More Confusing Spanish Verb Pairs

More Confusing Spanish Verb Pairs Spanish students usually learn fairly early in their studies about how to distinguish between the two main verbs for to be, ser and estar, and the two main verbs for to know, saber and conocer. But because they arent used as often, it is easy to overlook some of the other confusing verb pairs. Among those pairs are those for the verbs to ask, to leave, to apply, to have, to play and to take. This list is by no means exhaustive, but if you can learn how to properly translate these verbs into Spanish you will be well on your way to avoiding some of the most common verb-choice mistakes made by non-native speakers. To Ask If youre making a request for a thing or some action, use pedir. But if youre asking for information about something, use preguntar. Remember that pedir can be translated as ask for or request, so you dont need to follow it with a preposition. Me pidià ³ tres dà ³lares, he asked me for $3. Me preguntà ³ por tres dà ³lares, he asked me about the $3 (as what happened to it). Me pidià ³ que cocinara la comida, she asked me to cook the meal. Preguntà ³ si habà ­a cocinado la comida, she asked me if I had cooked the meal. Note that pedir is irregular. To Leave If youre leaving in the sense of exiting or going away, use salir (you may remember that an exit in Spanish is una salida). But if youre leaving an object somewhere, use dejar. El tren sale a las ocho, the train leaves at 8. Dejà © mis libros en el tren, I left my books in the train. Dejar also can mean to leave in the less common sense of to allow.  ¡Dà ©jame salir! Leave me go! Note that salir is irregular. To Apply If youre applying in the sense of applying for a job, use solicitar. If youre applying something, use aplicar. Tres personas solicitan el puesto de redactor, three people are seeking the editors position. Tengo que aplicar el bronceador, I need to apply the suntan lotion. Note that aplicar is irregular. You also can use aplicarse for to apply oneself. Mi hijo se aplica mucho en sus tareas escolares, my son applies himself well to his homework. To Have To have in the sense of to possess is tener. Haber is usually used much as the English to have as an auxiliary verb with the past participle. Tengo tres libros, I have three books. He leà ­do tres libros, I have read three books. That difference is straightforward. But both verbs can also be used with que to indicate necessity. Tener que followed by an infinitive means to have to, while hay que (hay is a form of haber) also expresses necessity but doesnt specify who is performing the action. Tengo que leer tres libros, I have to read three books. Hay que leer tres libros, three books have to be read (or, it is necessary to read three books). Both tener and haber are irregular. To Play Use jugar when talking about playing a game, tocar when playing a musical instrument. Me gusta jugar al bà ©isbol, I like playing baseball. No me gusta tocar el piano, I dont like playing the piano. Both jugar and tocar are irregular. To Take Use llevar for to take in the sense of to carry or to transport. But use tomar for to take in the sense of to take for ones use. Use sacar for take out in the sense of remove. Me llevas al aeropuerto, youre taking me to the airport. Tomo el tren al aeropuerto, Im taking the train to the airport. Tengo que tomar la medicina, I have to take the medicine. El dentista sacà ³ las muelas, the dentist took out the teeth. Sacar is irregular.

Understanding and Identifying Douglas Firs

Understanding and Identifying Douglas Firs Douglas fir  (or Doug fir) is the English name applied in common to most evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga  which is in the family Pinaceae. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia. Douglas Fir Is Confusing to Taxonomists The firs most common name honors a Scottish botanist by the name of David Douglas, a collector of botanical specimens who first reported the extraordinary nature and potential of the species. On his second expedition to North Americas Pacific Northwest in 1824, he discovered what was to eventually be scientifically named Pseudotsuga menziesii. Because of its distinctive cones, Douglas firs were finally placed in the new genus Pseudotsuga (meaning false Tsuga) by the French botanist Carrià ¨re in 1867. Doug firs gave 19th-century botanists problems due to their similarity to various other conifers better known at the time; they have at times been classified as Pinus, Picea, Abies, Tsuga, and even Sequoia. The Common North American Douglas Fir Douglas fir is one of the most important timber trees on earth in terms of forest products. It can grow large over centuries but will usually be harvested within a century because of its wood value. The good news is that it is a common non-endangered tree and the most plentiful western conifer in North America. This common fir has two Pacific coastal and Rocky Mountain variants or varieties. The coastal tree grows to a height of 300 feet where the Rocky Mountain variety only reaches 100 feet.   Pseudotsuga menziesii  var. menziesii  (called coastal Douglas fir) grows  in the moist coastal regions from west-central  British Columbia  southward to central  California. These firs in Oregon and Washington range from the  eastern edge of the Cascade mountain range to the Pacific ocean.Pseudotsuga menziesii  var. glauca  (called Rocky Mountain Douglas fir) is a smaller fir that tolerates drier sites and grows along with the coastal variety and throughout the Rocky Mountains to Mexico. Quick Identification of Douglas Fir Douglas fir is not a true fir so both the needle formations and the unique cone can throw you off. The cone has unique snake tongue-like forked bracts creeping out from under the scales. These cones are nearly always intact and plentiful both on and under the tree. True firs have needles that are upturned and not whorled. Doug fir is not a true fir and needles are singly wrapped around the twig and between 3/4 to  1.25 inches long with a white line underneath. The needles are deciduous (but may persist), linear or needle-like, not prickly like spruce, and singly whorled around the twig. Doug fir is also a  favorite Christmas tree  and adapts well to commercial plantations well out of its natural range. The Most Common North American Conifer List Baldcypress  CedarDouglas firFirHemlock  Larch PineRedwoodSpruce