Patterns of Similarity and Difference in Spanish and English

Languages Etymologically Related

One key to expanding your Spanish vocabulary quickly, especially when you're new to the
language, is learning to recognize the word patterns seen in many English-
Spanish cognates. In a sense, English and Spanish are cousins, as they have a common
ancestor, known as Indo-European. And sometimes, English and Spanish can seem even
closer than cousins, because English has adopted many words from French, which might
be seen as a sister language to Spanish.

As you learn the following word patterns, remember that in some cases the meanings of
the words have changed over the centuries. Sometimes the English and Spanish
meanings can overlap; for example, while a discusin in Spanish can refer to a discussion,
it often refers to an argument. And an argumento in Spanish can refer to the plot of the
story. Words that are alike or similar in the two languages but have different meanings are
known as false friends.

As you learn Spanish, here are some of the more common patterns of similarity you'll
come across:

Words that end in "-tion" in English often end in -cion in Spanish:

nation, nacin
station, estacin
fraction, fraccin
publication, publicacin

Many English words that have a "ph" in them have an f in the Spanish version:

photo, foto
metamorphosis, metamorfosis
graph, grfica

Words that end in "-ty" in English often end in -dad in Spanish:

fidelity, fidelidad

felicity, felicidad
faculty, facultad
liberty, libertad
authority, autoridad

A few words in English that have a "th" in them have a Spanish equivalent with a t:

empathy, empata
theater, teatro
theory, teora

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Adverbs that end in "-ly" in English sometimes have a Spanish equivalent ending in -
mente:

rapidly, rpidamente

profusely, profusamente
prudently, prudentemente

Some words that begin with an "s" followed by a consonant in English start with an esin
Spanish:

stereo, estreo
special, especial
snob, esnob

Some English words that have double letters have a Spanish equivalent without the letter
doubled (although words with "rr" may have an rr equivalent in Spanish, as in
"correspond," corresponder):

difficulty, dificultad
essence, esencia
collaborate, colaborar
common, comn

Names of occupations that end in "-ist" in English sometimes have a Spanish equivalent
ending in -ista (although other endings also are used):

dentist, dentista
artist, artista
phlebotomist, flebotomista

Names of fields of study that end in "-ology" often have a Spanish cognate ending in -
ologa:

geology, geologa
ecology, ecologa
archaeology, arqueologa

Adjectives that end in "-ous" may have a Spanish equivalent ending in -oso:

famous, famoso
nervous, nervioso
precious, precioso

Words ending in -cy often have an equivalent ending in -cia:

democracy, democracia
redundancy, redundancia
clemency, clemencia

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Nearly all the common prefixes are the same or similar in the two languages. Prefixes
used in the following words make far from a complete list:

antipathy, antipata
bilingual, bilinge
counterattack, contraataque
contend, contender
disobedience, desobediencia
polygamy, poligamia
prefix, prefijo
supermarket, supermercado
unilateral, unilateral

English words ending in "-ism" often have an equivalent ending in -ismo:

communism, comunismo
capitalism, capitalismo
atheism, atesmo

Despite the numerous similarities between English and Spanish, you're probably best off
to avoid coining Spanish words not all words work in the above way, and you may find
yourself in an embarrassing situation. You're a bit safer following these patterns in reverse,
however (because you'll know if the resulting English word doesn't make sense), and
using these patterns as a reminder. As you learn Spanish, you'll also come across
numerous other word patterns, some of them more subtle than those above.

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1001 Spanish Words You Already Know
A Guide To English-Spanish Cognates
One of the best things about learning Spanish from English is that there are hundreds
of words that you already know.

As an English speaker you have a huge advantage in learning Spanish compared to say
a person trying to learn Spanish with a native language from a country such as Japan
or China. You have the advantage of the same alphabet and a mile long list of cognates.
What this means is you effectively start learning Spanish with a vocabulary of almost
1000 words without even trying.

When you find words that are the same in both languages they are referred to English-
Spanish cognates.

The proper definition of cognate is reserved for words that exists in two different
languages and have the same root or origin. Since Spanish and English both have Latin
roots there are heaps of words that are the same or very close in both languages.

In this article Im going to provide a list of perfect cognates and near perfect cognates
for Spanish and English.

There are way more English-Spanish cognates than what I have provided in this
article but the cognates that I have focused on are the more useful due to their
frequency and practicality in both languages.

I suggest you read through the full list once over and then when you have a good feel
for the patterns that start to emerge with the cognates, start to put them in a few
Spanish sentences to get a feel for how they sound.

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Obviously they arent pronounced the same as in English but once you have the rules
down for Spanish pronunciation you are free to communicate away.

Cognates Definition

In this article, I have defined perfect cognates as words that are spelt exactly the same
in Spanish and English except for maybe an accent over one letter and they mean the
same thing in both languages.

I have defined near perfect cognates as words that have up to 3 letters different. But
you will be able to see that there are certain patterns that form with near perfect
cognates that allow you to potentially predict when a near cognate is likely to exist if,
of course, you dont have this list handy.

Printable Version: Download this PDF version of the cognates list to use as a study
reference.

There is also a heap of false cognates or false friends, which will be a topic for another
post but note here that they are words that are spelt the same or similar but mean
completely different things. For example one of the most famous Spanish-English false
friends is embarazada which doesnt mean embarrassed it means pregnant.

Perfect Cognates

Here is the list of perfect English-Spanish cognates that I have selected for their
practicality:

Spanish English

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 Actor Actor

Admirable Admirable

Agenda Agenda

Alcohol Alcohol

Altar Altar

Animal Animal

Area Area

Artificial Artificial

Auto Auto

Balance Balance

Bar Bar

Base Base

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Bridge Bridge

Brutal Brutal

Cable Cable

Caf Caf

Canal Canal

Cncer Cancer

Canon Canon

Capital Capital

Carbon Carbon

Cartn Carton

Central Central

Cerebral Cerebral

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 Cheque Cheque

Chocolate Chocolate

Circular Circular

Civil Civil

Club Club

Collar Collar

Colonial Colonial

Coma Coma

Combustin Combustion

Conclusin Conclusion

Conductor Conductor

Confusin Confusion

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Considerable Considerable

Control Control

Cordial Cordial

Criminal Criminal

Crisis Crisis

Cultural Cultural

Debate Debate

Decision Decision

Diagonal Diagonal

Dimension Dimension

Director Director

Disco Disco

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 Divisin Division

Doctor Doctor

Drama Drama

Editorial Editorial

Electoral Electoral

Elemental Elemental

Enigma Enigma

Error Error

Exclusive Exclusive

Excursion Excursion

Experimental Experimental

Explosin Explosion

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Expulsion Expulsion

Extensin Extension

Exterior Exterior

Factor Factor

Familiar Familiar

Fatal Fatal

Federal Federal

Festival Festival

Final Final

Flexible Flexible

Formal Formal

Formula Formula

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 Frontal Frontal

Fundamental Fundamental

Gala Gala

Gas Gas

Gene Gene

General General

Gnesis Genesis

Global Global

Grave Grave

Habitual Habitual

Hobby Hobby

Horizontal Horizontal

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 Horror Horror

Hospital Hospital

Hotel Hotel

Idea Idea

Ideal Ideal

Imperial Imperial

Implacable Implacable

Incursin Incursion

Individual Individual

Industrial Industrial

Inevitable Inevitable

Inferior Inferior

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 Informal Informal

Informative Informative

Inseparable Inseparable

Inspector Inspector

Interminable Interminable

Invasin Invasion

Invisible Invisible

Irregular Irregular

Judicial Judicial

Kilo Kilo

Lateral Lateral

Legal Legal

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 Liberal Liberal

Literal Literal

Local Local

Macho Macho

Maestro Maestro

Mango Mango

Mana Mania

Manual Manual

Marginal Marginal

Mate Mate

Material Material

Matrimonial Matrimonial

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Medieval Medieval

Mediocre Mediocre

Melon Melon

Mental Mental

Men Menu

Metal Metal

Miserable Miserable

Moral Moral

Mortal Mortal

Motel Motel

Motor Motor

Mltiple Multiple

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Municipal Municipal

Musical Musical

Natural Natural

Noble Noble

Normal Normal

Nostalgia Nostalgia

pera pera

Oral Oral

Oriental Oriental

Original Original

Panorama Panorama

Particular Particular

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 Pasta Pasta

Pastor Pastor

Patio Patio

Patrn Patron

Peculiar Peculiar

Penal Penal

Perfume Perfume

Personal Personal

Peseta Peseta

Piano Piano

Plural Plural

Popular Popular

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Pretension Pretension

Principal Principal

Probable Probable

Propaganda Propaganda

Protector Protector

Provincial Provincial

Radical Radical

Radio Radio

Regin Region

Regional Regional

Regular Regular

Religion Religion

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 Reunin Reunion

Revision Revision

Ritual Ritual

Rural Rural

Secular Secular

Sentimental Sentimental

Serial Serial

Sexual Sexual

Similar Similar

Simple Simple

Singular Singular

Social Social

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 Solar Solar

Solo Solo

Subversin Subversion

Superficial Superficial

Superior Superior

Taxi Taxi

Televisin Television

Terrible Terrible

Terror Terror

Total Total

Transcendental Transcendental

Triple Triple

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Tropical Tropical

Unin Unin

Universal Universal

Usual Usual

Verbal Verbal

Versin Version

Vertical Vertical

Violn Violin

Visible Visible

Visual Visual

Vital Vital

Vulgar Vulgar

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 Vulnerable Vulnerable

Near Perfect Cognates

Here the near perfect cognates are divided into separate lists based on their
behaviour:

The following near perfect cognates follow the rule for nouns ending tion in English
can be converted to Spanish by replacing with a cin.

