The Real Fast Spanish Tips Podcast

There are only 2 regular silent letters in the Spanish language. But, you’ll need to be careful with both of these letters because they are silent in some words and pronounced in others. In addition, when I say ‘regular’ silent letters I’m referring to the pronunciation of traditional Spanish words, not words that have been adopted from Greek or other languages. In this post, I’ll give an overview of the two silent letters in Spanish including where and how you need to use them. Since this post is about pronunciation, I’ll also include some short mp3 recordings to demonstrate what the words sound like to avoid any confusion with phonetic spelling. The letter H The first silent letter in Spanish is the letter H. This letter is always silent unless it is next to the letter C. When we see the letter C next to an H we need to make a ch sound. This sound is just like the English ‘ch’ sound in words like ‘cheek’ or ‘beach’. In the Spanish alphabet, the word that represents the letter H is hache. Since this word starts with an H and has a ch, it makes for a great first example to demonstrate the pronunciation of H and ch. Hache (aitch) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/hache.mp3 Here are two more examples of words that also start with H: Hasta (until) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/hasta.mp3 Haber (to have) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/haber.mp3 Here are two examples with the letter H in the middle of the word: Ahora (now) (notice how the H creates a ‘gap’ between the A and the O) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/ahora.mp3 Alcohol (alcohol) (similarly, notice the H creates an elongation between the two middle O’s) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/alcohol.mp3 To finish the section on the letter H, here are two examples with a ch: Echar (to throw) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/echar.mp3 Hecho (fact) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/hecho.mp3 The letter U In the majority of Spanish words with a U, the sound you need to make to represent the U is like a double “oo” in English and rhymes with the English word “too”. Here are two examples of words with the typical pronunciation of the Spanish letter U: Lugar (place) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/lugar.mp3 Mucho (a lot) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/mucho.mp3 In contrast, the letter U is silent in Spanish words when it is next to a Q or sandwiched in between a G and an E or a G and an I as gui and gue. Here are some examples with U after a Q: Porque (because) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/porque.mp3 Pequeño (small) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/pequen%CC%83o.mp3 Here are some examples with a gui: Guión (script) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/guio%CC%81n.mp3 Seguir (to follow) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/seguir.mp3 Here are some examples with a gue: Guerra (war) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/guerra.mp3 Llegué (I arrived) (the tilde on the E means you need to pronounce this word with an emphasis on the second syllable) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/llegue%CC%81.mp3 To make things slightly more confusing, whenever you see a Ü in Spanish with a double dot, you need to pronounce the U sound. You will see this letter in situations like the last two examples as either a güe or a güi. Here are some examples with a güi: Pingüino (penguin) (Notice how the güi sounds like “gwee”) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/pingu%CC%88ino.mp3 Lingüística (linguistics) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/lingu%CC%88i%CC%81stica.mp3 Here are some examples with a güe: Vergüenza (embarrassment) (Notice how the güe here sounds like “gwen”) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/vergu%CC%88enza.mp3 Bilingüe (bilingual) (Notice how the güe here sounds like “gwe”) https://rfs-post-audio-2.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/bilingu%CC%88e.mp3 Adopted silent letters from other languages At the start of the post, I mentioned that there are silent letters that occur in words that have been adopted from other languages such as Greek. Here are a few examples: The m in mnemotecnia (mnemonics). The p in pterodáctilo (pterodactyl). The p in psicólogo (psychologist). These are fairly low use words so I don’t recommend you spend too much time on them (unless you are a psychologist and need this word to explain what you do). Your Turn Choose some examples from this post and practice the pronunciation by copying recordings. Also, try them out with a Spanish native in a language exchange or with a teacher. As a bonus for reading this post, if you sign up to the Real Fast Spanish School and mention this post in an email, I will offer you a free one-on-one Skype lesson as another opportunity to practice your pronunciation. If you would like to learn more about pronunciation check out this podcast episode. How can you remember the silent letters in Spanish? The post Silent Letters in Spanish – A Short But Important List appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

