You know that frustrating feeling when you know the words in Spanish… but when it’s time to speak, your brain freezes?

Or maybe you say you speak Spanish but can’t actually form a full sentence on your own? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. The good news? The fix is simple.
You just need to practice the right way.

In this article, we’ll go through five powerful daily habits that will help you sneak Spanish into your everyday life and finally get fluent faster than you ever imagined.

But here’s the deal: you’ve got to put in the work.
Are you up for it?

Before We Begin: The Secret Ingredient — Consistency

The truth is, even the best methods in the world won’t work without consistency.
It’s way more effective to study a little bit every day than to cram two hours once a week. Your brain learns through repetition, not marathon study sessions.

So, the first thing you need to do?

• Change your mindset.
• Commit to small, steady progress.

The easiest way to stay consistent is to connect Spanish with things you already enjoy.

That’s where our first method comes in.

1. Shadow What You Love

Do you love music, podcasts, or telenovelas? Then you’re already halfway there.

The trick is to turn your favorite content into an active learning experience. Here’s how: Play → Listen → Pause → Repeat.

This is called shadowing, and it’s one of the most effective ways to improve your pronunciation, rhythm, and memory.

It gets your mouth used to speaking Spanish, not just understanding it.

Try this right now:

Voy a construir hábitos nuevos que me ayuden a aprender español de manera más fluida.

(I’m going to build new habits that help me learn Spanish more fluently.)

See? That’s shadowing in action.

Now that you’re speaking, let’s take it a step further.

2. Speak Out Loud (Even to Yourself)

If you want to be fluent, you need to talk every single day.
Ten minutes is all it takes.

Sure, you can go to language meetups or talk to a friend. But real improvement happens when you get feedback, corrections, and guidance, not just small talk.

That’s why having a coach changes everything. A coach corrects your mistakes, keeps you accountable, and helps you progress faster.

If you’re serious about this, check out our Spanish Accelerator Program it’s not just a coach; it’s a full team helping you master Spanish step by step.
(You can DM us “Program” on Instagram to see if you qualify. We only accept a few new students per month!)

But if you don’t have a coach yet, don’t worry. There’s one person you can always talk to: yourself.

Yep. Talk to yourself out loud!
Here’s how to do it depending on your level:

• Beginner (Fácil): Read something out loud.
• Intermediate (Intermedio): Narrate your day.

Estoy desayunando. Primero me bebo una taza de chocolate caliente. Me encanta el chocolate.
(I’m having breakfast. First, I drink a cup of hot chocolate. I love chocolate.)

• Advanced (Difícil): Pick a topic you like and explain it in Spanish.

La historia de los rompecabezas comienza en el siglo dieciocho...

Pro tip: Record yourself and listen back. You’ll spot mistakes, track your improvement, and build confidence.

3. Create Spanish Habits

This one’s the real key to fluency: make Spanish part of your daily routine.

Studying once a week won’t cut it. Instead, create small habits that fit naturally into your life; even 10–15 minutes a day is enough.

Here are some ideas for what we call the “Spanish-it-up Zone”:

• Turn on Spanish subtitles instead of English ones.
• Watch a Spanish series (and dare to turn off the subs).
• Change your phone language to Spanish.
• Follow Spanish influencers on social media.
• Read Spanish news headlines or recipes.
• Re-read a book you love, but in Spanish.

Basically, whatever content you consume daily, Spanish it up!

By surrounding yourself with the language, it becomes familiar and natural.

Just remember: Don’t just consume, pay attention. Active learning is the difference between “hearing” and “understanding.”

4. Keep a Spanish Journal

Writing isn’t just about spelling or grammar. It’s one of the most underrated tools for fluency.

When you write, your brain slows down and organizes your thoughts in Spanish. It helps you think clearly and express yourself naturally.

Write about your day, your goals, or even what you learned that morning. It doesn’t have to be long; 5 minutes is enough.

And don’t overthink mistakes! The goal is active practice, not perfection.

In our Accelerator Program, we also guide students through short writing exercises and provide feedback because writing and speaking complement each other perfectly.

Try this challenge:

Write something every day for one month. Then look back and see how much more naturally Spanish flows from your mind.

You’ll never underestimate the power of writing again.

5. Stack Your Habits

Now that you’ve built your Spanish habits, it’s time to combine them for even more power.

This is called habit stacking, and it’s how you create unstoppable momentum.

For example:

• Drink your morning coffee (habit 1)
• While reading Spanish news (habit 2)
• And listening to the audio version (habit 3)

Or…

• Watch Spanish shows while eating.
• Listen to Spanish podcasts while cleaning.
• Play Spanish music while traveling.

The idea is to make Spanish flow naturally throughout your day.
Fluency doesn’t come from perfection; it comes from intentional, consistent use.
Every. Single. Day.

Conclusion

Stop relying on apps or waiting for motivation. Start creating real habits that push you to use Spanish daily.

Remember, you don’t get fluent by being perfect. You get fluent by showing up.

So… close that game on your phone and start doing the real work. And if you’re ready to test your listening skills, check out this video:
5 Minutes of Real Spanish: Can You Catch Every Word?

¡Vamos! Your journey to fluency starts today. 

If you’re serious about learning Spanish in 2025, you need a plan that actually works.

After helping countless students face the same struggles, I’ve gathered the best methods to fast-track your progress without wasting time on things that don’t move the needle.

Here’s exactly what I’d do if I were starting from scratch this year. Stick around until the end because the last tip is a total game-changer.

1. Set Clear Goals (Seriously)

Learning Spanish without a goal is like traveling without a map, you’ll wander aimlessly and waste energy.

Set small, achievable goals for your daily, weekly, and monthly learning. For example:

• “Learn 5 new phrases a day.”
• “Watch one movie in Spanish per week.”
• “Have my first 10-minute conversation in Spanish by March.”

Write them down in a planner and celebrate milestones. Progress feels real when you can see it.

2. Learn 5 New Words (or Phrases) a Day

Five words a day might sound small, but that’s 150 new words every month — and nearly 2,000 in a year. 

Use tools like Anki or a simple notebook to make flashcards. But here’s the key: don’t just memorize words — use them.

Create short sentences with each word and practice writing or speaking them aloud. Active recall beats passive reading every time.

3. Turn Movie Nights into Lessons

Watching films in Spanish (with Spanish subtitles) is one of the most fun ways to improve listening skills and learn natural expressions.

Start with movies you already know in English — Disney movies are perfect because they’re clear and easy to follow.

Here’s the trick: after watching, summarize the movie in Spanish. Just a few sentences! It’ll help cement new vocabulary and improve your fluency. Aim for one movie a week.

4. Learn Grammar (But Don’t Get Lost in It)

Grammar matters, but don’t drown in it.

Focus on mastering three grammar points per week and immediately use them in your speaking or writing. You’ll remember rules better when you apply them right away.

If you don’t have a grammar book, download our Spanish Study Guide, which introduces grammar progressively from beginner to advanced levels. I’d personally review grammar every Tuesday, keeping it short but consistent.

5. Watch Spanish YouTubers

Replace some of your screen time with Spanish YouTube videos. Watch while you eat or commute, it’s effortless exposure to different accents and slang.

YouTubers speak naturally, using the kind of everyday Spanish you don’t get from textbooks. Try mimicking what they say. Pause and repeat sentences out loud.

It’s one of the fastest ways to improve pronunciation and sound authentic.

6. Listen to Spanish Podcasts

Podcasts are perfect for multitasking. Listen while cooking, cleaning, or commuting.

Apps like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts have tons of great Spanish shows for learners.

But don’t just listen passively: after each episode, try to say or write two sentences about what you heard. This strengthens memory and boosts speaking confidence.

(Bonus: change your phone language to Spanish. You’ll pick up everyday vocabulary without even realizing it!)

7. Start Speaking From Day One

You can’t become fluent by just reading or listening. You have to speak.
Even if you’re shy, practice in a safe environment. A great starting point? ChatGPT.

Ask it to chat with you in Spanish and correct your sentences. It’s not perfect, but it helps you respond faster and lose the fear of speaking.
Eventually, you’ll want real human interaction. That’s where a coach or language partner comes in.

At My Daily Spanish, our coaches guide you in weekly one-on-one sessions that feel like chatting with a friend but with structured feedback that accelerates your fluency.

8. Learn With Music 

Music is a powerful memory tool.

Choose one Spanish song each month and follow this plan:

1. Listen three times while reading the lyrics.
2. Try to translate the lyrics yourself.
3. Look up the real translation.
4. Highlight new vocabulary.
5. Sing along while reading the lyrics.
6. Memorize it gradually.

You’ll improve pronunciation, rhythm, and vocabulary — without it ever feeling like study time.