Spanish English

Abstraccin Abstraction

Accin Action

Acusacin Accusation

Adaptacin Adaptation

Admiracin Admiration

Aplicacin Application

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Apreciacin Appreciation

Asociacin Association

Aspiracin Aspiration

Atencin Attention

Atraccin Attraction

Autorizacin Authorization

Celebracin Celebration

Circulacin Circulation

Civilizacin Civilization

Clasificacin Classification

Colaboracin Collaboration

Coleccin Collection

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Combinacin Combination

Compensacin Compensation

Composicin Composition

Concentracin Concentration

Concepcin Conception

Condicin Condition

Conservacin Conservation

Consideracin Consideration

Constitucin Constitution

Construccin Construction

Exposicin Exposition

Ficcin Fiction

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 Formacin Formation

Nacin Nation

Simplificacin Simplification

The following near perfect cognates follow the rule for English nouns ending ary can
be converted to Spanish by replacing with a ario.

Spanish English

Adversario Adversary

Aniversario Anniversary

Arbitrario Arbitrary

Comentario Commentary

Complementario Complementary

Contrario Contrary

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 Diario Diary

Glossario Glossary

Estuario Estuary

Primario Primary

Rosario Rosary

Salario Salary

Secretario Secretary

Solitario Solitary

Vocabulario Vocabulary

Temporario Temporary

The following near perfect cognates follow the rule for English adjectives ending ic
can be converted to Spanish by replacing with a ico.

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 Spanish English

Acadmico Academic

Alcohlico Alcoholic

Artstico Artistic

Autntico Authentic

Automtico Automatic

Bsico Basic

Caracterstico Characteristic

Clsico Classic

Cmico Comic

Democrtico Democratic

Dinmico Dynamic

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Diplomtico Diplomatic

Domstico Domestic

Dramtico Dramatic

Econmico Economic

Electrnico Electronic

Ertico Erotic

Extico Exotic

Fantstico Fantastic

Genrico Generic

Gentico Genetic

Geomtrico Geometric

Heroico Heroic

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 Irnico Ironic

Mgico Magic

Mdico Medic

Mosaico Mosaic

Orgnico Organic

Pnico Panic

Plstico Plastic

Potico Poetic

Pblico Public

Romntico Romantic

Sistemtico Systematic

Trgico Tragic

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The following near perfect cognates follow the rule for English adjectives ending ous
can be converted to Spanish by replacing with a oso.

Spanish English

Curioso Curious

Delicioso Delicious

Glorioso Glorious

Misterioso Mysterious

Numeroso Numerous

Precioso Precious

Religioso Religious

Tedioso Tedious

The following near perfect cognates follow the rule for nouns ending ct in English can
be converted to Spanish by replacing with a cto.

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Spanish English

Abstracto Abstract

Acto Act

Artefacto Artefact

Compacto Compact

Conflicto Conflict

Contacto Contact

Correcto Correct

Exacto Exact

Excepto Except

Insecto Insect

Perfecto Perfect

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 Producto Product

There you have it, not all, but a good summary of the most useful English-Spanish
cognates.

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 CONVERSATION HACKING GUIDE

Why this guide?

In the last 10 years a new approach to language learning has developed.

There is now so much amazing information out in the world to help language students
achieve their goals faster than ever before. With tools such as the internet, Skype and
language learning software, conversation hackers are now learning languages in a fraction
of the time.

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The Definitive Guide to Conversation Hacking was written to share the ideas and concepts
of the conversation hacking movement. This guide will provide insights on the principles
and the strategies associated with conversation hacking and explain how they can be
specifically applied to Spanish.

Who is this guide for?

This guide is for Spanish students that are looking for a better way to learn Spanish. A way
that is more effective and useful for achieving a conversational level of Spanish as fast as
possible.

If you have never held a conversation in Spanish before then this guide will help you find a
path to that level in the most effective way.

There are lots of reasons why Spanish students need a conversational level quickly.
Maybe you have an upcoming holiday to a Spanish speaking country, you may want to
impress a friend, maybe you are an aspiring polyglot and looking to add Spanish to your
bag of tricks or maybe you have always wanted to learn and have struggled with
motivation.

One of the advantages of conversation hacking is that it cuts the learning time significantly
which means you wont have to hold high levels of motivation for as long. If you have
struggled with motivation in the past then this guide will help you improve faster so you can
enjoy the language without having to maintain focused discipline for years.

This guide is not for Spanish students who are looking to be fluent. I strongly believe that
most language students would be better off without using the word and I advise you to
stop using it when talking about your language learning goals. What this really means is
that conversational hacking isnt about perfection.

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If you are looking to be an interpreter or work professionally with Spanish, then sure, you
could start here but you will eventually need to get formal training. This guide is ultimately
for you if you want to experience and enjoy the language with a manageable approach.

How to use this guide?

To get the most out of this guide you should read it all the way through at least once and
get a understanding of the overall principles.

Once you have an idea of the principles you can return to each chapter and read it as a
stand-alone reference topic. You can refer back to each topic when you need to focus
specifically one particular area of conversation hacking.

Until you reach a comfortable conversational level I advise that you keep referring back to
the guide to help maintain your focus and avoid distraction.

Introduction

I remember the agony of my first F in high school. I was fifteen and not looking forward to
giving my parents the news.

My first experience with language learning was not a good one. It started in high school
and at the time I was probably much more interested in the opposite sex than I was
interested in spending any time committing French verb tables to memory.

Ironically, a second language is often a useful tool for attracting the opposite sex but as a
fifteen year old I wasnt to know.

I studied French for 3 years and I could barely speak a word. My grammar sucked. My
vocabulary was non-existent and despite sitting through 3 classes a week for 3 years I was
still a long way from ever having a conversation in French. But, I wasnt alone. My

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classmates were in the same situation. Maybe I wasnt the victim of bad genes but a victim
of a bad system.

Only one student from that class went on with her French studies. In fact, that student
went on to achieve dux of the school in our final year.

A miserable 1 out of 150 students was able to walk away from my high school with any
significant foreign language skills.

So with such poor results in language learning I couldnt help but ask did I graduate
with a class full of dummies? Or were we simply not learning in an effective way.

The old way is dead. Learning languages these days is not about a long hard slog buried
in boring textbooks. There is a new movement of language learners across the globe that
are using the latest techniques designed to cut the time required to learn a language
significantly.

Why spend 5 or 6 years learning a language when you could achieve your goals in 5 or 6
months. The old way is slow and has a low success rate, the new way is interesting, fun
and far more effective.

The best news is the process can be learned. It is not restricted to those that have an
abundance of time to practice or the money required to move to a Spanish speaking
country.

The new process for acquiring a foreign language quicker than ever before is called
conversation hacking.

In this guide Im going to share with your the principles of conversation hacking and how
you can use them to achieve a conversational level Spanish faster than any other method.

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Chapter 1 Fluency Is Not The Goal

It is rare to find a language student that doesnt use the word fluent somewhere in their
language learning goals. But, using the word or the idea of fluency in your goals is problem
because the word is poorly defined.

Does fluency mean you will have a perfect native accent? You probably never will.

Does fluency mean that your second language is as good as your first? This is next to
impossible because in order to achieve a level in a second language that is as good as
your first you need to live in a Spanish speaking country. You need to work, live and
breath your second language for years, which can, as a result, reduce your abilities in your
first language. This means that your skills in your first and second languages will be equal
when your skills in your first language are on the decline.

Does fluency simply mean holding a conversation with perfect precision, grammar and use
of vocab? This could be achieved for short conversations (eg one or two sentences in
length) with only one evenings worth of practice.

