When I first started learning Spanish, the term “artificial intelligence” mostly conjured up images of Will Smith fighting robots. Now, it’s in our pockets and can write our code, explain our kids’ math homework, and write this newsletter (just kidding). The question is: Before things turn to I, Robot… Should you take advantage of AI … Read More
Hola! This is the 100th edition of Saturday Spanish (!!). Thank you so much for being a reader. Like learning Spanish, this newsletter has been a long-term project where “progress” is hard to measure. Each one of these takes me about 3 hours to write, edit, upload, and send… so it would be a lot … Read More
Pop quiz: Can you understand the sentence below without translating it in your head? Esta casa es verde y la otra es blanca. If yes, consider this: on day one of learning Spanish, that is not something you could have done. You would have needed to translate it word-for-word. But now, the meaning was clear right away. No mental … Read More
If you’re reading this, you probably want to understand native Spanish speakers. Maybe you’re close, maybe you’re a ways off. Either way… there’s something that might be holding you back. It’s difficult to avoid (I still catch myself doing it). But it’s a critical comprehension mistake to avoid because it zaps your motivation faster than … Read More
Please don’t fact check me on this… But here’s something I suspect native speakers of all languages do: They connect their words. They don’t always leave a clear boundary from one word to the next. And the speakers of the language you’re learning? They are pros at this. The ends of Spanish words are like … Read More
So you need practice speaking Spanish…. But you’re not the most extroverted person. Or maybe just the idea of speaking Spanish turns you into an introvert. A foreign language can exacerbate feelings of shyness (speaking from experience). Doesn’t exactly make you thrilled to speak. And it’s hard to get better at speaking without… speaking. In … Read More
One of the best things about learning Spanish is discovering a new, parallel world to the one you’re used to. One with different cultural references, habits and quirks… And different humor, celebrities, politics, food and art. At least for me, that keeps me engaged and motivated to keep improving my Spanish after so many years. … Read More
Most conversations are unpredictable. We don’t know exactly where they’ll take us. It’s part of the challenge when learning a new language: We can’t prepare for all possible scenarios. But many scenarios are very predictable. Extremely common. So common, in fact, that we often forget about them until we’re in the moment, grasping for words we should know. It’s … Read More
You’ve seen it around: Phrases like espero que tengas, no creo que pueda, or es como si fuera… It’s the… [insert Jaws music]… Subjunctive! On top of all the other conjugations, there’s this whole other “mood” to learn, with its own set of verb endings. It is kind of a pain… But it doesn’t have to drive you … Read More
Spanish is a language with tons of tips and resources. Many are great. But it’s an “arma de doble filo” (a double-edged sword)… The quantity invites doubts. It can make you question the way you’re doing things. And yep, the way you learn does make a difference… But beyond the learning strategies themselves, a huge part of … Read More