The colorfully-dressed matador in the ring with the bull is an iconic image strongly associated with Spain. In fact, it’s probably one of the first things foreigners who have never even visited the country will mention if you ask them about Spain. “Hey, isn’t that the country where they have bullfights and do siestas?”

Even though they say they don’t like the idea of animal torture, a lot of tourists want to see a  bullfight anyway. They buy tickets to see the bloody spectacle because “it’s a tradition.” It’s as if they believe that their visit to Spain will be incomplete unless they get to see a bullfight.

But times have changed and there are many Spaniards who find bullfighting a cruel, barbaric activity that should be banned forever. In fact, it was the efforts of Spanish animal rights activists that brought about the vote in the parliament.

At this point it’s uncertain whether or not other autonomous communities in Spain will follow suit. There’s still a sizable industry which exists around bullfighting and Spain’s conservative political party, el Partido Popular, is now rushing to come up with a new law that will give bullfighting special cultural status which will prevent it from being banned in Madrid.

What do you think? Is bullfighting a tradition which should be abolished? Or do you think there is a place for this kind of Old World tradition in a 21st-century modern, industrialized society?

La ciudad monumental y universitaria de Salamanca es famosa y es un lugar genial aprender español. Las calles del centro de la ciudad, en las que se respira un ambiente juvenil gracias a sus miles de universitarios españoles y extranjeros, desembocan siempre en su bellísima y muy animada Plaza Mayor.

Aunque el castellano nació en Cantabria y comenzó a escribirse en La Rioja, la lengua castellana recibió su nombre y se extendió por toda España y por América gracias a la importancia política de Castilla.  De hecho, Castilla fue el reino más poderoso, junto al de Aragón, de los muchos que surgieron en la Península Ibérica en la Edad Media.

El castellano de Castilla y León presenta algunas peculiaridades.

• Es habitual, incluso entre personas cultas, el leísmo, el laísmo y el loísmo, es decir, la confusión en el uso de los pronombres de complemento directo e indirecto.

• La d final de las palabras se pronuncia frecuentemente como una z (¡Veniz acá!)

• Como sucede en otras zonas, en la lengua oral se pierde la –d en las palabras acabadas en –ado (Estoy muy cansao).

————-

El ejemplo de un hablante de Castilla y León es José Manuel Pérez Ovejas, director tecnico, enólogo de Bodegas Hermanos Pérez Pascuas, ubicado en pleno corazón del Ribera del Duero. (En inglés, un enólogo es un “oenologist” o sea, “a wine expert.”)

Here’s some video of the places mentioned in the podcast.
La mezquita de Córdoba

I don’t know who the two men are in this video but I picked it because it has a lot of good shots of people wearing traditional clothing (women in flamenco dresses and men wearing “trajes cortos”) during the Feria de abril in Sevilla.

En Sevilla, la catedral y sobre todo su torre, la Giralda, es el símbolo más conocido de la ciudad. La Giralda es, en realidad, una torre de origen árabe a la que se añadió, siglos más tarde, un remate barroco.

El carácter festivo de Sevilla se refleja especialmente en la primavera, primero en la famosa Semana Santa y poco después en la Feria de abril.

En el siglo X y bajo dominio árabe, Córdoba fue la ciudad más importante del mundo. De esa época de esplendor conserva la Mezquita, convertida luego en catedral cristiana.

La Alhambra de Granada es una joya arquitectónica. Palacio refinado y fortaleza militar a la vez, la Alhambra es una obra maestra y la riquísima decoración y los jardines del Generalife forman un conjunto impresionante.

Por supuesto hay más lugares y rincones para ver, para pasear y para perderse en Andalucía. Sitios como la provincia de Almería y las ciudades de Cádiz, Jerez y Málaga.

En Andalucía, el castellano tiene algunos rasgos específicos:

En muchas zonas es común el seseo, es decir pronunciar como s el fonema /z/ (casuela en vez de cazuela, sirco por circo).

En otros lugares, en cambio, se cecea, esto es, se pronuncia el fonema /s/ como z (cevillano en vez de sevillano o zimple por simple).

L s se aspira y llega a desparecer cuando va al final de la palabra (casah o casa en vez de casas).

L d entre dos vocales también tiende a desaparecer (deo en lugar de dedo, peaso en vez de pedazo, pare por padre…).

L ch se pronuncia casi como una sh (mushasho y no muchacho).

En algunas provincias se usa ustedes en lugar de vosotros en ambientes familiares o de amigos.

Al final de sílaba o de palabra la r y la l pueden confundirse (sordao por soldado) o pueden desaparecer (mujé por mujer o papé en vez de papel.)

(Música: Estrella Morente)

Nadie habrá dejado de observar que con frecuencia el suelo se pliega de manera tal que una parte sube en ángulo recto con el plano del suelo, y luego la parte siguiente se coloca paralela a este plano, para dar paso a una nueva perpendicular, conducta que se repite en espiral o en línea quebrada hasta alturas sumamente variables. Agachándose y poniendo la mano izquierda en una de las partes verticales, y la derecha en la horizontal correspondiente, se está en posesión momentánea de un peldaño o escalón. Cada uno de estos peldaños, formados como se ve por dos elementos, se situá un tanto más arriba y adelante que el anterior, principio que da sentido a la escalera, ya que cualquiera otra combinación producirá formas quizá más bellas o pintorescas, pero incapaces de trasladar de una planta baja a un primer piso.

Las escaleras se suben de frente, pues hacia atrás o de costado resultan particularmente incómodas. La actitud natural consiste en mantenerse de pie, los brazos colgando sin esfuerzo, la cabeza erguida aunque no tanto que los ojos dejen de ver los peldaños inmediatamente superiores al que se pisa, y respirando lenta y regularmente. Para subir una escalera se comienza por levantar esa parte del cuerpo situada a la derecha abajo, envuelta casi siempre en cuero o gamuza, y que salvo excepciones cabe exactamente en el escalón. Puesta en el primer peldaño dicha parte, que para abreviar llamaremos pie, se recoge la parte equivalente de la izquierda (también llamada pie, pero que no ha de confundirse con el pie antes citado), y llevándola a la altura del pie, se le hace seguir hasta colocarla en el segundo peldaño, con lo cual en éste descansará el pie, y en el primero descansará el pie. (Los primeros peldaños son siempre los más difíciles, hasta adquirir la coordinación necesaria. La coincidencia de nombre entre el pie y el pie hace difícil la explicación. Cuídese especialmente de no levantar al mismo tiempo el pie y el pie).

Llegado en esta forma al segundo peldaño, basta repetir alternadamente los movimientos hasta encontrarse con el final de la escalera. Se sale de ella fácilmente, con un ligero golpe de talón que la fija en su sitio, del que no se moverá hasta el momento del descenso.

Dr. Martin is a podcasting pioneer. She was the first person to ever do an instructional Spanish language podcast for healthcare professionals and she has had one of the longest-running podcasts out there focused on Spanish grammar.

Here is a Q&A I did recently with Molly about her instructional Spanish language programs:

What prompted you to start the Medical Spanish Podcast?

Actually many things. My dad introduced me to podcasts during my Internal Medicine residency, and I found they were a great way to study medicine. I would listen to them while exercising and commuting. And then I discovered Spanish podcasts! My favorites are those that present everyday conversational Spanish and are interactive. When I saw there were no medical Spanish podcasts I decided to create my own using this format.

What is the format of the podcast?

As an Internal Medicine doctor, taking a good clinical history is key to providing quality care. So most topics we cover are based on a dialogue between a health professional and a patient. In writing these dialogues, I make sure to include the key questions you should ask when presented with a particular health concern.  All the dialogues are written and recorded with native Spanish speakers. And each dialogue is accompanied by a series of interactive exercises, which make up our Premium Podcast Series. The interactive exercises, are like audio flashcards, with spaces for the listener to translate the key vocabulary and key phrases from the dialogue. During these translation exercises, I try to explain the more tricky grammatical constructs using examples. I also plan to do more interviews pertaining to books, organizations and classes, of interest to those learning medical Spanish.

What level of Spanish does one need to have to benefit from the podcast? Currently, most of our lessons are for the intermediate to advanced Spanish speaker, but I’m in the process of developing more lessons for the beginner. At our website, I’ve included a notation next to each series denoting its level.

Is the podcast for doctors and nurses only?

Nope. Anyone who loves Spanish and wants to expand their medical vocabulary and speaking skills can benefit from this podcast. I think the best thing about them is that they are based on conversations and include interactive exercises so they really get you speaking and using your Spanish. Health is a common subject in everyday conversation, and the podcast focuses on the Spanish used with the patient, not the technical language of medical professionals.

How would you recommend people incorporate the podcast into a Spanish learning program?

I made the podcasts as a fun way to practice your spoken Spanish while commuting or exercising. They’re a great way to get yourself talking in Spanish when you’re amongst non-Spanish speakers.

How frequently are episodes released?

I publish a new episode for the free podcast at least every 2 weeks. And we will be putting together at least 10 Premium Podcast Series per year. Each series will focus on a topic introduced in the free podcast.

You recently redesigned and relaunched your web site. What are some of the major changes?

I’m really excited about this, as I think it will allow me to keep the Medical Spanish Podcast going strong! The new site gives gives the user the option to subscribe to Premium Podcast Series. I wanted to keep everything simple and automatic, while at the same time versatile. Once you create an account you are given a personal podcast feed. When you purchase one of our Premium Podcast Series, it automatically downloads to your computer through iTunes or another feed reader of your choice. We also have an annual subscription option, where you automatically receive every Premium Podcast Series we make.  Some other added features of the new site, is that now the show notes are viewable on your iPhone, in addition to your iPod and iPad. And now the podcasts are organized into categories making it easy to find what you want. Soon we will be adding quizzes.

Do you have a favorite episode or series of episodes?

Well we just started collaborating with Language Tailor, an online Spanish school, so I think the most recent series on Chest Pain and Asthma are the best indication of what to expect from future series.

You also have a Spanish Grammar podcast. Can you tell us a little about that podcast?

That was actually my first podcast, and it was the grammar group you and Michael Ray Lovett started over Skype that inspired the first episodes. I use this podcast to practice advanced grammatical concepts, and I’ve learned a lot during the process of writing it. I go over all the episodes with a native Spanish speaker. Instead of lengthy explanations, I use examples to demonstrate grammatical concepts. I started using this same technique to explain grammar in the Medial Spanish Podcast. I try to publish about one Spanish Grammar Podcast episode per month.

