SpanishPod101.com Blog

During La Tomatina, Spain’s citizens throw tomatoes at each other. This Tomato Fight in Spain takes place every year, and has a rather fascinating origin story. In this article, you’ll learn several La Tomatina facts to increase your cultural knowledge. And maybe you can convince your country to start a tomato-throwing festival… ;) At SpanishPod101.com, we hope to make this learning journey both fun and informative. So let’s get started! 1. What is La Tomatina? As for the La Tomatina history, the Tomatina Festival began in 1945, when a parade for another festivity called the "Feast of Giants and Big-Heads," refused to allow certain young people to take part in it. This led to a fight between the young people and the parade... Show more

Every culture has its own body gestures and language, but sometimes we don’t even realize we do them until someone points it out. People say you’re not completely fluent in a language until you master idioms, sayings, and gestures, even if they’re not necessary to speak well. We agree that knowing body gestures to improve your Spanish is essential… But there’s a problem: body gestures in Spanish lessons are so hard to come by! When it comes to some gestures, there’s nothing to worry about, since they’re understood worldwide, such as waving to say hello or goodbye. But then there are others that might leave you a little bit confused. Do you feel like you don’t understand body language in Spanish, or gestures in European countries in... Show more

National Grandparents Day in Mexico, thought to have been derived from the holiday of the same name in the United States, is a day set aside to honor grandparents. In a society where it’s common for Mexican grandparents to live in the same house as their family, it’s no wonder that this holiday would be adapted. In this article, you’ll learn all about Mexican Grandparents Day. This, in turn, will lend you greater cultural understanding—a vital step in mastering any language. At SpanishPod101.com, we hope to make this learning journey both fun and informative! 1. What is Grandparents Day in Mexico? Each year, Mexicans set aside a special day just to honor their grandparents. This tradition is actually based on Grandparents Day... Show more

Hla! Cmo stas? Spro bn. Vasir a lo de Carla? GPI btw,... cmo 100pre! What’s that? Ever encountered something similar while texting with a Spanish native speaker, hanging around on Spanish forums, following social media accounts in Spanish, or watching YouTube videos in what’s arguably the most popular romance language? Well, that’s Spanish internet slang, language, or whatever you want to call it… Spanish text abbreviations is another name! You might have noticed that most of it is just using the consonants of the words, or abbreviating the phrase. Were you able to catch the meaning of the above phrase? Here’s a translation to good ol’ English: “Hi! How are you? Hope you’re doing ok. Are you going to Carla’s later? Thanks for... Show more

Have you ever thought about untranslatable Spanish words? What about words like this in your native language? Every language has plenty of words that can't be translated into English; there are even some words that just can't be translated into any other language. Maybe there aren’t that many Spanish words that are untranslatable, as most of them can probably be translated into other languages, but we definitely have plenty of Spanish words with no English equivalent. That's actually ironic, because English has a lot more words than Spanish. What do we mean when we say "a lot”? Well, thousands! The official dictionaries of each language list 150,000 words in Spanish and 600,000 words in English. However, it's true that many of... Show more

Each year, the Spanish celebrate La Fiesta de San Fermin (or the "San Fermin Festival"). Known in particular for its Running of the Bulls tradition, the Fiesta de San Fermin is one of the most iconic Spanish holidays! Learn some fascinating Running of the Bulls facts, including which American writer helped popularize it, with SpanishPod101.com! In learning about this fun, traditional Spanish holiday, you’re allowing yourself to see more layers of Spanish culture. And as successful Spanish learner can tell you, knowing a country’s culture is vital in mastering its language! Let’s get with it, and start learning about the San Fermin Spain is so famous for. 1. What is San Fermin? To start, where is the Running of the Bulls... Show more

Quite honestly, introducing yourself in Spanish while in the vast majority of Spanish-speaking cultures, is quite the same as introductions in English-speaking ones. That is, you start with a greeting (“Hi!”), you state your name (“I’m XXX”), you say a few cordial words (“Nice to meet you!”), and then you go back and forth with the other person making the usual chit-chat about where you come from, what you do, why you’re at that particular place at that particular time, etc. Of course, as in English, this can vary a lot depending on whether you’re meeting someone your own age, someone older, someone younger, someone you work with, or someone you’re related to, so we’ll try to cover every one of those. That way you’ll be prepared to... Show more

Corpus Christi is one of the most significant holidays in Spanish culture for Christians. In fact, there’s a popular saying: "There are three Thursdays during the year that shine brighter than the Sun—Holy Thursday, Corpus Christi, and the Ascension Day." By learning about Corpus Christi traditions and its links to the Eucharist and The Last Supper, you’re gaining insight into a good chunk of Spanish culture. The Corpus Christi holiday is just one example of the strong religious nature of the country and its people, leaving room for you to continue delving into the unique facets that Spanish holidays host. At SpanishPod101.com, we hope to make this learning adventure both fun and informative! 1. What is Corpus Christi? On... Show more

Even before The Three Amigos took the world of cinema by storm, Mexican cinema was already a world-famous oddity. We say “oddity” because it’s remarkable that such a small film industry can produce the number of good films and filmmakers it does. From the times of Luis Buñuel to Alejandro G. Iñarritu making heated speeches after winning Best Director at the Oscars, Mexican cinema has nearly always been a fruitful thing. Consider, as well, that time when Guillermo del Toro won Best Director at the 2018 Golden Globes. A Chinese reporter asked him why it is that he has such an “extraordinary ability to look into the shadow side of human nature” while finding a balance in still being a joyful and loving person. Guillermo’s answer? “I’m... Show more

¡Feliz Dia de la Madre! Mother's Day, or Dia de la Madre, is a deeply significant holiday in Spain. Take, for instance, the following information: A study was done in 2012 about the role of European mothers. The psychologist responsible for the Spanish case said that "the Spanish mother has become the administrator of the household and is the fundamental pillar of the family structure." A surprising fact was learning that they dedicate only thirty-nine minutes to themselves, versus fifty minutes for the rest of European mothers. The study also showed that fifty-three percent consider the hug to be the best demonstration of gratitude, even ahead of helping with the household chores. What better day than this celebration for... Show more