This episode of the podcast is part 2 of a two-part interview with Daniel Welsch. If you missed part 1 of the interview you go back and listen to it here. Daniel has some great advice for Spanish students or language students in general. He has a lot of experience teaching English and talked about some of the challenges for his students learning English. This information is great as you may find yourself in a situation where you also want to teach English while you travel. He has been living in Madrid for more than 10 years and shares some great advice around what you need to know if you are planning a move to Spain. In this second part of the interview we talk about: How movie translations from English to Spanish or Spanish to English are often strange. We talk about how the decision of what to call a movie is often based on the cultural context of the title. The merits of dubbing and subtitles and how popular TV from the US is prepared for a Spanish audience. Daniel gives a few suggestions for some books to read and includes his favourite Spanish book of all time (see resources below). Daniel provides some guidance on how you could plan an upcoming trip to Spain. I give him the framework of what to see and do if you only had 1 day, 1 week or 1 month. We ‘geek-out’ a little bit on Spanish food and how you should approach the food in Spain with an open mind. Daniel provides some great advice on what you need to know if you want to move to Spain and live there as an ex-pat. Resources mentioned in part 1 of the interview: Daniel’s favourite book: Dulce Chacón – La Voz Dormida. The movie mentioned: Ocho Apellidos Vascos. Daniel’s favourite movie: “Bienvenido Mister Marshall” by Luis Garcia Berlanga. Finding accommodation in Spain: idealista.com and fotocasa.es. Daniel’s website: AprendeMasIngles.com. Daniel’s ex-pat blog: ExpatMadrid.com. What did you learn from the second part of the interview with Daniel Welsch? The post Tips 115: Life in Madrid with Daniel Welsch – Part 2 appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

One question you have to ask yourself if you are learning Spanish is: which accent should you focus on? How do you choose an accent? Does it matter? In this week’s theory podcast I interview Alba del Pino. Alba is from the Canary Islands. Her accent is distinctly different to the accent of the rest of Spain. Having said that, there are subtle differences in the accents of the separate regions from within mainland Spain. But, the way the ‘c’ and ‘z’ is pronounced in the Canary Islands is much closer to the accents of South America than those of Spain. One point worth noting is that despite the differences in accent and lexicon of all of the separate countries of the Spanish world, even if you are only focused on one region while learning, you will be able to speak to anybody from any country. I have spent the majority of my Spanish journey practicing with the Spanish of Spain. But I have never had any real trouble speaking with people from the Dominican Republic, Peru, Columbia, Argentina or Mexico. Yes there are subtle differences in accents and vocabulary but they are rarely a barrier to communication. You can think about the the differences between the English of Australia and the English of the United States—rarely is this difference big enough barrier to make conversation difficult. Listen to today’s podcast to get a sample of the accent from the Canary Islands and see if you can notice some of the differences. If you are having trouble understanding the Spanish section of the podcast or if you would like to get more out of the podcasts and take your Spanish to next level you can get access to the accompanying Spanish podcast transcripts in The Real Fast Spanish School here. Difficult vocabulary from the Spanish conversation: Lexicon – Léxico. Is it the same lexicon? – ¿Es el mismo léxico? The kitchen / cuisine – La cocina. What is the cuisine like in the Canary Islands – ¿Cómo es la cocina de las islas canarias? Canary Islands flour – El gofio. Canary Islands cream sauce – El gofio escaldado. It is the most populated? – ¿Es lo más poblada? Autonomous region – Comunidad autónoma. El teide – highest mountain in Spain. The peak – La cima. The mountainside – La falda (la falda de la montaña). What did you