Por la tele, por la radio
Por marks the medium something reaches you through: por la tele, por la radio. En la tele is also very common and means the same.
| Last night I watched a documentary on TV. | Anoche vi un documental por la tele. |
| We listened to the opera on the radio. | Escuchamos la ópera por la radio. |
La cadena and el canal
In Spain both are used for the TV channel you are watching: cambiar de cadena and cambiar de canal both mean to switch channels. La cadena is also the broadcasting company itself, on TV or on the radio, and a YouTube channel is un canal. Outside the media, una cadena is a chain.
| Change the channel, please. | Cambia de cadena, por favor. |
| My father works at a radio network. | Mi padre trabaja en una cadena de radio. |
Comics and drawings
El cómic is a comic or comic book. Many Spaniards also call children's comics tebeos, after TBO, a magazine first published in 1917. El dibujo is a drawing, from dibujar; cartoons on TV are los dibujos animados.
| As a child, I read a lot of comics. | De pequeño, leía muchos cómics. |
| This comic has gorgeous drawings. | Este cómic tiene unos dibujos preciosos. |
Shows
El programa is any TV or radio program. La comedia is any comedy: a film, a play or a series. La ópera is the art form; Madrid's opera house is the Teatro Real. El documental is a documentary, and el comentario a comment, spoken or written, including the ones under a video.
| I listen to a music program on the radio. | Escucho un programa de música por la radio. |
| I like comedies more than documentaries. | Me gustan más las comedias que los documentales. |
| I have never been to the opera. | Nunca he ido a la ópera. |
| I read the comments on the video. | Leo los comentarios del vídeo. |