The point is that fluency is not a well-defined word, which means it is not a well-defined
and hence useful goal.

But, before we completely demolish a can of haterade on an abstract word, this first
chapter is not about a war of words. Its about mindset and goal setting.

It is not my goal to rally and have Merriam-Webster update their definition of fluency or is it
to pontificate about the use of one word over another.

My goal is to help you improve your language learning mindset in order to reach your
goals faster.

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The secret to goal setting is to make the goal specific and measurable, this makes the goal
easier and faster to achieve.

The reason that fluency is not useful is that it cant be measured and its not specific.

Lets take a sports example Michael Jordan was one of the greatest basketball players of
all time. He was awesome right?

Now say you are an upcoming basketball player and you want to be as good as Jordan.
You think to yourself he was awesome, so my goal should be to be awesome.

Straight away, there is an obvious problem, how do you become awesome? What does
awesome mean?

Does awesome mean defence or offence? Does it mean shooting percentage, or

rebounds or blocks or wins?

If you want to be awesome do you have to work on everything all at once and how will you
know if you have achieved it all?

A good test of a useful goal is can somebody else understand the goal? And if you ask a
third person will they have a similar interpretation?

Once you decide that awesome is too arbitrary and instead focus on one aspect of
Jordans game say shooting percentage then you can get to work. You can practice
your shooting technique and when it comes to game time someone can measure your
accuracy to determine if you have or havent achieved your goal.

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Awesome is the equivalent of fluency; if your goal is fluency then like the young basketball
player you will always struggle to find a place to start, what to do next and how to measure
whether or not you have achieved what you set out to achieve.

Instead look for a goal that will allow you to start to shape your mind around the problem.

For conversational Spanish and the conversation hacking process the goal I encourage all
of my students at Real Fast Spanish to take is:

I can hold a conversation with a native speaker for 30 minutes with at least 10 minutes out
of the thirty minutes spoken by me

This goal does not include a level of accuracy, it does not include reference to a total
vocabulary size and it does not include a set level of grammar.

The power of this goal is that it is measurable and sets you up perfectly for the
conversation hacking process. You will be able to position your mind to look for the vital
pieces of information that will allow you to achieve it.

You will know very clearly whether you have arrived or not. And if you havent got there yet
you can look to the other six principles of conversation hacking to help get you there
faster.

Chapter 2 Not All Words Are Created Equally

The second most important principle is that not all vocabulary words require your attention.
In English there are over 250,000 words yet only 20,000 are used in regular day-to-day
communication.

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In Spanish these numbers are even better there are a total of 100,000 words in the
Spanish language and the top 1000 most frequently used words will give you 87% of
spoken communication.

The conversation hacker focuses his or her efforts on these top 1000 words first.

There are thousands of words in Spanish; the essence of conversation hacking is knowing
that not all words are going to provide you the same reward for effort. There are
diminishing returns for every additional word you commit to memory so make the first
words count.

Conversation hackers know that it is better to learn the verbs for I want or I need than
words such as rooster or elephant. Why waste early valuable computing power on
words you will seldom use?

In order to hack the vocabulary acquisition process and cut the time it takes to gain the
vocabulary you need to have a conversation you should to focus on the words that are
going to give you the best return on time invested.

For Spanish the top 1000 most useful words for conversation hackers are:

Order English Espaol

1 I yo
2 to want querer
3 this este
4 yes S
5 no No
6 to be able to Poder
7 to speak Hablar
8 to find Encontrar
9 to have Tener
10 to need Necesitar

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11 where Donde
12 that Que
13 the el / la
14 place Lugar
15 home Casa
16 something Algo
17 that Ese
18 and Y
19 to see Ver
20 but Pero
21 to go (go away/leave) ir(se)
22 to, at A
23 to say Decir
24 or O
25 a Un
26 more Ms
27 as, like Como
28 is, oneself Se
29 to come Venir
30 my Mi
31 to be Ser
32 to be Estar
33 to live Vivir
34 to pass Pasar
35 day Da
36 year Ao
37 week Semana
38 month Mes
39 each Cada
40 time Tiempo
41 to know Saber
42 to know (be familiar with) Conocer
43 to do Hacer
44 to practice Practicar
45 to arrive Llegar
46 too, also Tambin
47 when Cuando
48 until Hasta
49 morning Maana
50 he / she l / ella

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51 is pleasing to (to like) Gustar
52 me Me
53 you Te
54 you, him, her le
55 us nos
56 them les
57 friend amigo
58 food comida
59 other otro
60 work trabajo
61 for, through por
62 for, in order to para
63 example ejemplo
64 of de
65 in, on en
66 with con
67 to give dar
68 country pas
69 man hombre
70 woman mujer
71 to have haber
72 very muy
73 much mucho
74 large grande
75 less menos
76 little poco
77 thing cosa
78 if si
79 our nuestro
80 always siempre
81 life vida
82 after despus
83 then entonces
84 to put poner
85 duty deber
86 well bien
87 between entre
88 word palabra
89 now ahora
90 to learn aprender

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91 your tu
92 to believe creer
93 is seeming to (to seem) parecer
94 nothing nada
95 all todo
96 because porque
97 to help ayudar
98 to ask pedir
99 to question preguntar
100 what qu
101 it, the, him lo
102 his, her, their su
103 here aqu
104 already ya
105 without sin
106 time vez
107 there is, there are hay
108 about sobre
109 you (informal) t
110 any, some alguno
111 same mismo
112 like that, so as
113 how cmo
114 two dos
115 only slo
116 first primero
117 from desde
118 or ni
119 thanks gracias
120 good bueno
121 one uno
122 you (formal) usted
123 so many, so much tanto
124 Mr. seor
125 such, as, so tan
126 who quin
127 part parte
128 is remaining to (to stay) quedar
129 favor favor
130 where dnde

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131 never nunca
132 to lead llevar
133 to leave dejar
134 truth verdad
135 to follow seguir
136 new nuevo
137 well pues
138 to call (be called/name) llamar(se)
139 best mejor
140 to think pensar
141 that aquel
142 moment momento
143 god dios
144 but, rather sino
145 to leave salir
146 to return volver
147 form forma
148 before antes
149 although aunque
150 world mundo
151 three tres
152 such tal
153 there ah
154 to take tomar
155 certain cierto
156 to, towards hacia
157 case caso
158 night noche
159 to feel sentir
160 then, later luego
161 someone alguien
162 to try tratar
163 person persona
164 higher mayor
165 last ltimo
166 single solo
167 own propio
168 no one nadie
169 whoever quien
170 us nosotros

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171 to look mirar
172 father padre
173 time, hour hora
174 people gente
175 none ninguno
176 money dinero
177 almost casi
178 point punto
179 done hecho
180 during durante
181 any cualquier
182 hand mano
183 way manera
184 which cual
185 while mientras
186 to count contar
187 end fin
188 type tipo
189 clear claro
190 also, besides adems
191 to start empezar
192 to wait esperar
193 today hoy
194 side lado
195 son hijo
196 there all
197 this ste
198 problem problema
199 agreement acuerdo
200 account cuenta
201 medium medio
202 against contra
203 out fuera
204 search buscar
205 within dentro
206 long largo
207 safe, secure seguro
208 to exist existir
209 child nio
210 to enter entrar

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211 mother madre
212 embargo embargo
213 only nico
214 to work trabajar
215 small pequeo
216 high alto
217 change cambio
218 to write escribir
219 four cuatro
220 to lose perder
221 history historia
222 wait espera
223 idea idea
224 water agua
225 to produce producir
226 city ciudad
227 state estado
228 mode modo
229 name nombre
230 to occur ocurrir
231 family familia
232 reality realidad
233 to understand entender
234 to receive recibir
235 work obra
236 important importante
237 with me conmigo
238 wrong mal
239 yet todava
240 reason razn
241 that cuanto
242 low bajo
243 to remember recordar
244 group grupo
245 love amor
246 thousand mil
247 mine mo
248 human humano
249 to finish terminar
250 to allow permitir

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251 to appear aparecer
252 to get conseguir
253 afternoon tarde
254 to start comenzar
255 several varios
256 possible posible
257 yet an
258 to serve servir
259 general general
260 to take sacar
261 relationship relacin
262 five cinco
263 body cuerpo
264 with you contigo
265 to maintain mantener
266 before ante
267 principle principio
268 to result resultar
269 equal igual
270 too demasiado
271 town pueblo
272 second segundo
273 to read leer
274 to fall caer
275 to change cambiar
276 eye ojo
277 goodbye adis
278 street calle
279 to present presentar
280 white blanco
281 to create crear
282 to open abrir
283 book libro
284 different distinto
285 force fuerza
286 light luz
287 according to segn
288 saint santo
289 front frente
290 to consider considerar

