Trocitos de Real Spanish

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Un trocito de Real Spanish. How to pronounce the «S», the «Z» and the «C».

 This is the transcription of the video above. To see the original Spanish version, click "English" in the menu bar above. Pronunciation matters! In this video Miguel explains the pronunciation of the ce (C), the ese (S) and the zeta (Z) in different areas of the Hispanic world.Hi! I’m Miguel from Real Spanish. From time to time you'll see me here explaining some vocabulary, grammar or other aspects of Spanish. Today I am going to explain the various ways to pronounce the ese, the ce and the zeta in Spanish. In most of Spain, the ese is pronounced like the words “sing”, “so”, and “civil” in English. Listen: seis, estrella, manos. And the ce before an i or an e is pronounced like the “th” in “thing” or “through”. Listen: cena,  acento, cita. And the zeta is always pronounced like the “th” in “thing” and “through”. Listen: zapato,  zeta, Cádiz. There are those who say that this phenomenon arose because a king of Spain had a lisp, and the entire court imitated him to flatter him. But it's just a story, it's not true. But in some parts of the south of Spain, the s, the ce and the zeta are pronounced the same: cena, acento, cita; zapato, zeta, Cádiz and in the last one, it is not even pronounced. This phenomenon is called seseo. This pronunciation came to America due to colonization, since most of the colonizers who came to America from Spain were from Andalusia. But in other parts of Andalusia, the ese, the ce and the zeta are pronounced like the “th” in English. This phenomenon is called ceceo. Another phenomenon of Andalusian and Latin American speech is that the ese and zeta at the end of a word are aspirated: that is, they sound like a very soft hache. Watch this clip, which is a report about the Spanish working day. Estoy trabajando hasta las ocho o las nueve de la noche, sin parar. Soy autónomo. Yo soy trabajadora y salgo a las diez o a las once de la noche del supermercado, asín que no estaría mal salir a las seis de la tarde. A las seis de la tarde y bueno, el resto de horas, ¿quién las hace? In this clip you can hear the Argentinian accent. Also look at the stress and intonation, which are very typical of Argentinian pronunciation. Mirá, si entendés de estas cosas de dinero y de acciones tenés que explicarme un día… … porque yo no me entero de nada, me parece que tengo la cabeza muy dura. Pero mirá, de todas formas estos diez euros mejor me lo das ahora, no nos vayamos a olvidar más tarde, ¿viste? Sí, claro, te los doy ahora. Ya preguntaré para qué son, toma, aquí tienes. Wherever you go in the Hispanic world, you will understand and be understood, no matter how you pronounce these sounds… and remember that all these accents are valid. The clips you just watched are taken from some of our lessons. The lessons are based on film and television

«El pez gordo» y otras expresiones con «gordo»

Do you know the colloquial expression «El pez gordo»? In this video Inés explains and gives examples of the following expressions: un problema gordo pasar algo gordo hacer la vista gorda el pez gordo English transcription: Hi! I’m Inés Alba, from Real Spanish. You know the word «gordo» or «gorda», right? But it’s important to know that we don’t use this adjective to describe people because it is very offensive. However, we can use the diminutive «gordito/a», to soften the message. This adjective can be used with other meanings, especially in colloquial language. It can be something very big, unusual or very important. For example: «Tuvo un problema gordo» o «Le pasó algo gordo» (He had a big problem, or something big happened to him). Do you know the expression «armarse la gorda»? It is used when there is a big uproar, a strong argument or a very serious problem. With this sense of "important" we have the expression «el pez gordo», which means a big shot, a rich person, with a lot of power and influence. We also say «hacer la vista gorda» when we want to pretend not to see someone's mistakes or not to see something that is our responsibility (to turn a blind eye). If you like to learn these expressions you can find many mini-lessons on our website based on words that have various uses such as vuelta, huevo, salir, marchar… You’ll love them! See you soon!   If you enjoy learning expressions like these, you'll love our mini-lessons. Click below to try a free preview lesson. Click here to view all our mini-lessons. Have you heard other expressions with the word «gordo»? Tell us about it below! You can also leave us a suggestion, a comment or a question. We'd love to hear from you. Enjoy your Spanish with us. Click below to get a free mini-lesson and learn about all our online Spanish courses and mini-lessons.    Click here to view all our great materials.

"Embarrassed" and «embarazada» and other false friends

This is the English transcription of the video above. José explains some common «falsos amigos» in English and Spanish (words that are easily confused because they are very similar, but don't have the same meaning).   Hello and welcome to Real Spanish! Today we bring you some examples of falsos amigos (false friends), that is, English words that sound similar to Spanish words but have a different meaning, such as embarrassed (which in Spanish means avergonzado/a) and embarazada (which in English means pregnant). Another false friend that confuses a lot of people is “eventually”, which does not mean eventualmente as one might think, but should be translated as finalmente, al final. Eventualmente means “occasionally”. Other words often confused are “excited” or "exciting"and excitante. “Exciting” normally translates to emocionante in Spanish; be careful with excitante because it often has a sexual meaning. Also the English word “actually” does not mean actualmente, but en realidad. And actualmente translates as “currently” or “at present” in English. Well, as you can see, it is important that you learn these words well because if you make a mistake, it can create very embarrassing situations. And now I encourage you to continue learning with our entertaining lessons on Real Spanish lessons. See you later! If you liked this video, you'll love our complete courses and mini-lessons. Click here to try some free sample lessons. Do you know any other «falsos amigos»? Tell us below!  You can also leave us a comment, a question or a suggestion. We'd love to hear from you! Improve your Spanish with us. Click below to learn about all our great materials . Real Spanish: online Spanish lessons for people who are serious about improving their Spanish.  Click here to learn about all our great materials

