Saying goodbye properly is very important in any language. Spanish is no exception, of course. In this article aprenderás cómo despedirte en español (you will learn how to say goodbye in Spanish!).

The most common way to say goodbye in Spanish is “Adiós.” People in Spanish-speaking countries use it in both formal and informal settings.

Unless you want to ruin your beautiful conversations in Spanish with yet another “hasta la vista, baby” , you should definitely check this table and then keep on reading!

1. The most common way to say goodbye in Spanish: Adiós

This means “goodbye” in Spanish. It’s a very short and convenient word to use on any occasion, but you don’t want to keep saying “Adiós a todos” todo el tiempo (goodbye to everyone all the time).

In a lot of places in Sudamérica (South America), if you’re talking to friends or family in a casual or informal situation, you may get away with Chao.  

2. Informal ways to say goodbye in Spanish

1. ¡Nos vemos! (See you or we’ll see each other)
2. ¡Suerte! (Good luck!)
3. Cuídate or Cuídese — Both words mean “take care”. The difference lies on whether you are using tú or usted.
4. ¡Hasta la próxima! — This means “until next time”.

The great thing about these options is that you may combine them como tú quieras (however you want!). Let’s go over some examples:

5. ¡Chao, nos vemos! — Pretty common to use among family or friends.
6. ¡Adiós, suerte! — If you are talking to someone you just met or are not too acquainted with them.
7. ¡Hasta la próxima, cuídese! — If it’s an elderly person or you need to show respect.

¿Cuál te gusta más? (Which one do you like best?) How would you combine them?

3. Formal ways of saying goodbye in Spanish

If you’re in a situation like a job interview or a business meeting, ¿qué dirías? (what would you say?)  

The most common option is using “Hasta luego“, which roughly means “See you later”, or “Hasta pronto“, which means “see you soon” in a fairly formal way. Both work wonders if you’re planning on seeing the other person again. So, if you’re in an interview, esta es la que quieres usar (this is the one you want to use). 

If you want to step up your game, then combine “Que tengas” (I wish you) with the time of the day:

8. Que tengas buenos días (I wish you a good day)
9. Que tengas buenas tardes (I wish you a good afternoon)
10. Que tengas buenas noches (I wish you a good evening or night)

Sounds confusing? Don’t worry, I’ve got your back! Just look for my other Spring Spanish video about saying other Spanish greetings, where I explain when to use días, tardes, and noches.

Of course, Spanish is a language spoken in many places in the world, and each culture has its own way of saying goodbye. There are a lot of options you could use depending on the place and situation. So let’s imagine you got a job in Veracruz, México, and you’re chilling with your coworker near the water dispenser and your boss is calling you for a meeting. In that case, you could say “Hasta luego, que tengas buenas tardes”, which means “See you later, have a good afternoon” and sounds casual but formal at the same time.

I come from a city called Barquisimeto, in Venezuela. Whenever I needed to leave a gathering with friends in a casual and quick way, I would use “¡Chao, panitas!” (Bye, partners!). 

In Argentina, however, the same context would require you to say “¡Chau, chau, chicos!” (Bye-bye, guys!).

So, what if you’re leaving your newfound Colombian crush at the airport in Bogotá? Will you settle with a cold and quick “que tengas buenas tardes“? OF COURSE NOT!

If you really want that farewell kiss, ¡tiene que ser ESPECTACULAR! (It should be Spectacular!)

¡Hasta siempre, María Teresa! ¡Siempre te recordaré!
(Until forever, María Teresa, I will always remember you!)

4. Learn different ways of Spanish goodbye

Estamos cerca de despedirnos por hoy (we’re close to saying goodbye for today), so let’s recap what we’ve learned so far:

Informal:

11. Adiós (Goodby)
12. Chao (Bye)
13. Nos vemos (See you)
14. Suerte (Good luck)
15. Hasta la próxima (See you next time)

Formal:

16. Hasta luego (See you later)
17. Hasta pronto (See you soon)
18. Que tengas (Have a nice day)
19. Buenos días (Good morning)
20. Buenas tardes (Good afternoon)
21. Buenas noches (Good evening)

So what do you think? ¿Estás listo o lista para despedirte en español? (Are you ready to say goodbye in Spanish?) Give me your best shot in the comments!

¡Muy bien! Now you know exactly how to say goodbye to people in Spanish, the perfect closing to end your conversation! We have a whole series of Spanish beginner videos, so feel free to check them out on our YouTube channel! 

Spoiler alert: ¡Todos están hablando de la misma palabra! (They’re all the same word!)

AMERICAN
Okay my amigos latinos, I hope you’re hungry because this American is making an Spanish Paella!

MEXICAN
Una paela? ¡Ahh wey estás hablando de una Paella!
(A paella? Oh dude you’re talking about a Paella!)

BOLIVIAN
No no, creo que se refiere a una Paella.
(No no, I think he’s referring to a Paella)

ARGENTINEAN
Ah, vos decís una Paella, no ché? 
(Oh, you’re talking about a Paella, right dude?)

I’m Juan from Spring Spanish and today I’ll teach you the differences between LL and Y, and how we pronounce them all over Latin America, así que llégate ya!

1. How are Y and LL pronounced?

In most of the Spanish Speaking world, the Y and LL are pronounced the same. And the sound is just like the J in Joe. Repeat after me:

• yo, (I)
• yegua, (female horse)
• llegamos. (we arrived)
• llámame.(Call me) 

So most of the differences are in cómo se usan en el español escrito (how they’re used in written Spanish). 

However, if you ever visit Argentina or Uruguay, you’ll notice they have a very particular way to pronounce it. So instead of Yo, It’s sho, Yegua is pronounced shegua. Llámame is shamame. The sound is pretty similar to the sh sound in most of the English words, like shoe or shadow. Let’s see some examples:

 ACTOR 1
Hola, buen día. Vengo a la entrevista.
(Hello, good morning. I come for the interview)

ACTOR 2
Ah, acabás de llegar, ¿no? Pasá al sillón amarillo. ¿Cómo te llamás?
(Oh, you just arrived, right? Sit on the yellow couch. What’s your name?)

ACTOR 1
Yo me llamo Juan. Mucho gusto.
(My name is Juan. Nice to meet you)

ACTOR 2
Hola Juan, yo soy Gino. Un gusto también.
(Hello Juan, I’m Gino. Nice to meet you, too.)

Find this pronunciation challenge too easy for you? Well, check this video and find out about other 5 sounds in Spanish that you won’t find in other languages!

As an interesting and not so common fact, there are some regions in Ecuador, Bolivia and Perú where they pronounce the LL like an L followed by a Y, like this:

• Llamar (to call)
• Cebolla (Onion)
• Cepillo (Brush)

Again, this is not very common but it is an interesting fact that will surprise your latino friends. Want to impress your latino friends even more? Entonces entra al link en la descripción (then click on the link on the description) because you will get a free chunking kit with a lot of information to start speaking Spanish, right away!

Cheat Sheet with 54 essential Spanish Chunks you’ll hear and use yourself in ANY Spanish conversation (and example sentences). Taken from our YouTube Teacher’s most popular videos!

2 Bonus Cheat Sheets with Travel Chunks and Dating/Relationship Chunks

A Spanish Chunking Tutorial showing you the 1 technique that’ll help you make 100% of the Spanish from our videos roll off the tongue in just 5 minutes a day (you’re probably only using 50% of our lessons’ potential right now…)

Yes! Send me my FREE Spanish Chunking Kit

Okay, ya sabemos las diferencias de pronunciación. Pero en Español escrito, (okay, now we know the pronunciation differences. But in written Spanish,

2. How are LL and Y in Spanish used in written Spanish?)

There are many rules and exceptions around the use of LL and Y, but here are some of the basics.

¿Cuándo usar Y? (When to use Y?)

When conjugating the ing form of a verb that ends in  -aer, -eer, -uir:

Remember: El español es un idioma muy extenso y complejo (Spanish is a very extensive and complex language) So these are only some rules. Do you know other words written with Y? Know how to use them? ¡Muéstrame en los comentarios! (show me in the comments!)

¿Cuándo usar LL? (When to use LL?)

Words that end in -illo, illa:

Also, words that end in ello, ella, alle and elle:

Be mindful though: There are words that are written the same but depending if they have Y or LL they mean different things:

ACTOR 1 *receives a message and writes on the cheese*
“Juan, ¿puedes traerme el queso que está en la nevera? ¿Puedes rayarlo porfa? ¡Gracias!”
(Juan, can you bring me the cheese that’s in the fridge? And can you write on it please? Thanks!)

