A book for learning Spanish from Chile with over 2,000 words explained in English, 29 illustrations, sections on Chilean gestures, pronunciation & grammar. Spanish vocabulary changes significantly from one country to the next. Yet, few people learn about this until they are in a country, stumbling through the local Spanish slang.
Best Apps for Spanish Class
There’s never enough time in class to give your students all the practice they need. But what if each student could have a personal tutor? … And that’s exactly the promise of smartphone apps. You already know that there are ~~hundreds~~ thousands of apps available for practicing Spanish. But it can be time-consuming to find […]
Preterite Regular -AR -ER -IR Verbs Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Preterite Regular Verbs AR ER IR – Running Errands and Locations in Town – The vocabulary is presented using an authentic video in Spanish. They will learn about the preterite of regular verbs with a guided presentation and practice using a real errand service price guide from Spain. Song Activities: Spanish Song: Penélope […]
Adjective Agreement Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Adjective Agreement and Verbs LLEVAR, VESTIR, PONER – Clothing, Colors, Pricing [MEMBERS] – First, students learn the names for a significant number of colors and clothing through two videos. Later, they watch a third video in three parts: with the first part, they practice and expand their vocabulary about clothing; then, with the second […]
Present Indicative Regular -AR -ER -IR Verbs Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Present Indicative Regular -AR -ER -IR Verbs – Students learn verbs’ classification into three categories by trying to classify some verbs on their own. Later, they watch a video where conjugation of regular verbs in present indicative is explained. After preparing a cheat sheet, they practice conjugation in a team contest that […]
Language Learning: Spanish Phrases and Usages of the Word PALO
This also happens to be a mega blog post about Spanish differences. The word PALO includes many meanings and phrases tied to it. Check it out. PALO generically refers to a stick, like a broom stick, a pool stick or baseball bat-type stick. However, PALO may also refer to the soccer goal posts. Also, in […]
ESTAR + Participle Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – ESTAR + Participle – Describing Art, Sculpture and Tools for Painting – Students will be exposed to the lesson vocabulary with an interactive infographic. Then, they will learn about the form estar + participio with a class discussion using an explainer chart. Finally, they will do an oral practice where they will describe art pieces […]
Fun Way to Introduce Numbers 0-100: Spanish Lesson Plans and Activities
Lesson Plan – Numbers 0-100 – Students will learn to count and write the numbers from 0 to 100 in Spanish. It features a Speaking Latino original video, note taker and worksheet. Lesson Plan – Numbers 1-100, Add and Subtract – Using a video and a presentation, students will learn the numbers from 1 – […]
4 Spanish Language Words for ZIPPER
Yet again, we have what should be a simple word, ZIPPER, identified by a variety of Spanish synonyms. Depending on the country a zipper may be referred to as bragueta, cremallera, cierre or zíper (pronounced zeeper). Anyone care to identify the country or countries that correspond to each? HINT: Some of the answers are here […]
Should You Learn Spanish in Puerto Rico?
UPDATE: Read an opposite view to this blog post at Learn Spanish in Puerto Rico: Immersion Program ISLAShould you Study Spanish in Puerto Rico? When asked my opinion about studying Spanish in Puerto Rico I answer truthfully. “Do not study Spanish in Puerto Rico.” I often say this in Puerto Rico, surrounded by Puerto Ricans. […]
Definite and Indefinite Articles Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Definite and Indefinite Articles – Upon completing this activity, students will have identified and used articles appropriately. Practice the material covered in previous classes: greetings and introductions, infinitive verbs, school supplies vocabulary, use of ser and estar. Lesson Plan – Gender of Nouns, Definite and Indefinite Articles – Classroom Objects, School Supplies […]
Present Progressive Spanish Class Activities
Present Progressive and Chores Mini Lesson Plan for Spanish 3 Lección Preliminar – By the end of this lesson, students will be able to describe what people are currently doing in the house and talk about their preferences in terms of chores they like and do not like. Affirmative TU Commands; Present Progressive – Parts […]
Affirmative TU Commands Spanish Lesson Plans and Song Activities
Affirmative TU commands in Spanish are used to give a direct order or request to someone familiar, like a friend. These commands use the informal “tú” form of the verb and require students to be familiar with the conjugation of verbs. To use these commands, students should first have a basic understanding of how to […]
Learn Spanish Quiz: Puerto Rican Spanish ZAFACÓN
I ran across this street sign walking around one day. I find it entertaining for its ornate writing and that someone put so much care into creating the sign, then decided to post it on the street. For anyone having problems reading the sign it says “Deposita La Basura al Safacón” It also happens to […]
The Imperfect Tense Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Imperfect Tense – Competitions – This lesson uses competition vocabulary to practice the imperfect tense. Students watch an authentic video in Spanish to explore the vocabulary and to introduce them to the Imperfect tense. Includes powerpoint presentation. Lesson Plan – Imperfect AR ER IR Verbs – Toys and Playing Around – Students learn toys […]