Molly’s website: Medical Spanish Podcast.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Instrucciones de Julio Cortázar

Preámbulo a las instrucciones para dar cuerda al reloj

Piensa en esto: cuando te regalan un reloj te regalan un pequeño infierno florido, una cadena de rosas, un calabozo de aire. No te dan solamente el reloj, que los cumplas muy felices y esperamos que te dure porque es de buena marca, suizo con áncora de rubíes; no te regalan solamente ese menudo picapedrero que te atarás a la muñeca y pasearás contigo. Te regalan —no lo saben, lo terrible es que no lo saben—, te regalan un nuevo pedazo frágil y precario de ti mismo, algo que es tuyo pero no es tu cuerpo, que hay que atar a tu cuerpo con su correa como un bracito desesperado colgándose de tu muñeca. Te regalan la necesidad de darle cuerda todos los días, la obligación de darle cuerda para que siga siendo un reloj; te regalan la obsesión de atender a la hora exacta en las vitrinas de las joyerías, en el anuncio por la radio, en el servicio telefónico. Te regalan el miedo de perderlo, de que te lo roben, de que se te caiga al suelo y se rompa. Te regalan su marca, y la seguridad de que es una marca mejor que las otras, te regalan la tendencia de comparar tu reloj con los demás relojes. No te regalan un reloj, tú eres el regalado, a ti te ofrecen para el cumpleaños del reloj.

Instrucciones para dar cuerda al reloj

Allá al fondo está la muerte, pero no tenga miedo. Sujete el reloj con una mano, tome con dos dedos la llave de la cuerda, remóntela suavemente. Ahora se abre otro plazo, los árboles despliegan sus hojas, las barcas corren regatas, el tiempo como un abanico se va llenando de sí mismo y de él brotan el aire, las brisas de la tierra, la sombra de una mujer, el perfume del pan.

¿Qué más quiere, qué más quiere? Atelo pronto a su muñeca, déjelo latir en libertad, imítelo anhelante. El miedo herrumbra las áncoras, cada cosa que pudo alcanzarse y fue olvidada va corroyendo las venas del reloj, gangrenando la fría sangre de sus rubíes. Y allá en el fondo está la muerte si no corremos y llegamos antes y comprendemos que ya no importa.

“Instala el amor”

Autor desconocido

(Música: “A la dirección” by Montoto)

Mujer: Centro de Atención al Cliente: ¿En qué puedo ayudarle?

Hombre: Acabo de adquirir el nuevo programa llamado AMOR. No soy muy técnico, pero creo que sería capaz de instalarlo con su ayuda…. ¿Qué es lo que debo hacer primero?

M: Lo primero que tiene que hacer es abrir SU CORAZÓN. ¿Lo tiene localizado?

H: Sí está, pero hay otros programas ejecutándose en este momento. ¿Puedo proceder a la instalación mientras están estos programas activos?

M.: ¿Qué programas son?

H: Vamos a ver……Tengo DAÑOSPASADOS, BAJAESTIMA, ENVIDIA….. Ah!, y RESENTIMIENTO ejecutándose en estos momentos…

M.: ¡No hay problema!. El programa AMOR borrará automáticamente el programa DAÑOSPASADOS de su sistema operativo, el cual puede permanecer en la memoria permanente, pero no entrará en conflicto con otros programas. AMOR sobreescribirá temporalmente BAJAESTIMA con el módulo que incluye llamado ALTAAUTOESTIMA. Sin embargo, es necesario que cierre completamente los programas CORAJES y RESENTIMIENTO, ya que esos programas pueden alterar la instalación de AMOR. ¿Puede cerrarlos ahora?

H: No sé exactamente cómo tengo que hacer, ¿me puede decir cómo?

M.: Es un placer. Vaya al menú INICIO y ejecute la aplicación OLVIDO. Repita este paso hasta que los ficheros CORAJES y RESENTIMIENTO hayan sido borrados completamente.

H: ¡¡Bien!!, parece que funciona….AMOR se ha empezado a instalar automáticamente….¿Es normal?

M.: Sí, lo es. Ahora debería recibir un mensaje indicando que se reinstalará de por vida en el directorio SU CORAZÓN, ¿aparece ese mensaje?

H: Sí aparece. ¿Ya está completamente instalado?

M: Sí, claro, pero recuerde que lo que Ud. tiene solamente es el programa base…. ahora necesita conectarlo a otro fichero en otro computador para que pueda conseguir las actualizaciones.

H: Oooppppsss…Tengo un mensaje de ERROR, ¿qué puedo hacer?

M: ¿De qué mensaje se trata?

H: Dice: “ERROR 412 – PROGRAMA NO ESTÁ EJECUTANDOSE EN COMPONENTES INTERNOS.”… ¿qué significa?

M.: No se preocupe, es un problema común, significa que la aplicación AMOR está ejecutándose en CORAZÓNES externos de otras computadoras, pero todavía no se ha empezado a ejecutar aún en el suyo propio… Esto quiere decir que debe identificar algunos programas llamados AMISTAD y los renombre como POSIBLEAMOR. Esto es uno de los problemas técnicos que aún no hemos acabado de resolver porque cada computador es diferente, pero no significa que le vaya a fallar técnicamente el programa AMOR. En términos de programación significa que debe que tener el programa AMOR ejecutándose en su computador antes que AMAR en el otro computador para conectarse…

H: ¿Qué debería hacer?

M: ¿Puede encontrar el directorio llamado ACEPTAMIENTOS?

H: Sí lo he localizado.

M: Excelente. Va por el buen camino….

H: Gracias

M: De nada, Haga click en los siguientes ficheros AUTOOLVIDO, AUTOESTIMA, MEJORAS y BONDAD y cópielos al directorio MI CORAZÓN. El sistema sobreescribirá cualquier fichero con conflictos y fallos de programación. También necesita eliminar los ficheros AUTOCRITICA y CULPABILIDAD de todos sus directorios, y después vaciar completamente la PAPELERA DE RECICLAJE, para asegurar que nunca más podrán ser recuperados.

H: ¡Conseguido! “MI CORAZÓN” está empezando a llenarse de ficheros organizados, el video SONRISA está viéndose en mi monitor en estos momentos, y las aplicaciones ENAMORAMIENTO, PAZ, e ILUSION se están autoescribiendo en “MI CORAZÓN”.

M: Entonces la aplicación AMOR está instalada y ejecutándose correctamente. A partir de ahora debe ser Ud. capaz de manejarla correctamente… Una cosa antes de terminar…

H: ¿Sí?

M: AMOR es “freeware”. Asegúrese de distribuirlo y enviárselo conjunto a todos sus módulos de ficheros a todo el mundo… Eso asegurará que los ficheros de su computador estén siempre bien organizados y que el otro computador al que esté conectado le devuelva siempre los ficheros deseados.

H: Por supuesto que lo haré, muchísimas gracias por su ayuda.

M: Ha sido un placer ayudarle…..

¡Instala el AMOR en tu CORAZÓN!

Fati is from Argentina and Charles is from Brooklyn, NY. When they got married and started a family, it was very important to both of them that they raise bilingual children. Back in August 2008 they started singing songs in Spanish on the weekends in a Brooklyn park. Their musical outings grew in popularity and eventually they decided to formalize their project by recording a CD and launching their company called Abbasubi.

Most of the songs center on everyday life (going to school, getting dressed, taking a bath, etc.) and are a neat way to help young children maintain contact with the Spanish language.

Click here for a link to a PDF of the story.

It’s an impressive achievement, especially when you consider the book’s size (close to 4,000 pages) and it’s price (120€ / $168). Obviously there is an untapped need for such a book.

Two other editions, smaller in size, will be available later this year. Listen to this week’s podcast “La nueva gramática española de la A a la Z” for some of the odd items listed in the two-volume set.

Tourism is one of the most important industries in Spain injecting billions of euros in revenue into its economy. Approximately 58 million foreigners visit Spain each year, making the country the third-most popular tourist destination in the world after France and the United States. However, in recent years the tourism sector has been hit hard by the global recession.

It’s been a long time since Turespaña, Spain’s tourism board, has come up with a new advertising slogan. With the industry in a collective slump, this year is considered a good a time to start reminding the world that Spain remains an ideal tourist destination.

Its classic marketing phrase created back in the 1960s,( “Spain is Different”), was officially retired long ago. However, it remains an iconic phrase that people still use to this day.

The new slogan, which was announced last month, is “Necesito España. (I need Spain).” When I first heard of this marketing campaign I was excited to see the ads, but I was a little disappointed once I saw them.

The ads look great but something is…missing. The commercials are about the foreign traveler’s experience in Spain but two of the four ads seem kind of generic in terms of imagery. You don’t come away with a strong sense of the distinctive personality of the people and the culture of Spain. It’s all rather safe and bland.

And I think I know a possible reason why. The ad agency behind the campaign is McKann Erickson, a U.S. advertising firm, famous for many big ad campaigns and well-known ad slogans. But perhaps it would’ve been better if Turespaña had gone with a homegrown “Made in Spain” ad agency to get a more unique flavor to the ads.

The first ad of a young family on a beach vacation looks like they could be in Florida. Yes, there are brief shots of La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias in Valencia, a dish of paella and of a volcano on the Canary Islands, but the overall imagery isn’t distinctive enough.

With the exception of a few shots, there is little one-on-one interaction between tourists and Spaniards. (Although the very brief clip of the two old Spaniards giving the family conflicting directions by pointing in opposite directions made me laugh. Blink and you’ll miss it.) The foreigners are having fun but in a bubble where they don’t need to rub elbows with the natives.

The second spot, the one with the three young friends, works because it does represent what pretty well what a young single person’s vacation would be like in Spain. Also, I appreciate that the female in the group looks like she could be Spanish. It appears that the two guys are foreign friends who have come to visit, perhaps not for the first time because the closing line is “necesito volver a España.”

But the best commercial, in my opinion, is the last one with the Asian couple because it gives a good sense of place, mixing images of narrow streets with famous monuments and beautiful landscapes. It’s romantic, dreamy and glamorous and I feel like I’m in Spain when I see that particular spot.

But I think my biggest problem with the ads is that they’re all in Spanish. Comments on YouTube from Spaniards are uniformly positive about the ads. But they’re not the target audience. Turespaña claims that the target audience for this ad campaign is an international one, residing outside of Spain. They specifically wish to increase the number of visitors from Asia and North America.

However, it’s been a little over a month since they announced the campaign and they still haven’t released any versions of the commercials in English or any other language. There’s no info on their website as to when they will launch the campaign in English and what other languages will be included. C’mon Turespaña, that’s Marketing 101: Know your audience and cater to it.

