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!)

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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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!

Phrases from today…

Escaquearse de algo – To get out of doing something

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

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…

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!’

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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!

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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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!