Fluera articles

Clear explanations of grammar, words and common mistakes. With examples and a mini-practice after each article.

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Grammar

Bueno vs bien in Spanish: good or well?

Use bueno when you need an adjective meaning “good”. It describes a noun and changes form: bueno, buena, buenos, buenas, and buen before a masculine singular noun. Use bien when you need an adverb ...

Vocabulary

Ir vs venir in Spanish: go, come, and direction

Use ir for movement away from the current reference point: “go.” Use venir for movement toward the speaker, listener or place the conversation is focused on: “come.” English sometimes says “come” ...

Vocabulary

Pedir vs preguntar in Spanish: two ways to ask

English uses “ask” for two different actions. Spanish separates them. Use preguntar when you ask a question or ask for information. Use pedir when you ask for a thing, request help, order food or ask ...

Vocabulary

Llevar vs traer in Spanish: bring, take, or carry?

Use traer when something moves toward the speaker, listener or reference place: “bring it here.” Use llevar when something moves away from here or to another destination: “take it there.” Llevar also ...

Vocabulary

Saber vs conocer in Spanish: how to say "know"

Spanish splits English “know” into two verbs. Use saber for facts, information and learned abilities: you know what, that or how. Use conocer for familiarity with a person, place, book, song ...

Grammar

Por vs para in Spanish: the practical difference

Both por and para can translate as “for”, but they point in different directions. Use para when the sentence looks forward to a goal: purpose, destination, recipient, deadline or intended use. Use por ...

Grammar

Ser vs estar in Spanish: how to choose

Spanish has two everyday verbs for “to be”. Use ser for identity, origin, time, dates, material and defining traits: what something is. Use estar for location, a state right now, the result of a ...

Grammar

Tu vs vous in French: which 'you' to use and when

French has two words for “you”. Tu is informal and singular — it speaks to one person you are close to. Vous does two jobs: it is the polite, formal way to say “you” to one person, and it is the only ...

Grammar

Qui vs que in French: the simple rule for relative pronouns

As relative pronouns — the “who”, “that”, or “which” that joins two parts of a sentence — qui and que split the work by grammar, not by meaning. Use qui when it is the subject of the verb that ...

Grammar

Le vs la in French: how to know a noun's gender

Le means “the” before a masculine noun, and la means “the” before a feminine noun. Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and the article has to match it. The hard truth: you often cannot ...

Grammar

C'est vs il est in French: how to choose

Both c'est and il est can translate as “it is” or “he/she is”, but they are not interchangeable. Use c’est before a noun that has an article or a possessive (un, une, le, la, mon…), before a name, and ...

Vocabulary

Bonjour vs bonsoir: when to say each in French

Bonjour is the all-purpose “hello” you use during the day, from the morning until the early evening. Bonsoir is “good evening”, used once evening sets in — roughly from 6 pm. The switch happens around ...