r/Spanish

Hi! Mis abuelos were all immigrants of Mexico. Spanish was dang near my first language as that was all that was spoken when they cared for me. My abuelo on my moms side passed away when I was 4 and he gave me my nickname of Cleta (which stopped being used cause my mom stopped letting me see basically everyone who spoke Spanish I was about 5. She also didn’t speak to me in Spanish.

So now I (F29) and trying to reconnect with my roots and prepare for my future children so they can be bilingual. I love being Latina and it feels shameful to not be fluent in Spanish anymore 🥲

Anyways.. my abuelo was an amazing man. Tho I was young when he passed, I feel and was always told that I was super close to him. I was told I had him wrapped around my lil finger lol. I actually legally changed my last name to his when I turned 18 cause I had a deadbeat dad and since my abuelo had purchase an alias back in the day when he migrated, nobody ever got to carry his last name: that was till I changed mine. His last name then got to put across every college softball jersey I wore and called in every line up I was ever part of. 💖

I’ve seen a trend on TikTok when Mexican families say their Mexican nickname and their actual name. I remember my abuelo used to call me Cleta. But I don’t actually know what it means. None of my fluent friends have ever been able to tell me cause they don’t know.. am I being delusional and making up a word from whatever memory?!

Now the actual question. What does Cleta mean?

Why is the song "Debí tirar más fotos" and not "Debería tirar más fotos"? As far as I know, the intended meaning corresponds to "I should have taken more pictures" but to me the former seems to mean "I had to take more pictures".

Please vote what your situation is:
I will go through all the responses and tally up the results, then share the final results once we are all finished. This has always interested me so hopefully others want to be involved in the outcome too

A) Native who naturally uses -ra majority of the time

B) Native who naturally uses -se majority of the time

C) Native who naturally uses 1 conjugation, but for certain verbs / conjugations, strictly uses the other (ie always using -ra, except for 1 verb conjugation ie fuese, where you always say -se)

D) Learner who naturally uses -ra majority of the time

E) Learner who naturally uses -se majority of the time

F) Learner who naturally uses 1 conjugation, but for certain verbs / conjugations, strictly uses the other (please reveal what verbs / conjugations you switch things up for :)! )

I collected abbreviations from my school group chat (9th to 11th grade), these should definitely help you if you're trying to type more naturally or to understand texts, buena suerte

q = que

pq / xq = porque / por qué

x = por

qsy = que se yo

yqs = yo que se

qn = quién

dps = después

mñn = mañana

tmb = también

tmp = tampoco

xfa = por favor

lpm = la puta madre

bld / bldo = boludo

blda = boluda

nd = nada

ns = no sé

nqv = nada que ver

m = me

r = re / muy

mrd = mierda

msj = mensaje

lit = literal

bn = bien / bueno

dnd = donde

ntp = no te preocupes

tqm / tkm = te quiero mucho

finde = fin de semana

vdd = verdad

A Spanish Reader for Beginners A New English and Spanish Vocabulary Practical Spanish Grammar Reform Spanish Handbook Alternate Spanish Review: Grammar and Composition Book An Elementary Spanish Grammar An Elementary Spanish Reader Brief Spanish Grammar (with Historical Introductions and Exercises) Business Spanish and Commercial Vocabulary Dictionary of Quotations (Spanish) Elementary Spanish Elements of Spanish Pronunciation First Spanish Course Modern Spanish Reader (Literary and Cultural) Poco a Poco: An Elementary Direct Method for Learning Spanish Second Spanish Book Spanish Commercial Correspondence (Reader) Spanish Grammar Spanish Idioms with Their English Equivalents The Spanish Verb (with an Introduction on Spanish Pronunciation)

For example, if you want to translate he avoids the question you say "él soslaya la pregunta" but Spanishdict does not list soslayar as a translation for to avoid. You can use evitar.

To anger they only translate it as enojar but no entry for enconar.

To bury they only translate it to enterrar, hundir but no inhumar.

Astonished is translated as asombrado but no atónito or patidifuso

among others

I learnt grammar rules rom Language Transfer.

Now I'm using Dreaming in Spanish to be able to expand my vocab and listening skills. If I dont know the word, I look it up and write it donw.

I think I am still too much of a newbie to be practice speaking unless its super basic haha.

I do text my friends in Spanish, though!

Am I on the right track?