Había una vez «una vez»/ Spanish linkers

Some words in Spanish are used to say many different ideas. One of the most useful ones is «vez» and its plural «veces». If you don´t believe us, take a look at the following list.

Algunas palabras en español se usan para decir mucahs cosas diferentes. Una de las más útiles es «vez» y su plural «veces». Si no nos creés mirá la lista que sigue:

* VEZmeans «a little piece» of time. We use it to talk about a moment, «a» time or «one» time. We don´t use to talk about The time.

* – ¿Cuántas veces   fuiste a Mar del Plata? 

  – Fui una sola vez

  – Ah. Yo fui quince veces, porque es LA playa argentina.

In this context, we use «vez» and «veces» to talk about how many times you do, have done or did something.

*-  Me gusta ir a la playa con amigos, pero  de vez en cuando voy sola porque me gusta leer tranquila.

«De vez en cuando» means «once in a while».

* – Una vez, cuando tenía 8 años, me perdí en la playa, me encontró el guardavidas y me llevó con mis papás.

In this context, «una vez» can be followed by verbs in   pretérito perfecto simple to tell about a remarcable event that happened in the past.

* Había una vez en un país lejano, una princesa que vivía en una playa misteriosa…

This formula introduces fairy tales. It´s like «Once upon a time».

* Cada vez que voy a la playa, me tengo que poner mucho protector solar para no terminar roja como un camarón.

It means that something happens 100% of the times you do something.

* Mirá qué bien que trabaja el guardavidas: cuida a la gente que nada en el mar y  a la vez charla con todas las chicas lindas de la playa.

* Este año,  en vez de ir a Mar del Plata, me voy a las sierras de Córdoba. Tengo ganas de cambiar el mar por la montaña.

We use «en vez de» to say «instead of».

Ñ de Español – Spanish tutoring in Buenos Aires

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BAFICI: Festival internacional de cine independiente de Buenos Aires

This time of the year is the best timing to be in Buenos Aires. Not only because Autum here is always sunny and cool, but because between April 6th and 17th you have the oportunity to enjoy an international film festival and one of the most exciting moments in the cultural life of this city.

In the Latinamerican and  the Argentine Competition,  the festival includes mostly premieres and debut films. This is an amazing oportunity to practice your Spanish with different accents from Latinamerica. But,  if you are a beginner and you don’t feel confident with your listening skills, dont worry: all the movies in competition have English subtitles and you can also find lots of good films from all the world.

The festival started in 1999 and, through years, has grown to become one of the most prominent film festivals in the world. Today is placed in a privileged position on the international film agenda.  For this reason, you can find in its program innovative, daring and committed new independent films .

You can check the program here and buy your tickets online here . But if  you prefer go to the movie house to get your tickets, Ñ hepls you with some vocabulary and tips:

– entrada: ticket.  We don ‘t use the words «boleto» or «pasaje» to refer to show tickets. Those are only used for transport tickets.

– hacer la cola (to queue): You probably know what this means. In Buenos Aires, we need to «hacer cola» for many things: in the bank, in the supermarket, waiting for the colectivo, etc.

– mirar la cola: This is a very different thing. It’s not to stare at the queue! We call «cola» the trailer of a film.

– película agotada: The adjective agotado means exhausted. (Por ejemplo: «Esta semana trabajé muchísimo. ¡Estoy agotada!) But when we are talking about a film, it means it is sold out.

– entradas numeradas: This means that you must select where do you want to sit when you buy your ticket. The seats are numbered.

– película subtítulada: It is when the film has the translation at the bottom of the screen. The noun is subtítulos.

– película doblada: It is when the film doesn ‘t have the original audio. The language of the film has been change.

– ¿De qué se trata la película?: You can use this question when you want to know the plot of the movie.

Ñ de Español – Spanish tutoring in Buenos Aires

Learning Spanish doesn`t have to be boring