To those of you have been to Spain or live in Spain, what do you think of these ads? Do they effectively capture what it’s like? And to those of you who have never been to Spain, do these ads make you want to pack your bags and come for a visit? Tell me what you think in the comments below.

Dejar de ser mono

de Augusto Monterroso

EL espíritu de investigación no tiene límites. En los Estados Unidos y en Europa han descubierto a últimas fechas que existe una especie de monos hispanoamericanos capaces de expresarse por escrito, réplicas quizá del mono diligente que a fuerza de teclear una máquina termina por escribir de nuevo, azarosamente, los sonetos de Shakespeare. Tal cosa, como es natural, llena estas buenas gentes de asombro, y no falta quien traduzca nuestros libros, ni, mucho menos, ociosos que los compren, como antes compraban las cabecitas reducidas de los jíbaros. Hace más de cuatro siglos que fray Bartolomé de las Casas pudo convencer a los europeos de que éramos humanos y de que teníamos un alma porque nos reíamos; ahora quieren convencerse de lo mismo porque escribimos.

El conejo y el león

de Augusto Monterroso

Un celebre Psicoanalista se encontró cierto día en medio de la Selva, semiperdido.
Con la fuerza que dan el instinto y el afán de investigación logró fácilmente subirse a un altísimo árbol, desde el cual pudo observar a su antojo no sólo la lenta puesta del sol sino además la vida y costumbres de algunos animales, que comparó una y otra vez con las de los humanos.

Al caer la tarde vio aparecer, por un lado, al Conejo; por otro, al León.

En un principio no sucedió nada digno de mencionarse, pero poco
después ambos animales sintieron sus respectivas presencias y, cuando
toparon el uno con el otro, cada cual reaccionó como lo había venido
haciendo desde que el hombre era hombre.

El León estremeció la Selva con sus rugidos, sacudió la melena
majestuosamente como era su costumbre y hendió el aire con sus garras
enormes; por su parte, el Conejo respiró con mayor celeridad, vio un
instante a los ojos del León, dio media vuelta y se alejó corriendo.

De regreso a la ciudad el celebre Psicoanalista publicó cum laude su
famoso tratado en que demuestra que el León es el animal más infantil
y cobarde de la Selva, y el Conejo el más valiente y maduro: el León
ruge y hace gestos y amenaza al universo movido por el miedo; el
Conejo advierte esto, conoce su propia fuerza, y se retira antes de
perder la paciencia y acabar con aquel ser extravagante y fuera de sí,
al que comprende y que después de todo no le ha hecho nada.

Matthew has lived and worked in Spain for more than a decade as a translator and language teacher. He has written extensively about the highs and lows of his career on his blog, from launching a business in Spain to selling it and starting over again. He also has a free email newsletter called the Spanglish Lex List filled with Spanish vocabulary and news articles related to the Spanish economy, politics and culture. You can subscribe to his newsletter by visiting his blog MatthewBennet.es. If you’re on Twitter, you can find him @MatthewBennett.

“Cómo acercarse a las fábulas”

de Augusto Monterroso

Con precaución, como a cualquier cosa pequeña. Pero sin miedo. Finalmente se

descubrirá que ninguna fábula es dañina, excepto cuando alcanza a verse en ella alguna enseñanza. Esto es malo.

Si no fuera malo, el mundo se regiría por las fábulas de Esopo; pero en tal caso desaparecería todo lo que hace interesante el mundo, como los ricos, los prejuicios raciales, el color de la ropa interior y la guerra; y el mundo sería entonces muy aburrido, porque no habría heridos para las sillas de ruedas, ni pobres a quienes ayudar, ni negros para trabajar en los muelles, ni gente bonita para la revista Vogue.

Así, lo mejor es acercarse a las fábulas buscando de qué reír.

-Eso es. He ahí un libro de fábulas. Corre a comprarlo. No, mejor te lo regalo: verás, yo nunca me había reído tanto.

You can find the complete text of “El mono y el cocodrilo” on Raji’s blog, Spanish Learnings, where she writes in both Spanish and English about interesting aspects of life in India.

Thanks, Raji!

[Raji's blog: http://spanishlearnings.blogspot.com]

• El dedo (read by Eugenio of Mexico)
• El doble para sus vecinos (read by Donizetti from Colombia)
• Diez años después (read by Luis from Spain)

You can find the complete texts of these stories by clicking on the individual story titles above.

Diez años después

Un cuento hindú

El monarca de un reino de la India tuvo noticias de que había en la localidad un faquir capaz de realizar extraordinarias proezas. El rey lo hizo llamar y, cuando lo tuvo ante él, le preguntó:

-¿Qué proezas puedes efectuar?

-Muchas, majestad -repuso el faquir-. Por ejemplo, puedo permanecer bajo tierra durante meses o incluso años.

-¿Podrías ser enterrado por diez años y seguir con vida después? -preguntó el monarca.

-Sin duda, majestad -aseveró el faquir.

-Si es así, cuando seas desenterrado, recibirás el diamante más puro del reino.

Se procedió a enterrar al faquir.

Se preparó una fosa a varios metros de profundidad y se dispuso de una urna de plomo. El faquir, antes de ser sepultado, se extendió hablando sobre sus cualidades espirituales y morales que hacían posible su autodominio y poder. Todos quedaron convencidos de su santidad. Fue introducido a continuación en la urna y enterrado.

Durante diez años hubo guardianes vigilando la fosa. Nadie albergaba la menor esperanza de que el faquir sobreviviese a la prueba.

Transcurrió el tiempo convenido. Toda la corte acudió a la tumba del faquir, con la certeza de que, a pesar de su santidad y poder, habría muerto y el cadáver sería solamente un conjunto de huesos putrefactos.

Sacaron la urna al exterior, la abrieron y hallaron al faquir en estado de catalepsia. Poco a poco el hombre se fue reanimando, efectuó varias respiraciones profundas, abrió los ojos, dio un salto y sus primeras palabras fueron:

-¡Por Dios!, ¡¿dónde está el diamante?!

The audio of minicuentos 8, 9 and 10 are all part of one recording which you can find in the March 28, 2010 blog entry entitled “3 Minicuentos”: http://spanish-podcast.com/2010/03/28/3-minicuentos/

El doble para sus vecinos

Zeus, el dios que reinaba sobre todos los dioses griegos, salió a dar un paseo por la tierra pues sentía curiosidad por las cosas de los hombres. En su paseo llegó a una aldea donde parecían reinar la discordia y el odio. En un campo descubrió a un labrador que se mataba a trabajar hasta el agotamiento, empujando penosamente la reja de un miserable arado.

Zeus quiso enseñar algo de generosidad en la comarca, y le dijo:

-Soy el gran Zeus, y estoy en disposición de concederle cualquier cosa que desee. Pídame lo que quiera y se lo daré. Pero antes debe saber que por cada cosa que pida daré el doble a sus vecinos. Si usted me pide cien monedas de oro, les reglaré doscientas a ellos…

El labrador apretó la boca mientras cavilaba, hasta que por fin con una malvada sonrisa expresó su deseo:

-¡Reviénteme un ojo!

The audio of minicuentos 8, 9 and 10 are all part of one recording which you can find in the March 28, 2010 blog entry entitled “3 Minicuentos”: http://spanish-podcast.com/2010/03/28/3-minicuentos/

El dedo

Un cuento chino

Un hombre pobre se encontró en su camino a un antiguo amigo. Éste tenía un poder sobrenatural que le permitía hacer milagros. Como el hombre pobre se quejara de las dificultades de su vida, su amigo tocó con el dedo un ladrillo que de inmediato se convirtió en oro. Se lo ofreció al pobre, pero éste se lamentó de que eso era muy poco. El amigo tocó un león de piedra que se convirtió en un león de oro macizo y lo agregó al ladrillo de oro. El amigo insistió en que ambos regalos eran poca cosa.

-¿Qué más deseas, pues? -le preguntó sorprendido el hacedor de prodigios.

-¡Quisiera tu dedo! -contestó el otro.

The audio of minicuentos 8, 9 and 10 are all part of one recording which you can find in the March 28, 2010 blog entry entitled “3 Minicuentos”: http://spanish-podcast.com/2010/03/28/3-minicuentos/

LA VENTANA

Autor desconocido

Había una vez dos hombres, los dos con enfermedades graves en la misma pequeña habitación de un gran hospital. Pese a ser una habitación minúscula, tenía una ventana que miraba al mundo. A uno de los hombres, como parte de su tratamiento, se le permitía sentarse en la cama durante una hora por la tarde. Su cama estaba junto a la ventana. Sin embargo el otro hombre debía pasar todo el tiempo acostado, boca arriba.

Todas las tardes, cuando el hombre que estaba al lado de la ventana se incorporaba, pasaba el tiempo describiendo lo que veía fuera. Al parecer, la ventana daba a un parque en el que había un lago. En él había patos, cisnes y los chicos se acercaban para arrojarles pan y hacer navegar sus barquitos. Los enamorados caminaban de la mano junto a los árboles. Había césped, arriates con flores y juegos. Al fondo, detrás de la hilera de árboles, se veia un espléndido panorama de la ciudad recortada en el cielo.

El hombre acostado escuchaba las descripciones que cada día le hacia el otro hombre, disfrutando cada minuto. Oía que un chico casi había caído al lago y que bandas de golondrinas y otras aves el cielo. Las descripciones de su compañero, en definitiva, le hacian sentir que prácticamente podía ver lo que pasaba en el exterior.

Una mañana, la enfermera que iba a atenderle, encontró que el hombre de la ventana habia fallecido, y en silencio, se llevarón su cadáver. Cuando lo consideró oportuno, el hombre preguntó si no podian cambiarlo a la cama que estaba al lado de la ventana.

Lo trasladaron, lo instalaron y lo pusieron cómodo.

En cuanto se fuerón las enfermeras, con dificultad y laboriosamente se incorporó y se asomó por la ventana.

Enfrente sólo había una pared blanca…

Cuando llegó la enfermera, le preguntó qué motivo pudo mover al paciente anterior para contarle con tanto detalle, cosas que se había inventado y que sin embargo a él le habían hecho tanto bien en su enfermedad. La enfermera le contestó, que su vecino era ciego, y a lo mejor lo que quería era haberle dado ánimo.

Luis & Joan Rojas of La Casa Rojas are releasing free video Spanish lessons weekdays covering everything, from Spanish phonetics to Spanish grammar and idiomatic expressions. They explain:

“Here’s how it works. Each day, Monday through Friday, we publish a new Spanish class in the format of a 10-minute video. Each class builds on the one of the day before. We ask you to do some stuff on your own and if you follow along with us, by December 31, 2010, you will have made new friends, expanded your knowledge of your world and probably be planning a trip to some great Spanish speaking local, just to show off a little.”

