Making plans and seeing them through
A study group needs plans, people you can rely on and a result at the end. These collocations are how Spanish talks about all three. In each one the verb is ordinary; the combination is what you learn.
| collocation | meaning |
|---|
| tener pensado + infinitive | to be planning to |
| contar con | to count on; (formal) to have |
| hacer caso a alguien | to listen to someone |
| a fondo | thoroughly |
| sacar adelante | to get something off the ground; to bring up children |
| salir bien | to turn out well |
| no tener por qué | to have no reason to |
| estar a gusto | to feel at ease |
Plans and people
Before an infinitive, pensado stays the same; only tener changes.
Contar con is usually to count on. In formal Spanish it also lists what a place has:
Hacer caso takes the person with a, and usually le as well:
Results
With salir bien the plan or the exam is the subject, and the person, if there is one, is me, te, le, nos, os, les:
Sacar adelante takes a project, a business or a family:
Reassuring
No tener por qué says there is no reason to, where no tener que says there is no obligation; as reassurance it sounds gentler.
Estar a gusto is to feel at ease; with the impersonal se it praises a place:
