Everyone knows Spanish people are very expressive and they like to have their own voice when they speak. One of their tricks is to match their excitement with an appropriate slang word. So whether you are learning Spanish in Spain or just curious about the Spanish language, this will definitely help you speak like a local and avoid being treated like a common “guiri” (slang word for tourist). No more! Next time you want to sound enthusiastic in Spanish try using these...

Let’s be honest, when learning a new language, nothing beats sitting on your sofa, turning on the TV and watching a movie. It’s simple, perfect for a lazy summer afternoon or a rainy winter weekend and above all, really educational. As we mentioned on our Part 1 of the series, it’s a great way to improve your language skills and learn perfect Spanish intonation while having fun. On this edition we’ll focus on Spanish movies filmed in Spain. And we have a great selection for you! But...

Many of you would have googled different elements of Spanish grammar at some point during your time studying the language. As well as getting wikipedia pages and Spanish school produced websites explaining the grammar in a long and wordy way, you’ll often find a number of videos appearing in the search results. Many of these are for high school Spanish projects and some so bad that it’s hard to watch! However, some are actually very funny and can teach you quite a lot about the...

1) Climate If you love the sun, you’ll love the summer in Spain. Weeks at a time of pure blue skies with not a cloud in sight. The temperature varies depending on where in Spain you visit. If you love to sunbathe then you’ll probably want to be near a beach. The south coast and the lower east coast are the warmest of the coastal areas and temperatures average in the late 20s to 30 degrees during July and August. Higher up the east coast around Barcelona, the average temperature is a couple...

So we reach the final part of our series on ‘Common (& very funny) mistakes when learning Spanish’. In part 1 of our series, we looked at mistakes made when words sound very similar to each other, like coser and cocer. In part 2, we looked at mistakes made due to “false friends”. This is when you expect a word to mean something due to it sounding similar to a word in English, when actually it means something completely different. Our favourite example of this is embarazado, which...

In part 1 of this series, we looked at common (and funny) mistakes people make when learning Spanish due to two Spanish words sounding similar. For example, people might mix-up dolor and dolar (pain and dollar) or pesado and pedoso (heavy and farty)! In part 2 of this series on common Spanish language errors we will look at ‘false friends’. This is when you think a word will mean something due to it sounding very similar to a word in your language, in the cases we are going to look at:...

One of the most important things to do when learning Spanish is to practice on the street or with friends. It builds confidence, helps with pronunciation and increases your understanding of the Spanish language. However, mistakes are almost always going to be made. Most of the time, these small mistakes will go unnoticed, or at most cause the other person to smile. However, there are occasions when the mistake leads to everyone present rolling around on the floor in laughter. Here are some...

Spanish is a great language to learn! After mandarin, it has the highest number of native speakers in the world and is the primary language in over 20 countries. This means that once you have learnt Spanish, there are many countries and cultures you can go to and explore whilst practicing your language skills. Spanish (or Castilian) is the most popular second language learned by native English speakers and the most widely understood in the Western hemisphere. Could there be a better foreign...

Are you learning Spanish in Spain? Do you find that the Spanish spoken in the street isn’t quite the same as the Spanish you learn in the classroom? Sometimes it’s good know a few common slang terms that you can throw into conversation to impress locals you meet in plazas or at the shops or even to impress your Spanish teacher with. Here are some of my favourites with an example of how to use them:   1.      Cabezota : Stubborn This word is more commonly used as an adjective but...

When you visit Seville, you will find yourself in the very heart of Andalusian culture, the center of flamenco dance, bullfighting and outstanding architectonical heritage of the Arabs. The capital of Andalusia offers you everything you would associate with Spain and seduces due to its fascinating mix of rich history, friendly and welcoming habitants and delicious local cuisine. If you want to learn Spanish and fully immerse yourself in the Spanish culture then Seville is one of the best places...