In the United States, produce is readily available in supermarkets. Generally, there are signs with the names of each type of produce and you can just walk up and grab whatever fruit or vegetable you want. In many Latin American countries, on the other hand, produce is found in produce stands where you will need […]
Present Subjunctive Spanish Class Activities (Regular and Irregular Verbs)
Regular Verbs Lesson Plan – Present Subjunctive: Traveling, Planning a Trip, the Airport – Students use the reading ¿Qué tipo de viajero eres? to learn about the Present Subjunctive of regular and irregular verbs. Irregular Verbs Lesson Plan – Subjunctive Irregular Verbs: Feelings and Emotions – Using a song, students learn vocabulary related to feelings, desires, and […]
3 Tips to Improve your Argentina Spanish Grammar
As with other local Spanish languages, Argentine Spanish includes some deviations from typical Spanish grammar. These rules will help you begin to better understand Argentinians. 1. Vos: In Argentina, the tu form of verbs is not used. Instead, vos is the term that is used to mean “you”. For instance, instead of the typical Spanish […]
Spanglish Words From The Back of a Cake Box
I recently wrote an article about baking in Spanish. I was pretty confident that I have covered the most important stuff. However, the other day I saw a cake mix box with Spanish instructions and a couple of Spanglish words surprised me. Look at the picture in the right: Never in my life have I […]
Translating 54 Sport Spanish Words to English
While you may imagine that all Spanish speakers only care about fútbol (soccer), you will find the occasional need to discuss other sports. Here’s some Spanish sports words that will be useful. Translating 54 Sport Spanish Words to English 1. Fútbol / Balompié – Soccer 2. Hockey / Hockey sobre césped / Hockey sobre hierba […]
Football / Soccer Terms in Spanish from Speaking Chileno Featured at I Love Chile Magazine
A clip from I Love Chile magazine featuring a list of football soccer terms in Spanish used in Chile from the book Speaking Chileno by Jared Romey.
Cosmo Test: How Much Do You Know About Spanish Slang?
Face it. Don’t deny that at least once in your life you have done a quiz from Cosmopolitan magazine. I used to work for a beauty company that places regular ads in Cosmopolitan, and they gave us complementary magazines every month. So in every issue they featured a Cosmo Test, a quiz or personality test […]
Dating Latinos It’s Different: MACHISMO
This is the first post in my series about dating Latinos and how it differs from dating North Americans. I have never been big on dating. In some ways, I was lucky and often ended up with guy friends, thus skipping over the awkward dating phase. However, when my long-term relationship ended right before I […]
12 Spanish Language Words for TRASH CAN
It never ceases to amaze me how many Spanish differences exist for a word and the Spanish word for trash can is no exception. The most common words for trash can are cesto or papelera. You can also say recipiente or contenedor de basura. Here are more Spanish synonyms for trash can. Spanish for TRASH […]
Friday the 13th or Martes 13: Your Bad Luck Day Depends On the Language
Today is Tuesday March 13th, 2012 and it is a common day to most English speakers. But if you live in a Spanish speaking country today is Martes 13, día de la mala suerte or the equivalent to Friday the 13th. It is curious that this “bad luck day” superstition changes depending on the country. […]
Reverse Lunfardo: 25 Argentina Spanish Slang Words
Spend just a short time in Argentina, or even just around Argentinians, discussing their language and you are bound to hear the word lunfardo. Don’t worry, you weren’t asleep for that part of your Spanish class. Frankly, almost nobody outside of Argentina knows what it is either. Lunfardo began as a unique slang developed by […]
The Most Complete List of Spanish Slang Words for MONEY: Infographic
Well, it is that time of the year again: we are into tax season! On April 17th all United States residents are supposed to turn in their tax forms. The same drill will happen in Puerto Rico for our local income tax or what we call planillas and often la dolorosa (that translates to “the […]
Spanglish: The Spanish Language Pollution or Language Evolution?
