Both jeepeta or yipeta mean all terrain vehicle, usually a Jeep but really it can be any off-road vehicle including an ATV or quad. Why is it important to know how to say Jeep in Spanish? Because you don’t want to miss out on the fun. Jeeps: The yipeta or jeepeta meaning – Jeeps are […]
What Does CUNDINA Mean In Spanish?
A cundina or tanda is a money pool that forces individuals to save money, it is believed to be a global practice started by immigrants from Mexico to help them save more money than what they would have otherwise. A cundina specifically describes a type of savings group among a group of people. Cundina are […]
What Does MOJÓN Mean In Puerto Rico?
When you are looking for what is a mojón in Puerto Rican Spanish, the most common meaning is a ‘turd’. This may be an insult to someone, the actual, physical turd (from poopoing) or even may refer to a beach in Guánica, Puerto Rico. This is one of those Spanish words that changed meaning over […]
3 Websites to Learn and Practice Spanish Without Spending a Penny
A tight budget doesn’t need to be your reason for not learning Spanish. Luckily, there are some great free tools available to help you practice and hone your skills. Whether it’s learning a few words every day with an app that uses spaced repetition, picking up new phrases from an online community, or mastering your […]
The Best Free Spanish Podcasts
The podcast was invented in 2004 by MTV video jockey Adam Curry, and years later, it has become a global phenomenon. Portable and often ad-free, podcasts have become an incredibly popular audio source of education, entertainment, and news. So, chances are, you probably already understand the undeniable appeal and the beauty of the podcast, but […]
Spanish Listening Comprehension Resources
One of our Spanish Teacher Community members asked for Spanish listening comprehension resources: “I am looking for authentic listening activities for both lower level and intermediate level students. Ideally, I would love some listening activities which come with comprehension or expansion questions. Also, for the purposes of differentiation, I would like the script, so that […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
Learn Spanish Quiz: Flashcard with Translation Errors
Welcome to today’s Learn Spanish Quiz. One of my ideas for Speaking Latino is a series of flashcards to help with learning slang. Always searching for new ideas and with this in mind, I grabbed a box of 1000 Spanish flashcards sitting on the shelf and randomly pulled out a card. Reading the card, my […]
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 […]
Learn Spanish Words for TO KNOW: SABER versus CONOCER
This post is part of the series Warming up for El Día E: Posts to Improve Your Spanish. El Día E is a world-wide celebration of the Spanish Language that will take place on June 23th, 2012. Posts in this series to celebrate El Día E: 1. Join the Celebration of El Día E 2. […]
Learn Spanish: 4 Meanings of RIGHT in Spanish
There are several words/phrases that translate to RIGHT in Spanish: derecho, derecha, correcto, and tener razón. Of course, not all of them can be used interchangeably – that would just be too easy. Here are the Spanish word for RIGHT most common options right. 1. Right in Spanish: DERECHO El derecho, used as a noun, […]
Learn Spanish: Using Augmentatives in Spanish
Just like diminutives, augmentatives have different uses and there are several augmentative endings. These often convert everyday words into local slang. The most common Spanish Suffixes are: ón/ona, ozo/oza, and ote/ota. In Spanish, augmentatives are used to express large size or great intensity Examples: Grande – big Grandote – huge Perro – dog Perrote – […]
Learn Spanish: Using Diminutives in Spanish
The most common ending for dimunutives is ito/ita. However, in certain countries, you will also see ico/ica when the last letter of the affected word is a ‘t.’ Other endings include: illo/illa, ín/ina, ete/eta. The use of diminutives in Spanish often indicates that something is small. For example, gato is cat, so gatito is a […]
Learn Spanish: When to Use the Spanish Preterite and Imperfect Tenses
One of the many confusing hurdles about the Spanish language is that it has certain rules that are often not clear when described to native English speakers since no equivalent exists. A good example of this would be the two different forms of the past tense, the preterite and the imperfect. While it is unfortunate […]
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 […]
Language Learning: Spanish Phrases and Usages of the Word PAPA
Yes, SEVEN meanings with just the four letters P-A-P-A. And if you mix in a couple other words with PAPA then there are even more. In a recent article Ignore These 5 Fundamentals to Become Fluent Faster I stated that beginning Spanish learners should ignore the El/La articles on nouns, as well as the accents […]
LOS COLORES DE MI TIERRA: Video and Song to Learn Colors in Spanish Plus 7 Other Words
Before YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, a famous house paint commercial from Puerto Rico became viral locally during the 1990’s. To promote their company, Harris Paints created a song with Caribbean rhythms and a patriotic lyric coupled with images of colorful splashes of paints. Frequency and a captive audience ensured this song stuck in the minds […]
Quick Mnemonics to Nail the Top 10 Spanish Verbs Instantly
Here are creative mnemonics to help you remember 10 of the most important Spanish verbs from the author of Always Spanish.
italki Review and Tutorial: Learn Spanish Online With italki
Honest Product Review: italki I truly believe that italki is one of the best tools to learn Spanish (or any language) available on the internet. Not only does it offer you lots of free functions, it makes hiring a professional teacher simple and effective. Not into spending money to learn Spanish? Here’s why that is a […]
10 Things to Keep in Mind When Selecting an italki Teacher
These are tips to select an italki teacher I learned from taking one-on-one, online italki classes to improve my language skills.
SMART Goals to Learn Spanish
Learn how to set your goals using the SMART system. Apply it to set your goal to learn Spanish.
32 Games in Spanish: Language Learning or Entertainment
Four lists of games in Spanish. From games to learn Spanish to classic board games in Spanish. Watch some videos of how they are played.
Review: Become Fluent In Any Language
Too rushed to read my whole review? No problem. Here’s the important part: I strongly recommend this course for any language learner, whether beginner or already multilingual. It does a great job of presenting how to learn a language in a structured way, step-by-step while sharing the science of language learning as well as practical organization and tools to learn a language efficiently. Gabriel Wyner explains things simply and clearly. This is a course you should buy. The money is well worth it.
Learn Gaucho Spanish With These Resources
This is a list of the available resources to help you learn Gaucho Spanish, which is the Spanish from the southern Cone portion of South America.
Learn Spanish Quiz: Why Is It So Difficult To Identify Spelling Errors?
The mistakes on the back of this key card from a hotel in Puerto Rico are two simple spelling errors that could be avoided if someone had proofread the material. Before writing this post I showed the card to three native speakers and only one of them identified the first error. Apparently it’s too minor […]
Learn Spanish in Bolivia Since It Is Easier Than Anywhere Else
This article is written by Robert, a UK writer living in Bolivia. He is currently a writer for Listen and Learn. Why Learning Spanish in Bolivia is Easier Than Anywhere Else Learning Spanish in South America is a fantastic way of picking up the language while having fun getting to know the local culture. Some […]
The Death of Language Learning
The Future of Language Learning For three years now I have been following the Language Learning community online, occasionally even participating. During that time I have thought in-depth about the future of language learning. Where is it going? How will people learn languages? Why will they learn them? How can we use technology to learn […]