Context
More fun Spanish learning video from Ben and Marina! We look at the different customs at the Spanish dining table, and Spanish superstitions involving the salt! Do listen to the second half analysis in English to get the most from the video.
Vocab and phrases from the ‘Analysis’ section
No se usa la servilleta – Serviettes aren’t generally used (in the UK)
En España se come mucha ensalada – A lot of salad is eaten in Spain
Otra cosa que se suele ver en la mesa española es una aceitera – Another thing you tend to see on the Spanish table is an olive oil bottle
Me resulta un poco violento pedirles una servilleta – I feel a bit uncomfortable asking them for a serviette
Cuando yo pongo la mesa – When I set the table
Soy un chapuza(s) – I don’t do things properly/I do things in half measures
Hacer chapuzas – To do some DIY
Hacerlo de manera chapuza – To do it not very well
More Great Spanish Learning Resources…
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Hola Ben y Marina. I am a former subscriber to NIS GOLD2. Great Material. The video was great too. It is much better looking at your body language and mouth movements when speaking Spanish. I understood 75%. I was recently in Asturias and ate all week in local family run restaurants. I have a question. Why did they put a desert spoon (actually) a tea spoon, to the top left of the serving mat e.g. above the fork? Any ideas? is this a Spanish custom.
Hola,
Good to get an injection of Spanish every now and then!
I’ve been wanting to ask this for a while, and it doesn’t really fit this particular video, but what do kids say to eachother when they meet for the first time? The “encantado/mucho gusto” seems very polite, but do teenagers use this? I teach 16-19-year-olds, and it would be nice to know.
Keep up the good work!
/Belinda, Sweden
q bueno! Estas reglas me ayudan muchisimo. Y como alguien ha dicho antes, me alegro ver las caras de vosotros dos finalmente. A mí me gustaría ver más que este tipo de publicación! Gracias.
PS. Olvidasteis la vinagre balsamico! una coas muy importante
Hi Ben and Marina, just wanted to say thank you for this fantastic video – it is the first time that I’ve come across a video like this, that has both an informative Spanish conversation followed by an analysis. I am trying hard to maintain and improve my Spanish and resources like this are really excellent! Muchisimas gracias por hacerlo
Hola Ben y Marina. Muchas gracias por este video. Me gustaria comentar que en el Analysis Time se menciona que verbos como se usa, se come,…son verbos reflexivos. Esto no es correcto. Se trata de oraciones impersonales en las que se utiliza se mas la tercera persona del singular/plural cuando no nos interesa mencionar el sujeto de la accion o cuando queremos hacer generalizaciones.
I’m a Gold subscriber and hope our access isn’t stopped just yet as despite good intentions I still have audios to work through. The video is a bonus as seeing the context and the conversation adds to the comprehension. Incidentally I noted down the word “chapucero” from an article I read and thought it meant slapdash – I assume it is from the same route as chapazas – what is the difference? It was in an article I read in El País which at the end of the second paragraph effectively gave a lenghty list of words to use to insult someone – some I have found in the El País dictionary others word reference but not all!
Link is to digital – note all the comments – but you can get it online in print format dated 3/4
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/opinion/enigma/Zapatero/elpepuopi/20110402elpepuopi_1/Tes
I am in Iran and I am doing spanish self study.I am listening to your podcasts everynight before I sleep and I should thank you for all these useful material, I wish you keep adding more podcasts to beginner and intermediate level, espesially podcasts to introduse and practice subjuntivo. thank you
Hola Ben y Marina! Me and my wife are working through the beginner podcasts here on the Isle of Wight. Really like the spanish audio sections and the coooool spanish phrases. I have been trying to learn the basics for years.. but at last i feel i am improving with your podcasts, Muchas gracias!
Thank you for your podcasts !! I am doing all of them ,all levels and I have to say ;I love it!!! I am better and better aprender espaniol !!! I am lisning podcasts all the time ,muchas garcias !
Good one, I enjoyed it!
Ben y Marina,
Les agradezco por este video tan educativo e interesante. Enseño español en Estados Unidos en una escuela secundaria. Me gusta mucho escuchar sus podcasts pero prefiero verles cuando hablan y así son mis alumnos. Cuando les veo mientras hablan me siento parte de su conversación. ¿En el futuro sería posible incluir unos videos?
