First… Thank You!
2013 has been a great year for Speaking Latino. Why? Diana and I experienced more of the real-world Spanish visiting four countries: Puerto Rico, Peru, Colombia, and Chile. For me it was my first visit ever to Colombia while for Diana it was her first time in both Colombia and Chile.
Another major milestone was the publishing of the Quick Guides (our new series of Spanish-slang books) that includes Colombia, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Peru and Venezuela.
Again in 2013 Speaking Latino was voted one of the Top Language Lovers ranking in the 9th position in the overall competition.
I want to thank all the guest bloggers that approached us during 2013 and shared their experiences with all of you. They made it possible for us to feature articles from Bolivia, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Spain for the first time!
• Emilia Carrillo from Spanish4Teachers was Speaking Latino’s first guest blogger ever and she wrote one of our most popular posts for 2013, about Colombian Spanish.
• Daniel McKay followed and gave us a list of Peruvian Spanish words, pulled from his book ¿Quién me llama? Learn Peruvian Spanish Slang.
• María Arlandis shared some resources to learn the colloquial Spanish from Spain out of her book El español de la calle: Vocabulario coloquial y expresiones idiomáticas.
• Author Lee Jamison recently wrote about Nicaraguan and Guatemalan Spanish, both articles based off of Spanish books he wrote for the two countries.
• Robert contributed with a list of words and phrases from Bolivia.
• And our friends from Peruwayna Spanish School in Lima, Peru wrote a couple of articles about Peruvian Spanish.
This year’s journeys also allowed us to meet wonderful people that, like us, share passion about the Spanish language, Spanish slang, and Hispanic culture. These three people continuously crossed our paths throughout the year:
• José González Ugalde, author of the Costa Rican Spanish Slang Dictionary.
• Amit Schandillia from the blog Always Spanish.
• Tracy López from the blog Latinaish.
And finally, THANKS to all of you, our readers, that have been following us since 2011 and the thousands of new people who found us this year. Speaking Latino has four times as many monthly visitors to the website as when we started the year, yes that’s a 400% increase! ¡Eso está loco!
I want to specifically thank each person that reached out to me directly via e-mail and social media. I love learning about what motivates and intrigues people about Spanish.
To close the year 2013 here is a recap of what Diana and I agree to be the best articles of Speaking Latino. The list is divided in two: Spanish language articles and Spanish Slang articles. Here is your chance to catch up or revisit some of these articles!
Top 15 Spanish Articles from 2013
1. 14 Spanish Language Words for POPCORN
Popcorn: As simple as it sounds, when it comes to a Spanish translation POPCORN is not easy to translate. Here’s a list of 14 Spanish words for popcorn and the countries that use them.
2. 11 Useless Fun Facts About Spanish
An infographic with a list of curiosities and fun facts about Spanish. You don’t need them to learn Spanish, but they are good to know!
3. Are You Really Fluent in Spanish? Only If You Know These 8 Spanish Language Words
This list and infographic of 8 Spanish words is useful to show, prove or even trick people that you are fluent in Spanish.
4. Do You Make These 8 Geography Mistakes in Spanish?
These pairs of country names are the most common mistakes in Spanish. Some maps are included to clarify where each country is located.
5. The Best Book for Learning Spanish Vocabulary
A review of the best book for learning Spanish vocabulary: Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish by Margarita Madrigal.
6. 10 Easy English-Spanish Words You Can Add to Your Vocabulary Today
Here is the first set of easy English Spanish word examples that kept the same spelling when passing from Spanish to English.
7. 7 Spanish Comic Book Characters from Latin America
A list and short story about the most iconic Spanish comic book characters from Argentina, Chile, Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
8. 11 Spanish Language Words for DRINKING STRAW
A cool and shareable infographic that lists Spanish language words for drinking straw and the countries that use them.
9. 5 Student-approved Classroom Games to Learn Spanish
Five tried and true games to learn Spanish that are quick and easy to run in a classroom and work well both in secondary education and with adults.