9. Immerse Yourself in Spanish

Immersion doesn’t always mean hopping on a plane (though that helps!).

If possible, spend time in a Spanish-speaking country and connect with locals not just for tourism, but for real interactions.

If that’s not possible, create immersion at home. Find a language partner online or join a program like ours, where you get weekly guided conversations with a professional coach.

It’s like living in Spain or Mexico but from your living room.

10. Keep a Daily Journal in Spanish

This one’s a game-changer. 

Spend just 5–10 minutes a day writing about your day, your thoughts, or what you learned.

Writing helps you build sentences naturally, strengthens vocabulary, and reveals grammar gaps you might not notice when speaking.

You’ll be surprised at how much progress you’ll see after just a few weeks.

Conclusion

Organize your time, stay consistent, and apply these 10 methods. You’ll be amazed by how much your Spanish improves by the end of 2025.

Even if your schedule feels busy, these tips only take a few minutes each day. It’s all about creating small, consistent habits.

And if you want to take it one step further, check out our Spanish vlogs, they’re perfect to watch during dinner and practice real, natural Spanish.

Have you ever wondered why a table is feminine and a book is masculine in Spanish? Today I’ll explain when we use the articles EL and LA, I’ll show you which words are masculine and which are feminine. Welcome to the world of grammatical genders in Spanish! You’ll be surprised to learn the gender of some things. And I have prepared a quiz for you to practice at the end, don’t miss it.

Let's start with the basics.

In Spanish, every noun has a gender, either masculine or feminine. And you need to know the gender because the adjectives and articles that accompany a noun have to match with it. “El” is the article for masculine nouns and “La” is the article for feminine nouns. 

Generally, if a word ends in 'o', it’s masculine, like 'el libro' (the book), and if it ends in 'a', it’s feminine, like 'la mesa' (the table). For nouns that refer to persons or animals that really have a gender, they have both versions. 

La abuela (Grandma)

El abuelo (Grandpa)

El gato (Male cat)

La gata (Female cat)

But it’s not always like this for the rest of nouns. Pay attention to this list of endings for each gender.

In general, nouns that end with these terminations are masculine and use “el”. 

-o: we already saw this one. El perro (The dog)-aje: El equipaje (The luggage)

-ar -or: El lugar (The place) El ordenador (The computer)

-án -én -ín -ón -ún (with accent): El capitán (The captain) El Edén (The Eden) El cojín (The cushion) El camión (The truck) El atún (The tuna)

-és: El interés (The interest)

-ate -ete -ote: El combate (The combat) El juguete (The toy) El bigote (The moustache)

-ama -ema: El programa (The program) El problema (The problem)

And nouns that end in these are feminine and use “la”.

-a: the legendary 

-a. La cama (The bed)

-ción -sión: La canción (The song) La ilusión (The illusion)

-dad -tad: La ciudad (The city) La libertad (The freedom)

-ez -eza: La vejez (The oldness) La pereza (The laziness)

-ed: La sed (The thirst)

-tud: La actitud (The attitude)

But what about words that don’t follow these endings? Let’s see some of the exceptions that might confuse you. And keep reading cause coming up next I’ll tell you something very important...

But first, if you are struggling a little with Spanish grammar, I recommend you download our Free Study Guide, in which we guide you step by step while you learn Spanish on your own. 

Okay, there are some words, usually words that come from Greek, that end in -o and are feminine or that end in -a and are masculine. In the name of Spanish, I am so sorry about this. Here are some examples:

El día (The day)

El mapa (The map)

El planeta (The planet)

El poema (The poem)

La foto (The photograph)

La mano (The hand)

La radio (The radio)

La moto (The motorcycle)

These irregularities show why memorization isn’t enough. Spaniards learn the genders just by listening to Spanish when they grow up. If you listen to a lot of Spanish and read a lot it will become natural for you too. I have some vlogs speaking slow Spanish that would be a great listening practice.

LEARN SPANISH with this VLOG

SPANISH VLOG with subtitles: A Unique Spanish Tradition

I ate nothing but less than 1€ food in Spain for 24 hours

Ok so now let’s learn how changing 'el' to 'la' with some words can change the whole meaning of them. 

There are not many words that do this, but it’s important that you know. Don’t forget to stay with me till the quiz at the end.

El cura - La cura (The priest - The cure) So for example we have “el cura”, which means “the priest” and “la cura”, which means “the cure”.

El cometa - La cometa (The comet - The kite)

El capital - La capital (The money - The capital)

El coma - La coma (The coma - The comma)

El corte - La corte (The cut - The court)

El final - La final (The end - The championship game in a tournament)

El mañana - La mañana (The future - The morning)

And one thing, EL and LA are the singular articles. Do you know which are the plural ones? It’s LOS and LAS.

El beso - Los besos (The kiss - the kisses)

La flor - Las flores (The flower - The flowers)

And remember that adjectives have to match the gender and number of the noun too. 

La casa bonita (The beautiful house)

El jardín bonito (The beautiful garden)

Las casas bonitas (The beautiful houses)

Los jardines bonitos (The beautiful gardens)

Before the quiz, just one more thing that you will love. If a feminine noun starts with an a- that has the stress of the word, the strong vowel, in singular we use “el” instead of “la” so it sounds better. That’s what happens with “El agua” (The water). It is feminine but we use “el” so it sounds better. “La agua”, 2 As in a row, doesn’t sound good. But in plural we say “las aguas” because we have an S in the middle. The same with “El águila”. El águila - Las águilas (The eagle - The eagles)

Now that you’re mastering genders, are you ready to put your knowledge to the test? Let’s do a quick quiz to review what we’ve learned today.

EL or LA? I say the noun, you say the article. 

1.      mesa (The table)

2.      sol (The sun)

3. __ doctor (The doctor)

4. __ chupete (The pacifier)

5. __ presión (The pressure)

6. __ mapa (The map)

7. __ foto (The photography)

8. __ timidez (The shyness)

9. __ oro  (The gold)

How many did you get right? Leave it in the comments.

Conclusion

Now you know when to use el or la, but do you know exactly when to use tú or usted? Foreigners usually address me using “usted” but I feel very uncomfortable when they do because I feel very old and strange. So I went to the streets of Spain to interview Spanish people to show you how the Spaniards use tú and usted. Don’t miss it out!

Are you planning to travel to a Spanish speaking country soon? Knowing how to navigate the airport in Spanish is essential. Today on ‘My Daily Spanish,’ I’ll teach you 20 crucial Spanish phrases that will make your experience smoother and less stressful.

And you know what? By the end of this article, you will feel more confident and comfortable at the airport. Make sure to watch the video below until the end because I’ve got a special phrase that could save you!

Let’s start with the basics, before you get to the airport. How would you ask “How can I get to the airport?”

1. ¿Cómo puedo llegar al aeropuerto? (How can I get to the airport?)
   Maybe you need to specify the terminal you are going to.
2. Voy a la terminal 3 (I’m going to terminal 3)
   Ok, so you got to the airport, and you need to find the Ryanair counters. You can ask:
3. ¿Dónde están los mostradores de la aerolínea Ryanair? (Where are the Ryanair airline counters?)
   If you have any disability and need help, as soon as you get to the airport, say:
4. Necesito asistencia especial (I need special assistance)
   You got to the counters! Here are some sentences you need to know.
5. ¿Hasta cuántos kilos puede pesar mi maleta de mano? (How many kgs can my carry-on suitcase weigh?)
6. Voy a facturar una maleta (I’m going to check one bag)
7. ¿Qué bultos puedo llevar dentro del avión? (What packages can I carry on the plane?)
8. ¿A qué hora sale el vuelo a Barcelona? (What time does the flight to Barcelona leave?)
9. ¿A qué hora comienza el embarque? (What time does boarding begin?) As an extra, I’ll tell you that seat is “asiento”, window is “ventana” and aisle is “pasillo”, in case they let you choose your seat. Pay attention to these helpful sentences:
10. Mi vuelo se ha retrasado una hora (My flight has been delayed an hour)
11. Tengo que ir a la puerta de embarque A46 (“A cuarenta y seis”) (I have to go to boarding gate A46)
12. Voy a pasar el control de seguridad (I’m going to pass the security check) Now in the security check, these will be useful:
13. ¿Tengo que quitarme los zapatos? (Do I have to take off my shoes?)
14. ¿Puede darme una bolsa de plástico para los líquidos? (Can you give me a plastic bag for the liquids?) If everything went well, you are on your plane! And you don’t want to miss out on the essential phrases for dealing with baggage issues that we’ll cover shortly—But first, if your plane is going to arrive a little late, you might hear:
15. El vuelo va a aterrizar con 20 (veinte) minutos de retraso (The airplane is going to land 20 minutes late) And I hope not, but if your flight was a little animated, by cheerful wind,  you might say:
16. Ha sido un vuelo con muchas turbulencias (It was a flight with a lot of turbulence) I hope at least the flight attendants were kind;
17. Los azafatos han sido muy amables (The flight attendants were very kind) Lastly, let’s deal with baggage issues.
18. Quiero ir a recoger mi equipaje (I want to go pick up my luggage)
19. Han perdido mi maleta (They lost my luggage)
20. No tengo nada que declarar (I have nothing to declare)

Conclusion

Now you’re ready for your trip to the airport! 

