Archive by Author
Puerto Rican music Posted by Adir on Sep 11, 2008
Puerto Rico is well-known for its wide range of musical talent and has provided artists like Ricky Martin, Olga Tañón, Luis Fonsi, La India, and Chayanne, just to name a few. The bomba and the plena, the salsa, and the reggaetón are some of the music genres that take over the radio stations nowadays. The…
Mi vida loca Posted by Adir on Sep 8, 2008
I’m a helpless internet addict and as a teacher I’m always looking for alternatives to supplement my classes. While surfing the web, I came across this course, by BBC Online, called Mi Vida Loca. It’s a mystery series and it has tons of audio, video and explanations both in English and in Spanish. There are…
Ask away! Posted by Adir on Sep 5, 2008
“Ask” has several meanings in Spanish. They’re not interchangeable, and there are some subtle differences in meaning. Preguntar – “to ask a question” or “to ask about” something. Preguntó por ti en la fiesta. – He asked about you at the party. Pregunté si habían estudiado para la prueba. – I asked if they had…
Yo soy Betty, la Fea Posted by Adir on Sep 2, 2008
Yo soy Betty, la fea is the most successful telenovela in Colombia. It was written by Fernando Gaitán and produced by RCN Televisión between 1999 and 2001. The main character is Beatriz Aurora Pinzón Solano, who is not a very attractive woman but is incredibly intelligent and works for a fashion company called “Eco Moda”…
Animal sounds Posted by Adir on Aug 28, 2008
Our post today comes from a question from a student of mine, a 12-year-old girl, about sounds animals make in Spanish. I decided to look into it, and here’s a small list with the sound and the corresponding verb, check it out! abeja (bee): bzzz (zumbar) burro (donkey): iii-aah (rebuznar) caballo (horse): jiiiiiii, iiiiou (relinchar)…
Palindromes Posted by Adir on Aug 25, 2008
A palindrome is a word, line, verse, number, sentence, etc., that can be read the same backward as forward, like Madam, I’m Adam or Poor Dan is in a droop. The word palindrome comes from the Greek roots palin (πάλιν; “back”) and dromos (δρóμος; “way, direction”) and it was coined by the English writer Ben…
El Chavo del Ocho – Fue sin querer queriendo… Posted by Adir on Aug 21, 2008
El Chavo del Ocho (The Kid from Apartment #8) is a Mexican TV show about an orphan kid who lives in a barrel (#8) and other inhabitants of a typical Mexican condominium/apartment building, una vecindad. The show started in 1970 in Channel 8 but then moved on to Televisa and it was cancelled in 1980…