Me encanta! Y Marina te ves guapisima! Estais en vuestra nueva casa? Pero, ¿no se usa servilleta en España? No lo creo. Cuando era estudiante en la Compultense recuerdo que habia cajitas con numeros donde se aguardaba la misma servilleta por la semana.
Marina and Ben: it was great to see you in real life, after listening to your voices for two years. I really like your friendly smiles! Thanks for sending out this video.
Hola Ben y Marina. I very much enjoyed your video. However, I’m a little nervous about whether your making the video indicates that you’re thinking of switching to video for NIS Gold 3. I hope not. I’ve loved NIS Gold 1 and 2, which I usually listen to in my car and at other times when listening is possible but watching a video would be difficult (and also would require MUCH more space and battery use on my mobile). I do hope that NIS Gold 3 will be available as audio files, like NIS Gold 1 and 2.
Que video provechoso! Al fin de agoso me voy para Espana, para estudiar y vivir con una familia espanola por un ano. Este video me ayudo mucho! Ahora no sere una chapuza! Muchas gracias
found it hard to follow Marina who spoke more quickly than Ben! But very interesting, thanks
Muchas gracias por este video. Siempre yo aprendo más cuando escucho a sus podcasts españoles!
Thanks as always for the wonderful comments. I’ll get Marina to check in over the next few days to answer the language and cultural questions.
Regarding video – we do have many more here on the blog, for those that haven’t found them – follow this category link:
http://www.notesinspanish.com/category/videoblogging/
@Juanita – Don’t worry, we’ll always still make audio as well!
Estimados Ben y Marina,
De nuevo gracias por el vídeo informativo, nos ha servido muchísimo a mi novia y yo. Creo que lo que más nos sorprendió, siendo los dos angloparlantes, ¡fue darnos cuenta de que existe una palabra “serviette” en inglés!
Vaya, vaya, te sorprenderías con la de veces que he aprendido tanto español como inglés británico de tu podcast
Seguid tirando para adelante, ¡que sois majos!
Este video es muy, muy instructivo! Me encanta aprender una lengua por medio de las imagenes y con explicación! Sin embargo, me he hecho de menos los ‘worksheets’, como en los audios. Me parece que video más explicación más worksheets es lo mejor para aprender la lengua. Gracis Ben y Marina por sus esfuerzos de impartirnos tan buenos materiales!
II Perdone! Me he echo de menos los worksheets . . .
Yo tambien prefiero ver a vosotros. Pienso que todas sus episodios sea en video. Teneis tan buenas caras y pareceis muy amables que entender lo que dicís es muy facil.
Anyway it is all really good.
good luck a todos
Ben and Marina, seeing you with your actions are VERY helpful. I am able to pick up more and more. Your explanations afterwards are helpful. I STILL wish, however, that you always had a full written text below, so that I can look up other things that I may not understand.
I couldn’t understand what you said about the water. Is it for drinking or for the salad? Marina talks so fast that it is often hard to understand what she is saying.
I notice that in your description you talk about the olive oil being in a bottle, but it looks as if it is some metal object. Which is it?
Thanks for always being so good at answering my questions.
Hola Ben & Marina,
Muchas gracias por el video y por los podcasts….son muy útil. He dejado de aprender espanol hasta encontré ‘Notes in Spanish’. Sus métodos a ensenar son ‘fenomenales’! y gracias a Notes in Spanish me mola aprendiendo tambien.
Pero, a pesar de escuchar a los ‘inspired beginners’ 20 veces cada episodio….y tengo los worksheets..me cuesta comprender los podcasts de ‘intermediate’. Para mi….hay un ‘quantum leap’
entre los niveles.
Saludos y gracias
Andy
Estimado Ben y Marina, Dios le bendiga… siempre yo les agradaba mucho de su esfuerzo. Este video esta muy bien de costumbre de sena y también tu comento de gramática después la conversación. Espero y un sugerencia es que provea un nota de listas… es bueno…Yo soy un estudiante de español.
Great video…as always!
Pero Ben es un chapuza.
Encontré un error: Serviettes aren’t generally used => (in Spain) <=
Gracias a todos por vuestros comentarios.
@Craig, the tea spoon is indeed used for desert around here but I’m a bit confused as it is usually placed in the top part next to the glass.