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291 really realmente
292 police polica
293 to hear or
294 whose cuyo
295 sense sentido
296 to end acabar
297 step paso
298 situation situacin
299 serious serio
300 head cabeza
301 quite bastante
302 brother hermano
303 to convert convertir
304 grace gracia
305 century siglo
306 last, past pasado
307 bad malo
308 land tierra
309 paper papel
310 affection cario
311 valid, voucher vale
312 neither tampoco
313 social social
314 old viejo
315 Mrs. seora
316 topic tema
317 political poltico
318 Spanish Espaol
319 dead muerto
320 to win ganar
321 to form formar
322 class clase
323 fast rpido
324 to bring traer
325 to start from, to divide partir
326 to die morir
327 even incluso
328 luck suerte
329 field, country campo
330 care cuidado

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331 to accept aceptar
332 perhaps quizs
333 to perform realizar
334 hundred ciento
335 fear miedo
336 order orden
337 door puerta
338 soon pronto
339 to suppose suponer
340 to understand comprender
341 final final
342 interest inters
343 following siguiente
344 view vista
345 to achieve lograr
346 other, the rest dems
347 you os
348 boy chico
349 difficult difcil
350 how much cunto
351 number nmero
352 to explain explicar
353 come venga
354 black negro
355 road camino
356 background fondo
357 voice voz
358 study estudio
359 necessary necesario
360 there all
361 to touch tocar
362 value valor
363 to recognize reconocer
364 to study estudiar
365 to achieve alcanzar
366 to be born nacer
367 to direct dirigir
368 to run correr
369 happy feliz
370 measure medida

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371 less menor
372 war guerra
373 only solamente
374 wife esposa
375 to use utilizar
376 forward adelante
377 center centro
378 what cul
379 need necesidad
380 condition condicin
381 to pay pagar
382 it ello
383 lack falta
384 death muerte
385 ten diez
386 through travs
387 old antiguo
388 supposed supuesto
389 age edad
390 to play jugar
391 heart corazn
392 face cara
393 boss, chief jefe
394 era, time poca
395 color color
396 to listen escuchar
397 help ayuda
398 experience experiencia
399 movement movimiento
400 to fulfill cumplir
401 special especial
402 different diferente
403 sorrow pesar
404 possibility posibilidad
405 to offer ofrecer
406 up arriba
407 to discover descubrir
408 daughter hija
409 previous anterior
410 game juego

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411 to lift (to get up) levantar(se)
412 poor pobre
413 air aire
414 six seis
415 to try intentar
416 together junto
417 result resultado
418 use usar
419 to decide decidir
420 to repeat repetir
421 to forget olvidar
422 law ley
423 appearance aspecto
424 foot pie
425 worth valer
426 species especie
427 to eat comer
428 service servicio
429 close cerca
430 to show mostrar
431 activity actividad
432 third tercero
433 uncle to
434 to occupy ocupar
435 question cuestin
436 doubt duda
437 at least siquiera
438 difference diferencia
439 to move mover
440 to continue continuar
441 amount cantidad
442 action accin
443 to happen suceder
444 to set fijar
445 society sociedad
446 to refer referir
447 to close acercar
448 able capaz
449 free libre
450 natural natural

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451 to devote dedicar
452 weight peso
453 effect efecto
454 object objeto
455 doctor doctor
456 true VERDADERO
457 enough suficiente
458 young joven
459 party partido
460 economic econmico
461 below abajo
462 right derecho
463 first primer
464 importance importancia
465 brilliant genial
466 system sistema
467 just justo
468 trip viaje
469 soil suelo
470 respect, in regards to respecto
471 knowledge conocimiento
472 freedom libertad
473 above encima
474 to buy comprar
475 common comn
476 open abierto
477 next prximo
478 strong fuerte
479 attention atencin
480 to rise subir
481 effort esfuerzo
482 to avoid evitar
483 rest resto
484 is interesting to (to interest) interesar
485 back atrs
486 area zona
487 process proceso
488 alive vivo
489 to close cerrar
490 wine vino

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491 to throw, cast echar
492 to reply responder
493 to suffer sufrir
494 complete completo
495 minute minuto
496 school escuela
497 contrary contrario
498 table mesa
499 real real
500 occasion ocasin
501 blood sangre
502 is important to (to matter) importar
503 public pblico
504 car coche
505 to obtain obtener
506 program programa
507 away lejos
508 seven siete
509 huge enorme
510 response respuesta
511 line lnea
512 space espacio
513 level nivel
514 peace paz
515 government gobierno
516 end, cape cabo
517 return vuelta
518 to observe observar
519 to indicate indicar
520 question pregunta
521 image imagen
522 career carrera
523 fault culpa
524 to imagine imaginar
525 to be in the habit of soler
526 both ambos
527 to accompany acompaar
528 deep profundo
529 to stop detener
530 to develop desarrollar

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531 eight ocho
532 easy fcil
533 to signal sealar
534 to choose elegir
535 figure figura
536 main principal
537 to sleep dormir
538 animal animal
539 base base
540 to prepare preparar
541 to propose proponer
542 to show demostrar
543 party fiesta
544 to mean significar
545 position posicin
546 bed cama
547 motive motive
548 test prueba
549 policy politica
550 national nacional
551 full lleno
552 phone telfono
553 to gather reunir
554 Is missing to (to lack) faltar
555 team equipo
556 datum dato
557 to wish desear
558 company empresa
559 issue asunto
560 presence presencia
561 yours suyo
562 culture cultura
563 series serie
564 million milln
565 to teach ensear
566 to build construir
567 opportunity oportunidad
568 to sell vender
569 to kill matar
570 to represent representar

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571 to disappear desaparecer
572 to send mandar
573 character carcter
574 where adnde
575 most mayora
576 red rojo
577 after tras
578 top superior
579 to walk andar
580 short corto
581 author autor
582 fourth cuarto
583 sky cielo
584 known conocido
585 to prefer preferir
586 memory recuerdo
587 to ensure asegurar
588 forgiveness perdn
589 function funcin
590 cause causa
591 serious grave
592 decision decisin
593 music msica
594 strange extrao
595 to grow crecer
596 to emerge surgir
597 movie pelcula
598 expression expresin
599 husband marido
600 around alrededor
601 dog perro
602 to deliver entregar
603 river ro
604 exactly exactamente
605 security seguridad
606 king rey
607 term trmino
608 to place colocar
609 metro metro
610 doctor mdico

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611 room habitacin
612 to establish establecer
613 to save guardar
614 art arte
615 pair par
616 to start iniciar
617 fire fuego
618 to lower bajar
619 consequence consecuencia
620 to note notar
621 act acto
622 to put meter
623 absolute absoluto
624 penalty pena
625 to act actuar
626 height altura
627 desire deseo
628 out, outside afuera
629 precisely precisamente
630 twenty veinte
631 dream sueo
632 claim pretender
633 task tarea
634 coffee caf
635 letter carta
636 barely, just apenas
637 property propiedad
638 product producto
639 personal personal
640 simply simplemente
641 impossible imposible
642 taste gusto
643 to agree (remember) acordar(se)
644 site sitio
645 language lengua
646 to cut cortar
647 plan plan
648 baby beb
649 to correspond corresponder
650 to break romper

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651 never jams
652 to acquire adquirir
653 weapon arma
654 project proyecto
655 memory memoria
656 origin origen
657 element elemento
658 lost perdido
659 English ingls
660 market mercado
661 course curso
662 to launch lanzar
663 given dado
664 to take advantage of aprovechar
665 interior interior
666 hard duro
667 to support apoyar
668 worse peor
669 deny negar
670 advance avanzar
671 use uso
672 arm brazo
673 teacher profesor
674 resolve resolver
675 future futuro
676 half mitad
677 clothing ropa
678 is costly to (to cost) costar
679 rich rico
680 total total
681 to require exigir
682 opinion opinin
683 to increase aumentar
684 to collect recoger
685 mouth boca
686 address direccin
687 pure puro
688 president presidente
689 to abandon abandonar
690 piece pieza

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691 last night anoche
692 professional profesional
693 to impose imponer
694 about acerca
695 to force obligar
696 physical fsico
697 attitude actitud
698 sea mar
699 entry entrada
700 contact contacto
701 to apply aplicar
702 correct correcto
703 capital capital
704 title ttulo
705 back detrs
706 post puesto
707 material material
708 blow golpe
709 to dispose disponer
710 communication comunicacin
711 to express expresar
712 sorry disculpe
713 simple simple
714 completely totalmente
715 to provoke provocar
716 normal normal
717 to defend defender
718 disease enfermedad
719 matter materia
720 remove quitar
721 to conserve conservar
722 modern moderno
723 hospital hospital
724 to depend depender
725 nature naturaleza
726 capacity capacidad
727 actual actual
728 mark marcar
729 distance distancia
730 full pleno