ACTOR 1 *receives a message and grates the cheese*
“Juan, ¿puedes traerme el queso que está en la nevera? ¿Puedes rallarlo porfa? ¡Gracias!”
(Juan, can you bring me the cheese that’s in the fridge? And can you grate it please? Thanks!)

Lo siento mucho, pero eso no te va a servir tanto como crees con nativos que hablan todo el tiempo así, amigo querido. (I’m sorry, but that won’t help you as much as you think with natives speakers who speak like this all the time, dear friend.) 

Soy Juan de Spring Spanish, and here is what you should do instead! 

1. ¿Por qué? (Why?) 

You’ll notice we don’t slow down speech in our videos in fully Spanish videos or in our role-play parts aún cuando nos lo piden mucho, y eso es totalmente a propósito  (even though we get asked to do it a lot, and that is totally on purpose):

• Razón uno: no tiene sentido y no ayuda realmente al estudiante (Reason 1: It doesn’t make sense, and it doesn’t really help the learner): Unfortunately, real language is not that polished, especially during casual conversations. In real life situations, people don’t pronounce full words, they connect words, and they use slang and interjections. So, without the proper practice, when you find yourself in a conversation with a native speaker at “real-life speed,” vas a estar completamente perdido (you’ll be completely lost).
• Reason 2: You need to be exposed to natural speed to really get better and practice your listening comprehension skills. If you listen enough to Spanish at “normal speed”, your brain and ear gets used to it y luego de un tiempo, vas a entender. (and after a while you’ll just understand).

2. What can you do instead?

• Comprehensible input: Asegúrate de que lo que escuchas no es taaan complicado (Make sure that what you listen to is not too complicated). If you don’t understand anything, it’s not the right material for you. Start off easier at the beginning. First beginner material and then advance step by step. Every week is a bit more difficult. By the way, that’s exactly how our Spring Spanish Academy courses are built, link in the description.
•  “Ok, Juan, but I simply don’t understand anything! → Here’s a trick to make sure you understand these native speakers, even when they speak quickly. Use transcripts so you can listen and read along at the same time! Por eso todos nuestros videos tienen subtítulos ¡y traducciones en inglés también! (That’s why all of our videos have subtitles and translations to English too!). It may not look like it at first sight, but this is actually a ton of work for us! All for free, just for you! 
• Listen to sentences, dialogues or videos in Spanish several times. Every time you listen to it, you catch something else and something you haven’t heard or understood the first time, and this way step by step you understand more. De esta manera progresas masivamente. (This way you make massive progress.) 
• Even though we know the best way to learn is through chunks, if you struggle too much with understanding a certain word, get a translation. Una que otra vez, no hace daño. (Every now and then, it won’t hurt.) It helps you to make content comprehensible when it hasn’t been before. 

So while we are not slowing down speech, we are still here to help. What we are doing is leaving breaks after a sentence is done or after one of the speakers is done.

3. Cómo aprender con nuestros videos de Spring Spanish (How to learn with our Spring Spanish videos)

1. Paso uno: Just listen without reading. -> if you still don’t understand (most of it) then: 
2. Paso dos:  Listen with reading the Spanish subtitles -> if you still don’t understand (most of it) then:
3. Paso tres: Listen with reading the English subtitles
4. Paso cuatro: Repeat this process until you understand everything. Important: You don’t need to understand every single word and why it is where it is. You just need to understand what is being said. Because you can’t translate a language word by word. 

It will take you some time to get through a video, but I guarantee you that you will feel amazing after fully understanding a video you have not understood at all before. ¡Y vas a aprender muchísimo haciéndolo! (And you will learn a lot by doing so!) 

This is the way all our videos are set up, you always get subtitles in both languages, in the Inner Circle you also get flash cards for each lesson to study the chunks and also a transcript! ¿Te lo vas a perder? (Are you going to miss it out?) Link in the description! 

Summary for listening to slowed-down speech in Spanish

Listen to normal-speed Spanish, use transcripts and subtitles, too.

It’s a magical feeling if you listen to a podcast, an interview, a speech, or a recorded dialogue for the first time, and you don’t understand anything, but then you work with a transcript and listen repeatedly to the same audio and, all of a sudden, it just clicks, and you understand!

This will happen to you too if you follow this advice.

So you should see our videos that you don’t understand as a challenge, not as a hurdle :).

Pero a mí no, ¿eh? (Not me though, eh?)

Here is option number 1: 

1. ¿Te puedo pedir un favor? (Can I ask you for a favor?)

Safest and most polite way to ask for a favor, since you’re already asking IF you can ask for a favor: Oh, ¡qué educado! (Oh, so polite!).

So use this when you’re talking to a stranger or someone that demands respect. Also, this is the one you want to use when you’re asking for a big favor.

Remember, you can also say ¿Le puedo pedir un favor? (Can I ask you for a favor?) If you need to be more respectful. 

2. ¿Me harías un favor? (Would you do me a favor?)

Still on the very polite side, ¿me harías un favor? Sounds like you don’t want to bother the other person.

De todas maneras, ten cuidado (Anyway, be careful): Hispanic moms love to say podrías hacerme el favor de (could you do me the favor of) when they NEED you to do something: 

MOM
Juan Miguel, ¿podrías hacerme el favor de lavar los platos?
(Juan Miguel, could you do me the favor of doing the dishes?)

MOM
Juan Miguel, ¿podrías hacerme el favor de tender la cama?
(Juan Miguel, could you do me the favor of making the bed?)

MOM
Juan Miguel, ¿podrías hacerme el favor de lavar la ropa?
(Juan Miguel, could you do me the favor of doing the laundry?) 

MOM
Juan Miguel, ¿podrías hacerme el favor de callarte y responderme?
(Juan Miguel, could you do me the favor of shutting up and answering me?)

JUAN
¡Mamá, eso ni siquiera tiene sentido!
(Mom, that doesn’t even make any sense!)

Tough right? Well, if you want to use this chunk yourself, you’ll have to combine it with other chunks, and we have the perfect solution for you my friend: 

3. ¿Me das/echas una mano? (Can you give me a hand?)

¿Estás arreglando tu auto y necesitas que te pasen una llave? (You’re fixing your car, and you need someone to pass you a wrench?)

Maybe that sofa is too heavy just for you and your Latino neighbor is right there watching you move? 

Pues, n “ or ¿me das una mano? (Well, don’t hesitate to say can you give me a hand?) As this is a very friendly, informal way to ask for a quick favor.

4. Hazme una segunda (Lit.: Do me a second one / Do me a solid)

In a lot of Spanish-speaking countries, hacer una segunda means to do a favor. Like real quick, and then I’ll sure owe you for it.

It’s very informal and for simple stuff, so remember that when you need your friend to take over the counter at work, o pedirle a tu hermano las llaves del auto para una cita en la noche (or ask your brother to borrow his car for your date at night).

ACTOR 1
Papá, ¿me haces la segunda de pasarme las papas? Gracias.
(Dad, can you do me the solid of passing me the potatoes? Thank you.)

ACTOR 1
Epa, me haces una segunda, ¿me pasas la crema? Perfecto, gracias.
(Hey, would you do me a solid? Can you pass me the cream? Perfect, thank you.)

ACTOR 1
Oye, una segunda ahí, ¿me pasas el helado ese? No, no, el de triple chocolate.
(Hey, a little solid, can you pass me that ice cream? No, no, the triple chocolate one.)

ACTOR 1
Mamá, hazme una segunda, ¿me llamas una ambulancia? Gracias.
(Mom, do me a solid, can you call me an ambulance? Thank you.)

5. Le pido su apoyo (I ask for your support)

Y como si fuera poco (And as if it wasn’t enough), here’s a chunk to ask for a huge, incredible favor. And those normally come in the form of a very formal request, like a speech or a letter.

Picture yourself in this situation:

POLITICIAN
¡Mis queridos ciudadanos! En esta ocasión he venido a pedirles su apoyo para las nuevas elecciones. 
(My dear citizens! At this time, I’ve come to ask for your support in the upcoming elections.)

GUARD
Señor, disculpe…
(Sir, excuse me…)

POLITICIAN
¡Ahora no, que estoy dando un discurso! Como decía, ¡les pido su apoyo para ser el presidente que este pueblo tan inteligente se merece!
(Not now, I’m giving a speech! As I was saying, I ask for your support to be the president these wise people deserve!)

