How to sound more native in Spanish
“I want to sound more natural, more native…”
This is something that I hear all the time the first time I speak with someone who has been learning for a while, but is stuck and not happy with the way their progress is going.
Can you relate?
Granted each person is unique and there will be specific things that they can do to improve and develop which need further exploring, but one of the things that will definitely help is to start adding Spanish expressions, just like Spaniards do… all the time!
They will help you sound more fluent and native as they will instantly let the other person know that you are confident and relaxed with your speaking and not sound like a walking textbook!
However, it’s important that you learn how to identify the most frequently used ones though (there are lots and lots!) and the techniques for incorporating them naturally and exactly at the right time!
5 great expressions related to the weather:
Ser un sol ๐ - To be a nice person (literally “to be a sun”)
Ex. Gracias por dejarme el coche, ¡eres un sol! - Thanks for lending me the car, you’re a star!
Saber a rayos โกโก- To have a horrible taste (literally “to taste like lightning!”)
Ex. Huele bien, pero sabe a rayos - It smells good, but it tastes horrible.
Estar en las nubes โ๏ธโ๏ธ - To have your head in the clouds
Ex. Es la tercera vez esta semana que te has olvidado las llaves, ¡estás en las nubes! - It’s the third time this week that you have forgotten the keys. Your head is in the clouds!
Lluvia de ideas ๐ง๏ธ - To brainstorm (literally “rain of ideas”)
Ex: Hemos hecho una lluvia de ideas, ¡y tenemos una lista con algunas opciones muy interesantes! - We’ve brainstormed and have a list of some very interesting options!
Romper el hielo โ๏ธ- Break the ice
Ex: Antes de la fiesta, tuvimos tiempo para hablar y conocernos gracias a unas actividades para romper el hielo - Before the party, we had time to talk and get to know each other thanks to some ice-breaking activities.
And the weather is a fantastic topic that can really help you in your day to day conversations as it’s perfect for small talk, ice breaking (romper el hielo ๐) and an easy way to use your Spanish with pretty much any Spanish speaker!
Are you confident talking about the weather?
Many people find some of the words and expressions related a bit challenging as they are constructed differently in English.
For example, do you tend to say “es calor” (incorrect) for “it’s hot''?
If you find this topic difficult and confusing, click here to watch this very popular video from our beginners course Connect, where we break it down so it’s easy to digest and understand. I'm sure you’ll find it very useful! ๐
For many more useful expressions in Spanish:
1. Hilarious expressions with milk
3. Expressions when you have a cold
5. Expressions for hot weather