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731 perfect perfecto
732 closed cerrado
733 to share compartir
734 quiet tranquilo
735 information informacin
736 environment ambiente
737 especially especialmente
738 development desarrollo
739 sun sol
740 to consist consistir
741 probably probablemente
742 to constitute constituir
743 yesterday ayer
744 ready dispuesto
745 to cover cubrir
746 to function funcionar
747 ringer campaero
748 nice bonito
749 output salida
750 to fit caber
751 awareness conciencia
752 to meet atender
753 sick enfermo
754 incredible increble
755 to insist insistir
756 custom costumbre
757 silly tonto
758 news noticia
759 circumstance circunstancia
760 is painful to (to hurt) doler
761 private privado
762 style estilo
763 price precio
764 popular popular
765 to sit sentar
766 plant planta
767 that se
768 character personaje
769 famous famoso
770 hunger hambre

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771 success xito
772 to merit merecer
773 building edificio
774 authority autoridad
775 stone piedra
776 to include incluir
777 boat barco
778 set conjunto
779 hotel hotel
780 thirty treinta
781 immediate inmediato
782 to cross cruzar
783 yours tuyo
784 to tend tender
785 finally finalmente
786 to advertise anunciar
787 bath bao
788 spirit espritu
789 member miembro
790 direct directo
791 pleasure placer
792 to wake despertar
793 resource recurso
794 wall pared
795 error error
796 accurate preciso
797 miscellaneous diverso
798 difficulty dificultad
799 to comment comentar
800 to publish publicar
801 family, familiar familiar
802 will voluntad
803 meeting reunin
804 model modelo
805 secret secreto
806 to load cargar
807 date fecha
808 to participate participar
809 train tren
810 to prevent impedir

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811 purpose propsito
812 to save salvar
813 hurry prisa
814 degree grado
815 to escape escapar
816 deal negocio
817 fight lucha
818 to throw tirar
819 whole entero
820 interesting interesante
821 wide amplio
822 silence silencio
823 to answer contestar
824 newspaper peridico
825 is worrying to (to worry) preocupar
826 teacher maestro
827 provide prestar
828 quality calidad
829 salt sal
830 to exhibit exponer
831 control control
832 civil civil
833 rare raro
834 science ciencia
835 size tamao
836 table cuadro
837 horse caballo
838 responsibility responsabilidad
839 fifty cincuenta
840 internal interno
841 detail detalle
842 march marcha
843 nine nueve
844 meat carne
845 plane avin
846 hair pelo
847 thought pensamiento
848 to travel viajar
849 charge cargo
850 to separate separar

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851 construction construccin
852 trial juicio
853 ground terreno
854 floor piso
855 company compaia
856 gold oro
857 to return regresar
858 text texto
859 source fuente
860 present presente
861 official oficial
862 difinitive difinitive
863 magazine revista
864 damage dao
865 hope esperanza
866 machine mquina
867 to contemplate contemplar
868 to travel recorrer
869 mind mente
870 phrase frase
871 exercise ejercicio
872 room sala
873 to last durar
874 instrument instrumento
875 that aquello
876 defense defensa
877 director director
878 remove retirar
879 explanation explicatin
880 article artculo
881 below debajo
882 to remain permanecer
883 to attend asistir
884 twelve doce
885 permission permiso
886 radio radio
887 to organize organizar
888 choice eleccin
889 visit visita
890 funny divertido

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891 to contain contener
892 support apoyo
893 tree rbol
894 to visit visitar
895 to report informar
896 encounter encuentro
897 sex sexo
898 like parecido
899 current corriente
900 friendly amable
901 reading lectura
902 message mensaje
903 existence existencia
904 language lenguaje
905 costume traje
906 to send enviar
907 soul alma
908 even, yet, still aun
909 destination destino
910 education educacin
911 to care cuidar
912 to intervene intervenir
913 dinner cena
914 operation operacin
915 perfectly perfectamente
916 to extend extender
917 to check comprobar
918 note nota
919 particular particular
920 to delay tardar
921 in, inside adentro
922 military militar
923 song cancin
924 attached unido
925 to discuss discutir
926 to fear temer
927 extraordinary extraordinario
928 theater teatro
929 to face enfrentar
930 newly, freshly recin

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931 average media
932 letter letra
933 feeling sentimiento
934 to drive conducir
935 completely completamente
936 cold fro
937 to sign firmar
938 solution solucin
939 health salud
940 works funciona
941 print impresin
942 to complain quejarse
943 intention intencin
944 rate ritmo
945 green verde
946 exact exacto
947 to respect respetar
948 terrible terrible
949 bank banco
950 via va
951 to hold sostener
952 moon luna
953 skin piel
954 left izquierda
955 before delante
956 religious religioso
957 to warn advertir
958 dark oscuro
959 research investigacin
960 heat calor
961 shop tienda
962 conversation conversacin
963 Christmas navidad
964 summer verano
965 respect respeto
966 grandfather abuelo
967 north norte
968 through mediante
969 tradition tradicin
970 is sufficient to (to be enough) bastar

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 971 couple pareja
972 population poblacin
973 lawyer abogado
974 daily diario
975 honor honor
976 blue azul
977 to mention mencionar
978 generation generacin
979 vision visin
980 concrete concrete
981 completed terminado
982 to propose plantear
983 left dejado
984 to test probar
985 to swear, pledge jurar
986 beautiful hermoso
987 danger peligro
988 confidence confianza
989 to fill llenar
990 simple sencillo
991 to improve mejorar
992 concept concepto
993 to highlight destacar
994 wood madera
995 to walk caminar
996 to employ emplear
997 to agree convenir
998 energy energa
999 to admit admitir
1000 is delightful to (to love) encantar

Chapter 3 Not All Grammar Rules Are Created Equally

Similar to Spanish vocabulary, the rules of Spanish grammar should also be approached
with disparate attention.

There are many grammar rules that cover verb tenses such as subjunctive, imperative
commands, future perfect tense and so on

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Rather than focus your efforts on the grammar rules that are less frequent, focus your
attention the around the grammar that is going to help you converse as quickly as
possible.

Conversation hackers use the grammar rules that are going to help them form and convey
ideas without having to memorise hundreds of grammar rules and verb conjugations.

The following 13 sentences will help you convey a range of ideas in Spanish without the
heavy lifting. You can take these sentences and apply different nouns, verbs and
adjectives to express almost anything.

English Espaol

The apple is red La manzana es roja

It is Johns apple Es la manzana de John
I give John the apple Le doy la manzana a John
We give him the apple Le damos la manzana

He gives it to John l se la da a John

She gives it to him Ella se la da
I must give it to him Debo drsela a l
I want to give it to her Quiero drsela (a ella)

Im going to know tomorrow Voy a conocer maana

I cant eat the apple No puedo comer la manzana
I have eaten the apple Me he comido la manzana

Is the apple red? Es la manzana roja?

The apples are red Las manzanas son rojas

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To break down the above and substitute different vocabulary to convey different ideas
consider the first sentence:

La manzana es roja

You could substitute the noun manzana and the adjective roja for comida and rica:

La comida es rica

Which literally translates to the food is rich but more closely means the food is tasty or
good. You could also substitute buena instead of rica for good the possibilities are
endless.

Another example, take the tenth sentence:

No puedo comer la manzana

You could substitute the noun manzana and verb comer for decir and palabra:

No puedo decir la palabra

Which means I cannot say the word.

Or you could substitute:

No puedo entender la idea

Which means I cannot understand the idea

Another example is a quick hack for talking about the future tense. The ninth sentence:

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Voy a conocer maana

Voy is the first person conjugation for ir which means to go. Similar to English,
Spanish also uses the verb meaning to go to talk about the future. For example, you
might say Im going to eat something, in Spanish this would be:

Voy a comer algo

As you can see with 1000 vocabulary words and 13 sentences you can express almost
anything with a little creativity.

Chapter 4 Total Vocabulary And Grammar Is Different To Usable Vocabulary And

Grammar

A good friend of mine can speak five languages and he has a very simple strategy for
converting total vocabulary to useable vocabulary. He carries a notepad in his pocket.
When he hears a new word he writes the word down. The next day he looks to create an
opportunity to the use the new word in context. It is a very simple strategy but one that he
considers essential for learning any new language.

