u/pickly_pear

Literally "to drown in a glass of water," used for someone who gets completely overwhelmed by a small, easily solvable problem. English says making a mountain out of a molehill.

No te preocupes tanto, te estás ahogando en un vaso de agua.
Don't worry so much, you're making a mountain out of a molehill.

Sofía siempre se ahoga en un vaso de agua cuando tiene que viajar.
Sofía always gets overwhelmed over nothing whenever she has to travel.

No vale la pena ahogarse en un vaso de agua por un pequeño error de redacción.
It's not worth panicking over a small typo.

What's the equivalent where you learned Spanish?

Literally "to drown in a glass of water," used for someone who gets completely overwhelmed by a small, easily solvable problem. English says making a mountain out of a molehill.

No te preocupes tanto, te estás ahogando en un vaso de agua.
Don't worry so much, you're making a mountain out of a molehill.

Sofía siempre se ahoga en un vaso de agua cuando tiene que viajar.
Sofía always gets overwhelmed over nothing whenever she has to travel.

No vale la pena ahogarse en un vaso de agua por un pequeño error de redacción.
It's not worth panicking over a small typo.

What's the equivalent where you learned Spanish?

Literally "to drown in a glass of water," used for someone who gets completely overwhelmed by a small, easily solvable problem. English says making a mountain out of a molehill.

No te preocupes tanto, te estás ahogando en un vaso de agua.
Don't worry so much, you're making a mountain out of a molehill.

Sofía siempre se ahoga en un vaso de agua cuando tiene que viajar.
Sofía always gets overwhelmed over nothing whenever she has to travel.

No vale la pena ahogarse en un vaso de agua por un pequeño error de redacción.
It's not worth panicking over a small typo.

What's the equivalent where you learned Spanish?

Ando leyendo un libro doesn't mean "I walk reading a book." Andar becomes a helper, signaling the reading is ongoing and happening here and there rather than in one sitting.

andar + gerund = ongoing, on and off (ando buscando trabajo)
ir + gerund = gradual progress (voy entendiendo)
venir + gerund = building up to now (viene diciendo lo mismo desde hace meses)
seguir + gerund = still going (sigue lloviendo)
llevar + time + gerund = how long it's been going (llevo dos años estudiando)
acabar / terminar + gerund = how it ended up (acabé aceptando)
echarse a + infinitive = a sudden start (se echó a llorar)

With participles, where the participle agrees with the object:

llevar + participle = a running total (llevo leídas cien páginas)
tener + participle = what you've got done (tengo escritas tres cartas)
dejar / quedar + participle = left in a finished state (dejé preparada la cena)

Ando leyendo un libro doesn't mean "I walk reading a book." Andar becomes a helper, signaling the reading is ongoing and happening here and there rather than in one sitting.

andar + gerund = ongoing, on and off (ando buscando trabajo)
ir + gerund = gradual progress (voy entendiendo)
venir + gerund = building up to now (viene diciendo lo mismo desde hace meses)
seguir + gerund = still going (sigue lloviendo)
llevar + time + gerund = how long it's been going (llevo dos años estudiando)
acabar / terminar + gerund = how it ended up (acabé aceptando)
echarse a + infinitive = a sudden start (se echó a llorar)

With participles, where the participle agrees with the object:

llevar + participle = a running total (llevo leídas cien páginas)
tener + participle = what you've got done (tengo escritas tres cartas)
dejar / quedar + participle = left in a finished state (dejé preparada la cena)

Ando leyendo un libro doesn't mean "I walk reading a book." Andar becomes a helper, signaling the reading is ongoing and happening here and there rather than in one sitting.

andar + gerund = ongoing, on and off (ando buscando trabajo)
ir + gerund = gradual progress (voy entendiendo)
venir + gerund = building up to now (viene diciendo lo mismo desde hace meses)
seguir + gerund = still going (sigue lloviendo)
llevar + time + gerund = how long it's been going (llevo dos años estudiando)
acabar / terminar + gerund = how it ended up (acabé aceptando)
echarse a + infinitive = a sudden start (se echó a llorar)

With participles, where the participle agrees with the object:

llevar + participle = a running total (llevo leídas cien páginas)
tener + participle = what you've got done (tengo escritas tres cartas)
dejar / quedar + participle = left in a finished state (dejé preparada la cena)

With the accent = asking or exclaiming
Without the accent = linking

Asking:
¿Qué quieres? = what do you want?
No sé qué quiere = I don't know what he wants
(no question mark, still a question inside the sentence, still accented)

Exclaiming:
¡Qué rico! = how tasty!

