Spanish is full of wonderful expressions that are used in day to day life at an informal level. Expressions are a rich part of a language and being able to use them will help you communicate like a truly native speaker.

Today, I’m bringing you 8 fun expressions related to food, where the real meaning could be guessed in some, but certainly not in others  and unless you are familiar with them, you’ll feel a bit lost in the conversation!

1. Tener mala leche

“To have bad milk”- To be bad tempered

Ex. No me gusta esa tienda, el dueño tiene mala leche - I don’t like that shop, the owner is bad-tempered.

 2. Ir pisando huevos 

“To step on eggs” - To be extremely slow

Ex. Venga, vas pisando huevos, ¡así no vamos a llegar nunca! - Come on, you’re too slow, we’ll never get there!

3. Estar como una sopa 

"To be like a soup" - To be soaking wet.

Ex. Quiero llegar a casa, estoy...

If you have ever tried to learn another language, whether it is Spanish or any other, you will have almost certainly felt frustration with your learning at some point.

We normally start the journey with energy, enthusiasm and are ready to give it a go... But as we keep going, the task ahead seems overwhelming, almost impossible at times. 

We know where we’d like to be and we know where we are. And as we step towards it, that point seems to keep moving away and so the “gap” feels unbridgeable.

This happens to every learner, from beginner to the most advanced. 

But, why is that?

Simple. We place the focus on the end destination. 

In my case, at one point I had set the bar way too high, it was “sounding completely native in English”! Not only an unrealistic goal, but probably impossible from a physiological point of view too! 

Basically, the perfect way to feel permanently demoralised and set myself up for failure... 

And...

Most people are familiar with “adiós” to say “goodbye” in Spanish, but if you are planning on travelling to Spain and want to have interactions in Spanish, it is worth learning a few phrases for how to say goodbye depending on the situation!

Let's start with phrases with “hasta” (pronounced “ahs-ta” as the “h” is always silent in Spanish. “Hasta” literally means “until” and building phrases with "hasta…" is very useful as you can create many customized expressions. For example: 

• Hasta...
  • hasta luego (until later - see you later)
  • hasta pronto (until soon - see you soon)
  • hasta mañana (until tomorrow - see you tomorrow)
  • hasta el sábado (until Saturday - see you on Saturday)
• Hasta la próxima…(until next...)
  • hasta la próxima vez (until next time)
  • hasta la próxima semana (until next week)
  • hasta la próxima (without “vez”...

The Easter period in Spain is known as Semana Santa, or Holy Week, and events in many cities around the country truly last a whole week. In most of Spain, the bank holiday weekend goes from Thursday to Sunday, but some regions celebrate Easter Monday as well.

There are no Easter egg hunts and not much chocolate either (apart from the Catalonia region where, because of its proximity with France, chocolate eggs and figures are part of the traditions too). But for the rest of Spain, it's more about the religious side of the festival, filled with masses, processions and religious floats... Oh, and torrijas, we can't forget the torrijas!!!

Torrijas is the traditional dessert at Easter time. They’re slices of bread (normally leftover bread like baguette or ciabatta) soaked in milk, coated in egg and, thereafter, fried. Often comparted to French toast, you can add cinnamon, sugar or honey for a truly delicious bite.

 But coming back to the main celebrations, the religious...

With things starting to look a bit more positive ahead, many of us are looking at the possibility of booking a few days in Spain.

It's been a tough period, and I am certainly dreaming of a bit of the Mediterranean lifestyle and being able to enjoy every minute of the long warm days. 

Perhaps you have a property in Spain or perhaps you´ve got family and friends living there. Either way, being able to speak Spanish is important to you. You may have tried learning it in the past, but it has not worked the way you would have liked.

Then, this is totally relevant for you. 

Because our beginner’s programme Connect opens for registration on the 29th of March, but only until the 11th of April! 

Connect contains all the essential language that you will need on your next visit so you are able to...

• Handle greetings and introductions confidently and appropriately
• Master simple helpful phrases that will facilitate your interactions
• Ask and answer basic questions
• ...

