Spanish Nouns That Can Use Both Genders

Spanish nouns that can use both genders Conversa

You’ve probably spent countless hours trying to learn which Spanish nouns are feminine and which are masculine. Some of them are more obvious, where masculine nouns that end in -o are masculine and ones that end in -a are feminine. Knowing grammatical gender in Spanish is crucial to all kinds of grammar topics, but did […]

Formation of the Conditional Tense

Formation of the conditional tense Conversa

The conditional tense gets its name because you’re describing what would or could happen in the future given certain circumstances or conditions. It’s often used for hypothetical situations or making requests politely. In fact, it’s similar in English! We often ask, “Could you … ?” to ask someone politely to do something. That’s the conditional! […]

Common Spanish Words of Frequency

Common Spanish words of frequency Conversa

In addition to learning common nouns and verbs to express yourself in another language, it’s just as important to learn common words of frequency. These expressions help you say how often you do things or when you do certain things. In addition to memorizing them, you’ll also have to know where they go. Keep reading […]

Conjugating Verbs Derived from Tener

Conjugating verbs derived from tener Conversa

When learning more complicated vocabulary words, sometimes it’s easy to forget the basics! There are lots of words in English that have additional prefixes or suffixes, but contain a much simpler word. For example, the word “preview” contains the word “view”, but it has the little word “pre-” as its suffix. These little words can […]

Multiple Ways to Use “Llevar”

Multiple ways to use "llevar" Conversa

If you want to start sounding like a native speaker, the verb llevar is going to be one of your most common verbs. It’s very versatile and has different uses. You might have learned that this verb means “to carry” or “to wear”, and that’s definitely true! Here, we’ll show you some other ways you […]

When to Use the “Personal A” in Spanish

When to use the personal A in Spanish

One of the most challenging parts of learning a new language is navigating the aspects that don’t exactly translate. Do you remember learning false friends and learning that different languages don’t always follow the same patterns? Just like other grammatical rules that don’t literally translate, it’s important to learn when to use the “personal a” […]

Qué or Cuál? Which “what” is which?

Qué or Cuál? Which "what" is which? Conversa

Most of the question words, or interrogative pronouns, in Spanish seem to translate exactly the same way in English. For example, in the question, ”Cuándo es el examen?” meaning “When is the test?”, cuándo mean when. In certain cases, the question words qué or cuál can take on similar meanings, like what or which. We’ll […]

What Are You Doing? Master the Present Progressive

What are you doing right now? Are you reading about Spanish? Are you thinking about studying abroad? There are different ways that we can describe the grammatical present, and one of those ways is the present progressive. In English, it’s when we use “-ing”. If you want to start practicing this common grammatical structure, check […]

To Be or To Be: Ser vs. Estar

To be or to be: ser vs. estar Conversa blog

Ser vs. estar, one of the main grammatical components of A1 Spanish courses, might seem intimidating at first, but it’s not as scary as it looks. However, once you remember the rules on when to use each one, it’ll start feeling natural to you. Pay attention to the following tips to help you use ser […]

¿Cómo Eres? What Are You Like?

¿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 […]