Linking:
El libro que compré = the book that I bought
Creo que sí = I think so
Más alto que yo = taller than me
Tengo que irme = I have to go

Why it matters:
No sé qué quiere = I don't know what he wants
No sé que quiere = I'm not aware that he wants

Same rule for cómo/como, cuándo/cuando, dónde/donde, quién/quien.

With the accent = asking or exclaiming
Without the accent = linking

Asking:
¿Qué quieres? = what do you want?
No sé qué quiere = I don't know what he wants
(no question mark, still a question inside the sentence, still accented)

Exclaiming:
¡Qué rico! = how tasty!

Linking:
El libro que compré = the book that I bought
Creo que sí = I think so
Más alto que yo = taller than me
Tengo que irme = I have to go

Why it matters:
No sé qué quiere = I don't know what he wants
No sé que quiere = I'm not aware that he wants

Same rule for cómo/como, cuándo/cuando, dónde/donde, quién/quien.

With the accent = asking or exclaiming
Without the accent = linking

Asking:
¿Qué quieres? = what do you want?
No sé qué quiere = I don't know what he wants
(no question mark, still a question inside the sentence, still accented)

Exclaiming:
¡Qué rico! = how tasty!

Linking:
El libro que compré = the book that I bought
Creo que sí = I think so
Más alto que yo = taller than me
Tengo que irme = I have to go

Why it matters:
No sé qué quiere = I don't know what he wants
No sé que quiere = I'm not aware that he wants

Same rule for cómo/como, cuándo/cuando, dónde/donde, quién/quien.

Question 1: ser or estar? Ser is what something is, estar is how or where it is.
Question 2: imperfect or preterite? Imperfect sets the scene, preterite marks a completed event.

Two questions, four answers:

era = what it was like, ongoing (era mi mejor amigo)
fue = it happened, start to finish (la boda fue en mayo)
estaba = how or where things were at the time (estaba cansado cuando llegué)
estuve = a state that lasted a set stretch, now closed (estuve tres días en Madrid)

Same adjective, different picture:
Era difícil = that's how it always was
Fue difícil = the whole experience, now over
Estaba enfermo = setting the scene
Estuve enfermo una semana = a bounded stretch that ended

And the one that trips everyone up: fue is also the preterite of ir. Fue increíble = it was incredible. Fue a la tienda = he went to the store. Ser and ir share their entire preterite, so only context separates them.

Question 1: ser or estar? Ser is what something is, estar is how or where it is.
Question 2: imperfect or preterite? Imperfect sets the scene, preterite marks a completed event.

Two questions, four answers:

era = what it was like, ongoing (era mi mejor amigo)
fue = it happened, start to finish (la boda fue en mayo)
estaba = how or where things were at the time (estaba cansado cuando llegué)
estuve = a state that lasted a set stretch, now closed (estuve tres días en Madrid)

Same adjective, different picture:
Era difícil = that's how it always was
Fue difícil = the whole experience, now over
Estaba enfermo = setting the scene
Estuve enfermo una semana = a bounded stretch that ended

And the one that trips everyone up: fue is also the preterite of ir. Fue increíble = it was incredible. Fue a la tienda = he went to the store. Ser and ir share their entire preterite, so only context separates them.

Question 1: ser or estar? Ser is what something is, estar is how or where it is.
Question 2: imperfect or preterite? Imperfect sets the scene, preterite marks a completed event.

Two questions, four answers:

era = what it was like, ongoing (era mi mejor amigo)
fue = it happened, start to finish (la boda fue en mayo)
estaba = how or where things were at the time (estaba cansado cuando llegué)
estuve = a state that lasted a set stretch, now closed (estuve tres días en Madrid)

Same adjective, different picture:
Era difícil = that's how it always was
Fue difícil = the whole experience, now over
Estaba enfermo = setting the scene
Estuve enfermo una semana = a bounded stretch that ended

And the one that trips everyone up: fue is also the preterite of ir. Fue increíble = it was incredible. Fue a la tienda = he went to the store. Ser and ir share their entire preterite, so only context separates them.

