Do you want to become more adept at using the Spanish language? If so, here are more than a dozen words beginning with t that sometimes trip up Spanish students.

taco: We've imported this word into English as the name of a popular Mexican food, although in Mexico tacos can be made of almost anything stuffed into a tortilla. The word itself has an incredibly wide variety of meanings, some of them geographically limited, that include a wad, a plug or stopper, a swear or vulgar word, sheets of paper that are gummed on a side to form a pad, a multipage wall calendar, a block of cheese, the heel of a shoe, a burp, someone especially knowledgeable about a subject, a swig of wine, or a year when stating someone's age.


tan and tanto:Tan and tanto are adverbs that are often used with como in comparisons of equality: Soy tan negativa como mis amigos. (I am as negative as my friends.) Estudio tantocomo tú. (I study as much as you.) What can be confusing is that tanto can also function as an adjective, in which case it must match the noun it refers to in number and gender: Tenemos tanta inteligencia como ustedes. (We are as intelligent as you.)

te and té:Te is an object pronoun meaning "you": Te quiero. (I love you.) Té is tea: Quiero una taza de té. (I want a cup of tea.) Te is also the name of the letter t.

tener:Tener is a common verb usually meaning "to have" in the sense of "to possess": Tengo tres ideas. (I have three ideas.) Tener also is used frequently to form phrases that indicate states of being. For example, tener hambre means "to be hungry," and tener celos means "to be jealous." Tener is irregularly conjugated.

ti:Ti is a propositional object pronoun meaning "you" in a singular sense: Tengo una sorpresa para ti.

(I have a surprise for you.) Contrary to the way it is often written by Spanish students and native speakers alike, ti does not use a written accent.

tocar:Tocar is a cognate of "to touch" and often has the same meaning. It also is the verb used when talking about playing a musical instrument, but not for other kinds of playing.

tomar:Tomar is a versatile verb that conveys the idea behind "to take" but can be translated in numerous ways depending on the context. It can be used to refer to taking possession of something, eating, drinking, using transportation and taking a course of action.

tortilla: Throughout the Spanish-speaking world, tortilla refers to an egg omelet. Only in some areas, such as Mexico and Central America, does tortilla also commonly refer to what we call a tortilla in English. If necessary to distinguish between the two, you can say tortilla de huevos for an omelet and tortilla de maíz or tortilla de harina for a corn or flour tortilla, respectively.

traer: The irregularly conjugatedtraer is the most common verb for "to bring": Tráigamelo. (Bring it to me.) Frequently it means "to bring" in the sense of "bringing about" or "causing": Las elecciones trajeron esperanza. (The elections brought hope.) Traer can also refer to the wearing of clothing: Me gusta traer la ropa de colores brillantes. (I like to wear brightly colored clothing.)

tratar:Tratar can be used in a variety of contexts to indicate how someone treats something or someone else: Nos trataban como familia. (They treated us like family.) It also can mean "to try" when followed by de and an infinitive: Trato de ser mejor. (I'm trying to be better.)

tu and tú:Tu is a possessive adjective, the equivalent of the singular "your": Me gusta tu coche. (I like your car.) It is closely connected with tú, which is the corresponding subject pronoun. Both tú and usted mean "you" in the singular sense, although tú is usually preferred in familiar or informal situations, such as when talking to a friend, family member or child.

tuna: A tuna is usually a type of cactus or one of its fruits, sometimes known as a prickly pear. It can also refer to a type of small college musical group. The fish known in English as tuna is atún.