Spoiler: same as ‘little’ vs ‘a little’

Our latest post about Spanish language talked about quantifiers such as mucho, bastante, demasiado and poco. In today’s article, we are going to go over the differences between poco and un poco when used with uncountable nouns.

If what we are saying is all Greek to you, switch to the Spanish version of this post and keep on reading.

Countable or Uncountable?

To better understand this blog post, you need to know first what countable and uncountable nouns are:

• Countable nouns are realities that ca be counted unit by unit. In other words, they can be assigned a number. For example, libro (book), niña (girl), casa (house), botella (bottle), or beso (kiss) are countable entities.

Tengo tres libros de terror

(I have three horror books)

En España es normal saludarse con dos besos

• However, uncountable nouns depict realities that, due to their nature, can’t be broken into units. Therefore, they can’t be counted. Substances, materials and abstract concepts usually fall into this category: leche (milk), agua (water), azúcar (sugar), paciencia (patience), miedo (fear)… For example:

En esta piscina hay mucha agua

(This pool has a lot of water)

Mi profesor tiene bastante paciencia

(My teacher has a lot of patience → is very patient)

In this case, it would be incorrect to say, for example, tres aguas* (three waters) or 20 paciencias* (20 patiences). The quantity of this kind of nouns is determined by quantifiers such as mucho (a lot of), bastante (quite some), demasiado (too much) and poco (too few), but not with numbers.

Poco vs un poco

The type of nouns we’ve just reviewed, uncountable nouns, can use the formula we introduced at the beginning of this post: un poco (a little). The difference between poco (little) and un poco (a little) depends mostly on the speaker and the message he or she wants to convey.

• Poco (little) highlights the idea that there is almost nothing. In other words, the word has a negative connotation. For example:

Hay poco café en casa. ¿Puedes ir al supermercado por favor?

(There is few coffee left at home. Can you please buy some more?)

• Un poco (a little) expresses that there is a bit of something, although not that much. In other words, the word has a positive connotation. For example:

Hay un poco de café en casa. No es necesario que vayas hoy al supermercado hoy

(There is little coffee left at home. You don’t need to go to the supermarket today)

In the first instance, the speaker considers that there is not enough coffee left, while in the second example he or she considers that there is few coffee left, but it is enough.

To summarize, with poco the glass is half empty and with un poco de the glass is half full.

Many thanks to Ignacio Sellés, from our Spanish school in Alicante, for writing this post. Keep on learning Spanish with don Quijote’s language resources!

For Catholics all over the world, Christmas is a traditional holiday that starts on December 25. It commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, but it is also a time to celebrate with our loved ones, exchange gifts, eat typical products, say goodbye to the year that ends, and welcome the new one that begins.

Click here to continue reading this blog post in Spanish.

But, in Spain, we have our own holiday traditions, and when New Year’s celebrations are over and January 6 is approaching, we start to prepare one the most exciting festivities —especially for the youngest of the family: the arrival of the Three Wise Men. We have already told you in other posts of this blog what this tradition consists of, but today we are going to give you some tips for you to enjoy the ritual of writing the letter with your children, nephews, cousins ​​or little siblings. Not only is it about making a list of all the things they want to be given, but it can be also a good opportunity to teach them to think about their actions and the situation of the world around them.

1. Teach them to reflect on their behavior

Writing the letter to the Three Wise Men can be a great way to perform an exercise in self-criticism in which children reflect on their behavior and improve it in the future. It is therefore a good time to teach them that they should evolve day by day and have a conscious life, not only on these dates, but also during the rest of the year. They will learn to value that every effort has a reward.

2. Teach them to make decisions

Each year in the month of December, children start to decide what gifts they want to receive on January 6. But since they can't ask for everything in the toy catalog —because the Wise Men would go bankrupt— the little ones must learn to choose what they really want. They will be also learning that every decision we make has some kind of impact on our lives. Explain also that, although their desires are reasonable, they may not be given everything they asked for, as the Wise Men must reach every child in the world and, sometimes, they make mistakes. Thus, they will learn that we ​​cannot have all we want, even when we deserve it.

