SpanishPod101.com Blog

When I first began living here in Xalapa, Mexico, I strolled over to the nearest verdulería (a fruit and vegetable store) to buy some mangos. I remember seeing only vegetables and asking the shopkeeper, “¿No tienes mangos?” (You don't have mangos?) He replied, “No seño, pero pasa usted mañana y habrá más fruta.” (“No ma'am, but come by tomorrow, and there´ll be more fruit.”) That’s when I realized that I’d made an embarrassing mistake. I should have said, “Usted no tiene mangos?” There was no going back now. I’d lost my grammatical footing and was unsure of how to save face. Once the mistake was made, once I used tú, it would be awkward to suddenly switch to usted (formal - you). That could be interpreted as putting up a barrier after... Show more

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.

Hello Listener, Every Spanish learner will feel these at some point: “I’m not good enough yet.” “I don’t think I’m making any progress.” Spanish learning fears – we all get them from time to time. What are yours? And are they worth being scared of this Halloween season? But, before we get into the top 4 learning fears, our Monster-Sized Sale starts now! ‘Til Halloween, get 28% OFF the most effective Spanish course and start learning Spanish! Unlock over 220 hours of audio and video lessons, Premium study tools, apps and more! Basic is as low as $2.88/month and Premium is as low as $7.20/month. Monster-Sized Sale Starts Now! Click Here to Get 28% OFF! So, below are the top 4 Spanish learning fears according to our listeners. ... Show more

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

oficina de correos: post office Here are some words picked by Alex: paquete: parcel buzón: mailbox dirección: address Learn more words about post office! 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.

Hey Listeners! Did you know that all of our lessons, lesson notes, progress tracking and premium tools are available on your smartphone or mobile device? Well, they are! With our Innovative Language 101 App, you can study Spanish on-the-go wherever you want! Getting on the fast-track to learning Spanish is THAT simple! Want to switch from the app to your computer and continue where you left off? You can! Our system is fully integrated! Download the App for FREE to your Android, iPhone, iPad or Kindle Fire Click here to download the App for FREE & learn Spanish on the go! What's Inside The Innovative Language Learning 101 App: New Users – Try It Free: Start your 7-Day Free Trial! 7-Day Free Premium Trial for new... 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