«Estirar la pata» y otras expresiones relacionadas con partes de cuerpo humano

 This is the English transcription of the video above. To get the Spanish transcription, click "Español" in the menu bar above.  Hello! Do you know what the expression "estirar la pata" means? I think with this image you can guess. It is one of the expressions that we explain in our mini-lesson about some expressions that use the word “pata” or “pierna”. Do you know what "con el culo al aire" means? It is a bit vulgar, but it is used a lot, especially when talking about a politician who has been caught red-handed. Have you heard the expression "Por los pelos"? Can you guess the meaning with this image? Lately we have uploaded this mini-lesson. This woman refuses to do anything, very adamantly. We are now working on a mini-lesson on the various expressions with «Ojo» or «Ojos». The expressions that we explain in these mini-lessons are very useful; using them you will sound more natural in Spanish. If you enjoy learning expressions like these, you'll love our mini-lessons. Click below to try a free mini-lesson. Cllick here to learn more about all our mini-lessons and try a free sample lesson Have you heard other expressions related to the human body? Sure you have... tell us about it below! Leave us a comment, a question or a suggestion. We'd love to hear from you. Improve your Spanish with us! Click below  to find out more about our materials and to try some free sample lessons. Real Spanish: online Spanish courses and mini-lessons for people who are serious about improving their Spanish.   Click here to view all our great materials

Un trocito de Real Spanish: «La mañana después»

This video is a preview of our course based on the movie «Ocho apellidos vascos». The movie is really funny: you'll crack up! You’ll also hear some examples of Andalusian speech. To view the transciption in Spanish, click «Español» in the menu above.  This video is a preview of our course based on the movie «Ocho apellidos vascos». The movie is a comedy about an impossible romance between a young Basque woman and a man from Andalucía. The cultural differences between them are so great that they could be from different countries. Rafael’s roommate, a young Andalusian man, has just found out that Rafa brought a young Basque woman home last night. He is shocked because he thinks all Basques are terrorists. In this clip you’ll hear some examples of Andalusian speech. For example: quillo/a, from chiquillo/a, an informal form of address the pronunciation of participles ending in la –d-, as in liao (liado): in a mess/tied up with something perdío (perdido) lost dormío (dormido) asleep; slept amamonao (amamonado) clueless, hopeless Other words and expressions you’ll hear include: liarse con alguien: to get involved with someone tirarse a alguien: to have sex with someone tía /tío: colloquial form of address estar amamonao perdío: to be totally dumb -      Rafa, where were you, mate? Because the last time I saw you, you were with the Basque girl, or maybe you got involved with another customer. Did you screw the Basque girl? -      No, no, but don’t tell anyone, we just slept together, nothing more. -      Man, you really are totally dumb, eh? Did you hear the Andalusian accent in this conversation? If you want to know more about this romance, click below. See you soon!   If you enjoy learning expressions like these, you'll love our mini-lessons. Click below to try a free preview lesson. Click here to view all our mini-lessons. Have you seen this movie? Tell us about it below! You can also leave us a suggestion, a comment or a question. We'd love to hear from you. Enjoy your Spanish with us. Click below to get a free mini-lesson and learn about all our online Spanish courses and mini-lessons.    Click here to view all our great materials.

«Ni a tiros» and other expressions with «tiro»

Do you know the expression Ni a tiros?  José explains this and other expressions with «tiro» in this vídeo. Transcripción del vídeo: Hello and welcome to Real Spanish! Today I am going to explain to you some expressions with the word «tiro», which usually means “a shot” from a pistol or shotgun. Related to this meaning we have the expression «salir el tiro por la culata», that is, to obtain the opposite result to what was expected. Have you ever heard someone say, «me sienta o me cae como un tiro»? It means that something makes you feel very bad. The expression «por ahí van los tiros» means "Yes, you got it right." But it is used more in a negative sense: «Por ahí no van los tiros», which means "You didn't understand well" or "That's not what I mean". We also say« ni a tiros »to express that we cannot or do not want to do something in any way, at all. But be careful not to mix up «tiro» with «tirón», because «hacer algo del tirón» means "to do something all in one go". See you soon!    If you enjoy learning expressions like these, you'll love our mini-lessons. Click below to try a free preview lesson. Click here to view all our mini-lessons. Have you heard other expressions with the word «tiro»? Tell us about it below! You can also leave us a suggestion, a comment or a question. We'd love to hear from you. Enjoy your Spanish with us. Click below to get a free mini-lesson and learn about all our online Spanish courses and mini-lessons.    Click here to view all our great materials.