On October 5, Brazilians went to the ballots to elect a president, but since the candidate with the most votes did not receive more than 50% of the total, the two first contenders, first-term President Dilma Rousseff with 41.6% and … Continue reading
El otoño (Fall) is already here and the weather is changing. Let´s review basic expressions to be able to talk about el tiempo (the weather) in this beautiful season. Most of the expressions use the verb hace. This can be … Continue reading
The smaller words are the most difficult to master in a foreign language. El, la, los, las (the), the definite articles in Spanish, are particularly confusing for English speakers because very often their use in English doesn’t correspond to their … Continue reading
The Beatles sang: What would you think if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me? Eric Clapton sang: Would you know my name if I saw you in heaven? Would it be the same if I saw you in heaven? And nobody hypothesized as passionately as Johnny Cash when he sang: If I were a carpenter and you were a lady, would you marry me anyway? Would you have my baby? Can you guess what these songs have in common? If you deduced that they all used the second English conditional (would + if + simple past), then you did your homework! Continue reading
Summer’s not over yet, so there’s still time to enjoy a fantastically refreshing, ice-cold summer drink. There are bubbly red, green or white spritzers, sweet cola-flavored sodas, creamy ice-cream shakes, healthy flavorful iced teas, naturally juicy fruit juices and … Continue reading
There are six children in my family, ages 2 to 11, and for this reason, Sunday lunch hasn’t been peaceful for a long time. Over appetizers, paella, red wine (for the adults only), fruit and dessert, parents, grandparents, aunts and … Continue reading
Almost everybody knows the 1962 hit A Garota de Ipanema (ah - gha WRO tah - dee - ee – pah – NUH –ma], The Girl from Ipanema by Tom Jobim. It has been adapted from its original bossa nova style … Continue reading
The imperfect and the preterite are two important tenses (but not the only ones) used in Spanish to talk about the past. You have to be patient with yourself because mastering them is going to take a while. So, let’s … Continue reading
Felipe VI is the new King of Spain. His father, King Juan Carlos I, helped transition Spain into a democracy and helped stop a military coup in 1981, but nowadays the monarchy has to find its mission in Spanish society. … Continue reading
In French, there are many contractions which are required: l’été (le + été); c’est (ce + est); j’aime (je + aime); je m’appelle (je me + appelle); au café (à + le café); etc. But there are many more which occur … Continue reading
