Podcast Archives - Real Fast Spanish: Recent Episodes
Andrew Barr: Spanish Student, Teacher & Blogger
Imagine your partner says to you that as a couple you should move together to the other side of the world to start a new life. Could you do it? Would you do it? This week we talk to Cristina Orts about her experience of moving to a new country that doesn’t speak her language. […]
The post Tips 116: La Vida Te Cambia appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
This episode of the podcast is part 2 of a two-part interview with Daniel Welsch. If you missed part 1 of the interview you go back and listen to it here. Daniel has some great advice for Spanish students or language students in general. He has a lot of experience teaching English and talked about […]
The post Tips 115: Life in Madrid with Daniel Welsch – Part 2 appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Ever considered an ex-pat life in Spain? This week you will hear from Daniel Welsch who has been living in Madrid for more than 10 years. I’m very excited to welcome Daniel to the podcast. It is great to talk to someone who has focused solely on Spanish and immersed himself in the culture. This interview […]
The post Tips 114: Life in Madrid with Daniel Welsch appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
One question you have to ask yourself if you are learning Spanish is: which accent should you focus on? How do you choose an accent? Does it matter? In this week’s theory podcast I interview Alba del Pino. Alba is from the Canary Islands. Her accent is distinctly different to the accent of the rest […]
The post Tips 113: An Insider’s Guide to the Canary Islands appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
How much do you notice? Actually notice? Did you know that the ability to notice is a skill that can be improved? And that you can use that ability to improve your language learning capacity? This week’s mindset podcast is inspired by the book: Alexandra Horowitz — On Looking: 11 Walks with Expert Eyes This book […]
The post Tips 112: The Power of Noticing appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Can you explain when you use “to end” and “to finish” in English? If so, you can apply the idea to the Spanish verbs “acabar” and “terminar”. This week’s Spanish theory episode is dedicated to the common spanish verb “acabar”. In many of the examples in today’s podcast the Spanish verb “terminar” and “acabar” are […]
The post Tips 111: Common Spanish Verbs – 6 Uses for the Verb “Acabar” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In today’s mindset podcast you will hear part 2 of the two part interview with John Fotheringham. In the second part of the interview we discuss how to manage frustration due to a lack of progress. We talk about what separates a good language learner from a great language learner. And we debate the merits of […]
The post Tips 110: How to Set Yourself for Language Learning Success with John Fotheringham (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
“Hay” is a unique Spanish verb. It is related to the verb “haber” or commonly referred to as the impersonal form of “haber”. In today’s podcast, you will learn how to use the verb “hay” in the past, present and future. You will also learn how to use the impersonal phrase with the verb “hay” to express obligation. […]
The post Tips 109: How to Use the Spanish Verb “Hay” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this week’s mindset podcast we welcome John Fotheringham to talk about habit forming, how to set goals for success and one aspect of language learning that rarely gets discussed. John is a passionate language learner and is running Langauge Mastery—a language learning blog and podcast dedicated to helping language learners. The focus of his website is […]
The post Tips 108: How to Set Yourself for Language Learning Success with John Fotheringham (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
The uses of Ser and Estar are an important part of Spanish that you should always be revising. In today’s podcast, you will learn about one specific part: the uses of ser and estar with adjectives. As a reminder, ‘ser’ tends to imply a permanent feature and ‘estar’ tends to imply a temporary feature. Keep this in […]
The post Tips 107: 8 Uses of Ser and Estar with Adjectives appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
This podcast episode is part 2 of a two part interview with Shayna Oliveira. In this second part of the interview we cover language learning expectations, creating good study habits, getting over making mistakes and living in Brazil. Shayna’s website on teaching English is http://www.espressoenglish.net/. If you missed part 1 of the interview you go back and listen […]
The post Tips 106: Language Learning, Teaching English, Capoeira and Living in Brazil with Shayna Oliveira (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
How well can you make do in Spanish? This week, for the theoretical Spanish podcast, you will learn about the uses of the verb ‘hacer’. Of course, ‘hacer’ doesn’t just mean ‘to make’ or ‘to do’, there are 8 other ways that you can use this common Spanish verb. Check out today’s podcast for all of […]
The post Tips 105: Common Spanish Verbs – 9 Uses for the Word “Hacer” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this week’s mindset podcast we welcome Shayna Oliveira to talk about language exchanges, building friendships and teaching English. Shayna is teaching English over at http://www.espressoenglish.net/. For a number of weeks I have wanted to get Shayna onto the podcast to talk about improving your ability to teach english. Why? Because one of the best ways to improve your […]
The post Tips 104: Language Learning, Teaching English, Capoeira and Living in Brazil with Shayna Oliveira (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
The verb ‘pasar‘ is in the top 10 most common regular Spanish verbs. It occurs frequently, it is useful and easy to conjugate. But, it is used in a lot of different situations and contexts, which means we still need to set aside some time to take a closer look at this important Spanish verb. […]
The post Tips 103: Common Spanish Verbs – 7 Uses for the Word “Pasar” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
It’s hard to imagine the feeling of being in a space shuttle when it is taking off. But I could imagine the experience may involve a lot fear. It’s a funny comparison but speaking Spanish in public and taking off in a rocket ship aren’t vastly different when it comes to our fears. Both can […]
