Warning: This video contains some bad language in Spanish.

I recently signed off a letter to a friend:

"¡Que te vaya todo muy bien!" Test: why does that use a subjunctive?

The answer (as explained in the video above, watch it first!):

"¡Que te vaya todo muy bien!" (’Hope everything goes well’) uses the subjunctive because of what is missing before the ‘que’… "Espero que te vaya todo muy bien" would be the full version, and "espero que" takes the subjunctive as it is expressing a desire.

Sorry, bit of a trick question, but that’s a very common usage, where Spanish speakers leave out the ‘espero’ bit when wishing someone something, for example good luck ("¡Que tengas suerte!").

Note, in these cases, the ‘Qué’ has an accent as it is a short exclamation phrase. (Oops! Sorry! After further research, we stand corrected, this is not so in this case.)

Do you know any other short Spanish subjunctive phrases like this, with Que + subjunctive?

(Note: Apologies for the unsavory language in this recording. Luckily it’s not half as bad as the examples used in the bonus ‘private lesson’ audio that comes with Real Spanish Control!)

Here’s the video we made recently on what we think is one of the most useful things you can ever know when it comes to learning and understanding Spanish. It’s a real confidence booster!

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

(This video is based on a key idea from Real Spanish Control, where we pool together all the best techniques we’ve ever come across to improve Spanish comprehension and confidence).

 

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Listen to this audio news update, then check out Real Spanish Control here:

Real Spanish Control

Saludos desde Madrid,

Ben

At last our latest big project is finished. We think it’s going to be hugely valuable to our Inspired Beginners and Intermediate students. Do check it out here:

http://www.notesinspanish.com/store/real-spanish-control.html

We really think it can make a huge difference to your Spanish.

Ben y Marina

Hola a todos!

We’ve been working away on something big we’re going to be announcing at the end of the week, plus we have 3 cool new videos to share with you.

We’ll be releasing them all this week, if you want to make sure you don’t miss them, watch the first here and follow the instructions on how to see the rest!

Don’t miss the first video!

Ben y Marina

(Seen this video already? If so, don’t forget all the others in our video archive!)

In the video Marina discusses the huge hail storm we had recently, the effect it had on our terrace, how loads of local cars’ bodywork got trashed (and birds were killed in the park!), and whether our efforts to destroy the environment might be to blame…

Cool Spanish from today’s video:

‘Ayer, cayó una tormenta de granizo de impresión’ - There was an unbelievable hail storm yesterday.

Note, you could also just say: ‘Ayer, cayó una tormenta de impresión’ for a regular storm, without the hail.

If you really want to sound like a genuine Spanish-speaking local, you would say:

‘¡Ayer cayó una qué no veas!’ - There was a hell of a big one last night!

Other useful vocab from the video:

El Granizo - Hail
El Barreño - Bucket
Las Abolladuras - Dents
El Capó - Bonnet/Hood
La Chapa - The Bodywork

NOTE (of disbelief!) from our recent Survey:

According to our recent survey we are doing something very wrong, as 32% of our listeners have never even heard of our Real Spanish Phrase Book And Audio Guide! And it’s some of our best work! Absolutely FULL of more Real, Cool Spanish like “Ayer cayó una qué no veas”! We had so much fun putting that project together it was unbelievable.

Oh well, if you still aren’t interested, definitely don’t Check it out here!

Hasta Pronto!

 

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Today we look at timetable and lifestyle differences in Spain and the UK, and more cool Spanish phrases as usual!

Check out the learning resources and language tools in the Worksheets discussed in this audio, in the Inspired Beginners Super Pack!

Top Up Pack for episodes 26 to 30:
If you have a previous version of the Super Pack you can top it up with the latest episodes here.

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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We look at useful vocab and phrases for shopping and money, and have a real Spanish conversation on changing shopping habits in Spain.

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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It’s Para time! In the last episode we tackled Por, and this time we cover its partner in crime, Para.

