Comment from Kas Wells

I recently learned a Spanish phrase which I now use often, it makes me sound very Spanish when I am with my Spanish friend.
a mi me da igual jeje!! to me it is all the same!

Comment from Alex

Muchas gracias por ensenarnos las frases muy utiles. Lo agradezco un monton! Saludos desde Ucrania!

Comment from deebee

Otra vez, muchas gracias por las frases muy utiles. No sabia que se puede usar ‘vaya’ es esta manera.
Os deseo decir que ‘notes in spanish’ continua ayudarme mucho.

Comment from Luciana

Pregunta: Se puede decir algo como, “Vaya noche mas hermosa”? Es decir, es posible que use Vaya para hablar de algo positivo?

Comment from mia crins

Muchas gracias para habernos ayudado utilisar “Vaya”
Desde los Paisos Bajos,

Mia Crins

Comment from ann

Your message about the use of Vaya really took me back to my days on my year out in Granada- over 20 years ago now! We used to exaggerate the nightmarish quality of vaya tela by saying VAYA TELA MARINERA – has anyone else heard this use? Does it still exist??

Ann

Comment from Enrique

“Vaya” is the mild understatement to use when the more colorful—and common—”joder” etc. would be inapproriate. It’s stereotypically what schoolkids say. I’ll never forget it’s what Neo says when Morpheus jumps across the rooftops, in place of the California slacker “Whoa!”

Comment from Graeme

Ann, you made me smile with that one!! Yes VAYA TELA MARINERA is a cracker! I have heard this from from Andalucians and I guess it is just giving it even more importance by lengthening it and making it rhyme like saying EASY, then EASY PEASY – and even then EASY PEASY LEMON SQUEEZY!!

I love real Spanish like this! It brings the language to life in a way that crusty old text books NEVER can.

Comment from Geoff

Coming from Madrid I expect Marina will know the song “Vaya, vaya, aqui no hay playa”

Comment from Clara

Ah – that could explain what I’ve been hearing as “badger” down here in Cadiz …

Comment from Ben

Thanks for all the comments again!

@Kas ‘a mi me da igual’ is a great one too!
@Luciana – Yes, you can use it for positive things like that too.
@Ann – Yes! and also what you hear a lot here now is just ‘tela marinera’ on its own – both are fine.
@Geoff – Yes! Everyone in Madrid knows that song!

Comment from Bill

Thanks for the great learning program, the two of you are an inspiration and work so well together. I have been studing on my
own for 2 years and have had my ups and downs trying to learn the language. My main interest is in ‘real’ Spanish and this is exactly what I was searching for. I really enjoy the casual conversations. I started in your early lessons and videos, hope to get up to speed soon.

Comment from Jaques

Gracias chicos.. cuidense

Comment from Froukje Matthews

Thanks Ben y Marina! You are a real inspiration! I’m going slowly because of my normal workload, but enjoying it and improving!

Comment from Ben

Thanks for the new lovely comments, Bill, Jaques and Froukje!

Comment from Nick

Sports daily AS also has !Vaya dia! as one of its standard headings in the match reports – i.e. the player who’s had something of a stinker.

Comment from Brioan

Muchas gracias por NIS. Estoy estudiando espagnol con NIS desde hacer un ano y estoy feliz decir que puedo tenir las conversationes con mi nuevos amigos en Guatemala y Mexico

Comment from Margaret Thompson

I was amused by the expression “Vaya, vaya, vaya” which with accompanying intonation…meaning something like…Well, well well.

Comment from Spanish Andrew

That’s very interesting but I have to say I don’t really understand it at all: “vaya” is just the subjunctive/imperative for “ir”, so I really don’t understand the way it’s being used in this context.

Cheers,
Spanish Andrew

Comment from Ben

@Andrew, vaya is indeed a subjunctive form of ir, but that is not what is being used here. Here Vaya is simply a separate word used as an exclamation. In English we often have one word that is used in different forms and ways too – Like ‘saw’ the past of ‘to see’ is also a noun for something a carpenter uses – one word, two unrelated uses.

Comment from Jeni

These comments are so fun! Giving me great memories.

I’ve also often used “vaya” as an expression to mean “C’mon!” as in, “gimme a break”…

Comment from Leah

Hola. Es la primera vez que he escrito en este blog. Quiero saber si alguien haya leido el libro “de como las muchachas Garcia perdieron su acento” por Julia Alvarez? Es muy interesante para mi porque vivo en los Estados Unidos y este libro se trata de 4 muchachas que vinieron aqui en los setenta con su familia (de la Repubica Dominicana), y como “se americanizaron.” y Ben… se trata de.. es correcto para ‘deals with’ o ‘is about’

Comment from Bill Vance

Vaya i like it very much as in Que Le vaya Bien i hope this is correct

Comment from Ben

@Bill – that’s correct, but a different usage – in this case vaya is the subjunctive form of Ir

Comment from charmian

Vaya is also the Imperative form of Ir and can be used as ‘vaya con Dios’ As in the song or a rather old fashioned way of saying goodbye .. We would turn it round and say ‘god go with you.’ In the current theme Vaya petardo ‘what a jerk’ and any other combination to express ‘disapproval -Vaya pelmazo – What a pain he is ! Even ‘Vaya tio/tia ‘etc and as said above also in positive feed back like -Vaya nina simpatica -!vaya bolso mas chulo! (What a great handbag). Obviously a lot depends on voice tone and hand gestures as always in Spanish.

Comment from Ben

@charmian – Great additions!

Comment from cindy

I like the expression thankx as alwayz, vaya expresion mas flexible