A follower on Twitter suggested that I tweet a Spanish word every day.
That gave me an idea. Since many are locked up inside their homes because of the quarantine, might as well come up with a way to introduce the Spanish language to bored Filipino millennials. I thought of starting with the Spanish equivalents of words and phrases that are closely associated with the ongoing pandemic. Waiting for this crisis to end is the best time to study Spanish. Without further ado, here we go…
Image: Spanish to English Know-How.
asymptomatic – asintomático, asintomática
bat – murciélago
boundary – perímetro; límite
clinic / health facility – clínica
community quarantine – cuarentena comunitaria
contagious – contagioso, contagiosa
coronavirus – coronavirus
COVID-19 – enfermedad del coronavirus
curfew – toque de queda; horario límite
disease – enfermedad
doctor – médico, médica; doctor, doctora
enhanced community quarantine – cuarentena comunitaria mejorada
face mask – máscara protectora; mascarilla
front line – primera línea; vanguardia
health – salud
hospital – hospital
lockdown – bloqueo; encierro
nurse – enfermero, enfermera
outbreak – brote
pandemic – pandemia
panic buying – compras de pánico
personal protective equipment – equipo de protección individual
quarantine – cuarentena
quarantine pass – pase de cuarentena
senior citizen – persona mayor
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – coronavirus 2 del síndrome respiratorio agudo grave
Sinophobia – sinofobia
social distancing – distanciamiento social
state of emergency – estado de emergencia
symptom – síntoma
treatment – tratamiento
TikTok – locura
virus – virus
work from home – trabajo a distancia; teletrabajo
World Health Organization – Organización Mundial de la Salud
A guide to Spanish pronunciation:
1) Like all Filipino languages (Tagálog, Ilocano, Hiligaynón, etc.), Spanish is a phonetic language. Thus, it is pronounced as it is written, and viceversa.
2) The letters B and V sound the same: both are pronounced as in the English B (boy, boat).
3) The letter H has no sound.
4) The letter Z is pronounced either as S or as TH (as in thick or thin), not like the Z in English (as in buzz).
5) For words that end in a vowel, or N and S, the next to the last syllable is stressed.
6) Words that end in consonants, except N and S, are stressed on the last syllable.
7) If the word has an accent mark, then that syllable is stressed (rules 5 and 6 are therefore ignored).
8) Click here for more.
Remember: Spanish is NOT a foreign language. It’s as Filipino as chicken adobo and the calesa. And it’s easier to learn than English.
Keep safe, everyone.
EL FILIPINISMO 