Aprende español: ¡Feliz año nuevo! – 2017

Learn Spanish and discover how Spaniards celebrate the new year. Learn Spanish listening to videos with subtitles. Escucha y aprende español con SpanishPodcast: "Aprender español el nuevo año... parece un buen plan. Hoy es un vídeo especial. Te voy a enseñar cómo felicitamos el Año Nuevo los españoles y por otro lado podrás mejorar tu compresión oral gracias a nuestro mensaje de fin de año ... "

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Why Learn German? 10 Good Reasons to Learn German

Have you ever wondered “should I learn German?” or “why learn German?” There are plenty of good reasons to learn how to speak German. Deutsch was the fourth language I learned to speak fluently. I got to spend three months living in Berlin, Europe’s capital of cool. I met some amazing people, and made some lifelong friends. I loved every minute of my three month German mission. I’ve worked hard to maintain German fluency in the years since I completed the mission. It’s a language I love, and I think you would too if you learned it. Not sure whether you should study German? Here are 10 great reasons to study German.

1. You'll Find a Whole New Internet

Got a personal blog that’s missing an audience? Perhaps you should consider writing it in German, as well as your own language. Germans have a dominant Internet presence. Germany’s top-level country domain of .de used to be second only in the world to .com. In 2016 it ranked at around fifth, coming in after .com, .ru (Russia), .net and .org. Some 5.8% of websites are written in German, just behind Russian’s 5.9%. There’s a whole new Internet to be discovered for German speakers. Do you really want to miss out?

2. You Can Attend University in Germany for $0.00

Who says you have to spend a fortune to get a decent education? It costs £9,000+ a year to study in the UK. American students, meanwhile, can end up saddled with a six-figure student loan. In Germany? Tuition is free in most universities. Some institutions charge around €500 a semester. And there’s no sacrifice in quality that comes with that. Many German universities are in the world’s top 100. How has Germany got rid of fees? Two ways. First, a smaller percentage of students go to college – 27% percent, compared to the UK’s 48%. On top of that, universities are paid for by German taxpayers. What about international students? In countries such as the UK, USA and Australia, degrees often cost twice as much for foreign students as they do for nationals. Astonishingly, this is not the case in Germany. Both domestic and international students benefit from a free education on undergraduate courses. Switzerland and Austria also offer education for much lower fees than elsewhere in the world. What’s the catch? Although some courses are offered in English a large percentage are taught in German. Applicants have to prove their proficiency in German. Why not learn German and get a free education?

3. Mozart

What do Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Schumann and Wagner have in common? Apart from being famous composers, they all spoke and wrote in German. Bringing things into the present, I’m sure you’ve heard of the likes of Rammstein, Kraftwerk and Milky Chance. These bands sing in German and English. While we’re on the arts, some 80,000 new books are published in Germany each year. Only a small percentage of these are translated into other languages. All these books are only accessible to those who have a fluent grasp of German. Plus, you’ll be able to read Kafka and Goethe as they were originally written, with nothing lost in translation.

4. Want to Make Money? Learn German

Did you know that Germany is the largest European trading partner with the US (and has a ranking of fifth overall)? Germany exports everything from vehicles and machines, to chemical products and metals. If you’re interested in pursuing or strengthening a career in business, you’ll stand yourself in good stead by knowing the native language of your German business partners.

5. German is Easy for English Speakers to Learn

Here’s a little known fact: German and English belong to the same language family tree. That's why German is easy for English speakers. Unlike French, Italian and Spanish, which are Romance languages, both English and German belong to the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family. Some German words and expressions are still used regularly in English, such as angst, kindergarten and kitsch. English was later influenced by French, Greek and Latin. However, if you strip English back to basics, the language most resembles German. Not convinced? Look at words such as Bruder (brother), Wasser (water) and Freund (friend). You’ll be surprised by how many words you already know if you choose to learn German as a foreign language. If you’re an English speaker learning German, you’re at an advantage.

6. German is the Most Spoken Native Language in the European Union

With an estimated 175-200 million speakers worldwide, German is the eleventh most widely spoken language in the world. Considering that Germany is a country with a population of about 80 million people (compared to the US population of over 300 million), that’s nothing to scoff at. Some 95 million people speak German as a first language, meaning there are around as many speakers of German as a second language as there are native speakers. Talking of native speakers, German is the native language of Germany, Austria and a decent chunk of Switzerland. As a result, German has the largest number of native speakers within the EU. That’s why, along with English and French, German is an official language of the European Union. Many people in Central and Eastern Europe choose to learn German as a second language. Outside the EU, it’s the third most taught foreign language.

7. Germany has the Biggest Economy in Europe

In 2015, Germany had an economy of $3.4 trillion, making it the fourth largest economy worldwide, after China, the US and Japan. As far as world exports go, it once again sits comfortably at fourth on the list. Compared to economies in Europe, it has a comfortable lead against both the UK and France, which in 2015, sat at $2.9 and $2.5 trillion respectively. It’s also home to many international corporations, such as Volkswagen, Allianz, Birkenstock, Mercedes-Benz, Siemens and stacks of other brands that are recognised globally. Having German language skills on your CV can help your career in so many ways.

8. Berlin is a Hotspot For Startups and Innovation

European capitals are great places to live for many reasons. Often, it’s because they seem like places of endless opportunities, whether that be within fashion, entertainment, or business. If you want to live comfortably in cities like Paris and London, you’ll often find yourself paying extra for that luxury. It’s hard to focus on building a business or making a name for yourself, when you’re struggling to make rent. Fortunately, this isn’t so much the case in Germany’s capital, Berlin, a city where the cost of living is low and the quality of life is high. Along with the cheap rent, Berlin is known for liberal thinking and is the capital of cool in central Europe. A new startup is created in the city every 20 minutes. Many of them have been hugely successful – check out SoundCloud, Delivery Hero and Clue. If you’ve got an idea that you’re convinced is the next big thing, Berlin may be the city where you see your dream come true.

9. German is a Key Language for Science Nerds

At the turn of the 20th century, Germany was tipped to become the official language of science, thanks to the success of leading thinkers such as Max Planck and Sigmund Freud. Then WWI happened and in the aftermath, Belgian, French and British scientists ostracised scientists from Germany and Austria by encouraging international boycotts. Matters didn’t improve much due to WW2. This led to a division between the scientific communities of Europe. German dominated central and the eastern Europe. French and English became prevalent in western Europe. Since then, English has cemented its stronghold as the official language of science. Some scientists worry that this will affect the work of those who are forced to research and publish in a foreign language. If you’re scientifically inclined (as I am), fluency in German will give you the upper-hand in understanding the works of the some great German minds, such as Albert Einstein. Plus, you’ll be supporting a great cause – that of keeping the scientific community multilingual.

10. Wanderlust

One thing I’ve certainly noticed as I’ve travelled the world, is that along with Canadians and Australians, Germans are everywhere. Germans earn good money and are entitled to at least 20 days of leave a year (some get six weeks!). This gives them the time and money to travel, most commonly to foreign countries. And what do they do? They spend, spend, spend - around €80 billion a year - making them the nation with the largest outbound tourist trade in the world. Germany has an enviable position geographically within the EU (dead centre), but that doesn’t stop them from travelling nearly everywhere else in the world – Africa, Asia and the Americas. If you work within the tourism industry, speaking German will give you a big advantage. And if you suffer from a severe case of wanderlust? You’ll have more opportunities to make friends with the German speakers you bump into on your travels.

Your Call: Why Learn German

There are countless reasons why learning the German language can be beneficial in the long run. From increasing your career prospects to broadening your mind, the opportunities that await you know no bounds. Have I convinced you on the “why learn German” question? What’s your top reason for wanting to speak German? Let me know in the comments.

