Lyrics, studios and humor
Three words you know have a second life in the world of shows:
| you know | on the show |
|---|---|
| la letra: a letter (a, b, c) | the lyrics of a song |
| el estudio: the studio flat | a TV, recording or artist's studio |
| el humor: the mood | humor |
Spanish usually says la letra, in the singular, where English says lyrics:
| I don't understand the lyrics of this song. | No entiendo la letra de esta canción. |
An estudio you live in is a small flat; one where you record, film or paint is a studio:
| The band is recording a song in the studio. | El grupo está grabando una canción en el estudio. |
With estar de buen humor or de mal humor, the word is usually your mood; el sentido del humor is your sense of humor:
| The host has a great sense of humor. | El presentador tiene mucho sentido del humor. |
Excitement and encouragement
Hacer ilusión works like gustar: what excites you is the subject, and the person comes first as me, te, le. After que, the verb goes into the subjunctive, as with alegrarse de que:
| I'm really looking forward to singing in the contest. | Me hace mucha ilusión cantar en el concurso. |
| My daughter is really excited that you're coming to see her. | A mi hija le hace mucha ilusión que vengas a verla. |
¡Ánimo! cheers someone on before a challenge, or after a setback:
| Cheer up! The next audition will be better. | ¡Ánimo! La próxima audición será mejor. |
Pranks and sort-ofs
Gastar una broma is to play a prank or a joke on someone. The victim is an indirect object, so it takes le:
| They played a prank on him: they put salt in the coffee. | Le gastaron una broma: le pusieron sal en el café. |
Una especie de ("a sort of") describes something by comparing it with something you know:
| It's a sort of talent contest. | Es una especie de concurso de talentos. |