learn from today’s podcast on the Canary Islands? The post Tips 113: An Insider’s Guide to the Canary Islands appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Can you explain when you use “to end” and “to finish” in English? If so, you can apply the idea to the Spanish verbs “acabar” and “terminar”. This week’s Spanish theory episode is dedicated to the common spanish verb “acabar”. In many of the examples in today’s podcast the Spanish verb “terminar” and “acabar” are interchangeable. But, just like in English, there are a few situations when you can only use one or the other. In today’s podcast you will find out how to use ‘acabar’ in a conversation and some of it’s important uses with Spanish prepositions. If you have any questions, you can leave them below. If you want to be conversational in Spanish, check out The Real Fast Spanish School. In the school, you can access all of the training at Real Fast Spanish designed to help you reach a conversation level of Spanish as effectively as possible. Examples from today’s podcast: I finish work at 5 – Termino mi trabajo a las 5. I finish work at 5 – Acabo mi trabajo a las 5. I don’t like how the movie ends – No me gusta cómo acaba la película. Sofia and I are ended – Sofia y yo hemos acabado. The word ‘university’ ends in the letter D – La palabra ‘universidad’ acaba en la letra D. The dinner ended in drinks until 3 am – La cena acabó en copas hasta las 3 de la madrugada. My trip to Europe ended in Paris – Mi viaje a Europa acabó en París. I just finished my homework – acabo de terminar mis deberes. She just called the doctor – Ella acaba de llamar al médico. I just do not understand – No acabo de entenderlo. Guys just don’t understand women – Los chicos no acaban de entender las mujeres. He ended up working at McDonalds – Él acabó trabajando en McDonalds. After much sacrifice and dedication, he ended up being a very famous actor – Después de mucho sacrificio y dedicación, él acabó siendo actor muy famoso. My boss ended the discussion by slamming a fist on the table – Mi jefe acabó con la discusión en un golpe en la mesa. Police ended the drug problem in my neighborhood – la policía acabó con el problema de la droga en mi barrio. Teacher comments ended my hopes of passing the exam – Los comentarios del profesor acabaron con mis esperanzas de aprobar el examen. How else can you use the Spanish verb “acabar” in a conversation? The post Tips 111: Common Spanish Verbs – 6 Uses for the Verb “Acabar” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

“Hay” is a unique Spanish verb. It is related to the verb “haber” or commonly referred to as the impersonal form of “haber”. In today’s podcast, you will learn how to use the verb “hay” in the past, present and future. You will also learn how to use the impersonal phrase with the verb “hay” to express obligation. Check out today’s podcast for all of the details. If you have any questions or thoughts you can leave a comment below. If you want to be conversational in Spanish, check out The Real Fast Spanish School. In the school, you can access all of the training at Real Fast Spanish designed to help you reach a conversation level of Spanish as effectively as possible. Examples from today’s podcast: There is a lot of noise here – Hay mucho ruido aquí. Is there a good place to eat around here? – ¿Hay un buen lugar para comer por aquí? Is there a good place to drink something around here? – ¿Hay un buen lugar para tomar algo por aquí? Is there a good place to speak around here? – ¿Hay un buen lugar para hablar por aquí? There was a party in the apartment upstairs last night anoche. It was very noisy. – Hubo una fiesta en el piso de arriba anoche. Fue muy ruidosa. Last week there was a day I’m never going to forget – La semana pasada hubo un día que nunca voy a olvidar. When I was little there were very fun moments – Cuando era pequeño había momentos muy divertidos. We laughed at a joke that there was between us – Nos reímos de una broma que había entre nosotros. Next week there will be a church wedding – La semana que viene habrá una boda en la iglesia. In the future there will be cars that can fly – En el futuro habrá coches que pueden volar. One must not tell lies – No hay que decir mentiras. If one wants to speak Spanish one has to practice every day – Si se quiere hablar español hay que practicar todos los días. Other episodes mentioned in this podcast: Tip 15: A Hack for the Past. How else can you use the Spanish verb “hay” in a conversation? The post Tips 109: How to Use the Spanish Verb “Hay” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

