How to Translate Spanish Phrases
Spanish is spoken by almost 400 million people worldwide, but even if you are not a native speaker, you can quickly learn how to translate some basic Spanish phrases. Whether you're trying to impress a new Spanish-speaking love interest or preparing to backpack in South America, being able to translate simple phrases from Spanish into English or vice versa will definitely come in handy.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Spanish/English dictionary
- Book of Spanish verbs
- Computer with Internet access
Instructions
-
-
1
Try to identify the parts of speech in the phrase and pick out any vocabulary you recognize.
-
2
Using your Spanish/English dictionary, look up any words you don't know. Write these down.
-
-
3
Using your book of Spanish verbs, look up the declension of the verb to understand the meaning ("te amo," for example, means "I love you" while "me amas" means "you love me"). Write down the usage you find.
-
4
As a last resort, try an online translation site. Type in the Spanish phrase you are trying to translate. Be sure to use all the appropriate accent marks. Double-check your results with your dictionary.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Remember that verb endings change depending on the tense and the person, so don't be thrown if you cannot find the exact word in the phrase in your dictionary.
While online translation sites can be helpful, they can also be misleading. You must type in Spanish phrases exactly, including all accent marks. With English phrases, be careful not to use words that have more than one meaning or you may not get the word you want.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
