Definite article and units of measurements

The definite article is used before units of weight or measure in Spanish where the indefinite article is required in English.

Estas manzanas cuestas 12 pesos el kilo.

These apples cost 12 pesos a kilo.

Definite article and parts of the body

The definite article is used with parts of the body and clothing instead of the possessive pronouns.

Debes ponerte el impermeable cuando está lloviendo. 

You should put on your raincoat when it's raining. 

Nos lavamos la cara. 

We washed our face. 

Los estudiantes levantaron la mano. 

The students raised their hands. 

Definite article in days of the week

The definite article is used before names of the days of the week instead of en to translate the English "on".

Llegarán el viernes. 

They'll arrive on Friday.

Van a la iglesia los domingos. 

They go to church on Sundays. 

The article is not in used after any form of the verb ser. 

Hoy es domingo. 

Today is Sunday. 

Ayer fue sábado. 

Yesterday was Saturday. 

Spanish verb family - Coger

The verb coger is one of the most common verbs in Spanish. For this post, we'll study some verbs that end in - coger. 

Coger

• Take (leaflet, etc.) - Coge lo que quieras. (Take what you like) 
• Pick up (book) - Coge la revista del suelo. (Pick the magazine up off the floor) 
• Catch (ball, robber) - Lo cogieron robando. (He was caught stealing) 
• Find, Catch - No quiero que me coja la noche en la carretera. (I don't want to be driving when it's dark)
• Catch (illness) - Vas a coger frío. (You'll catch cold)
• Get (meaning) - No cogió el chiste. (He didn't get the joke)

Cogerse

• Hold on - Cógete de la barandilla. (Hold on to the railing)

Acoger

• Take in - Europa acogió a refugiados. (Europe admitted refugees)
• Receive - Nos acogieron con cortesía. (They received us politely)

Acogerse a algo

• Have recourse to something - Se acogieron a la ley. (They had recourse to the law)

Recoger

• Pick up (pen) - Recoger el lápiz del suelo. (Pick up the pen off the floor)
• Straighten up (room) - Recogieron la habitación. (They straighten up the room)
• Gather, Harvest (fruit, crops) - No llegó a recoger el fruto de su trabajo. (He was unable to deep the fruits of his labor)
• Fetch, Pick up (person) - El autobús pasará a recogernos. (The bus will come by to pick us up)
• Include - Esta acepción no la recoge ningún diccionario. (This meaning isn't included in any dictionary)

Recogerse

• Go home, Go to bed - Se recogió temprano. (He went to bed early)

Escoger

• Choose - Escoge entre los dos. (Choose between the two of them)

Encoger

• Shrink - El animal encogió el cuerpo de miedo. (The animal shrank back in fear)

Sobrecoger

• Move (emotionally), Terrify, Shock - Se sobrecogió cuando le atacó el perro. (He was terrified when the dog attacked him); La noticia de su repentina muerte sobrecogió a todos sus amigos y familiares. (The news of his sudden death overwhelmed all his friends and family)

Uses of the Spanish word "se"

This post is about the uses of the word "se" in Spanish.

As a reflexive pronoun of the third person singular and plural
In English, it's enough to say He takes a bath. However, in Spanish you say él se baña. Se acts as an reflexive pronoun. If you say to someone, él baña, he might ask back to you ¿a quién baña? as él baña is incomplete and needs an object.

Substitute for the indirect object "le" or "les" if a direct object (lo, la, los, las) is present in the sentence
Instead of saying le lo voy a dar, we say se lo voy a dar.

It's used when a part of a human body or clothing is involved in the sentence
Instead of using the possessive pronoun su, se is used and the part of the body or the clothing is accompanied by the definite article el or la.

He washes his hands
(Él) se lava las manos (instead of Él lava sus manos

She puts the necklace on
(Ella) se pone el collar (instead of Ella pone su collar)

He washes them (hands)
(Él) se las lava

She puts it on (necklace)
(Ella) se lo pone

Part of a pronominal verbs
Pronominal verbs are verbs that are accompanied by a reflexive pronoun. These verbs have to be memorized. Most of these are verbs of emotion.