If you found these phrases helpful, you’ll definitely want to check out our '30 Essential Spanish Phrases you need to know.' It’s packed with more useful expressions that will make traveling and everyday conversations in Spanish even easier. 

Welcome to the complete Spanish verb tenses guide! I will explain every single verb tense in 20 minutes. After reading this article or watching the video below, you will have a way better understanding of Spanish grammar. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner looking for a refresher, today’s lesson is made for you. 

To help you with this, I’ve created a free PDF with all the Spanish verb tenses. You can download it by clicking the download button below. I’ve also included some irregular verbs there to complete the explanation.

So let’s go! I’ll explain all the tenses first, and after that I’ll put examples of each tense for you to process the tenses better. And to finish, a quick recap that will make things very easy for you, so read or watch till the end.

In Spanish we have 3 types of verbs:

Verbs that end in -AR

Verbs that end in -ER

And verbs that end in -IR.

We also have 3 different moods:

Modo indicativo (Indicative mood)

Modo subjuntivo (Subjunctive mood)

Y Modo imperativo (Imperative mood)

El indicativo has 10 tenses, el subjuntivo has 6 tenses and el imperativo has just 1 tense.

Let’s learn them all! Starting with the non-finite verb forms, las formas no verbales.

Infinitivo (Infinitive): the verb ending in -AR, -ER or -IR. Today we’ll use CANTAR (To sing), COMER (To eat) and VIVIR (To live).

Gerundio (Gerund):
Cantando (Singing)
Comiendo (Eating)
Viviendo (Living)

Participio (Participle):
Cantado (Sung)
Comido (Eaten)
Vivido (Lived)

Infinitivo compuesto (Perfect infinitive): Haber + participle.
Haber cantado (To have sung)
Haber comido (To have eaten)
Haber vivido (To have lived)

Gerundio compuesto (Perfect gerund): Haber in gerund + participle.
Habiendo cantado (Having sung)
Habiendo comido (Having eaten)
Habiendo vivido (Having lived)

MODO INDICATIVO (Indicative mood)
We use the indicative mood to talk about anything factual, true events. It is the mood we use the most. We have 5 simple tenses and 5 perfect tenses.

Let’s start with the present. PRESENTE DE INDICATIVO 

If the verb is regular, the verbs of the same group (-ar, -er, -ir) will have the same endings. You have the endings of each tense in green so you can note them.

We use the present tense for facts, descriptions and things that you usually do. Like in English.

Carolina canta muy bien (Caroline sings very well)

Yo como macarrones todos los jueves (I eat macaroni every Thursday)

Nosotras vivimos en Sevilla (We live in Sevilla)

Each simple tense is related to a perfect tense. El presente is connected with…

Pretérito perfecto compuesto (Present perfect)

This tense is made with the verb HABER, which is irregular, in the present tense plus the participle of the verb you are conjugating. So you only need to learn this verb HABER. It means “there is, there are”, and it works like HAVE in English.

He
Has
Ha
Hemos
Habéis
Han

• Cantado / Comido / Vivido (have sung, have eaten, have lived)

We generally use the present perfect for actions related to the present or that have taken place immediately before the present moment.

He cantado una canción por la mañana (“I have sung a song this morning”)

Ana ha comido hoy en mi restaurante favorito (“Ana has eaten in my favorite restaurant today”)

Mis abuelos han vivido muy felices (My grandparents have lived very happily)

Now, how do you talk about actions that happened yesterday or even ten minutes ago? That’s where the past tenses come into play. Up next, we tackle the preterite and imperfect, and you’ll learn when to choose the right past tense every time.

Pretérito perfecto simple (Simple past)

We use it to talk about completed actions in the past, actions that took place in a specific time in the past.

María le cantó una canción preciosa a su novio (Maria sung a beautiful song to her boyfriend)

Ayer comí lentejas (Yesterday I ate lentil stew)

Mi abuelo vivió la guerra civil (My grandpa lived through the civil war)

The perfect tense related to the simple past is:

Pretérito Anterior (Former past)

This is formed with the verb HABER conjugated in pretérito perfecto simple + the participle of the verb you are conjugating.

Good news for you, we don’t really use pretérito anterior nowadays, just in literature. But here it is: 

Hube

Hubiste

Hubo

Hubimos

Hubisteis

Hubieron

+ Cantado / Comido / Vivido

The pretérito anterior expresses that a past action took place before another action in the past. But for that, we use another tense. Stay tuned!

Tan pronto como hubo cantado, se fue al hotel (As soon as he had sung, he went to the hotel)

Pretérito imperfecto (Past progressive)

We use the pretérito imperfecto to talk about an action that was ongoing or that was habitual in the past.

CANTAR	COMER	VIVIR
Cantaba (I sang)	Comía (I ate)	Vivía (I lived)
Cantabas (You sang)	Comías (You ate)	Vivías (You lived)
Cantaba (He sang)	Comía (He ate)	Vivía (He lived)
Cantábamos (We sang)	Comíamos (We ate)	Vivíamos (We lived)
Cantábais (You sang)	Comíais (You ate)	Vivíais (You lived)
Cantaban (They sang)	Comían (They ate)	Vivían (They lived)

Mi madre cantaba en el coro cuando iba a la escuela primaria (My mum used to sing in the choir when she was in primary school)

Nosotras comíamos mucho pescado cuando éramos pequeñas (We used to eat a lot of fish when we were little)

Tú vivías en Barcelona en aquella época (You lived in Barcelona at that time)

The perfect form derived from the pretérito imperfecto is the…

Pretérito Pluscuamperfecto (Past perfect)

We use it to talk about an action that took place before another action in the past.  We conjugate the verb HABER in pretérito imperfecto and add the participle. Like “had sung,” “had eaten…”

Había
Habías
Había-
Habíamos
Habíais
Habían
+ Cantado / Comido / Vivido

Nunca había cantado delante de tanta gente (I had never sung in front of so many people)

Ayer María se encontraba mal. Había comido demasiado antes de irse a dormir. (Yesterday María was feeling sick. She had eaten too much before going to sleep.)

Ellos ya habían vivido en Sevilla antes de mudarse aquí otra vez (They had already lived in Seville before moving here again)

Let’s draw the map of the past tenses:

So generally, if the present is now, presente, canto, things that happened in the immediate past and ended use pretérito perfecto compuesto, he cantado. Things that happened a little or long before that and had an end, use pretérito perfecto simple, canté. Things that happened before another thing in the past we are talking about, use pretérito pluscuamperfecto, había cantado. And things that we did for some time in the past or that didn’t have a clear end, use pretérito imperfecto, cantaba.

And what about the future plans? I bet you have some future plans, so let’s go with the

Futuro simple (Future)

We use it to talk about what we will do, an action in the future, or suppositions about an action in the present or future. 

Mañana cantaré a las 21:00 (Tomorrow I will sing at 9 pm)

El fin de semana comeremos paella (We’ll eat paella on the weekend)

- Nunca he vivido una pelea (I’ve never experienced a fight)

+ Ya la vivirás (You’ll experience it)

And from the future we build the perfect future:

Futuro compuesto (Perfect future)

We conjugate the verb HABER in the futuro simple.

Habré 

Habrás

Habrá

Habremos

Habréis

Habrán

+ Cantado / Comido / Vivido (Will have sung, will have eaten, will have lived)

With this tense we can make suppositions about a completed action, or tell an action that will have been completed by a certain time in the future. Will have + participle.

Pasado mañana ya habrás cantado en tu primer concierto (The day after tomorrow you will have sung in your first concert)

- ¿Qué le pasa a María? (What’s wrong with María?)

+ Habrá comido demasiado (She must have eaten too much)

Cuando seamos ancianos, habremos vivido una vida muy feliz (When we are old, we will have lived a very happy life) 

We also think of probabilities and hypothetical scenarios… What do we use for that? In English, the conditional is a different mood itself, but in Spanish, it is a tense inside the indicative mood.

Let’s check the…

Condicional simple (Conditional) 

We use the Condicional simple to talk about hypothetical situations, give advice and make requests. 

