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Archive for the ‘Learn Spanish’ Category

False Cognates and Falsos Amigos

by Jake Beus

October 17th, 2011

Spanish Cognates

Cognates are words that have a similar spelling and similar meaning in two languages. False cognates, often called falsos amigos, look similar in both both languages but they don’t share similar meanings. It’s not surprising that these false cognates are often falsely used. They will fake you out much like a fake friend will fake you out. I don’t want you to be false or fake. I want you to say what you mean and mean what you say. Here are some of the most common false Spanish cognates:

Spanish Noun	English Meaning	English Noun	Spanish Meaning
arena	sand	arena	estadio
carpeta	folder	carpet	alfombra
colegio	high school	college	universidad
costumbre	custom	costume	disfraz
decepción	disappointment	deception	engaño
disgusto	argument	disgust	asco, repugnancia
éxito	success	exit	salida
idioma	language	idiom	modismo
librería	bookstore	library	biblioteca
parientes	relatives, kinfolk	parents	padres
snetencia	verdict, sentence	sentence	frase, oración
vaso	glass	vase	florero

Those are just a few of the false cognates or falsos amigos. Practice using them correctly. It is very common for people to use these words incorrectly. Set yourself apart from those people. Be better. Have you made any of these mistakes? Now you know better. Good luck!

Spanish Occupations Lesson

by Jake Beus

October 11th, 2011

3 Comments

Occupations in Spanish

You have had a nice weekend, and some of you didn’t have to work yesterday. Welcome back to work my friends. The world is happy to have you back at work. Be proud of what you do. In fact, let’s talk about what you do for a living. Here is a list of occupations in Spanish and a little Spanish vocabulary.

Here is a little Spanish grammar lesson:

Soy panadero. | I am a baker. (correct)
Soy (un) panadero. (incorrect)
Do NOT use “un” or “una” after the verb ‘ser’ when describing what you do for work.

Please answer the questions in the blog comments or on the Visual Link Spanish Facebook page. Be proud of what you do!

Bathroom Spanish Vocabulary

by Jake Beus

October 4th, 2011

1 Comment

Bathroom Spanish

Many of you have been asking for some “bathroom Spanish vocabulary”. I have had a difficult time reading between the lines on the suggestions. Were you hoping that I would post some inappropriate bathroom humor in Spanish or merely wanting to learn how to say “toilet” in Spanish? Since this is a family friendly website and blog, I will not be posting “bad stuff” on the blog. Okay, here is a small vocabulary list for the bathroom.

Challenge: Don’t take a shower until you learn these words. If you stink bad enough, you will do it for your sake, and because you care about others.

Winter Clothes – Spanish Vocabulary

by Jake Beus

October 3rd, 2011

Winter Clothes in Spanish

It is getting closer and closer to winter for many of you out there. If you are in need of buying new winter clothes, then I suggest you start shopping now. Save some money on winter clothes before winter. For those of you out there learning Spanish (and I imagine that you visit this blog because you are learning), you need to take advantage of any opportunity you can to practice. Try going shopping and practicing your Spanish whenever and wherever possible. Here is a small vocabulary list of winter clothes in Spanish:

Challenge: Go shopping for winter clothes and practice this vocabulary. Please tell me about it afterward.

Spanish Love Phrases

by Dave Clark

September 28th, 2011

1 Comment

¡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!

Speak Spanish at the Beach

by Jake Beus

September 26th, 2011

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:

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

Spanish Verbs List

by Dave Clark

September 21st, 2011

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

(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!)

Restaurant Spanish Lesson

by Jake Beus

September 19th, 2011

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.

Spanish Verb Conjugation Chart

by Dave Clark

September 16th, 2011

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

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.

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!

Spanish at the Supermarket

by Jake Beus

September 13th, 2011

Speak Spanish at the Supermarket

If you are visiting a foreign country, it is likely that at some point you’ll need to buy some food unless you eat out every single meal. If you can be a penny pincher at times like me, it will be worth your time to learn some supermarket Spanish vocabulary so you can buy some food every once in awhile. Here’s a short vocabulary list:

receipt – recibo
check – cheque
cashier – cajero/a
shopping cart – porta compras
beverages – bebidas
bread – pan
milk – leche
shelf – estante
scale – escala/pesa
aisle – pasillo
How much does it cost? – ¿Cuánto cuesta?

Challenge: Visit a supermarket where you know you can practice your Spanish, practice Spanish, and tell me about your experience.

More Spanish, More Effective, Less Money

Become Conversational in Spanish

1. Watch Demo

2. Try

Free 7-Day Trial
Instant Download

3. Get Started

List Price: $199.99

Hard Copy: $149.99

Download: $99.99

Archive for the ‘Learn Spanish’ Category

False Cognates and Falsos Amigos

Spanish Cognates

Spanish Occupations Lesson

Occupations in Spanish

Bathroom Spanish Vocabulary

Bathroom Spanish

Winter Clothes – Spanish Vocabulary

Winter Clothes in Spanish

Spanish Love Phrases

Speak Spanish at the Beach

Spanish Verbs List

Visual Link Spanish - Level II (Introductory Verbs)

Free 7-Day Trial

Restaurant Spanish Lesson

Restaurant Spanish

Spanish Verb Conjugation Chart

Spanish Verb Conjugation Chart

Visual Link Spanish - Level II (Introductory Verbs)

Free 7-Day Trial

Visual Link Spanish - Level III (Advanced Verbs)

Free 7-Day Trial

Spanish at the Supermarket

Speak Spanish at the Supermarket

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More Spanish, More Effective, Less Money

Become Conversational in Spanish

1. Watch Demo

2. Try

Free 7-Day TrialInstant Download

3. Get Started

List Price: $199.99

Hard Copy: $149.99

Download: $99.99

Archive for the ‘Learn Spanish’ Category

Spanish Cognates

Occupations in Spanish

Bathroom Spanish

Winter Clothes in Spanish

Visual Link Spanish - Level II (Introductory Verbs)

Free 7-Day Trial

Restaurant Spanish

Spanish Verb Conjugation Chart

Visual Link Spanish - Level II (Introductory Verbs)

Free 7-Day Trial

Visual Link Spanish - Level III (Advanced Verbs)

Free 7-Day Trial

Speak Spanish at the Supermarket

Categories

Archives

Meta

NEWSLETTER

NAVIGATION

SPANISH LESSONS

CONTACT INFO

Free 7-Day Trial
Instant Download