1. Activities – Juego para enseñar aumentativos y diminutivos a los niños – A simple game to teach the students how to use diminutives and augmentatives in Spanish. Students pretend to be magicians and use their powers to transform words into diminutive or augmentative according to their desire. 2. Lesson – Aumentativo / Diminutivo – This lesson includes […]
12 Popular English Songs in Spanish (Part 1)
There are many songs that become popular and then make a crossover to other languages. Some turn out to be good, but others are a complete disaster. I assume that translating a hit song to a different language is difficult. Think about the challenge of keeping the essence of the original lyrics yet finding the […]
Learning Spanish Slang: 4 Ways to Say FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS
Sex, love and everything in between can be tricky to describe in any language and Spanish is no exception. Each country seems to have its own slang for that gray area that in English is referred to as “friends with benefits” or, if you are feeling crass, fuck-buddies. Here are a few Spanish synonyms from […]
Por Vs Para Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan Por vs Para – Friendship – Students learn vocabulary related to friendship and personal relationships as well as the similarities and differences between the prepositions POR y PARA. They put into practice the new vocabulary, exchanging information and checking their pronunciation through spoken and written activities. What’s included: Lesson Plan in Spanish Lesson Slides […]
CAGAR vs CARGAR: An Embarrassing Spanish Speaking Lesson
When you are learning a language, it is easy to brush off certain things as unimportant. You simply want to get your point across, so you can’t waste time trying to perfect every aspect of your speech when you need to communicate. Usually, this is fine and with enough context, you will be understood, more […]
A Slice of the Spanish Pie: 8 Spanish Language Words for SLICE
You would think a word as simple as slice would have only one translation. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The noun SLICE in Spanish has seemingly countless translations, each one is specific to whatever you are slicing. Here are a few of the more common translations: 1. Trozo Used for slices of cake or […]
SUBÍS: Learning Argentina Spanish for Going Up and Getting On
Just like in any language, Spanish has many words that have multiple meanings. The word “SUBIR” has several different meanings such as to go up, to get on, to climb up, to raise and many others along the same lines. Usually, you can figure it out from context, but the other day I came across […]
6 Spanish Language Words for TURKEY: Infographic
Soon we will be celebrating Thanksgiving, one of my favorites holidays. The special thing about Thanksgiving is the true meaning of being grateful for what you have. This is not a holiday about Christians or any religion; you can be thankful to God, life, destiny or whatever you want. Even though this holiday is not […]
A Funny Story About the Spanish Language Word BOMBA
Now, if you are looking at the word BOMBA in Spanish for the first time or even as someone who has studied Spanish for years, you are probably thinking it means “bomb”. Well, that is correct. Most of the time. I studied Spanish for several years before I headed to Mexico. I was pretty confident […]
Learn Spanish: 4 Ways to Say STRAIGHT AHEAD in Spanish
Straight ahead, go straight, forward. They all mean keep going in the same direction you are currently facing. What about recto, directo, de frente, p’alante, t’o tieso and derecho? Any guess as to their meaning? These are some Spanish synonyms for… You got it: Straight ahead. Good guess. Was it the title of the post […]
Subjunctive Regular Verbs Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Subjunctive Regular Verbs – Exercise and Staying in Shape : Students learn about regular verbs and how to conjugate them in the subjunctive mode. After the lesson, students will have learned vocabulary related to exercise and staying in shape, and also, regular verbs in the subjunctive mode through different spoken and written […]
Verb ESTAR in the Present to Express Location Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Verb ESTAR in the Present Indicative to Express Location – Prepositions of Places : Students learn how to conjugate the verb ‘estar’ in the present indicative using a song video. Then, they practice with a game that introduces the names of continents and countries, using real maps. Finally, they learn prepositions of […]
VIDEO: List of Spanish Slang Expressions About Money Used in Puerto Rico
Before you even step into a new country, money is one of the first topics you will become involved in. How much does my trip cost? How much money should I take? Will my ATM (otherwise known as ATH in Puerto Rico) card work? This video will have you prepped and ready to go for […]
