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
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
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
Master the Various Uses of ‘Ya’ in Spanish
The word ya is one of the most common words in the Spanish language and it is important to know if you’re using it properly to keep your conversations in Spanish going smoothly. Join me in this practical lesson where you will learn the meaning of ya, when to use it in Spanish, and how to weave it smoothly into your everyday Spanish vocabulary. Meaning of Ya in Spanish Ya in...Read More
Master the Subjunctive in Spanish
You may have heard that the subjunctive conjugation in Spanish has many rules—however, once you get the clear meaning behind them, you won’t need to memorize long lists of fixed phrases again. Today, we’ll learn how to build the subjunctive form for useful verbs in Spanish. You’ll also get to know which elements are required to use the subjunctive mood in a sentence. This blog...Read More
Suceder, Pasar, and Ocurrir: Spanish Verbs Meaning “to Happen”
Choosing between the verbs suceder, pasar, and ocurrir is easier than you think! While all three of these share a similar meaning, I’ll show you some useful hacks and differences to help you make the right choice and use them naturally in your day-to-day Spanish conversation! Join me for a lesson on choosing between suceder, pasar, and ocurrir. In this blog post I dive deep...Read More
A Simple Guide to Spanish Sentence Structure and Order
Some people say that Spanish sentences structures are very flexible and they are not mistaken. Let’s take a look at an example sentence. Siempre cocino una deliciosa sopa para mi madre. Now, you surely understood that it says: I always cook a delicious soup for my mother. What about If I change the order of the words and say: Cocino una deliciosa sopa para mi madre...Read More