logo spanish programs

More Spanish, More Effective, Less Money

Become Conversational in Spanish

1. Watch Demo

level 1 spanish course demo

2. Try

trial download
Free 7-Day Trial
Instant Download
start download

3. Get Started

level 1 spanish course buy now
List Price: $199.99
Hard Copy: $149.99
Download: $99.99
order free trial

Archive for January, 2011

by Brandi

calendar image

January 31st, 2011

comment image

In Spanish, they have a fun thing with the language. They have what is called the “ito” / “ita” suffix. For those of you like me who have been out of high school or college too long to remember, a suffix is a word ending. In Spanish you should be able to add this suffix to any noun (remember a “noun” is a person, place, or thing). When you add the suffix “ito” or “ita” to a noun, it means “little”.  Just for an example the word “casa” means “house” and the word “casita” means “little house”. The word “gato” means “cat” and the word “gatito” means “little cat”. And finally, the word “papel” means “paper” and the word “papelito” means “little piece of paper”.

As you can see, the “ito” / “ita” ending means “little” and is very useful.  This fun “suffix” or “word ending” also has one other meaning. I had hundreds of experiences that reinforced the meaning, but here is one experience that opened my eyes to the “other” meaning.

Last time I told you about the Silva’s, who are native Spanish speakers from Latin America, and how I ate breakfast and dinner with them just about every day for about 3 months. Well, one morning Mrs. Silva brought in our breakfast as usual. First she brought in fresh baked rolls that she would get at the bakery every morning as well as a delicious breakfast drink. Then she brought in a pan with a few eggs swimming in oil. That is how they would cook fried eggs — they would put two to three inches of oil in a pan and then drop  in the eggs and they seemed to “swim” in the large amount of oil. As she brought in the eggs, she said in Spanish, “Here are your huevitos”. In Spanish, eggs are “huevos” but this time she used the “ito” / “ita” suffix and called them “huevitos”.

As she put the eggs on our plates, I examined them and said, “These aren’t smaller than normal eggs, why do you call them “huevitos”? She looked at me with a strange expression and said “Of course they’re not smaller”. I asked again, “so why do you call them ‘huevitos'”? She answered, in a sort of obvious tone, and told me it was because she had made them with “cariño” which means “caring”. I wanted to make sure I heard her correctly so I asked “So, since you made them with ‘cariño’ you call them ‘huevitos'”? She confirmed what I had said and I found that I was at the beginning of a very  good culture lesson where you make things like “eggs” with “caring”.

I wanted to make sure this was not something that just the Silva family did, so I began to listen more carefully to how others spoke. I began to notice that many people would call their grandmothers “abuelita” instead of “abuela”, even though their grandmothers weren’t necessarily “little”. I learned that “abuelita” is how to say “grandmother” with “cariño” or “caring”.

The word for daughter is “hija” and many parents would call their daughters “hijita” even though they were full grown adults. Obviously they were not calling their daughters “little daughter” but “daughter” with “cariño” or “caring”.

I grew to love this fun “little” cultural and language difference and had a lot of fun with it. I would tease Mrs. Silva in a fun way by adding “ito” or “ita” to everything for the next few days after that experience with the eggs.

So to sum it up, what I learned was that the “ito” / “ita” ending can be used to talk about “little” things, but it is also a term of endearment which shows “cariño” or “caring”.

To learn more about speaking Spanish, please visit our website www.spanishprograms.com

by Brandi

calendar image

January 26th, 2011

comment image
  English Spanish
Monday Where is? ¿Dónde est&aacute?
Tuesday Wall Street la calle Wall
Wednesday the park el parque
Thursday the mall el centro comercial
     
Friday the supermarket el supermercado
Saturday the store la tienda
Sunday the beach la playa
Bonus the movie theater el cine

To learn more Spanish words, please visit our website www.spanishprograms.com

by Brandi

calendar image

January 21st, 2011

After last week, you should have a fairly good idea about the importance of food in Latin America. With that in mind, I would like to share an experience that happened to me. I was living in a city called Vista Alegre and almost every evening I would eat with the Silva family. I became good friends with the Silvas and Mrs. Silva became something like a second mother to me.

