Friends & Money: How to Talk Without Fear

Key vocabulary

• reuniónf.

  gathering, meeting

  “La reunión de amigos fue muy divertida.”— The gathering of friends was very fun.

  Pattern reunión social social gathering

  Compare encuentro (gathering)

  Plural: reuniones

  💡 From the verb reunir (to gather); words ending in -ión are usually nouns.

• tensiónf.

  tension, stress

  “Hablar de dinero puede crear tensión.”— Talking about money can create tension.

  Pattern crear tensión to create tension

  Compare presión (pressure)

  Plural: tensiones

  💡 Cognate with English tension, both from Latin tendere (to stretch).

• molestoadj.

  annoying, bothersome

  “Tiene un hábito molesto de hablar muy alto.”— He has an annoying habit of talking very loudly.

  Pattern hábitos molestos annoying habits

  Compare fastidioso (annoying)

  Feminine: molesta; plural: molestos

  💡 Adjective form of the verb molestar (to bother).

• causaf.

  cause, reason

  “¿Cuál es la causa del problema?”— What is the cause of the problem?

  Pattern causa común common cause

  Compare motivo (reason)

  Plural: causas

  💡 Cognate with English cause.

• resolverv.

  to resolve, solve

  “Necesitamos resolver este conflicto.”— We need to resolve this conflict.

  Pattern resolver un problema to solve a problem

  Compare solucionar (to solve)

  Past participle: resuelto

  💡 Cognate with English resolve.

• rondaf.

  round (of drinks)

  “¿Quién paga la ronda esta vez?”— Who is paying for the round this time?

  Pattern pagar una ronda to buy a round

  Compare invitación (treat)

  Plural: rondas

  💡 In bar culture, pagar una ronda means to buy a round of drinks for everyone.

• presupuestom.

  budget

  “Mi presupuesto para este mes es limitado.”— My budget for this month is limited.

  Pattern planificar el presupuesto to plan the budget

  Compare plan económico (economic plan)

  Plural: presupuestos

  💡 Made up of the prefix pre- (in advance) and supuesto (assumption).

• dividirv.

  to divide, split

  “Vamos a dividir la cuenta entre todos.”— Let's split the bill among everyone.

  Pattern dividir la cuenta to split the bill

  Compare repartir (to distribute)

  Past participle: dividido

  💡 Cognate with English divide.

• perjudicarv.

  to harm, hurt

  “Esta regla perjudica a los que piden poco.”— This rule harms those who order little.

  Pattern perjudicar a alguien to harm someone

  Compare dañar (to harm)

  Present first person: perjudico

  💡 Made up of the prefix per- (completely) and judicar (to judge), extended to mean 'to put at a disadvantage'.

Grammar spotlight

Sentence patterns to steal

• Puedes decir: "yo me pago lo mío" o "hoy no bebo".

  You can say: "I'll pay for my own" or "I'm not drinking today".

  You can say: "..." or "...".The quotes can be replaced with other sentences you want to express.

• Así, realmente te lo pasarás bien.

  That way, you'll really have a good time.

  That way, you'll really + verb (future tense).The verb can be replaced, e.g., lo conseguirás (you'll achieve it).

• Dividir la cuenta entre todos suele perjudicar al que pide poco.

  Splitting the bill among everyone usually harms the person who orders little.

  suele + infinitive + al que + verbThe verb and clause can be replaced, e.g., suele molestar al que llega tarde (usually annoys the person who arrives late).

• Tengo un presupuesto ajustado. ¿Podemos ir a una hamburguesería?

  I'm on a tight budget. Can we go to a burger place?

  I'm on a tight budget. Can we + infinitive?The verb can be replaced, e.g., tomar algo más barato (grab something cheaper).