Vocab Practice for advanced learners
So you're getting a handle on Spanish grammar and can hold a conversation. But how's your vocabulary? Learning new vocab' is a process that can go on for years, after all even in our own language there will likely be thousands of words that we still don't know.
I was just reading an article in the June edition of the 'La Atalaya' entitled - ¿Cuándo desaparecerán los prejuicios? and as it is rich with advanced vocab' I thought I utilize it to make a quiz.
The English and Spanish epub, pdf, aac and mp3 versions are available here and are a great resource.
Why not have a go. Can you translate these words and phrases? Just to mix things up I'll put some in English and you can supply the Spanish translation and the rest will be in Spanish needing an English translation.
No one will know but why not try without using a dictionary or doing any internet searching, we're all here to learn after all? Post your answers below ... I'll post the answers later:
Of course there may well be more than one option, i have posted the entire phrase for some words to help you choose the most fitting answer.
Have fun!
1 an American
2 Korean parents
3 rasgos faciales
4 el aspecto
5 la frialdad
6 venirse abajo
7 painful
8 le hizo ver a Jonathan
9 subraya
10 it has embraced
11 widespread
12 scape goats
13 Es un tema que ningún político quiere abordar.
14 el prejuicio
15 les cuesta definirlo
16 lo cual lleva a prejuzgar a un grupo
17 whatever the case
18 en el fondo
19 abriga
(Al ser hermano no le es fácil descubrir si en el fondo abriga ciertos prejuicios.)
20 mirar con desconfianza
21 to be at risk
22 if we are honest with ourselves
23 ingrained
24 captivating
25 público
(Clue for 25: Aunque su público se encontraba en Estados Unidos ...)
26 loables esfuerzos
27 tratados
28 without me even realizing
29 interesarse
(Clue for 29: me han enseñado a interesarme en el prójimo sin importar su color de piel.)
30 Asians
31 Chinese (people)
32 I would roll down the window.
(This one is tricky, try not to think of the conditional kind of 'would' but rather what tense carries the meaning of 'would' when used like this in English.)
33 I have experienced
34 juré
35 tener tratos con
36 llevarme bien con los demás
37 ha logrado
38 superar
(Clue for 37 and 38: ¿Por qué ha logrado la Biblia ayudar a estas y muchas más personas a superar odios y prejuicios tan arraigados?
39 point blank, bluntly, outspokenly (2 words - s___ r______)
10 Answers
Well done everyone, I hope you enjoyed the challenge, here are the translations as per the article but there will of course often be more than one option and without the context it's always hard to know which one to choose:
1 an American
un estadounidense
2 Korean parents
padres coreanos
3 rasgos faciales
facial features
4 el aspecto
physical appearance
5 la frialdad
coldness, frigidity
6 venirse abajo
to come to naught, to be shattered
7 painful
doloroso
8 le hizo ver a Jonathan
made Jonathan see
9 subraya
(it) highlights
10 it has embraced
ha abrazado
11 widespread
generalizado
12 scape goats
chivos expiatorios
13 Es un tema que ningún político quiere abordar.
It is an topic/issue that no politician wants to address/tackle.
14 el prejuicio
prejudice
15 les cuesta definirlo
they struggle to define it
16 lo cual lleva a prejuzgar a un grupo
which leads to prejudging a group
17 whatever the case
sea lo que sea
18 en el fondo
deep down
19 abriga
harbour
(Al ser hermano no le es fácil descubrir si en el fondo abriga ciertos prejuicios.)
20 mirar con desconfianza
look with distrust
21 to be at risk
correr peligro
22 if we are honest with ourselves
si somos honrados con nosotros mismos
23 ingrained
arraigado
24 captivating
cautivado
25 público
audience
(Clue for 25: Aunque su público se encontraba en Estados Unidos ...)
26 loables esfuerzos
commendable/laudable efforts
27 tratados
treaties
28 without me even realizing
sin siquiera darme cuenta
29 interesarse
to take an interest in
(Clue for 29: me han enseñado a interesarme en el prójimo sin importar su color de piel.)
30 Asians
los asiaticos
31 Chinese (people)
los chinos
32 I would roll down the window.
bajaba la ventanilla
(This one is tricky, try not to think of the conditional kind of 'would' but rather what tense carries the meaning of 'would' when used like this in English.)
33 I have experienced
he experimentado
34 juré
I swore
35 tener tratos con
to have dealings with
36 llevarme bien con los demás
to get along well with others
37 ha logrado
has been able to
- a useful expression that is nothing like the literal translation
38 superar
overcome
(Clue for 37 and 38: ¿Por qué ha logrado la Biblia ayudar a estas y muchas más personas a superar odios y prejuicios tan arraigados?
39 point blank, bluntly, outspokenly (2 words - s___ r______)
sin rodeos
Kiwi's contribution is commendable, but most of these terms have more than one meaning and they need to be in context, and it is bound to confuse many learners.
