Can’t see the video here? You can see it direct at youtube.com here

Context

Another great Spanish learning video! Ben and Marina tell a quick story about why the Spanish never send ‘thanks’ a few days after a lunch/party etc, and why Ben is a ‘paleto’! Plus we thank all of you that have signed up for Gold Season Two on the first day!

Vocab and phrases from the ‘Analysis’ section

Eres un poco paleto – You are a bit of a country bumpkin
Despiste – Absent-minded
Soy un poco despistado – I’m a bit absent-minded
Mi cuñada – My sister-in-law
Yerno – Son-in-law
Nuera – Daughter-in-law
Aqui hay tomate – There’s some juicy stuff to talk about here!

Muchas gracias once more to everyone that has joined us already in Gold Season Two!

Update: the above-mentioned Gold Season Two is now available as a complete season pack in our store:

Get the Gold Season Two Complete Pack Here.

Can’t see the video here? You can see it direct at youtube.com here

Context

Ben and Marina discover that although a lot of shops are going out of business in their neighbourhood, fruit and veg shops continue to open continuously and thrive!

Vocab and phrases from the ‘Analysis’ section

Los pequeños comercios – Local shops / small businesses
Están cerrando sus puertas – They are going out of business
Grandes almacenes – Superstores
¿Qué te contó la dueña? – What did the owner tell you?
Hola, ¿qué me cuentas? – Hi, what’s new?
No suele estar lo suficientemente madura – It (the fruit) doesn’t tend to be ripe enough
Está un poco entera /un poco verde – It’s a bit unripe
5 raciones de fruta al dia – 5 portions of fruit or vegetables a day
Una ración – Like a big tapa, a big plateful of ham for example
Un racimo de uvas – A bunch of grapes
Las generaciones mas mayores – The older generations
Los mayores – Older people
“Mis viejos no me dejan ir a la discoteca” – My parents won’t let me go to the disco (very informal/teenager only!)

Update: Gold Season Two, as mentioned in the video, is now available as a complete season pack in our store:

Get the Gold Season Two Complete Pack Here.

Saludos desde Madrid,

Ben y Marina

Can’t see the video here? You can see it direct at youtube.com here

Context

Ben and Marina head off to the Puerta del Sol and find some things have changed!

Vocab and phrases from the ‘Analysis’ section

Han hecho obras en la plaza – They’ve done some work on the Plaza
No hay bancos – There are no benches
El gordo de navidad – The Spanish Christmas lottery
…donde supongo que habra caido algun premio importante – where I think a big prize must have been awarded
El estatua del oso y del madroño – The statue of the bear and the strawberry tree
Un punto de comienzo de las manifestaciones – A starting point for demonstrations
La puerta del sol también aloja el kilometro zero – The Puerta del Sol is home to ‘Kilometer Zero’
Tanto turismo a mi me agota – So much tourism exhausts me
Agotarse – To become worn out
Bacalao rebozado – Battered cod
Está que te mueres – It’s delicious

If you are interested in finding out when Gold Season Two (as mentioned in the video) is next open to the public, please make sure you are signed up for our newsletter, via the form at the top of the right hand column of this page.

Update: the above-mentioned Gold Season Two is now available as a complete season pack in our store:

Get the Gold Season Two Complete Pack Here.

Saludos desde Madrid,

Ben y Marina

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Q and A Audio: [Download MP3]

Q and A PDF Notes: Download the Q and A PDF Notes

We really hope you enjoy the Q and A recording above, do download the notes PDF for your reference as well!

Again we are really sorry not to have been able to answer all 250+ questions!! But we will try and cover some of the other great questions in future newsletters, reports, and audio.

!Hola!

Some of you will have heard our Q and A recordings in the past – it’s where Marina and I directly answer your questions about learning Spanish in a special audio, and give a big prize for the best question!

We are planning to record a new Q and A for you all this Wednesday (November 10th), so we need your questions by late this Tuesday night (tomorrow!)

The prize for the best question will be a 100 euro Amazon voucher (amazon.com or .co.uk)!

We’ll release the Q and A next week and announce the winner then.

Update: The audio has now been released, with details of the competition winner – click here to listen now!

Saludos from Madrid,

Ben y Marina

Many thanks to one of our listeners, Bill, for letting me know about this…

The famous Spanish writer Lucía Echevarría, winner of the “Planeta” literature prize, recently mentioned in an interview the much-held belief that “murciélago” is the ony word in the Spanish language that contains all 5 vowels.

An ABC reader, José Fernando Blanco Sánchez, sent the following letter to the newspaper, with the aim of “broadening her knowledge”:

———
Carta al director del diario ABC

Y repita conmigo, como diría Cantinflas: ¡Lo que es la falta de “ignorancia”!
———

Well, he pretty much put her in her place I think! Don’t worry if you don’t know all the 5-vowel words in the letter above, José Fernando Blanco Sánchez is obviously a bit of a word-smith!

Just stick with our free real Spanish audio conversations, and you’ll learn all the Spanish you need! And don’t forget that you can really see and dig deeper into all our conversations in the special accompanying worksheets.