Cool Verbs To Add An Authentic Flair To Your Spanish!

They're an essential part of learning to speak Spanish but if you're anything like I am, you also find them one of the most boring parts! I'm talking about verb drills of course and another problem with them is that many common verb uses aren't taught in formal language courses, uses that will add an authentic, polished edge to your spoken Spanish. Here's 5 really cool verbs (brought to you by Peter Christian, author of the really cool book Streetwise Spanish!) you can add to your vocab that'll help you make a fantastic impression with the locals!

Our first cool verb is a big favorite of mine. The reflexive form of Antojar, Anojarse, means to have a craving for something, to have a real desire for something. I use this a lot when it comes to food and on one memorable occasion I left a pretty waitress very impressed when I said:

"Se me antoja una hamburgesa con queso" - I really fancy a cheeseburger.

You can also use it to say you're not in the mood to do something, like this:

"Por qué no vas a ir a la fiesta?" - Why aren't you going to the party?

"Porque no se me antoja." - Because I'm not in the mood for it.

Like I say, I use it mostly when it comes to eating and if you use this in a restaurant you will make a very good impression - and get excellent service!

Dejar, "to leave" provides us with a couple of phrases that are really useful to have when you're being pestered by all manner of sales people and con-artists on the streets of major cities, like my home city Barcelona. In summer, there's hardly a week goes by without me saying these phrases:

Déjame en paz - Leave me alone

Déjalo - Leave it (You can also use this when you want to drop a subject from conversation.)

Next up is a power verb with a myriad of meanings. Quedar is sometimes called a "catch all" verb and with good reason! But here's a couple of nice and easy phrases relating to money that use the reflexive form that you can add to your vocab right now:

Me quedé con diez euros - "I kept ten euros."

Quédase con el cambio = "Keep the change"

which can be shortened to: Quédatelo - Keep it.

Seguir, a verb that means "to follow" or "to continue" gives you several cool phrases to sprinkle into your spoken Spanish, especially with the "to continue" meaning. No ceremony here, just a quick-fire list of "plug-and-play" dead-easy expressions for you to dial-in:

Sigo bebiendo - I keep drinking, ¿sigues creyendo en dios? - Do you still believe in God?, Pablo sigue comiendo - Paul keeps eating, Seguímos riendo - we keep laughing, seguís gritando - you all keep shouting, Ellos siguen cantando - They keep singing.

¿Muy fácil, verdad?

Finally, I'm sure your familiar with the common usage of Parecer, to seem, e.g. me parece bien - it's good with me. But the reflexive form, paracerse is another cool verb to master and it means "to look like." So, Me parezco a mi padre - I look like my father. Pero ¡cuidado! If you want to say "it looks like" then you need to use parecer que, like this: "Parece que va a ser un día calorazo" - it looks like it's going to be a very hot day or "Parece que va a llover." - it looks like it's going to rain.

So you now have 5 cool verbs that will help to add an authentic, polished edge to your Spanish. Sprinkle them into your conversations and you'll impress the locals and win many admiring new friends - ¡muy bien!

Hasta pronto,

Peter.

Barcelona-based writer Peter Christian is the author of the brand-new book "Streetwise Spanish". To discover how you can add an authentic flourish to your spoken Spanish along with practical, valuable insights into Hispanic culture, click here now!