The post Why Learn German? 10 Good Reasons to Learn German appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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Episodio 244: El Quijote

Learn Spanish listening to native speakers: El Quixote. We summarize the book, we tell you why Cervantes wrote it and why "El Quixote" is so important. Transcript available: "Si aprendes español es probable que conozcas El Quijote, posiblemente el libro español más importante. Hoy, para mejorar tu comprensión oral del idioma español vamos a hablarte de este libro, por qué es tan importante y te contaremos un pequeño resumen del libro. El Quijote es un libro bastante difícil de leer en español para un estudiante. Utiliza muchas palabras antiguas o que ya no se usan y muchas de las frases son complicadas de entender. Estas frases son complicadas de entender porque son figuras retóricas, es decir, algunas veces no significan lo que sus palabras dicen normalmente ... "

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Inner Circle #36 - December 2016: How to Reach Your Goal for the Year - The Long Term Strategy for Success

Last time, you learned how to make your schedule and life revolve around your goals – like learning Spanish – and not the other way around. In this final Inner Circle lesson of 2016, time’s up. It’s time to reflect on the year and review the long term success strategies that will pull you through.   In [...]

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Learn with Video #26 - How to Celebrate New Year’s Day in Mexico

In this video, you’ll learn How to Celebrate New Year’s Day in Mexico. Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, where you will find many more fantastic Spanish audio and video lessons and learning resources! Leave us a message while you’re there! Download Lesson NotesDownload Video VocabDownload Premium Learning CenterDownload Lesson Transcript

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Must-Know Spanish Sentence Structures #13 - Asking for a Reason

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! The Sentence Patterns series brings you a great new way to learn Spanish! With this series, you’ll build on your conversation skills by learning the most common and useful sentence patterns in Spanish.   In this lesson, you will learn how to use the sentence pattern “Why…?” Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, where you [...]

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Video Culture Class: Spanish Holidays #26 - How To Say “Happy New Year” in 34 Languages

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to say “Happy New Year” in 34 languages. Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, where you will find Spanish lesson notes and many more fantastic lessons and learning resources. Leave us a message while you are here! Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Download Video Vocab

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Spanish Vocab Builder #76 - Tableware

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Our Spanish vocabulary lists are listener favorites, and now we’ve made them even better! In each lesson, you’ll hear the Spanish words and phrases from the Spanish vocabulary lists. Join us for Spanish Vocab Builder! In this lesson, you’ll learn words and phrases for Tableware. Click here to make your own flashcards [...]

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Spanish Reading Comprehension for Beginners #2 - Reporting a Lost Item at the Station

Learn Mexican Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Welcome to the Mexican Spanish Reading Comprehension for Absolute Beginners series. In this series, you will start to build up your Mexican Spanish reading skills through lessons focussed on everyday activities like taking the bus or train. You’ll learn how to read tickets, notices in the station, timetables, and more. [...]

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The Coolest Jobs! Get Paid to Learn a Language

What if you could get paid to learn a language? I’ve spent most of my adult life doing this. I’ve gotten jobs overseas and then learned the local language on the job. While I don’t think it’s necessary to live in a foreign country to learn a language, I will admit that I see the appeal. Learning languages by immersion fed my insatiable travel bug. The problem with learning by immersion is that it can be a pretty expensive affair – unless that is, you nab yourself a job in the process. Not just any work, either. I’m talking about jobs that enable you to continue building upon your language skills, while you’re at work. Yep, these jobs do exist. I should know – I’ve pretty much worked them all, at one point or another. Working while you travel means you can spend more time overseas. That makes it easier to learn the local language. Plus you don’t have to stress about running out of money.

Why I Travel to Learn Languages

You don’t have to travel to learn a language. Plenty of language learners enjoy learning a language in the comfort of their own home (which is an approach I recommend), or in a classroom. Classroom learning didn’t work for me. I tried and failed for years to learn languages in an academic setting. It wasn’t until I moved to Spain that I finally achieved success. After a very frustrating first few months of trying to learn Spanish and getting nowhere, I managed to crack the language learning code. I realised if I stopped talking in English and started forcing myself to speak Spanish as much as possible (and embraced the fact that I would make mistakes), something might actually sink in. That’s exactly what happened, and it completely changed my life. My time in Spain was the beginning of what would become over a decade’s worth of travel adventures. For years, I country-hopped, often living in places for as long as my visa would allow. Wherever I was, I would endeavour to do my best to immerse myself in the culture of the country, learning how to communicate with locals. There are a lot of benefits to English-free travel. You get a completely different (and I’d say better) experience than tourists who only use English. Plus you can save a lot of money. These days, I make my living as an author, professional speaker and by creating language courses. This wasn’t always the case. I wasn’t some trust-fund kid, seeing the world on my parent’s money. I had to figure out a way to support myself if I wanted to keep travelling long-term. I realised two things pretty early on. If I wanted to keep travelling, I would have to learn how to do it cheaply. I would also have to work – just like pretty much everyone else in the world does, to survive. The key thing was, I didn’t want any old job. I don’t say this with a snobby, “better than thou” kind of attitude. After successfully learning Spanish, I decided that I wanted to have a crack at becoming a polyglot. So, I needed to find jobs that would assist me in my language learning. If a job cleaning toilets meant that I had the opportunity to practise my language skills, than I would have done it! As it was, I worked some pretty unglamorous jobs during my time spent trotting the globe. Most notable was when I worked as a youth hostel receptionist in Rome. I did 24 hour shifts, for €10 a day. I can tell you now, I earned every single cent of that ten euros! Thankfully, room and board were thrown in too. So yes, it is possible to “earn as you learn”, and perhaps necessary if long-term travel is something that entices you.

The Benefits of an Earn As You Learn Job

Learning a new language while working has a lot of benefits:

• You’ll have a stable paycheck, so you can travel longer.
• You’ll be able to enjoy the benefits of living in a foreign country, such as eating out and attending events. You earn money to spend it (wisely), after all!
• Work is a good opportunity to meet people who are native speakers of your target language, outside of the “expat circle”. This will give you an opportunity to practise your speaking skills (along with meeting amazing new people!)
• You’ll be able to put down roots, of sorts. You can rent an apartment rather than stay in a hostel. You can cook at home. You can join a gym. You can seek out new friends. All these things give you a chance to have an authentic experience living in a foreign country. You’re unlikely to get that if you’re just passing through.
• If you have a job that has a bit of downtime or social interaction with locals, the more hours you work, you more you get to practise your language skills.

With that in mind, let's take a look at a few career ideas for language learners. The good news is that these are really interesting jobs too.

5 Ways to Earn Money While Learning a Language

Is your heart set on moving overseas to learn a language? Then I say go for it. You’ll need some savings to get you started, but as long as you’ve got the correct visa, it’s a pretty safe bet that you’ll find work along the way. Let’s take a look at jobs that are relatively easy to find, and that can help improve your language skills. Some of these jobs require you to speak fluent English. Others are available for speakers of any language.

1. Work Abroad as an Au Pair

Working as an au pair is basically performing the duties of a live-in nanny. On getting a job, you’ll be provided with food and accommodation, as well as a salary. Pay varies from country to country, although as your basic needs are covered it will be enough to get by, and perhaps a bit more. You can put aside money for savings to travel later, or use it to enjoy yourself in your new country. Although you’ll probably be expected to speak English with the children, it doesn’t mean you won’t get chances to pick up some of the family’s native language. Working as an au pair is a good way to sidestep what would otherwise be a complicated visa process. Visas for the USA are notoriously hard to obtain. As a European citizen wanting to improve your English, you’d be allowed to come and work in the States for a period of 1-2 years, enabling you to improve your language skills and have a firsthand experience of American culture. The same can be said for the likes of Americans, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders wanting to seek work across Europe. So, if you enjoy spending time with kids, au pairing may be one way you can live overseas and earn a living while learning a foreign language.

