There is no doubt that music can be a fun way of learning Spanish, so here’s a short list of artists/bands whom you can listen to in order to improve your Spanish. Most, if not all of them, can be found on Youtube as well as Deezer.com (my favorite online radio). You can also check them out on www.Terra.com.mx/musica

Bands:

La Oreja de Van Gogh

Camila

Maná

Orixas

El Canto del Loco

Reik

Male Singers:

Alex Ubago

David Bismal

Marc Anthony

Enrique Iglesias

Juanes

Female Singers

Thalia

Paulina Rubio

Shakira

Laura Pausini (she’s italian but sings in Spanish too)

So what are you waiting for? Go out there and immerse yourself! Enjoy!

¡Hasta luego!

Fabi Lara

Here are the 100 most common words in the Spanish language. These were taken from an in-depth study by Professor Mark Davies of Brigham Young University on word frequency. His book Frequency Dictionary of Spanish: Core Vocabulary for Learners brings a more detailed description of the research as well as the 5000 most used words in Spanish.

1. el / la (def. art.) the
2. de (prep.) of, from
3. que (conj.) that, which
4. y (conj.) and
5. a (prep.) to, at
6. en (prep.) in, on
7. un (indef. art.) a, an
8. ser (verb) to be
9. se (pron.) -self, oneself [reflexive marker]
10. no (adv.) no
11. haber (verb) to have
12. por (prep.) by, for, through
13. con (prep.) with
14. su (adj.) his, her, their, your (fam.)
15. para (prep.) for, to, in order to
16. como (conj.) like, as
17. estar (verb) to be
18. tener (verb) to have
19. le (pron.) [3rd pers. indirect object pronoun]
20. lo (art.) the (+ noun)
21. lo (pron.) [3rd pers. masc. direct object pronoun]
22. todo (adj.) all, every
23. pero (conj.) but, yet, except
24. más (adj.) more
25. hacer (verb.) to do, make
26. o (conj.) or
27. poder (verb) to be able to, can
28. decir (verb) to tell, say
29. este (adj.) this (m); esta (f)
30. ir (verb) to go
31. otro (adj.) other, another
32. ese (adj.) that (m); esa (f)
33. la (pron.) [3rd pers. fem. direct object pronoun]
34. si (conj.) if, whether
35. me (pron.) me
36. ya (adv.) already, still
37. ver (verb) to see
38. porque (conj.) because
39. dar (verb) to give
40. cuando (conj.) when
41. él (pron.) he
42. muy (adv.) very, really
43. sin (prep.) without
44. vez (noun, f.) time, occurrence
45. mucho (adj.) much, many, a lot
46. saber (verb) to know
47. qué (pron.) what?, which?, how (+ adj.)
48. sobre (prep.) on top of, over, about
49. mi (adj.) my
50. alguno (adj.) some; (pron.) someone
51. mismo (adj.) same
52. yo (pron.) I
53. también (adv.) also
54. hasta (prep.) until, up to; (adv.) even
55. año (noun, m.) year
56. dos (num.) two
57. querer (verb) to want, love
58. entre (prep.) between
59. así (adv.) like that
60. primero (adj.) first
61. desde (prep.) from, since
62. grande (adj.) large, great, big
63. eso (pron., n.) that
64. ni (conj.) not even, neither, nor
65. nos (pron.) us
66. llegar (verb) to arrive
67. pasar (verb) to pass, spend (time)
68. tiempo (noun, m.) time, weather
69. ella (pron.) she; ellas them
70. sí (adv.) yes
71. día (noun, m.) day
72. uno (num.) one
73. bien (adv.) well
74. poco (adj.) little few; (adv.) a little bit
75. deber (verb) should, ought to; to owe
76. entonces (adv.) so, then
77. poner (verb) to put (on); get (+ adj.)
78. cosa (noun, f.) thing
79. tanto (adj.) much
80. hombre (noun, m.) man, mankind, husband
81. parecer (verb) to seem, look like
82. nuestro (adj.) our
83. tan (adv.) such, a, too, so
84. donde (conj.) where
85. ahora (adv.) now
86. parte (noun, f.) part, portion
87. después (adv.) after
88. vida (noun, f.) life
89. quedar (verb) to remain, stay
90. siempre (adv.) always
91. creer (verb) to believe
92. hablar (verb) to speak, talk
93. llevar (verb) to take, carry
94. dejar (verb) to let, leave
95. nada (pron.) nothing
96. cada (adj.) each, every
97. seguir (verb) to follow
98. menos (adj.) less, fewer
99. nuevo (adj.) new
100. encontrar (verb) to find

¡Hasta pronto!