CANTAR	COMER	VIVIR
Cantaría (I would sing)	Comería (I would eat)	Viviría (I would live)
Cantarías (You would sing)	Comerías (You would eat)	Vivirías (You would live)
Cantaría (He would sing)	Comería (He would eat)	Viviría (He would live)
Cantaríamos (We would sing)	Comeríamos (We would eat)	Viviríamos (We would live)
Cantaríais (You would sing)	Comeríais (You would eat)	Vivirías (You would live)
Cantarían (They would sing)	Comerían (They would eat)	Vivirían (They would live)

Si yo fuera tú, cantaría todos los días (If I were you, I would sing everyday)

That “fuera” is a subjunctive tense… stay tuned.

¿Te comerías mi segundo plato? (Would you eat my second plate?) Yo viviría la vida de Taylor sin pensarlo dos veces (I would live Taylor's life without a second thought) And what do we make out of the simple conditional? The perfect conditional!

Condicional compuesto (Perfect conditional)

We build it by conjugating HABER to the conditional and adding the participle. Like in English; I would have…

Habría

Habrías

Habría

Habríamos

Habríais

Habrían

+ Cantado / Comido / Vivido (Would have sung, would have eaten, would have lived)

We use the perfect conditional to talk about what one "would have" done or what "would have" happened in a hypothetical situation.

Si lo pudiera hacer otra vez, habría cantado otra canción (If I could do it again, I would have sung a different song) Subjunctive with conditional.

Qué pena que no vinieras, habrías comido muy bien (So sad you didn't come, you would have eaten very well) Subjunctive with conditional.

Si Marina hubiera venido, habría vivido la mejor experiencia de su vida (If Marina had come, she would have had the best experience of her life) Subjunctive with conditional again.

If you’re a little lost in Spanish grammar, something that will help you A LOT is this Free Study Guide that you can download here. It will guide you step by step while you learn Spanish on your own. 

Now, the most hated mood by Spanish learners, all Spaniards also hate it when we study it at school, but you get used to these tenses pretty quickly when you hear them being used. And I’m going to give you good news in a little while.

Let’s dive into the subjunctive mood!

EL MODO SUBJUNTIVO 

We use it to give a subjective thought, and communicate things like wishes and doubts. Ojalá (I wish) is always accompanied with a subjunctive form. We also see “Si…” (If…) followed by subjunctive a lot, and subordinate clauses that start with “que” (that). Using the subjunctive well will make you advanced, so pay attention.

Presente de subjuntivo (Present subjunctive)

Mainly used to express wishes and doubts:

Quiero que me cantes una canción (I want you to sing a song for me)

No creo que Ana coma pollo hoy (I don’t think Ana will eat chicken today)

Ojalá vivamos muchos años juntos (I hope we could live many years together)

With the present we can form the…

Pretérito perfecto compuesto del subjuntivo (Present Perfect Subjunctive Tense)

We conjugate the verb HABER to present subjunctive. Remember it is irregular.

Haya

Hayas

Haya

Hayamos

Hayáis

Hayan

+ Cantado / Comido / Vivido (Sang, ate, lived) 

Llámame cuando hayas cantado (Call me when you have sung)

Espero que hayas comido bien (I hope you ate well)

Ojalá hayáis vivido una experiencia inolvidable (I hope you have had an unforgettable experience)

Pretérito imperfecto del subjuntivo (Imperfect Subjunctive Tense)

I really like this tense but I have something sad to tell you... There are two different forms for this tense, and both are always interchangeable. But they are very easy to remember!

Also used for thoughts and wishes… Here are some examples for you to see when we use it:

Si cantáramos a las 5, podríamos salir de fiesta esta noche (If we sang at 5, we could go out partying tonight)

Ojalá comiésemos tortilla de patatas hoy (I wish we could eat potato omelet today)

Me encantaría que los perros vivieran más años (I would love for dogs to live longer)

And the perfect tense that uses this pretérito imperfecto is…

Pretérito pluscuamperfecto del subjuntivo (Past perfect subjunctive tense)

If the imperfecto has two forms, the pluscuamperfecto also has two forms. We conjugate HABER to the pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo and add the participle.

Hubiera/Hubiese

Hubieras/Hubieses

Hubiera/Hubiese

Hubiéramos/Hubiésemos

Hubierais/Hubieseis

Hubieran/Hubiesen

+ Cantado / Comido / Vivido (Had sung, had eaten, had lived)

We use it to reflect on actions in the past that were followed by another. Most commonly, to wish something had or hadn’t happened or to give thoughts.

Si hubieras cantado más tarde, te habría podido escuchar (If you had sung later, I would have been able to hear you)

Ojalá no hubiéramos comido espinacas (I wish we hadn't eaten spinach)

Si hubiesen vivido más tiempo, habrían conocido a sus nietos (If they had lived longer, they would have met their grandchildren)

And now the good news…

Next is the future and future perfect of the subjunctive mood. But we don’t use them! Yayyy! I think those might be used only in court. A normal person like me never uses these tenses. Now it’s old Spanish. But in case you need it, here it is:

Futuro simple de subjuntivo (Future subjunctive tense) 

The only sentence I’ve heard with future subjunctive is a Spanish proverb that says: Adonde fueres, haz lo que vieres (Wherever you go, do what you see)

Aaaand the…

Futuro compuesto de subjuntivo (Future perfect subjunctive tense)

HABER in futuro simple de subjuntivo + participio. Never heard this tense in any conversation.

Hubiere

Hubieres

Hubiere

Hubiéremos

Hubiereis

Hubieren

+ Cantado / Comido / Vivido (Will have sung, will have eaten, will have lived)

Let’s cut the examples because you won’t use this tense. 

And now the last one, yay!

MODO IMPERATIVO, the imperative mood.

And this is just one tense! And just for the second person, you! Is this paradise?

Pronouns: 

Tú (You, singular informal)

Vosotros (You, plural informal)

Usted (You, singular formal)

Ustedes (You, plural formal)

CANTAR	COMER	VIVIR
Canta (Sing)	Come (Eat)	Vive (Live)
Cantad (Sing)	Comed (Eat)	Vivid (Live)
Cante (Sing)	Coma (Eat)	Viva (Live)
Canten (Sing)	Coman (Eat)	Vivan (Live)

Canta una canción (Sing a song)

Comed mucho (Eat a lot)

Viva su vida y déjeme en paz (Live your life and leave me alone) 

Great job on following all the tenses with me! I know it was a lot, so let’s review it in a more simple way in a quick recap for you to remember, using the sentence HABLAR ESPAÑOL (To speak Spanish)

TIEMPOS NO VERBALES:

Infinitivo: Hablar español (To speak Spanish)

Gerundio: Hablando español (Speaking Spanish)

Participio: Hablado español (Spoken Spanish)

Infinitivo compuesto: Haber hablado español (To have spoken Spanish)

Gerundio compuesto: Habiendo hablado español (Having spoken Spanish)

MODO INDICATIVO

Presente: Yo hablo español (I speak Spanish)

Pretérito perfecto compuesto: Yo he hablado español (I have spoken Spanish)

Pretérito perfecto simple: Yo hablé español (I spoke Spanish)

Pretérito anterior: Yo hube hablado español (I had spoken Spanish)

Pretérito imperfecto: Yo hablaba español (I spoke Spanish/I used to speak Spanish)

Pretérito pluscuamperfecto: Yo había hablado español (I had spoken Spanish)

Futuro simple: Yo hablaré español (I will speak Spanish)

Futuro compuesto: Yo habré hablado español (I will have spoken Spanish)

Condicional simple: Yo hablaría español (I would speak Spanish)

Condicional compuesto: Yo habría hablado español (I would have spoken Spanish)

MODO SUBJUNTIVO

Presente: que yo hable español (That I speak Spanish)

Pretérito perfecto compuesto: que yo haya hablado español (That I had spoken Spanish)

Pretérito imperfecto: que yo hablara/hablase español (That I spoke Spanish)

Pretérito pluscuamperfecto: que yo hubiera/hubiese hablado español (That I had spoken Spanish)

Futuro simple: que yo hablare español (That I will speak Spanish)

Futuro compuesto: que yo hubiere hablado español (That I will have spoken Spanish)

MODO IMPERATIVO:

¡Habla español! (Speak Spanish!)

Conclusion

Review them every now and then and you’ll remember them all! It would be great if you read or listen to Spanish and analyze all the verb tenses they use there. I have this video blog speaking slow Spanish that will help you a lot. Watch it and have a look at the tenses I’m using. Keep on practicing!

“Muy grande. Muy guapo. Muy alto.” Can you think of an alternative for “muy” in Spanish? If you can’t, don’t worry, this article is perfect for you. By the end of it, you will have enriched your vocabulary and native speakers will be impressed when you talk. Read till the end because I have prepared a fantastic quiz for you to practice what you learned. ¡Vamos!

