Argh! If somebody had taught me how to use the Spanish-English dictionary correctly–I wouldn’t have wasted so much time being confused… and I probably also wouldn’t have failed high school Spanish the first time I took it. Woulda, coulda, shoulda… This video is my attempt to help you avoid wasting time and getting frustrated, like I did. Not only will you discover how to use the dictionary (What are we? 12?) but we’re gonna have FUN WITH WORDS! Who’s with me? Related Videos: False Friends...
Feb 26, 2014•7 min
This lesson is very important. I’ve been avoiding conjugation almost completely until now. But it’s starting to hold us back. I wanted to talk about adverbs today, but that’s kind of hard when we don’t know any verbs. So today, you’ll learn how to conjugate regular AR verbs in the present tense. Remember, there are ER verbs, AR verbs and IR verbs. Today we’ll learn about AR verbs then in the next lesson, I’ll introduce you to ten of my favorite regular, AR verbs. Related Videos: The Infinitive &...
Feb 24, 2014•5 min
One of the most beautiful parts of learning Spanish when you already know English is, so many words are essentially exactly the same. In this lesson, I use pause, liquor and bank as three examples of this. “Pausa”, “licor” and “banco” respectively. But there are treacherous enemies about. False friends. These are words that look like an English word but either mean something completely different or are used in totally different situations. In this video lesson, I share two of my most memorable s...
Feb 21, 2014•6 min
If you watched the lesson called Personal Pronouns , you know there are two ways to say “you” in Spanish–formally and informally. At first this really sucks–especially since most teachers and programs don’t explain it all that well. But for this lesson, I made the video I wish I had when I started speaking Spanish. Related Videos: The Infinitive & Conjugation Personal Pronouns The Three Enemigos Put Your Pronouns In, Take Your Pronouns Out...
Feb 19, 2014•7 min
I talk fast. I like to get as many words out as possible in as short of a time frame as possible. It’s my nature. So… I took it as really good news when I found out: In Spanish, you usually don’t have to use subject pronouns (I’ve been referring to them as Personal Pronouns in past lessons). That means, you can say the same thing with fewer words. Kind of like the equivalent of “works” instead of “he works”. Ha ha ha. It just doesn’t work in English. And there’s a very specific reason for that–a...
Feb 17, 2014•7 min
There are a couple tricky parts with adjectives. In this lesson, not only do I tell you the rules and exceptions to the rules for adjectives, but I go over those tricky parts to. It’s not difficult if you just focus. Then you’ll never have to worry about it again. Free Practice Resources: Adjectives Worksheet Answer Key Related Videos: The Sexualization of Nouns Plural Forms of Nouns Definite & Indefinite Articles More Than One One?...
Feb 14, 2014•7 min
There aren’t many words to learn in this lesson–all but one have been taught in past lessons (see the Related Lessons section). This is more of an “idea” lesson. So just sit back, relax and listen to what I have to say. Free Practice Resources: No Worksheet for this lesson, contrary to what I say in the video. Sorry for the confusion! Related Videos: The Sexualization of Nouns Plural Forms of Nouns Definite & Indefinite Articles...
Feb 12, 2014•6 min
Sometimes using terms when you’re learning a language can hurt more than it helps. This is possibly one of those times. But we need to refer to stuff somehow, right? In today’s lesson, I go over Definite & Indefinite Articles in Spanish. If you don’t know what those are, join the club. Even when I learned Spanish, since I learned on my own, I never knew what those were. Free Practice Resources: Articles Worksheet Answer Key Related Videos: The Sexualization of Nouns Plural Forms of Nouns Mor...
Feb 10, 2014•5 min
Plural forms of nouns in Spanish are very much like plural forms of nouns in English. The sounds are almost exactly the same too. In this quick video, I give you two rules that have no exceptions and give you some examples of both rules–and how they compare to what we do in English. Free Practice Resources: Plural Nouns Worksheet Answer Key Related Videos: The Sexualization of Nouns Definite & Indefinite Articles...
Feb 07, 2014•5 min
In this lesson, I go over the whole masculine/feminine thing in Spanish. While not nearly as hard to “get” as all the verb conjugations, the sexuality of nouns still gives Spanish students a lot of trouble at the beginning. Or at least that’s how it was for me. Related Videos: Plural Forms of Nouns Definite & Indefinite Articles
Feb 05, 2014•8 min
Every Spanish-speaking country has a different accent. The trained ear (definitely not mine) can almost always tell you what country somebody is from just from their accent. Not me. But even I can tell when somebody comes from Spain. Except for perhaps Argentina, Spain’s accent is the most unique. Related Videos: Spanish Pronunciation Present Tense, Regular AR Conjugation...
Feb 03, 2014•4 min
In this lesson, I present “ser”, “estar” and “ir” together. Very few books present “ser” and “estar” together. I don’t know why. Probably because the people who make those books have no idea how our Gringo minds work. Free Practice Resources: Blank Conjugation Sheet Ser & Estar Conjugation Key Related Videos: The Infinitive & Conjugation Personal Pronouns Ser Vs. Estar Regular, Present Tense AR Conjugation...
Jan 31, 2014•8 min
In this video, I’m going to go over the exact strategy I used when I was first learning Spanish, to practice all the different conjugations of a verb. Free Practice Resources: Blank Conjugation Sheet Estar Conjugation Key Related Videos: The Infinitive & Conjugation Personal Pronouns The Flashcard Strategy The Three Enemigos...
Jan 29, 2014•6 min
“To be or not to be? That is the question.” I know very few lines from Shakespeare. But it’s no surprise to me that one of the few I do know, contains the verb “to be” twice. You see, I consider “to be” to be the mother of all verbs. I’d bet a lot of money that “to be” is the most frequently used verb in English and in Spanish. Anytime you say “is” “am” “are” “was” or “were”, you’re actually saying a conjugated form of “to be”. But here’s the thing. In Spanish, they have two different “to be’s”....
Jan 27, 2014•8 min
Personal pronouns in Spanish are pretty easy and straightforward. The words are small and they work generally the way they do in English. But there are a couple common pitfalls for gringos like you and me. Formal/Informal, Latin America vs Spain. But don’t worry, that’s what we’re here to talk about today. Free Practice Resources: Download the Word List for this video Related Videos: The Infinitive & Conjugation Formal Conjugation Put Your Pronouns In, Take Your Pronouns Out...
Jan 24, 2014•6 min
Ahhh, The Flashcard Strategy… this one is near and dear to my heart. Anybody that knows my story knows I have a deep affection for making flashcards to memorize words. But you shouldn’t just throw the words on the cards and jump in randomly and haphazardly. Oh no. Related Videos: The Conjugation Strategy The Song Strategy The Bare Minimum Method...
Jan 17, 2014•5 min
One of the main reasons I failed Spanish my first time through is I was lost from the beginning. On the first day, the teacher starting using words like “conjugation” and “infinitive”. I didn’t even know what those words meant in English. Would’ve been nice of her to explain that, no? Free Practice Resources: Download the Word List for this video Related Videos: The Conjugation Strategy Personal Pronouns (Subject Pronouns) Formal Conjugation Put Your Pronouns In, Take Your Pronouns Out...
Jan 14, 2014•6 min
In this video, I go over basic Spanish pronunciation. I made this video first because pronunciation is always on people’s minds. But to be honest, pronunciation and accent is the LAST place you should spend your time at the beginning. When you learn new words, you can say more things. When you pronounce a word better, you can just say the same thing better. In this video though, I do go over the basics. Because you’ve got to know the basics. Free Practice Resources: Download the Word List for th...
Jan 13, 2014•6 min
