When I decided to learn Spanish I had next to no experience in language learning outside of my native English. I did take one Spanish course in high school, but I failed it. Needless to say I didn’t qualify as a language learning expert. I wasn’t a world traveler. I had a day job, sometimes two. I wanted to learn Spanish, but I simply didn’t have loads of time to dedicate to the endeavor. Through some trial and error I was able to find enough time to progress through the language. It wasn’t always easy, and I made some mistakes along the way. In this post I’ll share my experience and give you 3 ways to help you learn Spanish more efficiently so that you get the most out of your time and your effort. 1) Use your time when you... Show more

Spanish, the second most spoken language in the world, has 437 million first language (L1) speakers, according to the latest data available from the Ethnologue website. It is spoken in 31 countries. Approximately, the total number of Spanish speakers around the world is 570 million. Spanish translation services are in very high demand in the United States, where there is a huge community of Spanish speakers (about 41 million native speakers). It is projected that the number will continue to rise. Can you speak Spanish? Spanish though is not just one common language as there are several variations of it. If you go to Andalusia, you won't be hearing people speaking "Spanish" that you are used to hearing, the one that you learnt in... Show more

Kris Morris, that's me, is a perpetual student, traveler, and writer. After living in Oaxaca and Guanajuato, I made Xalapa, Veracruz my home. Surrounded by cloud forests, lush vegetation and intermittent drizzle, I find Xalapa a perfect place to search out the fantastic in the details of daily life. I began studying Spanish in high school. However, it wasn’t until I began traveling to Mexico and Central America that I fell head-over-heels in love with all things having to do with the language and cultures of Latin America. After numerous journeys south of the border, I finally packed up my bags for good. I landed in Xalapa, the capital of the state of Veracruz. It’s a cool, collected city known for its drizzle, or chipi chipi.... Show more

When I first began living here in Xalapa, Mexico, I strolled over to the nearest verdulería (a fruit and vegetable store) to buy some mangos. I remember seeing only vegetables and asking the shopkeeper, “¿No tienes mangos?” (You don't have mangos?) He replied, “No seño, pero pasa usted mañana y habrá más fruta.” (“No ma'am, but come by tomorrow, and there´ll be more fruit.”) That’s when I realized that I’d made an embarrassing mistake. I should have said, “Usted no tiene mangos?” There was no going back now. I’d lost my grammatical footing and was unsure of how to save face. Once the mistake was made, once I used tú, it would be awkward to suddenly switch to usted (formal - you). That could be interpreted as putting up a barrier after... Show more

The other day I rented the movie The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. There is a scene in which Tommy Lee Jones’s character enters into a tienda, goes directly to the fridge, takes out his beverage, sets it on the counter to pay and says something like, “¿Cuánto cuesta?” That’s when you realize that he is still hasn't mastered the subtlties and nuances of Mexico. This character supposedly knows Mexican culture inside and out. It’s just one, small detail that shows you that he doesn’t. When a Mexican walks into a store, he or she almost always greets the employees. That may not be the case in Mexico City or maybe not even in Guadalajara or Monterrey. It is the case in smaller cities and pueblos. It is most certainly the case here in... Show more

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from everyone here at SpanishPod101.com! We're grateful to have listeners just like you, and we're eagerly waiting for the upcoming year to learn Spanish together! And when the New Year comes around, be sure to make a resolution to study Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Have a healthy and happy holiday season. From the SpanishPod101.com Team!

I came across a great "documental" (documentary) called Develop: Mayan Territory (https://blip.tv/file/386835). It takes you on a journey through areas populated by the Maya in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. You get a look at two sides of these communities, the poverty as well as the ingenuity, creativity and communal spirit that unites them. An underlying theme in the documentary is that of using what is on hand, what you already have around you, to better your surroundings. It is not necessary to look "más allá" (beyond) that. However, by combining forces with people from all over the world, we have the ability to create a closer-knit global community that works for common solutions. The film is about "el poder de la ideas" (the... Show more

My son has been terribly sick… again. So I decided to take this opportunity to talk about practical health concerns in Mexico. Americans are known for being very, shall we say, particular about what we eat, where we sleep and the risks we are willing to take. In the School for Foreign Students here in Xalapa, Americans are often a cause for frustration. Sometimes they refuse to put the toilet paper in the wastebasket instead of the toilet. Sometimes they demand immediate medical attention for bug bites. For Mexicans, this is understandably exasperating as these are all things that are part of daily life down here. For Americans, it just takes someone who knows the ropes to get them out of the beginner’s crisis. I love to do exactly... Show more

Before coming to Mexico, I learned that it is not polite to look at babies and children without touching them. As an American accustomed to the large amounts of personal space we need, I always preferred to comment on how lovely the baby is but not to touch her. Here I learned that if I complimented a baby without touching her, it could lead to the baby receiving “mal de ojo,” or evil eye. I needed to touch the baby on the head or the arm. This contact assured that she wouldn’t suffer any negative effects due to one’s admiration. The idea is that if someone admires something so much that she wishes it were hers or feels envy, this negative energy is transferred to the baby, however well intended it may be. In every market in Veracruz,... Show more

Since we’re talking about “susto,” I’d like to share a personal experience. When my son was only few months old, he fell. As new parents, we were sick with worry and fear, even though Diego showed no sign of injury. He didn’t seem in the least bit affected by his bump. My immediate reaction was to let out a cry and swoop him up in my arms, examining him and running my hand over his little body. Letting out a cry, it seems, is a surefire way of bringing about a case of “susto.” Shortly after that, he always had cold, sweaty feet. When I say sweaty, I mean drops of sweat ran from his toes down to his heels. He began to wake up in the night crying, something he’d never done before, and any loud noise or unwelcome stranger would make him... Show more