POLITICIAN
Ajá, ¿por qué me molestas en medio del discurso? ¿Que no ves que estoy tratando de que estos idiotas voten por mí?
(Okay, so why did you bother me in the middle of the speech? Can’t you see I’m trying to get these idiots to vote for me?)

GUARD
Es que quería decirle que su esposa lo está esperando. Y que no apagó el micrófono del podio…
(I needed to tell you your wife is waiting for you. And you didn’t turn off the podium microphone…)

So if you’re afraid of speaking Spanish or don’t feel ready yet, no te preocupes (don’t worry) because in this lessonI, Spring Spanish teacher Juan, will show you how you can use the silent period in Spanish to learn it!

Retrocedamos un poco (Let’s rewind a bit.) There’s a lot of research that shows that the only way to get really good at a foreign language is by listening to it. A lot.

Why? Porque cuando estás empezando, no conoces el sonido del lenguaje (Because when you’re just starting out, you don’t know the sound of the language), you don’t know which words native speakers use, which phrases,… 

Básicamente, no sabes nada. (Basically, you know nothing.)

So if you know nothing (or just a few words) in Spanish, but you decide to start speaking anyway, you will: 

ACTOR 1
Hello, nice to meet you! I’m J–

ACTOR 2
No no inglés please! Io hable spañola
(No, no English please! I “speaks Spañol”)

ACTOR 1
Ah, ¡perfecto! Bueno, yo soy Juan, ¡mucho gusto!
(Ah, perfect! Well, I’m Juan, nice to meet you!)

ACTOR 2
¡Mucho mi gustas Juan! Yo nombre John.
(Much you me likes, Juan! I name John.)

ACTOR 1
Mucho gusto John, se dice yo me llam-
(Nice to meet you John, it’s actually ‘my name is–”)

ACTOR 2
Sí sí, también estoy cansado con mi esposa dentro de 5 años.
(Yes, yes, I am also tired with my wife in 5 years.)

ACTOR 1
¿Cansado? No, espera…
(Tired? No, wait…)

ACTOR 2
¡Y me gusta viajarlo también! Perro no me gusta cagar maletas…
(And I like to travel it too! Dog I don’t like to take a dump in suitcases…)

ACTOR 1
¿Perro? ¿Ca qué? Uhm John? I think it’s better if we switch to English…
(Dog? Dump what? Uh, John? I think it’s better if we switch to English…)

You’ll translate sentences word for word from your mother tongue like in that unfortunate conversation.

The problem with this is, una vez que empieces a hablar así (once you start speaking this way), your brain starts thinking THAT’s correct Spanish! Again, because your brain doesn’t know what REAL Spanish sounds like yet. Es muy difícil corregir esto (It’s very hard to correct this, this is called “fossilization”), which means that these mistakes or this bad way of speaking fossilizes in your brain, and it’s very hard to get rid of this fossilization 

Así que para evitar todos estos problemas (So to avoid all these problems), some linguists and polyglots think it’s better to take some time where you just say… NOTHING.

Silence.

So you stay silent yourself, and you just listen and observe instead until your brain starts getting an idea of what Spanish is supposed to sound and look like. 

A bit like babies do: Escuchando sin hablar (listening without speaking)… but without the crying, maybe.

And ONLY when you’ve given your brain enough real Spanish input, you start speaking yourself. Y cometerás muchísimo menos errores (And you’ll make WAY fewer mistakes.)

Tiene sentido, ¿no? (Makes sense, right?)

A silent period can take anywhere from 1 month up to 6-12 months. 

So if you’d like to try this out, here are some Spring Spanish tips to make the most out of your silent period:

1. Listen to “comprehensible input” and dialogues in the silent period in Spanish

En el período de silencio, deberías pasar la mayor cantidad de tiempo posible escuchando español. (In the silent period, you should spend as much time as possible listening to Spanish.) Like in our lessons. Try to choose stuff that’s comprehensible to you. So in the beginning you’ll have to use materials made specifically for beginners students.

Podcasts, courses with dialogues, our YouTube videos, TV series if you’re more advanced already… Mientras más, mejor (the more, the better). And when I say as much as possible, I really mean as much as possible. 

2. Boost your understanding with cloze cards

If you listen to so much Spanish, you’ll come across tons of useful words and phrases that you might want to start using yourself after your silent period is over. Puedes empezar a memorizarlas en seguida con cloze cards (You can start memorizing them already with cloze cards), which look like this:

Front:

Deberías pasar ___________ (as much time as possible) escuchando español.

Back:

Deberías pasar la mayor cantidad de tiempo posible escuchando español.

You should spend as much time as possible listening to Spanish.

Memorize some cloze cards like this every day, and you’ll get fluent even faster.

3. Use some grammar course if you want

If you use an actual course, usually they’ll teach you some grammar too. Y si escuchas suficiente español, vas a aprender mucho de la estructura del lenguaje automáticamente. (And if you listen enough to Spanish, you’ll pick up a lot of the structure of the language automatically.) Combined, your brain will start grasping the language better and better! 

How to transition out of the silent period in Spanish

So let’s say your silent period is over: hopefully, you’ll feel ready to show off your Spanish skills now!

Pero quizás no te sientes tan seguro todavía desde el principio. (But maybe you don’t feel so confident yet from the start.) If that’s the case, here are some techniques to transition into speaking Spanish.

Dry runs (with yourself and others)

Esto significa construir tus propias frases en español (This means building your own Spanish phrases) that you have either heard before or by putting together chunks of Spanish without having to speak in an actual conversation with natives. 

Aquí hay algunas formas en las que puedes hacer esto por ti mismo (Here are some ways you can do this by yourself): 

• Speaking to yourself or thinking in Spanish in your head, you can also write Spanish. 
• Doing it with others: Escríbele correos a hispanohablantes y pídeles que te corrijan (write emails to native speakers and get them corrected), record yourself speaking and send it to native speakers to get it corrected (b-roll) 

La ventaja de esto es que tienes todo el tiempo del mundo para pensar (This has the advantage that you have all the time in the world to think) about what to write or say and do it over and over again until you are happy with the result and only then send it to a native speaker to get it corrected. The advantage of getting it corrected is still there without the need to have an actual conversation in real time

You can get really far with the silent period and get to a fairly good degree of Spanish without speaking it. But at some point you will want to start speaking because that’s why you’re learning it in the first place. This is scary. Speaking a foreign language with natives. 

I’m Juan Rojas. Not Rohas, not Rohas (with English r). Rojas. And today you’re also going to learn how to stop butchering 15 other Spanish last names, and pronounce them all correctly!

Let’s see if you can pronounce this one:

1. Rodríguez

Sí, lo sé (Yes, I know): Rolling your Spanish ‘r’ can be difficult, and it might take some practice to master, and you’re probably saying Roudrigueis, but the right way to pronounce this last name is Rodríguez. As in Michelle Rodríguez.

Now you try it: Ro-drí-guez. Roll those R’s, come on…

2. Fernández

So you think saying Feurnandeis is the right way, huh? Think again: Fer – nán – dez. Fernández. Also, notice that there’s a Spanish accent mark in the ‘a’, so stress that syllable: Fernández. As in the popular rancheras Mexican singer, Vicente Fernández. 

3. Martínez

Repeat after me: Mar – tí – nez. Martínez. Awesome last name that also happens to be my second last name. Can’t go wrong with Martínez.

4. Ramírez

The correct way to pronounce this last name is Ra – mí – rez. Ramirez. Like the Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramírez. Now you try it.

5. Gómez

You probably know singer Selena Gomez, but you might be surprised with how her last name is correctly pronounced, and that is Gó – mez. Gómez. Look at her now.

Why do Spanish last names end with -ez?

By the way, did you notice these first 5 last names all end with -ez? You’ll soon notice that’s very frequent with Spanish surnames. 

This is because in ancient Spain, your last name would likely be your father’s name plus the suffix -ez: 

• ¿Tu papá se llama Fernando? Entonces tú eres Fernández. Ah, ¿eres la hija de Martín? Entonces tu apellido es Martínez. (Is your dad’s name Fernando? Then you are Fernández. Oh, you’re the daughter of Martín? Then your last name is Martínez).  

The origin is kind of a mystery, but some experts think it comes from the Euskera dialect in the Iberian Peninsula and others think it’s a Visigothic heritage suffix that means “in possession of”.

Interesting, right?

6. Torres

Another great opportunity to practice your Spanish r’s: To-rres. Not Toures, Torres. Try it out yourself! Por cierto (by the way): this means towers in Spanish.

