¿Te gusta el otoño? - Do you like autumn?

I personally think it’s a fascinating season! Observing the changes in nature, the light, the warm colours - ocres, amarillos, marrones, naranjas, rojizos. 

And autumn is a time for harvest too.

Manzanas, peras, calabazas, uvas, castañas, higos…

And because Spanish is a very rich language full of wonderful expressions, today I'm sharing with you 3 that are very commonly used in daily life situations and refer to a typical autumn food.

De higos a brevas - “Every once in a while”

“Higos” and “brevas” are both the fruit from the fig tree. The first ones are the fruits from the end of summer/autumn and the “brevas” (bigger, but less sweet) are the ones at the end of the following spring, 8-9 months after. 

Hence the expression “de higos a brevas” to refer to something which doesn’t happen frequently.

Ex. No nos vemos casi nunca,...

You’ve been working hard at your Spanish and really look forward to practising, but when the moment comes… you get blocked, the words won’t come out and your frustration leads to discouragement.

Has this ever happened to you? If this is the case, here are 5 practical tips for how to deal with conversation overwhelm.

1. Focus on communication, not perfection. 

This is where a lot of people struggle. When the focus is on not making mistakes, it is very easy to get blocked because as soon as we don’t know how to say something “properly”, we’re out of sorts. 

Instead, when the focus is on communication, we allow the language and the conversation to flow much easier. 

2. Practice as much as you can beforehand.

Any practice, no matter how little, is better than nothing. This will help with confidence and familiarity as it will reduce the feelings of stress at the thought of speaking with someone in Spanish.

3....

“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...

Finding the correct Spanish words to express anger and frustration without being rude or sounding inappropriate is definitely an important skill to have.

And in your quest to speak fluent Spanish, you’ll need to equip yourself with common words that allow you to express your feelings and thoughts appropriately.

So, I’m sure today’s vocabulary will be very useful, whether you use it yourself or you recognise when someone is voicing anger and frustration in Spanish too!

The easiest way is by using the following formula:

Verb “estar” + an adjective

Por ejemplo:

Estoy harto/a de… - “I’m fed up with…”

Estoy harta del tráfico - "I’m fed up with the traffic"

Estoy enfadado/a - “I’m angry”

¡Estoy enfadado porque ha subido el precio de la gasolina otra vez! - "I’m angry because the price of petrol has gone up again!"

Estoy molesto/a - This is a false friend which means...

Looking to sound like a true Spaniard? Then learning some colloquial expressions will definitely help you get there.

And today I’m bringing you some of the funniest ones… to do with milk!! 

Yes, I know it’s a bit odd, but us Spaniards seem to be obsessed with milk and the word “leche” means much more than just milk in Spain. In fact, there's a whole range of milk-related phrases that are commonly used every day with very different meanings!

Let’s look at 4 of the most used ones:

Ser la leche

"To be the milk! (Both to express positive and negative feelings)

• Ana es la leche, acaba de montar su propia empresa (Ana is amazing, she’s just launched her own business)
• Mi hermano es la leche, ha llegado tardísimo y ha perdido el avión (My brother is a pain, he arrived really late and missed the plane)

Tener mala leche

 “To have bad milk”- To be bad tempered

• Madre mía, ¡qué mala leche...

“Ser” and “estar” are certainly one of the trickiest verb pairs in Spanish and distinguishing between them and their uses can be a major challenge.

In a previous video and post I explained a very simple way for when to use each of them without endless lists to remember and with no exceptions! Really, is that possible? you may say…

Yes, I promise. You can watch it here.

But sometimes the meaning of a sentence completely changes depending on which of these verbs are used!

For example, if you’re talking about wine, saying “este vino es bueno” and “este vino está bueno” means different things.  

Do you know what the difference is?

In today’s video, we explain these and other very useful examples where using “ser” or “estar” changes the meaning completely!

"Ser" and "Estar" are very important verbs in Spanish and are constantly used in everyday situations and learning how and when...

Do you find it confusing knowing when to use “saber” and when to use “conocer”? Do you often choose one, but are not really sure if it’s the right one?

If the answer is yes... then you’re definitely not alone!

This is one of the most common mistakes that I hear all the time and one of the questions that I get asked frequently. And it is totally understandable, because in English there’s only one verb “to know”, for both “saber” and “conocer”.

So, is it...

“¿Sabes a María?” or “¿Conoces a María?” 

“¿Sabes Tailandia? or “¿Conoces Tailandia?”

Mmmm

Find out in this video, where we explain in a quick and simple way when to use “saber” or “conocer” so you get immediate clarity. 

After watching this video you won’t mistake the two again!

Feliz...

Something that people often want to improve is learning more expressions, sayings and vocabulary, particularly at an intermediate level and beyond.

Because understanding the expressions and key words that you come across is crucial in building your confidence and competence so you’re not lost in the conversation and can quickly work out what’s being said and respond appropriately.

So, my question for today is... have you heard the word “vuelta” many times, but you’re not quite sure if you understand what it means because you’ve heard it in very different situations?

If the answer is yes, today's video will definitely bring you some clarity.

Vuelta comes from the verb “volver”, to return and the root meaning is associated with that. However, the word “vuelta” is part of different expressions which are very popular and the meaning is not so straight forward.

We explain it all in...

Now that the clocks have changed and the dark nights have returned... 

¡Hay que abrigarse! - “we need to wrap up!”. “Abrigarse” from “abrigo”- coat

It is the perfect time to have a “plan de sofá y manta” (Spanish expression for being cosy at home, literally "sofa and blanket plan!") and learn some Spanish.

Today we want to share with you a very popular video from our beginners course Connect that covers how to talk about the weather because... who doesn’t like to talk about the weather! 

It includes all of the vocabulary and expressions that you need to feel confident with this topic.

Many people find some of the words and expressions related to the weather in Spanish a bit challenging as they are constructed differently in English. But in this video we break it down so it’s easy to digest and I'm sure you’ll find it very useful.

This is a fantastic topic that can...

Today, I'm very honoured to be interviewed by Lola Gamboa, from Educación digital.

In her podcast "Hoy es un buen día" we discuss how Your Spanish Dreams was born, what made us take the plunge and how we help people speak Spanish so they can integrate with their families and friends in Spain. 

We share our personal experiences learning other languages and how to make it a successful and enyojable experience. We also cover some of the reasons for being blocked with the language ... and how the situation can be completely turned around!

Hit play to discover more:

I hope you enjoy it as much I enjoyed recording it!

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