Fabi Lara

Ok, so this is a little challenge for you. Can you read this text in Spanish? Good luck!

SPOILER WARNING: The text is written out below, cover it up if you want to solve it on your own.

Scroll down for the answer.

C13R70 D14 D3 V3R4N0 3574B4 3N L4 PL4Y4 0853RV4ND0 A D05 CH1C45 8R1NC4ND0 3N 14 4R3N4, 357484N 7R484J484ND0 MUCH0 C0N57RUY3ND0 UN C4571LL0 D3 4R3N4 C0N 70RR35, P454D1Z05 0CUL705 Y PU3N735. CU4ND0 357484N 4C484ND0 V1N0 UN4 0L4 D357RUY3ND0 70D0 R3DUC13ND0 3L C4571LL0 4 UN M0N70N D3 4R3N4 Y 35PUM4… P3N53 9U3 D35PU35 DE 74N70 35FU3RZ0 L45 CH1C45 C0M3NZ4R14N 4 L10R4R, P3R0 3N V3Z D3 350, C0RR13R0N P0R L4 P14Y4 R13ND0 Y JU64ND0 Y C0M3NZ4R0N 4 C0N57RU1R 07R0 C4571LL0; C0MPR3ND1 9U3 H4814 4PR3ND1D0 UN4 6R4N L3CC10N; 64574M05 MUCH0 713MP0 D3 NU357R4 V1D4 C0N57RUY3ND0 4L6UN4 C054 P3R0 CU4ND0 M45 74RD3 UN4 0L4 LL364 4 D357RU1R 70D0, S010 P3RM4N3C3 L4 4M1574D, 3L 4M0R Y 3L C4R1Ñ0, Y L45 M4N05 D3 49U3LL05 9U3 50N C4P4C35 D3 H4C3RN05 50NRR31R.

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Cierto día de verano estaba en la playa observando a dos chicas brincando en la arena, estaban trabajando mucho construyendo un castillo de arena con torres, pasadizos ocultos y puentes. Cuando estaban acabando vino una ola destruyendo todo reduciendo el castillo a un montón de arena y espuma… Pensé que después de tanto esfuerzo las chicas comenzarían a llorar, pero en vez de eso, corrieron por la playa riendo y jugando y comenzaran a construir otro castillo; comprendí que habia aprendido una gran lección; gastamos mucho tiempo de nuestra vida construyendo alguna cosa pero cuando más tarde una ola llega a destruir todo, solo permanece la amistad, el amor, y el cariño, y las manos de aquellos que son capaces de hacernos sonreir.

Fabi Lara

This is one of the most talked about courses available online, but before I started to write this review on Rocket Spanish, I went out to see what other people were saying about it. And boy, was the “learning to speak Spanish” community raving about it. So I searched even more because I know no product is perfect, and I wanted to get the WHOLE truth before you invest in any language learning program.

Rocket Spanish is produced by a company called Rocket Languages, and this specific Spanish course is directed by Mauricio Evlampieff, a very enthusiastic and friendly guy from Chile. It is valid to note that there’s a team behind the construction and support of this course and they’re available should you have any questions about the product.

So let’s go over the good things first.

Rocket Spanish has plenty of material, there’s no doubt about it. The course is quite comprehensive for the super bargain price of (currently) $99.95 in downloadable format , or $299.95 plus $49.95 for the physical course, which makes up 25 cds - that’s a lot of content.

The course features a booklet in which you can set your own learning goals and plan how to achieve what you want out of the course. Beginner to advanced grammar ebooks are also included for those who want to go deeper in the why’s and how’s of the language. There are 31 lessons in the course, and the add-on material on grammar, vocabulary, phrases, exercises etc comes to a total of 500 pages.

On top of that, you get a voice recognition module which let’s you test your pronunciation skills compared to those of native Spanish speaking countries. This feature alone has over 12 hours of content and makes a big difference to those who wish to polish up their speaking abilities.

