the exam or you are alone with only Spanish-speakers for the very first time. You have studied so hard and you know all kinds of great vocabulary from all those flash-cards. You can talk about your family members and where you want to travel on vacation. You even know how to use the subjunctive correctly to describe your doubt and dreams.

So how is it that when you hear someone speaking Spanish to you at a normal speed, it all sounds like one word? The answer is elision, the omission of sounds when individual words are combined into phrases and sentences, and you do it all the time in English as well. When asking someone “How are you doing?”, you don’t usually pronounce each word separately with pauses between each word, right? Instead it sounds more like “howeryodoin?” This is a very common practice for informal, regular speech in almost any language. It just seems more apparent in Spanish because you have learned each word individually instead of in phrases and regular context like your native language. While you learned “¿Có-mo es-tah us-ted?” is the correct way to ask someone how he or she is doing, the more common pronunciation is more like “¿Cómwestáusté?”. And it can get even more complicated when you have to differentiate between “helado” and “el lado” or “ha alquilado” and “alquilado,” but this is where context really comes to the rescue.

Now for a few solutions to the problem that plagues almost all students of a new language. I have always found watching movies and television shows with the Spanish subtitles on to be extremely helpful. This way, you can hear what the speakers are saying and at the same time connect it to the individual words you are more familiar with through reading. Also, if you are using DVR or watching a DVD you can pause, rewind, and play as many times as you like, you can listen to tricky phrases over and over until you are more familiar with them. I also suggest listening to newscasts since the newscasters are usually professionally trained public speakers and will enunciate a little more clearly for a more dramatic effect. Listening to your favorite Spanish songs while reading the lyrics may be a little more fun, but I have always found it to be a little difficult since pronunciation is really not a priority when rhyming and following the beat are involved.

In conclusion, listening is just plain hard at first. But just like learning how to conjugate a verb in a new tense is hard for the first few (hundred) times, it gets easier with practice. Focus on getting the general idea of the conversation and not so much translating each individual word and the rest will come in time. Until then, “¡Háslwégo!”

Tapas - Delicious Snack or Drink Cover?

Apr 17 | 0 comments | culture

Tapas, those delicious little snacks you can get in any bar in Spain, have recently been making quite a splash in the United States. In the past 3 years, I have seen 4 tapas bars pop up in my neighborhood alone. And people are crazy about them! The thing is, other than serving tiny bits of expensive food and over-priced drinks, these trendy American tapas bars have almost nothing in common with your traditional Spanish tapas bar.

In many places in Spain, dinner is not served until 9 or 10 o’clock at night. So many people like to “tapear” or go out and eat tapas at a few different bars to meet up with friends, discuss the day, and in general just relax in a fun social atmosphere. In a lot of the major cities and in most parts of Adalucía, when you order a drink, often you get a tapa for free. Or sometimes it is the other way around; if you order a tapa, you get a free drink.

Now, how this tradition came about is debated among a few popular theories. First, it is important to know what “la tapa” means. Literally, it means “cover” or “top,” so it is important to keep this in mind when thinking about its history.

Some say that some sneaky tavern owners from Castilla-La Mancha found that a strong smelling and tasting cheese could “cover” the flavor of cheap wine. This way, they could sell the not so great wine for a higher price by including a free piece of cheese.

Others say that when King Alfonso XII was visiting Cádiz on the south west coast, he ordered a cup of sherry, which is famous in this region. In order to protect the wine from the blowing beach sands, the waiter covered the wine glass with a slice of cured ham. King Alfonso apparently enjoyed it and asked for another glass of sherry with a “tapa” just like the first.

Less legendary is the thought that since you are most likely standing when you are out having drinks with friends, you would need to cover your drink with your plate in order to have a free hand to eat. Or that you would need to top your sherry, a very sweet wine, with bread or ham to keep the curious flies away.

Now what kind of tapa you get with your drink widely depends on the region, but the staples are olives, of which there can be many different varieties, bread with aioli, and some kind of fried seafood. It is also very common to see small slices of bread topped with Spain’s famous jamón serrano or slices of cheese. My favorite is tortilla española, which is very similar to an omelette with pieces of fried potato and onion inside instead of cheese.

There are thousands of tapa recipes out there and I encourage you to try a few on your own. Being all the fad right now in the US, your friends would definitely be impressed if you invited them all over for an early evening of tapas at your house. ¡Salud! and ¡Buen provecho!

Valentine’s Day in Spanish-Speaking Countries: For Love and Friendship

Feb 13 | 0 comments | culture

Chocolate, flowers, dinner, dancing, and most of all love. Everywhere you look on Valentine’s Day you can see love-birds holding hands and trading sweet poems and gifts and friends exchanging Valentine’s cards, balloons and hugs. Valentine’s Day can be celebrated by all and in many different ways, depending on where you are in the World.

In most of South America, Valentine’s Day is known as “El día del amor y la amistad,” or Love and Friendship Day. This special day is not just for lovers! Many groups of friends exchange Valentine’s cards and gifts and later go out for dinner, all in the name of friendship.

In Spain, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in much the same way as in the U.S. and the U.K. But many people also celebrate “El día del libro y la rosa” on April 23 in which men give their special lady a rose and she gives him a book in return.

This year in Venezuela, Valentine’s Day has been canceled! Or, rather, postponed until the 16th where it will be celebrated for a whole week. Hugo Chavez thought with such a big voter referendum coming up on February 15, that Valentine’s Day may be too distracting, so he just moved the celebration to the day after.

Colombia celebrates Valentine’s Day on September 20 where it is very popular to send gifts from secret admirers.

Bolivia also favors September for its day of love, celebrating el día del amor on September 21 in conjunction with Students’ Day, Day of Spring, and Children’s Day. It is common to give cards, flowers, chocolates, and teddy bears to friends, family, and loves.

No matter where you are, Valentine’s Day is a day for love and friendship and a great time to show those you love how you feel.

¡Feliz San Valentín! ¡Feliz día del amor y la amistad! ¡Feliz día de enamorados!