SYNONYMS

First, let's explore some synonyms of 'muy' that you can use right away. Instead of saying 'muy interesante', how about 'sumamente interesante'? 

Sumamente (Highly, extremely) 

Sumamente sounds clever, interesting. It is used a lot by politicians and well educated people. I wouldn’t use it with friends in an informal situation, but save it for other occasions. 

Sumamente importante (Extremely important).

Bastante (Quite)

Bastante interesante (Quite interesting). ‘Bastante’ has a little less intensity than ‘muy’, like ‘quite’ versus ‘very’. It adds an interesting touch. 

Bastante grande (Quite big). 

Súper (Super)

We use it a lot with friends, especially young people. 

Súper interesante (Super interesting). 

Súper alto (Super tall). 

Híper (Hyper)

Exactly the same as ‘súper’. 

Híper interesante (Hyper interesting). Híper cansada (Hyper tired). 

Demasiado (Too)

Demasiado interesante (Too interesting). This one adds more intensity. It is more than ‘muy’. It is too much of something. 

Demasiado frío (Too cold). 

Demasiado guapa (Too beautiful). 

Demasiado bueno para ser cierto (Too good to be true). 

You have to be careful with this one, because here it is an adverb but we can see it used as an adjective as well, changing gender and number.

Demasiado + adjective = adverb.

Demasiado + noun = adjective. 

Demasiada comida (Too much food). 

Demasiadas personas (Too many people) 

Realmente (Really)

How do you say ‘Really interesting’? Realmente interesante (Really interesting), very good! 

‘Extremadamente’ (Extremely).

Extremadamente interesante (Extremely interesting).  

Extremadamente importante (Extremely important). 

This one adds intensity too.

Increíblemente (Incredibly)

Increíblemente interesante (Incredibly interesting). 

Increíblemente fácil (Incredibly easy).

Altamente (Highly)  

Altamente interesante (Highly interesting). 

You will see it a lot in ‘Altamente recomendado’ (Highly recommended) and ‘Altamente sensible’ (Highly sensitive).

If this is too difficult, you should download our Free Study Guide, which will guide you step by step in your Spanish learning. 

And as the last word of this block, we have a prefix:

Requete-

In Latin America they use just ‘Re’ but as a separate word. 

Requetebien (Very good).

Re bien (Very good).

Requeteinteresante (Very interesting).

Re interesante (Very interesting). 

Start mixing these into your conversations and watch the reactions you get. Tell me how it went.

But that was just the beginning. Hold tight, because next, we’re moving into the world of superlatives, which can amplify your Spanish descriptions. Plus, don’t miss our quiz coming up!

SUPERLATIVES

So another way of amplifying an adjective in Spanish is adding -ísimo or -ísima at the end of it.

Guapo (Handsome) - Guapísimo (Very handsome)

Guapa (Beautiful) - Guapísima (Very beautiful)

Alto (Tall, high) - Altísimo (Very tall/high)

Pequeña (Small) - Pequeñísima (Very small)

How would you say ‘very interesting’ using the superlative in Spanish?

Those were nice upgrades, right? Well, a game-changer is coming! We’re about to boost your vocabulary. These words are fantastic if you want to make an impact. Instead of saying ‘muy bueno’, elevate it to ‘excelente’. Or turn ‘muy malo’ into ‘pésimo’ or ‘horrible’. This makes your Spanish advanced.

ADVANCED VOCABULARY

Instead of ‘Muy grande’ (Very big) you can use ‘Gigante’ or ‘Enorme’ (Giant, enormous)

Ana vive en una casa gigante (Ana lives in an enormous house)

Muy pequeño (Very small) = Diminuto, enano (Tiny)

Mi coche es diminuto (My car is tiny)

Muy bonito (Very pretty) = Precioso (Gorgeous)

Las rosas son preciosas (Roses are gorgeous)

Muy feo (Very ugly) = Horroroso, horrendo (Horrendous)

Tu hijo ha hecho un dibujo horroroso (Your son made a horrendous drawing)

Muy rico (Very yummy) = Delicioso (Delicious)

La paella está deliciosa (The paella is delicious)

Muy feliz, contento (Very happy) = Eufórico (Euphoric)

Mario está eufórico porque ha aprobado (Mario is euphoric because he passed)

Muy limpio (Very clean) = Impecable (Spotless)

El baño está impecable (The bathroom is spotless)

Muy sucio (Very dirty) = Mugriento, asqueroso (Filthy, disgusting)

El cuarto de Samuel está asqueroso (Samuel’s room is filthy)

Muy enfadado (Very angry) = Furioso (Furious)

Estoy furiosa por lo que me ha dicho mi hermana (I'm furious about what my sister told me)

Muy cansado (Very tired) = Agotado (Exhausted)

Hemos andado demasiado, estoy agotada (We walked too much, I’m exhausted) 

Lastly, I want to share with you some different options for ‘muy bueno’, because there are a lot.

Muy bueno (Very good) = Estupendo, maravilloso, genial, fantástico, espectacular, magnífico, excelente. 

Ayer fue un día estupendo/maravilloso/genial/fantástico/espectacular/magnífico/excelente.

Quiz

Quiz time! Let’s practice what we learned today. Just 5 questions.

1. Quiero vivir en una casa muy grande (I want to live in a very big house). What word can we use instead of “muy grande”? 

a. Diminuta
b. Enorme
c. Impecable
c. Genial

2. Esta pregunta es muy fácil (This question is very easy). How would you make the superlative of fácil?

3. Pablo es muy tímido (Pablo is very shy). Name 3 words you can interchange with “muy.”

4.  Tus ojos son muy bonitos (Your eyes are very beautiful). What word can we use instead of “muy bonitos”?

a. Horrorosos
b. Eufóricos
c. Deliciosos
d. Preciosos

5. Estoy muy enfadada contigo (I am very angry at you). What word can you use instead of “muy enfadada”? 

a. Furiosa
b. Mugrienta
c. Horrenda
d. Maravillosa

Conclusion

Great job! 

But let me ask you one more thing… is it ‘Es malo’ or ‘Está malo’? I’m going to explain the difference between ser and estar in a way you won’t forget. Click here to learn it. 

How different is Mexican Spanish from Spanish from Spain? Do these differences affect our communication?

I am Lucía, I am from Spain, and I am going to watch some videos from 4 different  Mexican Spanish speakers and I will analyze and compare their way of talking with mine. This will serve as a great Spanish lesson, as I will also translate those sentences to English. Stay till the end to learn a lot of new helpful Spanish phrases and vocabulary. Do you think I will understand everything they say? Let’s see.

We recommend watching the video below. A transcript is also provided for your convenience.

Transcript:

I’ll start watching a video from Kimberly Loaiza, the most famous Mexican influencer. She’s also a singer.

Ay, ya se trabó también el Whatsapp

I understand everything perfectly in the video. Here we use different vocabulary, but we can totally understand what she’s referring to.

Mexico: Ay, ya se trabó también el Whatsapp
Spain: Ay, se ha quedado pillado el Whatsapp también
(Oh, Whatsapp also got stuck)

In Mexico they use “trabarse” for “get stuck” while in Spain we use “quedarse pillado.” I’ve never heard “trabarse” from a Spaniard, but we understand what it means. Another difference in our speech is the use of verb tenses. In Mexico and Latin America in general, they tend to use the past simple almost all the time. While in Spain we tend to use the present perfect more often. If we used the verb “trabarse,” instead of saying “ya se trabó” we would say “ya se ha trabado.”

In Spain we use the past simple, pretérito perfecto simple, for things that happened and ended in the past, in a further past or a more concrete point in time, and we use the present perfect, pretérito perfecto compuesto, for more recent things that happened. 

For “what happened?” in Mexico they would say “¿qué pasó?” and in Spain we say “¿qué ha pasado?”

Let’s keep watching.

Estoy enojada, sinceramente, estoy muy enojada

Mexico: Estoy enojada, sinceramente, estoy muy enojada.
Spain: Estoy enfadada, sinceramente, estoy muy enfadada.
(I am angry, honestly, very angry.)

Enojado or enojada is the same as enfadado or enfadada. Angry. But in Spain we wouldn’t say enojado. But we know what it means. 

Another thing to point out:

En Latino América sesean. They pronounce all Cs, Ss and Zs as an S. In neutral Spanish from Spain, we pronounce it like "th" in English.

