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Progressive constructions in Spanish Posted by Magda on Apr 28, 2010
Progressive constructions Most intermediate learners of Spanish are familiar with the present progressive tense (presente progresivo), which is the most common progressive construction. The present progressive tense is formed using the present tense of the verb ESTAR (to be) + the gerund (-ing form) of the main verb, called. If you need a reminder, this…
Luis Buñuel Posted by Magda on Apr 27, 2010
Ask anyone about a Spanish film director, and most people will think of Almodóvar first. However, one of the best and most influential film directors of all time was Luis Buñuel. If you haven’t seen any of his movies yet, you don’t know what you’re missing. Buñuel was born with the 20th century in Spain…
El Chupacabras Posted by Magda on Apr 21, 2010
There are several legendary creatures around the world which are part of local legends and lore. Scotland has “Nessie”, the Loch Ness monster; North America has Saasquatch, also known as Bigfoot; and in Asia a similar creature is called the Yeti. In Latin America, they have the scariest one of all: El Chupacabras. The difference…
Spanish Numbers 1-100 Posted by Magda on Apr 14, 2010
One or the most basic skills we need to know when learning a language is how to count and use numbers, so here we go! I remember when I was a child, and I practiced my numbers everyday with El Conde Dracu (Count Von Count). I loved it! Next you can have a look at…
Semana Santa in Spain Posted by Magda on Apr 2, 2010
We talked about Carnavales (Carnival) a few weeks ago, and now it’s time to do the same about Semana Santa (Easter). The weeks after Carnaval leading up to Semana Santa are known as Cuaresma (Lent), a word related to the number cuarenta (forty), because forty days is the period when Christians prepare themselves with prayers…
Greguerías Posted by Magda on Mar 26, 2010
Today we are going to talk about a literary device that is part of Spanish culture: a mixture between “juego de palabras” (pun) and metáfora (metaphor), known as Greguería. The name was coined by the Spanish author Ramón Gómez de la Serna, one of the first writers to use this device. He was born in…
Dequeísmo Posted by Magda on Mar 24, 2010
“Dequeísmo” It is becoming increasingly more common to hear incorrect expressions in Spanish such as: Pienso de que… Creo de que… Opino de que… Dije de que… Not only among students of the language, but also native speakers. There are certain verbs that require the preposition “de”, but to do so when it is not…