2. Travel and Teach English (ESL Teaching)

Teaching English as a second language is a popular way of earning for travellers and language learners alike. Some places only require you to have a university degree and be a native English speaker. Others require you to have a TEFL (Teaching English Foreign Language) certificate. Most courses are inexpensive, and once you’re certified, you can work pretty much anywhere in the world. It is not uncommon for nomadic sorts to settle down in a city such as Bangkok for a few months and earn some money by teaching before moving on to a new location. As a language learner, you can take advantage of the situation by giving yourself opportunities to practise your speaking skills, while teaching your pupils all you know about English in the process. Give a little, take a little. Salaries vary by country, but you should earn enough to live quite comfortably. The best paying jobs tend to be found in Asia. Many programmes include housing, health insurance, flights to the country and pretty decent pay. I worked as an ESL teacher in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Brazil, and Ireland. I found it to be a rewarding and reliable avenue of work.

3. Get a Job in Hospitality: Hostel/Hotel Workers

I was employed in a youth hostel as a receptionist when I was living in Rome and learning how to speak Italian. I would work a full 24 hours, then have alternating off days, which I spent cramming in as much Italian learning as I could. My boss didn’t like having Italians staying in the hostel, which was annoying as I didn’t have any native speakers to practise with! However, it did give me the opportunity to maintain my Spanish with the many Spaniards who checked in, which helped me to keep my two foreign languages separate in my head. I also had a bit of downtime here and there, particularly in the late morning, which I used to memorise vocab lists and do other study. That’s the beauty of jobs in hostels or hotels – there are long spells in which you’ll find yourself with nothing to do. If you’re willing to take advantage of these moments, you’ll find you have more time than you ever anticipated, which you can use to study your language. A much better investment than binge-watching TV on Netflix! Although the money was not great (well, terrible if I’m going to be completely honest), I at least had accommodation thrown into the equation, which many other hostels offer in compensation for their terrible wages!

4. Serve in a Restaurant or Cafe as a Waiter/Waitress

A hop, skip and a jump away from working in a hostel/hotel is service work. Waiting on tables or serving drinks in a bar gives you plenty of opportunities to practise your language skills. Here is a job that brings you into direct contact with members of the public, who will almost certainly be native speakers. On top of that, fellow staff members will probably be young, looking to make friends and ready to mingle after a long day at work. Although service wages can range from livable to abysmal, if you’re looking for a job that is socially rewarding, you can’t do much better than this.

5. Practise Your Language Skills as a Translator

Once I had a few languages under my belt, I began to work quite a lot as a freelance translator. This type of work was a lifesaver during my time spent living in Canada, when I had failed to get a work visa before entering the country! My initial approach to finding work as a translator was clumsy and slow. I sent out 2,000 emails to translation companies! I now know that there are freelance translator sites like ProZ, which are perfect for those looking for freelance work. Many translators charge by the word, meaning that you can make a comfortable living if you’re good at it. Here’s the crucial thing. Translation is not necessarily easy. Just because you speak a language, doesn’t mean you know all the subtle nuances that come with it. For this reason, I would only ever advise seeking work that allows you to translate to your mother tongue. It’s also best to look for translation work in a field you specialise in. Particularly lucrative fields are medical, legal and tech. Although it can be a bit hard to get the ball rolling, once you have, you’ll have access to as much work as you need. Plus, the job can be location independent. As long as you have access to the Internet, you can work almost anywhere in the world.

Working Overseas: Other Location-Independent Jobs

Speaking of location-independent jobs, there’s a long list of ways to earn money that have become possible, thanks to the Internet. Freelance translation was the first location-independent job I had, but it didn’t end there. My blog allowed me to become an online entrepreneur, which led to gigs as a writer and professional speaker. Popular choices for location-independent jobs include: · Writer - online publications are always looking for writers. If you do the legwork and find a few gigs that guarantee you work on a regular basis, it’s possible to make a good living from freelance writing. Although you’ll have deadlines, you’ll also have time you can dedicate to your language pursuits. Better yet, you may even find an avenue online where you can get paid to write about your language learning efforts! · * Web Developer/Coder - as the Internet grows, programming and design skills are increasingly in demand. Working online gives you the opportunity to work with companies from your native country, as well as wherever you happen to be travelling at the time. · * Poker Player - you may laugh, but I’ve known a few people who’ve earned a decent living from playing poker online.

You Could Always Take Your Current Job to a New Country

Don’t want to change careers? Then consider taking your job overseas. There are plenty of industries that allow you to work in foreign countries, such as health, law, media, entertainment, government and teaching. You’ll be able to continue climbing the career ladder, gaining valuable work experience, while building upon your language knowledge. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering, and because of this I have had opportunities to work in related roles throughout my career, in countries such as France. Although I later embraced my new career path as a full-time language hacker, I don’t see my degree or the time spent working as an engineer as being pointless or wasteful. In fact, I believe that it was my background in engineering that set me on the trajectory to where I am today. Do you have a job that enables you to earn a living and learn a language? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments.

The post The Coolest Jobs! Get Paid to Learn a Language appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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A review of 2016

It’s been a busy year for us here at Radio Lingua and we thought we’d take this opportunity to look back through the 2017. We hope you enjoy reliving some of the highlights of the year with us.

Masterclass launch

On 1st January we launched our Coffee Break French and Spanish Masterclass courses. These are 6-month coaching courses which will help intermediate learners build on their existing knowledge and take it further in a number of areas including pronouns, idiomatic expressions, tricky verbs and the famous subjunctive. Learners have been working through the modules of the Masterclass all year. At the moment the Masterclass is being moved over to our new Coffee Break Academy (see below) so it’s not available for enrollment, but as soon as it’s available again we’ll make an announcement on the website and on our social media profiles.

High Five Spanish

Having spent several weeks in the south of Spain during 2015 filming our series for younger learners of Spanish we were delighted to launch our educational version of High Five Spanish for schools in May. The first series of lessons in the family version is also now available in our Coffee Break Academy: click here for more information.

Coffee Break Italian 1 concludes

We spent a few days in northern Italy in April to record the final batch of lessons of Coffee Break Italian Season 1. Highlights included Katie’s cookery lesson with la mamma di Francesca, and recording this perla di saggezza on the shores of Lake Orta:

Website Woes and Unauthorised Apps

We had a challenging time in October when we were locked out of the Radio Lingua website as a result of DNS problems. Our hosting company changed the “address system” for our site without any warning, and this resulted in a stressful 48 hour period when no-one could access our site, including us! Fortunately we were back up and running soon afterwards and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

We’ve also had ongoing challenges with unauthorised apps in the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store. If you’ve downloaded a Coffee Break French, Spanish, German or Italian app to your device, please read this article. We have now been through the same legal process with the App Stores eleven times to remove the apps, but each time the developers simply upload the apps again. Once again, we strongly advise customers not to buy these apps. We hope that 2017 will bring a more permanent solution to this frustrating problem.

Coffee Break Instagram

We launched Instagram accounts for Coffee Break French, German, Spanish and Italian in August. You can now build your vocabulary, practise your verbs and enjoy linguistic inspiration every few days.

Celebrating our 10th birthday

We were delighted to celebrate ten years of delivering language lessons to learners around the world in November and we did so by making no fewer than eleven announcements including new seasons of Coffee Break French, Coffee Break Italian and Coffee Break German, plus a brand new video course, Coffee Break Spanish To Go. We also announced our fifth Coffee Break language: from early 2017 you can start learning Mandarin Chinese with us with the introduction of Coffee Break Chinese. Watch the video below to enjoy a flavour of ten years of Radio Lingua in one minute!

The Coffee Break Academy launches

Our most important development this year has been the launch of the Coffee Break Academy, a new home for our premium courses. Moving forward, all our premium courses will be accessible in the Coffee Break Academy and we’ve been contacting existing members to explain the process of moving your courses to the Academy, should you wish to. There’s more information about that here.

Looking forward to 2017

As we look forward to a new year we’re very excited to be launching our new Coffee Break Italian and German courses, and we’re busy recording the materials and putting together the premium versions of the courses. We’re also hugely excited to be launching Coffee Break Chinese early in 2017 and, of course, Coffee Break French Season 5 will be along later in the year. We plan to continue to develop the Coffee Break Academy, and there are lots more plans afoot for new products and services.