They have already posted more than 50 videos on their web site but if you already know some Spanish you can take an a la carte approach and pick and choose the topics that are of most interest to you.

Day 50 Spanish Video Journal: An introduction to Indirect Object from Luis Rojas on Vimeo.

Follow her on Twitter @spanishblog where she posts excellent Spanish-learning tips and directs you to useful language-learning tools online.

Final para un cuento fantástico

Escrito por I.A. Ireland

-¡Que extraño! -dijo la muchacha avanzando cautelosamente-. ¡Qué puerta más pesada!

La tocó, al hablar, y se cerró de pronto, con un golpe.

-¡Dios mío! -dijo el hombre-. Me parece que no tiene picaporte del lado de adentro.
¡Cómo, nos han encerrado a los dos!

-A los dos no. A uno solo -dijo la muchacha.

Pasó a través de la puerta y desapareció.

Could there be that many people who were turned off by the short stories that they then took the extra step of canceling the subscription? A handful of people, sure. But hundreds? It didn’t make sense.

Then I remembered….iTunes will suspend a podcast subscription when the user hasn’t listened to any recent episodes. The magic number appears to be 5. If you have five or more unplayed episodes of a podcast on your computer, iTunes automatically stops downloading new episodes. The way to reactivate the podcast is to click on the exclamation mark next to the podcast name and manually inform iTunes that you wish to resume your subscription.

Since there have been six new podcasts issued in the past two weeks, it makes sense that  there might be a drop in the number of subscribers who appeared to have unsubscribed.  Actually, they probably haven’t. They’re just not listening.

I know that some people like to build up a bank of podcasts, especially when the episodes are short, and then listen to them all in one go. Here’s a solution: Whenever a new episode downloads to your iTunes account, go ahead and just click on it. You don’t actually have to listen to the entire episode at that time. Having the podcast play for even two seconds counts as a “partial play” and makes the iTunes software believe that you’ve listened to part of the podcast. Listening = Acknowledgement = Interest, which means your subscription stays current and future episodes will continue to download automatically.

By the way, if you haven’t subscribed to the podcast and would like to, click here to subscribe through iTunes or here to subscribe via Google Reader. Both options are free and you can cancel at any time with no further obligation.

El niño al que se le murió el amigo

de Ana María Matute

Una mañana se levantó y fue a buscar al amigo, al otro lado de la valla. Pero el amigo no estaba, y, cuando volvió, le dijo la madre:

-El amigo se murió.

-Niño, no pienses más en él y busca otros para jugar.

El niño se sentó en el quicio de la puerta, con la cara entre las manos y los codos en las rodillas. «Él volverá», pensó. Porque no podía ser que allí estuviesen las canicas, el camión y la pistola de hojalata, y el reloj aquel que ya no andaba, y el amigo no viniese a buscarlos. Vino la noche, con una estrella muy grande, y el niño no quería entrar a cenar.

-Entra, niño, que llega el frío -dijo la madre.

Pero, en lugar de entrar, el niño se levantó del quicio y se fue en busca del amigo, con las canicas, el camión, la pistola de hojalata y el reloj que no andaba. Al llegar a la cerca, la voz del amigo no le llamó, ni le oyó en el árbol, ni en el pozo. Pasó buscándole toda la noche. Y fue una larga noche casi blanca, que le llenó de polvo el traje y los zapatos. Cuando llegó el sol, el niño, que tenía sueño y sed, estiró los brazos y pensó: «Qué tontos y pequeños son esos juguetes. Y ese reloj que no anda, no sirve para nada».

Lo tiró todo al pozo, y volvió a la casa, con mucha hambre. La madre le abrió la puerta, y dijo:

-Cuánto ha crecido este niño, Dios mío, cuánto ha crecido.

Y le compró un traje de hombre, porque el que llevaba le venía muy corto.

1. Something interesting in your local culture, local slang, or an interesting place in your city or country

2. Your favorite…book, movie, hobby…(you decide)

Members of the Lenguajero community will vote for their favorite audiocasts, and the two winners (one English speaker and one Spanish speaker) will each receive a $75 USD gift card to the winners choice of Amazon.com, iTunes, or Mercado Libre, as well as several fanastic language learning programs. Voices en Español is one of the sponsors, so the winners can get a free packet of Cody’s Cuentos story transcripts, if they’d like.

¡Mira!

Author unknown

Había una vez un hombre muy rico. Y había también un hombre muy pobre. Cada uno de ellos tenía un hijo y cada uno de ellos vivía a un lado de una hermosa colina.

Un día, el hombre muy rico subió con su hijo a lo alto de la colina y abarcando todo el paisaje con un amplio gesto de su brazo, dijo:

-Mira, ¡pronto todo esto será tuyo!

En ese mismo instante, el hombre muy pobre subió con su hijo por la otra ladera de la colina y, delante del sol poniente que iluminaba la llanura, le dijo a su hijo sencillamente:

-¡Mira!

Cuando paseamos por la naturaleza, cuando nos encontramos ante un hermoso paisaje, solo de nosotros depende considerar que es un bien común y compartido. Nuestra sociedad ha ido desvalorizando completamente la felicidad “gratuita” y sólo glorifica la propiedad y la compra. Ha valorado el “tener” por delante del “ser” y la economía por delante del individuo.

Sin embargo, ¿necesitamos realmente poseer algo para admirarlo y sentir felicidad? El cuadro de un maestro de la pintura que admiramos en un museo está al alcance de todos. ¿Verdad que así le sacamos más provecho que a lo que está guardado dentro de un cofre?

Letra de la canción: “Las simples cosas” sung by Buika

Uno se despide insensiblemente de pequeñas cosas,
lo mismo que un árbol que en tiempo de otoño muere por sus hojas.
Al fin la tristeza es la muerte lenta de las simples cosas,
esas cosas simples que quedan doliendo en el corazón.

Uno vuelve siempre a los viejos sitios donde amó la vida,
y entonces parece como están de ausentes las cosas queridas.
Por eso muchacho no partas ahora soñando el regreso,
que el amor es simple, y a las cosas simples las devora el tiempo.

Demórate aquí, en la luz mayor de este mediodía,
donde encontrarás con el pan al sol la mesa tendida.
Por eso muchacho no partas ahora soñando el regreso,
que el amor es simple, y a las cosas simples las devora el tiempo.

Check out his blog Fluent in 3 Months, which he frequently updates with creative ways to stay motivated and focused when learning a foreign language.

Unfortunately, the story I selected for Benny was truly a minicuento, so it didn’t give him much of a showcase to speak Spanish. To make up for that, I’m posting a humorous but very practical travel video in Spanish he did for his other blog, Irish Polyglot, explaining how to pack light for a trip.

On his blog Fluent in 3 Months Benny has creative ways to stay motivated when learning a foreign language. He’s also got plenty of video content of himself speaking in different languages over at the IrishPolyglot.com.

“La partida”

de Franz Kafka

Ordené que trajeran mi caballo del establo. El sirviente no entendió mis órdenes. Así que fui al establo yo mismo, le puse silla a mi caballo y lo monté. A la distancia escuché el sonido de una trompeta y le pregunté al sirviente qué significaba. Él no sabía nada ni escuchó nada. En el portal me detuvo y preguntó:

-¿Adónde va el patrón?

-No lo sé -le dije- simplemente fuera de aquí, simplemente fuera de aquí. Fuera de aquí, nada más, es la única manera en que puedo alcanzar mi meta.

-¿Así que usted conoce su meta? -preguntó.

-Sí -repliqué- te lo acabo de decir. Fuera de aquí, esa es mi meta.

Música: “Emocionado” de Fidel Nadal

Me siento emocionado,
por la vida que me ha tocado,
mucho tiempo la he desperdiciado,
pero hoy, la he abrazado si…

Me siento emocionado,
por la vida que me ha tocado,
mucho tiempo la he desperdiciado,
pero hoy, la he abrazado…

Me acuerdo de los días de bajón,
cuando solo en mi vida había tribulación,
no había alegría en mi corazón,
hasta que Rastafari tomo una decisión,
no me dejo solo en esta transición,
él es el que bombea en mi corazón,
él nos da el talento en esta ocasión,
así que hay que seguir y hay que ponerle emoción…

Me siento emocionado,
por la vida que me ha tocado,
mucho tiempo la he desperdiciado,
pero hoy, la he abrazado si….

Me siento emocionado,
por la vida que me ha tocado,
mucho tiempo la he desperdiciado,
pero hoy, la he abrazado…

Me acuerdo de días de perdición,
cuando no había sentido ni había dirección,
yo se que a mucha gente le da inspiración,
escuchar algo nuevo en la estación de radio,
así que ahora no aflojes que falta un montón,
hay que demostrarlo completar nuestra misión,
hablar por hablar esa no es la cuestión,
y cantar por cantar, no, sin noción,
abrazarte a la vida ,
acordarte cuando estabas tirado sin comida ,
no había nadie que te cure tus heridas,
todo parecía una calle sin salida,
te dejaban solo las personas que querías,
como salir de todo esto no sabias,
hasta que escuchaste esta melodía,
te reconforto y te trajo alegría y armonía…

Gracias amigos gracias enemigos,
porque sus pensamientos siempre están conmigo,
no me molesta tener contrincantes,
así cuando entreno yo puedo inspirarme,
tampoco yo quiero destruir a nadie,
vine a construir y a edificarme,
no me malentiendan no se malacostumbren,
gracias a la gente llegamos a la cumbre…

Emocionado,
Por la vida que me ha tocado,
Mucho tiempo la he desperdiciado,
Pero hoy, la he abrazado si….

Me siento emocionado,
por la vida que me ha tocado,
mucho tiempo la he desperdiciado,
pero hoy, la he abrazado si…

“La escuela del hambre”
Un cuento japonés

Esta historia transcurre en el siglo XVII en Japón, durante un periodo de hambre.

Un campesino que no tenía con qué alimentar a su familla se acuerda de la costumbre que promete una fuerte recompensa al que sea capaz de desafiar y vencer al maestro de una escuela de sable.

Aunque no había tocado un arma en su vida, el campesino desafía al maestro más famoso de la región.

El día fijado, delante de un publico numeroso, los dos hombres se enfrentan.

El campesino, sin mostrarse nada impresionado por la reputación de su adversario, lo espera a pie firme, mientras que el maestro de sable estaba un poco turbado por tal determinación.

