Words that get shortened: refri, profe in Spanish

1. 1
   refrigerador/refɾixeɾaˈdoɾ/

   refrigeratornoun

   Appliance that keeps food cold.
2. 2
   profesor/pɾofeˈsoɾ/

   teachernoun

   Person who teaches a subject to a group of students.
3. 3
   preparatoria/pɾepaɾaˈtoɾja/

   high schoolnoun

   School you attend after secondary school and before university.
4. 4
   bicicleta/bisiˈkleta/

   bicyclenoun

   Vehicle with two wheels that moves when you pedal it.
5. 5
   computadora/komputaˈdoɾa/

   computernoun

   Device with a screen and keyboard used for writing, working, and looking things up.
6. 6
   televisión/telebiˈsjon/

   televisionnoun

   Device with a screen where you watch channels and shows.
7. 7
   fotografía/fotoɡɾaˈfia/

   photographnoun

   Image that gets saved when you take a picture with a camera.
8. 8
   cumpleaños/kumpleˈaɲos/

   birthdaynoun

   Day of the year when someone turns a year older.
9. 9
   departamento/depaɾtaˈmento/

   apartmentnoun

   Home that is inside a building with several homes.
10. 10
    celular/seluˈlaɾ/

    cell phonenoun

    Phone that fits in your hand and you carry with you everywhere.

The sentences

1. Deja la leche en el refrigerador, por favor.

   Leave the milk in the refrigerator, please.

2. El profesor de mi preparatoria nos dejó mucha tarea para mañana.

   The teacher at my high school gave us a lot of homework for tomorrow.

3. Te veo en la entrada de la preparatoria a las dos.

   I'll see you at the high school entrance at two.

4. Me voy a la escuela en bicicleta casi todos los días.

   I ride my bike to school almost every day.

5. ¿Me prestas tu computadora un rato para terminar el trabajo?

   Can I borrow your computer for a bit to finish the assignment?

6. Le puedes bajar a la televisión, por favor, no escucho nada.

   Can you turn the TV down, please, I can't hear anything.

7. ¿Nos puedes tomar una fotografía aquí, junto a la puerta?

   Can you take a photo of us here, next to the door?

8. El fin de semana es mi cumpleaños y quiero verte.

   It's my birthday this weekend and I want to see you.

9. Mi departamento nuevo está en el tercer piso de ese edificio.

   My new apartment is on the third floor of that building.

10. Se me quedó el celular en el departamento de mi hermano.

    I left my phone at my brother's apartment.

Pronunciation

• refrigerador/refɾixeɾaˈdoɾ/

  The initial r is trilled, the g in -ge- sounds like a j, and the stress falls at the end, on -dor.

• profesor/pɾofeˈsoɾ/

  The stress falls on the last syllable, on the o of -sor.

• bicicleta/bisiˈkleta/

  The first c comes before an i and sounds like an s: bi-si-cleta.

• televisión/telebiˈsjon/

  The v sounds just like a b, and the stress falls on the last syllable: -sión is said as one beat.

• fotografía/fotoɡɾaˈfia/

  The stress falls on the i, and that i doesn't blend with the a: fo-to-gra-fí-a, five syllables.

• cumpleaños/kumpleˈaɲos/

  The stress falls on the a of -años: kum-ple-A-ños; the e and the a don't blend into one syllable.

• celular/seluˈlaɾ/

  The c before e sounds like an s, and the stress falls on the last syllable: se-lu-lar.

Questions

How do you say refrigerator in Mexican Spanish?

Refrigerador, the appliance that keeps food cold; people often shorten it to refri.

What does prepa mean in Mexican Spanish?

Prepa is short for preparatoria, the school you attend after secondary school and before university.

How do you say cell phone in Mexican Spanish?

Celular, the phone that fits in your hand and goes with you everywhere.