Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Tomo agua fría para sentirme bien.

In many parts of Latin America, tomar is commonly used to mean “to drink” and can also mean “to take.” Beber specifically means “to drink,” but using tomar is perfectly natural and very common, especially in everyday speech.

Why do we say agua fría and not fría agua?

In Spanish, the adjective normally follows the noun, so it is more natural to say agua fría (“water cold”) rather than fría agua (“cold water”). While you may see the adjective before the noun in poetic or stylistic contexts, placing it after the noun is the usual rule.

Why do we use para instead of por here?

Para is used to express purpose or intention—“in order to…”—which fits the meaning “to feel good.” Por often indicates cause or reason (among other uses), so para is correct when stating the goal or outcome you want to achieve.

Why is the verb in the form sentirme instead of sentir?

Sentirme is the infinitive sentir plus the reflexive pronoun me, which refers back to the speaker. In Spanish, reflexive verbs are used when the subject of the verb is also the recipient of the action—in this case, to feel myself well.

Why do we say tomo instead of tomar?

Tomo is the first-person (yo) conjugation of the verb tomar in the present tense, meaning “I take” or “I drink.” Spanish requires that you conjugate verbs according to the subject, so “I drink” is tomo, not tomar (the infinitive).