And this is NOT a lisp. A lisp is a speech impediment. And we don’t have that. This is just the pronunciation of these letters. Kimberly said “Sinseramente” and in Spain we would say “Sinceramente.” But the thing is that in the south of Spain you can also hear this seseo and it is very common that people pronounce all those consonants as an S, also in the Canary Islands. And in Latam they have a lot of similarities with the way of speaking in the south of Spain because the Spanish that sailed across the Atlantic centuries ago were mostly Andalusian. The ships sailed from Andalucía and the Canary Islands to America. I am from Andalucía, by the way, from Sevilla, but when I teach Spanish I do it with a standard Spanish accent. 

Prometo que les quiero contestar, yo estaba ilusionada por esto

Mexico: Prometo que les quiero contestar, yo estaba ilusionada por esto.
Spain: De verdad que os quiero contestar, esto me hacía mucha ilusión.
(I promise I want to answer you, I was excited about this.)

Another big difference between Mexico and Spain is the use of ustedes and vosotros. When referring to -you- plural, more than one person, in Spain we use vosotros or vosotras, which is the pronoun for -you- plural. But in Mexico they use “ustedes,” which is the formal pronoun of -you- plural. Ustedes and vosotros use a different conjugation for verbs. Vosotros sois, vosotros estáis - ustedes son, ustedes están (you are.) Ustedes use the 3rd person plural of verbs, same as ellos and ellas (they.)

I have changed some other things in the sentence for Spain, because that’s the way it would sound more natural here, but you could say it more similar to the Mexican sentence, like Prometo que os quiero contestar, yo estaba ilusionada por esto.

Voy a comenzar a hablar con ustedes

In Spain we also use comenzar, to start, but we say empezar more often.

Mexico: Voy a comenzar a hablar con ustedes.
Spain: Voy a empezar a hablar con vosotros.
(I’m going to start to talk with you guys.)

By the way~ On My Daily Spanish we have a free study guide that offers a step-by-step process to help you learn Spanish faster. You can download it for free here.

Will you understand the next Mexican YouTuber? This girl is great. Get ready to fall in love with her, she’s so cute and sweet. Let’s hear Yuya, a very famous Mexican YouTuber that I love.

Y esto te lo platico porque estaba analizando que es muy probable que a ti también de pronto te suceda o te encuentres en esta situación 

She says “y esto te lo platico.” In Spain, we would say “y esto te lo cuento.” (And I tell you this…)

“Porque estaba analizando que…” I would say “porque estaba pensando que” but they say it like this too.

“Que a ti también te suceda.” The verb suceder, to happen, is also widely used here in Spain. But we use “pasar” more for that. “Que a ti también te pase.”

Mexico: Y esto te lo platico porque estaba analizando que es muy probable que a ti también de pronto te suceda o te encuentres en esta situación
Spain: Y esto te lo cuento porque estaba pensando que es muy probable que de pronto a ti también te pase o te encuentres en esta situación.
(And I'm telling you this because I was thinking that it is very likely that suddenly it will also happen to you or that you will find yourself in this situation.)

Yo la mayoría del tiempo no sé qué hacer con mi vida

We say it exactly the same in Spain. I found this sentence interesting for you to learn. It is very common between young people.

Mexico and Spain: Yo la mayoría del tiempo no sé qué hacer con mi vida. (Most of the time I don't know what to do with my life.)

Está bien padre 

In Spain we would say “Está muy bien” or “Está genial.” They use “bien” as “muy” a lot (very). And “padre” as “cool,” “good.”

Mexico: Está bien padre.
Spain: Está muy bien/Está genial.
(It’s great.)

Ay, yo tengo una cosa que me da mucha gracia 

In Mexico it seems they use “dar gracia,” and in Spain we use “hacer gracia.”

Mexico: Ay, yo tengo una cosa que me da mucha gracia.
Spain: Ay, hay una cosa que me hace mucha gracia.
(Oh, there’s one thing that I find very funny.)

Pero cuando era más pequeña, ni de chiste lo hubiese pensado 

That “ni de chiste,” we would say “ni de broma,” or the more vulgar “ni de coña.” This last one is the most common way of saying that expression. 

Mexico: Pero cuando era más pequeña, ni de chiste lo hubiese pensado.
Spain: Pero cuando era más pequeña, ni de coña/broma lo hubiese pensado.
(But when I was younger, I wouldn't have even thought about it.)

Ni de chiste, ni de broma, ni de coña = not even as a joke.

I’m talking about Spain as one thing, but Spain has a lot of different accents and dialects depending on the region. When I teach Spanish I use the neutral accent, let’s say, which is the one from central Spain. All the media in Spain uses this neutral accent, TV, radio, etc. 

Hold tight! Because coming up next we got the most famous Mexican male YouTuber that I love! And he uses Mexican slang, which is pretty different from Spanish slang. Let’s hear Luisito Comunica.

Nuestros guías nos cuentan que se mudaron acá a Dresden en la década de los noventas

Hey, here he says “cuentan” and not “platican.” Interesting.

Mexico: Nuestros guías nos cuentan que se mudaron acá a Dresden en la década de los noventas.
Spain: Nuestros guías nos cuentan que se mudaron aquí a Dresden en la década de los noventa.
(Our guides tell us that they moved here to Dresden in the 1990s.)

In Latin America in general they use “acá” a lot, but in Spain we say “aquí,” for “here.”

And Luisito says “la década de los noventas.” In Spain we would say “la década de los noventa,” in singular. Los años 90 (noventa), los años 80 (ochenta). We write it without an s.

En general todo se sentía mucho más gris, mucho más triste

Mexico: En general todo se sentía mucho más gris, mucho más triste.
Spain: En general la sensación era mucho más gris, mucho más triste.
(In general everything felt much grayer, much sadder.)

In Spain, we use the verb sentirse (to feel) to talk about how a person feels. Yo me sentía, ella se sentía (I felt, she felt,) but we don’t use it for things. In this sentence he says “todo se sentía,” (everything felt,) with “todo,” “everything,” being the subject. 

Estaba indignado y dijo “no mames”

“No mames” is Mexican slang for “no way” or “what are you saying?”

Mexico: Estaba indignado y dijo “no mames.”
Spain: Estaba indignado y dijo “¿qué dices?/¿Qué me estás contando?”
(He was indignant and said, “What are you saying?”)

So in Mexico and Spain we have some words that differ, but almost all are exactly the same, just the intonation varies. We can understand each other perfectly. Coming up, I’ll show you that our Spanish is really the same. And a fun challenge awaits you at the end, so don't go anywhere!

Next is a man that had all the girls in Spain and Latin America in love with him when I was a teenager. This is Alfonso Herrera in a recent interview.

Yo creo que desafortunadamente siguen existiendo muchos prejuicios. Desafortunadamente sigue siendo un país extremadamente machista.

Mexico and Spain: Yo creo que desafortunadamente siguen existiendo muchos prejuicios. Desafortunadamente sigue siendo un país extremadamente machista. (I believe/I think that unfortunately many prejudices still exist. Unfortunately, it is still an extremely sexist country.)

Y es un obstáculo y es un impedimento para que esto funcione mejor

Mexico and Spain: Y es un obstáculo y es un impedimento para que esto funcione mejor.(And it is an obstacle and it is an impediment for this to work better.)

We say it exactly the same.

¿Qué aporta la actuación a tu persona? Trabajar en equipo. Cuando tú llegas a un set, como este, pues hay muchos elementos que, si esos elementos no existieran, pues no estaríamos aquí.

Exactly the same.

Mexico and Spain: ¿Qué aporta la actuación a tu persona? Trabajar en equipo. Cuando tú llegas a un set, como este, pues hay muchos elementos que, si esos elementos no existieran, pues no estaríamos aquí. (What does acting bring to you? Teamwork. When you arrive at a set, like this one, there are many elements that, if those elements did not exist, we would not be here.)

All the vocabulary, everything here is the same we would say in Spain. The big difference is the accent, the intonation. This was a more formal interview, and I feel like the more cultured and formal the language and situation, the more similar is the Spanish we use. 

When you can see the biggest differences is when talking slang. As it is everywhere in the world. Slang is very local. Also in Spain even from one town to another we use different slang. So imagine from one country to another.

Ok, great job!

The moment has come! Here’s a little challenge for you:

Spain and Mexico Spanish quiz I say one word, you say the equivalent in the other country. If you watched the whole video, you will know.

1. In Mexico they say “Acá.” What do we say in Spain? 

2. In Spain, we say “Contar” or “Hablar.” What do they say in Mexico? 

3. In Mexico they say “Enojado.” What do we say in Spain? 

4. In Spain, we say “Está genial.” What do they say in Mexico? 

5. In Mexico they say “Ustedes.” What do we say in Spain?  

Conclusion

If you want to know any other helpful sentence that I didn’t add here, leave it in the comments and I’ll reply with the translation in Spanish. Now, do you dare to put your new Spanish knowledge to the test? You can do this quiz for beginners I prepared here to check if you can remember these and if you know some other basic words. You can also learn a lot of new words with it. Check it out.

