Recent and brief
| Spanish | English | note |
|---|---|---|
| reciente | recent | adverb: recientemente |
| breve | brief | for time and texts |
| el periodo | period (of time) | also spelled período |
| la construcción | construction | building something; the building trade |
| la democracia | democracy | |
| el alimento | food item, foodstuff | usually plural |
Breve is usually about how long something lasts or how long a text is: a meeting, a speech, a news item. Corto is the everyday word for physical length, and it works for time too.
| The meeting was very brief. | La reunión fue muy breve. |
Seré breve is a common way to promise a short speech:
| I'll be brief: we don't have much time. | Seré breve: no tenemos mucho tiempo. |
Reciente usually follows the noun in everyday Spanish:
| It's a very recent piece of news. | Es una noticia muy reciente. |
Periods and building work
El periodo and el período are both correct; this course writes periodo.
| It was a very difficult period for the country. | Fue un periodo muy difícil para el país. |
La construcción is the act of building something, and also the building trade:
| My father works in construction. | Mi padre trabaja en la construcción. |
Democracy and food
Los alimentos is the word for food in the news, on labels and in shops; at the table you usually say la comida.
| Fresh foods are more expensive. | Los alimentos frescos son más caros. |
A food bank is un banco de alimentos:
| The food bank needs help. | El banco de alimentos necesita ayuda. |
As a subject, an idea like la democracia usually keeps its article where English drops it (la democracia está en peligro); after sin it usually goes bare:
| My grandparents lived many years without democracy. | Mis abuelos vivieron muchos años sin democracia. |
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