Gender and Number of Nouns (Introduction to Articles) Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Gender of Nouns, Definite and Indefinite Articles – Classroom Objects, School Supplies – Through reviewing two educational videos, students will learn that nouns in Spanish have a gender (masculine or feminine); number (singular or plural) and that the article should match both. Then, after viewing an authentic music video, students will acquire and […]
Subject Pronouns Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Subject Pronouns, Personal Pronouns – Through an illustrated presentation, students learn the subject pronouns. They also play two games to review and remember them. Finally, they practice them orally by creating a series of sentences. Includes a printable Memory Game. Lesson Plan – Greetings and Introductions, Subject Pronouns YO and TU – Students […]
The Illustrated Chile Spanish Guide to Breads
Chile Spanish: The Illustrated Chilean Guide to Breads from Speaking Latino One of the linguistic challenges a person faces is how to translate the untranslatable. For some words there is a quick explanation, such as hummus or hommus. Anyone who does not know this food would probably understand chick pea or garbanzo bean puree, […]
7 Ways to Add Spanish to Your Life [INFOGRAPHIC]
If you are learning Spanish think about infusing your daily life with it. Here are some quick and easy ideas to immerse into Spanish while doing your regular daily routines. 1. CHANGE YOUR SMART PHONE AND TABLET TO SPANISH. All the app icons that you look at every day will now have a new meaning for […]
The Alphabet in Spanish Class Activities
The Alphabet in Spanish Mini Lesson Plan – Two Speaking Latino original videos cover the alphabet and its pronunciation in Spanish. Students watch the videos, take notes and do an oral practice from a presentation with audio clips from a native speaker. Alphabet Pronunciation and Cognates Lesson Plan – Through viewing an authentic musical video, students […]
Greetings and Introductions Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Greetings in Spanish – Students learn the basic greetings in Spanish with a Speaking Latino original video. They take notes, complete the worksheet, and do the oral practice. Lesson Plan – Introductions in Spanish – Students learn how to introduce themselves and others with a Speaking Latino original video. They take notes and complete […]
Comay, Yerna, Chozno & Other Spanish Words for Family Members and Relatives: Infographic
As you learn a language, one of the major tasks is vocabulary acquisition. The more words you know, the better you communicate. Occasionally, you run across words that are not translatable, but for the most part words in one language have an equivalent in another. In the process of acquiring more vocabulary you will notice […]
Classroom Objects and Back to School Vocabulary Spanish Class Activities
TV Ad Activity: Banefe – Comercial 20% dcto. en compras escolares – Learn the school supplies vocabulary with this activity that uses an authentic TV ad from Latin America. The activity uses the Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) format. School Supplies, School Subjects, and School Schedules Vocabulary Lesson Plan – Through viewing videos on the Internet, […]
Irregular Preterite Verbs Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Irregular Preterite Verbs – Hiking, Outdoor Activities, the Weather – After completing this lesson, students will be able to describe outdoor activities, hiking in detail, the weather and weather forecasts, and talk about past events, especially using irregular preterite verbs. Objectives Students can describe outdoor activities, hiking in detail, and the weather […]
AL REVÉS: How to Translate This Spanish Phrase to English
So I’m getting dressed the other day. I slip on the undies and my wife says: Tienes los calzoncillos al revés. I immediately assumed they were backwards. Namely, that the label side was in the front and the normal front part of the underwear, in the back. And here’s where we ran into a language […]
Barron’s Spanish Verbs Book Through Time
Recently in Portland, Oregon on my honeymoon I stopped in at one of the world’s most entertaining places: Powell’s bookstore. For anyone that has never been it is a must-see before you kick the bucket. Me being me, I ran directly to the Red Room, second floor. That’s the language section. As any vain author […]
15 Spanish Words for KITE: Infographic
You’d think that the Spanish word for KITE would be an easy word. Four letters, nothing fancy, just some twigs, paper and string. A mere kid’s toy. Simple, right? Quite the opposite, folks. It turns out there are at least 15 Spanish language words for the same object. KITE comes to mind as the word […]
10 Funny Product Names from the Supermarket: My Fun Spanish Lesson in Central America
Here is a collection of product names in Spanish I found on a recent trip to the Western Caribbean. Throughout a 10-year career in Marketing, I experienced the importance of establishing a strong brand name. These products names are catchy and funny and now that I am more aware of the differences of Spanish languages […]
Learning Spanish Lessons: The Distinction Between PARECER and PARECERSE
Parecer and parecerse a both mean “to resemble” or “to look like” but they cannot be used interchangeably. Parecer is used to describe the appearance of something, such as “He looks like a teacher” while parecerse is used to compare between items, such as “He looks like my teacher Mr. Sanchez.” or to give an […]
Learn Spanish: Translating BUT to Spanish with PERO and SINO / SINO QUE
The words pero and sino both translate to “but.” However, they cannot be used interchangeably. Pero is used when you are looking to convey “nevertheless” or “yet.” Examples: Estaba muy cansada, pero no me dormí. (I didn’t fall asleep, but I was very tired.) No tenemos gaseosa, pero tenemos limonada. (We don’t have soda, but […]