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

Hi,

If you have bought and used any of our worksheet packs or the Real Spanish Phrase Book, we would like to ask you a huge favour.

We would love it if you could send us a review telling us what you thought of the product in question. This will take just a couple of minutes but help us enormously.

All you have to do is briefly answer a few short questions and send us the answers via our secure contact form. To do so,

Step 1. Select and copy the following questions (to paste into the contact form at the next step):

————————————

What is your name and location? (e.g. Ben Curtis, Madrid)

Which product purchased from our store would you like to give a testimonial about: Beginners, Intermediate, or Advanced Worksheets, or Real Spanish Phrase Book?

How has the product helped you with your Spanish (e.g. what have you learned? How has your level improved?)

Were you skeptical when you ordered?

How did you change your mind?

Who would you recommend this to?

———————————–

Step 2. Next go to the secure contact form at our sister site notesfromspain.com, and paste the above questions into the message body, provide your answers, and hit send! If you have copied the above questions and are ready to proceed, click here to proceed to our contact form.

Many many thanks! Ben and Marina

 

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It’s Por and Para time! In this episode we start with a complete rundown of Por. In the next episode, Para!

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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Lots of Spanish phrases and vocabulary for music today, and an insight into Marina’s music tastes in days gone by!

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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Today we look at the Past Perfect in Spanish, which allows us to order events in the past when we are telling a story (like “the robbers had left when the police arrived” in English).

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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Today we look at words and phrases connected with eating, ordering, and dealing with waiters in Spanish bars and restaurants, plus a run-down of the best Spanish tapas vocabulary and phrases.

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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It’s time to tackle Ser and Estar! This is your definitive guide to why and when we use each of the Spanish verbs for ‘to be’. Also in this podcast, extra listening practice for the Past Tenses, making this one of the most useful podcasts we have ever produced!

The worksheet that accompanies this episode includes a full rundown of all the Ser and Estar grammar covered, providing a great guide for future reference and review. Pick it up as part of one of the great Inspired Beginners worksheet packs in our store.

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

How many do you know? Which is your favourite? Join the dar discussion in our forum!

Echar is one of those words that can mean a lot of things depending on what it’s paired with, and is often confused with hecho. How many Echar uses do you know? Click here to help us out in the forum!

 

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More great Spanish conversation starters and useful phrases, with a touch of football for making friends with blokes! ¿Te gusta el fútbol?

Remember you can subscribe in iTunes (direct iTunes link) to download every Inspired Beginners show automatically!

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

In our latest video we chat about the Feria del Libro (Book Fair) here in the center of Madrid. ¿Lees mucho hoy en dí­a?

Some vocab from today’s video:

Un monzón - Monsoon

He vuelto constipado - I’ve come back with a bad cold

Estreñido - Constipated

Casetas - In this case they are stands in the book fair, but this word can also be used for bars at the beach

Editoriales - Publishers

Me aburro - I get bored

Subscribe to these videos in iTunes

Like the Real Spanish we use in all our videos? Check out the Real Spanish Phrase Book and Audio Guide!

 

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We’re back! In this, the first episode of Season 2, we look at great conversation openers in Spanish to help you out at parties, when you meet new poeple, with intercambios and more! Plus, useful language to help you learn even more when talking to others in Spanish!

Coming up in the next four episodes: More great conversation starters, the Definitive Guide to Ser and Estar!, Tapas bars and restaurant vocabulary, and the last past tense, the Past Perfect.

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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Marta worked in a UK school for a while this year, and her experiences highlight just why the Brits can be uptight and the Spanish much more relaxed! It’s all about the firefighters!

¿Crees que las normas de comportamiento que se enseñan en el colegio tiene que ver con el carácter de las personas cuando son adultas? ¿Crees que es positivo meter mucho miedo a los niños para que aprendan sobre los peligros de la vida?

A full transcript of the podcast is available as usual with the accompanying worksheets.

