When I first started learning Spanish words and phrases, I used to walk around with a "libreta" (little writing pad) and a "pluma" (literally, "feather") or "lapicero" or "bolígrafo." The first word is the word for writing "pen" in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and the second and third are the words that are used for writing "pen" in Colombia." And every time that I learned a new Spanish word from a Spanish speaker, I would write the word down in my "libreta" and later transfer the word to my "cuaderno" (notebook).

Years later, I scanned my "cuaderno" and made a PDF document of it. Today, I am going to give you a couple of words from my "cuaderno."

By the way, the last 3 words are not words from my "cuaderno." They are words that I have learned while living in Colombia.

1. Hierro - iron

Con el hierro hacen carros.
(With iron, they make cars.)

2. Acero - steel

Acero es hierro que ha sido mezclado con una pequeña proporción de carbono.
(Steel is iron that has been mixed with a small proportion of carbon.)

3. Picaporte - door knob

By the way, in some parts of the Spanish-speaking world, the word for "door knob" is "pomo" or "pomo de puerta" and "picaporte" means "door knocker."

But in Colombia, "picaporte" means "door knob."

4. Manija - door handle

"Manija" is the word for "door handle" that Colombianos and many other Spanish-speakers in
Latin America use.

But keep in mind that you may hear Spanish speakers from other countries use the words "manilla" or "tirador" in order to say "door handle."

Here's a sentence using "manija" (door handle).

En la casa embrujada que había en el filme de terror las manijas de las puertas giraban sin que alguien las moviera.

(In the haunted house that was in the horror film, the door handles turned without anyone moving them.)

5. Abarcar - to cover

La clase de español abarca el estudio de la gramática y de la ortografía.
(The Spanish class covers the study of grammar and spelling.)

"A propósito" (by the way), there's a "dicho" (saying) that I have heard Spanish speakers say that use the word "abarcar."

"El que mucho abarca poco aprieta."
(One that covers a lot squeezes/tightens little.)

In English the same saying is: "Jack of all trades, master of none."

Pat Jackson is the Founder of Learning Spanish Like Crazy. If you would like to get FREE Instant access to the first 2 lessons of Learning Spanish Like Crazy or sign up for our FREE online interactive weekly Spanish classes, then go here now: http://www.LearningSpanishLikeCrazy.com/