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Learn Spanish Blog

Spanish Learning Updates, Tips, and Tricks

Spanish Accent Made Easy – With La Oreja de Van Gogh


by CaptainCode

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January 2nd, 2014

Happy New Year! Let’s make 2014 a great year!

Guess what? It’s time to go back to your Spanish studies. We suggest that you start nice and easy today – with some Spanish music! We’d like to introduce you to a great band to practice your Spanish comprehension skills – La Oreja de Van Gogh. These guys are Latin Grammy winners winning and a Grammy-nominated Spanish pop band from San Sebastian, Spain. The name of the band refers to the famous post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh who cut off the lobe of his own ear (look him up some time, he was a great artist and an interesting person, but that’s absolutely off-topic).

Yet, we didn’t pick this band because of their name. Speaking of Spanish pronunciation, we often hear students complain that Spanish accent is a lot harder to understand – compared to the way Mexican Spanish sounds. Let’s say, it’s not exactly harder, it just sounds a little different.

La Oreja de Van Gogh’s lead singer, Amaia Montero, has a very distinct Spanish pronunciation (do note the ‘s’ sound in this song). Yet, this music is truly an easy listening, and, once you follow the lyrics for a couple of times, the Spanish pronunciation will grow on you. Don’t like this song? Go ahead and browse for your favorite artists and songs – there’s plenty of awesome stuff out there!

For now, we recommend this song. Here’s the video with both versions of the lyrics (Spanish and the English translation) pasted for you below. Enjoy and be sure to share your favorite Spanish music with us!

Ven acercate
Ven y abrazame
Vuelve a sonreír a recordar Paris
a ser me angustia
dejame pasar una tarde mas
dime donde has ido donde esperas en silencio amigo
quiero estar contigo y relgarte mi carino
darte un beso y ver tus ojos
disfrutando con los mios hasta siempre
adios me corazon
ven te quiero hablar
vuelve a caminar
vamos a jugar al juego en el que yo era tu princesa
ven hazlo por mi
vuelve siempre a mi
dime donde has ido
donde esperas en silencio amigo
quiero estar contigo y relgarte mi carino
darte un beso y ver tus ojos
disfrutando con los mios hasta siempre
adios mi corazon
no hay lugar que me haga ovitar
el tiempo que pase andando por las calles junto a hazi
ven quiero saber
porque tu fuiste sin me
siempre tuve algo que contarte
dime donde has ido donde esperas en silencio amigo quiero estar contigo y relgarte mi carino
darte un beso y ver tus ojos
disfrutando con los mios hasta siempre
adios mi corazon
no hay nada que me haga ovitar
el tiempo que ha pasado ya y no volvera
adios mi corazon

***

Come close to me
Come and hug me
Return to smile and remember Paris
To be my anxiety
Let me spend one more afternoon
Tell me where you have gone where you wait in silence my friend
I want to be with you and give you my love
To give you a kiss and see your eyes
Enjoying mine forever
Good bye my love
Come I want you to talk
Return to walk
Come let us play the game in which you were a princess
Come, do it for me
Always return to me
Tell me where you have gone
where you wait in silence my friend
I want to be with you and give you my love
To give you a kiss and see your eyes
Enjoying mine forever
Good bye my love
There is no place where I can forget
the time which we spent walking the streets together
Come, I want to know
why you left without me
Forever I had something to tell you
Tell me where you have gone where you wait in silence my friend
I want to be with you and give you my love
To give you a kiss and see your eyes
Enjoying mine forever
Good bye my love
There is nothing that can make me forget
the time which has passed and won’t come back
Good bye my love

 

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Mis Deseos / Feliz Navidad by Michael Bublé and Thalia


by CaptainCode

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December 20th, 2013

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It’s 4 days till Christmas! What’s your background music now? From Jingle Bells to Last Christmas to  Silent Night and Santa Baby, we hope you’re enjoying your Festive Season music. There is at least one Spanish song that you are very likely to hear these days… FELIZ NAVIDAD!

Did you know that Feliz Navidad is one of the top 25 most recorded and performed holiday songs in the world? It was first recorded and released in 1970 by Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Jose Feliciano. We love this live performance of Mis Deseos / Feliz Navidad by Michael Bublé and Thalia. Enjoy – and scroll down for lyrics to sing along and get some Spanish practice today ;)

 

A donde sea que yo esté
Tu corazón alcanzaré
Y una sonrisa en tu mirada pintaré

No habrá distancia entre los dos
Al viento volaré mi voz
Con mis deseos a tu alma llegaré

Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad

Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas Celebremos juntos la vida
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas Y que viva la alegría
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas Celebremos juntos la vida
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas Y que viva la alegría
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart

Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad

Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas Celebremos juntos la vida
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas Y que viva la alegría
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas Celebremos juntos la vida
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas
Y que viva la alegría
I want to wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart

Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad,
Feliz Navidad, próspero año y felicidad

Feliz Navidad All the love and joy
Feliz Navidad I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
Navidad Navidad Navidad

I wish you all the love and joy All the love, the love, and joy, my love

Feliz Navidad I wish you all the joy No one ever can destroy
The love I’ve got for you
In this heart, my life

Felicidad All the love and joy
Alegría I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
Navidad

 

bubleP.S.Don’t forget that you can use promo code FELIZNAVIDAD25 to enjoy 25% discount on all Visual Link Spanish products! The offer ends the moment this year does: 31 December 2013, 23:59 EST.  Start learning Spanish now!

10 Palabras: 10 Christmas Words You Can’t Live Without


by CaptainCode

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December 17th, 2013

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Now that Christmas is almost here, let’s enhance our vocabulary with the most useful words for the next 2 weeks. Just how great is that – you can practice whenever you go!

  1. Christmas tree – El Árbol de Navidad
  2. Christmas wreath – La corona de Navidad
  3. Presents – Regalos
  4. Christmas Stockings – Las medias de Navidad
  5. Carols – Villancicos
  6. Gingerbread – pan de jengibre
  7. Eggnog – ponche de huevo
  8. Snow – nieve
  9. Party – fiesta
  10. Joy – alegría

Wreath-Painting

And don’t forget that you can use promo code FELIZNAVIDAD25 to enjoy 25% discount on all Visual Link Spanish products! The offer ends the moment this year does: 31 December 2013, 23:59 EST.  Start learning Spanish now!

Get 25% Off All Visual Link Spanish Courses and Bundles!


by CaptainCode

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December 12th, 2013

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Use promo code FELIZNAVIDAD25 to enjoy 25% discount on all Visual Link Spanish products! The offer ends the moment this year does: 31 December 2013, 23:59 EST.  Start learning Spanish now!

xmas-small

What If Santa Claus Spoke Spanish?


by CaptainCode

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December 11th, 2013

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Hola Amigos! Are you ready for Christmas? Have you finished your letters to Santa? ;) To get you ready to meet him in just 2 weeks, Visual Link Spanish gives you a few Christmas and Santa Claus- related phrases. Why not add some Spanish words to your Christmas fun?  We’re sure you all know Feliz Navidad, and here are a few things you would say to Santa (and make sure you teach your kids the last one ;)).

Yo creo en Santa Clos/Papá Noel. | I believe in Santa Claus.
Me porté bien este año. | I behaved well this year (I was a good boy/girl this year.)
Me alegra estar con mi familia. | It makes me happy to be with my family.
He perdonado a mis hermanos. | I have forgiven my brothers and sisters.
Me portaré mejor el año que viene. | I’ll behave better next year.
¿Podrías darlos a mis padres algo bien? | Could you give my parents something nice?

 santaclaus

Enjoy the Festive Season Everyone!

P.S. In case you’re not done with your gift shopping yet, let us remind you that giving your loved ones the gift of learning Spanish is a great idea and something they’ll be thankful for years to come.

Spanish Music Isn’t Something to Miss


by CaptainCode

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December 5th, 2013

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Did you know the guitar was invented in Spain? So these people must know a thing or two about music!

Do you like Spanish music? And we do not mean any music and songs in Spanish (although songs in Spanish are just another great way to learn the language). Yet, this time we do not mean Shakira, Marc Anthony or Mariachi – these are great samples of Latin American and Mexican music.

For truly Spanish music, think Flamenco. As traditional and historic and it is, Flamenco is something that you will hear in cafes, bars and in the streets of Spanish cities. There are at least 30 varieties of flamenco in Spain and can be found everywhere. And since the Spainish invented the guitar, these people know their music. The famous Spanish poet Fredrico Garcia Lorca called flamenco one of the greatest inventions of the Spanish people.

Flamenco can be considered much more than music–rather a lifestyle. With so much diversity in Spain the love of flamenco has been a constant throughout and even has roots in France. The beauty of flamenco takes more than just a guitar; the style is tied to the elaborate dancers with castanets and the traditional hand clapping.

The type of flamenco most tourists see is with colorful dresses and music dating back to the 16th century from the region of Andalucía with traces of Moorish and Jewish traditions. But flamenco is not just a style from centuries before. El Camarón de la isla (1950-1992) helped bring about nuevo (new) flamenco with the induction of the electric bass. Camarón is considered a legend in Spain with his image everywhere from car stickers to t-shirts.

After a battle with lung cancer Camarón died. Over 100,000 mourners at the funeral truly showed the world the power his music had on people. Following his death, film director Jaime Chávarrí made a movie of his life which later received several nominations for the prestigious Goya Awards.

