Get on board! Exploring the verb 'to board' in Spanish." 5 minutes of Spanish / English version + Podcast ¡A bordo! Usos del verbo abordar

 "Get on board! Exploring the verb 'to board' in Spanish."

Spanish version

Hello, how are you?

Good morning, good afternoon or good evening, depending on where you are or what time you're listening to us.

 

Thank you for being here and welcome once again to these 5 minutes of Spanish in the middle of the week What topic are we going to tackle in this podcast 208?

 

Today we are going to talk about a verb that is used a lot in various situations: abordar.

All right, we're on board!

 

The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) mentions that this verb is abused, due to the number of uses it has, but that's exactly why we have to tackle it. Besides, it is a cognate of French and English.

 

And it is also a regular verb. What is the origin of abord?

 

It comes from the combination of "a" (to) and "bordo" (side of the ship), that is, to board a ship. So that is one of its meanings: to board a ship, plane or other means of transport.

 

Examples?

 

Te dejo, ya estamos abordando.
I leave you, we are boarding.

 

Antes era muy importante llevar el pase de abordar impreso, ahora lo tenemos en el celular y es mucho mejor.
In the past, it was very important to carry the printed boarding pass; now we have it on our cell phones, and it's much better.

 

Abordar – to board

Abordaje- boarding

 

Another use?

Related to the sea, touching or boarding a ship:

 

"El guardacostas abordó el barco pesquero."
"The coast guard boarded the fishing boat."

 

En el siglo XVII, los barcos piratas se escondían en las bahías de Baja California Sur para abordar la Nao de China, la nave española que iba a Manila, Filipinas. El objetivo de los piratas era abordar esta nave para robar el oro y la plata.

Rutas de navegación SXVI SXVIII

In the 17th century, pirate ships hid in the bays of Baja California Sur to board the Nao de China, the Spanish ship bound for Manila and the Philippines. The pirates' objective was to board this ship to steal the gold and silver.

 

Shall we address other topics?

 

According to the Dictionary of Spanish in Mexico (DEM), "abordar" also means:

To deal with a difficult subject, discuss or raise a problem:

 

"Newton abordó el problema de la gravitación universal cuando tenía solo veinticuatro años."
"Newton tackled the problem of universal gravitation when he was only twenty-four years old."

 

Es preciso abordar ese problema desde una perspectiva diferente.
This problem needs to be approached from a different perspective.

 

In this case, abordar can be translated as to approach. And there are many synonyms in Spanish for this usage, such as:

 

Tratar - to address

Estudiar - to study, to explore, to consider

Discutir - to discuss

Debatir - to debate, to argue

Afrontar - to confront

Encarar - to face, to approach

 

"Durante la cena, abordaron el tema de si las piñas deberían estar en las pizzas, lo que inició un acalorado debate."
"During dinner, they tackled the topic of whether pineapples should be on pizzas, which

sparked a heated debate."

 

Shall we address one last use?

 

To address a person to talk to him/her about something:

 

"Los estudiantes abordaron al profesor en el pasillo."
"Students accosted the professor in the hallway."

 

"Los periodistas trataron de abordar a la nueva candidata, pero no pudieron."
"Journalists tried to tackle the new candidate but couldn't."

 

How do you approach your Spanish practice? Would you like to approach it from different types of practice?

 

That's good! How?

 

For example, you could approach the language and expressions we use in the kitchen, doing crafts, or reading some news. You can also enrich your vocabulary in a short story workshop or in a Zoom conversation class. Even taking an online grammar class is one type of approach.

 

Thanks so much for making it this far in the podcast. If you liked it, share it and leave us a comment on YouTube, Facebook or Instagram; we're all over it! See you at our workshops and classes or listen in next Wednesday.

 

See you soon!

Bye-bye!