Best wishes for the holiday season!

All that remains is for us to wish you a very happy and peaceful festive season.

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Episode 3 – Coffee Break Conversations

Mark was in Germany earlier this month to record some Coffee Break German content with Julia. After the recording session they took a trip to the Christmas Markets in Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt and Potsdamerplatz where they recorded this episode of Coffee Break Conversations, the video series which takes you behind the scenes of Radio Lingua.

This was, of course, before the tragic events earlier this week. Our thoughts and best wishes are with everyone affected. In a spirit of peace and goodwill, we’ve decided to post the video.

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Beginner Lesson S4 #7 - Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better in Spain!

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! “No, that’s not the right way to do it,” he says in Spanish, “You need to carefully stir this ingredient into the mixture, but do it quickly!” Ahh, the nerve of this guy! He keeps nagging at you, telling you in Spanish, “No, you should stir counterclockwise, not clockwise. Gently now, [...]

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Absolute Beginner European Spanish for Every Day #15 - 10 Foods That Will Kill You Faster

Learn European Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! In your home country, there are some phrases that are so common you use them or hear them every day. The same is true in Spain too, so why not give your European Spanish an instant boost by learning them in this video lesson? With Rosa’s help, you’ll be sounding [...]

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Episodio 243: Ya te vale

Learn Spanish the easy way, listening to native speakers, talking about interesting or funny topics. What's the meaning of 'ya te vale'? Trancript available: "Aprender español escuchando es una de las mejores formas de aprender idiomas. Aprender español escuchando permite mejorar tu comprensión oral y también tu capacidad de expresarte en este idioma. Por este motivo creamos estos episodios. Esperamos que este nuevo episodio te sirva para mejorar. Hoy vas a aprender español conociendo una expresión extraña y muy utilizada en nuestro idioma: ya te vale ... " Trancript available: What's the meaning of 'ya te vale'?

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Vídeo: Spanish Christmas listening

Learn Spanish for free. Improve your Spanish skills learning Spanish with subtitles. With this video you can learn Spanish while you learn something about what spaniards do in Christmas. Improve your Spanish speaking and listening skills listening to real Spanish. Transcript: "Hola, bienvenido o bienvenida a un nuevo vídeo de Spanishpodcast.net Hoy vas a mejorar tu español con la Navidad ... "

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Spanish Vocab Builder #75 - Top 10 Christmas Characters in American Culture

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Our Spanish vocabulary lists are listener favorites, and now we’ve made them even better! In each lesson, you’ll hear the Spanish words and phrases from the Spanish vocabulary lists. Join us for Spanish Vocab Builder! In this lesson, you’ll learn words and phrases for Top 10 Christmas Characters in American Culture. Click [...]

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News #222 - Your Secret SpanishPod101 Deal to Mark the End of The Countdown

You were told there’d be 10 huge holiday deals at SpanishPod101. They’re gone. You were told the Holiday Countdown was just 10 days. Time’s up. Here’s what you weren’t told – there’s an 11th deal. Click Here To Pick Your Spanish Deal and Start Learning! It’s a very BIG Spanish deal. It’s the 900 pound gorilla [...]

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Spanish for Kids: Where to Start and Online Resources

So you want to help your kids (or maybe someone else’s) learn Spanish? Good choice! Spanish has a special place in my heart. It’s the first foreign language that I ever learned fluently, and the language that started me down the road to being “the Irish polyglot”. I’m not alone. Spanish is one of the most popular second languages for English speakers. That’s one of the many reasons Spanish is a great way to introduce children to another language. What else makes Spanish a good choice for children? For one, phonetic spelling. This means that once you know how to sound out letters, you can pronounce any word. So it’s super easy for children to read the words they’re learning. For another, Spanish is a really widely-spoken language. So there are plenty of resources available online. In this article, I’ve collected some of the best resources to help your kids learn Spanish. Let’s get to it!

Spanish for Kids: Music

Spanish songs are one of the best ways to introduce children to the language. Whatever their age (even newborns), they can listen to music. There’s even evidence that babies begin assimilating language before birth. Where can you find this Spanish music?

Spanish Music for Kids: Pandora

For free Spanish lullabies online, there aren’t many better choices than Pandora. Simply type “canción de cuna” (“Lullaby” in Spanish) into Pandora’s search field, and a station will pop up in your search results containing dozens of child-friendly Spanish songs. To listen to the entire list of songs, you’ll need to create a free account with Pandora.

Spanish Music for Kids: AprenderEspanol.org Canciones Infantiles

AprenderEspanol.org Canciones Infantiles features forty Spanish children’s songs, along with video and lyrics to follow along to. Some kids will be too young to appreciate the lyrics, but the videos are cute and engaging for kids of all ages.

Spanish Music for Kids: Rockalingua

I love the presentation of the songs on Rockalingua. Each song comes with illustrations, and lyrics to follow along to. Nearly all of the songs are free for anyone to listen to. There’s a lot more content available on this site, including videos, games, and picture dictionaries, but you’ll need to create an account to access most of it.

Spanish for Kids: Cartoons

Watching TV can be a great way to learn a language, as long as you approach it the right way. For adults, that means taking notes, and watching scenes over and over. Children’s cartoons are different. Unlike shows for grown-ups, shows for young kids are designed for people who don’t have full command of the language. They feature simple vocabulary that can easily be understood. Even if you don’t know every word, you can still follow the story. If you’re learning Spanish at the same time as your little one, watching cartoons together is a useful way for both of you to get some listening practice and entertainment. Which Spanish cartoons make for good watching?

Spanish Cartoon for Kids: Fisher Price Vídeos Para Bebés

Fisher Price Vídeos Para Bebés is for Spanish-speaking toddlers and pre-school-aged children. They’re perfect for listening practice whatever your age. Each video tells a short, funny story, and introduces some new vocabulary. The new words are spelled out on-screen for older kids. The videos are addictive, too. I watched three of them just for fun before I remembered I had other work to do today!

Spanish Cartoon for Kids: Dora The Explorer

If you’re a parent, I hardly need to mention this TV show. It airs around the world in dozens of languages. It aims to teach kids a foreign language in a fun way. Most of the foreign language versions aim to teach English, but a few - including the English and Gaelic versions - teach Spanish! Most of the show is in English, but throughout each episode, the characters take time to teach Spanish words and phrases. This is a great show for pre-school-aged children just starting to learn Spanish. If you’re located in the US, you can visit Nickelodeon Jr. to watch more Dora videos and play some games.

Spanish Cartoon for Kids: Los Simpson

Fancy watching The Simpsons in Spanish? Here’s every episode: Los Simpson. Yep, that includes the early seasons. You’re welcome. As you probably know, this show is a little too mature for younger children. Older kids and teenagers will almost certainly enjoy it. Now you’ll be able to say Bart’s famous catch phrases in Spanish, such as “Eat my shorts”, “Don’t have a cow”, and “Ay, caramba!” Hang on. That last one is already in Spanish. Who says The Simpsons isn’t educational?

Spanish for Kids: Games

Games are great because they’re interactive. The instant feedback helps kids improve faster, and builds confidence. Check these out:

Spanish Games: Juegos Arcoiris

If it’s short, addictive games your kids are into, then Juegos Arcoiris is the perfect website. Packed with a variety of puzzle games, short stories, and colouring activities, this website will keep your child entertained for hours. Juegos Arcoiris isn’t designed to teach Spanish, but you can’t help but learn important words and phrases while playing the various games. The colouring games display the Spanish names for the objects to be coloured, and the puzzle games have all their instructions in Spanish. All the short stories are in Spanish.

Spanish Games: Spanish-Games.net

Spanish-Games.net features a variety of free tutorials and games for kids to learn the essentials of Spanish. Simply select the topic you want to study, and choose whether you want to do a tutorial, game or test. The best part about this site is that you can switch between European Spanish and Latin American Spanish, so your kids can study the dialect that’s most useful to them.

