Words or phrases I have learned while reading Harry Potter in Spanish
Most of these are from Book 3, although some are from Book 2, and none are from Book 1. I learned after reading book 1 that I should write down what I didn’t know and thought would be useful.
Book 2:
1. Parpadear – to blink
2. Encoger – to shrink
3. Blandir – to wave something around
4. Atizador – poker (in fact, I believe it was the poker that one of the twins was “waving around”)
5. Cachivaches – knick/knack, old thing etc..
6. Cobertizo – shed (or shelter out in the woods)
7. Estallar – to explode, pop, burst…
8. Entornada – ajar – like the door is ajar (la puerta entornada o esta entornada la puerta)
9. Colcha – bed spread
10. Bala de cañón – Canon ball
11. Alfézar de la ventana – window sill
12. Pecera – fish tank
13. Baraja – deck of cards (can also say: cartas)
14. Apostar – to bet
15. Mirar de reojo – to look out of the corner of your eye
16. Chaleco – vest
17. Prado – meadow or field
18. Turnarse – to take turns
19. Cuenta bancaria – bank account
20. Repisa – mantelpiece (or bracket)
21. Estante – shelf
22. Echar us vistazo – take a peek
23. Huésped – guest (more commonly called: visitante or invitado)
24. Pellizco – a pinch, like to pinch somebody – dar un pellizco
25. Regatear – to spare or be stingy with
26. Umbral – threshold (of a door, or just the normal way threshold is used in statistics)
27. Pescuezo – a less common name for “neck”
28. Remedio – solution or remedy
29. Sacudir – to shake, shock, or beat (“agitar” is to shake, “sacudir” is a little more violent)
30. Agacharse – to bend over or duck down
31. Hacer ademán de.. – to make a gesture of…
32. Echar a perder – to spoil or go bad
33. Frotarse – rub (frotarse las manos – to rub ones hands together) – restregar - to rub HARD
34. Estrujar – to press, squeeze, or wring out.
35. Menos mal que – It’s a good thing that, thanks goodness that, I’m so glad that…etc… (Menos Mal! => Thank goodness, Thankfully!)
36. Puñado – a handful (literally only, not figuratively as far as I know)
37. Musitar – mumble, mutter, etc..
38. Escaparate – a shop window or display window
39. Desde luego –I never heard this in Nicaragua, but it’s just another way to say: Of course!
40. Merecer – to deserve
41. Ahumar – to smoke fish or meat, or to fill a house with smoke (fumar is to smoke a cigarette)
42. Guiñar – to wink ;)
43. Dorso de la mano – back of the hand
44. Capullo – cocoon or flower bud
45. Colocar – to put or place something somewhere
46. Destapar – open or take lid off
47. Tener los [dedos] entumecidos – to have numb [fingers]
48. Abrirse camino – to open up a path or make way for…
49. Suela – sole of your shoe
50. Trozo – piece of something bigger or a piece of something broken off of..
51. Despistado – absent minded, distracted, or, to throw off the scent or confuse in verb form – reflexive verb = to get off track
52. Arrancar el carro (or auto) – to start the car
53. Despejada – deserted or empty (like a place, not a container; that would be: vacío)
54. Tablero – first saw this word in the book as a car dashboard, but later leanred that it also is like a counter top, or board for cutting on, or even a board for a board game.