Say you have committed 1000 words to memory can you recall and use those words on
demand?

Conversation hackers know that the words they have been committing to memory do not
become effective until they can be used.

For example, you may be able to read an article in your target language from the words in
your total vocabulary but you will not be able to converse until you can use and recall
those words when you require them.

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Put in another way, there is a gap between the total number of words you understand and
the total number of words you can use in the moment of a conversation.

Conversation hackers appreciate that this gap exists and seek to close it a quickly as
possible.

This fourth principle is about a three step process:

1. Know You must first know what a word means

2. Recall Next you need to be able to recall that word without a prompt
3. Use You then need to be able to use the word that you have successfully recalled
in context

To start this process, look to use the top 1000 words you are committing to memory from
principle two as often as possible.

You do this by creating opportunities to use the words. You have lots of options for this:

1. Use the words with a Spanish native

2. Use the words with a friend who is learning Spanish
3. Use the words with a family member, a dog, or a tree
4. Use the words by recording them into a phone or computer

Dont underestimate the value of having a conversation with a tree or something that is not
going to laugh at you or make you feel shy or embarrassed when first trying to use the
language. Each word will have to pass your lips at least once before you can be confident
in using it again.

You have to close the gap between total vocabulary and useable vocabulary as quickly as
possible and the only way to do this is to start using the vocabulary. There is, of course,
the old axiom use it or lose it but here this forth principle is really saying use it to gain it.

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Chapter 5 Listening Comprehension Hacking

Listen comprehension is a critical skill for conversation. If you cant understand what is
being said, you wont be able to engage in any conversation.

If I was being honest, listening comprehension for me has been one of the hardest skills to
learn. It has taken hours of practice and it is still really difficult to understand every word
being said. But like all principles of conversation hacking, it is not about being perfect and
understanding every word.

I have a good friend from Scotland who has an unbelievably thick Scottish accent. Despite
the time I have spent speaking with him, it still regularly shocks me that he is actually
speaking English at times I might as well be speaking with someone in a foreign
language. But, the point is that I didnt need to master the accent of Scotland to be good
at English.

Just like the English speaking world there are lots of different Spanish accents.

I also have a friend from Barcelona who has expressed a similar sentiment. Even though
Spanish is his first language and he has been speaking and listening to it since he was
born, he still struggles to understand the Andalusian accent from the south of Spain.

There are three tips for conversation hackers to improve listening comprehension:

1. Pick an accent and stick to it.

Choose a Spanish region and get familiar with that region and the way the people from the
region form the Spanish sounds. It is not going to be anywhere near as effective to jump
from listening to the Spanish of Spain to the Spanish of Mexico than just choosing one and
sticking to it.

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2. Listening comprehension is most quickly improved with active listening

There are a lot of courses out there that promote passive listening alone. What these
courses encourage is listening for hours on end with the idea that the sounds of your
target language will eventually make sense. Passive listening does work but tends to be
slower and less effective than active listening.

Active listening is where you hear something and take action based on what you have
heard. It involves a higher level of engagement which means you are forcing yourself to
interpret and make sense of the sounds. It will cause you to make connections to new
sounds more quickly and be a much more effective use of your time.

The best form of active listening is actually having a real conversation with a native
speaker. The next best form of active listening to use language tools and courses that
incorporate active listening exercises.

3. Leverage context for improved listening comprehension

Context fills in the gaps when you ears miss the sounds. If you can only understand a few
words it is still possible to guess what is being said given a certain situation.

If you are in a restaurant it is unlikely a waiter is going to ask you what your favourite
movie is or what you do in your spare time. A waiter is more likely to ask if you would like
something to eat or something to drink.

If you are at the airport, checking in to a hotel or at the bank, the person behind the
counter is probably going to ask for identification.

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If you are catching up with friends, they are likely to ask how you are, what you have been
up to or ask you a question related to something you have told them is going on in your
life.

You can start working on your skills for picking up context in English, as you go about your
day see if you can start to predict what someone is likely to ask you in a certain situation.

Conversation hackers know that context is critical for listening and the best bit is once your
skills are developed you can transfer them to your third or fourth language.

Chapter 6 Pronunciation Hacking

It could take you years and years to perfect a Spanish accent. But, like the other principles
of conversation hacking communicating with perfect pronunciation is not the goal the
goal is finding the most effective elements of Spanish pronunciation to communicate
effectively.

To convey your thoughts and ideas in Spanish to native speakers there are only a few
sounds that you should focus on to hack the process of pronouncing unfamiliar Spanish
words.

These sounds are chosen because if you get them wrong you will tend to confuse native
speakers. But, conversely if you get them right then it wont matter if your Spanish accent is
inauthentic and doesnt sound like a perfect native speaker.

For Spanish, conversation hackers focus a few sounds unique to Spanish these are:

The g of gente This is pronounced with your throat, think of a Scottish person
talking about the Loch Ness Monster the loch will come out with a lot of throat.
The ll of paella This sound is half way between a y and a j in English, think of
the lli sound in the English word million.

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 The y of ayudar The Spanish y sound is similar to the sound from the previous
example its halfway between an English y and j.
The of maana This is similar to the ni sound in the English word opinion.
The n sound of manera Similar to the English n, think of the English word net
and not to be confused with the previous sound for .

Once you have a feel for the unfamiliar sounds above, you should look to pronounce the
Spanish vowels as accurately as possible these are:

a This is pronounced like the a in the English far or pass.

e This is pronounced like the e in the English bed.
i This is pronounced like the e in the English be but a little shorter.
o This is pronounced like the o in the English hot but a little longer.
u This is pronounced like the oo in the English too.

If you can get close to pronouncing these sounds then your accent wont be a big deal,
your pronunciation will be good enough for natives to understand.

Chapter 7 Conversation Skills In General Need To Be Developed

Outside of language specific skills you need to be able to start, stop and continue a
conversation. These skills can be transferred from English.

Conversation hackers know that the basics of keeping a conversation going, moving past
small talk and being able to say what you want to say in a different way are extremely
useful in the conversation hacking process.

This last principle is not so much a language skill as a life skill. But, conversation hackers
know it is critical to their conversation hacking process.

If you want reach a conversational level you need to be able to have a lot of conversations.

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You need to develop a list of fall back questions and lines to help keep the conversation
going if it is starting to die. Rather than let a conversation fall away you should prepare a
set of questions that you can return to if you are starting to get nervous or cant figure out
what to say next in the moment.

People love to talk about themselves, its human nature, and not unique to one culture.
Therefore I suggest the following questions will be very useful for starting a conversation
and keeping it going:

Dime un poco sobre ti

Which means tell me a little bit about yourself in general.

A que te dedicas?

This translates literally to what are you dedicated to? but more closely means what do
you do? as in a day job or career.

Que te gusta hacer en tu tiempo libre?

Which means what do you like to do in your spare time?

These are three useful questions that include asking someone about themselves in
general, in their career and in their spare time. Almost everybody on the planet will have
answers for these three questions. They could probably go on for a while if you prompt
them so go for it!

Start making connections and having conversations.

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Conversation hackers know that without this last skill it is difficult to convert total
vocabulary to usable vocabulary, it is difficult to make mistakes and it is difficult to have
enough exposure to the target language in order to lift your developing skills to a
conversational level.

Summary

In summary, the underlying theme to conversation hacking is that the elements of each
aspect of language learning can be divided into high and low value. Conversation hackers
know that the best way to reach a conversational level quickly is to hack the learning
process by focusing on the high value elements first.

Perfecting a language can take 20 or 30 years conversation hackers do not have this
much time. They know that achieving a good level is just as useful as achieving a perfect
level.

There is plenty of time to improve your skills through the Spanish Mastery process but
you must first achieve a conversational level and the fastest way to do that is to apply the
7 principles discussed in this guide.

Speaking Spanish is a joy and can open you up to a new world of wonder. It will allow you
to make new connections and have experiences that were never possible prior to learning
the language. If you apply the conversation hacking principles then these experiences and
connections are far closer than you think.

++++++++++++++++++

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 That's curious! - Curiosidades del ingls
FALSE FRIENDS OR FALSE COGNATES

Se denominan false friends (falsos amigos) o false cognates (falsos cognados) a las
palabras que por escribirse de la misma forma (o parecida) en espaol son confundidas,
pero que en realidad en ingls significan otra cosa.