But what sets this course apart is being able to teach Spanish through interactive games. There is MegaAudio, with over 1,000 audio tracks and MegaVocab, which tests 2,000 vocabulary words spread out in over 20 topics. Now the greatest thing about it is that you can choose what topics to be tested on, and also insert your own vocabulary words with pictures and build yourself a very specialized learning tool. So whether you are a doctor, or you’re looking for more business vocabulary, you can set your own need-to-know words and the software will do the rest - neat or what?!

Now for the bad stuff - and I have to be honest with you, I had to think hard on this part. My biggest complaint is that the promise of being fluent in 3 months or under is a bit of a stretch, and would require a lot of work from the student, if at all possible. I’ve only seen one person who was able to learn a language in 3 months, and they actually lived in the native country where that language was spoken and I have to say, that left me totally astounded. But for us everyday Joes and Janes, don’t be put off, you will learn lots with this course.

The verdict: The content of this course is amazing and we’re lucky to get it at this price. It will probably take a few months to actually get through the whole course instead of the really quick 8 weeks promise, but it is totally worth it. I am hoping to get a Rocket French course soon! There is a 56 day guarantee, so if for any reason you do not like it or feel it’s not for you, return it and that’s it, you get a full refund! In 56 days, you’re bound to have learned something anyway.

Rocket Spanish Official Website

¡Hasta pronto!

Fabi Lara

So you’ve decided you need a good quality Spanish course to get started in the language or improve your skills - maybe Pimsleur Spanish is the best option available for you. But first, I have to lay out some important characteristics of this course before you shell out your hard earned cash.

Ok, so let’s start with the things that might put some people off this course: Price. At the time of writing, each volume costs $225, and there are 3 full volumes, coming to a total of $675. They also offer a 4th one called “Plus Spanish Course” at $97 , which is an advanced supplement to those who have already mastered the material on the previous volumes. I haven’t tried that particular one, but it is comprised of 10 lessons that build up onto the foundation of the first three volumes, so I don’t see it as a must-have.

The next point is that Pimsleur courses are 100% audio. You can get cds or cassettes to play in your car while driving or in your spare time. This is a big plus for busy people and commuters, you won’t really have to “make time” for studying and this is a great incentive for learning a new language. The other side of the coin is that you will not know how to read or write in your target language, which becomes a major put off by people who need these skills for work or leisure.

Pimsleur Courses have a method of their own. There is a strong emphasis on pronounciation, so you will be able to hear not only phrases in a slow enough speed, but also words and even fragments of words. This is great in a sense because you hear every part of the word, which is something that helps you pick up pronunciation and intonation much much quicker than normal day to day chat. The downside to that is it can be very repetitive, and if you’ve already picked up the pronunciation it can become boring.

The way the course is built makes you identify, understand and pronounce basic vocabulary for everyday use. Having said that, there will be gaps in your vocabulary that you will want to fill, mostly nouns, but a small dictionary might be sufficient for the beginner anyway.

Now for the really really good stuff: no boring grammar! YAAAAAAY! I’m sorry, but to me this alone is a game changer. Pimsleur courses do not teach grammar explicitly, because it is based on how we learn our mother tongues as children, by listening and repeating the phrase patterns and structure. Grammar is only explained to us when we master our language, at school. Why should it be any different with a foreign language? It makes sense.

So how does it work? Each lesson lasts 30 minutes, and you are encouraged to listen (and participate) to one lesson per day (great bite sized learning). At the start of each lesson, you will hear a conversation between native speakers, with an audio translation what was is being said. The conversation is then dissected for you to grasp the words, their meaning, pronunciation, etc. Thirdly, you take on the role of one of the natives, and with that, you are asked questions related to what has just been said. It’s a great evolution from repetition without any input or output by the listener.

The verdict: Very good course for people who want to learn how to speak, the course can be relatively fast. The methods used are valid and worth a try. Recommended!

Visit Pimsleur Language Website

Fabi Lara

¡Hola!

As my first post, I decided to provide you with a Spanish Dictionary that translates to English. Spanish to English and English to Spanish.

Freelang Online Dictionary SPANISH => ENGLISH: ENGLISH => SPANISH: Whole word

There you are, start using it and good luck. Oh, also don’t forget to bookmark this page so you can look up words really quickly. And as a reminder, this Spanish Dictionary is provided by Freelang, a big thank you to them for allowing me to features this for my readers. Once you enter a word, you are then taken to Freelang’s web page. They have tons of different dictionaries in languages I didn’t even know existed, so it’s worth a look.

¡Hasta pronto!