… understand the verb TOCAR ¡Hoy toca! Today is the day! to really understand how Spanish speakers use TOCAR. The verb tocar looks simple (“to touch”), but in Spanish it has several very different meanings. In this lesson, we focus on two very common ideas: Chance / luck / coincidence: “this happened to me by […] More
🌀 “Ya” in Spanish: One Tiny Word, Many Meanings Already, yet, now, not anymore, “I get it”… all in two letters The little word ya appears everywhere in Spanish, but it doesn’t always mean the same thing. Depending on the verb tense, the tone and the context, it can mean already, yet, now, not […] More
From fainting fits to “letting loose” and covering the macho’s eye Sometimes the most confusing Spanish expressions are the ones that sound “transparent” but actually mean something completely different. In this new set of ten, you’ll see fainting fits, party mode, money slang, and even a macho bull getting his eye covered. […] More
😋 Antojarse, Antojar, Antojársele, Antojitos ¡Cuando algo simplemente se te antoja! Have you ever suddenly craved something — like chocolate, tacos, or ice cream — and you weren’t even sure why? In Spanish, there’s one perfect verb for that feeling: ANTOJARSE. 💭 “Se me antojó un helado.” Literally: A craving for ice cream just […] More
Why Spanish, Italian, Korean and Russian Last Names Look So Different We usually think a “last name” is something simple: one family name, one family. But if you compare Spanish, Italian, Korean and Russian names, you see very different systems and very different numbers. Spoiler: different cultures found very different ways to answer the same […] More
How Mexicans use “mero”, “ya mero”, “aquí mero”, “el mero mero”, “yo mero” and more, plus the formal word “mero” and “meramente”. Mexican Spanish The word mero is small, but in Mexico it has a lot of personality. With just this word you can say things like “almost”, “right here”, “the main boss”, or “me, […] More
A small language story: from Klaxon (brand) to claxon (any car horn) in Spanish and many other languages. Words and brands In Spanish, many people say el claxon when they talk about the car horn. But at the beginning, Klaxon (with K) was the name of a brand of car horns, not a normal word […] More
“Esteee…” – The Spanish Word When You Don’t Know What to Say One of many little Spanish words people use when they are thinking, hesitating… or buying time. Real-life Spanish In English we say “uh,” “um,” “like…” when we need time to think. In Spanish we often say este… — and if we need more […] More
Spanish English Notes No importa que llueva si estoy cerca de ti Nara nara nana Nara nana nana It doesn’t matter if it rains if I am close to you No importa que + subjunctive (llueva) = “It doesn’t matter if…”. Subjunctive expresses possibility. Hey! Me paso el día molestándote Hey! I spend the whole […] More
