“Sino” and “si no”. There is a difference between them! The form “si no” (with a space in between) always introduces a conditional sentence. The word “si” is a conjunction (which introduces a conditional formula), and “no” is a negative adverb. Example: Si no hubiera intervenido el juez… The form “sino” (no space in between) is an adversative conjunction, which is mainly used to set against an affirmation to something previously denied: No fue expulsado (what is denied), sino que dimitió (the affirmation). This last form is also used to join two statements where the second one adds on something to the first one: No solo se han visto ovnis, sino que además han aterrizado (Se han visto + han

The letter “erre” is duplicated in certain derivative and compound words According to Ortografia de la Lengua Española, the letter “erre” represents two different sounds: the one we pronounce when saying words like ara, orilla or herir, and the sound on the words rata, arroyo or erre. To represent the last sound, when the letter “erre” is placed between two vowels, it needs to be duplicated (rr), as in perro, which sounds different tan pero. For compounds words, where the first word ends with a vowel, and the second words starts with “erre”, you need to duplicate the “erre” to keep its sound: anti + reumático should be antirreumático. Source http://www.banrepcultural.org

And what about homophones? Last week we talked about homonymous in Spanish, but now lets talk about homophones. A homophone is a word that is pronounce the same as another word, but differs in spelling and meaning. Some of these words in Spanish are: Cabo: End piece Cavo: From the verb Excavar Grabe: From the verb Grabar Grave: Serious Sabia: Wise Savia: Sap Vidente: With sight or clairboyant Bidente: It has two teeth Consejo: Advise Concejo: Council Sumo: Supreme Zumo: Juice Hojear: Leaf through Ojear: To take a look Aprehender: To apprehend Aprender: To learn Hasta: A preposition in Spanish Asta: Flagpole Ay: An exclamation that express ache/surprise Hay: From the verb Haber Tasa: Rate/val

What about homonyms? Homonyms are words that have the same spelling and sound, but have different meanings. Some of these words in Spanish are: Alce: From the verb Alzar or a moose Capital: Capital City or share capital Evita: From the verb Evitar or a female name Lengua: Tongue or language Vela: From the verb Velar or a candle Cojo: From the verb Coger or a lame person Traje: From the verb Traer or a suit Leo: From the verb Leer or the zodiac sign Leo Sobre: Envelope or above Banco: Bench or bank Gato: Cat or a jack Masa: Multitude or dough Muñeca: Doll or wrist Estación: Season or station Casa: From the verb Casar or a home Source http://www.banrepcultural.org

Va a acabar, instead of Va acabar. You need the preposition “a”. It is pretty common to find newspapers using phrases like: “Se va acabar con la corrupción”, “Se anunció que el Presidente Medina iba hablar sobre Odebrecht” or “Estas propuestas van ayudar a disminuir este tipo de actos de violencia”. The correct way is to use the structure: ir a + infinitive form of a verb. Then, the sentences above should be: “Se va a acabar con la corrupción”, “Se anunció que el Presidente Medina iba a hablar sobre Odebrecht” and “Estas propuestas van a ayudar a disminuir este tipo de actos de violencia”. Source: http://www.fundeu.es