One night Mrs. Silva made us pig’s feet for dinner. As always, she beamed a smile from ear to ear as she presented the food to us. This time, she left our food and went into a separate room while we ate with her children. This was the first time I had ever in my life eaten pig’s feet and they looked a little bit like mushy gelatin. I put a fork full in my mouth and tried to swallow but could not. The texture was a little bit too slimy and I gagged as I tried to swallow it down. I felt horrible because I had been able to eat all of the different foods up to that point. I then took a bite of bread, took another bite of the pigs feet and tried to chase it down with a ton of water. Again I just gagged. I tried a couple of different techniques to swallow the pig’s feet but without much success; I then began to worry. I physically could not eat the pig’s feet, but at the same time, I could not offend dear Mrs. Silva.

I sat in this dilemma for quite some time until I devised what seemed to be an perfectly ingenious plan. I put the pigs feet inside of my rolls, rolled them up in a napkin and then planned to take them back to my apartment to secretly dispose of them for good. I made the children think I was going to take them back to my apartment to eat later as a midnight snack. Everything seemed to be going well and I had the packages securely tucked away into a bag. Then Mrs. Silva returned and one of the children instantly, and in a tattle-tale sort of voice said, “Mom, he put the pigs feet in a napkin and is going to throw them away outside!”

I was truly devastated. Mrs. Silva was instantly hurt and offended that I was going to do this with her food. I tried to explain that I was going to take them back to my apartment, but the more I explained, the worse I made it. Finally, I left after saying “sorry” (“lo siento”) about twenty times and Mrs. Silva looking like she may burst into tears at any moment.

The worst part was that I had to go to her home every morning and evening for the next two months to have breakfast and dinner there. It took me about two months of apologizing to finally get on her good side once again.

As you can see, food and mealtime in Latin America is a very important part of life. If someone invites you to dinner at their home in Latin America, here is what I might suggest; if you have a strong stomach, go for it, you will enjoy the experience and be culturally enriched. If you do not have a strong stomach, tell them that you would love to but won’t be able to make it.

To learn more about speaking Spanish, please visit our website www.spanishprograms.com

by Brandi

calendar image

January 19th, 2011

  English Spanish
Monday I’m going to (Yo) Voy a
Tuesday He is going to (El) Va a
Wednesday She is going to (Ella) Va a
Thursday You are going to (Usted) Va a
     
Friday to practice practicar
Saturday the day after tomorrow pasado mañana
Sunday next week la próxima semana
Bonus next month el próximo mes

To learn more spanish words, please visit our website www.spanishprograms.com

by Brandi

calendar image

January 14th, 2011

There is quite a cultural difference between the attitude towards mealtime and food in Latin America and the attitude found in the United States. Food is a major part of life in Latin America. It is not just food that is so important but the ritual of eating and sharing food with others that has deeper meaning.

Before I get too deep into mealtime, let me say that the food in Latin America might not be exactly what we in America picture it to be, especially in South America where most people have never heard of tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and other typical “Mexican/American” dishes. I lived for a while in South America and had the opportunity to eat many different types of delicious food. I ate a lot of beans, rice, and fish, but I also had many exotic foods such as guinea pig, cow stomach, pig’s feet, and many other unrecognizable meats that I did not dare ask what they really were as I ate them.

On a similar note, I had a friend who has recently returned from a trip to Mexico. He had an “exciting” train ride around Mexico and could not wait for his first meal of authentic “Mexican food” – the kind he was used to eating in America. He was very disappointed to learn that the “Mexican food” in Mexico is very different from the Americanized version of Mexican food he was accustomed to in the U.S.

Now back to the general attitude towards mealtime in Latin America. In many smaller pueblos (lower income areas), people do not have enough money to purchase pre-prepared, processed, or even canned foods. Many women make absolutely everything from scratch and spend hours in the kitchen every day providing meals for their families.

Just about every meal I had in Latin America was prepared by a native Spanish speaking woman. When they would prepare food, they were not just preparing a meal but it was almost as if they put an emotional part of themselves into the food they gave us. As a result, it was always expected that we eat every bit of our food or they may be offended.

After just about every meal, they would always ask if I wanted more. If I said, “No thanks, I’m full”, they would be deeply hurt and act as if I were rejecting them as well as their family. I quickly learned my response should be, “Yes, I’d like just a little bit more since I am almost full”. They would then beam with joy and come back, sometimes, with an even bigger serving than before. Needless to say, mealtime often took a lot longer than expected to eat the many servings of food that was brought out.

