El cable USB

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About this article

Level A1 Reading focus

What you'll learn

Present indicative and the verb querer; USB stands for Universal Serial Bus.

Pablo looks for a cable to power the phone. A grey cable joins the phone and the charger. His mother watches the goal, and he leaves the cable on the table.

After reading

Article learning block

Phrases, words, grammar, and quick practice from this text.

19 items

Phrases for training

Add useful phrases to SRS or mark them as already known.

conectar dispositivos

new

connect devices

Conectar dispositivos means to link phones, tablets and other gadgets with a cable.

The main job of a USB cable, stated in the first paragraph.

transferir fotos y videos

new

transfer photos and videos

Transferir fotos y videos means to copy images from your phone onto a computer.

One of the three verbs this article practises.

cargar todos los dispositivos

new

charge all devices

Cargar todos los dispositivos means to plug in phones, tablets and other gadgets to refill the battery.

Describes the family's nightly charging routine.

carga rápida

new

fast charging

Carga rápida is a quick battery refill; los cables de carga rápida are the thicker cables that allow it.

Key feature of the special cables in the text.

conectar accesorios

new

connect accessories

Conectar accesorios means to plug in a keyboard, mouse or microphone through USB.

Shows how versatile the USB port is.

estándar universal

new

universal standard

Un estándar universal is one single format that every maker follows, so any cable fits any device.

The idea the article closes on.

tiro del cable

new

pull on the cable

Tirar de + object means to pull on something. Spanish needs the preposition de: tiro del cable, never tiro el cable.

The preposition is obligatory here and learners almost always drop it.

Key words

Vocabulary that carries the school-day topic.

Connectors

conectores

connectors

Los conectores are the plug ends of a cable that fit into a port: micro USB, USB tipo C.

The word you need in order to name a USB type.

Charger

cargador

charger

El cargador de pared is the power block in the wall socket that the cable plugs into. It is built from the verb cargar.

Comes from cargar, one of the three verbs the article practises.

USB flash drive

memoria USB

USB flash drive

Una memoria USB is a portable storage stick for music or files. Spanish uses memoria, not a borrowed English word.

Everyday object, and the noun is feminine: una memoria.

Versatile

versátil

versatile

Versátil describes something good for many different uses: keyboard, mouse, microphone, charging.

One form for both genders: un cable versátil, una conexión versátil.

Durable, long-lasting

duraderos

durable, long-lasting

Duradero comes from the verb durar, to last. Cables duraderos are cables that go on working for years.

Built from durar, so the word is easy to remember.

Power socket

enchufe

power socket

El enchufe is the socket in the wall. The matching verb is enchufar, to plug in.

Not guessable from English, and the text uses it with estar for location.

Initials, acronym

siglas

initials, acronym

Las siglas are the letters that stand in for a longer name: USB, ONU, ADN. The word is normally plural.

Not guessable from English, and it appears in the first paragraph.

Computer: ordenador or computadora

ordenador

computer

Spain says el ordenador. Mexico and Argentina say la computadora, and Colombia and Chile say el computador. All three words are correct and all three appear in this text.

The same object, a different word depending on the country you are in.

Grammar in context

Patterns from the text worth noticing after reading.

Servir para + infinitive

Estos cables sirven para conectar dispositivos

these cables are for connecting devices

Servir para + infinitive states what something is for: sirven para conectar dispositivos. The second verb stays in the infinitive.

The standard way to say what an object is used for.

Ser: describing shape

es ovalado y se puede conectar de cualquier lado

it is oval and can be plugged in either way up

Ser + adjective describes what a thing is like: es ovalado. A permanent characteristic takes ser, not estar. Se puede + infinitive says what is possible without naming who does it: se puede conectar.

Ser is the verb for an object's shape and material.

Present: usa para + infinitive

Mi familia usa cables USB para cargar todos los dispositivos

my family uses USB cables to charge all the devices

Usa is the present of usar, third person singular, for a repeated habit. Para + infinitive gives the purpose: para cargar.

Present tense plus para + infinitive describes any routine.

Estar: location

El enchufe está lejos de la mesa

the socket is far from the table

Estar shows where something is: el enchufe está lejos de la mesa. Position always takes estar, never ser.