How many proverbs and quotes do you think you encounter on a given day? These words of wit and wisdom can appear almost anywhere, whether you’re scrolling through your Instagram and Pinterest feeds, watching a movie, or talking with friends and family. In Spanish, we use refranes ("sayings"), which are ready-made phrases that come from our mothers and grandmothers, passed down from one generation to another. These sayings have become very popular over the years, and Spaniards frequently use them in their daily lives. Learning these Spanish quotes and sayings will help you connect with the Spanish language on a deep level and immerse you in the culture. In this article, we’re going to review the most popular refranes that Spanish... Show more

A lot of people who decide to learn Spanish do so because they're thinking of moving to Spain or another Spanish-speaking country.  Even if this isn't the case for you, you never know when knowing just a few basic Spanish business phrases will come in handy. For example, you might be the only person, or one of only a few people, in your company who speaks at least a little Spanish. If your boss ever required you to travel to Spain for a business trip, knowing some phrases for doing business in Spanish could be crucial for you!  At SpanishPod101.com, we think it's better to be safe than sorry. Why not be ready for that moment? Table of Contents Nail a Job Interview Interact with Coworkers Sound Smart in a Meeting ... Show more

You’ve already learned how to say hello in Spanish, so now it’s time to start saying goodbye. Like in any language, there are many different ways you can say goodbye in Spanish depending on the context. In this article, we’ll teach you common Spanish goodbye phrases for any situation, from formal encounters to leaving a group of friends or ending a phone call. By the end, you’ll be able to recognize many different Spanish goodbyes when you hear them, and understand how to use them yourself to sound more like a native speaker! → In addition to this guide, we have a series of activities on SpanishPod101.com for you, so you can put all of this new knowledge into practice. Table of Contents Spanish Goodbye Phrases for Formal... Show more

Can you believe it’s almost Christmas? It’s the time of year when the cold of winter culminates to a time of warmth, joy, and compassion.  Did you know that in Mexico, there’s an entire nine-night festival leading up to Christmas?  In this article, you’ll learn about the Las Posadas holiday, how it got started, and more fun Las Posadas facts. Are you ready? 1. What is Las Posadas? Each year, Mexicans observe the Las Posadas festival from December 16 to December 24. For these nueve noches ("nine nights"), Mexicans commemorate the journey of Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus.  This long holiday, leading up to Navidad ("Christmas"), first came to Mexico in the year 1586. Prior to this, the... Show more

Pronouns are essential in any language. All languages have pronouns, in some way or another, though some might not have as many as others. We use pronouns all the time, so not understanding them would mean missing a big part of the conversation.  They simplify the language and make it possible for us not to repeat ourselves all the time. Sentences would be so much longer if we didn't use pronouns or some other way of indicating what you're talking about without constant repetition. There are many different kinds of Spanish pronouns, including indirect and direct object pronouns in Spanish, and we're going to take a look at all of them. If you don’t feel like reading the entire article, you can always look at our list of the Most Useful... Show more

We might not always like to admit this when we’re starting to learn a language, but the truth is that one can’t speak properly without knowing how to put sentences together. If you use the wrong word order, there’s a chance that what you’re saying might have a different meaning than what you intended, or it might have no meaning at all. To avoid this, here’s the perfect article for you to learn Spanish sentence structure. You’ll soon learn that Spanish word order is actually not so hard, and that, in some ways, it’s similar to word order in English. You’ll also learn that, in fact, it’s more flexible! That means you can change the order of words a little bit more than you can in English. Table of Contents Overview of Word... Show more

Hacer un cumplido, lanzar un piropo, or un halago: to compliment someone in Spanish. Spanish is a Latin language, also known as one of the romance languages. While this doesn’t mean the language is romantic by nature, there are plenty of sweet Spanish compliments you can offer someone to warm their heart. So, how do you say "compliment" in Spanish? Compliments in Spanish are known as piropos, halagos, or cumplidos. If you’re planning to travel to Spain or Latin America, you’ll come across many of those. You’ll be amazed by how we compliment anyone on anything. It’s our way of encouraging each other! Whenever I’m with some foreigner friends around my city, they’re always in awe about how we naturally call anyone guapo or guapa.... Show more

The gender of nouns in Spanish is part of a noun's identity. We won't be able to use a noun correctly without its corresponding article. If English (or another language with genderless nouns) is your first language, you probably freaked out when you found out that nouns have gender in Spanish. We admit that it does sound a little scary at first. But hey, if it makes you feel better, at least Spanish isn’t like German, which has three genders, or like Polish, which has a few more than that. Or Swedish, which has two genders that aren't feminine or masculine. There are many languages that use genders. Fortunately, we only have two genders, and we plan on keeping them. They might not always make sense to a foreigner (I mean, why would a... Show more

Trying to express your feelings is very important, especially if you’re learning a new language. I still remember how frustrating it was when I was trying to express myself in a new language. Sometimes I couldn’t find the words so it was easier just to give up. Well, that’s why we want to put this article out there for you, even if you’re one of those people who never (or almost never) gets angry. There will be a time when you need to express that you are angry in Spanish. Learn how to say "angry" in Spanish, how to express your feelings and when, and most importantly, how to spot when someone is being angry in Spanish toward you. Spanish is a romance language not only because it comes from Latin, but because you can express so many... Show more

On Labor Day, Mexico both commemorates the events leading up to the implementation of the Mexican Constitution of 1917 and takes a day off from the same-old-same-old of work. In this article, you’ll learn more about the origins of this holiday, how to celebrate Labor Day in Mexico, and some useful vocabulary! Let’s get started. 1. What is Labor Day? On the Labor Day holiday, Mexico reflects on the history of labor in the country and celebrates the 1917 Constitution that allowed for better workers’ rights. For many years (particularly in the late nineteenth century), Mexican workers faced the plight of poor working conditions, lower wages than their American counterparts, a lack of respect, and the inability to... Show more