Ray is doing fine...
:-D
1 un americano
2 padres coreanos
3 facial features
4 aspect, look on someone's face
5 coldness
6 to go under (like go bankrupt?)
7 doloroso
8 He made him see Jonathan
9 underline
10 ha abrazado
11 mundial (I know that's not quite it...)
12 chivos expiatorios
13 It's a subject that no politician wants to get on top of (?)
14 prejudice
15 It's hard for them to define it
16 which leads to prejudice against a group
17 cualquier caso
18 deep down
19 harbor
20 look with mistrust
21 estar en peligro/riesgo
22 si nos decimos la verdad
23 arraigado
24 cautivador
25 public, audience
26 praiseworthy efforts
27 tracts
28 sin darme cuenta
29 to pay mind to
(Clue for 29: me han enseñado a interesarme en el prójimo sin importar su color de piel.)
30 asianos
31 chinos
32 bajaba la ventana
33 he experimentado
34 I swore
35 To have dealings with ?
36 (I) get along with others well
37 it/ he has achieved
38 overcome
Un americano.
Los padres de coreanos.
Facial features.
Aspect.
Coldness.
To collapse.
Dolor
You made him see Jonathan.
To emphasize.
__
Extendido.
El chivo expiatorio.
It is a topic no politician wants to address.
Prejudice.
It costs to define them.
Which leads to prejudicing a group.
__
In the back.
he shelters.
to look at with suspicion.
Estar en peligro.
si somos honesto con nuestros
Incrustado.
Cautivador.
Public.
(?) effort
__
__
To be of intrest
Asiático.
Chinos
__
__
I pledged
To have to deal with
To be on good terms with the others
__
To overcome.
sin rodeos
Ok peeps, last chance, I'll be posting the answers soon. Anyone else?
No more takers?
1 an American >> un vaquero gordo
2 Korean parents>> padres extranjeros
3 rasgos faciales>> facial features, the structure of the face, the bonestructure..
4 el aspecto>> the look of
5 la frialdad >> chilly, a chilly reception, for example
6 venirse abajo>> to go down on ( explantion not allowed here)
7 painful >> doloroso
8 le hizo ver a Jonathan >> He made him take along look at Jonathan.. (Ii fear Jonathanisnot going to like the result)
9 subraya >> Underline
10 it has embraced ( please give context, impossible without)
11 widespread>> común
12 scape goats>> cabras culpables
13 Es un tema que ningún político quiere abordar=. The European economy
14 el prejuicio >>. we don't like bankers.. nor politicians, we're predjudiced.. a bit.. and teh orange hasnot been squeezed tight yet..
15 les cuesta definirlo >> Yes, it was hard to defineit, bloody orange juice
16 lo cual lleva a prejuzgar a un grupo .. it leads to prejudging a group or a generator, it's not been found satisfactory. Surprise for you Kiwi ,in Spain, un grupo is often a generator of electricity.
17 whatever the case>> Así es, encualquier caso, como son las cosas..
18 en el fondo >> deep down
19 abrigar >> hidie uner one's coat, to shelter
(Al ser hermano no le es fácil descubrir si en el fondo abriga ciertos prejuicios.)
20 mirar con desconfianza >> The look we give, upon being corrected in SD, where are the natives?
21 to be at risk >> estar en peligro
22 if we are honest with ourselves >> Este no pasa nunca.
23 ingrained>> de custombre
24 captivating >> de encanto
25 público >>. depends on context, colegio publico, a school oepn to all, sevicios públios, public toilets.
(Clue for 25: Aunque su público se encontraba en Estados Unidos ... Even though his followers were Americans , they camped in the public toilets..)
Un estadounidense
Los padres koreanos
Aspect, point of view
to come down
doloroso
He made a look at Jonathon
it highlights/underlines
ampliamente
It's a topic no politican wants to go near
prejudice
It certainly cost them or maybe "it cost them dearly" (una conjetura)
One who prejudises a group (one who carries a prejudice for a certain group)
cualquier (sea) el caso
at the bottom
to look with disbelief/horror (another guess)
estar en riesgo
Si estemos honesto con los mismos
impresionante
public (in this context: office? home-ground?)
local forces
the treated (those who were treated)
sin doy cuenta
to interest oneself
los chinos
bajaría la ventana (I couldn't make use of the clue!)
me lo ha sucedido
to have relations with(?)
I am in good stead with the others (I have good relations with the others)
he/she/it has achieved
to overcome
..some of them I just did not know and there are a fair few guesses 
1) Una americana.
2) Los padres de coreanos.
3) Facial feature.
4) Appearance.
5) Coldness.
6) Come down.)
7) Doloroso
4 A ) No cargue el arma aún, por favor.
If anyone would like to practice with flashcards to learn these words here's the set of flash cards to go with the list.
