Have you heard the expression «El deber me llama»?   In the video above, José explains this expression and other uses of the verb «deber». The  English transcription is below. If you just want to listen to the audio, you can find it on Soundcloud.     Transcription Hello and welcome to Real Spanish! Today I'm going to explain some uses of the verb «deber», which is normally used to express a debt— usually money, but also more abstract concepts. Look at these examples: Te debo la vida. I owe you my life. Te debo 50 euros. I owe you 50 euros When «deber» is followed by an infinitive, it expresses obligation and is very similar in meaning to «tener que» + infinitive, but is a bit softer. Also, «deber + infinitive» is more often used in formal contexts. Debo hablar con mi abogado. I should/I ought to speak to my lawyer. Tengo que limpiar la casa. I have to clean the house. When «deber» is followed by the preposition «de», it expresses a hypothesis, conjecture, or probability. For example: El director del banco debe de ser un hombre muy serio, ¿no? The director of the bank must be a really serious guy, right? Debes de estar muy cansado después de un viaje tan largo. You must be very tired after such a long journey. With other verb tenses (in past or conditional forms), «deber» expresses an obligation or a necessity that has not been fulfilled. For example: Debiste aceptar la oferta de trabajo. You should have accepted the job offer. Deberías haber estudiado más. You should have studied more. It can also be interpreted as an unfulfilled wish. For example: El hombre que me atropelló debería haber ido a la cárcel. The man who ran over me should have gone to jail. Another use of this verb is «se debe a» + noun or «debido a» + noun to express cause, similar in meaning to "because of" + noun. Su dolor de espalda se debe a la falta de ejercicio físico. His back pain is due to a lack of exercise. Debido a las fuertes lluvias han cancelado el concierto. The concert has been cancelled due to heavy rain. In addition, «deber» is a noun that means "obligation" or "duty". El deber del ciudadano es comportarse de forma civilizada. It is a citizen’s duty to behave in a civilised manner. A common expression is «el deber me llama», when we have to do something even though we may not want to.  It's often used to excuse ourselves before leaving. For example: Me encantaría quedarme un rato más contigo, pero el deber me llama. I'd love to spend more time with you, but duty calls. OK, now you ought to see (deberías ver) the video again in order to understand and learn everything. I hope you liked it! Bye now! Did you enjoy this trocito?  Follow us on YouTube so you don't miss them! Please leave us a comment,

Do you know when to say «fuera» or «afuera»? Unfortunately, even some native speakers choose the wrong form from time to time. In this video, Virginia helps you to decide which to use.  Hello and welcome to Real Spanish! Are you unsure about when to use «fuera» or «afuera»? I’m not surprised, even native speakers don’t agree about when we use these adverbs of space. Normally with verbs of movement (towards the exterior/outside) both forms can be used, especially in Spain. For example, we can say, «Si tienes calor, sal fuera/afuera». With verbs that describe state or situation, such as «estar», or with the meaning “outside, in the exterior”, «fuera» is usually used in Spain. However, in Latin America «afuera» is more commonly used. Estamos fuera, en el jardín. (España) Estamos afuera, en el jardín.  (Latinoamérica) Los niños juegan fuera, en la calle. (España) Los niños juegan afuera, en la calle. (Latinoamérica)   It’s the same with the adverbs «dentro» and «adentro». With verbs of movement «adentro» is used, with the meaning of  “towards the interior/inside”, although when it’s used with a preposition it’s preferable to use «dentro».  Look at these two examples: El camarero nos llevó adentro del restaurante. Caminamos hacia dentro de la cueva.   In Latin America «adentro» is usually used, even with prepositions, but is avoided in formal or educated speech. For example, «El hombre puso la maleta adentro del armario». (colloquial) With verbs that describe state or situation it’s more common to use «dentro» with the meaning of “inside; the interior part”, especially in Spain. For example, «Estamos dentro, en la casa». However, in Latin America it’s also common to use «adentro» with the same meaning:  Estamos adentro, en la casa. But when it’s followed by the preposition «de», it’s always better to use «dentro»: «El abrigo está dentro del armario». By the way, have you heard the expression «de puertas afuera»? For example, «Se comporta muy bien de puertas afuera», which means “he/she behaves well in public” but maybe not «de puertas adentro», which means “in private, at home” That’s all for today, but did you know you can get a transcription, in English or Spanish, in our blog? Click below to get it. There are also some links if you want more examples of the use of «fuera» or «afuera» and «dentro» or «adentro». Are you already signed up to Real Spanish?  With our engaging video-lessons you can improve your listening comprehension, learn loads of new vocabulary and great expressions, refine your grammar, and participate more naturally in conversations with native speakers.  Click below to view all our materials.   Helpful links: https://www.fundeu.es/recomendacion/afuerafuera/ https://www.rae.es/dpd/afuera https://www.espanolavanzado.com/gramatica-tips/1837-fuera-o-afuera https://www.fundeu.es/recomendacion/adentro-dentro/ https://www.rae.es/dpd/adentro   We plan to publish more videos about some of those tricky grammar points that even advanced students sometimes get wrong.  Follow us on YouTube so you don't miss them! Please leave us a comment, a question, or a suggestion: we'd love to hear from you! Enjoy your Spanish with us! Click below to learn more