In many parts of Latin America, you don’t pump your own gas — there are attendants who work the pumps (las bombas). So if you’re driving in a Spanish speaking country, it pays to know some Spanish phrases for the gas station. Gas Station Vocabulary with Regional Variations Spanish vocabulary can vary a lot from country to … Read More
I was doing a live class last night and kept repeating something that I thought was worth sharing here: If you memorize Spanish words like this: Tener = to have El bigote = the mustache You are unlikely to remember them. If you do remember them, you’ll probably struggle to use the word in conversation. … Read More
Understanding Spanish is hard. It takes a lot of practice. So if you’re struggling to understand Spanish, you are not alone. In my experience, comprehension is the hardest part of a new language because there are so many different ways people can speak. It’s unpredictable! A million different factors (including origin, personality, mood) can influence … Read More
In English, it’s common to say “I can’t wait” to express excitement. Trouble is, “I can’t wait” is an idiom. And you can’t always translate idioms literally into Spanish. In fact, there are a range of translations for I can’t wait in Spanish. Let’s break down the most natural ways to express this idea (don’t … Read More
In Spanish, the phrase uno momento is incorrect. Instead, un momento is used. This is because when “uno” precedes a masculine noun like el momento, it always loses the “o”. Saying uno momento rather than un momento is one of the most common grammar mistakes I hear from people who’ve studied a little Spanish in … Read More
Is it hard to learn Spanish? If your goal is to make yourself understood in simple interactions, the answer is no. In a relatively short period of time, you can learn enough to get by on a trip to Nicaragua or Argentina. If your goal is to express yourself fully with friends, family, or coworkers, … Read More
Want to know how to pronounce the trickiest, longest words in Spanish? Words like internacionalización and ornitorrinco, or even tongue twisters like tres tristes tigres tragan trigo en un trigal? There are some genuinely hard words to pronounce in Spanish. Here’s my breakdown of 15 of the hardest words in my experience, both teaching and … Read More
Being polite in Spanish isn’t too challenging. Let’s learn how. Imagine you are on the Metro and Mexico city. You need to get by all the people, so that you can get off. How do you politely What’s the best way to say, “Excuse me, I need to get by”? Or what if you want to … Read More
If you’re learning Spanish as an adult, you can do whatever you want. There’s no curriculum or rules you have to follow. That means when you’re looking at the four basic language skills — listening, speaking, reading, and writing — you can choose what to learn based on your goals and available time. If you … Read More
What’s the fastest way to learn Spanish? The short answer: immersion + focused daily effort. But immersion doesn’t have to mean moving to Colombia. Tons of people move abroad, find an English-speaking bubble, and live there for months or years without graduating from Spanish 1. Living in a Spanish-speaking country can help, but it does … Read More