Today flamenco is still a huge part of understanding the culture; don’t think that Enrique Iglesias is what Spanish music is all about. Here’s a great example of Flamenco to add some Spanish feel to your day:

Sale! Sale! Sale! Black Friday Is Here!


by CaptainCode

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November 27th, 2013

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pumpkins2

¡Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias & Happy Thanksgiving Amigos!

As you prepare for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving celebration and many of you are about to hit the road, we’ve got a special surprise for you!

With Visual Link Spanish, Black Friday starts early this year: just about… NOW!

That’s right! Why wait until Friday if you can get fantastic deals NOW?

From now until the end of Thanksgiving weekend, get ADDITIONAL 60% off at the checkout!

Learn Spanish Now!

Tips For Learning Spanish On Your Own


by CaptainCode

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November 26th, 2013

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Learning Spanish on your own can be difficult. Most of us are used to studying together in groups or classes, but what do you do if you want a quality Spanish education and don’t want to attend a formal class? Is there any hope for you to really learn Spanish?

Yes! There is!

Start with a Quality Self-Study Course

There are a few key things to look for in a self-study Spanish course.

First, the lessons must be enjoyable and easy to use. Learning Spanish is hard enough, so don’t torture yourself by using a boring course with hard to use lessons. Make sure the lessons are interactive, engaging, and user friendly.

Second, make sure the course focuses on the most important phrases and questions in the language. Most likely you will never need to know how to say, “The Frog Prince enjoyed swimming.” But it would be nice to know how to say, “I need to go to the store?” or “How do I get to the post office?” A course that deals directly with useful Spanish phrases will help you utilize your study time and increase your personal Spanish education experience.

Finally, find a course that fits your learning style. If you are a visual learner, use a Spanish course with visual computer lessons. If you learn better from just hearing and listening, look for an audio Spanish course. If you are not sure how you learn best, try out as many free lessons as you can and pay attention to which type helps you learn faster.

A Few Tricks to Help Your Self-Study Spanish Education

Here are a few study tricks to help you no matter what Spanish course or Spanish education curriculum you use:

  • Try not to cram all of your Spanish studying into one day. Studying instead for 30 to 45 minutes a day, three to five days a week, will allow you to retain more of what you study and solidify it in your mind.
  • If you don’t have access to someone who speaks Spanish with whom you could practice, a great way to practice your listening and comprehension skills is by listening to Spanish radio. Find a Spanish station and just listen for about 15 minutes. As you listen write down any words you recognize and try to guess the topic being discussed. This may be difficult at first, but as your vocabulary increases you will find you can pick up more and more. This exercise also works well with Spanish TV ;) .
  • Remember repetition is the key to learning a foreign language. Don’t hesitate to repeat a section a few times. Mastering the words and phrases you are currently studying will increase your ability to learn what you study in the future. So keep at it.

Use these suggestions in your personal study. They will help you teach yourself Spanish and help make your personal Spanish education a success.

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How to get Spanish Accent Marks on your PC


by CaptainCode

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November 25th, 2013

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When you need to type in Spanish, there is more than one way to get accented letters. Let’s go over them briefly.

First, you can install Spanish keyboard and switch to it when you have to type in Spanish (you’ll have to install Spanish as additional input language through the Control Panel, which only takes a few minutes). You’ll have to get used that some letters and punctuation marks are positioned differently than on the English one you are used to.

Another option would be using  “Alt” functions will allow you to use accented letters and other Spanish symbols on your keyboard. These shortcuts are particularly helpful when you are just starting to learn Spanish and can’t perform at a fluent level yet.

To get these to work properly, make sure you hold down the “Alt” key the entire time you type in the numbers (that is, if you are not annoyed by having to type 4 numbers to get one little accent). We suggest that you try both options to figure out which one feels right for you ;) Browse this website for best real estate in Thailand.

Spanish Accented Letters and Other Symbols

“Alt” + “0225” á
“Alt” + “0233” é
“Alt” + “0237” í
“Alt” + “0243” ó
“Alt” + “0250” ú
“Alt” + “0252” ü
“Alt” + “0241” ñ
“Alt” + “0191” ¿
“Alt” + “0161” ¡

‘You’ in Spanish


by CaptainCode

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November 21st, 2013

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If you have been studying Spanish for some time, you most probably know that there are two words to say You in Spanish. This is common for Roman languages, and the rules of French and Italian, for example, are the same – just so you know. Now, back to Spanish :).

So, there are Tu and Usted.

Tu is an informal and friendly pronoun, used when talking to a person you call by their first name. The word Usted used in cases of formal speech, or when you do not know a person well. Addressing anyone with a title in their name, you should use Usted.

Here’s our video to help you memorize the use of the Spanish pronouns


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