Se fue - He went away
Se durmieron - They fell asleep
No te quejes - Don't complain
Se entristece - He feels sad
Se sorprendió - He got surprised

Reciprocal use
Se means each other

They love each other - ellos se quieren

Passive use
A sentence is in passive voice when the doer of the verb is not known. It's more or less has the same meaning of the French on.

En España se vive mejor que en México - The quality of life in Spain is better than in Mexico. (literally means, "One lives better in Spain than in Mexico")
Se fabrican un millón de móviles cada año - A million mobile phones are manufactured every year
Las manos se lavan antes de comer - One should wash his hands before eating
No se casa si no se tiene dinero - One should not marry if he has no money
Se prohibe fumar - No smoking
Se cree que la tierra es plana - It is believed that the earth is flat

Used with verbs such as olvidar to express that something was done or occurred unintentionally

Se me olvidó decirte que... - I forgot to tell you that... (literally means, "Telling you was forgotten to me")
Se me ocurrió una idea - I got an idea
Se nos hizo aburrido el viaje - The journey felt boring (to us)
Se me fue el dolor - It doesn't hurt anymore
Se le pasó el hambre - He's not hungry anymore
Se me quitó la mancha en el vestido - The stain on my dress got removed (by itself)
Se me ha vuelto a averiar el coche - My car has broken down again.

The form "habría" is getting out of style. Learners of Spanish should be aware of

Probably you may have heard someone say or you may have read something like, "me hubiera gustado hacer un viaje". As a Spanish learner, you learned that the word "hubiera" is in past subjunctive and therefore it has to follow a "que", a "si" or "ojalá". But in this sentence it doesn't. Why is that so?

It's because, in the aformentioned sentence, "hubiera" should be "habría". "Habría" is getting out of style in contemporaneous Spanish and it's being replaced little by little by the form "hubiera" which is frowned upon by grammarians.

Let's take a look at some sentences:

Si hubieras comido, no hubieras tenido hambre.
If you had eaten, you wouldn't have gone hungry.

No hubiera aprobado el examen aunque hubiera estudiado mucho.
I wouldn''t have passed the exam even if I had studied.


Some speakers may use "hubiese".

No te hubiese reconocido.
I wouldn't have recognized you.


In some Latin American countries, "hubiera" can mean "should have" or "could have", such as in:

Me hubieras llamado por teléfono.
You should have called me by phone.

Te hubieras matado. La próxima vez, ten más cuidado.
You could have killed yourself. Be more careful next time.

Me hubieras avisado donde andabas.

You should have told me where you were.

What's the difference between "podrías haberlo hecho" and "podías haberlo hecho"?

Easy. "Podrías haberlo hecho" is used when there is a condition expressed. Example:

Podría haber terminado si hubiera tenido más tiempo.
I could have finished if I had had more time.

Podrías haberte caído si no hubieras tenido cuidado.
You could have fallen if you hadn't been careful.


If no condition is expressed, then "podías haberlo hecho" or "pudiste haberlo hecho" are preferred.

“Podíamos haber ido al cine para divertirnos un poco” (pero no lo hicimos)
“Podían haber llamado a la policía” (habría sido una buena idea, pero no lo hicieron)
“Podía haber hecho una tortilla para cenar” (pero no se me ocurrió, la verdad)
“Podía haberte pedido consejo”(pero no lo hice porque no quería que te preocuparas por mis problemas)
“¡Podías haberte matado!” (Lo que hiciste era peligroso, pero, gracias a Dios, no te ha pasado nada, no te has matado)
“Podía haberme levantado más temprano, pero tenía un sueño…..” (No me levanté, me quedé en la cama)


Now let's add a condition to the sentences above and let's see what happens.

“Podríamos haber ido al cine” (si no se nos hubiera hecho tan tarde)
“Podrían haber llamado a la policía” (si hubieran tenido un teléfono)
“Podría haber hecho una tortilla para cenar” (si hubiera tenido patatas)
“Podría haberte pedido consejo”(si hubieras estado a mi lado)
“Podrías haberte matado” (si hubieras subido a las rocas).
“Podría haberme levantado más temprano” (si no me hubiera acostado tan tarde)

The condition can be made explicit or not, but it's there.