As with all different areas of languages, vocabulary dedicated to car parts varies from one country to another. In Spanish, the car is el auto in one country, el coche in another, and el carro in a third. Let’s take a look at a couple of simple parts. In countries like Chile the clutch pedal […]
Lesson for Spanish Teachers: 4-Step Activity to Teach Basic Verbs Vocabulary
Learning new vocabulary words in Spanish is an important element in the language acquisition process. Teaching vocabulary should be constantly taught and reviewed during a lesson as a phonological awareness activity, or to pre-teach new vocabulary of a story or text. Teaching vocabulary is also important because it increases the chances to become a better […]
Basic Spanish Lessons: Ordering Food
It’s pretty hard to get around in a Spanish speaking country if you can’t even order something to eat. This basic Spanish lesson will give you the vocabulary and phrases you need to order food in Spanish. First, let’s get your basic food vocabulary out of the way. You have to get past the menu […]
Children’s Spanish Books: 10 Reading Suggestions for 3rd to 5th Grades
Finding children’s Spanish books can be a hard task because there are plenty of titles to choose from. Here is a list of 10 reading suggestions suitable for kids between 3rd and 5th grades. All of these books are in Spanish or bilingual and the stories are related to the Hispanic culture. Children’s Spanish Books […]
How to Pronounce the Longest Word in Spanish [with Video]
Pronouncing the longest word in Spanish or in any other language can be a challenge. Each word, is like a short tongue twister! I chose 10 of the longest words to give it a try and see which ones are the hardest to say. The first set of long words includes the ones that are […]
8 Kids Spanish Books About Hispanic Culture for Middle School Kids
If you are a parent of a middle school kid looking for stories to connect him/her to the Hispanic culture, check out these Kids Spanish Books options. These books are ideal for kids that speak Spanish as a first language between the grades of 6th to 8th. These titles are also available in English for […]
Video Spanish Lessons: Pronouncing the Colors in Spanish
The colors are one of the basic things you can teach your students. Here is a short video Spanish lesson on how to pronounce the colors. Video Spanish Lessons: Pronouncing the Colors in Spanish 1. amarillo: yellow 2. azul: blue 3. negro: black 4. naranja: orange 5. rojo: red 6. rosa: pink 7. café: brown […]
LADRON QUE ROBA LADRON Spanish Language Proverb in English
There are variations on how the same Spanish language proverb is known or expressed. For example, the complete saying Ladrón que roba ladrón… can be expressed as: 1. Ladrón que roba a ladrón, merece el perdón 2. Ladrón que roba a ladrón tiene cien años de perdón 3. El que roba a un ladrón tiene […]
9 English to Spanish Words and Phrases for Bell Ringer Activities
More than once now I have been contacted or run across questions about how to translate bell ringer activities into Spanish. And so here I am sharing the English to Spanish words and phrases I have come across as well as asking for your suggestions. On one occasion Diana, her sister (a public school Spanish […]
Top 9 Reasons Why People Learn Spanish in San Juan, Puerto Rico
The Caribbean island of Puerto Rico is a Commonwealth of the Unites States where Spanish is the official language. This and many others reasons make San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, a good destination to learn Spanish. Sacha Delgado, owner of the Institute for Spanish Language Acquisition (I.S.L.A.), chatted with Speaking Latino and tell […]
Hispanic Flags With Similar Flags Around the World
Last week a terrible ruckus was formed when a manipulated video of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro supposedly confusing the Cuban and Puerto Rican flags circulated on the web. To add more to the mess, the Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin retweeted the video, an action that angered Venezuelans even more. Finally, the singer had to […]
How to Create Fun Spanish Lesson Plans
Creating fun Spanish lesson plans can be a complicated process especially when you are trying to create meaningful lesson plans as well. To make sure you have a complete, and effective lesson plan, it is necessary that you create your objectives for the lesson. What should the students be able to do after the lesson? […]
ENTRE LA ESPADA Y LA PARED: Spanish Phrase to English
Translating a Spanish Phrase to English: ESTAR ENTRE LA ESPADA Y LA PARED Literal: To be between the sword and the wall Definition: To be in a difficult, if not impossible, situation Equivalent: Between a rock and a hard place You can find this illustration and many others in my book Speaking Phrases Boricua: A […]
A Step by Step Spanish Greetings Lesson
A Spanish greetings lesson is usually one of the first things done at the beginning of a novice Spanish class. Spanish greetings are usually taught as vocabulary words, but why not try to create a bit more excitement? Think about this from the viewpoint of a brand-new learner of Spanish. These greetings are the first […]
Earn to Speak Spanish So You Learn to Speak Spanish
When people ask me how they can learn to speak Spanish, I often here the excuse that they don’t have any money to get started. The reality is there are a whole ton of free resources online for you to learn Spanish. However, there’s also another way. To learn to speak Spanish you can earn […]
Learn Spanish in Puerto Rico: Immersion Program ISLA
A while ago Jared published Speaking Latino’s most controversial post ever –Should You Learn Spanish in Puerto Rico?– where he questions if Puerto Rico is a good destination to learn Spanish. Obviously that is his opinion and I (and many others readers) don’t agree with it. So, now is my time to share my point […]
5 Student-approved Classroom Games to Learn Spanish
5 Student-approved Classroom Games to Learn Spanish from Speaking Latino We all know that students always look forward to playing games in the classroom. It is usually the very first question they ask upon entering class. Let’s face it, as teachers we like them too since they can be so effective and engaging. There are […]
25 Goofy Spanish Similes with the Word NUN
One of the funniest types of Spanish language idioms are the ones that uses similes or comparisons. The Wikipedia definition of a simile is “a figure of speech that directly compares two things through some connective, usually like, as, than, or a verb such as resembles.” The use of a nun or monja as a […]
Free Printable List of School Supplies in Spanish and English: 36 Basic Items
This printable list of school supplies in Spanish and English is as an example of the Spanish vocabulary diversity. Many items have different Spanish names.
LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER: English Phrase in Spanish
Have you ever felt out of place? If you want to express that feeling in Spanish you can use the phrase “fuera de lugar.” But that phrase sound a bit formal and serious. Here are two ways you can translate “like a fish out of water” maintaining the English phrase in Spanish. 1. Como sapo […]
The Spanish Slang Meanings of CHUPI: Thalía’s Spanish Children Book Character
Last week Mexican singer Thalía announced that she will publish her first children’s book this year. The book –available in November 2013- is called Chupi: El binky que regresó a su hogar (Chupi: The Binky That Returned Home). The story and the character Chupi were created to help parents take away the pacifier from their […]
MAZAMORRA: Spanish Language Word for Cooked Corn
In Colombia, I ran across this can of what should be corn cooked in sort way. It’s just hard to tell from the picture. It turns our that mazamorra is a common Spanish language word in Latin America and is basically a maize-based dish with a thick consistency, probably something close to creamed-corn. The preparation […]
Celebrate El Día E and The Spanish Language Day
Spanish is the second language in the world in number of native speakers, the second language of international communication (more than 500 million people speak it), and the third most used language on the Internet. To celebrate this vast wealth of Spanish culture, the Instituto Cervantes organizes for the fifth time El Día E, a […]
Spanish Language Practice Tests: Learn Your Spanish Level
If you have been taking Spanish classes or lessons for a while and are wondering how are you doing, check this out. Our friends from don Quijote Spanish Courses have put together these online Spanish language practice tests for you to measure your improvement. The practice tests are quick and consist of a short paragraph […]
The Best Book for Learning Spanish Vocabulary
The Best Book for Learning Spanish Vocabulary: Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish First Publish date: 1951 Pages: 496 Author: Margarita Madrigal Over 60 years after it’s first publication, Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish by Margarita Madrigal still may be the best book for learning Spanish vocabulary ever published. The premise of Madrigal’s book is that […]
10 Easy English-Spanish Words You Can Add to Your Vocabulary Today
When I was reading the book Spanish Word Histories and Mysteries: English Words That Come From Spanish I learned the following fact about English-Spanish words: After French, Latin and Old English, “Spanish is one of the most important ingredients in English vocabulary.” I knew that there were Spanish words in the English language, but I […]
7 Spanish Comic Book Characters from Latin America
Comics were popularized in the United States in the 30’s. From political and social strips to the action comics featuring iconic super heroes, from the beginning there has been a broad variety titles for all ages. Latin America is also active in this so called “Ninth Art” and give us a lot of characters that […]
What Makes Great Spanish High School Lessons?
Most school districts offer Spanish in high schools only, so it is important that you know how to make fantastic Spanish high school lessons. Teenagers are hard to please, and yet teachers must be able to find a way to engage them immediately. This especially needs to happen in a language classroom because most teenagers […]
Bilingual Poetry: 4 English and Spanish Children Books
The school year is almost finished and you might be looking for activities to do with your small children. If you are raising a bilingual kid, here are some English – Spanish children books you can use during the summer. These suggestions are focused on simple bilingual poetry that reinforces the Hispanic heritage in elementary […]
The Spanish Sign Language Alphabet
Origin of the Spanish Sign Language Alphabet According to a document published by Cultura Sorda.eu, author Alejandro Oviedo indicates that “in most of the countries whose official languages are written with the Latin alphabet, deaf communities use the same manual alphabet. Although there are some differences between them, most manual settings used to represent the […]