B2 · 50 words
Arguing and objecting in Spanish
The phrases that carry a position — and those that qualify it again.
Matizar is one word for something English needs a sentence to do. El matiz is a shade of colour, and to matizar is to put the shade back into something said too flatly: not to take it back, not to soften it into nothing, but to add the qualification. « I would qualify that » comes close; « let me nuance that » is not English. Because the verb exists it gets used constantly — quiero matizar una cosa is an ordinary thing to say in a meeting, and it announces a correction that is not a contradiction.
The words
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Verb (10)
afirmarto stateVerbB2
Afirmó lo contrario dos días antes.He stated the opposite two days before.
deducirto inferVerbB2
De ahí no se deduce nada.Nothing can be inferred from that.
matizarto qualifyVerbB2
Matizó su respuesta al día siguiente.She qualified her answer the next day.
generalizarto generaliseVerbB2
No conviene generalizar a partir de un caso.It is unwise to generalise from one case.
rebatirto rebutVerbB2
Rebatió el informe punto por punto.She rebutted the report point by point.
refutarto disproveVerbB2
La tesis no se ha refutado todavía.The thesis has not been disproved yet.
cuestionarto questionVerbB2
Cuestionaron el método, no el resultado.They questioned the method, not the result.
cederto give wayVerbB2
Nadie quiso ceder en el precio.Nobody would give way on the price.
aclararto make clearVerbB2
Aclaró que no hablaba por la empresa.He made clear that he was not speaking for the company.
interrumpirto interruptVerbB2
Interrumpió tres veces seguidas.He interrupted three times running.
Phrase (31)
sostener queto hold the viewPhraseB2
Sostiene que nadie le avisó.He holds the view that nobody told him.
el argumento de pesothe argument with weight behind itPhraseB2
Es el único argumento de peso que dio.It is the only argument with weight behind it that he gave.
si bien es cierto quetrue enough, butPhraseB2
Si bien es cierto que costó más, duró el doble.True enough it cost more, but it lasted twice as long.
ahora biennow thenPhraseB2
Ahora bien, eso no explica el retraso.Now then, that does not explain the delay.
no obstanteneverthelessPhraseB2
No obstante, hay que decidir hoy.Nevertheless, it has to be decided today.
por el contrarioon the contraryPhraseB2
Por el contrario, el consumo bajó.On the contrary, consumption went down.
por lo demásfor the restPhraseB2
Por lo demás, todo siguió igual.For the rest, everything went on as before.
cabe señalar queit should be pointed outPhraseB2
Cabe señalar que faltaba un informe.It should be pointed out that a report was missing.
conviene recordarlet us recallPhraseB2
Conviene recordar cómo empezó todo.Let us recall how the whole thing began.
en la medida en quein so far asPhraseB2
Vale en la medida en que se cumpla el plazo.It holds in so far as the deadline is kept.
a condición de queprovidedPhraseB2
Acepto a condición de que quede por escrito.I agree provided it is put in writing.
salvo queunlessPhraseB2
Seguimos, salvo que alguien se oponga.We carry on unless somebody objects.
por más quehowever muchPhraseB2
Por más que insista, no cambiará.However much he insists, it will not change.
a fin de cuentasin the endPhraseB2
A fin de cuentas, decide quien paga.In the end it is whoever pays who decides.
en resumidas cuentasin shortPhraseB2
En resumidas cuentas, no salió bien.In short, it did not turn out well.
dicho estogranted all thatPhraseB2
Dicho esto, hay una excepción.Granted all that, there is one exception.
dar la razón a alguiento agree that somebody was rightPhraseB2
Le dieron la razón al final.They agreed in the end that he had been right.
reconocer un errorto admit a mistakePhraseB2
Reconoció el error en público.He admitted the mistake in public.
insistir ento press forPhraseB2
Insistieron en revisar las cuentas.They pressed for the accounts to be checked.
poner en dudato call into questionPhraseB2
Nadie pone en duda su trabajo.Nobody calls his work into question.
el punto de partidathe place it starts fromPhraseB2
El punto de partida es otro.The place it starts from is a different one.
desde el punto de vista deseen byPhraseB2
Desde el punto de vista del comprador tiene sentido.Seen by the buyer it makes sense.
a mi juicioto my mindPhraseB2
A mi juicio, faltó tiempo.To my mind there was not enough time.
en mi opinión personalin my own viewPhraseB2
En mi opinión personal, la culpa se reparte.In my own view the blame is shared.
llegar a un acuerdoto reach an agreementPhraseB2
Llegaron a un acuerdo tras seis horas.They reached an agreement after six hours.
el punto intermediothe middle groundPhraseB2
Buscaron un punto intermedio.They looked for middle ground.
el malentendido de fondothe misunderstanding underneathPhraseB2
Había un malentendido de fondo.There was a misunderstanding underneath it all.
tomar la palabrato take the floorPhraseB2
Tomó la palabra sin levantar la voz.She took the floor without raising her voice.
el turno de palabrathe turn to speakPhraseB2
Respetaron el turno de palabra.They respected the turn to speak.
resumir en una fraseto sum up in one sentencePhraseB2
Resumió en una frase lo esencial.She summed the heart of it up in one sentence.
lo esencialwhat mattersPhraseB2
Lo esencial cabe en media página.What matters fits on half a page.
Noun (m) (5)
el planteamientothe way it is putNoun (m)B2
El planteamiento es discutible.The way it is put is open to argument.
el razonamientothe reasoningNoun (m)B2
El razonamiento se cae al final.The reasoning falls apart at the end.
el matizthe nuanceNoun (m)B2
El matiz cambia el sentido entero.The nuance changes the whole sense.
el contraejemplothe counterexampleNoun (m)B2
Basta un contraejemplo para tumbar la regla.One counterexample is enough to bring the rule down.
el enfoquethe approachNoun (m)B2
Cambiaron de enfoque a mitad de camino.They changed the approach half way through.
Noun (f) (4)
la premisathe premiseNoun (f)B2
La premisa ya es falsa.The premise is false to begin with.
la conclusiónthe conclusionNoun (f)B2
La conclusión no se sigue de los datos.The conclusion does not follow from the figures.
la posturathe stanceNoun (f)B2
Mantuvo su postura hasta el final.She held to her stance to the last.
la aclaraciónthe clarificationNoun (f)B2
La aclaración llegó demasiado tarde.The clarification came far too late.
This list belongs to Opinions and arguing — twelve lists and 596 words that can also be practised as a whole.
Practise this list
From these 50 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.