The seven triggers:

1. Wanting — quiero que vengas, espero que estés bien
2. Emotion — me alegra que estés aquí, es una pena que no puedas venir
3. Doubt and denial — no creo que sea verdad, dudo que llegue a tiempo
4. Impersonal judgments — es importante que descanses, ojalá venga
5. Time that hasn't arrived — cuando llegues, avísame
6. Something that may not exist — busco a alguien que hable ruso
7. Purpose and condition — te lo explico para que entiendas

The pattern: two different subjects, a que in the middle, and a first half that isn't stating a fact. Quiero que vengas has two subjects. Quiero venir has one, so it takes an infinitive instead.

And you already use it. Every negative command is the subjunctive: no hables, no vayas.

Which trigger took you longest?

The seven triggers:

1. Wanting — quiero que vengas, espero que estés bien
2. Emotion — me alegra que estés aquí, es una pena que no puedas venir
3. Doubt and denial — no creo que sea verdad, dudo que llegue a tiempo
4. Impersonal judgments — es importante que descanses, ojalá venga
5. Time that hasn't arrived — cuando llegues, avísame
6. Something that may not exist — busco a alguien que hable ruso
7. Purpose and condition — te lo explico para que entiendas

The pattern: two different subjects, a que in the middle, and a first half that isn't stating a fact. Quiero que vengas has two subjects. Quiero venir has one, so it takes an infinitive instead.

And you already use it. Every negative command is the subjunctive: no hables, no vayas.

Which trigger took you longest?

The seven triggers:

1. Wanting — quiero que vengas, espero que estés bien
2. Emotion — me alegra que estés aquí, es una pena que no puedas venir
3. Doubt and denial — no creo que sea verdad, dudo que llegue a tiempo
4. Impersonal judgments — es importante que descanses, ojalá venga
5. Time that hasn't arrived — cuando llegues, avísame
6. Something that may not exist — busco a alguien que hable ruso
7. Purpose and condition — te lo explico para que entiendas

The pattern: two different subjects, a que in the middle, and a first half that isn't stating a fact. Quiero que vengas has two subjects. Quiero venir has one, so it takes an infinitive instead.

And you already use it. Every negative command is the subjunctive: no hables, no vayas.

Which trigger took you longest?

The conditional does most of the work. Quiero un café is correct, quisiera un café. ¿Puedes ayudarme? becomes ¿podrías ayudarme? Same request, completely different tone!

15 ways to soften what you say in public, from ordering to asking a stranger for directions.

Which ones would you add?

The conditional does most of the work. Quiero un café is correct, quisiera un café. ¿Puedes ayudarme? becomes ¿podrías ayudarme? Same request, completely different tone!

15 ways to soften what you say in public, from ordering to asking a stranger for directions.

Which ones would you add?

The conditional does most of the work. Quiero un café is correct, quisiera un café. ¿Puedes ayudarme? becomes ¿podrías ayudarme? Same request, completely different tone!

15 ways to soften what you say in public, from ordering to asking a stranger for directions.

Which ones would you add?

Tener, hacer, and dar do most of that work:

tener razón = to be right
tener ganas de = to feel like
tener sentido = to make sense
tener cuidado = to be careful
hacer falta = to be needed
hacer caso = to listen to someone
hacer un favor = to do a favor
dar igual = to not matter
dar las gracias = to thank
dar una vuelta = to go for a walk

Learn which nouns these three verbs pair with and you cover a large share of everyday conversation without new vocabulary.

Tener, hacer, and dar do most of that work:

tener razón = to be right
tener ganas de = to feel like
tener sentido = to make sense
tener cuidado = to be careful
hacer falta = to be needed
hacer caso = to listen to someone
hacer un favor = to do a favor
dar igual = to not matter
dar las gracias = to thank
dar una vuelta = to go for a walk

Learn which nouns these three verbs pair with and you cover a large share of everyday conversation without new vocabulary.