“¿Quién será este hombre?” piensa. “Jamás ningún villano hubiera tenido el valor de desafiarme. ¿No será una trampa de mis enemigos?”

El campesino, acuciado por el hambre, se adelanta resueltamente hacia su rival. El Maestro duda, desconcertado por la total ausencia de técnica de su adversario.

Finalmente, retrocede movido por el miedo. Antes incluso del primer asalto, el maestro siente que será vencido. Baja su sable y dice:

-Usted es el vencedor. Por primera vez en mi vida he sido abatido. Entre todas las escuelas de sable, la mía es la más renombrada. Es conocida con el nombre de “La que en un solo gesto lleva diez mil golpes”. ¿Puedo preguntarle, respetuosamente, el nombre de su escuela?

-La escuela del hambre -responde el campesino.

I wanted to showcase the variety of accents that exist among Spanish speakers, although I’ll tell you upfront that what I will be podcasting is just a very small sample of the diversity that exists en el mundo hispanohablante. (By the way, if anyone out there with an Argentine, Cuban, Dominican or Puerto Rican accent reads this and would like to participate in a future podcast, please email me.)

There will be at least 12 different stories podcast during the next four weeks, so if you haven’t subscribed to the podcast via iTunes or via Google Reader, now is the time to do so. The complete texts of each cuento will also be posted on this web site. In some episodes, there will be music and you just need to check that epsiode’s “show notes” on this blog for the name and link to the singer or musical group.

First in the lineup is Cristina from Barcelona, Spain reading “Instrucciones para llorar” by Julio Cortázar. Enjoy!

Instrucciones para llorar. Dejando de lado los motivos, atengámonos a la manera correcta de llorar, entendiendo por esto un llanto que no ingrese en el escándalo, ni que insulte a la sonrisa con su paralela y torpe semejanza. El llanto medio u ordinario consiste en una contracción general del rostro y un sonido espasmódico acompañado de lágrimas y mocos, estos últimos al final, pues el llanto se acaba en el momento en que uno se suena enérgicamente. Para llorar, dirija la imaginación hacia usted mismo, y si esto le resulta imposible por haber contraído el hábito de creer en el mundo exterior, piense en un pato cubierto de hormigas o en esos golfos del estrecho de Magallanes en los que no entra nadie, nunca. Llegado el llanto, se tapará  con decoro el rostro usando ambas manos con la palma hacia adentro. Los niños llorarán con la manga del saco contra la cara, y de preferencia en un rincón del cuarto. Duración media del llanto, tres minutos.

Music: “Ya no duele” (featuring Santullo) by Bajofondo

How many times have you heard or read a Spanish expression and then consulted a dictionary for its meaning and turned up empty? Maybe you found a definition right away. But perhaps there have been a few occasions where it took a little bit of digging to find the definition.

There is an easy way to uncover the meanings of Spanish expressions and you can do it by using a monolingual (Spanish-only) dictionary. Here’s how:

Always look up the meaning of an expression by checking the dictionary entry for the first noun mentioned in the expression. The reason? A Spanish verb is more likely than a Spanish noun to be used in multiple expressions. For example, the verbs dar, estar, ir, tener, are used in plenty of Spanish phrases and expressions. An excellent Spanish dictionary will list expressions that contain those verbs, but if there are numerous expressions, most dictionaries usually only list the most commonly-used ones. That’s why you’re better off looking for the definition of a Spanish expression by first checking the entry for the main noun mentioned.

Spanish expressions (frases hechas) are combinations of words whose meaning adds up to something very different from their individual parts.

Take, for example, an expression like “ir al grano.” The verb ir means “to go” while the noun grano can be a seed, a grain of sand or a pimple on somebody’s face. But when ir is added to grano (ir al grano) the meaning changes from a literal translation to a figurative one.

When I checked the dictionary under “IR” there was no definition for the expression. But when I checked “GRANO”, there was the expression with its meaning. Ir al grano means “to get to the point.”

So, to recap, here’s a step-by-step process you can use to find the definition of a Spanish expression.

Step 1: First, look up the primary NOUN

Step 2: If there is no noun, look up the VERB.

Step 3: If there is no verb, look up the ADJECTIVE.

Step 4:  If there is no adjective, look up the PRONOUN.

Most of the time, you won’t have to go down that entire scale. You will usually find your definition by first looking up the noun or the verb. Usually the first two steps (checking the noun or the verb listed in the expression) is enough.

By the way, I strongly believe that once you reach an intermediate-level of Spanish, you should start using a Spanish-only dictionary. Why? A monolingual dictionary usually gives a more comprehensive definition. A good monolingual dictionary will also give you examples as well as multiple definitions. The average bilingual dictionary, because it contains two different languages, generally does not have the space, if it is in book form, to offer the same level of detail.

Of course, there are some electronic or digital bilingual dictionaries which are excellent, but another advantage to using a monolingual dictionary is that it forces you to think in Spanish. That means less translating in your head, which is a good thing.

Previous entry: “How to use a Spanish-English Dictionary”

You may remember Amy from her very entertaining 2008 video 21 Accents. Now she’s back with a short instructional video on how anyone can improve their accent in any language. Amy says the key to nailing an accent is to be intensely fascinated by the language and its native speakers.

Pick a Spanish-speaking region or country which has an accent (and culture) you find appealing and use that as your foundation. Flood your brain with audio samples (music, radio, movies, TV, podcasts, etc.) from that region or country and then try to model your speech as much as possible from that input.

Here’s a summary of Amy’s advice on how to polish any accent:

Vowels & Consonants

Learn exactly what the vowel and consonant sounds and rules are and then practice, practice, practice. This is a particularly important piece for native-English speakers learning Spanish since Spanish has only five vowel sounds whereas English has as many as a dozen sounds for the same letters. For many English-speakers, when they initially start learning Spanish, they naturally revert to using the English vowel sounds when they need to stick rigidly to the five Spanish ones.

Melody, Rhythm & Stress

This is the intonation of the language. Where and when are words stressed? What is the natural rise and fall of the spoken language? How does one reproduce the musicality of the language? I think for many people, this is the hardest part to perfect when learning a foreign language.

Grammar & Vocabulary

Know which grammar structures and regionalisms, etc., go with the Spanish accent you are trying to duplicate. For example, you may be able to do a good Argentine accent, but if you use expressions that are used primarily in Mexico while you are visiting Buenos Aires, it may seem odd.

Think about what it would be like to hear a foreigner with an impeccable American accent using British English words such as “lift” or lorry” instead of “elevator” or “truck.”  You might wonder how they were able to nail the accent but missed learning some basic rules about British vs. American English.

Find the “vibe”

By this Amy means that you need to find the inherent character and personality of the language and then fake it until you make it.

PART I

PART II

It may seem so basic that it’s not even worth mentioning. But last week I discovered that my some of my students were hazy on how to use a bilingual dictionary. That realization made me decide that perhaps there are plenty of other language learners out there who could use a few pointers on how to use a Spanish-English dictionary effectively.

Step 1: Use a reliable dictionary.

For an online dictionary, I recommend Word Reference.com. For an iPhone app, plenty of people have raved to me about the SpanishDict app.

For conventional hardcover/paperback book versions of dictionaries, take a look at Spanish-English dictionaries published by Merriam-Webster or Larousse. I’ve used these in the past and they’re decent. In “What Spanish Dictionary to Use?,” Spanish instructor Ramses Oudt gives a few suggestions.

Step 2: Know what you’re looking for

By this I mean, know what part of speech you need. Are you looking for a noun? An adjective? An adverb? An interjection? The English language has many words that are spelled exactly the same but represent different parts of speech. For example, the English word “well” can be a noun, an adjective, an adverb or an interjection. If you consult a Spanish-English dictionary not knowing which version of “well” you need, it’s likely that you’re going to wind up using the wrong word in Spanish.

3. Use correct spelling of the English word

This is related to Step 2. Once you know which part of speech you are looking for, be sure to spell the word correctly in English. There are numerous words in English which sound the same but are spelled differently and they have different meanings. Words like be/bee; bow/beau; hole/whole; plain/plane, see/sea, etc.  Look up the word “bow” in a Spanish-English dictionary when what you really have in mind is the word “beau,” is going to lead you to use the wrong word in Spanish.

4. Do a reverse look-up

This means that once you find the Spanish word on the English side of the dictionary, flip back over to the Spanish side and check which English word is given for the same word. At times you may be surprised by how the words differ.

Doing this reverse lookup is extremely important. Some Spanish-English dictionaries seem like they were produced by two separate teams of translators who didn’t consult one another when putting the complete dictionary together.

For example, one Spanish-English dictionary I checked for the word guapo told me that its English equivalent was the word “attractive.” What I expected to find was “beautiful/handsome.”

Then I checked the English side of the dictionary for the word “beautiful.” This particular dictionary gave me the Spanish words hermoso, bonito. But when I then checked the Spanish side of the dictionary for bonito to see what English word would appear, it gave me the English word “pretty.”

This is an extended example of what can happen when you’re using an inadequate bilingual dictionary. It may steer you away from the Spanish word that you need. That’s why it’s so important to check and then double check the meaning of the words given for both languages to verify that you’re on the right track.

5. Pay attention to the fine print

A good bilingual dictionary will tell you if a word or phrase is a regionalism used in a particular part of the Spanish-speaking world. The classic example is the verb COGER, which means “to get” or “to catch” in Spain but means “to fuck” in Mexico and other parts of Latin America. Big difference.

Obviously, if your native language isn’t English and you would use a bilingual dictionary paired with your own native language (Spanish-German, Spanish-French, Spanish-Japanese, etc.) these same general steps still apply.

In a future blog post, I will tell you how to use a dictionary to find the meanings of Spanish idioms. I’ll probably post that entry in the next couple of days.

Which Spanish-English dictionaries would you recommend? Leave your suggestions in the comments below or tell me about them via Twitter @SpanishWordz.

I’m usually a stickler about promoting grammatically correct Spanish. But I liked Kharisma’s voice so I went ahead and put this song in the podcast even though I knew that parts of it were grammatically incorrect. I don’t know why the Spanish lyrics are the way they are. I guess it is the artist’s prerogative.

In any case, here are the lyrics. The errors are crossed out, like this, while the correct Spanish is in blue italics.

La mujer

Yo nací de la tierra sin madre o padre [sin madre ni padre]

Caminando el mundo buscando a ti [buscándote]

Tu caí [Te caiste] del cielo un ángel sin pena

Tus ojos cerrados, parando enfrente de mí. [Parándote enfrente de mí con los ojos cerrados]

Tus manos abiertos, llorando enfrente de mi. [Llorando enfrente de mí con las manos abiertas]

Yo nací de la tierra sin madre o padre. [sin madre ni padre]

Tú caí [Te caiste] del cielo buscando a mi.

