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

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¡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.

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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!

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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Phrases from today…

Escaquearse de algo - To get out of doing something

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

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All you have to do is to send in a short video blog of your own - no matter what your Spanish level is! Come on, give it a go! Full details here!

Notes in Spanish L!VE - Fun video blogs for Upper 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…

Competition Time!

Why not make a video of your own, and join in our new video blogging competition? You could win an iPod Nano! All Spanish levels welcome!

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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!

From Madrid’s Retiro park

Entonces, la pregunta es… ¿Qué es lo que más miedo te da?

(Extra points for anyone who answers with a video blog and posts in our forum!)

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Singapore video

Finally, for those that missed it and prefer to see our videos here on the blog, here is our latest video blog from our trip to Asia, on Singapore!

Watch out for details coming soon on how to subscribe to our videoblogs via iTunes. In the meantime, here is the first installment from our recent trip to South East Asia…

The latest installment from our recent travels…

More Spanish video blogs in the forum!

Discuss this video and more in the forum!

Back from a recent trip to the south of Spain, we have plenty of videos for you over the next few weeks! Here is the first, from the terrifyingly-named Puerto de Despeñaperros!

Don’t forget to join in the competition in the forum!

A new release from the NIS videoblogging archive - is the difference between the two meanings of “chapuza” clear? Join the discussion in the forum…

Today’s video looks at two monuments in the center of Madrid that commemorate those that died in the March 11th 2004 Madrid train bombings. Forgive/spot the occasional Spanish error, I’ll always be learning too!

Why not join the NIS video blogging party? Make your own Spanish vlog, add it to our fast-growing youtube group, and discuss it in the vlogging forum post with all the other NIS video bloggers around the world!

Keep ‘em coming!

Now we want to see yours! OK, one more from us, below, then it’s over to you guys. Who’s going to be next to join the NiS videoblogging revolution?!

Many thanks to Eric for showing us the first day of his Spanish videoblog, watch his and then read on to see how you can join in!

As Eric says in the video he started the videoblog as a way of practicing for a Spanish exam, which seems to us to be a fantastic idea, a great way to get confidence speaking Spanish. Marina and I decided to record an answer for Eric:

So, why don’t you join us with a quick video of your own? Ours was recorded using a simple point-and-shoot camera and then uploaded to youtube (instructions here). We would LOVE to see your videoblog in Spanish - it could be like a quick diary entry, showing us something about your life, talking about learning Spanish, whatever! Upload it to youtube, and send us the link - who will be first to join the NiS videoblogging fun!?