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Spanish Carnival traditions: la Mussona. Posted by Magda on Feb 27, 2014
Vuelve el carnaval, y con él tradiciones y fiestas a cual más curiosa. Gracias a un amigo he sabido de este inquietante personaje que sale a pasear durante los carnavales de Águilas (Murcia): la Mussona. Se trata de una figura mitad humana, mitad animal, que representa tanto el lado civilizado como el lado salvaje que…
Spanish false friends… Beware! Posted by Magda on Feb 13, 2014
Learning vocabulary can be very easy (I´m sure you remember the “Similar words in English and Spanish” post) because Spanish and English have lots of cognates, words with the same etymology and similar meaning. However, it can also be confusing because in both languages there are words with similar spelling or pronunciation, but quite different…
Similar words in English and Spanish Posted by Magda on Jan 15, 2014
¿Es aprender español uno de tus propósitos de año nuevo? No te asustes, porque hay un montón de palabras que ya conoces. Por ejemplo, puedes ver un film y dar tu opinión sobre el actor principal. También puedes comprar un álbum de música y decir a tus amigos cómo de admirable (u horrible, dependiendo del…
Happy New Year! Singing “Un año más” with Mecano Posted by Magda on Dec 31, 2013
Today we say goodbye to 2013, and welcome a new year. As you know, we Spanish people have the tradition of eating twelve grapes at midnight: a grape is eaten for each stroke of the clock at 12pm on December 31st, and each grape is supposed to represent one month of the New Year. Most…
Spanish Christmas vocabulary and expressions Posted by Magda on Dec 30, 2013
Although Christmas is almost over for some of you, (here in Spain it lasts till next January the 6th), I want to share some useful vocabulary and expressions related to this festivity. Dates Nochebuena: Christmas Eve Día de navidad: Christmas Day Año Nuevo: New Year Nochevieja: New Year’s Eve Día de año nuevo: New Year’s…
Olentzero, a Basque version of Santa Claus Posted by Magda on Dec 26, 2013
Estoy convencida de que habéis recibido montones de regales de Santa hace un par de días. La mayoría de nosotros en España tendremos que esperar la llegada de los Tres Reyes Magos, la noche del 5 de enero. Sin embargo, en el País Vasco hay una tradición diferente que coexiste con Santa y nuestros magos…
Spanish teens´ slang and expressions Posted by Magda on Dec 12, 2013
As you know, vocabulary is a key element when you are learning a new language. The difficult part of it is that in everyday language, every social group seems to share a particular code. Adults don´t speak as teens, so we need to cover all these linguistic varieties. It can be a tough task, but…