Spanish Lessons in Townsville

Como Agua para Chocolate - Laura Esquivel

Reading a novel will certainly be more interesting than a glossy textbook, and it will help accelerate your learning by providing you with rich vocabulary. Thus, a novel like “Como Agua para Chocolate”, for example, will greatly appeal, especially if you would like to know more about one of the most important aspects of Mexican culture: its food. Each chapter is titled for a month of the year and starts with a Mexican recipe, like tacos or burritos. This is a coming-of-age story that follows Tita, a woman who wants to become independent from her traditional family. Read this novel if you’re looking for a story of love and self-discovery while learning a lot of Spanish! Read more about the book here!

Nada - Carmen Laforet

If you are looking to improve your Spanish vocabulary and reading skills, there’s nothing better than to grab a cosy blanket, a drink and lose yourself in “Nada” by Carmen Laforet (the writer’s first novel!). This classic Spanish novel was published in 1945 and takes place in post-civil war Madrid, exploring the hardships and poverty faced by most people living in the city at the time through the eyes of Andrea, who leaves the Canary Islands to live with her grandmother in Barcelona. Read “Nada” and you will learn a lot about Spanish history and culture while improving your language skills, including your vocabulary and grammar. Read more about the book here!

La Ciudad de las Bestias - Isabel Allende

“La Ciudad de las Bestias” is a gripping book of more than 400 pages that tells the story of Alexander Cold, a teenager who travels across the Amazon rainforest looking for his ancestors. During his trip, he encounters a magical beast that helps him to achieve his objectives while learning valuable lessons. Read this novel and you’ll not only broaden your knowledge of the language but also you will expand your mind and challenge your comprehension skills. Just consider that “La Ciudad de las Bestias” is not an easy read, as it includes quite complex grammatical structures and vocabulary, so the book is best suited for upper-intermediate students. Read more about the book here!

Yuya

If you are looking for a Youtuber who talks about fashion in a fun, relaxed way, then Yuya’s channel is the one for you. The videos started by talking exclusively about makeup, but today they include topics like clothing, beauty and style. Soon, you’ll be picking up vocabulary related to styling your hair, like “peinar”, “rizar”, “planchar” and more! And don’t forget to access the comments section, where you will find a lot of text in Spanish and can ask the YouTuber specific questions about her videos. Click here to subscribe.

Hey, Soy Priscilla

Listening to native Spanish speakers is crucial to increase your skills and understanding of different accents. And while it might be hard to find native speakers in the place you live, you can always watch YouTubers like Hey Soy Priscilla, an influencer from Mexico who talks about food, fashion and healthy lifestyles. She speaks very slowly and clearly, so a lot of her videos will allow you to capture her lip and mouth movements, making it easier to understand what she’s saying. And don’t forget, you can watch and rewind content to make sure you pick up some useful vocabulary! Check out her videos here!

Alex Tienda

Alex Tienda is a travel vlogger from Mexico who loves showing his followers all the fabulous places he visits around the world. Not only will you improve your Spanish skills, but you’ll also get to know more about the world and some amazing places to travel. You can also follow Alex’s Facebook page if you want to engage with his followers and practise reading in Spanish, too. He has an easy-going style and uses a lot of Spanish slang, so while it might be a challenge for absolute beginners, you can always use the subtitles to clarify any doubts. Check out this videos here!

Knowing About Messi or Maradona Will Help You Learn Spanish

There’s no better way to achieve fluency in a language and develop your receptive skills than by watching or listening to something you enjoy. For example, are you a soccer fan? Then, you are in luck because soccer is one of the most popular sports in most Spanish-speaking countries, meaning you can literally follow hundreds of teams, ligas and players. Some of the most famous football players in the world are Argentinian (like Messi or Maradona), so it’s a great idea to learn some terms in Spanish (like “es una bestia” or “siempre elude la marca”) to bond with locals about their idols! Click here to know more about Messi!

