How to prepare “Paella de marisco” (Seafood paella)
Here is a video to show you how to make paella in Spanish with the instructions translated into English below:
Vamos a preparar paella de marisco. Los ingredientes que necesitamos son:
We are going to make seafood paella. The ingredients that we need are: Continue reading
Spanish expressions using animals
A key part of learning a language, sounding fluent and being able to understand native speakers is knowing a few colloquial phrases and expressions which cannot be translated or understood literally. Here are some Spanish expressions using animals:
Perro: Dog
A otro perro con ese hueso: You’re pulling my leg / You’re kidding me.
A perro flaco todo son pulgas: It never rains but it pours. Continue reading
The 12 lucky grapes, “Las doce uvas de la suerte”: New Year tradition in Spain
Why do people eat 12 grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve in Spain? (Las doce uvas de la suerte)
I have been lucky enough to experience New Year celebrations in Spain several times in recent years and it is very different to here in the UK! The most unique part of a Spanish New Year is the tradition of eating 12 grapes as the clock chimes midnight – las doce uvas de la suerte. In this blog post we will look at the origins of this Spanish New Year tradition.
Mazapán (de almendras) / Marzipan (almond)
A traditional Spanish sweet that is eaten at Christmas in Spain is “Mazapán de almendras” or “Almond marzipan”. Why not try making this at home and learn some Spanish at the same time by following this video in Spanish with the script below which has been translated into English.
Vamos a preparar mazapán.
We are going to make marzipan.
Los ingredientes que necesitamos son:
The ingredients that we need are:
200g de almendra molida: 200g of crushed almonds
200g de azúcar glas o polvo: 200g of caster or powder sugar
1 huevo separado (la clara de la yema): 1 separated egg (egg white)
Spanish Idioms using the verb “Ser” (To be)
Impress someone with an authentic Spanish expression! First you have the Spanish expression, followed by the literal translation with the English equivalent meaning in brackets.
Ser más fuerte que un roble – To be stronger than an oak tree (To be as strong as an ox)
Ser uña y carne – To be nail and flesh (To get on really well/be really close)
Es pan comido – It is bread that has been eaten (It’s a piece of cake) Continue reading
10 tips for teaching languages to dyslexic learners
Over the past ten years I’ve taught several students who have been dyslexic. Although learning a language is challenging for everyone, it can be particularly daunting for people with a learning disability. However, if you adapt general language learning techniques it has been proven that even those with dyslexia can learn to communicate effectively in another language.
Here are some tips for helping people with dyslexia learn a language: Continue reading
Spanish Idioms using “Estar” (to be)
One of the interesting parts of learning a new language is seeing how it compares to your own language. It is interesting to see the similarities and differences when using idiomatic expressions in another language. Here are some common phrases that use “estar” (the temporary/situational verb for “to be”):
Estar todavía en pañales – To still be in nappies/naïve
Estar como pez en el agua – To be like a fish in water (To be in one’s element, enjoy your own comforts)
Estar como agua para chocolate – To be like water for chocolate (To be at boiling point) Continue reading
Spanish Market Development
Press, Communication and Marketing
“In 2013, corporations must invest more wisely and strategically in the Hispanic consumer – who are not only early adopters of social media and mobile device use, but are now translating their superstar status into super-consumers via social and tablet shopping. In doing so, Hispanic consumers have become super-trendsetters.” – Glenn Llopis, who wrote the Forbes magazine article, “Advertisers must pay attention to Hispanic consumers as rising trendsetters”, (9th January 2013).
There are 26 Spanish-speaking countries in the world and 469 million speakers. Companies need to make sure their products are understandable for Spanish-speaking consumers and no legal issues may arise for using unsuitable terms or concepts. We can assist in the market research stage and investigate the industry and competitors to help you identify new business opportunities in the Spanish-speaking world. Continue reading
Spanish nouns (III) – Exceptions!
As nearly always with learning grammar there are exceptions to the general rules. With nouns in Spanish try to remember the following changes:
Nouns that end in –o that are feminine:
There are words that appear to be masculine from their -o ending but they are feminine.
Often these words have been shortened:
la radio [is orginially from “la radiografía”] (radio)
la foto [la fotografía] (photograph)
la moto [la motocicleta] (motorbike) Continue reading
Spanish nouns (II) – Patterns to watch out for
As explained in the previous blog post, words that end in –o are classed as masculine and words that end in –a are feminine. What about words ending in other letters? Although this is more tricky because they can be either masculine or feminine. there are patterns to watch out for. If you can remember them, you can quickly work out if a word is masculine or feminine. Here are the main patterns to watch out for: Continue reading
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