El Día de los Muertos – The Day of the Dead
This celebration is held in Mexico and South American countries and Spain starts on October 31st at midnight and finishes on November 2nd. It dates back to pre-Columbian times when people honoured their ancestors. The meaning behind it is to honour the dead and to celebrate life. It is also sometimes known as the “Día de Todos los Santos”.
What happens during the celebration?
People remember the dead by telling stories about them and they also clean the graves of their loved ones that have passed on and lay flowers.
1st November is a day to remember children and is known as the “Día de los Angelitos” (Day of the Little Angels).
2nd November is for remembering adults who have died. This is the official “Día de los Muertos”. People believe that the dead come to life again on this day. There is even a belief that if the dead see that they are not being honoured on this day they will haunt the living. Continue reading
12 Powerful Strategies to Improve Reading in Spanish
One of the best ways to progress in Spanish (or any foreign language) is to do more reading. By reading a variety of different materials in the target language you will not only learn more words and phrases but you will see how the language is used in different contexts.
As well as simply reading, there are certain methods you can use to maximise your reading time to make even more progress in Spanish.
The aim of this blog post is to give you a few tips as to how you can read in Spanish to help you improve the fastest.
1) Decide what to read carefully
* Read about something that you enjoy, something that interests you and that you care about. If you start reading something you aren’t really interested in, you will be much less likely to check what the words mean and learn anything from it. Reading something that interests you is the key to staying motivated.
* Think about your end goal. Why are you learning Spanish? If it is to do business you need to read more formal language. If it is to fully immerse yourself in the language you would try tackling a novel or a magazine. Continue reading
How to talk about what you “usually do” in Spanish
How to use the Spanish verb “Soler”
When chatting to people in Spanish you often like to talk about what you usually do and your habits.
There are several easy ways to do this. You can just use words like, “Normalmente” (Normally), “Generalmente” (Generally) or other frequency terms such as:
– A veces (sometimes)
– Muchas veces (many times)
– A menudo (often)
– Siempre (always)
– De vez en cuando (from time to time)
… followed by a present tense verb: Continue reading
Why an Intensive Spanish Course Can Boost your Spanish Fast
Plus How to Get the Most Out of it
Sometimes people need to learn Spanish fast. This could be due to various reasons;
- they have just got a new job in Spain.
- they have a 6 month placement at an office in Spain.
- They have a relative marrying a Spanish person and they need to communicate with their family.
- They are planning to move to Spain in the close future.
- Maybe you have learnt Spanish for years and now want to get serious and master it fast!
Whatever your reason, taking an intensive Spanish course over a shorter time is an excellent idea that will give your Spanish a real boost. In this post we will look at the benefits of intensive, crash Spanish courses and also how to prepare to take one and tips to get maximum results. Continue reading
Why Businesses Need to Invest in Foreign Language Training
“Monoligualism is the Illiteracy of the 21st Century” British Academy.
According to the British Council, “Deficient language skills and the presumption that international business partners will speak English costs the UK economy about 3.5% of GDP”.
Businesses are expanding rapidly and one of the most common ways to do this is to tap into foreign markets. To do this successfully it is important to be able to communicate effectively with colleagues, suppliers and customers abroad to avoid embarrassing mistakes and problems. Employing foreign staff and learning a second language will open up many opportunities for your business. In this blog post we will discuss why now is the best time to invest in employee language training. Continue reading
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