Tag Archive for: Spanish language

Best TV Shows to Learn Spanish

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From addictive telenovelas to unbelievable reality shows, Spanish speaking people are just good at conveying drama, comedy and day-to-day life through shows. To make studying Spanish easier, we have compiled a list of the best TV shows to learn Spanish. Get your favorite blanket, lay down on your couch and enjoy!

Best TV Shows to Learn SpanishAmaia is the main character of this funny and magical TV series where teenage daily life converges with folklore. At first, Amaia is bummed because her mom has decided to leave Barcelona and move to Salabarria, a fictional village in the region of Navarra, in the north of Spain, bringing Amaia with her. She has to adapt now to a new town, new people and worst of all: a new high school. While she is trying to face all these changes, rumors about her grandma being a witch start to spread. Amaia will uncover the truth about her ancestors, make new friends and even fall in love in this teenage comedy.

We recommend it starting from an A2 or basic level, and you will find it on Netflix. Remember to add subtitles if you find it a bit hard (but in Spanish, please!).

We do love a good passionate TV series, moreover if the story is set in the beautiful Colombian Coffee Triangle. Gaviota is a beautiful coffee picker. Sebastián, the son of Octavio, a wealthy landlord. Gaviota and her mom are planning to pick coffee beans for the last time in Octavio’s hacienda, since he has promised to provide them with an hectare of his land. However, their plans come to a standstill when Octavio tragically dies. In his funeral, Sebastián and Gaviota meet for the first time and it is love at first sight. Although attracted to each other in ways none of them can explain, their love is not meant to be due to their opposite upbringings. Drama will then unveil episode after episode, leaving you with the inescapable necessity of watching more. And anyway, how can we not recommend a show where literally everyone is astonishingly beautiful?

Ideal for people who have reached a B1 or intermediate level in Spanish. Do not forget that this series is Colombian so be ready to hear expressions from this specific variety of Spanish! You will find it on Netflix.

We bet you have heard about Cristiano Ronaldo. If you happen to live in a cave, or if football is not particularly your cup of tea, here is a quick bio: Cristiano Ronaldo is a worldwide known football player, five times winner of a Golden Ball and owner of a net worth of 500 million dollars according to Celebrity Net Worth. He has got the job, the fame and the money, and guess what? He also has the love of a Spanish lady called… yes, you guessed it well: Georgina.

In this reality show Georgina explains how she went from being an ordinary girl from Buenos Aires to a businesswoman, model and the romantic partner of Cristiano Ronaldo. Far from what you might think, Georgina will make you laugh and cry in this reality-drama that mixes luxury with the daily life of Georgina.

Recommended for speakers of A2 or more (although you will probably be amazed anyway by the daily use of their wealth without understanding a word). You will find it on Netflix.

We can assure you there is one thing happening after watching this show: you won’t be able to stop humming Aaaay Paquita, señora, niña bonita! Not only is it the main song of this TV series, but also a song performed by Rosalía long before she became the international star that she is now. The show, as the song, will live in your heart longer than you expect, considering that the series is nothing but a comedy mixed with emotional bits from the life of Paquita Salas. Paquita, a decaying manager of actors and actresses, fights for reviving the success of her business with the help of Magüi, her tender and sort of moony assistant and the few actresses that remain in her management company. Culturally embedded, Paquita Salas is perfect to approach the sense of humor of Spanish people, sometimes falling into the utter absurd, sometimes closer to tearing you up.

Taking into account the great amount of cultural references and the fluency and vocabulary used in the show, we think it would be more enjoyable for people with a C1 level in Spanish. If you are not an advanced speaker and wish to watch it anyway, don’t hesitate to press play! Subtitles are of great help and you will be able to dive into Spanish culture. You will find it on Netflix.