Moral of the Story: If you want a great cultural experience, try eating at the home of a Latin American family. However, remember that you must eat everything that is served. Never use the excuse of being full or that you have an allergy to something; it does not work and will almost always make the person feel bad. If you are not an adventurous eater, I recommend staying home and stick to eating Top Ramen™.

To learn more about speaking Spanish, please visit our website www.spanishprograms.com

by Brandi

calendar image

January 12th, 2011

  English Spanish
Monday Es (muy) fácil It’s (very) easy
Tuesday It’s necessary Es necesario
Wednesday It’s necessary to Hay que
Thursday to practice practicar
     
Friday the phrase la frase
Saturday the sentence la oración
Sunday it lo

To learn more Spanish words, please visit our website www.spanishprograms.com

by Brandi

calendar image

January 7th, 2011

comment image

One of the aspects of Latin America that I love is that you are able, and are even expected, to bargain for anything — even taxis. After getting used to this cultural difference in Latin America and living there for an extended period of time, I returned to the United States, took a taxi, and tried to bargain but it did not work. The driver thought I was nutty, and I got stuck with a hefty bill.

Bargaining for taxis in Latin America is fun and can save you quite a bit money. In heavy tourist areas, the rates go up substantially, but you can still bargain to get a lower price. The first step is to bargain for a rate before you even set foot into the taxi. I will give you a little example of how this works. It is similar to our “bargaining” lesson that I gave a few weeks ago.

Let’s say you are trying to get a cab go to the “Garcia Museum.” First you would start out by saying, “¿Cuánto para Museo Garcia?” [quan-toe pa-raw moo-say-oh Garcia?] (How much for Garcia Museum?)

Sometimes, because you are a gringo (foreigner) they will give you some ridiculously high price. If they try to, just exclaim “¡Soy gringo, pero no soy tonto!” [Soy green-go peh-row no soy tone-toe] (I’m a gringo but I’m not a fool). This may sound harsh but it is all part of the culture of bargaining. Many taxi drivers will be impressed that you, a foreigner, know this phrase and some will even get a chuckle from it. From my experience, most taxi drivers enjoy bargaining as much as I do. They enjoy going back and forth bargaining for the most acceptable price.

Next, you can state, ¿Cuánto cuesta de verdad? [quan-toe qwes-taw de bear-thath?] (How much does it really cost?). They will then give you a lower price, and you can say the following line and start to walk away, “Mejor voy a tomar otro taxi.” [may-hore boy a toh-mar oh-troh taxi] (It will be better if I take another taxi). As you start to walk away they will begin to get desperate, give you an even lower price which you can then accept, and you are on your way.

Here are a couple of quick tips and ideas for getting around in Latin America:

  • Traffic is almost always crazy and taxi drivers can be even crazier. Once you get in, get ready and hold on tight. Taxis are generally pretty safe but can give you an pretty exciting ride, especially if you are not used to the driving etiquette in Latin America.
  • Some areas may have motorcycle taxis. They pull a type of carriage with a canopy for two. This can be a very fun way to experience the culture of Latin America.
  • If you are considering driving your own car down, I highly discourage it. In most places, their laws do not protect your car if you get in an accident.
  • Renting a vehicle can also be a good option.  Just make sure you are ready to drive with your horn and also that the car has very good insurance — “seguro” [seh-goo-roh] or “aseguranza” [ah-seh-goo-rahn-sah]. There are different words for insurance according to the region you are located.

For more information and Spanish vocabulary for traveling, please refer to section 12 of your Level I Visual Link Spanish™ course. Sections 1, 2, and 3 are very beneficial to study before you leave for your next trip. These sections include vocabulary lessons from the following categories: Basic Needs, Greetings and Survival. If you do not yet have the complete Visual Link Spanish™ course yet, click here for the newsletter special offer.

To learn more about speaking Spanish, please visit our website www.spanishprograms.com

by Brandi

calendar image

January 5th, 2011

comment image
  English Spanish
Monday I would like Me gustaría
Tuesday You would like Le gustaría
     
Wednesday to ask preguntar(le/s)
     
Thursday my/your mom (a) mi/su mamá
Friday my/your dad (a) mi/su papá
Saturday my/your friend (a) mi/su amigo(a)
Sunday the boss el jefe
Bonus the people la gente

To learn more Spanish words, please visit our website www.spanishprograms.com


home icon button home text button