Spanish Games: Online Free Spanish

I particularly enjoy Online Free Spanish for its emphasis on listening skills. Nearly every game includes an audio clip, to give kids practice listening to the words they’re learning in the game. There’s way more than just games here. It also includes fun songs about various topics in Spanish, from the names of toys to adjectives and their opposites. The Mini Books section has an assortment of short stories, each one with bilingual text.

Spanish for Kids: Books

Video games, movies, and TV shows for kids are everywhere these days. But, to me, there’s still no better way to get caught up in a world of adventure than a good book. Check out these resources (and more here) for tons of kid-friendly reading material.

Spanish Reading for Kids: Read Conmigo

Read Conmigo features an extensive library of bilingual children’s books. You need to subscribe in order to view the entire collection, but you can read one sample story without subscribing. Click “Descargar” to view the available download formats for the book.

Spanish Reading for Kids: International Children’s Digital Library

The International Children’s Digital Library (ICDL) is a free database of hundreds of public-domain children’s books. More than 150 of these books are in Spanish, including some translated English classics such as Humpty Dumpty and Puss in Boots, as well as an assortment of original Spanish language stories.

Spanish for Kids: Classes and Lessons

italki

italki is my favourite place to find Spanish teachers. Many have lots of experience teaching children Spanish. This is a good option if your child doesn’t have very many opportunities to speak Spanish in real life. italki is free to join, and it’s free to search for professional Spanish teachers and tutors. Lessons do cost money, but prices are very reasonable, especially for a competitive language like Spanish. Contact the teachers before booking to see what kind of experience they have with kids. Always be sure to attend lessons with your child. The italki support page has several helpful recommendations for parents using the website to find online tutors for their children. Which resources do you use to help your children learn Spanish? Tell me about them in the comments.

The post Spanish for Kids: Where to Start and Online Resources appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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Episode 39 – Season 4 – Coffee Break Spanish

It’s time for the penultimate episode in our series and this week we’re joining Rory as he returns to Scotland ahead of his departure for Argentina with María. Once again the episode is rich in complex language and features a number of interesting idiomatic expressions including hacerse el duro, and much more.

In the preview episode available here on the Radio Lingua site, on iTunes and on Soundcloud, you’ll be able to listen to Carmen and Mark’s introduction, to the core text of this episode, and to the summary in English of what happens in the text. For a full analysis of the text and in-depth discussion of the words and phrases contained in the episode, you can subscribe to our premium version. For further information, please see below.

Accessing the Premium Version

The premium version of Coffee Break Spanish Season 4 provides additional materials which will help you move forward more effectively with your advanced studies of Spanish. The premium version includes the following elements:

• full-length audio episode: in each episode Mark and Carmen discuss the language covered in each text in depth, providing further examples and testing you on your understanding;
• transcript: a full transcript of the entire episode including notes on complex language and grammar points;
• bonus audio episode: test yourself on the key constructions included in the audio episode with this bonus audio translation exercise.

Coffee Break Spanish Season 4

Access extended audio episodes, transcripts and bonus audio translation challenges and take your Spanish to the next level.

Available in the Coffee Break Academy

Subscribe links

Subscribe in iTunes | RSS Feed | Purchase members’ audio and transcripts | Members’ login

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Mexican Spanish Survival Phrases #35 - Learn to Write in Mexican Spanish Without Lifting a Pen

Learn Mexican Spanish travel phrases with SpanishPod101.com! A little Mexican Spanish can go such a long way! Whether you’re traveling, visiting, or sightseeing, SpanishPod101.com has all the essential travel phrases just for you! In this lesson we cover a high frequency Spanish phrase that you’ll surely find [...]

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5 fun and alternative ways of learning Spanish

You can get a helping hand with Spanish translation services and resources online, but if you’re not real big on text book learning, check out these five fun and alternative ways of learning Spanish…

 

Spanish is a fun language to learn. Beyond the fact that it’s the second most widely spoken language in the world, it’s also arguably one of the sexiest sounding. Especially when you get further into your language learning journey and can hear the differences in accents and understand regional dialects.

 

1. Study Abroad

 

Learning Spanish in the classroom is not the same as speaking it on the streets of Madrid or dancing flamenco in a bar in Seville. So, go study abroad. Take a year out and practice your Spanish outside of a school. Not only will the phrases you learn make more sense as you use them in real-life situations, but you’ll make friends and have fun at the same time.

OK, so not everybody has the luxury of taking a year abroad to learn Spanish, but if budget is a problem, then do some part time work online while you’re there. If you can’t take that much time out from your busy schedule, then organize a vacation. Try to go off the beaten path to places where English isn’t widely spoken, so you’ll be forced to speak more than you might do otherwise.

 

 

2. Take Dance Classes

 

Dance classes? Yes, dance classes. Depending on the variant you want to learn, Spanish speaking countries are pretty much all big on dancing. From the stomping heels of a sultry flamenco and the melancholy mystique of a tango, to upbeat salsa beats; learning the Spanish language almost inevitably means that you’ll have to learn to dance at some point. So, you might as well get a head start.

The best thing about taking dance classes is that you’ll meet like-minded people who want to have fun and you’ll pick up Spanish vocab without even trying. Learning the lyrics of the songs and being taught by a native teacher will make you want to look up “will you dance with me?” in Spanish. And who knows where that may lead you? Alternative and fun!

 

3. Watch Your Favorite Shows in Spanish

 

Whether you prefer to watch your favorite shows in English with Spanish subtitles, or go down the dubbed route, this is a great way of improving your Spanish. Why? Because you get to throw the accompanying CD of your text book out the window and watch and listen to something that interests you instead.

You probably won’t understand a word in the beginning. It helps if you watch the show in English first and the dubbed version afterwards, then things will fall into place. You don’t even have to watch something that you can’t stand, like a Mexican novela – just go for a rerun on Gray’s Anatomy and try not to snigger at the Spanish speaking version of Meredith.

 

 

4. Read What You Enjoy

 

Another way of rebelling against the typical structure of a text book is by reading about what you enjoy in Spanish. Thanks to Amazon and other online vendors, you can pretty much get the book of your choice in Spanish these days. So, if you’re not really interested in Don Quixote, then how about trying Eat, Pray, Love? If you’re interested in fashion, pick up a woman’s magazine.

If you want to know more about stocks and shares, try looking at a Spanish newspaper, such as El Pais or ABC. Actually, reading newspapers may not be fun for everyone, but they’re a lot easier than reading gossip magazines, as the formal way they’re written shares the common Latin thread with English. Your confidence will be greatly boosted as you find out you know more than you think you did.

 

5. Get a boyfriend or girlfriend

 

This part (obviously) only applies to you if you’re single. I’m not advocating adultery here. But, let’s be honest. Hands down, the single best way to learn a language is when you’re fully invested in learning it. And there’s no better way than by going out with someone who only speaks that language, namely Spanish.

You’ll learn all kinds of vocabulary that you’d never learn from a textbook and you’ll also get a real slice of Spanish culture. A family gathering for Sunday lunch, a cousin’s birthday party or maybe even an infamous “quinceañera”. Getting a partner who’s a Spanish speaker will be a wild ride and guaranteed to ignite your passion for the language and lifestyle even further.

 

 

So, there you have it. If you’re struggling with your pronunciation, reading lengthy passages, or getting stumped at the subjunctive, then take a tip from me. There are more fun and alternative ways of learning Spanish. You just need an open mind and a positive attitude. And a pair of dancing shoes.

Article by Sean Hopwood

Sean is founder and President of Day Translations, Inc., an online translation agency and localization services provider, dedicated to the improvement of global communications. By helping both corporations and the individual, Day Translations provides a necessary service at the same time as developing opportunities for greater sympathy and understanding worldwide.

