Are you wondering how many Spanish speaking countries there are? Perhaps you have learned a little bit of Spanish in school, and are wondering where this could prove useful. Or maybe you love the culture and want to explore it further. There are 20 Spanish-speaking countries. This includes countries where Spanish is either the official…
If the Netherlands is in your travel plans, here’s how to say hello in Dutch. Plus a whole set of greetings to add to your vocabulary before you go. I’ll also discuss how to respond to these greetings, as well as proper etiquette. My parents emigrated from the Netherlands in the early 1980s, and most…
Curious how to say “I love you” in Spanish? Here are 12 expressions to share how you feel, without embarrassing yourself. You’ll learn differences between expressions so you can express yourself accurately. Perhaps you have a love of traveling. Or maybe you want to converse with someone from a Spanish background. You might just have…
Planning a trip and not sure how to order food in Spanish? In this post and video, you’ll learn the basics of ordering food in Spanish. Prefer a printed list? Jump to the end of the post for 11 Spanish phrases to use at a restaurant. How to Order Food in Spanish Ordering food at…
Confused about how to pronounce the letters B and V in Spanish? In this post, you’ll learn the difference and how to pronounce each one. How to Pronounce the Letters B & V in Spanish Correctly Pronounce the Letters B and V in Spanish In Spanish, the letters “b” and “v” can be confusing to us native…
When do I use the Spanish tú or usted? This a very common question that comes up among expats learning Spanish. What Does Tú and Usted Mean in English? Both tú and usted are Spanish for the word: you. Unlike in English, the word “you” in Spanish comes in two varieties: tú (informal) and usted (formal). And while the rules might…
What is the best book to learn Spanish? Choosing the best book can help accelerate your learning process. In this post, you’ll read about 11 books for learning Spanish – and which one is our reader’s top choice in 2021. But first, a little about our methodology. How We Choose the Best Book To Learn…
If you’re learning Spanish, you’ve probably heard of Madrigal’s Magic Key To Spanish. It’s our reader’s favorite Spanish learning book. We’ve seen 600+ purchases just from mentioning this book in an overview post. The week we arrived in Ecuador, someone loaned us their copy because they said it was the best book to get us started. It’s the book…
How’s your Spanish? No doubt you have heard about the Pimsleur Spanish course. In this post, I’ll review the Pimsleur Spanish course. The Pimsleur Method (developed by Dr. Paul Pimsleur) is popular among travelers, expats, and business people – and is my favorite way to learn Spanish. When we first moved to Ecuador I was really…
Chances are if you are living or traveling in a Spanish speaking country you will use Google Translate at some point. Google Translate can be a help but it can also mess you up. Google Translate = Embarrassing Situation When we moved to Ecuador I used Google Translate (I didn’t know any Spanish) to prepare…