What's your favourite Spanish food? For us it’s quite difficult to just pick one, but a really popular dish in our house is croquetas.

Unlike English or French croquettes, Spanish croquetas are not potato filled, but rather, with a creamy bechamel or white sauce and a variety of other fillings like pollo (chicken), jamón (Spanish ham), bacalao (cod), espinacas (spinach), setas (mushrooms)... the choice is yours.

Traditionally, croquetas de pollo y jamón were the most common ones to find in bars and restaurants as tapas or appetizers, but these days you can find plenty of creativity inside a croqueta and find an incredible selection of fillings with different meats, fish, seafood, veg and even cheeses!

In many towns and cities there's a “ruta de la croqueta” where different bars and restaurants in an area offer a “croqueta speciality” and you pop in for a drink and a croqueta and move onto the next croqueta place!

And while we look forward...

If you know a bit of Spanish, you will be familiar with the verb "tener", which literally means “to have”. Like in English, we use this verb to express possession, for example “tengo una casa en España” (I have a house in Spain)

"Tener" is one of the most common and useful verbs in Spanish, and as well as expressing possession, it has some other uses too...

Today, I’m bringing you 13 very common expressions with "tener" for everyday situations. 

These expressions frequently cause confusion for English speakers because in English they are used with “to be” (they are states of being), but in Spanish they are always formed with "tener".

Whether you know some, most or none of these, why not take a look at them and pick the ones that you think are going to be most useful next time you are in Spain:

1. Tener x años  (To be x years old) Tengo 42 años (I am 42 years old)
2. Tener hambre  (To be...

Spain has some wonderful festivals and traditions and Los Carnavales (The Carnivals) are one of the most fun celebrations across the country. They normally take place the week before lent, so dates vary every year. 

This week is Carnival week in Spain and although most events and celebrations are not happening for obvious reasons this year, Los Carnavales is a festival worth being aware of for the future as streets fill with colour, music and contagious joy.

This celebration is all about humour, parody and costumes. It is celebrated across cities and towns in Spain and while each place has its own unique flavour of celebration, they all have something in common: to have a great time in the streets.

Carnivals in Cádiz (Andalusia), Santa Cruz de Tenerife, (Canary Islands) and Águilas (Murcia) have all been declared of International Tourist Interest.

Carnaval de Cádiz

Cádiz celebrates one of Spain’s biggest and best carnivals and everything is...

Learning a few Spanish phrases will definitely help you fit in with the locals and make you sound more natural and native. 

Expressions are an excellent example of how rich a language is beyond the more formal and grammatically correct uses. They offer us insights into the culture of the people speaking that language and are an important part of its heritage.

Today I want to bring you a selection of some cool and commonly used expressions in Spanish:

•  Meter la pata “To put one's foot in it” (To mess something up)
  •  Luis siempre mete la pata y dice algo inapropiado en las reuniones familiares… (Luis always messes up family meetings by saying something inappropriate)
•  El mundo es un pañuelo “the world is a handkerchief” (small world)
  • ¡Qué coincidencia, el mundo es un pañuelo! ( What a coincidence, small world!)  
•  Está para chuparse los dedos “It’s finger-licking...

Have you got a favourite place in Spain? Perhaps it’s a city, a town or a tiny village in the middle of nowhere. Maybe it’s that beautiful coastal town, a mountain retreat or a medieval pueblo where you love having a drink and some tapas in a plaza or getting lost in its narrow and cobbled streets.

One of the things that really fascinates us about Spain is its diversity considering that it’s not a big country (for world standards). From North to South, East to West you can find huge differences in landscape, climate, gastronomy, people, architecture, customs and language! 

Each region has plenty of unique character and endless opportunities to explore.

And away from big popular and well-known cities, there are plenty of little gems for a day out or a short stay. From stunning white-washed pueblos in the South, traditional medieval towns in the centre to picture perfect fishing and mountain villages in the North.

In all honesty, we couldn’t choose just...