English-Spanish Helpful Handouts – For English Speakers Who Want To Learn Spanish
Page 1 of 4
Today’s Spanish-English Cognate – el balance Spanish and English have many similar words known as cognates. These words come from Latin, Greek, or another language. You can expand you Spanish vocabulary quickly by using cognates. By studying cognates, you can use your knowledge of English to help you learn Spanish. Today we will focus on this Spanish-English cognate: el balance - balance These words have evolved into their present bal form from the Latin word root bi which means two. Their Latin meaning has to do with two things being in harmony or balanced. El balance is a Spanish masculine noun. Take a look at the sample sentences below. They use el balance in different ways. Please don’t be overwhelmed by the complexity of the Spanish sentences. The English translation is provided. Focus on the different forms of el balance in each sentence. Es difícil mantener el balance en las calles cubierto de hielo. (It’s difficult to maintain your balance on icy streets.) Tiene sentido que pagues el balance de tú tarjeta de crédito todos los meses. (It makes sense to pay off your credit card balance each month.) El contador tiene el balance listo. (The accountant has the balance sheet ready.)
Es difícil mantener el balance en las calles cubiertas de hielo.
Tiene sentido que pagues el balance de tú tarjeta de crédito todos los meses.
El contador tiene el balance listo.
Practice Fill in the blanks of each sentence from above. Es difícil ____________________ _______ ____________________ en las calles cubierto de hielo. (It’s difficult to maintain your balance on icy streets.) Tiene sentido que pagues _____ ____________________ _____ tú ____________________ _____ ____________________ todos los meses. (It makes sense to pay off your credit card balance each month.) El contador tiene _____ ____________________ listo.
Free Handout – http://sites.google.com/site/englishspanishhelpfulhandouts Photos: www.flickr.com (Creative Commons License) Pahz, moacirpdsp, Phillipe Put.
English-Spanish Helpful Handouts – For English Speakers Who Want To Learn Spanish
Page 2 of 4
Here are some other Spanish words that are related to el balance.
verbs
balancear - to balance
balancearse - to become balanced
resbalar - to slide
nouns
el balancín - rocking chair
la balanza - blancing scale
el resbalón - slide
adjectives resbaladizo/resbaladiza - slippery
resbaloso/resbalosa - slippery
Free Handout – http://sites.google.com/site/englishspanishhelpfulhandouts Photos: www.flickr.com (Creative Commons License) Pahz, moacirpdsp, Phillipe Put.
English-Spanish Helpful Handouts – For English Speakers Who Want To Learn Spanish
Page 3 of 4
Practice
Write the letter of the correct match next to each word. The answers are on page 4. _____ balancearse
a. rocking chair
_____ la balanza
b. slide
_____ el balance
c. to become balanced
_____ resbaladiza
d. slippery (masculine)
_____ el resbalón
e. to slide
_____ resbaloso
f. slippery (feminine)
_____ el balancín
g. balance
_____ resbalar
h. balancing scale
_____ balancear
j. to balance
Unscramble the words. The answers are on page 4. a r c a b l na e
e a b a n r e l c s a
____________________
____________________
a s b e l r r a
____________________
Solve the word search puzzle. Find the words in the box. The answers are on page 4. The answers can appear horizontally, vertically, diagonally, forwards and backwards.
N O T W U B O H M W X T Q L A
H Í I Z G T Y I S Z R D A P T
C B C E X N N Q S C J B B E P
W C O N X C Z H F C A D J S K
V P Z Y A G S J X L R K A K L
N V I R H L Z C A F E Y Z O W
B Y D Q V A A N J N S A I V F
C B A X C F Z B Y Y B J W K W
B L L Q Q A X Q L J A L Z P K
Z L A E O J H P E E L Y X P B
J P B A Z M A R O Z O S L H M
M R S V A N T T H V S F G U N
D V E D G R K B A O A F W J E
J S R Y A T Q G R I F C L O Y
N Ó L A B S E R L E V D K R V
EL BALANCÍN EL RESBALÓN LA BALANZA RESBALADIZO RESBALOSA
Free Handout – http://sites.google.com/site/englishspanishhelpfulhandouts Photos: www.flickr.com (Creative Commons License) Pahz, moacirpdsp, Phillipe Put.
English-Spanish Helpful Handouts – For English Speakers Who Want To Learn Spanish
Page 4 of 4
The Answers Matching 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
c h g f b d a e j
Word Scramble balancear
balancearse
resbalar
Word Search N Í C
O N
Z
I
D
A
A Z
A B
L
A
B
S
E
E L
O
S
A
A L N A
A R
E
L S
B
A
R
N Ó L A B S E R L E
B A L
Free Handout – http://sites.google.com/site/englishspanishhelpfulhandouts Photos: www.flickr.com (Creative Commons License) Pahz, moacirpdsp, Phillipe Put.