The uses of Ser and Estar are an important part of Spanish that you should always be revising. In today’s podcast, you will learn about one specific part: the uses of ser and estar with adjectives. As a reminder, ‘ser’ tends to imply a permanent feature and ‘estar’ tends to imply a temporary feature. Keep this in mind as you listen to the examples for today. Examples from today’s podcast: Elena is a good person, she always gives to the poor – Elena es buena, ella siempre da a los pobres. This wine is of high quality – Este vino es muy bueno. This gazpacho tastes great / amazing – Este gazpacho está buenísimo. The boy is very attractive. He is tall, dark and his body is incredible – El chico está muy bueno. Es alto, moreno y el cuerpo está increíble. I don’t like your friend he is a bad (person) – No me cae bien tu amigo, él es malo. The Paella is cheap because it is low quality – La paella es barata porque es muy mala. Sonia has spent all day in bed she is very sick – Sonia ha pasado todo el día en la cama, ella está muy mala. This chicken is bad, I don’t like it – Este pollo está malo, no me gusta. Christy Walton is the richest women in the world – Christy Walton es la mujer más rica del mundo. The churros are so good – Los churros están tan ricos. Your sister is very intelligent – Tu hermana es muy lista. I’m still not ready. I need five more minutes – Todavía no estoy listo. Necesito 5 minutes más. My car is green – Mi coche es verde. Paco es green, he needs to keep learning – Paco está verde, tiene que seguir aprendiendo. The apple is unripe – La manzana está verde. The shirt is black – La camisa es negra. I’m angry because the house is dirty – Estoy negro porque la casa está negra. María is very open, she usually speaks to everyone at the party – María es muy abierta, ella suele hablar con todo el mundo en la fiesta. Who left the door open? – ¿Quien dejó la puerta abierta? (La puerta está abierta) Andrés is very closed he doesn’t speak to anybody – Andrés es muy cerrado, no habla con nadie. The restaurant is closed, it normally opens at seven – El restaurante está cerrado, normalmente abre a las siete. Other episodes mentioned in this podcast: Para Ser – In Order To Be. Estoy Por – I’m up for… The 4 Past Spanish Translations of ‘Was’. How else can you ser and estar with adjectives? The post Tips 107: 8 Uses of Ser and Estar with Adjectives appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

How well can you make do in Spanish? This week, for the theoretical Spanish podcast, you will learn about the uses of the verb ‘hacer’. Of course, ‘hacer’ doesn’t just mean ‘to make’ or ‘to do’, there are 8 other ways that you can use this common Spanish verb. Check out today’s podcast for all of the details. If you have any questions or thoughts you can leave a comment below. If you want to be conversational in Spanish, check out The Real Fast Spanish School. In the school, you can access all of the training designed to help you reach a conversation level of Spanish as effectively as possible. The present conjugation of ‘Hacer’: I do – Yo hago. You do – Tú haces. He does – Él hace. We do – Nosotros hacemos. You-all do – Vosotros hacéis. They do – Ellos hacen. Examples from today’s podcast: What did you do on the weekend? – Que hiciste el fin de semana? I do a lot of exercise – Hago mucho ejercicio. I tend to make the main lunch two times per week – Suelo hacer la comida dos veces a la semana. I forgot to make the bed today – Se me ha olvidado hacer la cama hoy. It is very hot – Hace mucho calor. It is very cold – Hace mucho frio. The weather is good today – Hace buen tiempo, hoy. It is a nice day today – Hace un buen día, hoy The weather is bad – Hace mal tiempo. To ask a question – Hacer una pregunta. I want to ask you a question – Quiero hacerte una pregunta. They ask me too many questions – Me hacen demasiadas preguntas. It’s been a long time since we have seen each other – Hace mucho tiempo que no nos vimos. It’s been a long time since we spoke to each other – Hace mucho tiempo que no nos hablamos. How long has it been since you were in Spain – ¿Hace cuánto tiempo que estuviste en España? Hecho – Done, made or fact. This morning I made a fatal error (or big mistake) – Esta mañana he hecho un error fatal. A fact – Un hecho. It is an interesting fact – Es un hecho interesante. In fact – De hecho. In fact, it is the most popular place for tourists in Spain – De hecho, es el sitio más popular para los turistas en España. It makes me happy – Me hace feliz. What he told me made me happy – Lo que me dijo me hizo feliz. It’s fun – Es divertido. It’s funny – Es gracioso. It’s funny – Es extraño. It makes me laugh – Me hace gracia. It amused me – Me hizo gracia. It is missing to me – Me hace falta. What do I need today? – ¿Que me hace falta hoy? I do not need your advice – no me hace falta tu consejo. He is not paying me any attention – No me hace ni caso (He does not make me any attention). Other episodes mentioned in this podcast: 3 Spanish Phrases With The Verb ‘Poner’. Olvidar vs Olvidarse – How to Forget in Spanish. How else can you use the verb “hacer” in a conversation? The post Tips 105: Common Spanish Verbs – 9 Uses for the Word “Hacer” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