¡Hola! This is Lucía, from My Daily Spanish, and I’m going to teach you 30 basic phrases that you will use and hear everyday in Spanish. Whether you are starting to learn Spanish or are planning a trip, this video is perfect to learn the essentials. Read till the end because the last one is key. All the sentences are also written below, take a look. ¡Vamos! which means “Let’s go!”

30 Must-Know Spanish Phrases

1. Hola (Hello). When you meet somebody, it’s the most common way to greet them. ¡Hola!
2. Buenos días (Good morning). This is what we say in the morning, before 12PM or even 2PM, when we have lunch in Spain. For me, it’s morning until I have lunch. 
3. Buenas tardes (Good afternoon). Until the sun goes down, which in Spain is pretty late in summer, at 10PM, we say “Buenas tardes”. 
4. Buenas noches (Good night). “Buenas noches” can be used as a greeting or as a farewell. As a greeting when you greet somebody in the night and as a farewell the moment before we go to bed, we say “Buenas noches”. 
5. ¿Qué tal? (How are you?). It even counts as a greeting. We also have ¿Cómo estás? And ¿Cómo está usted? “¿Cómo estás?” is informal, and “¿Cómo está usted?” is formal. “¿Qué tal?” Works for both formal and informal situations. 
6. ¿Cómo te llamas? (What’s your name?). That would be informal. The formal version is “¿Cómo se llama?”
7. Me llamo… (My name is…). The reply to the last question. Me llamo Lucía. Me llamo Antonio. Just add your name there.
8. ¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from?). That would be informal. The formal version would be “¿De dónde es usted?” To reply, just say “Soy de…” Soy de Estados Unidos (I’m from the US)Soy de Australia (I’m from Australia)Soy de Inglaterra (I’m from England)Soy de Irlanda (I’m from Ireland)
9. ¿A qué te dedicas? (What do you do for a living?). To ask for somebody’s job. The formal way would be “¿A qué se dedica?”. You can also hear “¿En qué trabajas?”, meaning the same.To reply, say “Soy” (I am) followed by your profession. Soy profesora (I am a teacher, female) or Soy profesor (I am a teacher, male,) for example.

If you would like to take a step further and study Spanish with its grammar explanations, in a structured way, you should download our Free Study Guide, which will guide you step by step while you learn Spanish on your own. 

10. Disculpa/Perdona (Excuse me). The formal versions are “Disculpe” and “Perdone”. 
11. Por favor (Please). Always say please and thank you.
12. Gracias (Thank you). “Muchas gracias” would be “Thank you very much”.
13. De nada (You’re welcome). They might reply that when you say “Gracias”. You can also hear “Un placer”, which means “A pleasure”.
14. ¿Qué es esto? (What is this?). Just point to something and say that when you want to know what it is. Or “¿Qué es eso?” if it’s something that is a little further.
15. ¿Cuánto cuesta esto? (How much is this?). Very common in a shopping context. You can also say “¿Cuánto es?” (How much is it?)
16. Sí (Yes) No (No). Important basics.
17. No hablo mucho español (I don’t speak much Spanish) 
18. ¿Puedes hablar más despacio? (Can you speak slower?). Very helpful when they start talking in very fast Spanish. “¿Puede hablar más despacio?” Would be the formal version.
19. No sé (I don’t know). There’s also “No lo sé”, which means exactly the same.
20. No entiendo (I don’t understand). You can also use “No lo he entendido” (I didn’t understand that)
21.  ¡Ayuda! (Help!). Also “¡Socorro!” which means the same.
22. ¿Me puedes ayudar? (Can you help me?). The formal way is “¿Me puede ayudar?”
23. ¿Dónde está el baño? (Where is the toilet?). We have different words to refer to the toilets. You can also say “¿Dónde están los aseos?” Or “¿Dónde está el servicio?” Meaning the same. They will show you the way to the toilets.
24. ¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)
25. ¿Hay wifi gratis aquí? (Is there free wi-fi here?). In Spain we pronounce “wi-fi” like “wee-fee.”
26. ¿Qué me recomienda? (What do you recommend?). You can get to know new yummy dishes by asking for recommendations at bars and restaurants. But check the price first, just in case they want you to order the most expensive thing on the menu. 

The next one can save lives.

27. Tengo alergia a… (I have a … allergy). “Soy alérgico a…” (I am allergic to…) if you are a man. If you are a woman, say “Soy alérgica a…” For example, if you are allergic to nuts, I would say “Tengo alergia a los frutos secos” or “Soy alérgica a los frutos secos”.
28. La cuenta, por favor (The bill, please). Or you can just draw in the air like you were signing when you make eye-contact with the waiter or waitress.
29. Adiós (Goodbye). This is a common farewell. We also have “Hasta mañana” (See you tomorrow) or “Hasta luego” (See you later). We usually say “Hasta luego” even if we are not going to see the other person in a while.

And the last one! I think this is the most important one because you will make anybody happy when you say it. Que tengas un buen día (Have a nice day) or just “Buen día”. (Good day).

If you make people happy they will be in a good mood and will want to make you happy too. I love saying this everywhere I go and I recommend you do too. 

Conclusion

If you want to know any other helpful sentence that I didn’t add here, leave it in the comments and I’ll reply with the translation in Spanish. Now, do you dare to put your new Spanish knowledge to the test? You can do this quiz for beginners I prepared here to check if you can remember these and if you know some other basic words. You can also learn a lot of new words with it. Check it out.

¡Hola! Curious about how fluent you are in Spanish? Today I bring you a fun challenge: Spanish dad jokes, or as we say in Spain, 'Chistes de cuñao' – that's 'brother-in-law jokes'! Why 'cuñao', you ask? In Spain, the imagery of a brother-in-law is someone dumb, who thinks he knows it all and tells very silly jokes. Jokes are a big part of Spanish culture, and they're a goldmine of vocabulary, making them perfect for learners at all levels. Stick around as I explain 7 hilarious jokes so everybody can understand. By the end, you'll not only be laughing but also boosting your Spanish skills. Ready for a laugh-and-learn session? Let's go!

First joke!

A: ¿Cómo se dice nariz en inglés? (A: How do you say “nose” in English?

B: Nose. B: I don’t know.

A. ¿Tú tampoco? ¡Nadie lo sabe!  (A: You don’t know either? Nobody knows!)

You should be able to get this one pretty quickly. The English word for nariz is “nose”, but if you read it with a Spanish pronunciation it would be “no sé”, which means “I don’t know”. So this person actually gave the correct answer.

Ok, stop laughing and let’s move on to the second joke.

¿Qué hace una caja en el gimnasio? Volviéndose una caja fuerte.

What is a box doing in the gym? Tú vas al gimnasio para ponerte fuerte, you go to the gym to get strong. The fun thing here is that “caja fuerte” means “safe” or “strongbox” in Spanish. So this has a double meaning. The box in the gym is turning into a strongbox. Hehe  

Prepare your brain for the third chiste de cuñao:

A. ¿Por qué no salís juntos? 

B. Porque ella come amigos.

A. ¿Qué?

B. Me dijo: “Te quiero, pero como amigos”.

(A. Why don't you go out together?

B. Because she eats friends.

A. What?

B. She told me, "I love you, but as friends/I eat friends.")

This is a very common sentence when you reject somebody. Te quiero, pero como amigo. “I love you but as a friend.” “Como” means “like” or “as” but it’s also the first person singular of the verb “comer,” “to eat.” This one is easy, right?

By the way~ On My Daily Spanish we have a free study guide that offers a step-by-step process to help you learn Spanish faster. You can download it for free using the form above or the form on the left side.

Prepare your brain for the third chiste de cuñao:

A. Quisiera comprar un libro sobre la fatiga y el cansancio. 

B. Lo siento, están agotados. 

A. I would like to buy a book about fatigue and tiredness. 

B. Lo siento, están agotados. 

Agotado has a double meaning. Did you get it? It means “exhausted”, but also means “sold out”. In this sentence of course it means sold out, but it seems like the books, which talk about tiredness, are very tired and that’s why they won’t sell them. Lo siento, están agotados. I’m sorry, they are sold out/very tired.

Chiste number 5:

A. El mes pasado contraí matrimonio.

B. Contraje.

A. Claro, tenía que ser formal.

(A. I got married* last month.

B. Got married.

A. Of course, it had to be formal.)

Did you get it?