3. Recommend them to ask at least for one non-toy gift

Although we all know that children love toys, it can be a good point to teach them that there are other valuable things to ask for. Maybe, something to make the world a better place, like the ending of war, hunger or pollution throughout the world; or even something for their future, such as a family trip, or an unforgettable experience in a Spanish summer camp! They will learn a new language and make friends from all over the world.

4. Recommend them to choose one other gift that encourages exercise —physical or mental

Hottest toys today encourage sedentary lifestyle, that is, they are designed for children to play without much effort. However, this can be a good time to change habits and ask for some toy that promotes outdoor exercise, teamwork or intellectual development. Good examples of this are puzzles, bicycles, skates, sports balls, or even Spanish courses in Spain!

5. Teach them some history

Take this opportunity to teach some history to the youngest of the family. Tell them about the origin of cultural holidays . They will be learning interesting facts about our past and having fun at the same time, since history can be told as a story. They’ll love it!

At don Quijote, we hope you make the most of this blog post, so that you can perform the ritual in the best way! Here, you can find a letter template that you can download (click on the photo) and complete with the children around you. Do you take the challenge?

New Year’s Eve is the sweetest moment of the year for those who love making lists and putting things into perspective. Putting your objectives down on paper will help you stick to them and make your resolutions happen in 2020. However, sometimes it’s hard to decide what’s next on the list. Let us help you!

In this blog post, you’ll learn which are the most popular New Year’s Resolutions for 2020 and what you can do to follow through with them. Keep on reading in English or click here to switch to the Spanish version of the article!

What does the data say?

The following chart by Ipsos details the most popular New Year’s Resolutions among Americans. Although adopting healthy habits tops the 2020 resolutions list, data shows that some classics are still there, e.g., loosing weight and learning a new skill.

This survey presents an interesting fact. Only 38 percent of Americans said they would go for at least one resolution. However, this percentage is way higher among Hispanics, as 56 percent of them plan to accomplish their goals in 2020. Vivan los latinos!

Let us go through each of these resolutions and help you craft an action plan for 2020!

1. Manage Finances Better

Everyone likes to be in good financial shape. To improve your finances, there’s nothing like planning ahead. First of all, you need to have a good understanding of the money you earn and the money you spend. You can keep track of your income and your expenses using an app. Then, create a realistic budget and stick to it by removing unnecessary expenses. This way, you’ll save some money and build an emergy fund that will help you feel relieved.

2. Eat Healthier

If this is among your New Year’s Resolutions, we have good news! Have you ever heard about the Mediterranean Diet? Apart from being delicious, eating as the Spanish, Italian, and Greeks do has many benefits for your health. The Mediterranean Diet has been proved to lower cardiovascular disease risk, reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and increase longevity, among other things. Why don’t you give it a try?

3. Be More Active & Losing Weight

Cold weather is no excuse! There are many things you can do during the winter to stay fit and lose weight, and winter sports are one of the best ways to break the ice, quite literally, and start the new year full of energy. If you’re up to do some travelling, here’s a list with the top ski resorts in Spain. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

4. Improve Mental Well-being & Social Connections

You need to be introspective and accept your own emotions to be happy. No mental-wellness guide will deny this. In the social aspect, getting surrounded by people who share the same interests as you will definitely help as well. Now, they key question is, how do I do that? If you are a language lover, like us, you can travel and meet people from different cultures who will change your perspective. If you can’t afford travelling at the moment, you can attend events or simply smile at your neighbor! You never know how interesting people you see every day can be.

5. Learn a New Skill

Learning a new skill is not only good for your resume, it is also good for your brain and your well-being! Not to mention that you automatically become a more interesting person. In 2020, our golden suggestion is for you to learn a new language. Choose one whose sound and associated culture please you. If you’re not sure which language you want to study, here are several reasons why you should go for Spanish!

6. Be More Eco-Friendly

The Globate Climate and Health Summit 2019 in Madrid changed many people’s minds about climate change. Although we still have a lot to work on, being aware of the problems Earth is facing is the first step to change. There are a lot of small sustainable actions at your fingertips that can help you fight the climate change, such as using public transportation, saving energy and implementing the 3 “Rs”: reduce, reuse and recycle. Our planet will thank you!

We hope you found this post useful. When the clock strikes twelve tonight, you’ll be ready to begin a New Year full of challenging, exciting goals!