B1 · Unit 26 · 41 words, 3 texts with translation
Talk about falling in love
Talk about feelings and relationships: falling in love, dating and getting married, and also getting used to a new city and feeling at home there.
Texts in this unit
Grammar in this unit
Verbs with their own preposition: pensar en, soñar con, enamorarse de
Many verbs come with a fixed preposition. English has them too: you think about someone, fall in love with someone, count on someone. Spanish verbs also have their own preposition, but it's often a different one, and you can't guess it from English. So learn the verb together with its preposition: not just pensar, but pensar en.
Eight verbs for talking about feelings:
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
pensar en | to think about | Pienso en ti. — I think about you. |
fijarse en | to notice | Me fijé en sus ojos. — I noticed his eyes. |
confiar en | to trust | Confío en mis amigos. — I trust my friends. |
soñar con | to dream of, to dream about | Sueño con vivir cerca del mar. — I dream of living near the sea. |
casarse con | to marry, to get married to | Mi prima se casa con un médico. — My cousin is marrying a doctor. |
contar con | to count on | Puedes contar con nosotros. — You can count on us. |
enamorarse de | to fall in love with | Me enamoré de Valencia. — I fell in love with Valencia. |
acordarse de | to remember | ¿Te acuerdas de Diego? — Do you remember Diego? |
How to remember them. En — your thoughts and attention are aimed at someone: think, notice, trust. Con — "with": in Spanish you marry "with" someone, dream "with" something and count "with" someone. De — with two reflexive verbs: enamorarse and acordarse.
After the preposition comes a noun, a pronoun or an infinitive: sueño con un piso, sueño con ella, sueño con viajar.
Common mistakes — using the English preposition, or no preposition where English has none:
- ✗ pienso sobre ti → pienso en ti;
- ✗ me enamoré con él → me enamoré de él;
- ✗ se casó Pablo → se casó con Pablo (English "married Pablo" has no preposition, Spanish needs con);
- ✗ confío mis amigos → confío en mis amigos (the same with "trust");
- ✗ sueño de un viaje → sueño con un viaje.
The preposition comes first: ¿en quién piensas?
In English the preposition often goes to the end of a question: "Who are you thinking about?" In Spanish it can't stay at the end: it goes before the question word. And it's the Spanish preposition — the one that belongs to the verb.
- ¿En quién piensas? — Who are you thinking about?
- ¿En qué te has fijado? — What have you noticed?
- ¿De quién se ha enamorado tu amigo? — Who has your friend fallen in love with?
- ¿Con quién se casa tu hermana? — Who is your sister marrying?
- ¿Con qué sueñas? — What do you dream about?
A short answer also starts with the preposition. English often drops it ("Nobody."), Spanish doesn't:
- —¿En quién piensas? —En nadie. — Who are you thinking about? — Nobody.
- —¿Con quién cuentas? —Con mi familia. — Who are you counting on? — My family.
After a preposition: mí, ti, conmigo, contigo. You already know these forms (A1 and A2). With the verbs in this unit you need them all the time:
- Pienso en ti. — I think about you.
- ¿Te acuerdas de mí? — Do you remember me?
- Cuenta conmigo. — Count on me.
- Anoche soñé contigo. — I dreamed about you last night.
- ¿Quieres casarte conmigo? — Will you marry me?
For other people, use the usual él, ella, nosotros, ellos: confío en ella, me acuerdo de ellos.
Common mistake — dropping the preposition in a question or in a short answer. Not ✗ ¿quién piensas?, but ¿En quién piensas? And the answer isn't just Diego, but En Diego.
Pensar en or pensar que, contar con or contar: the preposition changes the meaning
With some verbs in this unit, the preposition changes the meaning. Drop it and you get a different verb.
| With the preposition | Without it |
|---|---|
pensar en — to think about someone or something, to have them on your mind: pienso en mi madre | pensar que — to think (that), to believe (A1, unit 15): pienso que tienes razón. And pensar + infinitive — to plan to: No pienso volver. — I'm not planning to go back. |
contar con — to count on: cuento con Lucía | contar — to tell; also to count: Le cuento todo a Lucía. — I tell Lucía everything. |
acordarse de — to remember: me acuerdo de aquel verano | recordar — the same, but without se and without de: recuerdo aquel verano |
soñar con — to dream of, to dream about: sueño con viajar | soñar que — to dream that: Soñé que volaba. — I dreamed I was flying. |
Two more details.
Soñar con has two meanings, just like English "dream": to wish for something and to have a dream at night. Sueño con una casa en la playa — I dream of a house on the beach. Anoche soñé con mi abuela — I dreamed about my grandma last night. Both take con.