Yo siempre sabi que tú me quería [Yo siempre sabía que me querías]

Pero ya es muy claro

Que no soy la mujer para ti.

Porque soy del [de la] tierra y el cielo no es para mí.

Yo estaba buscando todo [toda] mi vida

Un alma pérdida que siempre sentí

Yo siempre sabí que tú me quiera [sabía que me querías]

Pero ya es muy claro

Que no soy la mujer para ti.

Porque soy del [de la] tierra y el cielo no es para mí

Entonces voy a volver a la tierra donde yo nací.

Tell us a little about Lenguajero. What prompted you to create the site?

Lenguajero is a website that connects Spanish and English speakers for online language practice and cultural exchange. Natalie Gordon, (my fiancée and business partner) and I provide our members with three effective learning tools: Online Conversation Exchanges using a voice, video and text chat app., a Writing Club to practice writing in the language they are learning (native speakers leave feedback on submissions), and a Smart Flashcard program to help them memorize and retain new vocabulary.

While Natalie and I were living in Medellin, Colombia our Spanish really started to take off, and we started feeling comfortable speaking the language. It was around this point in time that Natalie pointed that, despite the thousands of language learning websites out there, few of them were focusing specifically on connecting Spanish and English learners with one another for conversation exchanges.

Given how much spending time everyday interacting with native speakers had helped in our own learning process, we thought that there was real potential for this type of site. We had our laptops with us, and just decided to start building something.

Currently there are several different social networking language learning sites such as Busuu, Live Mocha and iTalki. How is Lenguajero different from those other sites?

As I mentioned above, it was the observation that none of these learning communities were focusing on just Spanish and English learners prompted us to start working on Lenguajero. We had both tried Busuu and Live Mocha before we left the U.S., but we always felt like the wide open “any language you want” approach made the community more of a social site than a learning tool.

Our focus on just Spanish and English means that every user has something in common with every other user.  This makes it easy for users to connect with one another and help each other out.

How and where did you learn Spanish?

I’m originally from Washington state in the U.S. and Natalie is from Canada. Neither one of us are native Spanish speakers.  In fact, it wasn’t until about two years ago that I really developed an interest in learning Spanish.  I was traveling through Central America, and not being able to have normal conversations with people I would meet was pretty frustrating.  It gave me the motivation I needed to buckle down and start learning.

I took a few Spanish lessons in Central America, and studied on my own when I got back to the U.S.  Then, Natalie and I decided to move to Latin America and immerse ourselves in the language.

We took classes for six months while living in Cuba and Colombia.  We also spent a lot of time reading, watching movies, studying flashcards, spending time chatting with friends and acquaintances, and in general just living day-to-day life in a Spanish-speaking country.

What were some of the difficulties you faced when learning Spanish?

Getting past the initial “This is really hard, and I’ll never understand the Subjunctive” phase.  I remember that for the first couple of months, no matter how much progress I was making, I always felt like I would never be able to speak clearly. Once I just relaxed, and accepted that it was going to take time, I started feeling a lot more comfortable and started to notice big improvements.

What’s the size of your language learning community and when is it most active?

Lenguajero has roughly 5000 members, and it is a pretty even mix between English and Spanish speakers. The site is most active during the week, especially on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I always wonder why mid-week is more popular than the weekends. Anyone have any ideas?

What is the profile of your native Spanish-speaking members?

About 50-60% of our Spanish-speaking members are in their 20s, and are either university students or young professionals. There is a high number of engineers, software developers, doctors and lawyers because it is really important in these fields to learn English.

With that said, the other 40-50% is a complete mixed bag (this goes for both English and Spanish speakers).  Our community is really diverse.  Almost anyone who is learning Spanish or English can come on and find people with similar interests to talk to. We have a 79-year-old Venezuelan and a 78-year-old American who are very active in the community.

Any new features or tools under development that Lenguajero fans can look forward to seeing later this year?

Yes! We just launched Lenguajero – Classroom which helps teachers integrate Lenguajero into their course curriculum, by allowing them to monitor what their students are doing on the site.  The feature is in beta testing right now, and we currently have about 25 classes signed up to try it out.  We will be working closely with the teachers of these classes to improve and expand the tool over the next six months.

We also are planning on adding a few more community features to the site to make it easier for members to interact and share with one another.

We are always looking for ideas on how we can improve the site, and offer things that other sites do not.  If anyone has any suggestions we would love to hear them.  You can reach us through our contact us page.

Follow Lenguajero on Twitter @Lenguajero

see more Funny Graphs

This is a guest post by polyglot blogger Ramses Oudt. Although he speaks multiple languages, he has a passion for Spanish and writes about learning Spanish through immersion at Spanish Only.

If you didn’t listen to a lot of Spanish before starting to speak the language, it’s likely you have an accent. It might be a slight accent, but an accent nonetheless. Even if you’ve listened to hundreds of hours of native Spanish speakers on TV, in movies, in your neighborhood, etc. it’s possible to have an accent. Some people don’t mind, but many do.

Luckily not all is lost. I am a native Dutch speaker and Spanish is my third language. I used to have a terrible accent when speaking Spanish but it has improved tremendously in the last year or so to the point where now most native Spanish speakers don’t even notice it.

How did I polish my Spanish accent? I had to put in a lot of work to get a better accent. And no, it wasn’t something that just clicked, I really had to work hard to get better. But it was definitely worth it because now my Spanish is at a level where I can relax a bit.

Here are 5 steps I made to improve my accent. I believe they can help anyone who has the same goal of speaking more fluent Spanish.

Step 1: Find your weak spots
You can say, “Yeah, I have a foreign accent“, but if you don’t know which part of your speech is bogged down with your gringo accent, you’re going nowhere. So analyze your speech. Record yourself reading the letters of the Spanish alphabet out loud and then choose a short text, like three paragraphs or less, and read that out loud as well.

Once you have this recording of your voice, ask one or two native Spanish speakers, whose accent you like, for feedback. This step is very important. Don’t ask: “How do I sound?” because often they’ll just say you sound great. Ask them to critique specific sounds like the vowels, the letters t and r, etc.

Also, you may find that many native Spanish speakers won’t be able to fully articulate what exactly you’re doing wrong. They know that it doesn’t sound native but they can’t necessarily guide you on how to correct it.

If that’s the case, get a recording of them using the correct sounds plus reading a basic text and use that as your baseline of pronunciation. Then you should imitate, imitate and imitate some more, and keep asking for feedback to see if you’re getting closer.

Step 2: Open your mouth
A common problem for English (and Dutch) speakers is that we don’t open our mouths enough. It’s almost possible to insert something between your lips and not have it fall out and still speak English, that’s how closed we keep our mouths. So open wide in the beginning. When you pratice, pretend like you are speaking to a person who is hard of hearing so that you pronounce words in an exaggeratedly slow manner.

Step 3: Stick to the vowel sounds
The rolled R can be a pain in the butt, but mispronouncing vowels can also contribute to you not sounding Spanish. Spanish only has five vowel sounds, so stick to them. I know English has many more sounds, but Spanish doesn’t. Even diphthongs in Spanish are just combinations of those vowel sounds, so they don’t create new sounds. Focus on learning the five vowel sounds by heart (a, e, i, o, u, el burro sabe más que tú).

Step 4: Practise
Now you know where your pronunciation weak points are and more or less know how to sound, you can start practising. First listen to the correct sound repeatedly to get the precise idea on how to sound. Next copy the sound and produce it yourself. For some sounds (like the trilled r) you may need additional training and guidance, but don’t give up. Keep at it.

Step 5: Use the correct intonation
Intonation is essentially the melody of speech. It’s the way a language rises and falls when spoken and for many of us learning Spanish, it’s the reason why we’re so drawn to the Spanish language. Spanish intonation differs from region to region (just like in English), so it can be quite difficult adopting one that is right for you.

My advice is to pick up intonation little by little. Often this comes naturally if you listen to a lot of Spanish, but sometimes you need to concentrate on one aspect of a region’s intonation. Find a Spanish-speaking region’s accent that you like and have that be your guide.

Enjoyed this post? Follow Ramses on Twitter @spanishonly or visit his blog Spanish Only.

Photo: Gringo by Pragmagrapher

Cierto día, un compañero de colegio señaló en la calle a una mujer, diciéndome:

-Mírala, está muerta.

A mí me parecía imposible que una difunta se moviera con aquella naturalidad entre la gente. De hecho, sabía que era mentira, pero resultaba excitante creérselo, así que le seguí el juego. Mi amigo me aseguró que era capaz de distinguir a una mujer muerta entre mil mujeres vivas.

-¿Pero en qué lo notas?

-En nada en concreto y en todo a la vez. Si te fijas, van envueltas como en una burbuja de paredes invisibles. Cuando seas capaz de percibir esa burbuja, aprenderás a distinguirlas.

A los pocos días de esta conversación, iba dando patadas a las piedras por mi calle, cuando vi a una mujer dentro de la burbuja. La burbuja la puse yo seguramente, pero la mujer era completamente real. La seguí con disimulo hasta la Avenida de América, y luego por Francisco Silvela, hasta llegar a una ferretería en la que entró para salir al poco del brazo de un sujeto muy alto, con bigote a lo Clark Gable. El hombre estaba vivo, desde luego, y no trataba a la mujer como a un cadáver. Al contrario, se acercaba a su cuerpo cuanto le era posible, desplazando la pared de la burbuja hacia el otro lado, y le besaba el cuello a través de esa membrana que parecía no detectar. Entraron en un bar que hacía esquina con la calle de Méjico y se comieron un bocadillo de calamares cada uno. Cuando ella alargaba el brazo para tomar de la barra el vaso de cerveza, sacaba la mano de la burbuja sin romperla, del mismo modo que algunos objetos son capaces de penetrar en una pompa de jabón.

Comencé a centrar mi atención en él. Parecía el prototipo de individuo mundano que por entonces yo mismo aspiraba a ser. Una persona con clase, pensaba ingenuamente, debe moverse con la misma naturalidad entre los muertos y los vivos. Aquel hombre actuaba con una soltura increíble y sabía en qué momento tenía que abrocharse o desabrocharse el botón de la chaqueta o pasarse el dedo índice por el extremo del bigote, como para recoger, más que una miga de pan, un pensamiento. Al salir del bar, él la tomó de la cintura y la atrajo hacia sí con tal violencia que la sacó sin darse cuenta de la burbuja. Entonces abandoné la persecución con la idea romántica de que el amor consiste en rescatar al otro de la muerte, y decidí esperar mi oportunidad.

