5 Tips to Help you Choose the Right Resources to Learn a Language
When you are learning a language on your own it can be hard to know where to begin. There are so many resources available to language learners, especially with technology and language learning apps available today, it can be quite overwhelming.
In this blog post we will go through 5 points to take into account when you start learning a language and are wondering which resources you should use. The first thing you need to do is:
(1) Identify your goals
The use of the verb “poder” in Spanish
‘Poder’ in Spanish means “to be able to” or “can”. It is the sixth most important verb in Spanish therefore very useful and one of the first verbs you should learn as a beginner. It is mostly used to express capability, ability and probability.
In this post we will look at the most common uses of ‘poder’:
The conjugation of ‘poder’ in the present tense is:
(Yo) Puedo – I can
(Tú) Puedes – You can (1 person)
(Él/Ella) Puede – He/She can
(Nosotros) Podemos – We can
(Vosotros) Podéis – You all can
(Ellos) Pueden – They can Continue reading
When do you need to use an infinitive verb in Spanish? – 10 tips!
What is the infinitive?
The infinitive is the simplest form of a verb. An infinitive tells you what the action is but not who is doing it nor when they are doing it. It translates into English as “to …” In Spanish there are 3 patterns of infinitive; those that end in -ar, -er or -ir. Examples are:
hablar – to speak
comer – to eat
vivir – to live
There are several common structures in Spanish that need the use of the infinitive. In this post we will look at these uses: Continue reading
How to say what is hurting you in Spanish – using the verb “doler”
If you are ever unlucky enough to be in Spain and feeling ill and have to go to the doctor’s it would be a great help if you could describe what is hurting you in Spanish. The key verb that you need to know is “doler” (to hurt) which, unfortunately is not a straightforward verb to use.
Firstly, it needs to be used with an indirect object pronoun depending on who is hurting:
(Me – me, te – you, le – him/her, nos – us, os – you (plural), les – them). Continue reading
Semana Santa en España – Holy Week in Spain (Easter)
As Spain is a Catholic country, Easter, (Semana Santa) “Holy Week”, is the most important celebration of the religious calendar. The spectacular celebrations go back centuries and the processions through the streets were invented to teach the fall and rise of Jesus Christ. I have been lucky enough to experience the most traditional celebrations which take place in Castilla y León (Valladolid). However, the most flamboyant processions can be seen in Seville and Málaga in Andalusia. Read on to find out how Spain celebrates Easter. Continue reading
Beginner’s Spanish: Months of the year
Los meses del año
The months of the year in Spanish are one of the most important things to learn as a beginner. The good thing is that they are very similar to the English months, all except January (enero).
You will also notice that they are all masculine and do not have capital letters, just like the days of the week in Spanish: Continue reading
Power verbs in Spanish: Gustar (to like)
When you first start learning Spanish you need to learn the most common verbs to help you form questions and basic needs and wants. One of the most important verbs to know is “gustar” (to like) so that you can express what you like, what you don’t like and ask other people what they like. This verb works a bit differently to most verbs as you also need the pronoun in front to say who likes the thing.
In this blog post we will look at how to use this important Spanish verb “gustar”: Continue reading
Spanish Power Verbs – Querer (to want)
When you first start learning Spanish you just need to learn a handful of verbs that will allow you to form the most important questions to express your needs and wants to get by. These include words like want, need, looking for, have. In this post we will look at how to express what you want in the present tense.
querer = to want
(Yo) quiero = I want
(Tú) quieres = you want (informal)
(Usted) quiere = You want (formal)
(Él) quiere = He wants
(Ella) quiere = She wants
(Nosotros) queremos = we want
(Vosotros) queréis = you all want (informal)
(Ustedes) quieren = you all want (formal)
(Ellos) quieren = they want Continue reading
What does “–ísimo” mean in Spanish?
In Spanish if you want to say, “very, very …” or “extremely …” with adjectives you use the –ísimo ending on the end of any adjective. This blog post looks at how to do this correctly with different endings of adjectives:
Most adjectives:
e.g. caro = expensive
To say “very expensive” or “extremely expensive” you just take off the last –o and add –ísimo. Make sure the ending agrees with the noun depending on if it is masculine, feminine, singular or plural: Continue reading
Why learn Spanish in 2018?
6 great reasons to learn Spanish!
January is the time when we all set our goals and new year’s resolutions for the coming year. A survey by the British Council has revealed that one in five Britons (21%) want to learn a new language this year with Spanish being the most popular choice.
Why is Spanish so popular?
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