Learning Spanish should not mean spending hours and hours in front of a book. In fact, my students from Cronopios Idiomas and myself spent a bit of our classes recommending the Best TV Shows to Learn Spanish and discussing it. It can be fun, educational and it may let you share your opinions in Spanish. Do not hesitate and give it a go! And make sure you let us know your thoughts about these shows!

Basic vocabulary to go shopping in Spain

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Spain is one of the most visited countries in the world. Every year, millions and millions of tourists travel here for many different reasons: the weather, the food, the culture… and shopping! Home of internationally well-known brands such as Zara, Bershka and Loewe, Spain also has, in general, lower prices in many products than other European countries, something that may be attractive for certain visitors who decide to spend some money in local stores before going back home. So, in case you are one of those people looking for a Lladró figurine, a pair of Manolos or a Real Madrid jersey, here is some basic vocabulary to go shopping in Spain:

Hola, quería/querría…

We begin with the most common structure to tell the salesperson what you are looking for. In Spanish, as in many other languages, the use of the present tense (quiero) is considered a bit too straightforward in this kind of situations. Instead, the use of pretérito imperfecto (quería) or condicional (querría) is advised. Feel free to use this formula to ask for anything, from a beer at a bar to a ticket for the museum.

 

Basic vocabulary to go shopping in Spain

 

¿Cuánto cuesta/cuestan…? or ¿Cuánto vale/valen…?

This is the question that allows you to ask what is probably the most important bit of information when you want to buy something: the price! (el precio). In Spanish we use both verbs, costar (irregular verb) and valer, indistinctly. Remember to use the singular form if you are asking about one item and the plural form if it’s more than one: ¿Cuánto cuesta/vale esta camiseta? ¿Cuanto cuestan/valen estos zapatos?

¿Puedo probármelo? ¿Dónde está el probador?

This is only used when you are shopping for clothes. Probarse (reflexive verb!) means to try something on, so with the first question you can ask for permission to do that. The second one will let you know where the fitting room (el probador) is.

¿Tiene una talla más/menos?

Also used for clothes. Although the general translation for size in Spanish is tamaño (if you are ordering a pizza you can say you want tamaño grande, for example), talla is the word you need if you are buying shoes, jeans or sweaters. ¿Tiene una talla más/menos? means Do you have a larger/smaller size? Oh, and remember that L (large), M (medium) and S (small) equate to G (grande), M (mediano/a) and P (pequeño/a) in Spanish!

¿Aceptan devoluciones? ¿Cuánto tiempo tengo para devolverlo?

Most Spanish shops will let you return you purchases if for some reason you are not satisfied with them. Some will give you back your money; others will offer a card that you can use to shop there. Anyway, it´s always a good idea to ask before you buy anything, just in case (and don’t forget to ask for how long returns are allowed, too).

¿Puede envolvérmelo para regalo?

If you are not shopping for yourself, but for your friends and family, you may want to get whatever it is wrapped. Most shops will do it for you, although others have a designated space for you to do it. Regalo is the Spanish word for gift, so you can also find it in the expression tarjeta regalo (gift card).

And here are some expressions you can hear from the salespeople at the store:

¿Le puedo ayudar?

This will probably be the first thing you hear when you enter a shop, the classic Can I help you? You can answer with Hola, quería… (as we have previously suggested on this basic vocabulary to go shopping in Spain) or with another classic: Gracias, solo estoy mirando (Thanks, I’m just taking a look).

¿En efectivo o con tarjeta?

Probably one of the most asked questions in shops all around the world, this is the Spanish version of Cash or card? After the pandemic in 2020, payment by card is encouraged almost everywhere; however, there are still a handful of places (especially mom-and-pop businesses) where card payments are not accepted, so be prepared for that eventuality!

¿Quiere bolsa?

In Spain, as in most countries, the use of plastic and paper bags has been dramatically reduced in the last few years due to ecologic and economic reasons. Therefore, you will normally be offered a bag but they will charge you 10-15 cents for it. Remember that it is always eco-friendlier to carry your own tote bag with you!

