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Every country has a story behind its independence, and many have a figure whom they credit with their victory. In fact, Mexican Independence Day is really more about the country’s national hero, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, than its actual independence!  In this article, you’ll learn more Mexican Independence Day facts, delve into the country’s history, and explore the most popular traditions.  Let’s get started. 1. What is Mexican Independence Day? Each year on September 16, Mexicans celebrate their country’s Día de la Independencia ("Independence Day"). The most important holiday in the country, Mexican Independence Day marks the date in 1810 when Mexico took its first major step toward gaining independence from... Show more

Why learn Spanish verbs? Why are they important? Language would pretty much not exist without verbs. We would still be able to talk, of course, and understand one another. But think of how you would need to describe something that you would normally express with a verb. For example, if you wanted to tell someone they need to run. Using verbs, this is something that we can express by just saying "Run!" Take a moment to think of how you would say that with no verbs at all. It won’t take you very long: surely you’ll easily find another way of saying the exact same thing, but it might sound silly and you would probably use a few more words. This is one of the many reasons we need verbs. Sadly, as you might already know, Spanish verbs... Show more

Pronouns are essential in any language. All languages have pronouns, in some way or another, though some might not have as many as others. We use pronouns all the time, so not understanding them would mean missing a big part of the conversation.  They simplify the language and make it possible for us not to repeat ourselves all the time. Sentences would be so much longer if we didn't use pronouns or some other way of indicating what you're talking about without constant repetition. There are many different kinds of Spanish pronouns, including indirect and direct object pronouns in Spanish, and we're going to take a look at all of them. If you don’t feel like reading the entire article, you can always look at our list of the Most Useful... Show more

Do you remember the moment you fell in love with languages? Do you desire to learn or advance in Spanish quickly and effectively? Then you need a Spanish tutor. A common question that first-time language-learners ask is "Where do I begin?" The answer? Guidance. For native English-speakers who want to learn Asian languages, for example, timelines provided by the U.S. Foreign Service Institute can appear discouraging. However, defeating these odds is not unheard of. If you want to beat the odds yourself, one of the best learning options is a subscription to Premium PLUS from Innovative Language. As an active Premium PLUS member of JapanesePod101.com and KoreanClass101.com myself, I have an enjoyable experience learning at an accelerated... Show more

We might not always like to admit this when we’re starting to learn a language, but the truth is that one can’t speak properly without knowing how to put sentences together. If you use the wrong word order, there’s a chance that what you’re saying might have a different meaning than what you intended, or it might have no meaning at all. To avoid this, here’s the perfect article for you to learn Spanish sentence structure. You’ll soon learn that Spanish word order is actually not so hard, and that, in some ways, it’s similar to word order in English. You’ll also learn that, in fact, it’s more flexible! That means you can change the order of words a little bit more than you can in English. Table of Contents Overview of Word... Show more

How do you say “time” in Spanish? And how do you say "What time is it?" in Spanish?  Did you know that to tell the time you should never use the literal translation, tiempo?  That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though. We’ll answer this and other questions more in-depth in this blog post! Learn everything about how to say the time in Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Learning about telling time in Spanish, along with how to introduce yourself in Spanish, is significantly important if you want to improve your conversation skills.  Even in your native language, knowing the right way of telling the time can help you avoid misunderstandings. Well, time is so crucial in Spanish culture that learning how to tell time is as important as... Show more

Do you enjoy traveling? We do! And we know that even though it’s possible to travel to most places speaking only English, we love the feeling of being able to understand the locals, even if it’s only a few words. There’s some vocabulary that’s especially useful in these cases, such as "left" in Spanish or the four basic map directions. Asking for directions is one of the basic bits of knowledge that you most definitely need every time you travel. Even with Google Maps, you'll probably end up needing a little bit of help at some point during your trip. No battery, no data, or maybe just a complicated place to get to! In any case, it’s better to be safe. Often, when you learn directions in Spanish (or other languages), you learn how to... Show more

It’s amazing how a person can permeate a country’s culture at one point in time, and have their influence carried over through the years. While Spain certainly has a number of important historical figures, St. James is arguably one of the most popular. So much so that he has his own feast day each year, which we’ll talk about in this article. Let’s get started. 1. What is Día de Santiago? On Día de Santiago, or St. James Day, Spain celebrates its patron saint. Saint James is credited with bringing Christianity to the country around the time of the Moorish occupation. However, upon returning to Israel, he was killed and his remains were sent back to Spain, near Galicia. From there, St. James’s remains were taken... Show more

Did you know that every noun in Spanish has a gender? Once you learn the words on our Spanish nouns list, and study up on Spanish nouns gender rules, you’ll be able to recognize them and speed up your learning. For even more words, you can check out the Spanish core 100-word list at SpanishPod101! Table of Contents What is a Noun in Spanish? Noun-Adjective Agreement in Spanish Essential Spanish Nouns to Know: Common Spanish Nouns List Conclusion 1. What is a Noun in Spanish? Nouns name or identify a person, animal, place, thing, or idea. Spanish nouns can be singular or plural, but the most important thing you need to know if you’re a Spanish learner is that nouns are always gendered. Let’s dig a little deeper... Show more

What are your favorite things about summer? For me, I think it’s the food and the sunshine! I could do without all the bugs, though… In Spain, two of the highlights of summer are the Midsummer festival and the St. John’s Eve holiday. Spain is alight during this time, celebrating the longest day (Midsummer) and shortest night (St. John’s Eve) of the year. In this article, you’ll learn about traditions for St. John’s Eve and Midsummer in Spanish culture. There’s so much going on that it would be difficult to cover everything, but we’ll do our best. ;) Let’s get started! 1. An Overview of St. John’s Eve & Spanish Midsummer St. John’s Eve is a popular holiday in the Spanish-speaking world, particularly near the... Show more