Decir Conjugation: Free Spanish Lesson and Quiz
Let’s learn the decir conjugation! What do you say? Decir means “to say” or “to tell,” and it is an irregular verb—which means it does not follow the typical conjugation pattern for -ir verbs. It is part of the –ir verbs in Spanish such as sentir (say), oír (drive), dormir (choose), and ir (go). Today, we’ll learn this Spanish conjugación in several ways, covering three...Read More
How to Write Dialogues in Spanish for Maximum Clarity
Have you ever seen a Spanish dialogue and thought it looks a bit different from an English one? If you haven’t seen one yet, let me show you! On my bookshelf, I have two editions of One Hundred Years of Solitude (Cien años de soledad) by Gabriel García Márquez: one is in English and the other is a 2007 commemorative edition from the Royal Spanish Academy (Real Academia...Read More
Ser vs Estar vs Tener: All the Ways to Say ‘I am’ in Spanish
“Ser, estar, tener” is one of my favorite topics when teaching. Why? Because it shows how the language we speak affects the way we think. Ser vs estar, (and tener) present nuanced differences in meaning in Spanish that don’t exist in English, which simply translates these verbs (in many cases that I cover here) as “to be.” Let’s explore some easy rules for understanding the usage...Read More
War and Peace: Military Vocabulary in Spanish
War has (unfortunately!) always been part of human history, which makes learning vocabulary about the military in Spanish an important step in your learning process. The military is part of every country’s life and Spanish-speaking countries are no exception. What’s more, each military has its own unique terms that you need to learn, especially if you’re in the defense and security...Read More
Desempeñar vs Empeñar in Spanish: Verb Comparison
Desempeñar and empeñar are two Spanish words that look similar and have common roots but have gone totally separate ways in common, everyday usage. Are you ready to get rid of the confusion between these two verbs? Keep reading! Desempeñar vs Empeñar: Why It’s Confusing There’s no doubt about it, desempeñar and empeñar are confusing. Why? For...Read More
Different Types of Packaging and Containers in Spanish
Learning about containers and packaging in Spanish is useful not only to expand your vocabulary and fluency but also to help you in everyday life. This knowledge comes in handy when you’re shopping, shipping, doing business, or eating at a restaurant in a Spanish-speaking country! Read this article to learn the names of all kinds of containers and packages in...Read More
Spanish Vocabulary for the Summer and Winter Olympics
Are you ready to learn some Spanish sports vocabulary to enjoy this year’s Summer Olympics? After almost a year-long wait, the world is finally ready to watch the best of the best. Athletes from all over the world will gather in Japan to push the limits of the human body—representatives from over two hundred regions will compete for the gold in several disciplines. The Summer...Read More
How to Write a Poem in Spanish to Express Your Creative Side
Whenever I tell my students we’re going to study poetry and learn how to write a poem in Spanish, they roll their eyes. But guess what? They end up loving every step of their creative journey! Today, I would love to teach you! I promise to use simple poetic forms and guide you with easy and straightforward steps. We will be looking at short poems and recipes. By the end of...Read More
Tampoco vs Tambien: The Definitive Guide for Spanish Learners
También and tampoco are two little words in Spanish that seem confusingly similar, especially because you use both of them to agree with another person! Luckily, it’s easy to distinguish the situations in which you’ll need también vs tampoco and learn how to use them properly. In this blog post, you can find a detailed, step-by step explanation of también vs tampoco with many examples. At...Read More