Introduction:

Hola, estudiante.

Tú know, there are movies where martial arts masters tell estudiantes to forget all that they know. Mostly because, qué they think they know, they don’t really know.

Anyway, this is Lección tres. Tres means “three.” La raíz de la palabra that means “three” is “tri.” So…

• Tri -> Three. Tres.
• Triceratops -> Tres horns.
• Triangle -> Tres angles. (La palabra en español is “triangulo.”)
• Triple -> Tres occurrences.
• Triplets -> Tres babies.
• Trinity -> Tres who operate as one.
• Trilogy -> Tres stories.

Anyway, yo just wanted to enseñar tú a few more words that yo think will be useful.

But first, tú are probably bothered that yo taught tú how to say “teach” but not “teacher.”

So, la palabra for “teacher” is not qué tú think it is. In fact, remember when yo told tú that knowing raíces de palabras would help tú to learn español?

Well, la palabra for “teacher” is “enseñador.” Tú see, en inglés, we have a suffix “-er” that means “a persona who does something.” So, a “teacher” is “a persona who teaches.” En español, la same suffix is “-dor” or “-dora.” Therefore a female explorer is “la exploradora.”

Tú may think, “But isn’t teacher ‘profesor’?”

And no, “profesor” is a cognada that means “professor.” It’s similar, but not really the same.

Remember when yo said that knowing the cultural razones behind words will come in handy. Well, here it goes again.

Tú see, la palabra “profesor” comes from the latin word “profateri.” Which is basically “prophet.” So, “profesor” or “profesora” comes from la palabra “prophecy.”

That is why la actual definition de “professor” is “a persona who affirms a faith in or allegiance to something.” In other words, el profesor enseña a religion. (Because la first school is la church. So, the first teachers are the prophets.)

Anyway, moving on.

Some Palabras Simples

Did yo ever mention that “palabra” is a feminine palabra? That is why yo say, “la palabra.”

Now, there also are dos palabras for “a.” They are “un” and “una.”

Notice that they both seem close to “uno.” La razón is la palabra “a” is used for singular nouns. Thus “un” and “una” are as well. Also, unfortunately for us, this means they must be used based on masculine and feminine. “Un” for masculine nouns, “una” for feminine.

Also, there is una palabra for “and.” It is “y.” Yes, it es una singular letter.

Another extremely easy palabra is “no.” It literally means “no.” This is uno de those “exacta palabras” yo told tú about.

While we are on el topic, “sí” means “yes.” Most people who are new to studying español still know las palabras “sí” y “no.”

However, here is something interesante. La palabra “sí” has un “accent mark.”

Un accent mark is that line above la “i” en “sí.” This means to inflect your voice when saying it. Qué does “inflect” mean? Hm…

It means to increase el force de your vowel over time. En music, it is called un crescendo.

By contrast “si” doesn’t have un accent mark. So, it is said flatly.

Having or not having un accent mark also changes la word. So, “sí” means “yes.” But “si” means “if.” Which is interesting, porque la palabra “si” implies el thought “if this is true” or “if yes.” En other palabras, stating that something will not be done unless la answer to la condition is “yes.” That is probably por qué they look similar.

Some Useful Words

Tú know qué is una extremely useful palabra? “Usar.”

“Usar” means “to use.” It is another cognada.

Now, for more cognadas.

En español, there are dos palabras, “bien” y “bueno.”

“Bien” is “well.”

“Bueno” is “good.”

By el way, en a show called “Mucha Lucha” there is a character called “Buena Girl.” So, her name literally means “good girl.”

Anyway, both de these palabras come from la raíz de la palabra “bene” which means “good.”

• Ben -> Good, bien, bueno.
• Benign -> Bien or harmless.
• Benefit -> Something bueno for tú.
• Beneficiary -> Someone who speaks bien about tú.
• Benevolent -> Someone full de buenos or “goodness.”

It should be noted, “bueno” es un adjective. As un adjective, it has masculine an feminine forms (bueno y buena).

Y it can have singular or plural forms (buenos y buenas).

Bien, although it also is an adjective, does not have that ability.

Now, yo forgot to teach tú about “no.” “No” can be used por any type de negations. Just slap it before whatever tú want to say isn’t the case.

Por ejemplo, to say “it’s not good” is “no bueno.”

Next, remember when yo said there are dos palabras for “for?”

Well, here is la second one.

“Para.”

Para now, “para” can be usar para all las razones tú would want to usar “for.”

It actually has six uses, but yo will enseñar tú uno. Which is to say, usar it generally.

Y por qué do we want it? Para more compound palabras, of course.

They are “para mí” y “para ti.”

“Para mí” means “for me.”

Y “para ti” means “for you.”

Now, en case tú want to know how to usar “por” y “para” properly, here is un video para ti. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx3bu7et3Yw

Let’s see… Is that all?

No, yo have dos more palabras para ti.

Uno is “signa.”

“Signa” is una cognada para la palabra “sign” or “signal.”

Now, tú may wonder, “How en el world is this supposed to be useful para mí?”

Well, let’s think. Qué is una signa usar para?

Obviously, to give una signal about something, right? Si tú see una red stop sign, it has “significance.” Y “significance” literally means “to contain a meaning.”

Therefore, la palabra for “to mean” or “significance” is “significar.”

Yo have acquaintances who love to say, “That means something.” En español, it is, “Significa algo.”

• Sign -> Una signa.
• Ensignia -> Una signa to represent or “significa” una specific persona or entity.
• Signature -> Un print de una persona’s personal signa.
• Signify -> To show something is true. By una signa.
• Significant -> To have meaning to be importante.
• Insignificant -> To have no meaning to not be importante. (Since most things are defined by their actions, to say something is “insignificant” significar they don’t do anything to be worth identifying.)

Now, remember when yo said that learning how to speak formally will help tú with español?

Well, en español, there are many palabras that are considered básico. Significa, they are palabras that form el “base” de your language. Tú have to know them, si tú want to speak español. So, everyone knows them y learns them as children.

Y they exist en inglés.

But tú no know them until tú are un teenager. Y even then, tú no usar those palabras unless tú want to sound smart.

“Significa” is uno de those palabras.