Here we talk about “contraer matrimonio”, “to get married”. The past simple of the verb “contraer” is “contraje”. It is an irregular verb and some people might get confused. The speaker A said “contraí”, which is incorrect. So speaker B corrects the other person and tells the correct conjugation, which is “contraje”. But “Con traje”, separated, means “with a suit”. And the A speaker doesn’t know he made a mistake and thinks B is referring to the clothing and says: “of course, it had to be formal”.

Hold tight and get ready for the last two Spanish jokes. They are the most difficult ones.
Number 6:

¿Cuál es el vino más amargo? Vino mi suegra.

(Which wine is the most bitter? My mother-in-law came.)

You need to be familiar with irregular verbs here, most concretely the verb VENIR (to come). “Vino” means “wine”. But the other meaning is the 3rd person singular preterite for “venir”. “Amargo” is “bitter,” “suegra” is “mother-in-law.” In Spain, they make a lot of jokes with mothers-in-law, suegras, because nobody seems to like the mother of their partner.

“Which vino is the most bitter? My mother-in-law came”. It’s saying that it’s “bitter” when the mother-in-law comes to visit.

Don’t lose faith. Let’s go with the last one! Number 7:

A. ¿Se quedará a dormir?

B. Sí.

A. Quizá debería saber que la casa está encantada.

B. Ah. Pues dígale que a mí también me hace ilusión quedarme.

(A. Will you stay the night?

B. Yes.

A. Maybe you should know that the house is haunted.

B. Oh. Well, tell it that I'm also excited to stay.)

Do you know the different meanings of the word “encantada”? Una casa encantada is a haunted house.  But, encantada/o can also mean enchanted, pleased, delighted. When you meet someone for the first time you say “Encantado” or “Encantada.” So the joke here is that they say the house is haunted, but the other person responds that he’s also excited to stay at the house (as if the house was happy to have him stay there).

Conclusion

So here you have new jokes you can tell to your Spanish teacher and friends. But to tell them correctly you need something…

You need to pronounce like a pro, and this video will get you very close to a native pronunciation. It is the most complete video on Earth on how to roll your Rs.

Do you ever listen to songs in Spanish and not understand? You try to follow Spanish speakers but you can’t? You think you speak Spanish too slowly?

Stick with me because I am going to share with you 7 fantastic tricks that will help you speak and understand fast Spanish. Number 6 is quite unique and fun.

You also have an exercise at the end. You should do it after discovering these 7 tips that will change the way you learn Spanish.

#1. Ok, do you have a teddy bear?

Your speaking will improve a lot when you try to talk to others. When you create sentences in Spanish. Even if it’s 10 minutes a day, it will help a lot because each time you will need less thinking to build the sentences in Spanish. It is a matter of practice. So the first tip is “Practice your speaking every day with your teddy bear.” Tell it about your day, your problems, your thoughts. It may also count as a little therapy session. 2 in 1.

#2. You know Chat GPT, right? An AI chatbot.

In the mobile version, you can use the microphone and have a conversation with it. You should give it context, like: “Act as my Spanish teacher” “I have a B1 level” or “I want to practice for the B2 exam.” Also you can ask it to correct your mistakes, you can learn a lot from this at the same time that you’re practicing your output. You can ask it something like “I want to have a conversation with you in Spanish and please correct my mistakes in English after I speak before following with the conversation in Spanish.” You can practice a conversation for a specific situation.

For example: ”Let’s have a conversation in Spanish. Please act as if you are the waiter in a restaurant.”

You can do this for any language you want! Speak Spanish with ChatGPT. It’s free.

And what is also free is our Study Guide! On My Daily Spanish we have a free study guide that offers a step-by-step process to help you learn Spanish faster. You can download it for free by clicking the "Yes, I'm interested" button above.

#3. Everybody here loves TV series and films, right?

From Spain, I love “Aquí no hay quien viva”, which is a very funny Spanish series, but they talk a little fast. I can recommend “La Mesías”, “La casa de papel”, “Paquita Salas”... But any series in Spanish will help you. You can even use the dubbed Spanish version with Spanish subtitles of any American or English series or film. And while watching, stop after each sentence and repeat what they said. It will help your pronunciation a lot and you will learn new phrases.

So this third trick is: Watch a series in Spanish with subtitles and repeat the sentences.

#4. While watching a series or a film in Spanish, if you hear an interesting phrase or a sentence you liked, something you didn’t know and that they say a lot, make a note of it.

Write the full sentence down. It would be cool to have a notebook for that. And read those sentences every now and then when you study Spanish. It is important to study sentences rather than just words. Learning those sentences will make it way easier to speak faster. Because you are not thinking of each word, but of sentences that you use in different situations. So remember: learn sentences more than separate words.

#5. In some regions they tend to shorten words a lot.

I’ll explain how they do it.

For example:

Todo - To (all)

Para - Pa (To, for)

Nada - Na (Nothing)

Muy - Mu (Very)

Pues - Po (So)

It is common everywhere to hear these words shortened:

Perfecto - Perfe (Perfect)

Fin de semana - Finde (Weekend)

Ilusión - Ilu (Illusion, eagerness)

Información - Info (Información)

Bolígrafo - Boli (Pen)

Bicicleta - Bici (Bike)

Autobús - Bus (Bus)

And something that they do in the South of Spain and Latin America is:

We eat the -S at the end of words and aspirate them if they are before a consonant. (Only when talking, we don’t write it like that.)

Margaritas - Margaritah (Daisy)

Las margaritas - Lah margaritah (The daisies) 

We eat any final consonant:

Reloj - Reló (Clock/watch)

Sal - Sá (Salt)

Amor - Amó (Love)

Paz - Pá (Peace)

El amor es muy bonito - “El amó e mu bonito” (Love is beautiful) 

Note: we only say it like that, but it’s written like usual, like the first sentence. 

We also eat the Ds between vowels.

Cansado - Cansao (Tired)

Cansada - Cansá (Tired)

Don’t make a pause between words. If there is a vocal followed by a vocal we connect them.

Los hijos - Losijoh OR lohijoh (The sons)

La abeja - Labeja (The bee)

Sounds like UE are said very quickly.

Huevo - Wevo (Egg)

Bueno - Weno (Good) 

Some Ls are turned to Rs before consonants.

Vuelta - Werta (Turn, spin…)

#6. My favorite one! This is a metronome.

This is a device that marks the tempo in beats per minute. We will start with a low bpm (beats per minute) and keep increasing it little by little. Now you have to choose a song. The faster they sing in the song, the better for practicing. But any song will help. I chose this one for today:

Bzrp music sessions #51: Villano Antillano. (From 0:37 to 0:44)

Lyrics:

Cuando cierro un verso los dejo de terapista

Ya dije que no, cabrón, no me insistas

Están en la fila, pero no están en la lista

Dale, Biza, explótame la pista

When doing this, first you have to listen to the way the singer is pronouncing all these. Then, read it yourself a few times. Villano Antillano is from Puerto Rico, so she speaks with an accent from there, aspirating the final -s, shortening words a lot and pronouncing the c as an s. 

Then, we set the metronome to a low bpm. And we increase it little by little.

Another way you could do it to follow the rhythm is put the YouTube video at 0.5x speed. After that you change it to 0.75x speed.And lastly, to 1x.

You can do it even faster than the singer if you want. This is a trick for rappers, dancers and musicians. They practice a super fast speed so later when they have to do it at a normal speed it will be super easy for them.

When you play the guitar, you practice the guitar solos at a really high speed so later you won’t have any mistakes when doing it at the normal speed. That’s tricking the brain. You can practice with the songs you want.

For this, I recommend the Bizarrap sessions, or rappers like Daddy Yankee. You can search for new songs on Google by typing “music chart + the name of a Spanish speaking country”.

#7. And the last tip: passive practice.

Whatever you are doing that you can have something on in the background; everything related to Spanish will be nurturing your Spanish folder inside your brain.

So: watch Spanish TV, listen to Spanish podcasts, to Spanish audiobooks, watch YouTube videos from Spanish speaking creators… You can find a lot of interesting content that you will enjoy while learning Spanish. Do you recommend some podcast or series in Spanish? Please share it in the comments!

EXERCISE:

Ok let’s do the exercise for today! Have a look at this sentence: En el reloj tengo un dibujo de un huevo y dos margaritas (On the clock I have a drawing of an egg and two daisies)

How would you say this sentence quicker? 

En el reloj tengo un dibujo de un huevo y dos margaritas: En erreló tengun dibuho dun wevoy doh margaritah (Watch the video to hear it)

Practice the speed from slow to fast. 

Great job!

Conclusion

And one last practice to improve your Spanish today would be to answer these 100 common questions in Spanish. It would be a fantastic exercise if you listen to the question, pause the video, answer it yourself and then click on play again and listen to how I answered it. Watch the video and you will have improved a lot after doing this exercise. ¡Hasta pronto!