The verb ‘pasar‘ is in the top 10 most common regular Spanish verbs. It occurs frequently, it is useful and easy to conjugate. But, it is used in a lot of different situations and contexts, which means we still need to set aside some time to take a closer look at this important Spanish verb. So, in today’s podcast, we are going to look at some of the most common uses of pasar. ‘Pasar‘ can be used to talk about spending time, asking about what is happening, talking about a change in a situation, as a request to pass something and even to express a lack of interest in a topic. Check out today’s podcast for all of the details. If you have any questions or thoughts you can leave a comment below. If you want to be conversational in Spanish, check out The Real Fast Spanish School. In the school, you can access all of the training designed to help you reach a conversation level of Spanish as effectively as possible. Examples from today’s podcast: She spends lots of time practicing Spanish – Ella pasa mucho tiempo practicando su español. What’s going on? – ¿Qué pasa? Everything is well – Todo está bien. All good – Todo bien. Have a great time – Pásalo bien. Have a great time on the trip – Pásalo bien el viaje. Have a great time on the weekend – Pásalo bien el finde. Have a great time with your brother – Pásalo bien con tu hermano. Pass me the salt, please – Pásame la sal, por favor. Although the restaurant is now empty, it will be filled soon – Aunque el restaurante ahora está vacío, pasará a estar lleno muy pronto. Juan is single but will be married soon – Juan está soltero pero pasará a estar casado pronto. I don’t care about anything, I couldn’t care less about anything – Paso de todo. He doesn’t care about anything – Él pasa de todo. I’m not into the bullfighting – Paso de los toros. I’m not into sport – Paso del deporte. Leave me alone – Pasa de mí. (Déjame en paz). I couldn’t care less about you – Paso de ti. To pass by – Pasar de largo. (pass without stopping). I just saw Elena walk right by – Acabo de ver a Elena pasa de largo. The rice is overcooked – Se me ha pasado el arroz. (The rice has passed to me). The meat is overcooked – Se me ha pasado la carne. (The meat has passed to me). It has gone off – Se ha puesto mala. (it has put itself bad). The rice is going to be overcooked to you – Se te va a pasar el arroz. Other episodes mentioned in this podcast: 3 Common Ways To Use “Llevar” In A Conversation. 3 Spanish Phrases With The Verb ‘Poner’. Common Spanish Verbs – 5 Uses of the Word ‘Dar’. Tratar – How to Treat this Helpful Spanish Verb. Common Spanish Verbs – 7 Uses for the Word “Llegar” Olvidar vs Olvidarse – How to Forget in Spanish. How else can you use the verb “pasar” in a conversation? The post Tips 103: Common Spanish Verbs – 7 Uses for the Word “Pasar” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Is forgetting in Spanish as simple as forgetting in English? If you want to forget in Spanish or at least express the idea, there are three ways you can do it. This week explore how the verb ‘olvidar’ is used and how the idea of something forgotten in Spanish differs from how we are used to it in English. There are 5 main ideas around the use of verb ‘olvidar’ that we explore in today’s Spanish podcast. Firstly we talk about how forgetting is usually something that happens in the past. I forgot to tell you… I forgot what I was going to say… Then we explore the three common forms the verb ‘olvidar’: normal, reflexive and passive. Then lastly we talk about how ‘olvidado’ is used in combination with the verb ‘estar’ to talk about ‘something forgotten’. Check out today’s theory podcast for all of the details. If you have any questions, you can leave a comment below. If you want to take your spanish to the next level, you can now access all of the training courses at Real Fast Spanish now all in the one place—The Real Fast Spanish School. In the school, you can access all of the training material focused on helping you reach a conversation level of Spanish using the principles of conversation hacking. Examples from the episode: I always forget my mobile – Siempre olvido mi móvil. Why do I always forget my girlfriend’s birthday – ¿Por qué siempre me olvido del cumpleaños de mi novia? I forgot the tickets – Olvidé las entradas. I forgot the tickets – He olvidado las entradas. I forgot about the tickets – Me olvidé de las entradas. Did you forget to go to the market? – ¿Te has olvidado de ir al mercado? I forgot the tickets – Se me olvidaron las entradas. My English is a little forgotten – Mi inglés está un poco olvidado. My Spanish is a little forgotten – Mi español está un poco olvidado. If you want to forget in Spanish, how else can you use ‘olvidar’ or ‘olvidarse’? The post Tips 101: Olvidar vs Olvidarse – How to Forget in Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

