B1 · 50 words
The environment and the climate in Spanish
Sorting, saving, using up — and beyond the weather.
El apagón is built the way Spanish builds a lot of its nouns: a verb plus -ón, which makes the action big and sudden. Apagar is to switch off, so un apagón is everything going off at once. The pattern repeats all over the language — un tirón is a sharp pull, un empujón a shove, un apretón a squeeze — and once you hear the ending you can usually work out the noun from the verb, which is quicker than looking it up.
The words
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Verb (3)
regarto irrigateVerbB1
Riego las plantas por la noche.I water the plants at night.
reutilizarto reuseVerbB1
Reutilizamos las bolsas de tela.We reuse the cloth bags.
tirarto throw away; to pullVerbB1
No tires el papel al contenedor gris.Do not throw the paper in the grey bin.
Adjective (1)
sosteniblesustainableAdjectiveB1
Buscan una solución sostenible.They are looking for a sustainable solution.
Phrase (22)
el cambio climáticoclimate changePhraseB1
Se habla mucho del cambio climático.People talk a lot about climate change.
la ola de calorthe heatwavePhraseB1
La ola de calor durará una semana.The heatwave will last a week.
la temperatura mediathe average temperaturePhraseB1
La temperatura media sube en agosto.The average temperature rises in August.
separar la basurato sort the rubbishPhraseB1
Aquí se separa la basura desde hace años.People here have sorted their rubbish for years.
el punto limpiothe recycling centrePhraseB1
Llevé la pintura al punto limpio.I took the paint to the recycling centre.
el envase reciclablethe recyclable packagingPhraseB1
Es un envase reciclable.It is recyclable packaging.
el consumo eléctricothe electricity consumedPhraseB1
El consumo eléctrico bajó un diez por ciento.The electricity consumed fell by ten per cent.
la energía renovablerenewable sourcesPhraseB1
La energía renovable crece cada año.Renewable sources grow every year.
la placa solarthe solar panelPhraseB1
Pusieron placas solares en el tejado.They put solar panels on the roof.
el molino de vientothe windmillPhraseB1
Se ven molinos de viento desde la carretera.You can see windmills from the road.
la red eléctricathe national gridPhraseB1
La red eléctrica no dio abasto.The national grid could not keep up.
el bosque quemadothe burnt woodlandPhraseB1
El bosque quemado tardará años en volver.The burnt woodland will take years to come back.
el incendio forestalthe wildfirePhraseB1
El incendio forestal empezó por un rayo.The wildfire started with a lightning strike.
en peligro de extinciónthreatened with extinctionPhraseB1
Está en peligro de extinción.It is threatened with extinction.
el parque naturalthe nature reservePhraseB1
El parque natural está a una hora.The nature reserve is an hour away.
la reserva de aguathe stored supplyPhraseB1
La reserva de agua está al cuarenta por ciento.The stored supply is at forty per cent.
la costa protegidathe protected shorelinePhraseB1
Es una costa protegida desde 1990.It has been a protected shoreline since 1990.
el transporte públicopublic transportPhraseB1
Uso el transporte público a diario.I use public transport every day.
la huella de carbonothe carbon footprintPhraseB1
Calculamos la huella de carbono del viaje.We worked out the carbon footprint of the trip.
limpiar la playato pick up litter on the beachPhraseB1
Fuimos a limpiar la playa el domingo.We went to pick up litter on the beach on Sunday.
a largo plazoin the long termPhraseB1
A largo plazo sale más barato.In the long term it works out cheaper.
el aire limpiounpolluted surroundingsPhraseB1
En la sierra hay aire limpio.Up in the hills the surroundings are unpolluted.
Noun (m) (16)
el climathe climateNoun (m)B1
El clima aquí es muy seco.The climate here is very dry.
el pronósticothe forecastNoun (m)B1
El pronóstico da lluvia para el jueves.The forecast gives rain for Thursday.
el rayothe flash of lightningNoun (m)B1
Un rayo cayó cerca del pueblo.Lightning struck near the village.
el truenothe thunderNoun (m)B1
El trueno asustó al perro.The thunder frightened the dog.
el agricultorthe farmerNoun (m)B1
Los agricultores piden ayudas.The farmers are asking for support.
el riegothe irrigationNoun (m)B1
El riego está prohibido de día.Irrigation is forbidden during the day.
el residuothe wasteNoun (m)B1
Los residuos se separan en cuatro grupos.The waste is separated into four groups.
el contenedorthe wheelie binNoun (m)B1
El contenedor amarillo es para envases.The yellow bin is for packaging.
el desperdiciothe waste of somethingNoun (m)B1
Es un desperdicio tirar comida.Throwing food away is a waste.
el ahorrothe savingNoun (m)B1
El ahorro de agua es notable.The saving of water is noticeable.
el apagónthe blackoutNoun (m)B1
Hubo un apagón de dos horas.There was a two-hour blackout.
el embalsethe reservoirNoun (m)B1
El embalse está muy bajo.The reservoir is very low.
el caudalthe flow of a riverNoun (m)B1
El caudal del río ha bajado.The flow of the river has dropped.
el vertidothe dischargeNoun (m)B1
Denunciaron un vertido en el río.They reported a discharge into the river.
el voluntariothe volunteerNoun (m)B1
Vinieron cincuenta voluntarios.Fifty volunteers came.
el impactothe impactNoun (m)B1
El impacto se nota en la costa.The impact can be seen on the coast.
Noun (f) (8)
la sequíathe droughtNoun (f)B1
La sequía dura ya tres años.The drought has lasted three years now.
la inundaciónthe floodNoun (f)B1
La inundación cortó la carretera.The flood closed the road.
la tormentathe stormNoun (f)B1
La tormenta pasó en media hora.The storm passed in half an hour.
la nieblathe fogNoun (f)B1
Había niebla en la autopista.There was fog on the motorway.
la heladathe frostNoun (f)B1
La helada estropeó la cosecha.The frost ruined the harvest.
la cosechathe harvestNoun (f)B1
La cosecha fue mala este año.The harvest was bad this year.
la especiethe speciesNoun (f)B1
Es una especie protegida.It is a protected species.
la concienciaciónthe raising of awarenessNoun (f)B1
Hace falta más concienciación.More awareness is needed.
This list belongs to Nature and natural sciences — 31 lists and 1550 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.