Collocations
Vocabulary
- colocacióncollocation
- combinacióncombination
- naturalnatural
- idiomáticoidiomatic
- fluidofluent
- habitualhabitual
- fijofixed
- verbo soportelight verb
- léxicolexicon
- frecuentefrequent
Collocations in Spanish
Collocations are word combinations that naturally go together. Knowing them is essential for sounding idiomatic.
- Verb + noun: The most common type.
Tomar una decisión (to make a decision) — never hacer una decisión
Prestar atención (to pay attention) — never dar atención
- Adjective + noun: The adjective forms a natural pair with the noun.
Error garrafal (monumental mistake)
Lluvia torrencial (torrential rain)
- Verb + preposition: Some combinations are fixed.
Contar con alguien (to count on someone)
Depender de algo (to depend on something)
- Light verbs: Verbs like dar, hacer, tomar form special collocations:
Dar un paseo (to take a walk)
Hacer un esfuerzo (to make an effort)
Expressions
- Tomar una decisiónTo make an important decision
- Prestar atenciónTo listen carefully to someone
- Dar un paseoTo go for a quiet walk
- Hacer un esfuerzoTo put in effort to succeed
- Correr el riesgoTo accept a potential danger
- Sacar provechoTo take advantage of a situation
Common mistakes
Hacer una decisiónTomar una decisiónIn Spanish, tomar is used with decisión, not hacer
Dar atenciónPrestar atenciónThe correct collocation is prestar atención
Tomar un paseoDar un paseoDar is used with paseo, not tomar
Hacer un preguntaHacer una preguntaPregunta is feminine, so it takes una, not un.
Quick quiz
Question 1 of 5
How do you say “habitual” in Spanish?
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