The good thing about transitive and intransitive verbs in Spanish is most English students tend to get them right when guessing. The bad thing is we don’t really learn about this idea in school. But, it helps if you want to understand certain phrases and grammar structures in Spanish. And of course, there is the odd exception to the rule. Verbs in English can be grouped into transitive only, intransitive only or both. There are some verbs like “to have” that are transitive only, verbs like “to go” that are intransitive only and verbs like “to read” than can be both transitive and intransitive depending on the sentence. In general, when you translate from English to Spanish, the verbs that are transitive only are still transitive only and similarly with intransitive and the verbs that are both. The challenge is the few rare exceptions. But, in most cases you want need to remember these. Listen to today’s podcast to learn how to use transitive and intransitive verbs in Spanish. And if you have any questions, you can leave them below. This month you can access the Real Fast Spanish School training platform. In the school you will be able to access every course at Real Fast Spanish all in one place. You will now be able to access a complete structured set of training designed to help you reach a conversation level of Spanish using the principles of conversation hacking. You can sign up for the school here: Real Fast Spanish School. Examples from the episode: I have a new car – Tengo un coche nuevo. I have a girlfriend – Tengo una novia. I want world peace – Quiero la paz mundial. I want to travel – Quiero viajar. I love you a lot – Te quiero mucho. I go to school – Voy a la escuela. I arrive late – Llego tarde. I arrive early – Llego pronto. I arrived late to the concert – Llegué tarde al concierto. I read a lot – Leo mucho. I read slowly – Leo despacio. I’m reading this book – Estoy leyendo este libro. She practices often – Ella practica a menudo. She practices her Spanish – Ell practica su Español. I slept for an hour – Dormí durante una hora. In english you can’t sleep something. He put his kids to bed – Él durmió a sus niños a la cama. What other Spanish transitive or intransitive verbs do you know? The post Tips 099: Transitive vs Intransitive Verbs In Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

In this week’s theory podcast we take a close look at the verb “llegar”. “Llegar” is a common Spanish verb and generally gets used correctly by native English students but there are more ways to use this verb than what you may expect. In today’s podcast I have broken out the use of “llegar” into two categories: literal and figurative use of the idea. What do I mean? Well, “llegar” means to arrive, you can, therefore, use it when literally arriving at a destination or at a given time. But, you can also use “llegar” when arriving at a conclusion, an agreement, a deal or to become something. Check out today’s podcast for all of the examples for the use of “llegar” and leave a comment below if you have any questions or you know some other uses of “llegar” and want to add to the conversation. Also, in today’s tip, I make a big announcement. I have changed the way the courses are offered at Real Fast Spanish. Now all of the courses are in one place. This month, I’m launching the Real Fast Spanish School. The school will be an online membership and when you sign up you will have access to everything! This means you will have access to every course produced at Real Fast Spanish. Now you don’t have to choose between courses as you will have access to everything. Instead, you need to decide if you would like a curriculum based on the principles discussed at Real Fast Spanish and in the podcast. If you are interested, you can sign up for the school here: Real Fast Spanish School. Other episodes mentioned in this tip: Tip 19 – 3 Ways To Use “Lo” In A Sentence. Tip 53 – 10 Spanish False Friends You Need To Know. Examples from the episode: The train arrived at the station – El tren llegó a la estación. I will arrive in Madrid on Tuesday – Llegaré a Madrid el martes. To be early – Llegar pronto. To be on time – Llegar a tiempo. To be late – Llegar tarde. I’m sorry for being late – Lo siento por llegar tarde. The time has arrived to tell me the truth – Llegó la hora de decirme la verdad. Come to think / Conclude – Llegar a pensar. You might think