¡Por cierto! (by the way), if you want more chunks to learn by heart and bypass important Spanish grammar rules, just go to the link in the description and download our Essential Spanish Chunking Kit! See? I just gave you an example on how to use it!

Cheat Sheet with 54 essential Spanish Chunks you’ll hear and use yourself in ANY Spanish conversation (and example sentences). Taken from our YouTube Teacher’s most popular videos!

2 Bonus Cheat Sheets with Travel Chunks and Dating/Relationship Chunks

A Spanish Chunking Tutorial showing you the 1 technique that’ll help you make 100% of the Spanish from our videos roll off the tongue in just 5 minutes a day (you’re probably only using 50% of our lessons’ potential right now…)

Yes! Send me my FREE Spanish Chunking Kit

7. Delgado

Por cierto, this actually also means ‘thin’ in Spanish! Del – ga – do is actually a surname in Spanish as well. 

Also, remember that we pronounce the letter ‘d’ in Spanish in only one way, similar to dice in English. So it’s not Delgarou, it’s Delgado. Repeat after me: Delgado!

8. Bolívar

If I had a Bolívar for every time I hear some gringo saying Bolivaur instead of Bo – lí – var…

Well, I wouldn’t have much because Venezuelan money is worthless right now, but the point is, Bolívar is a very important last name for Latin Americans, since one of the most important characters in the independence process of many South American countries is the Venezuelan Liberator, Simón Bolívar. That’s also the name of the Venezuelan currency. 

9. Colón

Funny how stressing the wrong syllable can change the meaning of a last name because this particular one is not pronounced Coulon, it’s Co – lón, you know, like that Spaniard dude Cristóbal Colón or Christopher Columbus, or the salsero Willie Colón. Now it’s your turn to try it!

10. Castillo

In English, having a double l normally sounds like magellan, or million, but in Spanish it sounds like the ‘y’ in ‘you’ but harder, so this last name is actually pronounced Cas – ti – llo. Castillo. You try it! That’s also a word for castle in Spanish.

11. Rubio

Meaning ‘blonde’ in Spanish, this is another last name where you need to roll your ‘r’ like a native to pronounce it correctly: Ru – bio. Not Roubiou, Rrrubio!

12. Guerrero

Just so you understand how important it is to roll your r’s in Spanish, this one is not pronounced Gurrerou, it’s Gue – rre – ro. Guerrero. It also means ‘warrior’ in Spanish. Cool last name, right?

13. Moreno

Another last name that actually has a meaning, Mo-re-no, Moreno, means “dark-skinned or brunette” in Spanish.

14. Aguilera

Sounds weird, I know, but the correct pronunciation is A – gui – le – ra. Aguilera. Do not pronounce the ‘u’ in it. This also means something like “a bunch of eagles”. 

15. Herrera

You’re probably used to saying Jeurreirai because of this famous Venezuelan fashion designer, but remember that en español, la H es muda (in Spanish, the H is silent) so pronounce it He – rre – ra. Herrera. Just imagine telling your friends Sí claro, yo conozco el trabajo de Carolina Herrera. (Yes of course, I know the work of Carolina Herrera.) Dude, you’ll sound like you’re well versed in the Latin world of fashion, I guarantee it!

Está bien, tranqui. Vamos de nuevo. (That’s okay, easy. Let’s go again.)

Hola amigos, yo soy Juan and tod…

Pero bueno ¿y entonces? Otra vez. (So, now what? Again.)

Hola amigos, yo soy J- CARAJO QUÉ BUENA VAINA CONTIGO, ¿HASTA CUANDO? ¿QUÉ ES LO QUE TE PASA A TI, CHICO? (#$%@ WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH YOU, TILL WHEN? WHAT’S UP WITH YOU, PAL?)

That’s right: I’m showing you 10 chunks to express anger in Spanish y buscarte una pelea  (and pick a fight), if desired.  Click on any of them to learn more!

Here’s the first one…

1. Te estás pasando de la raya (You’ve crossed the line)

Use this when someone is pushing it too far, and it’s starting to get annoying. Look at how it can be used:

ACTOR 1
¡Tu mamá es gorda y vieja!
(Your mom is fat and old!)

ACTOR 2
¡Jajaja, la tuya también!
(Hahaha, yours as well!)

ACTOR 1
¿Y tus hermanos? ¡Todos unos perdedores!
(And your brothers? All of them are losers!)

ACTOR 2
¡Jajaja, es verdad!
(Hahaha, that’s true!)

ACTOR 1
¡Y el Boca es una porquería de equipo!
(And Boca is a crappy team!)

ACTOR 2
Te pasaste de la raya con eso.
(You’ve crossed the line with that.)

2. Me tienes hasta la coronilla (Lit.: You have me up to the crown / I’ve had it up to here)

The literal meaning for this one makes no sense in English, but it means I ran out of patience, so use this chunk as a whole when something like this happens:

ACTOR
Sí, ¿hola?
(Yes, hello?)

SELLER
Hola señor, mi nombre es Juan y quiero ofrecerle una gran oportunidad para ser su propio jefe.
(Hello Sir, my name is Juan and I want to show you a great opportunity to be your own boss.)

ACTOR
Gracias, no estoy interesado.
(Thank you, I’m not interested.)

*next day*

ACTOR
Hola… es usted de nuevo.
(Hello… it’s you again.)

SELLER
Hola señor, mi nombre es Juan y quiero ofrecerle una gran oportunidad para ser su propio jefe.
(Hello Sir, my name is Juan and I want to show you a great opportunity to be your own boss.)

ACTOR 
Ya le dije que no estoy interesado, gracias.
(I already told you I’m not interested, thank you)

*next day*

ACTOR
¿Hola? ¿OTRA VEZ USTED?
(Hello? YOU AGAIN?)

SELLER
Hola señor, mi nombre es Juan y quiero ofrecerle una gran oportunidad—
(Hello Sir, my name is Juan and I want to show you a great opportunity–)

ACTOR
¡QUE NO QUIERO! ¡YA NO ME MOLESTES MÁS! ¡ME TIENES HASTA LA CORONILLA!
(I TOLD YOU I DON’T WANT IT! STOP BOTHERING ME ALREADY! I’VE HAD IT UP TO HERE!)

3. Poner los puntos sobre las íes (Lit.: Draw the dots over the i’s / Set the record straight)

So this guy is doing something wrong or getting on your nerves, and you definitely have to say something about it and try to teach him a lesson, ve y ponle los puntos sobre las íes (Lit.:go and draw the dots over the i’s/set the record straight) like this:

ACTOR 1
El tipo andaba tocando corneta, a toda velocidad, paraba los autos, se atravesaba, no respetaba los semáforos…
(This dude was honking the horn, speeding, blocking cars, driving in the middle, didn’t respect the traffic lights…)

ACTOR 2
¿En serio? Qué mal. ¿Y qué hiciste?
(Really? That’s terrible. So what did you do?)

ACTOR 1
Bueno, atravesé mi carro en la carretera, me bajé y le puse los puntos sobre las íes al tipo ese.
(Well, I parked my car in the middle of the road, got out and I set the record straight to that guy.)

ACTOR 2
¡Qué bien, seguro aprendió! ¿Y luego qué pasó?
(Awesome, he sure learned his lesson! And then what happened?)

ACTOR 1
Luego me di cuenta que era una ambulancia, así que necesito que me vengas a buscar a la comisaría. 
(Then I realized it was an ambulance, so I need you to pick me up at the police station.)

4. Me saca de mis casillas (Lit.: It takes me out of my frames / It really gets me angry)

Do you know the kind of people that literally make you break out, get under your skin and just have a talent to make you angry? Well, in Spanish we have an expression for that:

ACTOR 1
*taps on the table*

ACTOR 2
Ya deja eso, me saca de mis casillas.
(Stop that already, it really gets me angry.)

5. No me busques porque me vas a encontrar (Don’t look for me because you will find me)/ Buscando lo que no se te ha perdido (Looking for that which you haven’t lost)

This expression is normally used as a warning when someone’s pushing it too far and it means that they’re probably not ready to handle that response they’re looking for.

ACTOR 1
Esa que te saludó es la hermana de Carlos, ¿no?
(That girl who greeted you is Carlos’ sister, right?)

ACTOR 2
Sí. ¿Por qué?
(Yeah. Why?)

ACTOR 1
No por nada, por nada. Epa y ¿tiene novio?
(No reason, no reason. And does she have a boyfriend?)

ACTOR 2
Sí, sí tiene. Es novia de un policía.
(Yes, she does. She’s the girlfriend of a cop.)

