Ecuador is an incredibly beautiful and diverse country. During our time there, we learned a lot about what makes it special. Not only were the people warm and welcoming, but we learned quite a bit about the Ecuadorian way of speaking Spanish, including their sing-song tonality and unique slang. In this episode, we sat down with Kevin Maldonado from Free Walking Tours Cuenca to chat about Ecuadorian Spanish.
We love taking a deeper look at differences in language, whether it’s comparing the accents of two different countries, or the words that one language has that another does not. In this episode, we take another look at some words that exist in Spanish that don’t have an exact single-word translation in English.
Learning a language is more than just studying textbooks and grammar rules. At some point, you have to get out there and practice! Fred is a friend and student of ours who embodies this idea. He’s not afraid to get our of his comfort zone and practice his Spanish all over the world. And he’s done just that with us on our immersion retreats as well as with other Spanish schools in several different countries. Learn about his journey learning Spanish, the techniques he has used, and his mission to find the perfect place to retire in this special episode.
One of the most beautiful things about learning a different language is discovering new words that don’t have an easy translation into English. Sometimes, one word in Spanish can translate into three or four words in our mother-tongue. In this episode, we’re sharing part one of some of of our favorite words in Spanish that don’t exist in English.
Learning Spanish by listening to music can be a powerful tool in your toolbox, but you can’t necessarily trust everything you hear. Musicians make mistakes too… sometimes on purpose. In this episode, we explore ten different Spanish songs with grammatical errors.
¡Aguas! Mexican Spanish is well-known for its peculiar slang and unique sayings. In this episode, we go beyond “chido” and explain fifteen of the most common Mexican words and phrases.
Spanish is a diverse language, so it’s no surprise that Guatemala would have its own unique vocabulary and phrases. Located just south of Mexico, we expected to hear a lot of similarities with Mexican Spanish, but I wasn’t expecting to learn about a whole different way of addressing people. Vos tenés? Find out about some of the most popular Guatemalan Spanish words and phrases, or chapinismos, in this episode with our friend and Guatemalan hostess, Krista Perez.
Feeling stuck? No matter what the skill you try to master, there comes a point for everyone where they plateau. It’s normal. But unless you’re determined to take action, you’ll probably just stay there. So if you want to get unstuck and overcome the dreaded plateau, this episode is for you.
Swearing. Cursing. Slang. These are common elements of language that don’t get a lot of attention in academia for being “improper,” “overly casual,” or just plain old rude. But this is the type of language you’ll likely encounter on the streets, in movies, and on social media. Vulgar as it may be, this is the way many people speak, so we’d be doing you a disservice to not explain at least some Mexican groserias. So in this episode, we sit down with Diego and Efraín from Mextalki to dive in to their favorite subject: Las groserias mexicanas.
Learning a new language can be intimidating. The journey is full of twists and turns. In this episode we go over a brief history of how I learned Spanish, but more importantly we talk about what I would do differently if I were starting from scratch. This is what I wish someone had told me when I was first getting started.