Parts of a Car in Spanish

To most people cars (coches, carros, autos, vehículos) are simply a means of transportation. But to those who appreciate the ingenuity of the internal combustion engine, they are much more, perhaps even a modern marvel. Yes, I consider myself a car lover. So let’s take a look at the Spanish words for the parts of a car, inside and out. hood=el capó windshield=el parabrisas windshield wipers=los limpiaparabrisas side window=la...

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Build Your Bathroom Vocabulary

Do you know the Spanish words for all the things in the bathroom (el cuarto de baño)? How about the verbs that describe the things you do in the bathroom? Let’s review them today. bathtubla bañera, la tina bath mat la alfombrita de baño bath plugel tapón showerla ducha showercapel gorro de baño toiletel inodoro toilet paperel papel higiénico toilet seatel asiento de inodoro sinkel lavabo, el lavamanos faucetel grifo tapslas...

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Skype Tutors Are Cheap and Effective

I’m a big fan of using Skype tutors to improve your Spanish. I’ve used them in the past with great success. Generally, you can expect to find a good qualified tutor for around $10 for a one hour lesson. It’s highly convenient and the price is right. Last year I found a Skype tutor on Craiglist. She was based in Buenos Aires, charged $10 per lesson, was really organized and genuinely enjoyed teaching. I’ve seen...

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Phrases I Learned from Mexican Telenovelas

Telenovelas are Spanish soap operas. I’ve watched hundreds of hours of telenovelas (like Alborada, Contra Viento y Marea and Rubí) and learned a ton of Spanish in the process. On this post I’m going to share some of my favorite phrases and expressions I learned from these shows. By the way, if you’ve never seen a telenovela they are usually highly melodramatic. The main difference between a telenovela and an American...

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How to Call Someone an Idiot in Spanish

What better way to start this blog than with a few good insults? The Spanish language has plenty of them. But let’s start out with a few soft, gentle, G-rated insults. You might even call them “family friendly”. These are the kind of insults you might hear on television, not the harder and perhaps more colorful variety you would encounter in a Mexican bar or the back streets of Panama. Those I’ll save for...

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