A los pocos meses llegó al barrio una chica nueva, con burbuja. Era muy joven para estar muerta, pero lo consulté con mi amigo y me dijo que las había de todas las edades.

-Una prima mía de tres semanas está muerta también.

-¿Y qué dicen sus padres?

-No lo saben. La mayoría de la gente no ve la burbuja.

Me enamoré como un loco, y, cuando logré reunir el dinero suficiente, la invité a un bocadillo de calamares en el bar de Francisco Silvela esquina a Méjico. Luego intenté acercarme para rescatarla de la burbuja, pero no se dejó. Y al día siguiente, cuando pasé cerca de un grupo en el que se encontraba ella, noté que me señalaba con expresión de burla. Estaba presumiendo de haberme sacado un bocadillo de calamares, que para nosotros era una fortuna. Entonces, pese a mi timidez, me acerqué al grupo y, apuntándole al pecho con el dedo, le dije:

-Estás muerta. No vayas a creerte que no lo sé.

Todas sus amigas se alejaron un poco, como con miedo a contagiarse, y desde entonces arrastró una vida solitaria, que yo tampoco intenté aliviar, aunque me lo pedía con los ojos. Se casó con un muerto de hambre con el que asiste a misa de difuntos todas las semanas. Continúa en el barrio, y, cuando me acerco por allí, a ver a mis padres, se hace la encontradiza para que la libere de la burbuja en la que sigue atrapada. Pero ahora, aunque quisiera, no podría, porque yo mismo he ido encerrándome durante todos estos años dentro de una membrana transparente y flexible de la que sólo podría rescatarme una mujer viva.

Lyrics for closing music: “La mujer” by Kharisma Montes de Oca

“Ese chico está high.”

“Hay muchos suplidores en San Juan.”

If the Academia Puertorriqueña de la Lengua Española gets its way, mangled Spanglish phrases like the ones listed above will eventually become a thing of the past in Puerto Rico. The Academia has published the first edition of the “Diccionaro del Anglicismos Actuales,” which it hopes will cut down on the amount of anglicismos (English words or phrases) that currently circulate in Puerto Rican Spanish.

This new 800-page dictionary containing approximately 3,500 anglicismos wants to show Puerto Ricans that there are perfectly viable Spanish words and phrases that exist that they should be using instead of the English ones.  The Academia hopes to get school teachers in Puerto Rico to take the lead on policing the island’s Spanish since they are in the best position to catch and correct these types of linguistic mistakes.

Will this mean the end of Spanglish expressions like “Te llamo para atrás”?  ¡Ni hablar! Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States and although the majority of Puerto Ricans living on the island do not speak English fluently, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the pull and influence of English is just too strong at this point for the tide to be pushed back. The only way for the English presence in Puerto Rican Spanish to get stamped out at this point would be if it became cool among young Puerto Ricans to use the Spanish equivalents.

————————————————————————————————

“Te llamo para atrás.” Should be: “Te devuelvo la llamada.”

“Ese chico está high.” The correct/formal way: “Ese chico está drogado.” Slang (at least in Spain): “El chico está colocado.”

“Hay muchos suplidores….” “Suplidor” is pure Spanglish [supplier + proveedor = suplidor]. The correct word in Spanish is proveedor.

1). Spain – On the Road Again

This video culinary road trip with chef Mario Batali and actress Gwyneth Paltrow is really quite good. If you’ve never been to Spain, this TV series will give you a great introduction to the foodie culture of Spain. The 13-episodes of this TV show are available on a DVD and there’s also an accompanying book. (Book + DVD combo: $49.95)

2). La Tienda

Speaking of food….the online catalog of La Tienda has plenty of mouthwatering treats. Try the morcilla with onions ($13.95) or the Tetilla queso, a soft cheese made from cow’s milk, from Galicia ($22.50).

La Tienda also has a web site for Europe and the U.K. but the selection of items is different from the U.S. site.

3). 90 Clásicos de la literatura para gente con prisas

This would be a gag gift since it’s a comic book that boils down 90 classic works of literature to the bare essentials. Epics such as Don Quijote, Lord of the Rings and Ulysses all get the same treatment: a “synopsis” presented in a panel of four illustrated squares.

If you don’t find this kind of Cliff Notes approach amusing, then stay away. But if you like the idea of refreshing your memory about some of the greatest literary works and doing that in an unconventional way, ¡adelante!

4). El Baile del Sombrero

If you have little kids or you want to encourage a young niece, nephew or grandchild to learn Spanish, here’s an ideal gift – a CD of kid’s songs in Spanish. The songs revolve around basic everyday activities (taking a bath, going to school, a trip to the zoo, etc.).  It’s a nice way to expose very young children to the sound of the Spanish language.

5. Spanish lessons via Skype

Maybe this will be a gift that you’ll want to give yourself in the new year – online Spanish lessons. There are many Spanish-language instructors currently giving classes online via Skype and their hourly teaching rates are generally quite affordable. Just do a Google search. I’ve seen some instructors charging as little as $10 per hour.  Some won’t charge you for the first class as a way of enticing you to sign up for multiple sessions.

Whether you decide to give something like this as a gift (or just keep it for yourself), make sure you get references from past or current students. Also, if you have to pay for a block of classes, don’t pay for more than three lessons initially. That should be more than enough time to figure out whether the teaching arrangement will work or not.

6. Spanish podcasts & transcripts

Download a series of episodes of your favorite Spanish podcasts, burn them onto a CD and then print out or purchase the accompanying episode transcripts. These days there are so many instructional Spanish-language podcasts to choose from, you could put together an eclectic mix of voices and topics.

It’s an idea that didn’t occur to me until recently, when a reader of my other blog, Cody’s Cuentos, purchased the entire collection of story transcripts. He told me that he was putting together a unique Spanish-learning gift pack for his wife. What a great husband!

7. Book a vacation in Spain

If a trip to Spain in 2010 is in the cards, check out this travel and leisure web site called Smart Box. It has affordable listings for several lovely rustic Spanish casa rurales (country inns and Bed & Breakfasts) like Mas Torrent in Cataluña and Casa Manadero in Extremadura. One-night stays start at 79.90 euros for two people. (On the Smart Box site check under the categories “Estancia Pintoresca” and “Estancia Sabor Rural”.)

OK, this one might be a little hard to completely arrange on such short notice with Christmas only a week away, but it’s always nice to dream, isn’t it?

Photo of Benia de Onis, a village with 230 inhabitants, located in Asturias, Spain.

The Real Academia Española has finally published the definitive manual of Spanish grammar – “Nueva gramática de la lengua española: El español de todo el mundo”

This volume examines, for the first time under one roof, so to speak, the similarites and differences that exist between the varieties of the Spanish language as it is spoken in Spain and Latin America. The series of books, more than a decade in the making, are a massive collaboration between the 22 Academias de la Lengua Española. As a result special attention will be paid, for the first time by the RAE, to specific terms and usages of the Spanish language in the Americas.

If you’re a die-hard lover of Spanish and linguistics, you may be tempted to buy these books now. I’d caution you to wait and see because there are other versions of the books coming out next year.

The initial two-volume set is HUGE (almost 4,000 pages) and the price tag is 120 euros.  A third volume will be released in the coming months. After browsing through the first two volumes it was clear to me that this initial set of books is a scholarly work suited to language/linguistics professors and other academics. It’s not geared to people learning Spanish.

The good news is that the RAE is releasing its nueva gramática in three distinct versions.

The first, the only one currently available, is the complete, unabridged version. The target market for this would be university libraries or Spanish professors and doctoral language students.

Called simply Manual, Version 2.0 of la nueva gramática will be a 750-page tome. It will contain more concise descriptions and succinct explanations than Version 1.0, according to the RAE. It will be published in March 2010.

Target market:  Spanish professors and students of Spanish at the university level.

Version 3.0 is entitled “Gramática básica.” This book won’t be released until a year from now, at the end of 2010. It will be a 250-page paperback designed for the general public.

Target market: Spanish teachers at the primary and secondary school level, as well as non-university-level students of Spanish.

If you’d like to get a taste of what Version 1.0, (the unabridged version pictured below), is like, click here for a PDF that contains a sample of the text, as well as other details about the book series.

Fortunately, there are a few idiomatic Spanish phrases and expressions that are very close to their English equivalents.  Below is a random list I put together for my ReVerb Spanish Twitter feed. These are phrases that if you didn’t know the Spanish idiomatic expression and happened to translate the English phrase exactly to Spanish, you wouldn’t be too far off the mark.  (You can get more details about the origin of some of these phrases as well as and some example sentences here.)

Al pie de la letra: to the letter (to do something exactly as it is said or written)

Apretarse el cinturón: to tighten one’s belt (to cut costs, to reduce one’s expenses)

Armarse hasta los dientes: Armed to the teeth (fully prepared for anything)

Con las manos en la masa: With the hands in the dough (American English: Hands in the cookie jar, i.e. to get caught doing something you shouldn’t be doing.)

Cuando el gato no está, los ratones bailan: When the cat’s away, the mice will play

Estar en el séptimo cielo: to be in 7th heaven (to be extremely happy)

Matar dos pájaros de un tiro: to kill 2 birds with 1 stone

Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Meterse (a alguien) en el bosillo: to have someone in your back pocket, to have someone wrapped around your little finger. (To have someone under your control or influence.)

Ser la gallina de los huevos de oro: to be the goose that laid the golden eggs (to be a source of infinite wealth)

Ser la oveja negra: to be the black sheep

Ser el brazo derecho: to be someone’s right hand (to be an essential assistant to someone)

Tener corazón: to have a heart (to be kind)

Tener estómago: to have a stomach (to be strong)

Tener sangre azul: to have blue blood (to be descended from royalty)

Tirar la toalla: to throw in the towel (to give up)

Tomar algo con un grano de sal: to take something with a grain of salt (to be skeptical)

Want more details and example sentences using these phrases in Spanish? Get a more in-depth explanation for all of the above phrases by reading what I posted on Twitter on Dec. 6 and Dec. 7 over here.

This is a guest post written by Alan Malarkey

Unless you are particularly driven and or talented, progressing to the next level and sustaining  interest in learning a foreign language can be a struggle. Finding an ‘intercambio’ or a language exchange partner, is a relatively well-worn path that offers valuable practise.