Regional Soccer Varieties

Are you visiting Spain or a Latin American country soon? Then, it would be a good idea to learn a bit about soccer. You will surely catch the locals’ attention by talking about their passion! For example, you’ll find millions of fans in Argentina or Colombia. But watch out: with soccer being so popular in Latin America, there is a lot of regional variation in the words and terms used to describe aspects of the sport. For example, a referee can be called árbitro or referí, the ball can be pelota, bola or balón and the football boot can be zapatilla, botín or bota. Click here to know more about Colombian soccer!

Take a Trivia to Test Your Knowledge

Would you like to know more about Spanish soccer vocabulary and facts? Then, you can take a trivia in Spanish to test your knowledge about the teams that play in La Liga. Some of the questions are related to the most popular stadiums around Spain, the players, and slang used to describe the matches. For example, did you know that the expression le dio una leña means that a player just fouled his opponent in a very nasty way? You can even share the results with your friends in your social media networks and show off how proficient you are in Spanish! Check out the trivia here!

Rockalingua

Everybody loves songs, especially children, and they are great ways to acquire a language. So, why not try to help your kids learn new words and expressions by listening to songs in Spanish on sites like Rockalingua? There, you can find original songs designed to assist children in learning Spanish. Each piece comes with illustrations and lyrics, so they will soon be singing along to the tunes! Furthermore, nearly all of the songs are available for free, and there are related games and picture dictionaries your kids can access if you create an account as well. Listen to these songs here!

Dora la Exploradora

Dora la Exploradora (Dora the Explorer) is incredibly famous all around the world, airing in dozens of languages, including Spanish. This cartoon follows the adventures of Dora, a girl who loves embarking on quests with her friends. The characters (including the fox and the monkey) take some time during the episode to teach kids specific words and phrases. If you have pre-school-aged children learning Spanish, this is the perfect show for them to watch. You can stream the videos using Nickelodeon Jr.’s website, which also includes memory games and word searches to allow your kids to practise the vocabulary and structures they learn in the show. Check out Dora's videos here!

Spanish-Games .net

Thanks to online games, your children can learn Spanish without getting bored. Using websites like Spanish-Games.net, they can reinforce grammar skills, improve their listening ability or learn to incorporate new vocabulary into their repertoire. Visit this site and you’ll find an array of games for children that can help them acquire the essentials of the language. These games are classified into different topics, like “Food”, “Family”, “School” or “Animals”. And the best part is that you can switch between European Spanish and Latin American Spanish, so your kids can study the dialect that’s most useful to them. Click here to start playing with your kids.

Eat Some Tapas with Friends - Spain

In the past, Spanish tapas referred to a specific type of food, eaten before dinner. But today, anything can be tapas: croquettes, cheese on toast, chips with bacon. The only thing that matters is that it’s a small portion that can be served with beer or wine. At some bars, tapas may be free of charge after you buy drinks. However, watch out: others might offer you tapas without saying that you will be charged later (especially in touristic destinations). Go for some tapas with your friends, drink some beer and enjoy the night like a true Spaniard! Want to know more about tapas? Click here!

Celebrate el Dia de los Muertos - Mexico

If you ever go to Mexico, you’ll see that on the 1st and 2nd of November, people visit cemeteries with food, candles, flowers, photographs and other elements to remember them. This happens because they celebrate a special date called El Dia de los Muertos, when they honour family members and loved ones who passed away. Mexicans believe they have to keep their memories alive, otherwise their spirits would fade away and never reach paradise. So, el Dia de los Muertos is a day of remembrance and prayer so people’s loved ones are able to get to Heaven. Click here to know more about Dia de los Muertos

Take a Siesta - Spain

If you ever travel to Spain or would like to emulate the Spanish lifestyle at home, you should definitely take a “siesta” (nap) after lunch! As the hours between 2pm and 5pm are hot throughout the country, most shops close and people go home to nap. Of course, the duration of each siesta varies according to each shop and the local climate. Either way, siestas are sacred, especially in the centre of Spain during the summer, so don’t be surprised if you ever come for a visit and find all the shops closed in the afternoon! Want to know more about the siesta? Read here!