I used to think Spanglish was just a silly pseudo-language I spoke amongst my fellow Spanish students. Now that Spanish and English are constantly mixing, Spanglish has really become a sort of dialect. If you speak Spanish as a second language and learned it formally, you might actually have trouble with the mixture. The Easy […]
11 Grammar Rules to Improve Your Puerto Rico Spanish
As in most countries, several unique grammar adaptations have appeared over the years in Puerto Rico. While sometimes these usages are grammatically incorrect, they are so widespread that they are accepted as being correct. Below are examples of Puerto Rican Spanish grammar: 1. The most common “mistake” in Puerto Rican Spanish is to mix English […]
Baking Vocabulary: Translating Spanish to English Words
My mother is a baker, so I grew up making all kinds of delicious baked goods. When it comes to my specialties, like cookies, I hardly even glance at recipes, I either know them by heart or I just wing it. However, I realize not everyone was lucky enough to grow up working alongside my […]
Animal English Names in Spanish: 11 Weird Examples That Will Surprise You
You may think you know your zoo animals in Spanish because you’ve got words down like perro, oso and maybe even conejo (dog, bear and rabbit, respectively) but I would be willing to bet that if you took a trip to the zoo, you’d be lost. While a lot of the names are easy to […]
How to Speak Spanish: Argentina vs. Puerto Rico
I learned to speak Spanish in Missouri, meaning I learned it out of a book and (for the first 5 years) from women who had lived their entire lives in Missouri. You can imagine how awkwardly formal and not at all natural my Spanish was when I arrived at my university where I was then […]
Translating 16 Playground Spanish Words to English
A park is such a simple, childlike place. It is somewhere to relax, play, and have fun. Imagine heading to a park in a foreign country, enjoying the sites and, oh yeah, having no idea how to describe anything. Chances are you learned the word for park (parque) and nothing else related to it. Here […]
101 Spanish Word Meanings I Learned Watching El Chavo del 8: Mexican Spanish vs Puerto Rican Spanish
You wouldn’t think that a Spanish-speaking girl, watching a television program in Spanish would learn more Spanish. At the time I didn’t realize that watching El Chavo del 8 would expand my Spanish vocabulary and make me understand that there was regional or country differences within the same language. In this case I am talking […]
Is Dating a Spanish Speaker a Good Way to Learn Spanish?
Many people, especially those who hate textbooks and studying, are sure that finding a Spanish speaking significant other is the key to learning the language. As someone who learned my Spanish in school and then perfected it while living abroad, I can answer this question for you. It Depends Sorry, I’m sure you were hoping […]
Beauty Products Vocabulary: Translating Spanish to English Words
Finding beauty supplies in an unfamiliar place is bad enough, but have you ever considered how difficult it would be to explain what hair conditioner is with limited vocabulary? It would be a lot easier if you just memorize the words for a few key items you might need while shopping in a Spanish speaking […]
Puerto Rican Baby Names: Trendy, Creative and Unique Names from the Island of Enchantment
This is the introduction of the book Baby Names from Puerto Rico: Trendy, Creative and Unique Names from the Island of Enchantment. Puerto Rican Baby Names If you visit the Island of Enchantment, you may notice that many young people’s names are unknown to you. Apparently the tradition of naming the children to preserve the […]
Filler Words and Other Common Chile Spanish Slang Phrases
Becoming fluent in a new language is a long process. If anyone tells you otherwise, it’s a lie. However, there are certain steps that will speed up the process or even trick people into thinking you are more fluent than is the case. We will call them hacks. And with this language hack people may […]
Spanish Word for Grammar
According to RAE, grammar is the part of linguistics that studies the elements of a language, as well as the way in which these are organized and combined. In other words, grammar is the set of rules and principles that govern the use of a specific language. The Spanish word for grammar is gramática. There are other […]
Spanglish Example Photo: FREE EXIT
This is a Spanglish sign posted in Puerto Rico. “SALIDA AUTOMATICA” has been translated to “FREE EXIT.” The correct translation would be “automatic exit”. I’d like to award some Spanglish bonus points for the use of “beeper” in the phrase “No ultilizar beeper para salir” (Do not use a beeper to exit). That is true […]
What is the Best English to Spanish Translation for EXCITED?
When learning a new language, words that are the same or similar in more than one language can be an excellent friends. Spanish is full of friends to English, such as teléfono (phone), carro (car) and even verbs, such as combinar (combine). There is also a long list of Spanish words that have become common […]
Language Learning: Spanish Words for LOVE
In English, you can use the word love in a couple of ways. You can love people, things, actions, or foods. But when it comes to translate love in Spanish, there are particular words you can use. Here are the Spanish words for love. I love you The English I love you has two different […]
How to Say TEACHER in Spanish
In the Spanish language, various terms are employed to describe teachers. These terms change from one country to the next as well as the level of education being taught. El maestro (male teacher) or la maestra (female teacher) is commonly used in elementary school settings. These roles entail providing fundamental education to younger students. In […]
3 Spanish Lesson Plan Ideas for Any Teacher
Let’s Teach in Spanish What Doesn’t Exist in English: Key Unique Patterns in Spanish
16 Slang Words in Spanish for CONDOM
With all the sexy Latins out there -male and female-, you are likely to find yourself in a situation where you need some, ahem, protection. You do not want to be at the make-or-break moment with you could-be Latin lover and falter when it comes to the glove department. Spanish synonyms for condom There are […]