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Archive for September, 2011

by Jake Beus

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September 29th, 2011

Spanish Video Lesson – Speak Spanish With Your Parents

Your Parents Want to Talk to You in Spanish

If you are like me, then sometimes you might have a hard time communicating with your parents. Do they know Spanish? If you are having a hard time communicating with them in English, perhaps you should switch languages on them. If nothing else, they will be impressed with your Spanish. They might also be annoyed, but you can use this opportunity to teach them a little Spanish or even play a little joke on them. Please practice what you learn in the video and on our Facebook page. By practicing on our Facebook page, you automatically enter yourself to win free software from us here at Visual Link Spanish.

Here is the vocabulary from the video:

I didn’t do it. No lo hice.
It’s not my fault. No tengo la culpa.
He did it. El lo hizo.
She did it. Ella lo hizo.
What time is it? ¿Qué hora es?
Are we there yet? ¿Ya llegamos?
I’m hungry. Tengo hambre.
I’m thirsty. Tengo sed.
I love you. Te quiero.
Thank you for helping me. Gracias por ayudarme.
Give me a hug. Dame un abrazo.
I’m home and I’m safe. Estoy en casa y estoy seguro.

I want you to have a good relationship with your parents. Communicate with them. Love them the best you can. Also, visit Facebook and answer this question in Spanish:

What would you like to tell your parents?

Please practice these Spanish phrases with your parents, and please practice what you’ve learned and answer those questions on the Visual Link Spanish Facebook page for a chance to win free software from us.

Future Facebook Fiesta Friday Topics:

October 7, 2011 – Speaking Spanish With Your Best Friend

October 14, 2011 – Getting to Know a Spanish Speaker

October 21, 2011 – Workplace Spanish

by Dave Clark

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September 28th, 2011

¡Hola Amigos! Here are some fun Spanish love phrases you might want to learn to spice up your life a little. If you have a significant other, you can practice these phrases with them. If they don’t know Spanish, you can teach them. If you want to meet someone, these Spanish love phrases may come in handy.

Anyway, enough babbling, here the Spanish Love Phrases from us at Visual Link:

I have a boyfriend – Tengo novio

I have a girlfriend – Tengo novia

You are beautiful (said to a woman) – Tú eres hermosa.

You are good looking (said to a man) – Tú eres guapo.

Dear Paco – Querido Paco

Dear María – Querida María

Why don’t you write to me? – ¿Por qué no me escribes?

I love you – Te quiero (or) Te amo

(Te quiero is more of the friendship or parent/child type of love.)

I love you passionately – Te amo apasionadamente.

I’m in love with you – Estoy enamorado/a de ti

(If you are a male, you say “enamorado”. If you are a female, you say “enamorada”.)

Do you love me? – ¿Me quieres?

I love you with all my soul – Te quiero con toda mi alma

I want to kiss you. – Quiero besarte.

I want to hug you. – Quiero abrazarte.

I can’t live without you. – No puedo vivir sin ti.

Please write soon. – Por favor escribe pronto.

Hugs – Abrazos

Kisses – Besos

With love, – Con amor,

With affection, – Con cariño,

Hopefully those Spanish love phrases are enough to get you going and at least help you have a little fun. Remember to keep practicing your Spanish. The more you practice, the better you’ll get!

¡Hasta luego amigos!

by Jake Beus

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September 26th, 2011

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Have you been to a beach in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, or Mexico? Perhaps you visited the beach of a different Spanish-speaking country. Many of the vacations to Spanish-speaking countries include time on the beach, and rightfully so. Here is a vocabulary list that you’ll need for speaking Spanish on the beach:

swimsuit | traje de baño
beach chair | silla de playa
lifeguard | el/la salvavidas
whistle | silbato
beach ball | pelota de playa
beach towel | toalla de playa
beach umbrella | parasol/sombrilla de playa
wave | ola
tube | tubo
sand | arena
sandcastle | castillo de arena
suntan lotion | loción para el sol
cooler | hielera/nevera
to swim | nadar
I want to swim. | Quiero nadar.
Are there sharks in the water? | ¿Hay tiburones en el agua?

Challenge: Visit a beach, practice this vocabulary, and tell me about your experience.

by Dave Clark

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September 26th, 2011

¡Hola Amigos de Visual Link Spanish!

Please post your comments and any questions you may have about Spanish and any of our courses at the bottom of this blog post (you may have to click the title of the blog post first to get in to where you can post comments.)

On Wednesdays, I will be answering questions – so come on back then and take a look.

¡Gracias!

 

by Jake Beus

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September 23rd, 2011

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Ever since I learned Spanish I have had a crush on Shakira. I am not ashamed to admit that, and there is no reason that I should be. Obviously she is very attractive, and she knows that. Obviously she can move very well, and she knows that. She may not have the best voice in the world, but she has a unique voice and she uses it well. The songs she chooses are very entertaining. She has a pleasing personality as well. Those are some of the reasons that she is such a great entertainer and is so famous.