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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We discuss adoptions in Spain, and a recent terrible case from Argentina.

¿Sabes si hay muchas adopciones en tu paí­s? ¿De qué paí­s proceden los niños adoptados principalmente? ¿Qué opinas del caso de Marí­a Eugenia Sampallo?

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

¡Hola! It’s time for another one of our L!VE video blogs, ideal for Intermediate to Advanced Spanish lovers, though the phrases taken from the video and listed below are great at every level.

(Subscribe to our videos in iTunes)

Cool ‘pelo’ phrases from today’s video.

Se me ha caí­do el pelo - I’m in trouble! I’ve done something bad!

Me he rapado - I’ve had a really short hair cut.

No me tomes el pelo - stop pulling my leg!

More ‘pelo’ phrases…

Por los pelos… - In the nick of time

For example: Justo ha empezado a llover. Hemos llegado a casa por los pelos - It’s just started to rain - we’ve got back home just in time!

Enjoy these phrases? Want more?

If you enjoy using real Spanish phrases to sound really Spanish, then you can find over 100 more just like these in our Real Spanish Phrase Book and Audio Guide: Check it out here!

 

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Marina talks to Maria Rosa about life as a woman under Franco’s dictatorship.

¿Qué te parece el hecho de que Marí­a Rosa tuviera que contar con el permiso de su marido para abrir y sacar dinero de su cuenta bancaria? ¿Cuál era la situación de la mujer en tu paí­s en esta misma época (años 60-70)?

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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What happens when rats take over an entire region in India?

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

The new Notes in Spanish L!VE video blogging adventure continues (subscribe in iTunes!) Today we talk about a few of our favourite phrases, first of all focusing on the wonderful, and pretty informal, Chungo:

Las cosas se han puesto chungas - Things have got pretty hectic/tricky/difficult.

Lo veo muy chungo - I think it’s going to be difficult (e.g. to get a certain project done by Monday).

¿Qué tal tu abuelo? … Pues está muy chungo - How is your grandfather? … He’s in a pretty bad way.

Other phrases from today’s video blog:

Hasta el 40 de mayo no te quites el sayo - this great phrase basically means it could still get a bit chilly any time up until about June 10th. After that you can pack your coat away!

Se está de miedo - It’s lovely (in this case the weather)

Estamos en la gloria… estamos de maravilla… estamos estupendamente… estamos guay - we are super happy, comfortable and contented (in this case about the wonderful temperatures)!

Le llevo dos años - I’m two years older than her

Enjoy these phrases?

There are a whole lot more like this in our Real Spanish Phrase Book!

 

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As China prepares for the Olympics, protests erupt around the world. But are we all blameless these days? Listen to the podcast and comment below!

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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Also available on youtube and via iTunes

Phrases from today…

Escaquearse de algo - To get out of doing something

Ser un poco friki - To be a bit of a geek

Notes in Spanish L!VE - Fun video blogs for Spanish Intermediate and Advanced learners - with all the cool vocab explained for everyone below!

This week, La Chuleta…

Cool phrases from today’s video blog…

La Chuleta - a cheat sheet that you smuggle into exams to copy from (what the guys in the photocopying shop wanted the girl behind the counter to make for them!)

Mi viejo/a - My old man, my old lady, slang for parents.

Mazo - slang for ‘lots’. E.g. Me mola mazo, I really like it, or tengo mazo de curro, I’ve got loads of work (curro is slang for work).

Eres un rajao - A rajao is a person that promises to do something with you, and then pulls out (rajao is short for rajado)

Tengo una movida en casa que no veas - You can’t believe the trouble I’ve got at home…

We’ve decided that our main aim with our new Notes in Spanish L!VE videos is just to have a lot of fun! So here is the latest entry, ‘Truenos’, in which…. Ben es un exagerado, los ingleses saben más, y ¡la gente esta loca!