Por ejemplo, "conductor " en ingls no significa conductor, sino que se refiere al director
de la orquesta o al cobrador que se encuentra en los autobuses. Aqu se encuentra una
lista de los false friends ms conocidos.

to abet: instigar, ser cmplice de alguien (y no abeto, que se dice fir)

an abstract: resumen (y no abstracto)
to achieve: lograr (y no archivar, que se dice to file)
accommodation: alojamiento, hospedaje (y no acomodamiento, que se dice
arrangement)
actual: real, efectivo (y no actual, que se dice current)
actually: en realidad (y no actualmente, que se dice nowadays, at present)
to advertise: anunciar (y no advertir, que se dice to warn)
advice: consejos (y no aviso, que se dice warning, notice)
affluence: opulencia, abundancia (y no afluencia, que se dice influx)
ailment: enfermedad leve, achaque (y no alimento, que se dice food)
apparel: ropa, vestimenta (y no aparato, que se dice apparatus, machine)
application form: formulario de solicitud (y no formulario de aplicacin)
to apologise: pedir disculpas (y no apologa, que se dice defence)
to approve: estar de acuerdo, aceptar, aprobar una decisin (y no aprobar un examen,
que se dice to pass an exam)
apt: propenso (y no apto, que se dice qualified, able)
argument: discusin, pelea (y no argumento de un libro/una pelcula, que se dice plot)
arena: estadio, plaza de toros (y no arena, que se dice sand)
army: ejrcito (y no armada, que se dice navy)
aspersion: calumnia (y no aspersin, que se dice sprinkling)
assessment: evaluacin (y no asesora, que se dice consultancy)
assessor: evaluador, tasador (y no asesor, que se dice advisor o consultant)
to assist: ayudar (y no asistir a un lugar, que se dice to attend)
to attain: lograr, conseguir (y no atar, que se dice to tie)
attempt: intento (y no atentado, que se dice terrorist attack)
attendance: asistencia (y no atencin, que se dice attention)
avocado: aguacate (y no abogado, que se dice lawyer)
balloon: globo (y no baln, que se dice ball)
bank: banco - la institucin (y no banco de plaza, que se dice bench)
bark: ladrar o ladrido (y no barco, que se dice ship)
beef: carne vacuna (y no bife, que se dice steak)
best: mejor (y no bestia, que se dice beast)

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bigot: intolerante, fantico (y no bigote, que se dice moustache)
billet: acuartelamiento, alojamiento militar (y no billete, que se dice ticket o note)
billion: mil millones (y no billn, que se dice trillion)
bizarre: estrafalario, extrao (y no bizarro, que se dice brave o gallant)
blank: espacio en blanco o vaco (y no el color blanco, que se dice white)
body: cuerpo (y no boda, que se dice wedding)
bomber: avin bombardero o persona que coloca bombas (y no bombero, que se dice
fireman o firefighter)
brave: valiente (y no bravo, que se dice fierce)
camp: base militar o campamento (y no campo en general, que se dice field)
can: lata o el verbo poder (y no cana, que se dice white hair)
cap: gorra (y no capa, que se dice layer)
career: carrera profesional, ocupacin luego del estudio (y no carrera referida al curso
universitario, que se dice degree)
carpet: alfombra (y no carpeta, que se dice folder)
cartoon: dibujos animados, tira cmica (y no cartn, que se dice cardboard)
casual: fortuito, ocasional, informal, superficial (y no casual, que se dice accidental,
chance)
casualty: vctima o herido (y no casualidad, que se dice coincidence)
cave: cueva (y no cavar, que se dice to dig)
cellular: celular, relativo a la clula (y no telfono celular, que se dice mobile telephone)
chafed: rozado (y no chafado, que se dice crushed o flattened)
chin: mentn, barbilla (y no chino, que se dice chinese)
cocoa: cacao (y no coco, que se dice coconut)
collar: cuello de las prendas de vestir (y no collar, que se dice necklace)
to collapse: hundirse, derrumbarse (y no colapsar, que se dice to bring to a standstill)
college: facultad, colegio universitario (y no colegio, que se dice school)
coloured: de color (y no colorado, que se dice red)
to come: venir, llegar (y no comer, que se dice to eat)
command: orden, mandato (y no comando, que se dice commando unit)
commodity: mercanca o materia prima (y no comodidad, que se dice comfort)
to complain: quejarse (y no complacer, que se dice to please)
complexion: tez, tono de la piel (y no complexin, que se dice body type)
to compromise: ceder, transigir, poner en peligro (y no compromiso, que se dice
commitment, engagement o agreement)
conductor: director de orquesta o cobrador (y no conductor, que se dice driver)
confident: seguro de s mismo (y no confidente, que se dice confidant)
(to be) constipated: sufrir de estreimiento (y no estar constipado, que se dice to have a
cold/chill)
contest: concurso (y no contestar, que se dice to answer)
to convene: convocar, reunir (y no convenir, que se dice to agree, to be advisable)
costume: traje, disfraz (y no costumbre, que se dice custom, habit)
council: consejo (y no conciliar, que se dice to reconcile)
crane: gra (y no crneo, que se dice skull)
crude: primitivo, grosero (y no crudo, sin cocinar, que se dice raw)
cure: tratamiento de curacin (y no cura (religioso), que se dice priest)
curse: maldicin (y no curso, que se dice course)
date: fecha (y no dato, que se dice a piece of information o data)
deception: engao (y no decepcin, que se dice disappointment)
to deliver: entregar (y no deliberar, que se dice to deliberate)
deprivation: privacin, prdida (y no depravacin, que se dice depravity)

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derogatory: despectivo (la palabra despective no existe en ingls)
to design: disear (y no designar, que se dice to appoint o to designate)
desperate: desesperado (y no despertar, que se dice to wake up)
dessert: postre (y no desierto, que se dice desert)
destitute: indigente (y no destitudo, que se dice dismissed, removed)
dice: dados (y no dice (del verbo decir), que se dice he/she says o you say)
dinner: cena (y no dinero, que se dice money)
discrete: diferenciado (y no discreto, que se dice discreet)
disgust: asco, repugnancia (y no disgusto, que se dice annoyance, quarrel, trouble o to
be upset)
disparate: dispar (y no disparate, que se dice nonsense o foolish act)
diversion: desviacin (y no diversin, alegra, que se dice fun)
to doze: dormitar (y no doce, que se dice twelve)
dramatic: drstico, espectacular
economics: economa (y no econmicos, que se dice cheap)
embarrassed: avergonzado/a (y no embarazada, que se dice pregnant)
emergence: surgimiento, aparicin (y no emergencia, que se dice emergency)
estate: propiedad, bien inmueble, patrimonio (y no estado, que se dice state)
eventual: definitivo o posible (y no eventual, que se dice casual, incidental)
eventually: finalmente, "tarde o temprano" (y no eventualmente que se dice by chance,
possibly)
exit: salida (y no xito, que se dice success)
extravagant: derrochador, excesivo (y no extravagante, que se dice outrageous, odd)
fabric: tela (y no fbrica, que se dice factory)
facilities: instalaciones (y no facilidades, que se dice credit terms)
familiar: conocido, familiar (adjetivo) (y no pariente, familiar (sustantivo), que se dice
relative)
fee: tarifa, honorarios, cuota (y no fe, que se dice faith)
file: archivo, carpeta, fichero (y no fila, que se dice row)
fin: aleta (y no fin, que se dice end)
form: formulario (y no forma, que se dice shape)
fray: ria, irritarse o deshilacharse (y no fraile, que se dice friar)
fume: vapor o gas (y no fumar, que se dice to smoke)
gang: pandilla (y no ganga, que se dice bargain)
Geneva: Ginebra (y no Gnova, que se dice Genoa)
gentle: moderado, suave (y no gentil, que se dice gentile, kind)
to grab: agarrar, asir (y no grabar, que se dice to record)
gracious: corts (y no gracioso, que se dice funny)
grill: parrilla, reja (y no grillo, que se dice cricket)
gripe: clico, retortijn de tripas (y no gripe, que se dice flu, influenza)
grocery: tienda de comestibles (y no grosera, que se dice rudeness o rude
word/expression)
hardly: apenas, difcilmente (y no duramente, que se dice strongly)
by heart: de memoria (y no de corazn, que se dice from one's heart)
horn: cuerno (y no horno, que se dice oven)
hostel: albergue (y no hostal, que se dice guesthouse)
idiom: modismo, locucin (y no idioma, que se dice language)
to improve: mejorar (y no improvisar, que se dice to improvise)
influenza: gripe (y no influencia, que se dice influence)
ingenuity: ingenio (y no ingenuidad, que se dice naivety)
inhabitant: habitante (y no inhabitado, que se dice uninhabited)