ACTOR 1
Ah, ya ya. ¿Y sabes si el novio es celoso?
(Oh, right, right. And do you know if the boyfriend is the jealous type?)

ACTOR 2
Ay Juan… ¡deja de estar buscando lo que no se te ha perdido!
(Hey Juan… stop looking for what you haven’t lost!)

6. Este sí tiene bolas/ huevos (This person has some balls)

In Latinamerica we have maaaany expressions that have to do with testicles. So, perdón resto del mundo, pero amamos hablar de los testículos aquí. (Sorry, rest of the world, but we love to talk about testicles here.) So having balls or “eggs” can mean that a person is very brave, but also that they have no shame:

ACTOR 1
Qué fila tan larga, ¿no? Hola buenos días. Señor, la fila, la fila está por aquí. Ey, señor, ¿señor? ¡EY! ¿Epa, vieron cómo se saltó la fila? ¡Este tipo sí tiene bolas!
(What a long line, right? Hello, good morning. Sir, the line, the line is over here. Hey, sir, sir? HEY! Did you see how he skipped the line? This guy has some balls!)

7. Romper los huevos/ las bolas (Break the eggs/ the balls)

Ok, second and final reference to masculine genitals: romper los huevos means being very annoying. Insisting a lot, repeatedly doing something annoying, doing something over and over again. Wearing people out with repeating things… justo como probablemente estoy haciendo ahora perdón…(just like I’m probably doing right now, sorry…) 

8. ¿Tú quieres peo conmigo? (Lit.: Do you want a fart with me? / Do you want to fight me?) (Venezuela) 

In Venezuela, meterse en un peo (lit.: to get in a fart) means to get in trouble. So if you think someone’s trying to pick a fight with you, you can directly ask them: ¿Tú quieres un peo conmigo? (Do you want to fight me?) That way you can scare them off, and they’ll be like whoa, okay panita you know your Spanish, I don’t want no problems with you man, I’ll just move along.

9. Estoy re-caliente (Lit.:I’m super hot/I’m super furious) (Argentina) 

ACTOR 1
¡Hola! ¿Será que vamos a tomarnos algo?
(Hello! What do you say if we go get some drinks?)

ACTOR 2
No, ché. Es un re-mal momento. Estoy re-caliente.
(No dude. Really bad time. I’m super furious.)

ACTOR 1
Ah sí, me lo imaginé cuando vi tu auto chocado afuera.
(Oh yeah, I figured it out when I saw your crashed car parked outside.)

ACTOR 2
No, qué auto chocado, ¿eso qué importa? ¡Se comieron todo el dulce de leche!
(Who cares about the crashed car? They finished all of the dulce de leche!)

Express anger in Spanish with our Essential Spanish Chunking List

No matter which expression you use to express anger in Spanish, we can help you. How? You only have to click the link in this description below and you’ll get the Essential Spanish Chunking Kit!

Cheat Sheet with 54 essential Spanish Chunks you’ll hear and use yourself in ANY Spanish conversation (and example sentences). Taken from our YouTube Teacher’s most popular videos!

2 Bonus Cheat Sheets with Travel Chunks and Dating/Relationship Chunks

A Spanish Chunking Tutorial showing you the 1 technique that’ll help you make 100% of the Spanish from our videos roll off the tongue in just 5 minutes a day (you’re probably only using 50% of our lessons’ potential right now…)

Yes! Send me my FREE Spanish Chunking Kit

ACTOR 1
Estábamos en la fiesta y cuando el tío Alberto empezó a poner Vicente Fernández, ahí supe que era hora de irse. ¿Me entiendes?
(We were at the party, and when uncle Alberto started playing Vicente Fernández, that’s when I knew it was time to leave, do you get me?)

ACTOR 2 *confundido*
¡Claro, te entiendo!
(Sure, I get you!)

Or something like this:

ACTOR 1
No entendí nada de lo que me dijo, así que le pregunté a María si su amigo era árabe o chino. ¿Pues adivina qué? ¡ERA CHILENO JAJAJA!
(I didn’t get anything of what he said, so I asked María if her friend was Arab or Chinese. Well guess what? HE WAS CHILEAN HAHAHA!)

ACTOR 2 *confused and faking he understood*
¡JAJAJA CLARO, QUÉ RISA ME DA!
(HAHAHA OF COURSE, IT MAKES ME LAUGH SO HARD!)

I’m Juan from Spring Spanish, and if you didn’t understand these references, you’ll always remain an outsider when talking to Latinos. But don’t worry: in this video I’m going to explain the previous two references and many others Latinos make all the time in conversations, so you can finally join them! ¡Acompáñenme!

So let’s say you get together with a friend, so you can practice some Spanish: 

ACTOR 1
Hola, ¿cómo estás?
(Hello, how are you?)

ACTOR 2
Bien, ¿y tú? ¿Cómo está la vaina?
(I’m good, and you? How’s everything going?)

Ok, first one:even though the literal meaning for this expression is “how is the sheath or the envelope”, vaina is a word mostly used in Panamá, Colombia and Venezuela and, depending on the context, it can mean many, maaany things (trust me). In this case, asking ¿cómo está la vaina? Is an equivalent to “how’s everything going”. 

ACTOR 1
¡Bien, bien! ¿Qué me cuentas?
(Good, good! What are you up to?)

ACTOR 2
Aquí aburrido en el trabajo. Esto está más solo que la una. 
(Here, bored at work. This is lonelier than 1 o’clock.)

Más solo que la 1 literally means lonelier than 1 o’clock. And it refers to the hour 1 o’clock which is very lonely.  

ACTOR 1
Ah, ok. Qué mal escuchar eso.
(Oh, ok. That’s unfortunate to hear.)

ACTOR 2
Sí, pero pa’ lante. ¿Qué onda contigo?
(Yeah, but moving forward. What’s up with you?)

Ok, so the expression pa’ lante means something like “moving forward”. It’s short for “para adelante” and it’s a way Latinos say good times will come soon even if you’re having a bad moment and all you have to do is darle pa’ lante (move forward).

Now, the expression ¿Qué onda contigo? literally means: what wave with you.  It roughly means what’s up with you. Saying qué onda is pretty common among natives to ask about something. Continuemos:

ACTOR 1
¡Yo estoy bien! Estoy aprendiendo español con un curso y me gustaría que me ayudes a practicar. 
(I’m good! I’m learning Spanish with a course, and I’d like you to help me practice.)

ACTOR 2
¡Claro panita!  ¡Practicar conmigo te va a ayudar a entender a latinos en todo el mundo! Eso sí, no te prometo nada con los chilenos, ¿eh? Jajaja.
(Of course, my friend! Practicing with me will help you understand Latinos all around the world! I can’t promise you anything about Chileans though, hahaha) 

Two expressions in this last line: Cuando entres en confianza con un latino (When you get close to a Latino) you’ll hear expressions like cuate, panita, batería or carnal quite often. Because this is how we refer to our close friends. 

The second thing you’ll notice here is the thing about Chileans. Now, for some reason, the rest of Latinamerica makes fun of the Chilean accent. This is because my good southern friends use a lot of slang, and they have a very fast and peculiar way to pronounce some things. 

ACTOR 1
¡Jajaja! Estoy seguro de que los demás exageran, no debe ser tan difícil entenderlos. 
(Hahah! I’m sure they’re blowing it out of proportion, it shouldn’t be so hard to understand them)

ACTOR 2
Bueno, practiquemos un poco: te conté que le empecé a echar los perros a una jeva, ¿no?
(Alright, let’s practice a little: Did I tell you I started throwing the dogs to a girl, right?)

Ok, calm down, your friend is not involved in animal cruelty. Echar los perros or lanzar los perros is a common expression used by some Latinos to say you’re hitting on someone. Likewise, jeva means lady, and sometimes it means girlfriend as well. Bottom line: Your friend is flirting with a special lady.

ACTOR 1
No, no sabía. ¿Y cómo te va con eso?
(No, I didn’t know that. How’s that going for you?)

ACTOR 2
Bueno, al principio pa’ atrás, como el cangrejo, pero después mejoró. ¿Quieres que te cuente lo que me pasó en la primera cita?
(Well, at first backwards like the crab, but then it got better. Do you want me to tell you how I did on the first date?)

Yes, again with the animal references. Pa’ atrás como el cangrejo means that something is going so bad that it’s not moving forward, but backwards. Do you know who walks backwards? The crab! 