The top words from today’s video blog are:

Apart from the good old storm vocab (Rayos = Lightening, Trueno = Thunder), the top phrase pick has to be Marina’s comment to Ben:

‘Eres un exagerado!

… a cool Spanish phrase meaning, ‘you are completely over the top!’

If you enjoy these short videos, please sign up to get them automatically, just like our podcasts, via iTunes: Direct iTunes link.

Find more cool Spanish Phrases in our Real Spanish Phrase Book and Audio Guide!

A random start to our new ‘Notes in Spanish L!VE’ video blogging adventure, in which Ben, the Guiri Total, had to get a bit Spanish in mega department store Fnac to get his Euros back.

This is the start of a new videoblogging season here at Notes in Spanish: there will be lots of videos from lots of places coming your way! We hope to see yours too! Details of a new feed for those that want to subscribe in iTunes etc will follow shortly.

The top words from today’s video blog are:

Guiri - Foreign bloke, more info here.

Meterle caña - To give someone a hard time

Ponerse Chulo - To get tough about something, take no crap!

More Real Phrases in our Real Spanish Phrase Book and Audio Guide!

When I started learning Spanish here in Spain over 10 years ago, one of the things that most motivated and inspired me was picking up and trying out the real Spanish phrases and expressions used by Spanish people in their everyday conversations. With Marina’s help I’ve been collecting these colloquial expressions for years, and at last we have finished a really exciting project that means we can share them with you.

Our Real Spanish Phrase Book and Audio Guide contains over 100 of these wonderful, typical Spanish phrases, with over 1 hour and 20 minutes of exclusive audio that won’t be released in any of the usual podcast feeds. We really think this is going to be tremendously useful and exciting for anyone learning Spanish, no matter what your level.

Check it out here for full details:

The Real Spanish Phrase Book and Audio Guide

 

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Mobile phone madness in the Metro, golfing in bed, and those infernal ring tones… Click the Play button above to listen now!

Useful Stuff:

Free worksheet for this episode: click here to start pdf download

Get more Advanced Worksheets!

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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Does any work get done in a Spanish office? And how do you cope with the boss?

¿Crees que la vida en una oficina española es muy distinta de la vida en una oficina en tu paí­s? ¿En qué? ¿Crees que hay diferencias entre el sueldo de un hombre y una mujer que realizan la misma tarea en tu paí­s?

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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Marina talks to her friend Isabel about the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrims’ route across Northern Spain followed by 50,000 people every year.

¿Te gustarí­a hacer el Camino de Santiago? ¿Lo harí­as a pí­e o de alguna otra manera? ¿Te parece una experiencia interesante?

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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A new wave of immigration is taking place worldwide, especially here in Europe, and it’s having far reaching and often unpleasant effects.

¿Hay inmigración en tu paí­s? ¿De que paí­ses? ¿Crees que la inmigración en general es buena para el paí­s que la recibe? ¿Por qué?

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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Once a Royal cattle trail, this stretch of land just outside Madrid has turned into Europe’s biggest shanty town.

¿Crees que habrí­a que eliminar el asentamiento en la Cañada Real? ¿Existen poblados de chabolas o de casas ilegales en tu paí­s? ¿Y cañadas para el ganado?

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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What’s the best way to travel round Spain in Summer? Where should you sleep, what towns should you visit?

Pick up the worksheet that accompanies this podcast here!

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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Today’s podcast tells the story of when a blog post went very very wrong! ¿Qué te parece el experimento que hizo Ben? ¿Crees que la gente se atreve a hacer cosas por Internet que no harí­a en la vida real?

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina

 

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Spain tries to get some lyrics for its national anthem and controversy erupts!

¿Qué te parece que el himno español no tenga letra? ¿Crees que el himno de España deberí­a quedares con la letra que ha creado Paulino Cubero? ¿Conoces algún otro paí­s donde el himno no tenga letra?

Saludos desde Madrid!
Ben y Marina