The post Tips 102: What an Astronaut can Teach Us about Learning Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Is forgetting in Spanish as simple as forgetting in English? If you want to forget in Spanish or at least express the idea, there are three ways you can do it. This week explore how the verb ‘olvidar’ is used and how the idea of something forgotten in Spanish differs from how we are used […]
The post Tips 101: Olvidar vs Olvidarse – How to Forget in Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Last year, when I was living in Madrid, I was chatting to a friend about a very addictive chocolate biscuit we have in Australia. She said she would love to try them. Immediately after uttering those words, we both thought—Madrid is a big city, we could find them here, right? What else was I going […]
The post Tips 100: How to Diversify your Spanish Skills by Solving Problems appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
The good thing about transitive and intransitive verbs in Spanish is most English students tend to get them right when guessing. The bad thing is we don’t really learn about this idea in school. But, it helps if you want to understand certain phrases and grammar structures in Spanish. And of course, there is the […]
The post Tips 099: Transitive vs Intransitive Verbs In Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Memory is important for language learning. That’s pretty obvious. But how can you improve your memory? It turns out there are a number of simple tactics to can use to boost your memory. But underlying all tactics for an improved memory is one very important principle. The defining principle for all memory tactics is … […]
The post Tips 098: How to Improve Your Memory – The Most Important Principle appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this week’s theory podcast we take a close look at the verb “llegar”. “Llegar” is a common Spanish verb and generally gets used correctly by native English students but there are more ways to use this verb than what you may expect. In today’s podcast I have broken out the use of “llegar” into […]
The post Tips 097: Common Spanish Verbs – 7 Uses for the Word “Llegar” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
This podcast episode is part 2 of a two part interview that I recently did with Kris Broholm. Kris is running his own language learning podcast called The Actual Fluency Podcast. He was great fun to speak to and has a lot of experience learning languages as well as talking about them. His advice on finding your process […]
The post Tips 096: How to Overcome Fear and Put Yourself Out There with Kris Broholm (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Answering the phone is an everyday occurrence. But the rules of phone etiquette in English don’t exactly work in another language. When you make a phone call in Spanish, the language you tend to use is more direct. If you translate literally to English it may feel rude. But, it isn’t for a Spanish person. […]
The post Tips 095: How to Make a Phone Call in Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
This week we welcome Kris Broholm to the podcast to discuss language learning mindset. Kris is running a language learning podcast called Actual Fluency. Each week he invites on an ‘expert’ language learner—typically a polyglot who can speak a number of languages. He then attempts to find out what is working for them and their best tips […]
The post Tips 094: How to Overcome Fear and Put Yourself Out There with Kris Broholm (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Valencia is an amazing city. It home to delicious food, a good climate, great people and some impressive modern architecture. In this week’s Spanish podcast episode we talk about what to see and do in Valencia from a local’s perspective. In this podcast, we introduce a new guest, Laura Del Busto Bel. Laura is a […]
The post Tips 093: What to See and Do in Valencia appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
This podcast episode is part 2 of a two part interview on language learning with Olly Richards. If you haven’t listened to part 1 of the interview then go back and start with part 1 first. In this second part of the interview we cover: What Olly used to keep himself going in Japan for 3 years […]
The post Tips 092: Olly Richards on Speaking Spanish Sooner (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Possessive pronouns in Spanish are generally straightforward except for one small detail. The detail is about knowing whether or not you need to use the definite articles with the possessive pronouns. In today’s theoretical Spanish podcast, we talk about how to use possessive adjectives in Spanish. Then we talk about how use the possessive pronouns […]
The post Tips 091: Possessive Pronouns in Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
This week we welcome Olly Richards to the podcast. Olly can speak 7 languages and knows a lot about the process of acquiring foreign languages. In this mindset podcast, Olly shares some of his best tips for developing a successful language learning process. Olly runs the popular blog I Will Teach You A Language. His website offers […]
The post Tips 090: Olly Richards on Speaking Spanish Sooner (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In today’s theoretical podcast, we will take a closer look at some of the different ways the word “even” can be translated from English to Spanish. When you are listening to today’s podcast, have a think about the wider idea of being able to change an idea around so it can be translated in a […]
The post Tips 089: 4 Ways to Translate “Even” from English to Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
What are your conversations like in Spanish? Do they flow? or do they stall? Being a great conversationalist in your first language doesn’t come easily—so how then can you be great in your second language? Learning how to have flowing conversations isn’t something that can be learnt overnight. It takes years of practice. But, it […]
The post Tips 088: How to Make Your Spanish Conversations Less Awkward appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this podcast episode you will learn the second half of the prepositions of position. This episode is part 2 of a two part series and follows on from the last theoretical episode. In last week’s theory episode we looked at how to say above and under as well out or outside and in or inside […]