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Episodio 242: La guerra civil española

Learn Spanish practicing with transcriptions and audio. Learn Spanish with the history of Spain. Today we talk about the Spanish civil war. Listen to real Spanish! Transcript available: "Hola y bienvenido o bienvenida a un nuevo episodio de SpanishPodcast.net Hoy te voy a hablar sobre la guerra civil española. En SpanishPodcast.net hablamos sobre muchos temas de la cultura y de la historia de nuestro país. Es una forma de aprender cosas al mismo tiempo que aprendes y practicas tu español. Es un episodio bastante largo, más de lo habitual ... "

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Vídeo: Falsos reflexivos en español

How to use reflexive verbs in Spanish? What are reflexive verbs in Spanish? Today we'll talk about false reflexive verbs in Spanish, learn when to use them! Subtitles available: "Hola y bienvenido o bienvenida a un nuevo vídeo de SpanishPodcast.net. ¿Quieres mejorar tu español? Hoy voy a explicarte algo sobre los verbos reflexivos. Presta atención ... "

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News #221 - Final Week! The Last 5 Spanish Deals of the Holiday Countdown Start Now!

Waiting ‘til New Years just to start Spanish? Forget that! Here’s why! There are still 5 days in the SpanishPod101 Holiday Countdown. What does this mean? Last week’s top deals like 55% OFF and Buy 1 Get 1 Free are GONE. But you can still take advantage of 5 more incredible deals that’ll get you [...]

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Spanish Vocab Builder #74 - 12 Days of Christmas

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Our Spanish vocabulary lists are listener favorites, and now we’ve made them even better! In each lesson, you’ll hear the Spanish words and phrases from the Spanish vocabulary lists. Join us for Spanish Vocab Builder! In this lesson, you’ll learn words and phrases for 12 Days of Christmas. Click here to make [...]

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Spanish Reading Comprehension for Beginners #1 - What Does that Mexican Spanish Signal Say?

Learn Mexican Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Welcome to the Mexican Spanish Reading Comprehension for Absolute Beginners series. In this series, you will start to build up your Mexican Spanish reading skills through lessons focussed on everyday activities like taking the bus or train. You’ll learn how to read tickets, notices in the station, timetables, and more. [...]

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What is the Easiest Language to Learn?

“What is the easiest language to learn?” I’m asked this question a lot, especially by people just starting out as language learners. It’s one of the most popular questions for beginners to ask. So, what’s the answer? In a moment, I’ll share what the Fluent in 3 Months (Fi3M) community thinks, and take a look at the views of polyglots and professors. Before we get there, let’s explore why this question doesn’t have a single, simple answer.

What Makes a Language Easy to Learn?

First things first: everyone’s different. There is a range of factors that can influence which language is the easiest for you to learn. Here are the key factors:

1. Your Motivation

Motivation is the single most important ingredient for success in learning any foreign language. No matter how “easy” the language you’re studying is, you just won’t make progress if you aren’t motivated. Even if you’re learning something new in your native language (for example, legal or medical terminology), you STILL won’t learn it if you aren’t motivated. I want to be clear on this. While it’s fun to analyse and compare languages to see which one is the easiest, the results only apply in an imaginary “ideal” world. I call this the “all things being equal” scenario. Equal time spent studying, equal access to resources, and especially equal motivation for each language. But all things aren’t equal in the real world. People learn languages for very different reasons. People’s motivation changes from day to day. They might study inefficiently. A so-called “easy” language might be much more difficult for you than for someone else, because, as I’ve said, everyone’s different. This is one of the reasons I say that any language can be easy to learn. In effect it’s a level playing field when it comes to assessing the difficulty of a language. When you’ve got the desire, you can find a way through the “difficult” parts of any language.

2. Your Native Language

In general, the more closely-related your native language is to your target language, the easier it will be to learn your target language. For instance, if Italian is your first language, you’ll probably find French easier to learn than Icelandic (but again, not if you’re more motivated to learn Icelandic!). If your native language is Norwegian, Swedish will come more easily to you than it would to a native Russian speaker. When your target language overlaps with your native language in terms of grammar, syntax or vocabulary, you naturally have a head start when you begin studying your target language.

3. Your Other Languages

The other languages you speak, or that you grew up hearing your family speak, will also influence how easy other languages will be for you to learn. Just like with your native language, the more similar a given language is to a language you already speak, the more easily you’ll learn it. This is especially true because if you’ve learned a second language rather than acquired it like you did your first language, then you’re very aware of the structure of that language. Maybe even more aware than you are with your native language. Unlike your native language, learning a second language after childhood means memorising grammar rules and vocabulary, and having to consciously think each time you conjugate a verb or use a subtle turn of phrase. This hyper-awareness of the features of the language means that if you try to learn another language from the same family, you’ll have a head start.

Here’s Why I Believe that Any Language Can be Easy

Ultimately, all languages have the same absolute difficulty. As far as I’m concerned, things like “grammar complexity”, “tones”, “writing system” and other aspects of a language don’t come into play when thinking about how difficult or easy a language is to learn. In other words, there is no language that’s inherently more difficult to learn than any other. How do I know this? If some languages were more difficult, then children would take longer to pick up those languages. But they don’t. Kids around the world start speaking their native languages at around the same time. With all that in mind, we’re now ready to dip our toes into the question “what’s the easiest language to learn?”.

What’s the Easiest Language to Learn for Fluent English Speakers?

We’ve established that “What’s the easiest language to learn?” is a subjective question. It depends on your native language, other languages you speak, and especially your passion and motivation. But if you speak English fluently, then we can get more specific about which languages are easier. Let’s take a look at what academic research, polyglots, and language learners all say about what the easiest language is for English speakers to learn.

Academic Research on the Easiest Language to Learn

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) is the United States government’s diplomatic training agency. It prepares diplomats to serve at embassies and consulates around the world. This preparation includes foreign language training. They specialise in teaching foreign languages to English speakers, so they need to know how long each language takes to learn so they can design their courses. Through research and decades of experience, they’ve ranked all of the languages they teach into categories based on the length of the course. According to the FSI, the languages that fall into the easiest category are:

• Afrikaans
• Danish
• Dutch
• French
• Italian
• Norwegian
• Portuguese
• Romanian
• Spanish
• Swedish

This ranking is based only on how similar these languages are to English. It’s really only useful for the ideal scenario: eight hours a day in an intensive learning environment (while getting paid!), a teacher who knows exactly how to train English speakers to use the language in the real world, and the motivation of knowing that failing the exam will negatively affect your career. For the rest of us, the language-learning experience is very different. For example, even though Spanish is listed here as one of the easiest languages to learn, I personally found it the hardest out of all of the languages I’ve studied. Why? Because my approach was all wrong at first. I took months-long Spanish courses instead of looking for hacks and shortcuts. I didn’t speak from day one. And worst of all, for the first few months of learning Spanish, I didn’t feel motivated. The Telegraph newspaper has compiled its own list of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn. The list is similar to the FSI’s, containing mostly Romance and Germanic languages. They also include Esperanto (more on this later) and Frisian in the list. The FSI doesn’t teach these, so they don’t appear in the FSI ranking.

Polyglot Opinions on the Easiest Language to Learn

You might be surprised to learn that not a lot of polyglots have outright stated which languages they believe are the easiest to learn. Nor have I. Many polyglots understand that trying to rank languages according to difficulty involves too many variables to be worthwhile. That said, there is one language out there that I think comes closest to being “objectively easy”: Esperanto. Most of the features that help make other languages easy can be found in Esperanto, including:

• The many cognates English shares with French.
• Spanish’s consistent spelling rules.
• Mandarin’s lack of verb conjugations and noun gender.

The reason Esperanto is so easy is that it was designed to be. It’s an artificially constructed language. But don’t let its “artificiality” turn you off from studying it. The Esperanto community is huge, and active all over the world. I found it a very fulfilling language to learn. In fact, if you’re new to language learning, then I highly recommend that you study Esperanto, even for just two weeks, before starting any other language. It will open up a worldwide community of Esperanto speakers, and expose you to the language-learning process so that your next language will be noticeably easier to learn. My friend and fellow polyglot Judith Meyer has explored the “easiest language” question on Quora. She agrees that it’s impossible to give a conclusive answer, but examines the question from several points of view. For English speakers, she argues that Afrikaans may be one of the easiest languages. Its simple grammar and similarity to Dutch mean that English speakers can easily grasp the basics. Like myself and many other polyglots, Judith ranks Esperanto as the easiest language to learn for the most number of people worldwide. Considering she’s the head organiser of the Polyglot Gathering and a representative of the World Esperanto Youth Organization, you can bet she knows her stuff!

