Sounding More Natural with the Passive Voice

Sounding More Natural with the Passive Voice Conversa Spanish Institute

In English, it’s very common to use the passive voice in everyday speech, formal written work, and everything in between. However, in Spanish, using the passive voice as a literal translation from English can sound choppy and unnatural. It can even make you sound way more formal than you mean to! As you’ve probably already […]

Irregular Familiar Commands You’ll Use Daily

Irregular Familiar Commands You'll Use Daily Conversa Spanish Institute

The word command can sound so harsh, but in reality, we use commands every day. Familiar commands are some of the most common terms that you’ll hear and say! Commands aren’t just when you’re bossy and telling someone what to do, but rather words that give direction instead of a suggestion. Take a look at […]

Master the Difference Between Traer and Llevar

Master the difference between traer and llevar Conversa Spanish Institute

The difference between traer and llevar has caused many headaches for Spanish learners because of their similarities, and English isn’t exactly the same. Many students mix up when to use these two verbs, and although you’re understood by native speakers, it sounds a little funny. Surely you’ve heard them both used, but can you tell […]

Familiarize Yourself with the Sounds of Spanish

Familiarize yourself with the sounds of Spanish Conversa Spanish Institute

At their core, languages are collections of sounds. Words are made up of individual components called phonemes, which is a linguistic term for “sounds”. Spanish is what is considered to be a phonetic language because the letters represent specific sounds, and almost all letters in Spanish only have one sound. Practicing learning the sounds of […]

Useful Spanish Office Vocabulary

Useful Spanish Office Vocabulary

Whether you’re trying to learn possible vocabulary for the future or are actively trying to speak more Spanish at work, office vocabulary will be very useful! Most of this vocabulary is common in daily life, and can come in handy outside of the office, too. In addition to when you’re on the clock, they’re helpful […]

Order of Adjectives in Spanish

Order of Adjectives in Spanish Conversa Institute

If someone were to say “blue big bear” to you, you’d notice that it sounded odd, and it’s better to say “The big blue bear”. In both English and Spanish, there’s an accepted order of adjectives. With a lesson and some practice, the correct order will sound natural. By practicing reading at the appropriate level, […]

Spanish Numbers from 1,000 to 1,000,000

Spanish numbers from 1,000 to 1,000,000 Conversa Spanish Institute

Numbers are one of the most commonly used aspects of language. When you really think about it, you realize that numbers are everywhere- costs, describing quantities, addresses, etc. Although they may not be as common as numbers 0-60 for dates and time, there are plenty of common uses for big Spanish numbers. They’ll easily boost […]

Different Ways to Combine Ser + Para

Different Ways to Combine Ser + Para Conversa Spanish Institute

The word para is tiny but mighty, and is a preposition that can be used with many different verbs. One of the most common uses is when you combine ser and para. In the most basic sense, Ser means “to be” and para is roughly “for” or “in order to.” Remember, lots of aspects of […]

What Are the CEFR Levels of Language Proficiency?

What are the CEFR levels of language proficiency? Conversa Spanish Institute

When you’ve looked at language classes, books, games, etc., you’ve definitely seen a combination of letters and numbers, known as CEFR levels of language proficiency. A2? B1? What do these mean? Keep reading to find out! A brief history of CEFR CEFR stands for Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Basically, it’s a way […]

Improve Your Irregular Present Subjunctive

Improve your regular present subjunctive Conversa Spanish Institute

Don’t be intimidated by the irregular present subjunctive. Just like every other new conjugation, it seems hard at first but will feel like second nature. What makes the subjunctive particularly challenging for Spanish learners is that it’s different than English. It doesn’t have an easy exact translation for native English speakers, but that just means […]