The Present Tense In Spanish vs. The Future Tense
[author]This is blog post is from an email that I sent to my customers in April of 2007. This was before I moved to Medellin and still lived on the Atlantic coast of Colombia in a city called Barranquilla. Here’s the email that I sent: I noticed something that native Spanish speakers do that English […]
How Many Days Are In a Week in Latin America?
[author] “Patrick, you overlooked the obvious. The way you end your emails with ‘nos vemos.’ Isn’t that a perfect example of how native Spanish speakers often use the present tense when native English speakers would use the future tense?” Yes, I did overlook the obvious. “nos vemos” which literally means “we see each other” as […]
Notes from Spain
[author]When I took my recent trip to Marbella, Spain, I took plenty of notes from Spain and wrote down any differences between European Spanish and Colombian Spanish. Here are 6 things I noticed: 1. In Spain, they say “planta” in order to say “floor” as in “I live on the 2nd floor.” But in Colombia […]
How To Say “I Have A Cold” In Spanish
[author]Today’s topic is how to say “I have a cold” in Spanish, as in the common cold. Something interesting happened to me on the phone today when speaking to a friend from the Dominican Republic who is living in Spain. I am always learning or being reminded that that Spanish speakers from different countries use […]
What Would You Do If You Were To Win The Lottery?
[author]Today, I want to talk about how to express in Spanish what you would do if you were to win the lottery. I can think of 3 similar ways in English to express this same idea or thought: 1. “If I were to win the lottery, I would buy a mansion.” (I have heard grammarians […]
The Conditional and the Imperfect Subjunctive in Spanish
[author] One of the most difficult areas of Spanish grammar for me to learn was the Conditional when used with the Imperfect Subjunctive. The Imperfect Subjunctive is also known as the Past Subjunctive. The Conditional In Spanish In case you are confused about what the Conditional is in Spanish, let me give you an example. […]
The Spanish Verbs Ser vs. Estar
[author]One of the common mistakes for beginners, is the tendency to confuse the use of the two verbs “ser” and “estar.” Despite the fact that both these verbs mean the English word “to be” and that both verbs are irregular in the present tense, if you use “ser” when you really mean to use “estar,” […]
Technique To Help You Think in Spanish
[author]Today, I want to tell you about a technique that will help you to improve your Spanish by enabling you to think in Spanish. How To Think In Spanish I have a friend in Colombia who speaks English fluently and she has never traveled to an English speaking country. I am very impressed with her […]
How To Say Videogames in Spanish and Avoid Common Mistakes in Spanish
In addition to telling you how to say eggs in Spanish and how to say videogames in Spanish, I want to share an experience with you that will help you avoid several mistakes when speaking Spanish. You may …
The Spanish Verbs Saber and Oler
Patrick Jackson In this blog post, I will cover the correct way to use the Spanish verb “oler” as well as the correct way to use the Spanish verb “saber.” Besides learning how to use the Spanish verbs Saber and Oler, you will also learn the following vocabulary from this blog post: 1. How to […]