What does the Fluent in 3 Months Community Think?

Of course, the conclusions of academic research and experienced polyglots still don’t mean much when it comes to your personal experience. “Your mileage may vary,” as the saying goes. I took a look on the Fi3M forum and other language-learning websites to find out what language learners like you think. Here are a few of their responses:

• Spanish - because the writing system is very regular, it’s full of cognates with English, and the pronunciation is easy.
• French - because of its tremendous influence on English, making it quite similar.
• Scots - Not to be confused with Scottish Gaelic (which should not be confused with Irish!), Scots is sometimes considered to be a dialect of English. But much of Scots is mutually unintelligible with English, although nearly all Scots speakers also speak English fluently. The two languages do have a lot in common, so many language learners claim that it’s the easiest language to learn.
• Esperanto - This one keeps reappearing as a popular choice. Maybe there’s something to it ;-)
• English also gets a shout out (though not for people who already speak English, of course!) - not because its grammar or vocabulary are inherently easy, but because it’s so accessible around the world. The internet is bursting with English resources, and there are free English language courses everywhere. Movies, TV, music and the news all have countless options online. And English teachers are everywhere. italki alone has over 1300!

So, What is the Easiest Language to Learn?

Everyone has their own opinion of which languages are the easiest. Ultimately, the decision is up to you. Whatever language you choose to learn, don’t let ease of the language be your only reason to learn it. The biggest impact on your language-learning success isn’t how easy or hard the language is, it’s about how easy or hard the studying is. Find ways to make studying easy - for example, by choosing fun ways to study, using language hacks, and only studying a language you’re motivated to learn - and that language will naturally become an “easy” language for you.

Have Your Say

What do you think is the easiest language to learn, and why? Do you think it’s possible to answer this question? Let me know in the comments!

The post What is the Easiest Language to Learn? appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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Culture Class: Essential Peruvian Spanish Vocabulary #21 - Traditional Clothing

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! What vocabulary do you need to know to have a conversation with Spanish-speaking locals? You’ll learn all this and more in this Culture Class: Essential Spanish Vocabulary series! Vocabulary is essential to mastering Spanish. In this 25-lesson series, you’ll learn the *most* essential Spanish words related to culture and daily life. [...]

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Episodio 241: Situación política en España, final de 2016

Today we talk about the current political situation in Spain and our new government. Learn Spanish with interesting topics! Transcript available: "Hola y bienvenido o bienvenida a otro episodio más de SpanishPodcast.net Hoy vamos a hablar de un tema por el que nos preguntan muchas personas: la situación política de España. Si sigues nuestro podcast desde hace tiempo sabrás que el año pasado se celebraron elecciones en nuestro país. España es un país con un sistema político democrático, así que cada 4 años los españoles tenemos que ir a votar para elegir qué personas formarán parte del gobierno ... "

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Naughty or Nice? How “Santa” Looks in Other Cultures

Christmas is celebrated in many different ways around the world. So it's no surprise that the most iconic figure of the season also has many guises. You may know him as Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, Santy, or simply Santa. And depending on where you grew up, there’s a good chance this gift-bearing gentleman “visited” your home around the holidays to leave you gifts. For some, a bearded and bespectacled old man traveled from the North Pole in a sleigh pulled by reindeer across the skies before climbing down the chimney to fill their stockings with treats. This version of Santa is inspired by the UK's Father Christmas, the Netherlands' Sinterklaas, the Germanic God Odin and even the Greek Myra. But he isn't the only gift-bearing visitor come Christmastime - not by any stretch. Let’s take a look at different Santa’s found around the world. You might be surprised at how many different versions of the Santa there are!

Father Christmas (United Kingdom)

Dating back to the 16th century is the UK’s Father Christmas. A large man donning fur-lined green or scarlet robes, Father Christmas stands as the spirit of good cheer, peace, joy, food, wine and revelry. Families leave him a glass of sherry or beer and a plate of mince pies as thanks and carrots can be left for his reindeer. Some stories even have him riding a “Yule Goat”. Traditionally, letters written to Father Christmas were burned on the fire so that they would be magically transported to the North Pole. More recently, however, this practice has fallen out of popularity and letters are now sent via Royal Mail. Father Christmas even replies to letters that are sent by 9th December! Today, Father Christmas and Santa Claus are nearly indistinguishable, but their origins differ. Originally, Father Christmas was a merry man in green robes who didn't give gifts, but served as the spirit of good tidings. Charles Dickens' book A Christmas Carol features one of the best known examples of this version of Father Christmas. Like many other versions of Santa Claus, present day Father Christmas rides a sleigh pulled by reindeer and travels down the chimney to leave gifts for children.

Santa Claus (North America)

With his eight flying reindeer (and the later addition of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), America’s version of Santa is one of the most recognisable characters in the world. A merry old man with red and white clothes, Santa lives at his home along with his wife, Mrs. Claus, and their elves on (or near) the North Pole. Come Christmas Eve, he flies across the globe on his sleigh, filling socks or stockings with presents and leaving gifts under the Christmas tree after making his way into homes through by climbing down their chimneys. Those on Santa's naughty list, however, received a stocking of coal. Children leave him milk and cookies, and often wake to an empty glass and a plate full of crumbs. The modern day version of Santa Claus is best described by Clement C. Moore's poem written in 1823, "A Visit from St. Nicholas”. In this poem, rituals that surround the preparation for Santa’s arrival are described including hanging stockings across the mantel and spying out the window in an effort to catch a glimpse Santa’s sleigh as he flies across the evening skies.

Sinterklaas (The Netherlands and Belgium)

In both Belgium and the Netherlands, Sinterklaas is the leading figure who, in contrast to St. Nicolas and Santa Claus, is more serious. Depicted as wearing a bishop's alb and cape as well as ruby ring, he rides a white horse and often carries a staff. Zwarte Piet is Sinterklaas' companion. He has dark skin, curly hair and wears a page's attire. This figure would often listen at chimneys to families’ conversations in order to report back a "naughty and nice" list. Sinterklaas delivers gifts over a period of three weeks, rather than one night, and he drops the gifts down chimneys as he flies over the houses on his white horse. If the children leave carrots for his horse, Sinterklaas leaves them sweets as well as gifts. He is celebrated each year by sharing gifts - either on St. Nicholas Day (6th December), or the evening before.

Grandfather Frost (Russia)

In Russia, Santa is known as Дед Мороз (Dyed Moroz), or Grandfather Frost. He is strongly tied to a pagan history, formerly employed as an evil sorcerer who kidnapped children and demanded gifts as ransom. Дед Мороз is portrayed with a magical staff and a long, fur coat in bright blue or red cloth. Accompanied by his granddaughter, Снегу́рочка (Snegurochka), which translates as “snow girl”, he provides children with a New Year’s party as well as gifts. The pair lives in the town Вели́кий У́стюг (Veliky Ustyug) and they make their annual trip by тройка (troika), a carriage, drawn by white horses. They work together against Баба-яга (Baba Yaga), a witch who steals children's Christmas presents. Prior to 1917, Grandfather Frost was actually associated with Christmas, but he is now more closely tied to New Year’s. Typically, he arrives on either New Year's Eve or Day, handing out gifts in person or placing them under the Christmas tree. In Russia, ба́бушка (Babouschka; literally: grandmother or old woman) is another figure who is also said to bring gifts during Christmas.