Shakira was born February 2, 1977, in Barranquilla, Colombia, into a poor family. Her mother was a native Colombian, and her father was of Lebanese descent. She grew up listening to music from both cultures. She wrote her first song at age eight, began entering and winning competitions at age ten. She learned the guitar at age 11, and at age 13 she moved to Bogotá to pursue a career in modeling. She wound up signing a record deal with Sony’s Colombian division instead while she was there. And thus began her ascent to fame.

Shakira has written or co-written most of her songs. She has always wanted to maintain a control over her songs. When she received an offer from Gloria Estefan to translate her hit song “Ojos Asi” into English, she decided that she would learn English well enough that she would write her own songs in English as well. She has made it huge in English and Spanish because of her unique poetic imagery.

Shakira is a great example of learning a second language. She has learned English very well. She had a goal and she dedicated herself to that goal, and look what she has done. Her success is very public because she just happens to be a huge celebrity now. You will experience your own successes should you choose to learn Spanish. I recommend that you listen to some of Shakira’s music in the process. Grab her lyrics and try to sing along. You’ll notice that she sings very fast and that her music can mesmerize you. Beware.

by Dave Clark

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September 22nd, 2011

Spanish Video Lesson – How to Boss Your Kids Around in Spanish

I know the title of this week’s video lesson may sound a little controversial – don’t worry, we don’t advocate being mean to children. However, it probably caught your attention and got you to read the title and wonder what the lesson would be about. Anyway, here you are and here’s the lesson.

If you have children, these are some useful phrases I have said to my kids in Spanish over the years and they’ve learned them quite well. You can learn them and practice them with your kids also. It’s a great way to give your kids exposure to Spanish. Be sure and listen to the Spanish pronunciation well so you teach them a proper accent.

Here is the vocabulary from the video:

Pull your pants up Sube tu pantalón
Brush your teeth Cepíllate los dientes
Come here Ven por acá
Come here (shortened version) Ven
Come here (to more than one child) Vengan por acá
Come here (more than one, shortened) Vengan
Don’t do that No hagas eso
It’s time to go to bed Es hora de dormir
Be quiet Cállate
Don’t make so much noise/fuss No hagas tanta bulla
Eat your food! Come tu comida
I love you a lot Te quiero mucho
Questions of the week:
Do you have children? ¿Tienes hijos?
How many children do you have? ¿Cuántos hijos tienes?

After learning those words, be sure and try them out on your kids or grandkids (if you have either).

Regardless, please come and share with us on Facebook Fiesta Friday. Remember, you can come to our Visual Link Spanish Facebook page each week and practice what you learned. The questions of the week will be ¿Tienes hijos? (Do you have children?), and How many children do you have? (¿Cuántos hijos tienes?)

If you don’t have children yet, please tell us in Spanish how many you want to have in the future. Example: I want to have three children. (Quiero tener tres hijos.)

Please practice what you’ve learned and come answer those questions on Facebook – hope to see you there!

If you want to learn Spanish at a higher level, try one of our Free Spanish Downloads.

Future Facebook Fiesta Friday Topics:

September 30, 2011 – What to Say to Your Parents in Spanish

October 7, 2011 – Speaking Spanish With Your Best Friend

October 14, 2011 – Getting to Know a Spanish Speaker

by Dave Clark

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September 21st, 2011

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As I was working, a few years ago, with our linguists and software developers to create our Level II Introductory Verb course, I spent hours and hours researching a Spanish Verbs List that we could use in the course that would have the most common Spanish verbs.

Spanish Verbs List
162 Most Common Spanish Verbs

Spanish Verbs List
(Click image for verbs list)

This Spanish verbs list contains 162 of the most common Spanish verbs. It is organized first by “regular” verbs – “ar”, “er” and “ir” (alphabetically). Then, I’ve categorized them by all the types of irregular verbs in the present tense. I believe we’ve covered every category of irregular verbs in Spanish. The stem-changing verbs have the letters that change underlined with the letters they change into in parenthesis. Finally, the Spanish verbs list contains a great little list of the most common reflexive verbs – both regular and irregular.

If you want to try a 7-day trial download of our Level II verbs course, you should be able to learn all the present tense verbs (including irregulars) for free during the 7-day trial (if you push yourself). The software contains classroom-style lessons that teach you all the verbs and conjugations.