10. How to Say AMERICAN With 7 Spanish and Spanish Slang Words
It’s gringo the only Spanish slang word for American? Of course not! Learn how to say American in Spanish with this list of Spanish and Spanish slang words.
11. Pronouncing 10 of the Longest Words in Spanish
Learn which are some of the longest words in Spanish. Watch a short video with the pronunciation by a native Spanish speaker.
12. 12 Spanish Language Words for PEN
A cool and shareable infographic that lists Spanish language words for pen and the countries that use them.
13. 13 Words in Spanish for Snow Cone
A cool and shareable infographic that lists the words in Spanish for snow cone and the countries that use each word.
14. The Death of Language Learning
Soon you will not need to learn any language. This essay explores why language learning will be a thing of the past, that it will disappear for most people.
15. English to Spanish Phrases: 327 Expressions, Sayings and Idiom Translations
An index of English to Spanish phrases. Browse for an English saying and get the equivalent Spanish expression, saying or idiom. Useful for native English speakers.
Top 15 Colloquial Spanish or Spanish Slang Articles from 2013
1. ARGENTINA | BOLUDO: The Most Important Argentina Spanish Slang Word
The word BOLUDO in Argentina is one of the most common Spanish slang words you will hear, being used both in anger and in great affection.
2. BOLIVIA | Top 10 Bolivian Spanish Slang Words and Expressions
A UK writer living in Bolivia shares a list of Bolivian Spanish slang words and expressions you will surely hear in this South American country.
3. COLOMBIA | The Colombian List of Spanish Slang Expressions Every Student Should Know
The Colombian list of Spanish slang expressions includes 25 Spanish phrases that students will hear and say every day.
4. COLOMBIA | 10 Vulgar Spanish Slang Words and Phrases from Colombia
An infographic that lists vulgar Spanish slang words and phrases from Colombia not taught in school, with English equivalents.
5. COSTA RICA | The Story of the Banned Costa Rica Spanish Slang Dictionary
An interview with author Jose Antonio González Ugalde where he tell us the story of his Costa Rica Spanish slang dictionary.
6. CUBA | List of Spanish Slang Expressions Used in Cuba: 10 Common Words and Phrases
This list of Spanish slang expressions from Cuba will kick off your Spanish with 10 common words and phrases. Includes an infographic!
7. GUATEMALA | 7 Guatemala Spanish Expressions About Work
Lee Jamison, the author of Guatemalan Spanish: Speak like a native!, shares 7 Guatemala Spanish slang expressions for work related terms.
8. NICARAGUA | 7 Nicaragua Spanish Slang Expressions About Money
Lee Jamison, the author of Nicaraguan Spanish: Speak like a native!, shares 7 Nicaragua Spanish slang expressions for money related terms.
9. PERU | 10 Vulgar Spanish Slang Words and Phrases from Peru
Ten of the most common Peruvian dirty Spanish slang words and phrases that include dirty, nasty, and insulting language.
10. PERU | 12 Peru Spanish Slang Words from Proper Names
Check out these cool Peruvian Spanish slang terms that caught my attention. These terms are proper names that have taken on another meaning in the local Spanish.
11. PUERTO RICO | Puerto Rican Words in Spanish for US Currency
Learn the words in Spanish for US currency used in Puerto Rico: penny, nickel, dime, quarter and dollar. Read the story behind them.
12. SPAIN | 11 Free Online Spanish Slang from Spain Resources
A guest blog post by Maria Arlandis, a Spaniard who teaches Spanish and shares some free online Spanish slang from Spain resources.
13. VENEZUELA | 6 Venezuela Spanish Words to Order Coffee
An infographic that lists six Venezuela Spanish words for types of coffee with a brief description in English. It includes an example sentence in Spanish.
Where to look for Spanish slang online? Google it! Here are the most searched Spanish slang words in Google. Click on each link to view the full list.
15. The Most Authentic Spanish Words from 11 Latin American Countries
The most authentic Spanish words of Argentina, El Salvador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Peru.
Also, see which articles made last year’s list: 21 Great Spanish Slang Articles from 2012.
Check out these other articles on Spanish.