As 2011 is already gone,\u00a0 I think it would be a good idea to review what posts in our Transparent Spanish blog have been the most popular ones. Christmas topics, learning tips, cultural information and legends, and even different ways to chat people up! Here are our Top 10:<\/p>\n
Posadas<\/strong> is a wonderful Mexican holiday that brings neighbors and friends together for nine festive nights of singing and eating. <\/strong>Beginning December 16th and continuing through Christmas Eve, Posadas reenact the experience of Joseph and Mary as they wandered from house to house, looking for shelter<\/p>\n Today we will look at three new, very useful, verbs: to need (\u201cnecesitar\u201d), to want (\u201cquerer\u201d) and to prefer (\u201cpreferir\u201d). I will explain how you should form each of the verbs and how you can use them to make sentences.<\/p>\n Traveling is great, isn\u2019t it? You get to meet people, be in places other than your regular city and learn a lot while traveling. So in this post I\u2019m going to give you some useful expressions for when you\u2019re at the check-in counter at the airport.<\/p>\n When you are learning a language, you have to deal with correct grammar and vocabulary, but you also have to bear in mind its common usage. One main problem not only for Spanish learners but also for native speakers is the linguistic phenomenon known as \u201cle\u00edsmo<\/em>\u201d, closely related to \u201clo\u00edsmo<\/em>, and la\u00edsmo<\/em>\u201d: they are variations from standard Spanish involving the third person object pronouns.<\/p>\n In order to avoid them, we have to bear in mind the form and function of these pronouns in Spanish\u2026<\/p>\n Apenas<\/strong><\/em> is an adverb<\/strong> frequently used in the Spanish language, and one that has a multiplicity of meanings and applications<\/strong>. It\u2019s one of those words that require you to use the context to determine which meaning the speaker intends. My Spanish students would often complain about this phenomenon, until I reminded them how context-driven oral English is: just think of how confusing \u201ctwo\u201d, \u201ctoo\u201d, and \u201cto\u201d is! So, it is not my intention to confuse or frustrate you, but here are the four main meanings of the fickle yet utterly useful word apenas<\/em>.<\/p>\n Given the importance of October 12th<\/strong> in Spanish history, perhaps it is surprising that Columbus Day was first celebrated in 1866 by the Italians of New York City, in honor of Columbus\u2019 Italian heritage. It wasn\u2019t until 1913 that the day was made an official celebration in Spain<\/strong> (and soon after in Latin America<\/strong>), as a way to commemorate the union of Spain with the peoples of the Americas, the forging of a new pan-Hispanic identity, and the spreading of the Spanish language. Generally, October 12th is considered a positive celebration of the mixing of peoples and cultures.<\/p>\n Well, I was thinking the other day and I came to the conclusion that one of the most important things when you set out to do something new is to have attitude. I mean, not a nasty attitude towards anything but a very positive and proactive attitude.<\/p>\n That takes a truckload of determination, patience, hard work and consistency. And let me tell you something: it feels awesome when things (language patterns) start falling into place and you see, in your head, how the language is built.<\/p>\n There are stories you hear when you are a child, and they scare you do death. In Spain we were always threatened with \u201cEl hombre <\/strong>del<\/strong> saco<\/strong>\u201d (The man with a bag) or \u201cEl sacamantecas<\/strong><\/em>\u201d to make you eat, vegetables in my case, or behave appropriately.<\/p>\n That must be the reason why I found this Mexican legend so interesting. \u201cLa Llorona<\/em><\/strong>\u201d is the Spanish name for \u201cThe Weeping Woman\u201d. Although this legend is originally from Mexico, there are several different versions in Spanish-speaking cultures in Central and South America. The basic story tells us about the ghostly apparition of a mysterious woman dressed in white, wandering at night and crying for her lost children: \u201cAyyy, mis hijos!\u201d <\/em>(Oh, my children!).<\/p>\n This post goes for the ones who haven\u2019t found their soul mate or only want to have some fun. \u00bfMe prestas una moneda? Tengo que llamar a mi madre y decirle que encontr\u00e9 el amor de mi vida.<\/em> \u2013 Can I borrow a coin? I have to call my mom and tell her I\u2019ve met the love of my life. I\u2019m sure you have studied the differences between \u201cser\u201d and \u201cestar\u201d tons of times, but as I see there are some friends asking about them these days both in our blog and the Transparent Spanish page, I think it\u2019s a good idea to review them, now in a particular way: we are going to see how we use these verbs in some \u201cfrases hechas<\/em><\/strong>\u201d (idioms).<\/p>\n – Estar de mala leche. To be in a bad mood<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n – Ser harina de otro costal. To be a horse of a different color<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n -No ser nada del otro jueves. To be no big deal<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Happy New Year!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As 2011 is already gone,\u00a0 I think it would be a good idea to review what posts in our Transparent Spanish blog have been the most popular ones. Christmas topics, learning tips, cultural information and legends, and even different ways to chat people up! Here are our Top 10: Las Posadas Songs Posadas is a…<\/p>\nSpanish Lesson Beginner 20 To need, to want, to prefer<\/a><\/h2>\n
At the airport: the check-in<\/a><\/h2>\n
Problems using la, le, lo (la\u00edsmo, le\u00edsmo, lo\u00edsmo)<\/a><\/h2>\n
Apenas<\/a><\/h2>\n
Columbus Day in the Spanish Speaking World<\/a><\/h2>\n
Learning tip: Attitude!<\/a><\/h2>\n
\u201cLa Llorona\u201d, a Mexican legend<\/a><\/h2>\n
Pick-up lines in Spanish<\/a><\/h2>\n
\n\u00bfTienes un novio? \u00bfNo? \u00bfQuieres uno?<\/em> \u2013 Do you have a boyfriend? No? Want one?
\nSabes, chicas como t\u00fa dan a chicos como yo una raz\u00f3n para vivir.<\/em> \u2013 You know, girls like you give guys like me a reason to live.<\/p>\n\u201cSer y estar\u201d, jugando con frases hechas<\/a><\/h2>\n