Archive for May, 2010
El Silbo Gomero Posted by Magda on May 26, 2010
There is a tiny little island in Spain called La Gomera. It’s one of the Canary Islands, situated off the northwestern coast of Africa. The population is 22.000, and they have a very special way of communicating with each other. The aboriginal population, the Guanches, used a whistle language to convey complex messages across the…
Study tip: Engage your body Posted by Adir on May 25, 2010
Many people complain that they want to learn a new language but when it comes to having discipline they hit a snag. Well, as with any sport you try to practice, you need to warm up first. And with Spanish it is no different. Let me give you some tips to get your body ready…
Place adverbs Posted by Adir on May 24, 2010
Place adverbs in Spanish express the idea of proximity or distance. The list below shows the relation between proximity and distance. Acá – aquí / allá – allí 1. aquí – acá – It means “here”. Aquí están las entradas para el cine. (Here are the tickets to the movies.) Acá indicates a less specific…
Lost, en español Posted by Adir on May 21, 2010
I’m addicted to series and Lost is one of my favorites, along with Two and a Half Men and Entourage. When I was learning English, watching series with the original sound helped me a great deal, because I could learn a lot and have fun at the same time. So today I bring a you…
Santiago Calatrava and the World Trade Center Posted by Magda on May 20, 2010
Part of the rebuilding project for the World Trade Center includes a new transportation hub for lower Manhattan, known as the PATH station. It is scheduled to be completed in 2013, and the architect in charge is Santiago Calatrava. Born in Valencia, Spain, Calatrava is one of the most renowned contemporary architects and one of…
Irregular Past Participles Posted by Adir on May 19, 2010
The past participles in Spanish are widely used in the Pretérito Perfecto (haber + participio pasado). There are, however, some irregular past participles. Here are common irregular past participles in Spanish. abrir (to open) – abierto cubrir (to cover) – cubierto decir (to say) – dicho descubrir (to discover) – descubierto devolver (to return) –…
Instantes Posted by Adir on May 18, 2010
People say, rather wrongly, that the poem below is by Jorge Luis Borges, but in fact no one knows for sure who it is by. You can practice your Spanish conditional tenses, the Past Subjunctive and also think about what is worth in your life. Instantes Si pudiera vivir nuevamente mi vida. En la próxima…