To learn how to conjugate all the verbs in the “Spanish Verbs List” in 5 major tenses in Spanish, try our free download below:

 

Spanish Introductory Verb Conjugation Download

Visual Link Spanish - Level II (Introductory Verbs)

Free 7-Day Trial

Topics Covered: Present Tense, Reflexive Verbs, Present Progressive, Present Perfect (Have), Preterite Tense, Direct Objects

Verbs Learned: 162 Most Common Verbs

Time to Download: 15-90 minutes depending on your modem speed

Start Free Spanish Download

 

 

Enjoy learning Spanish! I love sharing Spanish – ¡Es lo mejor! (It’s the best!)

by Jake Beus

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September 20th, 2011

Slightly Humorous Reasons to Learn Spanish

Not every reason to learn Spanish needs to be serious. Here are a few less serious reasons to learn Spanish that I came up with. I’d love to hear any new non-serious reasons that you can come up with in the blog comments.

Act like you don’t know English.
Get a girlfriend.
Get a boyfriend.
Your mustache will be taken more seriously.
Confuse telemarketers.
Tell secrets aloud.
Increase your Scrabble score.
No more subtitles.
Impress your Latina waitress.
Increase your chances with Shakira.
Understand more jokes.
Understand the novelas.
Automatically become a great dancer.

by Jake Beus

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September 19th, 2011

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Restaurant Spanish

It can be a lot of fun to eat at a restaurant and practice your Spanish. More than likely there will be some sort of Central American, South American, or Spanish restaurant that you can visit. Your server will appreciate your efforts to speak in his/her native language. Here is some vocabulary to get you started:

cook – cocinero
waitress – mesera
waiter – mesero
menu – menú
booth – caseta/casilla
straw – popote/sorbeto
soft drink – refresco
tea – té
sugar packet – paquetito de azúcar
check (bill) – cuenta
to eat – comer
to drink – beber/tomar
to order – ordenar
to pay – pagar
Could you give us the check please? – ¿Podría darnos la cuenta, por favor?
We would like to order. – Nos gustaría ordenar.
I would like… – Me gustaría…

Challenge: Go visit a restaurant where you can practice your Spanish, practice your Spanish, and tell me about your experience.

by Dave Clark

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September 16th, 2011

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Many of you have wanted a Spanish verb conjugation chart that is small enough to fit into your pocket, yet large enough to cover all the basic Spanish conjugations.

Well, here it is. We’ve created it. A Spanish verb conjugation chart that covers all Spanish verb tenses and many irregulars that’s small enough to print and fit into your pocket.

Print Your Own Copy – Free!

Spanish Verb Conjugation Chart

Spanish Verb Conjugation Chart

Click to Download and Print Your Free Spanish Verb Conjugation Chart

This Spanish Verb Conjugation Chart covers every verb conjugation in the Spanish language (except “Future Subjunctive” which was pretty much only used back in the 16th century or before). It includes: Present, Present Progressive (Doing Verbs), Present Perfect (Have verbs), Preterite (Spine Verbs), Imperfect (Back Verbs), Conditional (Would Verbs), Future (Will Verbs), Imperatives (Commands), Subjunctive and Past Subjunctive conjugations for all verbs.

Now, the chart is not all inclusive. It does include many irregular Spanish verbs, however, it does not include all Spanish irregular verbs.

How to Learn Spanish Verb Conjugation in General – Especially for Irregular Spanish Verbs

To learn how to conjugate the top 320 most common verbs in Spanish – with all their irregulars in all tenses, try downloading a free 7-day trial of one or both of the Visual Link Spanish Verb Conjugation courses below.

Spanish Introductory Verb Conjugation Download

Visual Link Spanish - Level II (Introductory Verbs)

Free 7-Day Trial

Topics Covered: Present Tense, Reflexive Verbs, Present Progressive, Present Perfect (Have), Preterite Tense, Direct Objects

Verbs Learned: 162 Most Common Verbs

Time to Download: 15-90 minutes depending on your modem speed

Start Free Download

 

Spanish Advanced Verb Conjugation Download

Visual Link Spanish - Level III (Advanced Verbs)

Free 7-Day Trial

Topics Covered: Imperfect Tense, Conditional Tense, Future Tense, Commands/Imperatives, Subjunctive, Past Subjunctive, Present Progressive (with all tenses), Comprehensive Revies

Verbs Learned: 360+ Most Common Verbs

Time to Download: 15-90 minutes depending on your modem speed

Start Free Download

Some people have asked us why the Introductory Verb Course is called “Level II”. Well, technically it’s the Level I of the verb courses, however, our actual Level I course is a sentence building and conversation course and has nothing to do with verbs. So, if you want to learn verbs, our Level II Introductory Verb Course is the way to go – especially if you’ve never had Spanish before. Go ahead and try it – it’s free for 7 days! Also, remember the Spanish Verb Conjugation Chart is always completely free. You download it and it’s free forever!

¡Hasta luego Amigos!

Enjoy learning Spanish verbs!


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