Enamorarse de and estar enamorado de. The first is an event (to fall in love), the second is a state (to be in love): Me enamoré de él en verano — I fell in love with him in the summer. Sigo enamorada de él — I'm still in love with him (woman speaking). The preposition is the same — de, where English says "with".
Common mistake — mixing up acordarse and recordar. Not ✗ me recuerdo de ti and not ✗ recuerdo de ti, but me acuerdo de ti or te recuerdo.
Words in this unit
casarse — to get married, to marry
Mi hermana se casa con un chico de Sevilla. — My sister is marrying a guy from Seville.
besar — to kiss
Beso a mi hijo antes de dormir. — I kiss my son before bed.
romántico — romantic
Es una cena muy romántica. — It's a very romantic dinner.
el sentimiento — feeling
Es un sentimiento muy fuerte. — It's a very strong feeling.
estar enamorado — to be in love
Estoy enamorada de mi vecino. — I'm in love with my neighbor (woman speaking).
de la mano — hand in hand, holding hands
Los novios caminan de la mano. — The couple walk hand in hand.
cariñoso — affectionate, loving
Mi gato es muy cariñoso. — My cat is very affectionate.
la mirada — look, gaze
Tiene una mirada triste. — He has a sad look in his eyes.
cada vez más — more and more
Hace cada vez más calor. — It's getting hotter and hotter.
con el tiempo — over time, in time
Con el tiempo, uno se acostumbra. — Over time, you get used to it.
dedicarse — to do for a living, to devote yourself (to)
¿A qué te dedicas? — What do you do for a living?
negarse — to refuse
Mi hijo se niega a comer verduras. — My son refuses to eat vegetables.
el matrimonio — marriage, married couple
Mis padres llevan treinta años de matrimonio. — My parents have been married for thirty years.
el anillo — ring
Lleva un anillo en el dedo. — He wears a ring on his finger.
atraer — to attract
Me atrae su forma de hablar. — I'm attracted to the way he talks.
la atracción — attraction, ride (at an amusement park)
Siento una atracción fuerte por él. — I feel a strong attraction to him.
tierno — tender, sweet, soft
Mi abuelo es un hombre muy tierno. — My grandpa is a very sweet man.
la ternura — tenderness
Mira a su hijo con ternura. — She looks at her son tenderly.
encantador — charming, lovely
Tu hermana es encantadora. — Your sister is charming.
acogedor — cozy, welcoming
Tu piso es muy acogedor. — Your apartment is very cozy.
adaptarse — to adapt, to get used to
Me adapto rápido a las ciudades nuevas. — I adapt quickly to new cities.
integrarse — to fit in, to integrate
Quiero integrarme en el grupo. — I want to fit into the group.
pertenecer — to belong
Este anillo pertenece a mi abuela. — This ring belongs to my grandmother.
las raíces — roots
Mis raíces están en otro país. — My roots are in another country.
echar raíces — to put down roots, to settle
Quiero echar raíces en una ciudad. — I want to put down roots in a city.
sentirse como en casa — to feel at home
En esta ciudad me siento como en casa. — I feel at home in this city.
tener encanto — to have charm, to be charming
La casa de mis abuelos tiene encanto. — My grandparents' house has charm.
oler — to smell
Huele a café en la cocina. — It smells like coffee in the kitchen.
el gesto — gesture, expression
Es un gesto muy bonito. — It's a really sweet gesture.
la belleza — beauty
Me encanta la belleza de este lugar. — I love the beauty of this place.
la orilla — shore, bank
Paseamos por la orilla del río. — We walk along the riverbank.
la brisa — breeze
Hay una brisa muy agradable. — There's a very nice breeze.
la callejuela — narrow street, alley
Mi hotel está en una callejuela pequeña. — My hotel is on a small alley.
el oro — gold
Es un anillo de oro. — It's a gold ring.
latir — to beat (of the heart)
Mi corazón late muy rápido. — My heart is beating very fast.
declararse — to confess your love, to tell someone you love them
Pablo se declara a Lucía en la playa. — Pablo confesses his love to Lucía on the beach.
el rechazo — rejection
Tengo miedo al rechazo. — I'm afraid of rejection.
el flechazo — love at first sight
Fue un flechazo. — It was love at first sight.
media naranja — other half, soulmate
Busco a mi media naranja. — I'm looking for my other half.
la caricia — caress, stroke
Mi gato quiere caricias. — My cat wants to be petted.
dar miedo — to scare, to be scary
Me da miedo el rechazo. — Rejection scares me.
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