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    City Vocabulary for Mexico City

    Mexico City

    Photo taken from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdAeE_7vRSg This post was requested by my student M.R., who is traveling to Mexico City soon. Many Spanish students feel comfortable in a classroom, but once they arrive in a big city like Mexico City, the vocabulary suddenly changes. Street signs, directions, and everyday conversations use words that are not always the […] More

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    Changarro. 10 Spanish Expressions That Are Not Easy to Figure Out.

    The sign of a Mexican restaurant in the UK called El Changarro.

    Spanish is full of expressions that look simple, but when you translate them word by word, they make very little sense. This is especially confusing for Spanish students, because dictionaries usually give you the literal meaning, not the real one. In this post we look at ten very common expressions, some of them apply to […] More

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    One More Year

    Reinventarse

    Spanish has many verbs related to time, aging, and change. Some verbs describe physical aging, others appearance, others emotional wear, and others renewal or growth. Below are some of the most common verbs and expressions, both positive and negative. Envejecer Envejecer means to age in a general and neutral way. It can be physical, emotional, […] More

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    Morning, Night, and Everything in Between: Mañana, Noche, Tarde… and Their Diminutives

    Nochecita by Reddit BlueFlameBuckthorn

    Spanish students usually learn mañana, tarde, and noche very early. They look simple, but in real Spanish, especially in Mexico, these words change a lot with diminutives and set expressions. Mañanita, tardecita, and nochecita are not just “smaller” versions. They carry time, mood, and sometimes intention. This post tries to clarify those differences in a […] More

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    10 Spanish Expressions That Are Not So Easy to Figure Out

    Chuchulucos. Candy of many colors.

    More expressions that confuse Spanish students Spanish expression Literal translation Real meaning in English estar amolado (Mexico) to be ground down / worn to be broke, in trouble, or in a bad situation ser maleta to be a suitcase to be bad at something, clumsy, or useless at a task chuchulucos (Mexico) little trinkets / […] More

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    Chopped Spanish — common spoken shortenings you’ll hear everywhere

    Vente pa'ca. Ricky Martin song advertisement.

    Spanish that is not in the books, but that exists in everyday casual speech In casual Spanish, people shorten words all the time. They move fast, they like rhythm, and they often drop syllables — especially para, está, estoy, espera, and nada. These shortened forms are normal in conversation but usually not written (except in […] More

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    Masculine Spanish Nouns Ending in “-a” (Including “-ista” Professions)

    El Mapa. A map of the world.

    Many students begin learning Spanish with the general rule that nouns ending in “-a” are feminine.This rule is often true… but there are dozens of very common exceptions, especially words of Greek origin, and also profession nouns ending in -ista, which take masculine or feminine articles depending on the person, but the noun ending never […] More

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    Beto, Pepe, Don Goyo, y más — Nicknames and the full names behind them (Updated from 2021)

    Don Goyo. Popocatépetl Volcano. Mexico.

    A guide to common Spanish nicknames and diminutives so you don’t get confused Spanish speakers love nicknames. Many formal given names get shortened, changed, or turned into other forms that can be tricky for learners. Across the Spanish-speaking world, people use these nicknames in daily life — at home, at work, and on the street […] More

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    10 Expressions You Don’t Learn in Textbooks

    Ternurita. Very sarcastic.

    Spanish is rich, playful, and full of expressions that even advanced students find mysterious. Many of them don’t mean what the words literally say — and some don’t even make sense if you translate them word by word. Here are ten expressions that many people in Mexico use all the time, with their literal meanings […] More

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    “Madre” in Mexican Spanish: Many Uses, Many Meanings

    Madriza

    In Mexican Spanish, the word madre (mother) is not just a family term. It has multiplied into dozens of expressions—some friendly, some rude, some surprising. For any Spanish student, understanding the many ways Mexicans use madre will unlock jokes, conversations, even music lyrics that otherwise seem baffling. Because “madre” is so emotionally charged, Mexicans often […] More

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    Halloween and “La Noche de Brujas” — Spooky Words in Spanish

    Halloween

    Halloween, or La Noche de Brujas in Spanish, is not originally from Latin America, but it’s now celebrated in many Spanish-speaking countries. Children dress up (se disfrazan), go from door to door asking for candy, and people decorate their homes with pumpkins and skeletons. In this post, you’ll find a big list of Halloween-related words […] More

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    10 Expressions That Are Hard to Guess

    ningunear

    In this post, we explore ten popular expressions that are commonly heard in conversations, on TV, and in everyday life in Mexico. Some of them can be rude or informal, so they must be understood but not necessarily used carelessly. Spanish Expression Literal Translation Equivalent in English ningunear  to “no-one” someone To belittle, ignore, treat […] More

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