The basic premise is to find a native Spanish speaker who is willing to converse with you in Spanish in exchange for helping him or her with their English (or whatever your native language is.) Once you find a willing conversation partner, you can agree to meet regularly for a set time.

It only costs the price of a cup of coffee and, depending on the compatibility of the partners, it can work very well. For some it is a route to lasting friendship and in some cases marriage, but even if you’re not in the market for a spouse, doing an intercambio can be a very worthwhile experience.

I’ve done all types of intercambios – from meeting in a café to meeting online and conversing via Skype. Whether you meet in person or online, connections can go astray and patience is often required. Frequently, a one-to-one intercambio can fizzle out because of scheduling conflicts or simply because of the lack of common interests. For that reason, I am a big believer in a group intercambio arrangement.

In Croydon, U.K., we have been running Croydon-Spanish over the last two years. English and Spanish speakers meet for two to three hours in a pub on a Monday evening and we chat informally in the the two languages. It is not very structured and members of the group are simply encouraged to be mindful of each other’s needs and interests and to be patient and positive.

Usually we have a well-balanced group in terms of age, gender and, of course, Spanish and English speakers. Our native Spanish speaking participants are roughly divided between Latin Americans and Spaniards. Often they are young people trying to improve their English as part of a university degree or they are in the U.K. to enhance their CV. Levels of language mastery vary, from the relative beginner to bilingual.

Although this form of learning and practice is probably not suitable for the complete novice and is not a replacement for formal study, the group intercambio provides speaking practice in a social setting. There is quite a high turnover of attendees and the ratio of enrolled members to those attending is quite low, but this is not a bad thing. Apart from myself and a few other loyal and regular members, the group regularly replenishes itself with new participants. Most of all it is just a fun and enjoyable evening.

Here is some advice If you would like to start a group intercambio in your area:

Advertise, advertise, advertise

The key to finding members is advertising but don’t worry, you can do it for free. In London, we use Gumtree.com but in the U.S. you have Craigslist. Don’t forget to put up fliers in local places such as the public library, bookstores and, of course, local community colleges and universities.

Obviously, one of the most effective ways to advertise is thorugh word-of-mouth. Thanks to today’s social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter, it has become easier than before to find and connect with other people who share similar interests.

One way in which I am promoting the group is through a web site [ http://croydon-spanish.ning.com/ ] where members of the group can post photos, videos and also provide links to online Spanish and English learning resources.

Reach out to native Spanish speakers

If you are enrolled in a Spanish class, ask your Spanish teacher to participate in the conversation group and to help you spread the word. If there is a sizable Spanish-speaking population in your community, find out which local publications they read, what groups they participate in and where they hang out. Post your fliers there. (For example, a community group that helps Hispanic immigrants or a church or restaurant.)

Keep it simple

Choose a specific day and time and stick to it. It will be easier to attract people on an ongoing basis if they know that the group meets on the dame day at the same time each month. You will have a harder time building a following if the day and time changes from week to week or from month to month.

Also, with regards to the actual conversations, don’t put any pressure on yourself to come up with topics unless, of course, the group wants that. With my group, discussions take us in different directions. Sometimes we engage in comparing cultural and linguistic differences or surgically dissecting grammar constructions. Other times, we simply chat about life, tell jokes, swap expressions and reveal our hopes and dreams. We rarely feel the need to construct artificial conversation.

If you’d like to get more information or advice about starting your own group intecambio, connect with me via Twitter or drop by my web site and send me a message. Sustain your interest through human contact – what could be better?

Connect with Alan Malarkey on Twitter (twitter.com/croydonspanish) or at http://croydon-spanish.ning.com/

Other articles about this topic:

How to get the most out of group intercambios

Intercambio Etiquette

5 Questions to Ask Your Intercambio

4 Ways to Correct Your Intercambio

Dealing with a conversational hijacker

Photo: “Friends in a coffee house” used under license from iStockPhoto.com

de Juan José Millás ( “Cuerpo y prótesis”)

Un chico y una chica muy jóvenes, de instituto, discutían acaloradamente en el metro. Me acerqué disimuladamente a ellos en el momento en el que la chica decía:

-¿Y por qué las mujeres tenemos que tomar somníferos en lugar de somníferas? Lo lógico es que hubiera somníferos para hombres y somníferas para mujeres.

-Eso es lo mismo que decir que los hombres deberíamos tomar aspirinos en lugar de aspirinas. Pues mira, yo me he pasado la vida tomando aspirinas y soy tan hombre como el que más.

-Ya está. Si no te sale el macho no te quedas contento. Naturalmente que los hombres deberíais tomar aspirinos. Yo, si algún día tengo hijos, les daré aspirinos, del mismo modo que a las hijas les administraré antibióticas cuando les haga falta.

-Y los chicos se sentarán en sillos en vez de en sillas, me imagino.

-Pues sí, se sentarán en sillos y dormirán en camos y comerán el sopo, no la sopa, con cucharos. Las cucharas son para las mujeres.

-Tú estás loca. Vete al psiquiatra.

-Y tú al psiquiatro.

El tren se detuvo, se bajaron y yo continué perplejo cinco estaciones más pensando que la chica llevaba razón. ¿Cómo era posible que una lengua tan sexuada como la nuestra cometiera unos fallos, o quizá unas fallas, de ese calibre? Todo el mundo, muy pendiente de que los niños no jueguan con muñecas ni las niñas con tanques, y sin embargo se obliga a las mujeres a viajar en el metro (en lugar de en la metra) y a los hombres a subir al tranvía (en lugar de al tranvío).

Angustiado por esta imperfección que acababa de descubrir en mi lengua materna (perdón, en mi lenguo materno), miré alrededor y vi a una chica leyendo un libro, lo que me pareció una perversión (debería leer una libra) y a un hombre rascándose la rodilla, cuando lo suyo es que se rascara el rodillo y así sucesivamente.

Llegué a casa (a caso en realidad) y le dije a mi mujer que todo estaba patas arriba. Cuando le expliqué por qué me miró de un modo raro y me pidió que hiciera unas tortillas para la cena.

-Unos tortillos, si no te importa  -le respondí-, puesto que me voy a ocupar yo del asunto. Si quieres tortillas, las tendrás que hacer tú misma.

Por la noche, la oí hablar con su madre por teléfono (por teléfona, para decirlo con propiedad), y tuve la impresión de que me criticaba. Al día siguiente, se fue de casa, dejándome una nota en la que me pedía que no intentara localizarla. Le daba miedo (<<o mieda, por emplear tu lenguaje>>) vivir conmigo. La echo de menos, pero no podría estar con alguien que se expresara tan mal como ella. Así es la vida, o el vido, qué le vamos a hacer.

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Glossary:

“instituto” means “high school” in this context.

Somnífero means sleeping pill.

Si no te sale el macho no te quedas contento (Essentially, “You’re not happy if you can’t be the tough, manly guy.) The verb “quedarse” is being used here with the same meaning as the verb “estar.”

llevar razón = tener razón = to be right

This week’s podcast is a very amusing take about this particular aspect of the Spanish language. Written by Juan José Millás, the story is part of “Cuerpo y prótesis,” a wonderful collection of essays and short stories about the superficiality and banality of modern life.  The witty, humorous tone of many of Millás’ essays reminds me a lot of the writing style of American writer David Sedaris.  Millás has a writing style that is  sophisticated yet totally accessible.

Unfortunately, this particular book of Millás is not sold outside of Spain. I looked for it on Amazon with no luck. In any case, here’s a link to it to purchase it from Spain.

I recently stumbled across an interesting piece about “language barrier love” by dating coach Jag Carrao. In the article Carrao outlines the pros and cons of being in a relationship where the two people don’t speak the same language. On the face of it, it would seem like a recipe for disaster but Carrao says there are many advantages to having this type of communication gap.

Among them are:

• No man-terrifying “relationship talks.”
• Fewer heated debates (about politics and religion)
• Less ambiguity about date logistics (aware of the language barrier, he nails down date/time/place to avoid any misunderstanding).
• Exotic charm of endearments uttered in a foreign tongue.
• And most importantly: less conversation, more kissing.

Read the complete article here.

I agree with Carrao’s opinion that when there is physical chemistry or a spark of mutual interest/curiosity the language barrier can kind of cut through the crap that often exists in dating someone who speaks your native language. But I think a language barrier also causes many people to revert to the conventional male/female roles, with the man taking the lead and doing the pursuing of the female, as opposed to the other way around.

Having a language barrier may initially be a fun adventure, but it can mask some serious issues that may come back to haunt the couple down the line. In the initial stages of dating, people are generally on their best behavior. Throw in a language barrier and little things you would’ve easily noticed early on in another relationship with a person who speaks your language, may wind up going unnoticed or swept under the rug. For example, views about women, family, money, etc. Of course a lot of these bigger misunderstandings stem from sociocultural differences, not just the differences in language, but the language barrier may initially cover up these issues.

Have you ever been in relationship where there was a language barrier? How did it turn out? If the relationship lasted, did you and your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife eventually learn the other person’s language and then eventually communicate primarily in one language? Or do you communicate in a hybrid language combining your two native languages?

This expression, (along with “¿comprende?”)  is one that is used frequently and perhaps compulsively by students of Spanish everywhere. In English, the question “Do you understand?” is commonly used to confirm that that the other person is listening and has, indeed, understood what you have said. Normally no pasa nada when someone asks this question in English, unless the tone of the speaker’s voice is aggressive, brusque or condescending.

But in Spanish using this muletilla (verbal crutch), regardless of tone of voice, rankles many native Spanish speakers because of what they think it implies.

“Es como llamarte bruta en tu cara”, (“It’s like calling you ignorant to your face”) says BBC Mundo reader Sonia Janet from  Venezuela.

I used to say “¿me entiendes?” in the same manner I used the expression in English until finally one of my Spanish friends corrected me and told me that it was very annoying. At first I was shocked because no one had ever mentioned it to me before. But then I was grateful that he had mentioned it.

I asked him what a better alternative was and he told me ¿me explico?, (which literally means “Am I explaining myself?”), sounded more polite.  Essentially, it makes the same query as ¿me entiendes? in terms of requesting confirmation of comprehension, but it shifts the responsibility away from the listener and places it squarely on your shoulders to explain yourself better.

However, there is no pleasing everyone.

Another BBC Mundo reader from Tijuana, Mexico writes that ¿me explico? irritates her too. “¡Caray! Es que no soy tonta, ni sorda, ni hablo un dialecto marciano”.

OK, OK, tranquila, chiquilla. 

You can read the BBC Mundo story and reader comments here. It is a fun bit of insight into the way native Spanish speakers view some very common phrases in their language.

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