@Belinda, certainly nothing very formal. Maybe something like:
- ¿Qué pasa tío?
- Hola
@ María, thanks for the correction. You are totally right.
@Pat, “Chapucero” is used to name someone that doesn’t do things properly and carefully
“Chapuzas” is either used with the same meaning as chapucero or to refer to someone that likes doing DIY.
@Kevin, you are right… I’ll get Ben to correct that tomorrow! Thanks.
Muchas gracias a los dos! Me encanta ver vuestros caras animadas. Y hablando de caras…en verdad, en Espana no se nunca las servilletas? Y con una aceitera en cada mesa, se come mucha aceite? Como se pueda limpiar la cara cuando se ponga aceite acerca de la boca?
A todos los que quieren mas (worksheets, texto, etc.) — por eso Ben y Marina vende esas cosas! Tienen que ganarse la vida, si?
When I lived in Spain, I soon learned that the bread is king of the table and you can’t eat a meal without it! Very different to the UK. Also, they have it on the table and it needs no plate apparently. It’s also an emergency napkin kind of thing so if you spill something on the table you can mop it up with the bread, haha. However, it is considered very rude to mop any gravy or juice you have remaining on your plate with the bread, unless you are among close friends. I laughed when Ben mentioned about the salad because my friend used to say the same thing!
Me resulta un poco violento…
If it is Marina that is feeling a little awkward/embarrased would the adjective be feminine “violenta” and “violento” if spoken by Ben?
And what does one do if you have a little accident at the table and are in dire need of a “servilleta”?
Thanks
Fantastic, I love this sort of stuff where you learn the language AND the culture at the same time, it makes it so much more interesting and easy to pay attention. Can you explain precisely what the WORD “chapuza” means? I know you explained the phrase, but I’d like to understand the word. The dictionary says it has something to do with sinking a ship by the head (???), haha.
Cheers,
Andrew
Olá Ben e Marina! Aprendo bastante com vocês dois a minha língua estrangeira predileta que amo imensamente. Já recomendei o sítio de vocês a pessoas que estudam o espanhol como eu. Quién sabe no podréis añadir acá un poco de portugués brasileño o europeo. A mi me gusto mucho la explicación de como uno ponerse adecuadamente a la mesa en España. Felicidades en vuestro trabajo. ¡Abrazos! – São Paulo – Brasil
This is a great video, but one correction to the analysis piece. You say that the sentences from the video (1)”No se usa la servilleta”, (2)”en España se come mucha ensalada”, and (3)”se suele ver” are examples of reflexive ‘se’. The use of ‘se’ in these constructions is NOT reflexive.
The uses of ‘se’ in these constructions are actually examples of the ‘se impersonal’ or first use of ‘se’ in ‘no se usa la servilleta’ is an example of the ‘se pasiva’. Here is some info on the ‘se pasiva’.
See part B of the following website. Excellent explanation:
http://www.bowdoin.edu/~eyepes/newgr/ats/41.htm
This site also has a good explanation:
http://www.123teachme.com/learn_spanish/passive_voice_2
¿Dónde no se usa serviettes, en España o en Inglatera?
This a great thing you are doing. I have subscribed to all of Gold 2 and to relise it to a more general audience is a very good idea. I hope it can inspire others to lean Spanish as much as me. Well done Maria and Ben
Hola Marina & Ben,
muchas gracias por el video. Siempre me gusta ver o escuchar sus videos e audios. Sois muy simpaticos!
Helmut
@Sandy, muy graciosa:-)
@Bella, you are right, we forgot to mention THE BREAD.
@Bonnie,
El sujeto de la frase no soy yo, en este caso está omitido:
(Algo) me resulta violento.
(El hecho de que no me pongan servilleta) me resulta violento.
Por lo tanto el género del adjetivo no debe cambiar.
@Spanish Andrew, según la rae tiene varios significados. Pero al que nosotros nos referimos es a este:
“2. f. Obra hecha sin arte ni esmero.”–> Cuando se hace algo sin ganas y el resultado es malo.
@Mairead, You are right… María already corrected that in previous comments.
Just had a chance to listen/watch the videos on table manners and “green space” in Madrid….love the video and analysis!!
Es muy extraño. Tenemos la misma superstición en India (la de pasar la sal)
Me gustó mucho también el video.