I can’t think of a better time to send you this Spanish Beyond The Textbook tip.
American Independence Day falls on a Thursday this week, which makes it a good day to hacer puente.
Can you guess the meaning of hacer puente?
We don’t have an exact translation in English.
Words or expressions like this without a single translation are a lot of fun. My favorite is consuegro.
My dad and my wife’s dad are consuegros.
In English we need a whole phrase to express that idea. In Spanish you just say “mi consuegro” in English “my son’s father-in-law”.
Regresando al tema. (Back to the topic)
Hacer puente.
When I was teaching in the factories in Tijuana and a holiday fell on a Thursday I’d hear hacer puente constantly.
“Vamos a hacer puente.” (“We are going to make a bridge.”)
If you haven’t guessed the meaning yet, the bridge is an extra day off. Friday is the bridge to the weekend and that becomes a day off, too.
A holiday Thursday off becomes a 4-day weekend.
If the holiday falls on a Tuesday, then Monday becomes el puente and yupi (yippee) it’s a 4-day weekend.
Where do I find your lesson on reflexive verbs?
This is my most popular lesson on Spanish reflexive verbs:
http://www.synergyspanishsystems.com/blog/sample-video/
Hola Marcus:
Thank you for the vidos I realy like them. I have been working very slowly and have completed
Shortcut to Spanish. Please send me a link where I can SUBSCRIBE FOR SHORTCUT TO
SPANISH LEVEL(2) .
I am looking to hear from you,
Fannie stewart .
This is the page for Shortcut to Spanish level 2:
http://www.how-to-speak.com/orderguidel2
Saludos,
Marcus
In German we use exactly the same expression “Brückentag” (bridge day, hacer puente)
Saludos de Munich
thanks for the language that everyday people use when conversing with friends. We need to learn how to talk with everyday people not all the formality.. I enjoy the way that you share the learning and teaching experiences. The majority of us just want to know the phases and the most commonly used words. And I thank you for helping us with the correct usage of them. Wish that I could afford more of your teaching library. Thanks again for all of your hard work and consideration.
Marcus:
Thanks for your courses. I am feeling much more at ease with Spanish. I trying to read all I can and what you have taught me so far has been great. The audios go well with the grammar I am trying to learn from books.
I am studying Castellano Spanish at E.O.I Torreviaja which is spoken clearly and precisely and I find, like Urdu,Arabic,French &,Hindi it is a beautiful language and I agree with Señor Felipe Ordoñez de Rivera’s comment. Manejar is never used with driving but “conduci” with all it’s highly irregular tenses, is what we use.
Saludos desde Orihuela, donde hoy hace buen tiempo, y mi profesor esta haciendo puente:).
Why not associate this expression with the countries that use this regularly eg.con España o los Latino Americas. or other countries that also celebrate their independence day too. The world is our oyster and stretches beyond 4th of July !!
I do think Fabio’s “cuticles” is a lovely reply.
thanks.
Cheers Marcus, another great tip. I always enjoying reading your tips and any freebies that you give out and you do give a lot of free lessons away, so take no notice of the people trying to play you down, particularly when they have obviously not been following your offers and language courses.
Here we say “sandwich day”. That is, a day between 2 holidays.
Very appropriate!
Estimado Marco, Es pan comido para los Frances porque ‘hacer puente’ tambien con las palabras ‘faire le pont’ como ‘tenes razon, ‘ta as raison’! Con carino, Luisa
Thank you sir, I am trying and will keep trying. I want to speak this language. Thank you for you time.
Hi Marcus,
I find these tips useful. How do you think I can cross over into fluency
Thanks
Wayne
Hi, yes, I’ve come across this expression in Spain (Andalucia) when there is a Bank Holiday…they ‘hacer puente’ there too !
Geoff & Diane
UK
Estoy trabajando en mi Espanol. This was my favorite phrase while visiting Ecuador recently. That and No hablar Espanol mui bien. Your course got us through our trip. I learned a lot just talking with the locals. Now I know that an alla is a chicken wing. My wife’s favorite piece and Pachuga is the breast!!
Hi Marcus
Hope you enjoying your vacation with a bridge !
I love your posts, blog and mails and always try to work out exactly what you mean, and am saving my pennies to get one of your courses.
However, I am a little confused with this one, unless you are meaning that your father is your wife’s consuegro and your wife’s father is your consuegro.
However you talk abut your son and your father and your wife’s father would be grandfathers to your son.
Maybe I have had too much sun !
Look forward to your next missive
Best regards
Lynne
Marcus, muchas gracias for ‘words of expression’. And, thank you for being there for us learners of Spanish. Too often we who are trying to learn Spanish tend to forget that like in every other language there are shortened expressions, such as ‘hacer puente’ or ‘consuguero’, etc. No wonder, so often I can say something in Spanish or ask a question, but I don’t comprehend the reply. I must learn to think and listen in Spanish, not in English. Otra vez, gracias.
gracias por las lecciones de espanol ahora estoy mejor entender espanol
marco,
I love these short expressions and write them down so I can use them.
