Verbs you know, with a second meaning
| verb | you know it as | it also means |
|---|---|---|
| deber | should, must | to owe |
| recordar | to remember | to remind |
| reconocer | to recognize | to admit |
| esperar | to wait for, to hope | to expect |
| echar | to put in (salt, oil) | to kick out |
| tirar | to throw | to pull |
Owe and remind
Deber + an infinitive is should. With an amount or a thing, it usually means to owe:
| You owe me ten euros. | Me debes diez euros. |
Recordar + something is usually to remember it. When it has a person who is reminded (me, te, le) AND something to recall (a thing, or que + a clause), it means to remind; X me recuerda a Y is X reminds me of Y:
| Remind me to call Grandma. | Recuérdame que llame a la abuela. |
| Your brother reminds me of your father. | Tu hermano me recuerda a tu padre. |
With only a person, it is still to remember: ¿Me recuerdas? is Do you remember me?
Admit and expect
Reconocer que + a fact usually means to admit it:
| I admit that I have made a mistake. | Reconozco que me he equivocado. |
Esperar is to expect when you talk about what you thought would happen, often in the imperfect:
| I didn't expect this from you. | No esperaba esto de ti. |
Kick out and pull
Echar a alguien de a place is to kick someone out of it:
| Last night they kicked us out of the bar for shouting. | Anoche nos echaron del bar por gritar. |
Tirar de + a thing is to pull it; without de, tirar usually means to throw. Doors in Spain often say tirar or tire (pull) and empujar or empuje (push).
| Don't pull your sister's hair! | ¡No le tires del pelo a tu hermana! |
Patient
You know el paciente, the person a doctor treats. paciente is also the adjective patient, usually with ser:
| Be patient with your little brother. | Sé paciente con tu hermano pequeño. |