55. Guantera – glove compartment
56. Comprobar – to check or test
57. Tirante – strap (as a noun) or tense (as an adjective)
Book 3
1. Pillar por sorpresa – to catch by surprise – also, to “get a joke” I don’t get it, “no lo pillo”
2. Arman mucho revuelo con – they make a big deal about it, or make it sound really cool
3. Contraseña – password
4. Hacer muecas – make faces
5. Quebradizo – brittle, fragile
6. Estar harto de… – to be fed up with…
7. Carraspear – to clear your throat
8. Estar en remojo – to leave something to soak
9. Tras de…besides example: besides coming late…(tras de venir tarde…)
10. Por la comisurade la boca – to say something out of the corner of your mouth
11. Arrimar(se) – to move or bring together, ex: arrimar also a algo – to move something up against something
12. Desgana – lack of appatite or enthusiasm, or, reluctance – “hacer algo a desgana”
13. Bostezar – yawn
14. Estropear – ruin (break)
15. Empuñar – to clutch, grab, hold onto with the fist…
16. En cabestrillo – in a sling (cast)
17. Pelar – to peel fruit, or skin an animal
18. Chachi – variant of “cool” or “neat”
19. Apetecer – to “feel like”, want, be “in the mood” for something – to fancy something
20. Plagada de – infested with…
21. Ojeras – “bags under the eyes”
22. Hacer trizas – break something into pieces
23. Llovizna – drizzle – lloviznar (to drizzle) Like rain of course
24. Escarcha – frost
25. Rociar - to spray or spinkle, ex:
a. rociar algo/alguien (de) -> to shower something/somebody (with)
26. pitido – the blow of a whistle
27. calado – soaked
28. la puntuación – the score (in games or competitions)
29. niebla – fog / mist
30. el cráter – crater (obviously)
31. alcantarilla – sewer ( the network of pipes under the ground: “las alcantarillas”)
32. crucigrama – crossword puzzle
33. asomar – to stick out; ex: asomar las cabeza por la ventana -> to stick ones head out the window
34. caserola, ollas, and cazos – pots and pans
35. desgastado – worn out
36. aguzar – to stimulate or sharpen, ex: aguzar las orejas (vista, or apetito) basically to perk up your ears, or eyes, or give you an apetite…
37. rendija – crack or gap in something; but not a broken crack, that’s: una grieta, or raja (if you’re talking about glass or porcelain).
38. Delatar – to betray or turn in; ex: lo delaté a lo policía (I reported him to the police)
39. Copos de nieve – snow flakes (believe it or not I never learned that in Nicaragua J)
40. Sentarse en cuclillas – to cower, or duck down close to the ground.
41. Enterarse – to find out about something
42. Encontrar (or tener) sentido - to make sense
43. Pavorosa – aweful/dreadful (not that useful, usually we’d just say horrible)
44. Incorporar(se) – to sit up from a lying-down position. (sentarse mas derecha => to sit up properly)
45. Acosar – to pursue closely, harass
46. Dar un rodeo – make a detour
47. Esquivar – to avoid, or dodge
48. Sobaco – armpit – also called: la axial
49. Contar con – to count on (somebody for something)
50. Plegado – folded or bent
51. Un absoluto desastre – Most of the time, you can translate English to directly into Spanish, but every now and then you get a phrase like this that is word for word.
52. Reñir – to tell off, or get mad at
53. Felpudo – doormat
54. Los manteles – table cloth (singular can mean place mat), can also use the word in “to clear the table” => “levanter los manteles”
55. Desmontar – to take apart, or dismantle (it’s second definition is to dismount something like a horse)
56. Te tendré informado – I’ll keep you informed
57. Hojarasca – dead leaves on the ground
58. Puño – fist
59. Nanay! – this interesting little word means: No Way!, or Not Likely!
60. Cera – wax (candle, ear, bee’s etc…)
61. Carecer de - to lack, like: he lacks talent (él carece de talento)
62. Paralelo – parallel (obviously)
63. Empate – tie (in sports) to tie = empatar
64. Hincha – fan (as far as I can tell this little word doesn’t change gender even though it’s genuine article does: el hincha, or la hincha)
65. El guardameta – The goalie!!
66. Aputes – notes (tomar aputnes = to take notes)
67. Siempre que = con tal de que (although I’ll probably still keep using the latter more often
68. El tiempo que haga flata – as long as it takes
69. Sorber – soak up or absorb
70. Lesión – lesion (again, pretty obvious)
71. Halgar – flatter
72. Hacerse añicos – to shatter or smash something to pieces.
73. Tenue – fine (when talking about thread or wire) or faint (when talking about sound or light).
74. Abertura – opening
75. Apodo – nickname
76. Cojear – to limp
77. Maciza(o) – massive or solid – ex: de roble macizo => of solid oak.
