Cuál vs Qué: What’s the Difference?
Do you want to solve the eternal mystery of cuál vs qué? Do you want to finally stop making mistakes and asking your Spanish-speaking friends ¿Qué es tu dirección? instead of ¿Cuál es tu dirección? because you always translate “what” in English into qué in Spanish. When I teach a new intermediate group, I always wonder who is going to ask first about cuál vs qué. It’s...Read More
Aún vs Aun: Todavía, Incluso, y Más
“Why does this aún have an accent mark and the other aun doesn’t?” You are bound to ask this question as an intermediate Spanish student. English words don’t have accent marks, so you might not find this little mark over u important at first. However, you already know that this apparently insignificant thing can completely change the meaning of a word. Do you remember other words...Read More
Your Guide to Future Irregulars in Spanish Grammar (with Free Cheat Sheet)
Luckily, future irregulars in Spanish are one of the easiest irregularities in Spanish grammar and the process to learn them is quick! Why do we have irregularities in Spanish verbs, anyway? I’ll answer that along with a bit of history on the Spanish language. You’ll also learn why you don’t need to memorize all the future irregulars. Do you know how many future...Read More
Why Spanish is the Easiest Language to Learn for English Speakers
Are you wondering what the easiest language to learn for English speakers is? Maybe you need to choose another language in college, or maybe you are planning on studying, living or working abroad and want to get prepared. Maybe you just want to challenge yourself and learn at least one or one more foreign language. Whatever your case is, I’ll tell you: you should consider...Read More
The Key to Using Modal Verbs in Spanish Grammar
Have you struggled looking for help in how to use modal verbs in Spanish? Did you get confused because you found different information on different websites? Did you get puzzled that many of them translate with the same English words but are used in totally different scenarios? Did some of them look too similar to use them correctly? Your days of searching are over! If you’re...Read More
How to Use ‘Lo Que’ and ‘Lo De’ in Your Conversations
As a Spanish professor, I must admit that it surprised me the first time a student asked me about the difference between lo que and lo de. I hadn’t considered it a grammar dilemma but then I realized that it’s most likely a problem for native English-speaking students. Why? In both cases, you use them to replace other words without saying exactly what you mean and you can also...Read More
Spanish vs Portuguese: Similarities and Differences
Are Spanish and Portuguese that different? That is the question I’ve heard lately from my friends when I tell them how challenging speaking Portuguese is for me. I studied Spanish philology, married a Mexican guy, lived for more than 15 years in Spanish-speaking countries, and 6 months ago, I moved to Portugal. It must be easy, people say. Spanish and Portuguese are so similar. That’s...Read More
International Day of Women and Girls in Science in Spanish
Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Why do we need to make a special day to celebrate it? What’s there to celebrate? How did it all start? If you think “scientist” what image comes to your mind? How many women scientists can you mention right now? Are men more naturally inclined toward scientific studies? Are there any degrees that suit women better? What do you...Read More
The Definitive Vocabulary List on Politics in Spanish
Over the last 6 months I have been discussing politics in Spanish on a daily basis and I am currently living in Portugal! Why? To be more specific, I am teaching in Madeira, a Portuguese island with a strong relation to Venezuela. Many years ago, a large group of people emigrated to Venezuela from this island, and now they’re slowly returning. For this reason, there’s a huge Spanish-speaking...Read More