Category: Vocabulary

Record Yourself Speaking to Improve Pronunciation

Sometimes, finding someone to practice speaking with is the absolute hardest part of learning a language. Whether you’re excited to chat or anxious to speak in front of others, if you want to improve your pronunciation, it’s a good idea to record yourself. We’ll give you some tips to use any voice recorder you have […]

Learn About What Interests You

One of the main reasons why someone stops learning a language is because they got bored of it, or they became frustrated that they weren’t reaching the milestones they wanted. It’s common to feel overwhelmed, and that’s a sign to change your mindset. Learn about what interests you, and you’ll keep your motivation. Focus on […]

¿Cómo Eres? What Are You Like?

Although it might sound similar to the question ¿Cómo estás?, which is asking about how you are feeling right now, ¿Cómo eres? is asking what you are like. If you think about the differences between ser and estar, it makes sense that the first question is asking about your condition right now, and the second […]

Get the Hang of Stem-Changing Verbs

Every language has irregular verbs, which means you conjugate them slightly different than other verbs. If you already feel comfortable conjugating regular verbs in the present tense that end in -ar, -er or -ir, then it’s time to learn stem-changing verbs! What are stem-changing verbs? First, we need to review the parts of a verb. […]

Pro-Drop Like a Pro

Have you ever heard the term “pro-drop”? It stands for “pronoun-drop” and it’s a grammatical concept that some languages have. Pro-drop might seem like something really small, but learning about it and how to use it will make you feel and sound a little more like a native speaker. Keep reading to learn about it. […]

Vocabulario Viernes: Days of the Week

Welcome to Vocabulario Viernes! Today’s topic is days of the week, or in Spanish, los días de la semana. You use days of the week to ask what day it is, to make plans, to understand deadlines, and so much more. In this article, we’ll show you the days of the week, and a few […]

Mind your P’s and Q’s: Being Polite in Spanish

Whenever you meet someone new, it’s natural to want to put your best foot forward. You want to be kind, courteous, and not seem rude. Did you know that what one culture considers rude, another one might not? For example, in the United States, it’s not common to stare at people you don’t know because […]

The Problem with Multi-Lingual Multi-Tasking

Nowadays, it feels like we are always multi-tasking. You might find yourself on your phone while watching TV, scrolling while in class, texting at dinner, or listening to a podcast while writing a paper. It’s common to multi-task, but there’s a big problem with multi-lingual multi-tasking: it doesn’t work very well when you’re first learning. […]

Texting in Spanish

When you start learning and practicing a new language, making Spanish-speaking friends is the natural next step. You can practice with them, learn from them, and hopefully create new memories together. Nowadays, a large portion of our communication happens on the internet. This includes social media platforms, instant messages, emails, and any other site where […]

Reflecting on Reflexive Verbs

At the very beginning of your Spanish classes, you probably learned “Me llamo…” to say “My name is…” but did you know it literally translates to “I call myself”? In fact, this introductory phrase is part of a category of verbs called reflexive verbs. There are lots of reflexive verbs in Spanish that have special […]