They motivate me to get back to learning more Spanish. You are a great teacher. I’m not very skilled at the computer so I don’t reply to you often
Teresa
I think it’s funny that you were teaching the factories. Did they learn to speak?
Just kidding. Just shows the weaknesses of English.
Your courses are extremely helpful !
Thank you!
Oops, I guess I’d better change that to in the factories.
Genial! Te amo mucho!
Why don’t you make an App? / Apps It would be really
Easy as you already have the content and flow.
But you could be more interactive and include video and audio
Embedded.
You could market on app store and play and use the
Reviews and comparisons to create the marketing storm.
It wouldn’t have to replace your core product as it could be complementary.
Great course. I spend a lot of time on Airplanes
my Spanish is improving. Thanks
Yes, I am looking into making an app.
LOL …hacer puente was one of the first colloquialisms I learnt in Spain. Interestingly, I first came across the practice in France, where they – faire le pont.
With saint days, and provincial holidays there are around 14 official holidays (bank holidays) A lot of production is lost in Spain, because virtually everyone ‘makes the bridge’. Many firms in our area gave up long ago and simply close. I was stunned the first time I went to town to find only the supermarkets and food shops open, the rest being shut for 4 days. Since the crisis this has changed now most small shops stay open, only closing on Red days. They don’t even shut for two weeks in August anymore.
I love your daily almost tips and I practice them all the time as I’m living in Spain now!! I will hopefully get your video as it sounds like its good!
This is very interesting but when it is a Wednesday do you go and forward with a puente both ways? I have been asked this by my partner? It seems any excuse for a holiday! Great idea!
I haven’t heard of a weekend extended that far, but you know in the Spanish speaking world.
me gusta mi lexions mucho bueno aprender es espaniola ( excuse the spelling }
lo amo (es este correcto?) es util
I really appreciate the free Spanish videos. They have helped me so much. Especially since they help me pronounce the Spanish words better. I live in the South and I am told my accent is terrible. Thank you so much.
From Australia to our US friends, “Happy Independance Day”
I have just commenced with leccion 1. My wife and I will be visiting Spain in 2 months time. I hope to know some basic Spanish by then.
Kind Regards,
Cliff Wyllie
It exists the same expression in french : “faire le pont”, same meaning.
“Salutations” and still thank you para su muy interessantes informacions 🙂
Gracias Marcus
I love receiving these extras, please keep them coming and thank you very much.
I will use this expression a lot as my partner is always going on about… Como Australianos estàn siempre haciendo puentes! Jajajaja!¿ Si Verdad?
I am really enjoying your Bola de Nieve course and feel now that when I return to Mexico on holidays I will have a a lot more fun sharing in conversation and laughing with my new found friends there.
Gracias Marcus 🙂 .
Hi Marcus,
I particularly like “consuegro,” too. It makes good sense. I am in the United States, and I think maybe English-speakers should adopt it.
Thank you for your terrific and enjoyable Spanish lessons.
Sherri
Hi Marcus. I live in South Africa and here too some people make use of hacer puente. Glad I got
the right word for it now. I enjoy your lessons tremendously as also the extras you throw in. Keep up the good work.
Dinah
I Always enjoy your insights into the Spanish language.
Regards, Mike
Dear Marcus
Do you know the word PADRASTRO as a part of the human body? It is tiny part of skin on the sides of our finger nails that bothers a lot when you try to take them off without the help of the nail-clipper.
Thanks,
Fabio
I like this too. Seems a good idea , I will remember the next time we have a LONG weekend. I enjoy your lessons and all the little bits of extras you come up with. Victoria x
I like it Thank you!
Hi Marcus,
I live in Spain, (17) years, and have taken formal Spanish lessons for the last (3) years.
Since being involved with your approach I think my learning curve is improving rapidly!!
Looking forward to your futher inputs in order to “hacer puente” with the Spanish people.
Marcus y Todos: El mejor a ti on el dia de Independenci del Estados Unidos. Yo quiero ser una puente tambien. Saludos, Jerry Hayes
Muy tipico de los españoles.
Not really a comment on “el puente”, but I’ve been intrigued by listening to your accent in English. Your vowels have what to me seems quite an Antipodean intonation, Australian rather than New Zealand, but your “r”, especially as a terminal consonant, is strongly “estadounidense”. Is there a mysterious background here?
I’m also interested in the differences in the vocabulary you use and that used here in Spain, where, for example, nobody would understand if you said “voy a manejar mi coche” instead of “voy a conducir …”
Saludos desde Andalusia, donde hoy hace 44ºC.
Hi Marcus I live in Spain and I am very familiar with the making a bridge comment,the Spanish make a lot of them,it seems like every month there are a huge amount of bridges formed!!! please keep up the good work as I find it invaluable.
Eso me parece buena idea!