Acabar de + Infinitive Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – GUSTAR and similar verbs, Acabar de + Infinitive – Movie Genres –Students learn about movie genres, their characteristics and how to identify them. They learn to use the verb gustar and similar verbs to express their opinion about movies. They also learn to use acabo de + infinitive to talk about something that […]
Verb GUSTAR and Similar Verbs Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan GUSTAR and similar verbs, Acabar de + Infinitive – Movie Genres – Students learn about movie genres, their characteristics and how to identify them. They learn to use the verb gustar and similar verbs to express their opinion about movies. They also learn to use acabo de + infinitive to talk about something […]
Sports and Hobbies Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Likes and Dislikes – Sports and Hobbies Objectives At the end of the activity, students will have reviewed and used orally and in writing, the vocabulary about sports and hobbies, likes and dislikes according to the different degrees. Students can state hobbies and sports that they like and dislike in Spanish. Students […]
ESTAMPILLA or SELLO? Spanish Language Words for STAMP
STAMP. This simple word becomes complex when translated into Spanish. Spanish differences give us two possible words. Spanish Language Words for STAMP I remember learning estampilla in my early studies for STAMP. Only when I began to travel did I learn that another option exists. The other option I know of is sello. Generally estampilla […]
Telling Time Spanish Class Activities
Telling Time Lesson Plan for Spanish 1 – Objectives By the end of this activity, the students will have learned and used the vocabulary and phrases to tell time in Spanish. Students can say the time in Spanish. Students can create an infographic using telling time vocabulary in Spanish. Students can create a daily routine […]
BOCA ABAJO: How to Translate This Spanish Phrase to English
This post is a follow-up to Is My Underwear Inside-Out or is it Backwards? and a direct result of conversations during and after I wrote that article. This started as a simple post. In discussing the first post above, it came out that boca abajo’s translation to English is unclear. So I began writing the […]
Verb SER Spanish Class Activities
Printable Poster and Handout – Verb SER in the Present – Decorate your classroom with this colorful poster of the verb SER in the Present tense. Then, print copies of the black and white handout for your students. The poster and handout version include the verb conjugation in singular and plural. Plus examples on […]
City Vocabulary Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Preterite IR, SER, TENER, ESTAR, and PODER – City Vocabulary – Students learn the city vocabulary with an authentic travel video about Mexico City. They will also be able to give directions to go from one place to another and use the verbs ir, ser, tener, estar and poder in the preterite. Lesson […]
Verb TENER Spanish Class Activities
Verb TENER and Body Parts Vocabulary Lesson Plan for Spanish 2 – In this lesson, students learn the body parts vocabulary the verb tener in the present tense and to express symptoms using the verb tener. Printable Poster and Handout – Verb TENER in the Present and Classroom Objects (School Supplies) – Decorate your classroom with […]
Ser vs Estar Spanish Class Activities
Ser and Estar are confusing for students learning Spanish because both words are translated as ‘to be’ in English. But the use and conjugation patterns of each verb are different. SER is used for permanent or long-lasting qualities, such as nationality, professions, physical characteristics, time, and dates. ESTAR is used for temporary states or conditions, […]
20 Argentina Slang Words in Spanish for MONEY
Money is an important topic in Argentina, more so than other countries. With its yo-yo economy, high inflation, corrupt system and long-term monetary and debt problems, it is a daily topic of conversation for everyone. As someone employed for a short time by the much-hated (in Argentina) International Monetary Fund (IMF) I love hopping into […]
Physical and Personality Traits Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Family and Relatives Vocabulary – Physical Traits, Relationships, Age and Names – Using videos, students learn the vocabulary about family, adjectives to describe physical traits, how to ask and answer about name and age. Then they do an oral practice and, finally, they create their own family tree to present in class. Lesson […]
Preterite -CAR, -GAR, -ZAR Verbs Spanish Class Activities
Preterite of -car, -gar, -zar Verbs Shopping for Gifts-Lesson Plan for Spanish 2 – Students review the vocabulary with an infographic and a series of images. Then, the preterite of -AR, -CAR, -GAR verbs are discussed in class. Finally, students use situation cards to combine the vocabulary and verb tenses. Includes Powerpoint presentation. Spanish Preterite […]
Speaking Chileno: A Book for Learning Spanish Vocabulary from Chile
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 […]