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And that would be it for today! Shopping is a great opportunity to practice your Spanish, so even if English is usually spoken by most shop assistants, don’t be shy and try to use some of the expressions you have learnt here in our basic vocabulary to go shopping in Spain. People will appreciate your effort and they will help you and correct you if you need it. Happy bargain hunting!

Can I become fluent in Spanish in a year?

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These days, more and more people all around the world want to learn Spanish.  Our language is 471.4 million people’s mother tongue, only behind Mandarin Chinese, and it’s the official language in 21 different countries, as well as having a very strong presence in countries like the United States. Every year, thousands of students arrive in Spain or Latin America with the intention of learning through immersion, and many of them pose the same question to teachers and experts: Can I become fluent in Spanish in a year? In this entry of our blog we’ll try to give an answer to that (spoiler: it’s not a resounding “yes” or “no”).

First of all, let’s state something that may seem obvious, but in our experience not everyone seems to fully understand: learning any language is a complex process and, as such, it requires work. Immersion is an excellent method to acquire a new language, and it’s been proved to be effective. But for it to be effective, the learners must make an effort to put themselves in a situation where learning can actually happen. This can be done in many different ways: by taking lessons with professional teachers at schools like Cronopios Idiomas, or interacting with locals in everyday scenarios, or maybe watching shows and movies that reflect the culture (or, ideally, a combination of them all). However, all these things take time and dedication. Living in a Spanish-speaking country is a great start, and maybe you could eventually learn the language just by listening and observing, but if you don’t want it to be an extremely long and slow process you must actively look for opportunities to study and practice. The good news is: it’s up to you! If you are really determined to pick up Spanish and you put in the work, you will see the results and will be encouraged to continue. Don’t give up even if it’s hard at the beginning!

Can I become fluent in Spanish in a year?

Madrid, a good place to learn Spanish

Now, although everyone should apply themselves if they want to become fluent in Spanish in a year, it’s true that this process may be a bit easier for some people than for others. For example, those students who already speak another language from the same family as Spanish (the other major romance languages are Italian, Portuguese, Romanian and French) will probably experience less difficulties understanding the grammar or assimilating the vocabulary due to the similarities between both languages. This, however, can become a double-edged sword: the fact that they are sometimes able to communicate and be understood even using words from their own native language may cause students to feel overconfident and end up speaking a mix of Spanish and some other language (Itañol and portuñol are famous examples) that can be functional at times but probably won’t be enough to get a job or access university.  At the same time, learners whose mother tongue is completely different than Spanish (most Asians, for instance) and don’t speak a second language will traditionally struggle a bit more, especially at the beginning, and can easily get frustrated when they see other classmates progress at a faster pace. There’s nothing wrong with that: all they need to do is to apply themselves and be patient: it’s not how fast you learn, but how strong your foundation is. Once you get the fundamentals, no matter how long it takes, everything will be easier and you will be motivated to advance. So don’t be afraid to ask, repeat and make mistakes: all three are essential parts of a proper learning process.

It’s also true, even in the case of students who come from the same country, that every person is differently gifted: according to Harvard University neuropsychologist and educator Howard Gardner, there are eight types of intelligence. Obviously, those with linguistic intelligence are more likely to have an easier path than those with, say, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. But that doesn’t mean that the latter can’t learn a language or the former can’t learn how to play tennis: again, all it means is that some will have to push themselves a bit more than others. In almost 20 years as a Spanish teacher, I’ve seen countless Asian students surpass their European counterparts through dedication and study. Like Tim Notke, a high school basketball coach, once said: “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”.

So, to sum it up, what could we answer to those people who ask: Can I become fluent in Spanish in a year? We should probably say something like: yes, you can, as long as you are willing to put in the time and the work you need, which is different for everyone. Persevere, be patient, don’t get frustrated if things are not going as fast as you expected and you will be speaking fluently in Spanish sooner than you expect!