ACTOR 1
No, ¿en serio te fue tan mal? A ver, cuéntame.
(No, seriously it went that bad? Let’s see, tell me.)

ACTOR 2
Bueno. Empezamos a hablar por celular y nos mandamos muchos mensajes. Pasaron como tres semanas hasta que la invité a salir.
(Okay. We started talking on the phone and we sent each other many texts. 3 weeks or so went by until I asked her out.)

ACTOR 1
¿Tres semanas? Eso es demasiado. ¿Le tenías miedo, acaso?
(3 weeks? That’s too much. Were you afraid of her, maybe?)

ACTOR 2
¿Tenerle miedo? No vale, ni que fuera la chancla de mi mamá. 
(Afraid? Of course not dude, it’s not like she’s my mom’s flip-flop.)

Ah, yes. La temida chancla materna (the fearsome motherly flip-flop). It is well known how popular of a learning method it is in Latinamerica, and Latin moms throw their flip-flops with incredible Robin Hood-like accuracy. So if your Latino friend is afraid of something ever, that is, his mom’s chancla.

ACTOR 2
Lo que pasa es que esas semanas me pasaron miles de cosas: se me rompió el auto, perdí las llaves, me robaron el celular… estaba más salao que trapo e’ barco.    
(What happened was that in those weeks a thousand things happened: my car broke down, I lost my keys, I got my cell phone stolen… I was saltier than a ship’s mop.)

In most Latin countries, estar salado (being salty) is a synonym of having bad luck. So the unluckier you are, the saltier you get. Imagine how salty a ship’s mop can be. Yeah, that’s a lot of bad luck alright! 

ACTOR 1
Ah… ahora entiendo. Bueno, espero que esto tenga un final feliz amigo. ¿Qué pasó cuando la invitaste a salir?
(Ah… now I get it. Well, I hope this has a happy ending, my friend. What happened when you asked her out?)

ACTOR 2
Bueno, la invité al cine a ver mi película favorita. Llegué a buscarla a su casa dos horas antes de la función, pero me dijo que pasara un minuto para conocer a su familia, y llegamos media hora tarde al cine.
(So, I invited her to watch my favorite movie. I went to pick her up two hours before the start of the movie, but she told me to come in for a minute to meet her family, and we arrived half an hour late to the movie theater.)

ACTOR 1
¿Llegaron tarde? ¿Pero por qué? ¡Si llegaste tan temprano a su casa!
(You arrived late? But why? You arrived so early to her house!)

ACTOR 2
Bueno, entré a su casa a saludar a su familia… ¡y resulta que era mexicana!
(Well, I went into her house to say hi to the family… and it turns out she was Mexican!)

And as a final expression you might not get: us Latinos usually have very big families. So that poor fella went into that home thinking he was gonna take a minute to say hi to mom and dad, but he probably had to give a kiss to the abuelitas, las tías por parte de papá, las tías de la mamá, (grandma, dad’s aunts, mom’s aunts), say hi to los primos y las primas (the cousins), introduce himself to the cuñados y los tíos de los papás (brothers-in-law and parents’ uncles), probably tell his full name to the padrinos (godfathers) who raised her when dad was working abroad and la vecina que también es como de la familia y la mamá dice que es la hermana, más los hijos de la vecina que son como los primos de la much… (the neighbor who is also like family and the mom says that she is the sister, plus the children of the neighbor who are like the cousins of the gir…) anyway.  Big, huge, families are a thing in Latin America.

ACTOR 1
Ah no, sonaste. Bueno, ¿y qué tal les terminó de ir esa noche?
(Ah, you’re screwed. Okay, so how did the night end up?)

ACTOR 2
Bueno, por suerte, luego de saludarlos a todos e ir a ver la película, quedamos para otra cita hoy a las ocho en punto.
(Well, luckily, after saying hi to everyone and watching the movie, we are going to have another date today at 8 sharp.)

ACTOR 1
¡Me alegra escuchar que todo salió bien! Seguro no vuelven a llegar tarde a una pelíc.. Espera, ¡son las 8:10!
(I’m glad to hear everything worked out in the end! I’m pretty sure you guys will not arrive late anymore to a mov.. Wait, it’s 8:10!)

Let’s see if you recognize all of them… Acompáñenme!

Let’s start with cognados perfectos (perfect cognates): This is words that are written the same in Spanish and English:

1. Perfect Spanish cognates

Actor

Example: Edgar Ramírez es un actor venezolano en Hollywood. (Edgar Ramírez is a Venezuelan actor in Hollywood.)

Alcohol

Example: Lo siento, eres muy joven para consumir alcohol. (I’m sorry, you’re too young to drink alcohol.)

Animal

Example: Me encantan los animales, pero algunos son peligrosos. (I love animals, but some are dangerous.)

Artificial

Example: La inteligencia artificial está muy avanzada actualmente. (Artificial intelligence is very advanced nowadays.)

Banana

Example: Mi fruta favorita es la banana. (My favorite fruit is banana.)

Bar

Example: ¿Ya te contaron el chiste del caballo y el bar? (Did they tell you the joke about the horse and the bar?)

Cable

Example: Dicen que la TV por cable será reemplazada por servicios de stream. (they say Cable TV will be replaced by stream services.)

Capital

Example: La capital de Venezuela es Caracas. (The capital of Venezuela is Caracas)

Club

Example: ¿Nos vemos en el club el viernes en la noche? (Are we meeting at the club on Friday night?)

Confusión

Example: ¿Qué? ¿Veinte dólares por una milanesa? ¡Esto debe ser una confusión! (What? 20 dollars for a milanesa? This must be a mix-up!

Debate

Example:  Hoy hubo un gran debate en el congreso por la legalización del aborto. (There was a great debate today at the Congress because of the abortion legalization)

Diagonal

Example: Si tomas la diagonal, llegas a la estación de servicio. (If you take the diagonal, you’ll get to the gas station)

Error

Example: ¡Querían cobrarme veinte dólares por una milanesa! Obviamente, fue un error. (They wanted to charge me 20 dollars for a milanesa! Obviously, it was an error.

Enigma

Example: Todas las historias del triángulo de las Bermudas son un enigma. (All the stories about the Bermuda Triangle are an enigma)

Explosión

Example: Al caer el cohete chino en el mar, hubo una gran explosión. (When the Chinese rocket fell into the sea, there was a big explosion.)

Familiar

Example: ¿De quién es esta canción? Me suena familiar. (Whose song is this? It sounds familiar.)

Fórmula

Example: ¡El domingo vamos a la pista de Fórmula 1 a ver la carrera! (We’re going to the Formula 1 track on Sunday to watch the race!)

General

Example: En general, los latinos solemos ser muy amigables. (In general, us latinos tend to be very friendly.)

Gas

Example: ¿Hueles eso? Creo que hay una fuga de gas. (Do you smell that? I think there’s a gas leak.)

Honor

Example: ¡Los soldados independentistas lucharon con honor! (The independence soldiers fought with honor!)

Idea

Example: Qué te parece esta idea: ¡Suscríbete a nuestro canal! (What do you think of this idea: Subscribe to our channel!)

Industrial

Example: La población europea creció mucho gracias a la Revolución Industrial. (The European population grew a lot thanks to the Industrial Revolution.)

Kilo

Example: ¡Traje tres kilos de carne para el asado! (I brought 3 kilos of meat for the barbecue!)

Literal

Example: El significado literal de la expresión “echar los perros”  es coquetear. (The literal meaning of the expression “throw the dogs” is to flirt.)

Local

Example: Lo primero que quiero hacer en mi viaje es probar la comida local. (The first thing I want to do in my trip is to try local food.)

Manual

Example: Disculpe, ¿puedo alquilar un auto de transmisión manual? (Excuse me, can I rent a manual transmission car?)

Material

Example: ¡Con las cuatro lecciones gratis semanales de Spring Spanish, tengo suficiente material para estudiar español! (With the 4 free weekly Spring Spanish lessons, I have enough material to study Spanish!)

Oriental

Example:  ¡Me encanta la comida oriental! (I love oriental food!)

Original

Example: El canal de Spring Spanish tiene 100% contenido original. (The Spring Spanish channel has 100% original content.)

Peculiar

Example: La comida mexicana tiene un sabor muy peculiar. (Mexican food has a very peculiar taste.)

Propaganda

Example: Los medios de comunicación del gobierno son pura propaganda. (Government owned media are pure propaganda.)

Radio

Example: Quiero escuchar música. ¿Puedes prender la radio, por favor? (I want to listen to music. Can you turn the radio on, please?)