Joulupukki (Finland)

Joulupukki, or “Yule Buck”, is Finland’s take on Santa. Much like Russia’s Grandfather Frost, Joulupukki is linked to old pagan traditions that remained strong in Finland even after Christianity arrived. These traditions involved the people warding off evil spirits who wore goat skins and horns. The spirits demanded gifts and frightened children, but eventually these evil goat spirits transformed into the Finnish Father Christmas who today, closely resembles the American Santa Claus. Just how this happened, however, is unclear. Around the 1920s, there were well-known radio shows that popularized the modern form of Joulupukki with the Santa-like costume and reindeer. They also claimed Korvatunturi, a place near the Polar Circle, as his home. And because reindeer actually inhabit Finland, the new version of Joulupukki took root quite quickly. Joulupukki differs from the American Santa in that he is seen in the act of delivering presents to children. He also knocks on doors to ask them if they behaved rather than sneaking down the chimney.

St. Mikulás (Hungary)

Arriving on the eve of December 5th, Hungary’s St. Mikulás leaves gifts for children to find the next morning. Good children receive a bag of sweets while naughty children are given a gold-colored switch made from birch. On Christmas Eve, Hungarian children are also visited by “Little Jesus” who also brings gifts for everyone.

Jólasveinarnir (Iceland)

Iceland's Jólasveinarnir, or Yule Lads, are a group of 13 creatures that made their first big appearance in popular culture around the 1930s. Since their debut, they have been depicted as everything from friendly gift-bearers to bloodthirsty creatures that eat children. They have more recently settled into a more playful role. Each of the 13 is known for a certain trick. They have names like Gluggagaegir (window peeper) and Stekkjastaur (sheep harasser) to give you a hint about some of what they do. The Yule Lads place gifts in the shoes of properly behaved children in the 13 nights that lead up to Christmas. Poorly behaved children, on the other hand, receive potatoes.

La Befana & Babbo Natale (Italy)

In Italy, a witch named La Befana visits children in the place of Santa. Around the country, her origin story varies. Most commonly she is known as a kind woman who offered the three wiseman shelter on their trip to visit the baby Jesus. Portrayed as an ugly, old woman riding a broomstick, La Befana is comparable to the witches seen around Halloween. She often wears a black shawl and carries a bag of gifts. La Befana does not like to be seen, so she is said to hit children who spy on her with a broomstick. La Befana, like Santa, climbs down the chimney to leave gifts, figs, and candies for the good children and a piece of coal, ashes, or dark candy for those who were bad. She has a taste for the finer things, so instead of milk and cookies, she is left a glass of Italian wine. In certain parts of Italy, Babbo Natale (Father Christmas) brings gifts on the day before Epiphany. The night before, children place their shoes by the door and in the morning, they find them filled with small gifts and candy.

Papa Noël (France)

Resembling Santa Claus in appearance is France's Papa Noël. Rather than reindeer and a sleigh, Pere Noël rides a donkey named Gui (literally: mistletoe). Like Italy's Babbo Natale, the French version of Santa Claus puts small gifts and candies in the shoes of children left by the fireplace.

ほていおしょ / Hoteiosho (Japan)

In Japan, サンタさん (Santa-san) or サンタクロース (Santakurosu) and ほていおしょ (Hoteiosho) are the gift givers. ほていおしょis an overweight Buddhist monk with eyes in the back of his head so he can see how well children behave without them knowing. ほていおしょ arrives on New Year's Eve once the house is cleaned and beans are thrown for good luck. He is one of seven gods of fortune.

Tomte (Norway, Sweden & Denmark)

In Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, small gnomes known as Tomte are in charge of gift giving duties come Christmas. Originally creatures that looked over farmers' lands, the Tomte were kind but they had short tempers. Instead of cookies and milk, the Tomte are left a bowl of rice porridge and they tend not to be fat. Rather than the North Pole, children are often told that Tomte live in the woods beyond their homes.

Christkind (Germany)

Germany's Christkind (literally: the Christ Child) is a gift-giving figure popularized by Martin Luther in the 1500s. The Christkind is often portrayed as a small child with blond hair and angel wings, but like many of the other figures mentioned before, he is rarely ever seen. Children often write out their Christmas lists and decorate them with drawings then place them on the windowsill for the Christkind who then delivers gifts.

Some of Santa's Partners In Crime

We mentioned a few of Santa's cohorts above, Zwarte Piet, Снегу́рочка, Mrs. Claus and the elves among them, but our list wouldn't be complete without mentioning just a few more. Belsnickel is a figure who accompanies Santa Claus in parts of Europe and the United States. He is often depicted as a 'mountain man' with fur clothing and a mask with a long tongue. He is commonly employed as a way to encourage children to behave throughout the year. With a name derived from the German word for claw, Krampus is Santa’s evil sidekick in countries like Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, and Croatia. He is known for beating children who are naughty. Krampus was better known prior to the 1800s, but the church attempted to stamp him out, so his role today is relatively minor. Le Père Fouettard (literally: the whipping father) is a figure who is feared by badly behaved children. In one version of his origin story, it is said that Le Père Fouettard kidnapped and murdered three young men before cooking them in a stew. He is described as carrying chains and switches and is said to flog children who misbehaved.

Other Versions of Santa in Different Cultures

• The Basque Olentzero is a character derived from Roman tradition. He delivers presents on December 24th. He is a giant who was granted eternal life after dying in a house fire.
• In Hawaii, Santa is known by the name Kanakaloka.
• In China, Santa Claus is known as Shèngdànlǎorén (Traditional Chinese: 聖誕老人, Simplified Chinese: 圣诞老人) which literally translates as Old Man Christmas.
• The Irish term for Santa is Daidí na Nollag and he is often left Guinness or milk as well as Christmas pudding or mince pies. His name in Scots Gaelic is Bodach na Nollaig (Old Man of Christmas). And in Welsh, he is Siôn Corn (literally: Chimney John).
• Catalonia has the Tió de Nadal, also called the Caga Tió (the Poo Log). Kids decorate the log and leave it treats leading up to December 25, then beat it with a stick so that it defecates presents for them.
• In countries like Spain and Puerto Rico, Los Reyes Magos (the Three Kings) bring gifts on Epiphany. Children fill boxes with grass for the king's camels to eat and the Three Kings thank the children by giving them presents and sweets.

There is certainly no shortage of ways to celebrate Christmas around the world. No matter which Santa leaves you gifts under your tree or in your shoes, we wish you all:

Joyeux Noël, Feliz Navidad, Sretan Božić, 圣诞节快乐 and Happy Holidays.

Who brought you gifts as a child during the holiday season? We'd love to hear about it in the comments.

The post Naughty or Nice? How “Santa” Looks in Other Cultures appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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Absolute Beginner European Spanish for Every Day #17 - 15 Ways to Remember Words

Learn European Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! In your home country, there are some phrases that are so common you use them or hear them every day. The same is true in Spain too, so why not give your European Spanish an instant boost by learning them in this video lesson? With Rosa’s help, you’ll be sounding [...]

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¡Felíz navidad! Spanish Christmas Carols and Audios

Image: Madrid’s Retiro Park in the snow  

Queridos Amigos,

¡Felíz navidad! December is here, and Christmas is really starting to get going in Spain! Below we have two of Spain’s greateset Christmas Carols, plus links to all our Christmas related audios.

We also have a special Christmas sale running in our store, and once again 5% of the entire year’s gross Notes in Spanish income will be going to charity – this year we will be supporting ACNUR again, the Spanish division of UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency.

So, first, perhaps the two most famous Spanish Christmas carols.

Los Peces En El Rio…

Campana Sobre Campana

 Christmas Specials Here On Notes In Spanish

If you would like to know more about Christmas in Spain, and learn some Spanish Christmas vocab and phrases, then we have special Christmas audio for every level:

Inspired Beginners 16 – ¡Feliz Navidad!

Intermediate 12 – Navidad

Advanced 86 – Feliz Navidad

Do take 10 minutes to listen to the audio for your level with the appropriate worksheet (available in our store – with our special sale up to Monday December 12th), and make this a very Spanish Christmas as well!

Happy Christmas to Everyone!

Best wishes from Spain,

Ben y Marina

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