(Multiple little Spanish questions...for fluent Spanish speakers to answer please!)
I have many little questions about wierd things I've noticed in Spanish that I just can't work out, or find anywhere. A lot of it I get from song lyrics, or facebook posts in spanish...so maybe it's slang. I don't know.
Firstly, "al [insert a verb in the infinitive here]" What is the "al" for?? Doesn't that mean "a+el=at the"? I don't understand what this kind of phrase means.
What is the difference between the verbs acordar and recordar? Don't they both mean to remember?
Can "ya" sometimes mean "anymore" in the present? Usually it means anymore in the PAST, but I've seen it used in some cases that could make it mean "anymore."
When verbs are used in the infinitive on their own, like in songs...what does it translate to? Example: (Ella, by Rata Blanca): "Ella es la dulce miel que me hizo. (chorus) Sentir distinto A los demas Algo cambio cuando estuve a su lado" What does "sentir" translate to in the infinitive? I don't understand this verb usage.
Thanks!! 
6 Answers
You can think of the 'al+infinitive' as 'upon' in English. Al entrar en la habitación, se les notaba un olor horroroso. - Upon entering the room, they noticed a terrible smell.
Yes, you can think of 'ya' as 'anymore' in English in some contexts, but be careful. 'Ya no jugamos los domingos'. - We don't play on Sundays anymore.
Usually when an infinitive is used by itself, it is simply to express the idea of the verb as a noun. This is usually done in English with the gerund. Example: Playing the piano for 5 hours is not fun! - Tocar al piano por 5 horas es aburrísimo!
Hope I've resolved at least a few of your doubts.
-Charlius-
Firstly, "al [insert a verb in the infinitive here]" What is the "al" for?? Doesn't that mean "a+el=at the"? I don't understand what this kind of phrase means.
"Al" can be be many different things, so unless you give us an example, we can only guess. But I guess you mean something like this: "Me quité el sombrero al entrar". The preposition "a" (among other things) is used to pinpoint the moment or place where or when something happens, e.g. "a la tarde" (in/by the evening), "a la mañana siguiente"... Since infinitives in Spanish can be used as nouns (English uses gerunds), instead of "la tarde", "la mañana", you can say "el entrar" (the act of entering), and "a + el entrar" becomes "al entrar" after the contraction, meaning something structurally close to "upon entering", but it sounds more like "when I entered".
What is the difference between the verbs acordar and recordar? Don't they both mean to remember?
"Acordar" means "to agree", while "acordarse" means to remember, like "recordar". To me, they are simply different verbs. "Acordarse" should always be followed by "de" (it is intransitive), while "recordar" is transitive, so it is not followed by a preposition.
Can "ya" sometimes mean "anymore" in the present? Usually it means anymore in the PAST, but I've seen it used in some cases that could make it mean "anymore."
Better check a dictionary, because apart from "anymore", this word is very often translated as "already" and "now", but also as "whether", "only", "since", and many more, depending on the type of sentence. According to the dictionary, it has 8 basic uses, which means that in English, more than 8 different words will be required when translating.
When verbs are used in the infinitive on their own, like in songs...what does it translate to? Example: (Ella, by Rata Blanca): "Ella es la dulce miel que me hizo. (chorus) Sentir distinto A los demas Algo cambio cuando estuve a su lado" What does "sentir" translate to in the infinitive? I don't understand this verb usage.
The infinitive is like the gerund in English: this form is used like a noun, as I explained above. However, "Me hizo sentir distinto" is a causative construction (i.e. you make someone do something), and these use the infinitive, like in English "He made me feel different".
Recordar - to recall, remember, remind
Acordar - to agree on or remind
AcordarSE - to remember
Do you remember me? = ¿te acuerdas de mi? = ¿me recuerdas?
*You have to make acordar reflexive in order for it to have this meaning
The one thing that I have found to be very common, especially with younger people is that acordarse is used much more often, 99:1, than recordar in this situation. It has a more formal feeling I assume but even worse, some think it isn't correct although many people have assured me it is.
Verbs used in their infinitive forms simply mean to [action]. So sentir is just "to feel" just as correr is "to run" and so forth.
Edit: ugggggg, forgot as Ian said, the infinitive form of verbs can also be used as English gerunds when used as a noun. For example, running is fun is written as correr es divertido in Spanish.
Sentir distinto A los demas Algo cambio cuando estuve a su lado"
Could be "Feeling different.................. (Spanish gerundios are not the same as Eng;ish gerunds)
al contraction of a el = to the
As = al, tan, tanto, como
Al salir sentí el calor.... = as I walked out I felt the heat...
There can be idioms and abnormal sentence construction in songs.
Facebook is next to texting and spanglish - a bad choice for learning any language.
Firstly, "al [insert a verb in the infinitive here]" What is the "al" for?? Doesn't that mean "a+el=at the"? I don't understand what this kind of phrase means.
This is a contraction that is used when direction to a male gender object is indicated. "Voy al café" ("Voy a el cafe" would be incorrect and is not an option).