Reunión

Example: Al final de la película, el protagonista se encuentra con su hijo perdido. Fue una reunión muy emotiva. (At the end of the movie, the main character finds his lost son. It was a very emotional reunion.)

Serial

Example: ¿Ya viste el último documental de Netflix sobre un asesino serial? (Did you watch the most recent Netflix documentary about a serial killer?)

Social

Example: Durante la pandemia, las redes sociales han ayudado mucho a la comunicación. (During the pandemic, social networks have helped with communication a lot.)

Taxi

Example: Mi hotel queda muy lejos, ¿podrías llamarme un taxi? (My hotel is far from here, could you call me a taxi?)

Triple

Example: ¡Mi helado favorito es el triple chocolate! (My favorite ice cream flavor is triple chocolate!)

Universal

Example: Mis películas favoritas son las de Estudios Universal. (My favorite movies are from Universal Studios.)

Vertical

Example: El Salto Ángel en Venezuela es la caída de agua vertical más alta del mundo. (The Angel Falls in Venezuela is the tallest vertical waterfall in the world.)

Zoo

Example: Cuando era chico amaba ir al zoo. (When I was little I loved to go to the zoo.) 

2. Imperfect Spanish cognates

These are words that are almost identical in Spanish and English, but they have a little tweak. And since I just told you two, let’s go with the rest!

Which ones, you say? Well, if you’ve been paying attention, let me know in the comments if you know what I mean! If you don’t, also tell me in the comments! 

Abandonar (to abandon)

Example: No conozco a nadie más aquí en este hotel, ¡no me vayas a abandonar! (I don’t know anyone else in this hotel, don’t you abandon me!)

Admitir (to admit)

Example: ¡Me acaban de admitir en la universidad! (I just got admitted to college!)

Cancelar (to cancel)

Example: Empezó a llover, así que tuve que cancelar mis planes. (It started raining, so I had to cancel my plans.)

Primario (Primary)

Example: El amarillo es un color primario. (Yellow is a primary color.)

Activar (to activate)

Example: Para usar la aplicación, tienes que activar el código. (To use the app, you have to activate the code.)

Extraordinario (extraordinary)

Example: Juan es un profesor extraordinario.  (Juan is an extraordinary teacher.) 

Convicto (convict)

Example: El convicto fue declarado culpable de los cargos. (The convict was pleaded guilty as charged.)

Producto (product)

Example: El vendedor me convenció así que compré el producto. (The salesperson convinced me so I bought the product.)

Admirar (to admire)

Example: El atardecer en mi ciudad es digno de admirar. (The sunset in my hometown is worth admiring.)

Asumir (to assume)

Example: Debo asumir que ya le diste like a este video.  (I should assume you already liked this video.)

Completar (to complete)

Example: Para obtener tu licencia, tienes que completar este formulario. (To get your license, you must complete this form.)

Audiencia (Audience)

Example: Al terminar el concierto, la audiencia dió un gran aplauso. (When the concert ended, the audience gave a great ovation.)

Consecuencia (consequence)

Example: Los riesgos traen grandes beneficios pero también grandes consecuencias.  (Risks deliver great benefits but also great consequences.)

Independencia (Independence)

Example: Todos los cinco de julio se celebra la Independencia de Venezuela. (Every July 5th the Independence of Venezuela is celebrated.)

Violencia (Violence)

Example: La violencia es el armas de los necios. (Violence is the weapon of the fools.)

Artístico (Artistic)

Example:  La arquitectura renacentista tiene un alto valor artístico. (Renaissance architecture has a high artistic value.)

Atómica (Atomic)

Example: La bomba atómica es de los inventos más terribles de la humanidad. (The atomic bomb is one of humanity’s most terrible inventions.)

Fluido (Fluid)

Example: Las máquinas hidráulicas son tan fuertes gracias a la dinámica de fluidos. (Hydraulic machines are so strong thanks to fluid dynamics.)

Ácido (acid)

Example: Me encanta el sabor ácido de las naranjas. (I love the acid flavor of oranges.)

Automóvil (Automobile)

Example: ¿No tienes cómo ir a la fiesta? Tranquilo, vamos en mi automóvil. (You don’t know how to go to the party? Don’t worry, we’ll go in my car.)

Existencialismo (Existentialism)

Example: Jean Paul Sartre fue uno de los creadores del existencialismo. (Jean Paul Sartre was one of the creators of Existentialism.)

Artista (Artist)

Example: Celia Cruz fue una gran artista latina. (Celia Cruz was a great latin artist.)

Competitivo (competitive)

Example: El fútbol latinoamericano es muy competitivo (Latin American soccer is very competitive.)

Atractivo (Attractive)

Example: ¿Crees que tu amiga me encuentre atractivo? (Do you think your friend would find me attractive?)

Completamente (Completely)

Example: Estoy completamente seguro de que aprenderás español con Spring Spanish. (I’m completely sure you’ll learn Spanish with Spring Spanish.)

Totalmente (Totally)

Example: Estoy TOTALMENTE seguro de que aprenderás español con Spring Spanish. (I’m TOTALLY sure you’ll learn Spanish with Spring Spanish.)

Departamento (Department)

Example: Salgamos a comer algo. ¿Puedes pasar por mi apartamento antes? (Let’s go grab a bite. Can you stop by my apartment first?)

Experimento (Experiment)

Example: Actualmente, los experimentos en animales se han reducido en los laboratorios. (Currently, animal experiments have been reduced at the labs.)

Arrogancia (Arrogance)

Example: “¡Aquí mando yo!” dijo con arrogancia el capitán. (“I’m the boss here!” The captain said with arrogance.)

Elegancia (Elegance)

Example: “Usted manda en el cuartel, esto es un salón de clase.” Dijo el profesor con elegancia. (“You’re the boss at the military base, this is a classroom”. Said the teacher with elegance.)

Inmigrante (Immigrant)

Example: Yo soy venezolano pero vivo en Argentina. Soy inmigrante. (I’m Venezuelan but I live in Argentina. I’m an immigrant)

Brillante (Brilliant)

Example: Marie Curie era una científica brillante. (Marie Curie was a brilliant scientist.)

Mutante (mutant) 

Example: Recientemente, se han descubierto cepas mutantes de COVID. (Recently, mutant strains of COVID have been discovered.)

Ambicioso (Ambitious)

Example: En la vida debes aspirar grandes cosas, pero cuidado con ser muy ambicioso. (In life you must wish for great things, but be wary of getting too ambitious.)

Nervioso (Nervous)

Example: ¡Tengo un examen en unos minutos y estoy muy nervioso! (I have a test in a few minutes and I’m very nervous!)

Adopción (Adoption)

Example: ¡Qué lindos cachorros! ¿Están en adopción? (Beautiful puppies! Are they up for adoption?)

Evaluación (evaluation)

Example: Después de la evaluación, el doctor me dijo que no tenía que preocuparme. (After the evaluation, the doctor said I didn’t have to worry.)

Combinación (Combination)

Example: No recuerdo la combinación de mi casillero, pero la tengo anotada en mi cuaderno. (I don’t remember the combination of my locker, but I have it in my notebook.)

Capacidad (Capacity)

Example: Este vagón está en su máxima capacidad, por favor tome el siguiente. (This traincar is at its maximum capacity. Please take the next one.)

Variedad (Variety)

Example: Si te gusta la variedad, somos cuatro profesores diferentes en Spring Spanish. (If you like variety, we are 4 different teachers at Spring Spanish.)

3: False Spanish Cognates

This means words that are similar in Spanish and English, pero tienen diferente significado (but they have different meanings). So pay attention because you’ll thank me for these:

Agenda

Sounds like: Agenda

Real meaning: Schedule

Example: Tengo una agenda muy ocupada esta semana. (I have a very tight schedule this week.)

Advertencia

Sounds like: Advertisement

Real meaning: Warning

Example: No leí la advertencia en el empaque y terminé con una alergia por mani. (I didn’t read the warning on the package and I ended up with peanut allergies.)

Bombero

Sounds like: Bomber

Real meaning: Firefighter

Example: El bombero llegó rápidamente a apagar el incendio. (The firefighter arrived swiftly to put out the fire.)

Carpeta

Sounds like: Carpet

Real meaning: Folder

Example: Organicé todos los documentos en la carpeta. (I sorted out all of the documents in the folder.)

Choque

Sounds like: Choke

Real meaning: Crash

Example: Hubo un choque de dos autos a dos cuadras. (There was a crash between two cars two blocks away.)

