Archive by Author
I Hope You Have Enjoyed Our Last Posts… Posted by Adir on Jun 24, 2013
…because I’m going to take the headline of this post to teach you a very common Spanish verb tense: pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo. “Come on, Adir! Grammar again?” Well, my dear, when students first come in to have classes with me I tell them: first thing you gotta do is try to get your verbs…
Breakfast, en español Posted by Adir on Jun 21, 2013
I was not the kind of person who would have a big and hearty breakfast. Then I had to go on a diet (doctor’s orders) and I had to learn how to have breakfast and it actually changed my life. I feel a lot more energetic and active after some bread, ham, coffee or juice…
The Past Tense in Spanish Posted by Adir on Jun 19, 2013
Choosing between using the Pretérito Perfecto or Indefinido in Spanish may cause a little trouble for learners, so let me share some tips to help you use these tenses correctly: Sentences with Time Expressions We use the Indefinido with obvious time expressions like ayer (yesterday), anteayer (the day before yesterday), anoche (last night), la semana…
Please, don’t lose your train of thought! Posted by Adir on Jun 17, 2013
Hello, there! How was your weekend? We kick off this week with a question: have you ever lost your train of thought? I’m pretty sure you did, as we all have! In Spanish we have a similar expression: írsele a alguien el santo al cielo. Check out the following dialogue: In Spanish – María, ¿dónde…
Want to Test your Reading in Spanish? Posted by Adir on Jun 14, 2013
Hello, everybody! In Brazil we have a college entrance examination called Vestibular and in its foreign language part you can choose to take English, Spanish or French, depending on the university or college you want to go to. The test assesses students’ reading skills and also reading-based grammar. I am going to share PUC Rio…
Are you in love? Posted by Adir on Jun 12, 2013
Today is Valentine’s Day in Brazil (I’m Brazilian, remember?) so I chose a very cute love song originally sung by Donato and Estéfano, Estoy Enamorado, to share it with you guys. The version I chose is by Thalía and Pedro Capó, so enjoy and sing it to your loved one! Estoy Enamorado [I’m in love]…
How to cheer people up in Spanish Posted by Adir on Jun 10, 2013
Oftentimes we need to help friends, lend an ear and even cheer them up when they are not feeling to cheerful. That is what we are going to learn how to do in Spanish today: levantarle el ánimo a alguien! Levantándole el ánimo a alguien – Cheering people up No te preocupes por eso. –…