that it is worth studying another language – Se podría llegar a pensar que vale la pena estudiar otro idioma. To become (slowly or over a long difficult path) – Llegar a ser. The pain becomes unbearable – El dolor llega a ser insoportable. To close a deal – Llegar a cerrar un trato. After a while, they came to close a deal – Después de mucho tiempo, llegaron a cerrar un trato. To compromise, reach an agreement – Llegar a un acuerdo. The most important thing in a relationship is being able to compromise – Lo más importante en una relación es la capacidad de llegar a un acuerdo How else can you use “llegar” in a Spanish sentence? The post Tips 097: Common Spanish Verbs – 7 Uses for the Word “Llegar” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Answering the phone is an everyday occurrence. But the rules of phone etiquette in English don’t exactly work in another language. When you make a phone call in Spanish, the language you tend to use is more direct. If you translate literally to English it may feel rude. But, it isn’t for a Spanish person. In today’s Spanish podcast we look at the typical phrases that are used to answer a phone call, to pass the phone to someone else, the kinds of questions you should ask and how to end a conversation. My good friend Laura joins the podcast again for another week to assist with the Spanish phone call role-play. Laura, actually plays the role of her mum and herself to demonstrate passing the phone from one person to another. The phone call role-play is about a plan to organise an evening at the movies and it occurs between friends. At the start of theory podcast we also cover some of the other phrases that get used in more formal contexts such as answering the phone in a business setting. If you are having trouble understanding the Spanish section of the podcast or if you would like to get more out of the podcasts and take your Spanish to next level you can get access to the Spanish podcast transcripts and English translations here. Examples from the episode: Tell me – Dime. (use only if you know who is calling) Yes – ¿Sí? (most common) Tell me – ¿Diga? o ¿Dígame? (most formal) I will pass you to her – Te la paso. It is passed – Se pone. Bowling – Bolera. Shall we go the day after tomorrow? (Past tomorrow) – ¿Vamos pasado mañana? They say – Dicen. Okay a kiss – Vale un beso. (Used with friends) Until later – Hasta luego. (Used with friends) Goodbye – Adiós. (Formal) Right, okay – Venga, vale. Let’s go – Vamos. Okay, come on, let’s go – Venga, vale, vamos. What else do you know about phone etiquette in Spanish? The post Tips 095: How to Make a Phone Call in Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Valencia is an amazing city. It home to delicious food, a good climate, great people and some impressive modern architecture. In this week’s Spanish podcast episode we talk about what to see and do in Valencia from a local’s perspective. In this podcast, we introduce a new guest, Laura Del Busto Bel. Laura is a good friend of mine. She is from Valencia. So I wanted to invite her onto the podcast to talk about Valencia from her point of view. We start off with a Spanish pronunciation lesson by practising how to say Laura’s name—it’s not easy! Then we talk a little about her background including what she studied, where she used to work and what she is doing in Australia. We then talk about Valencia. We cover the weather, the people, things to see and do and of course the food! As I usually do with this style of podcast, we will introduce some of the harder vocabulary at the start of the podcast to help prepare you for the 10-minute Spanish conversation. If you are having trouble understanding the Spanish section of the podcast or if you would like to get more out of the podcasts and take your Spanish to next level you can get access to the Spanish podcast transcripts and English translations here. Examples from the episode: Teaching / Schoolteaching – Magisterio. What is Valencia like? – ¿Cómo es Valencia? Humidity – Humedad. Humid – Húmedo. In Valencia there is a lot of humidity because the weather is humid – En Valencia hay mucha humedad porque el tiempo es húmedo. Valencia is well known for… – Valencia es muy conocida por… Valencia is famous for… – Valencia es muy famosa por… Seafood – Marisco. Rabbit – Conejo. Chicken – Pollo. Do you prefer the paella with meat or the paella with seafood – Prefieres la de carne o la de marisco? Horchata – Horchata. Oranges – Naranjas. Tiger nuts – Chufa. The arts and science museum – El Museo de Las Artes y Las Ciencias. The river – El río. The Carmen Neighbourhood – El Barrio del Carmen. What else do you know about Valencia? The post Tips 093: What to See and Do in Valencia appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.