Contestar

Sounds like: Contest

Real meaning: to answer

Example: Había estudiado, así que no fallé al contestar la pregunta. (I had studied, so I didn’t fail when answering the question.)

Delito

Sounds like: Delight

Real meaning: Felony

Example: Si cometes un delito, puedes ir a la cárcel. (If you commit a felony, you can go to jail.)

Disgusto

Sounds like: Disgust/Disgusting

Real meaning: Annoyance

Example: Era la tercera vez que me pedía dinero, así que le respondí con disgusto. (It was the third time I was asked for money, so I answered with annoyance.)

Enviar

Sounds like: to envy

Real meaning: send

Example: Te voy a enviar el link de nuestro Inner Circle en la descripción de este video. (I will send you the link to our Inner Circle in the description of this video.)

Éxito

Sounds like: Exit

Real meaning: Success

Example: Espero que tengas éxito en tu nuevo negocio. (I wish you success in your new business.)

Fábrica

Sounds like: Fabric

Real meaning: Factory

Example: Mi padre trabaja en una fábrica de computadoras. (My father works at a computer factory.)

Grapa

Sounds like: Grape

Real meaning: Staple

Example: Me quedé sin grapas, ¿me pasas más, por favor? (I ran out of staples. Can you give me some more, please?)

Largo

Sounds like: Large

Real meaning: Long

Example: Había una larga fila para entrar al cine. (There was a long line to get to the movie theater.)

Mayor

Sounds like: Mayor

Real meaning: Old/older/oldest

Example: En mi familia, yo soy el hermano mayor. (In my family, I’m the oldest brother.)

Molestar

Sounds like: Molest

Real meaning: Annoy

Example: ¡Deja de molestarme! (Stop annoying me!)

Nudo

Sounds like: Nude

Real meaning: Knot

Example: Ata tus zapatos con un nudo para que no los pierdas. (Tie your shoes with a knot so you don’t lose them.)

Pie

Sounds like: Pie

Real meaning: Foot

Example: Ey, ¡me pisaste el pie! (Hey, you stepped on my foot!)

Realizar

Sounds like: To realize

Real meaning: To make/do

Example: Acabo de realizar una de mis tareas del día. (I just did one of my daily chores.)

Recordar

Sounds like: To record

Real meaning: To remember

Example: Acabo de recordar que dejé las llaves en casa. (I just remembered I left my keys at home.)

Ropa

Sounds like: Rope

Real meaning: Clothes

Example: Esta camisa está rota, necesito comprar ropa nueva. (This shirt is ripped, I need to buy new clothes.)

Salada

Sounds like: Salad

Real meaning: Salty

Example: Esta ensalada está muy salada. (This salad is very salty.)

Okay, whew! ¡Estuvo divertido y largo! (This was fun and long!)

Ever felt like that while speaking Spanish? You’re not alone! There are some Spanish sounds that simply don’t exist in English… but today, with me, Juan from Spring Spanish as your accent coach, you’re going to learn how to pronounce them, so you can have fluent Spanish words and sentences roll off the tongue in Spanish… like THIS! 

• Moño (hair tie) 
• Niño (child) 
• Rojo (red) 
• Cigarro (cigarrete) 
• Otorrinolaringólogo (otorhinolaryngologist) 
• Siquisique 
• Escuincle 
• paralelepípedo (parallelepiped)

So, are you ready to train that tongue in the delicate art of Spanish pronunciation? Then, ¡Acompáñame!

1. Spanish sounds with the letter R

Ah, the big R, the most recognizable feature of the Spanish accent in English and probably one of the most difficult sounds in Spanish, doing a perfect Erre roll sound might take you a little practice if your mother tongue doesn’t have this sound already. 

Spring Spanish teacher Paulísima has a video for you about how to roll your R’s… Practicing and mastering La erre will allow you to pronounce words like: 

• Carrera (race) 
• Raro (weird) and chunks like 
• Voy corriendo a una reunión (I’m running to a meeting) 

Even though it will take you practice, here’s a very useful tip to start: 

• For la ere you hear in words like Caro or Miriam, think about the English sound of the TT like Little. (Little – Caro) Fun fact: The word Medium stresses the d sound, so it’s very similar to the Spanish name Miriam. Funny, isn’t it?
• For the double R, make sure to put your tongue under the palate like when you pronounce Marrow but make them closer. With practice, you’ll be able to nail it!

2. Spanish sounds with the letter Ñ

Another sound that comes with a letter you can only find in Spanish! The eñe sound can be found in other languages like French or Italian, but we were the ones who gave it a letter! La letra Ñ is used in words like: 

• Montaña (mountain) 
• Niñez (childhood), and chunks like 
• ¡Feliz cumpleaños, compañero!  (Happy birthday, partner!) 

¿Cómo se pronuncia? (How do you pronounce it?) Well, do you know the word Cognac? That’s the sound! Actually, for Spanish, Cognac is written Coñac as in Me sirve un Coñac, por favor. (Can you pour me a Cognac, please.) 

3. The difference between Z and S in Spanish sounds

If you’re in Spain, you will hear a very noticeable difference when they use the Z or the S HOWEVER, quick heads up with us Latinos: ¡No nos importa la Z! (We don’t care about Z!) so for us, words like casar (to marry) or cazar (to hunt), are pronounced the same. 

Take this into account, so you don’t end up misunderstanding something like this: 

• Oye, ¿y tus hermanos? (Hey, where are your brothers?)
• Se han ido a cazar al bosque. (They went hunting to the forest.)

• Oye, ¿y tus hermanos? (Hey, where are your brothers?)
• Se fueron a casar al bosque. (They went to get married in the forest.)

That being said, here’s how to pronounce the z: Do you know that THAT sound? Yeah, that THAT one! No, no estoy tartamudeando (No, I’m not stuttering.) The English Th sounds very similar to the Spanish Z, so Zorro (fox) sounds exactly like That, or Thumb. Easy Peasy! 

4. Spanish sounds with the letter J

La Jota (the J) in Spanish is pronounced somehow differently in different parts of the Spanish-peaking world. While we Venezuelans and Colombians pronounce it very loosely:

• Juan 
• Jugador (Player)
• Ajo (Garlic)
• Jojoto (Corn)

This one is similar to the H in Hello or Halloween.

Mexicans, Argentinians and Spaniards stress the gggg sound much more: 

• Majo (Dude)
• Abeja (Bee)
• Jamón de jabalí (Boar Ham)
• Ají (Bell Pepper)

Do you know the word Loch, as in “lake” for the Scottish? Well, try that ch sound: Loch, Ají, ¡Ahí lo tienes! (There you go!)

5. Spanish sounds with the letters H and CH

Pep talk with Profe Juan: 

If you ever feel useless, powerless, like your life doesn’t have a purpose, just think about La letra H en español (the letter H in Spanish): I guarantee you’ll feel much better. 

Why? Well, because in Spanish, la H es muda (the H is silent). This means that you’ll often encounter words like: 

• Hombre (Man)
• Hambre (Hunger)
• Ahogar and  (To drown)
• Hierro (Iron)

Noticed how there’s an H in these words, but there’s no difference in their pronunciation? It’s similar to what happens to the C in Muscle or the T in Whistle. So you might think Pobre H, es tán inutil (Poor H, it’s so useless) but just wait until you put a letter C before it: It becomes La Che and you can hear it in words like: 

• Chocolate 
• Churros 
• Enchiladas 
• Chuletas (Porkchops)
• Cachapas 
• Carne mechada (Shredded beef)

Uh, sorry. Todavía no he almorzado… (I haven’t had lunch yet…)

The great thing is la Che is easy to master, as it’s very similar to the sound of the Ch in Chores or Chubby. Quick practice tip: Pronounce Chocolate both in Spanish and English until you master it! O quieras comerte uno. (Or you crave one.)

Ok so let’s test your pronunciation of some of these words! I have a little challenge for you, listen to these 10 words carefully y respite después de mí (and repeat after me):

• Chocozuela (Beef sirloin)
• Herradura (Iron horseshoe)
• Homenajearías (To pay tribute)
• Recalcitrante (Recalcitrant)
• Acapulqueño (Someone from Acapulco)
• Zarzuela (Spaniard dish)
• Rajadura (Cut or fracture)
• Acompañamiento (Garnish/Company)
• Archipiélago (Archipelago)
• Helecho (Hanging plant)

Try these difficult words and let me know in the video’s comments how you do with them! If you have any pronunciation problems, I’ll make sure to help you! Try not to pull a muscle!