The other day I rented the movie The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. There is a scene in which Tommy Lee Jones’s character enters into a tienda, goes directly to the fridge, takes out his beverage, sets it on the counter to pay and says something like, “¿Cuánto cuesta?” That’s when you realize that he is still hasn't mastered the subtlties and nuances of Mexico. This character supposedly knows Mexican culture inside and out. It’s just one, small detail that shows you that he doesn’t. When a Mexican walks into a store, he or she almost always greets the employees. That may not be the case in Mexico City or maybe not even in Guadalajara or Monterrey. It is the case in smaller cities and pueblos. It is most certainly the case here in... Show more

Mexico has free trade agreements, or tratados de libre comercio, with 44 countries, making it a convenient export base for automakers. In fact, eighty percent of the cars, or in Spanish carros, built in Mexico are shipped to other countries. Mexico is one of the only countries in the world where you can export duty-free to North America, South America, Europe and Japan, thanks to the numerous free-trade agreements that have been established over the years to support the industry’s growth. El tratado de libre comercio se firmó este año - The free trade agreement was signed this year. P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Spanish with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Spanish is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day.... Show more

Hello Listener, Can kids learn Mexican Spanish? Of course! They’re the fastest learners around! But do they? Not unless there’s a native Mexican Spanish speaker in the family. Language experts say children learning a second language enjoy cognitive advantages over those that do not. So, if you need a way to learn Mexican Spanish with your child start with the kid friendly e-book that’ll get them mastering words in minutes! With the brand new Talking World iBook for the iPad, your little one will earn all the common Mexican Spanish vocab they know in English! New iBook for the iPad: Learn Mexican Spanish for Kids - Talking World It’s jam packed with 16 colorful chapters and 274+ common Mexican Spanish words for any child to... Show more

Here are some words picked by Alex: pastel - cake asado - roast carne de res - beef Learn more words about cooking! Click here and learn more with Alex! P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Spanish with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Spanish is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day. Why? Because learning a little every day is easy, strengthens your habits and motivation and you improve your Spanish over time. Lessons range from culture and holidays to grammar, slang, phrases and more. Find it in the Spanish Resources menu or in the Quick Links menu on your Dashboard. Click here to check out the Daily Dose of Spanish Calendar.

Another important natural resource found in Mexico’s territory is shale gas, in Spanish gas de lutita, made accessible through hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling technologies. One of the main basins of this resource is in the state of Veracruz, in a place called Tampico-Misantla, with a potential of 681 billion cubic feet of natural gas. El gas de lutita es un recurso natural no renovable (Shale gas is a nonrenewable natural resource). P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Spanish with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Spanish is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day. Why? Because learning a little every day is easy, strengthens your habits and motivation and you improve your Spanish over time. Lessons... Show more

PEMEX: PEMEX PEMEX is the largest Mexican company and biggest taxpayer in the country, and is also one of the biggest industries in Latin America. According to National data, the company’s business alone makes up 10% of the gross domestic product and represents over 30% of the federal income in Mexico. PEMEX is one of the few petroleum industries around the world that is involved in the petroleum process from start to finish. Just like big oil companies in the rest of the world, this Mexican company has recently invested heavily in deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Here is an example of PEMEX being used in a sentence: PEMEX es una empresa muy conocida en México. (PEMEX is a well known company in Mexico.) Want to learn... Show more

curanderos: healers Healers, or Shamans are called in Spanish curanderos or brujos. People think they can cross over to and manipulate the spiritual world, either for good or for evil. It is believed that diseases are caused by a disequilibrium, and that in order to heal them, shamans have to enter into a trance in order to travel to the spiritual world. Here's an example of it used in a sentence: El curandero compró hierbas en el mercado. (The healer purchased herbs in the market.) Want to learn more about Mexican culture? Click here and start learning! P.S. Get Your Daily Dose of Spanish with 1-Minute Mini-Lessons The Daily Dose of Spanish is a Calendar that gives you new, 1-minute lessons every day. Why? Because... Show more

metro: subway The subway that runs under the Mexican capital, Mexico City, has twelve lines that span from one side of the city to the other. This train system has been well-crafted in terms of engineering and design. Many cultural sights can be found at each connecting station, including things such as works of art, or arte, museums, or museos and photographic exhibits, or "exposiciones fotográficas". Even if you don't have the time to stop and explore the station, you will at least be able to enjoy these sights in passing. Here is an example of "metro" being used in a sentence: Ella toma el metro cada mañana. (She takes the subway every morning.) Want to learn more? Click here and learn about getting around using Mexican... Show more

Speaking is usually the #1 weakness for all Spanish learners. This is a common issue among language learners everywhere. The reason for this is obvious: When language learners first start learning a language, they usually start with reading. They read online articles, books, information on apps and so on. If they take a class, they spend 20% of their time repeating words, and 80% of the time reading the textbook, doing homework or just listening to a teacher. So, if you spend most of your time reading instead of speaking, you might get better at reading but your speaking skills never grow. You get better at what you focus on. So if you want to improve you speaking skills, you need to spend more of your study time on speaking. Here are... Show more

UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) The National Autonomous University of Mexico, known as UNAM, located in Mexico City is the largest university in both Mexico and in all of Latin America, and is among the most prestigious schools in the Spanish-speaking world. Among its alumni are three Nobel Prize laureates—Alfonso Garcia Robles, Octavio Paz, and Mario Molina. Here is an example of it used in a sentence: Universidad más grande de América Latina, la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México fue fundada en 1910. (Latin America's biggest university, the National Autonomous University of Mexico was founded in 1910.) Want to learn more about Mexican culture? Click here and learn about the education system! P.S.... Show more