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Archive for the 'Learn Spanish' Category

desastres: disasters

Here are some words picked by Alex: avalancha: avalanche terremoto: earthquake tifón: typhoon Learn more words about disasters! Click here and learn more with Alex! P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Spanish with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Spanish is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day. Why? Because learning a little every day is easy, strengthens your habits and motivation and you improve your Spanish over time. Lessons range from culture and holidays to grammar, slang, phrases and more. Find it in the Spanish Resources menu or in the Quick Links menu on your Dashboard. Click here to check out the Daily Dose of Spanish Calendar.

calavera: skull

In Mexico skulls and skeletons symbolize death as a figure and can be seen as figurines or candy for special celebrations like the "Day of the Dead", Día de muertos. Puse una calavera frente a la puerta para Halloween - I put a skeleton in front of the door for Halloween. P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Spanish with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Spanish is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day. Why? Because learning a little every day is easy, strengthens your habits and motivation and you improve your Spanish over time. Lessons range from culture and holidays to grammar, slang, phrases and more. Find it in the Spanish Resources menu or in the Quick Links menu on your Dashboard. Click here to check out... Show more

continente: continent

Here are some words picked by Alex: África: Africa Antártida: Antartica Norte América: North America Learn more words about continents! Click here and learn more with Alex! P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Spanish with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Spanish is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day. Why? Because learning a little every day is easy, strengthens your habits and motivation and you improve your Spanish over time. Lessons range from culture and holidays to grammar, slang, phrases and more. Find it in the Spanish Resources menu or in the Quick Links menu on your Dashboard. Click here to check out the Daily Dose of Spanish Calendar.

Teotihuacán: Teotihuacan

Teotihuacán is a Náhuatl term meaning, “The place where men become gods." It is the name given to an ancient city situated about 50 km north-east of Mexico City. It is one hour from the captial by car or bus. It is believed that this city was the first metropolis built in Mesoamerica. People lived in this city between 200 BC until 600 AD, when the city was mysteriously abandoned. Nowadays, people are still allowed to climb up to the top of the main structures, to enjoy the view. The Pirámide del Sol, literally - Pyramid of the Sun - is the 3rd largest pyramid in the world. Vamos a Teotihuacán este fin de semana (Let's go to Teotihucan this weekend). P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Spanish with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of... Show more

Hey Tú (You)! – How to use ‘tú’ in Spanish

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 Importance of Greetings in Mexican Spanish

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

tratados de libre comercio – free trade agreements

Mexico has free trade agreements, or tratados de libre comercio, with 44 countries, making it a convenient export base for automakers. In fact, eighty percent of the cars, or in Spanish carros, built in Mexico are shipped to other countries. Mexico is one of the only countries in the world where you can export duty-free to North America, South America, Europe and Japan, thanks to the numerous free-trade agreements that have been established over the years to support the industry’s growth. El tratado de libre comercio se firmó este año - The free trade agreement was signed this year. P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Spanish with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Spanish is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day.... Show more

Get Your Kids Speaking Mexican Spanish with FREE Talking World iBook for the iPad

Hello Listener, Can kids learn Mexican Spanish? Of course! They’re the fastest learners around! But do they? Not unless there’s a native Mexican Spanish speaker in the family. Language experts say children learning a second language enjoy cognitive advantages over those that do not. So, if you need a way to learn Mexican Spanish with your child start with the kid friendly e-book that’ll get them mastering words in minutes! With the brand new Talking World iBook for the iPad, your little one will earn all the common Mexican Spanish vocab they know in English! New iBook for the iPad: Learn Mexican Spanish for Kids - Talking World It’s jam packed with 16 colorful chapters and 274+ common Mexican Spanish words for any child to... Show more

cocina: cooking

Here are some words picked by Alex: pastel - cake asado - roast carne de res - beef Learn more words about cooking! Click here and learn more with Alex! P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Spanish with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Spanish is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day. Why? Because learning a little every day is easy, strengthens your habits and motivation and you improve your Spanish over time. Lessons range from culture and holidays to grammar, slang, phrases and more. Find it in the Spanish Resources menu or in the Quick Links menu on your Dashboard. Click here to check out the Daily Dose of Spanish Calendar.

Gas de lutita: shale gas

Another important natural resource found in Mexico’s territory is shale gas, in Spanish gas de lutita, made accessible through hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technologies. One of the main basins of this resource is in the state of Veracruz, in a place called Tampico-Misantla, with a potential of 681 billion cubic feet of natural gas. El gas de lutita es un recurso natural no renovable (Shale gas is a nonrenewable natural resource). P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Spanish with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Spanish is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day. Why? Because learning a little every day is easy, strengthens your habits and motivation and you improve your Spanish over time. Lessons... Show more