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injury: herida (y no injuria, que se dice insult)
installment: cuota, plazo o entrega (y no instalacin, que se dice installation)
insulation: aislamiento (y no insolacin, que se dice sunstroke)
to intend: tener la intencin de (y no intentar, que se dice to try)
intoxicated: ebrio (y no intoxicado, que se dice with food poisoning)
involve: involucrar (y no envolver, que se dice wrap)
jam: mermelada (y no jamn, que se dice ham)
juggler: malabarista (y no juglar, que se dice minstrel)
lag: retraso, demora (y no lago, que se dice lake)
lame: cojo, rengo (y no lamer, que se dice to lick)
large: grande (y no largo, que se dice long)
lecture: conferencia (y no lectura, que se dice reading)
lentil: lenteja (y no lentilla, que se dice contact lens)
letter: letra del abecedario o carta (y no letra de una cancin, que se dice lyrics; ni la
forma de escribir, que se dice handwriting)
library: biblioteca (y no librera, que se dice bookshop o bookstore)
lime: lima -la fruta- (y no lima de uas, que se dice file)
lobe: lbulo (y no lobo, que se dice wolf)
lore: tradicin, sabidura popular (y no loro, que se dice parrot)
luxury: lujo (y no lujuria, que se dice lust)
macaroon: galleta con almendras o coco (y no macarrn, que se dice a piece of
macaroni)
man: hombre (y no mano, que se dice hand)
mascot: persona, animal u objeto que da buena suerte (y no mascota como animal
domstico, que se dice pet)
mayor: alcalde (y no mayor, que se dice bigger)
media: medios (y no media, que se dice sock)
memoirs: memorias, autobiografa (y no memoria, que se dice memory)
milliard: mil millones, millardo (y no milln, que se dice million)
misery: tristeza (y no miseria, que se dice poverty)
mocha: caf moca (y no mocha/o, desafilada/o, que se dice blunt)
to molest: abusar sexualmente (y no molestar, que se dice to bother o to annoy)
momentum: impulso (y no momento, que se dice moment)
never: nunca (y no nevera, que se dice fridge)
not at all: para nada, en lo absoluto (y no "no del todo", que se dice not quite)
notice: nota, anuncio (y no noticia, que se dice a piece of news)
occurrence: aparicin (y no ocurrencia, que se dice absurd idea)
office: oficina (y no oficio, que se dice trade o job)
once: una vez (y no once, que se dice eleven)
oration: discurso ceremonial (y no oracin, que se dice sentence o prayer)
ordinary: comn (y no ordinario, que se dice vulgar)
pan: cacerola, cazuela (y no pan, que se dice bread)
papa: pap, padre (y no papa, que se dice potato)
parade: desfile (y no pared, que se dice wall)
to pare: pelar o cortar las uas (y no parar, que se dice to stop)
parents: padres (y no parientes, que se dice relatives)
pendant: colgante de un collar (y no pendiente, que se dice earring)
petrol: gasolina o nafta (y no petrleo, que se dice oil, petroleum)
petulant: irascible, malhumorado (y no petulante, que se dice smug)
pie: pastel (y no pie, que se dice foot)
place: lugar (y no plaza, que se dice square)

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plate: plato o lmina (y no plata, el metal, que se dice silver)
policy: poltica (y no polica, que se dice police)
politic: diplomtico, sutil o prudente (y no poltico (sustantivo), que se dice politician)
preservative: conservante (y no preservativo, que se dice condom)
to presume: suponer (y no presumir o mostrarse orgulloso, que se dice to show off)
to pretend: aparentar, fingir (y no pretender, que se dice to expect)
prize: premio (y no precio, que se dice price)
to probe: investigar (y no probar, que se dice to prove, taste o try)
prospect: posibilidad, perspectiva o posible cliente (y no prospecto, que se dice leaflet o
pamphlet)
quince: membrillo (y no quince, que se dice fifteen)
to quit: abandonar, dejar (y no quitar, que se dice to remove o to put away)
quite: bastante, totalmente (y no quitar, que se dice to remove o to put away)
quote: cita o presupuesto (y no cuota, que se dice fee, installment o payment)
to rape: violar (y no rapar, que se dice to shave o to crop)
to raze: arrasar (y no raza, que se dice race)
to realize: darse cuenta (y no realizar, que se dice to make)
to reboot: reiniciar (y no rebotar, que se dice to bounce)
to recede: retroceder - las aguas, por ejemplo (y no residir, que se dice to reside)
recipe: receta de cocina (y no recibo, que se dice receipt)
to reckon: calcular, considerar o creer (y no reconocer, que se dice to recognize)
recollection: recuerdo (y no recoleccin, que se dice harvest o collection)
to record: grabar (y no recordar, que se dice to remember)
red: rojo (y no red, que se dice net)
regular: de tamao normal (y no regular, que se dice bad, not so good)
relatives: parientes (y no relativos, que se dice relative (adjective))
reluctantly: de mala gana (y no relucientemente o brillantemente, que se dice brilliantly)
to remove: quitar, eliminar (y no remover, que se dice to stir)
rendition: interpretacin (y no rendicin, que se dice surrender)
resort: centro turstico o recurso (y no resorte, que se dice spring)
response: respuesta (y no responso, que se dice prayer for the dead)
to rest: descansar (y no restar, que se dice to subtract)
to resume: reanudar, continuar o reasumir (y no resumir, que se dice to summarize o to
sum up)
risk: riesgo (y no risco, que se dice crag, cliff)
rope: cuerda, soga (y no ropa, que se dice clothes)
rude: maleducado, descorts (y no rudo, que se dice rough)
salad: ensalada (y no salado, que se dice salty)
sale: venta (y no salir, que se dice to exit, to go out)
salted: salado (y no salteado, que se dice skipped)
salvage: rescate, salvamento (y no salvaje, que se dice wild, savage)
sane: cuerdo (y no sano, que se dice healthy)
scallop: vieira (y no escalope, que se dice escalope)
scenery: paisaje, vista o bien, decorados en un teatro (y no escenario, que se dice stage)
sensible: sensato (y no sensible, que se dice sensitive)
sensitive: sensible (y no sensitivo, que se dice related to the senses)
several: varios/varias (y no severo/a, que se dice severe, strict, harsh)
signature: firma (y no asignatura, que se dice subject)
silicon: silicio (y no silicona, que se dice silicone)
sin: pecado (y no sin, que se dice without)
soap: jabn (y no sopa, que se dice soup)

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socket: enchufe o toma de corriente (y no soquete, que se dice ankle sock)
son: hijo (y no son, conjugacin del verbo ser, que se dice are)
spade: pala (y no espada, que se dice sword)
stationery: artculos de papelera (y no estacionario, que se dice stationary)
to stay: quedarse (y no estar, que se dice to be)
to stir: revolver un lquido (y no estirar, que se dice to stretch)
stranger: desconocido o forastero (y no extranjero, que se dice foreigner)
to stretch: estirar, extender, ensanchar (y no estrechar, que se dice to take in, to narrow)
to subside: bajar, disminuir (y no subsidiar, que se dice to subsidize; ni subsidio, que se
dice subsidy, allowance)
suburb: barrio rico perifrico de la ciudad (y no suburbio de casas pobres, que se dice
slum)
success: xito (y no suceso, que se dice event)
sunrise: amanecer, salida del sol (y no sonrisa, que se dice smile)
to supply: suministrar, proveer (y no suplicar, que se dice to beg, to implore)
to support: apoyar (y no soportar, que se dice to put up with)
sympathetic: comprensivo (y no simptico, que se dice nice, likeable)
sympathy: compasin, comprensin, psame (y no simpata, que se dice friendliness,
affection)
target: objetivo (y no tarjeta, que se dice card)
tax: impuesto (y no taxi, que se dice taxi)
tea: t (y no ta, que se dice aunt)
terrific: fenomenal, genial (y no terrorfico, que se dice terrifying)
to traduce: calumniar (y no traducir, que se dice to translate)
trait: rasgo (y no trato, que se dice deal o treatment)
to translate: traducir (y no trasladarse, que se dice to move)
tramp: vagabundo (y no trampa, que se dice trap)
to trespass: violar una propiedad, entrar sin autorizacin, transgredir (y no traspasar, que
se dice to transfer)
ultimate: final (y no ltimo, que se dice last)
ultimately: en ltima instancia, a la larga (y no ltimamente, que se dice lately, recently)
umpire: rbitro (y no imperio, que se dice empire)
uncompromising: inflexible, intransigente (y no sin compromiso, que se dice
uncommitted, free of/without commitment)
vacuum: vaco (y no vacuna, que se dice vaccine)
vase: jarrn (y no vaso, que se dice glass o cup)
vicious: feroz, salvaje, sanguinario (y no vicioso, que se dice depraved, debauched)
zealous: entusiasta (y no celoso, que se dice jealous)

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