The post Tips 087: Spanish Prepositions of Position (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Confidence in language learning is huge. Those who think they can and those who think that can’t are probably right. This mindset episode of the podcast is part 2 of a two part interview I did with a close friend of mine, Ruan De Witt. You can listen to part 1 here. Ruan is an […]
The post Tips 086: How to Build Confidence with Ruan De Witt (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Prepositions are hard. Why? Because prepositions rarely translate well between languages. And their use often doesn’t follow a nice set of rules. For example, when is something below and when is it underneath? How would you explain the difference? What about the difference between out and outside—could you tell a foreigner when they should use […]
The post Tips 085: Spanish Prepositions of Position (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In 2005, Ruan De Witt was riding his bicycle on a bridge in France. A passing car caused him to fall from the bridge onto the busy highway below. He broke his pelvis, hands, elbow and back. He survived the fall. He then spent three months in a French hospital re-learning how to walk. Three […]
The post Tips 084: How to Build Confidence with Ruan De Witt (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this week’s theoretical Spanish podcast we will explore the verb ‘tratar‘. ‘Tratar‘ can be confusing because of one particular meaning that is difficult to translate to English. But this difficult translation is very useful for asking what something is about. There are five forms of tratar that I cover in today’s podcast: Tratar – […]
The post Tips 083: Tratar – How to Treat this Helpful Spanish Verb appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
This week Amy Whitney is on the podcast. Her story beautifully captures the idea that language learning is hard but truly worth it. Amy has been a regular listener of the Real Fast Spanish Tips podcast for a quite some time. We first connected last year and it has been great hearing about her journey […]
The post Tips 082: Why you Need to Overcome your Fears with Amy Whitney appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this week’s podcast tip we are going to look at the verb ‘caer’. We will look at the differences between ‘caer’ and ‘caerse’ and give a few spanish phrases using this common verb. What you will discover in this tip is that ‘caer’ means so much more than ‘to fall’. ‘Caer’ does get used in […]
The post Tips 081: 3 Spanish Phrases with the Verb ‘Caer’ appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
One way to increase your rate of learning spanish is to make deeper connections to new spanish vocabulary. If you can create a strong new memory every time you discover a new word in Spanish your rate of learning would increase. How then can you make stronger connections to new vocabulary? It’s starts with a […]
The post Tips 080: How to Create a Strong Connection to New Spanish Vocabulary appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Understanding the differences between verbs such as quedar vs quedarse is a constant challenge for Spanish students. Not only is ‘quedar’ versatile for its use in different contexts, but it changes meaning when it becomes reflexive. This week’s theory podcast is inspired by one of the Real Fast Spanish School Members. The question came after the last […]
The post Tips 079: Quedar vs Quedarse – How to Use this Handy Spanish Verb appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
There is never enough time. Well, at least, it feels that way. Despite how busy you feel, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. Yet some still manage to get so much more done. How? For as long as I can remember I have had a strange relationship with time. I often […]
The post Tips 078: How to Find More Time for Your Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Sometimes mastery of a foreign language is less about how many words you know and more about how many words you know well. Your job as a language student is not to cram as much into your memory bank as possible but to focus on learning the right things. And learning them well. This idea […]
The post Tips 077: Common Spanish Verbs – 6 Uses for the Word “Echar” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Learning Spanish vocabulary or the vocabulary of any language is a big task. Put simply—it takes focused effort overtime. But there are ways to increase the effectiveness of your vocabulary learning process. In this week’s mindset podcast, I introduce an idea called deliberate versus emergent strategy for vocabulary acquisition. The idea is that you learn […]
The post Tips 076: Learning Spanish Vocabulary – A Deliberate vs. Emergent Strategy appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
One long term ongoing test for english students learning Spanish is the difference between ‘ser’ and ‘estar’. For me these two words remind me of studying physics—as you move up the levels they keep telling you to forget the previous rules you have already learned. As if these two words weren’t confusing enough, you also have […]
The post Tips 075: The 4 Past Spanish Translations of ‘Was’ appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
A complaint I often hear is “I feel dumb in Spanish”. I don’t just hear this complaint from other students. I hear it in my own head as well. It’s not a huge surprise we feel this way. But why does it bother us so much? In this week’s mindset podcast episode, I explore the […]
The post Tips 074: How to Avoid Feeling Dumb in Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
I don’t know how many times I have walked into a Spanish restaurant and said the wrong thing. It could be at the start of the meal, during or even after I have paid. The idea seems simple enough. But there is a subtle complexity to the words people use in even common interactions such […]
The post Tips 073: How to Order Food in Spanish – A Restaurant Role-Play appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
You may have heard the expression “time is money”. I don’t know if that’s true. Maybe it is. What I do know is that time has one thing in common with money and that is it can be poorly spent. It is possible to spend hours and hours “practicing” and not really see much benefit. […]
The post Tips 072: How to Effectively Use 3 Essential Resources to Improve Your Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
How adventurous are you when it comes to food? Are you the kind of person that tries anything once? Even if you are, you might still want to know what you are getting into. Just in case. Walking into a traditional tapas bar in Spain can be a mix of fun, overwhelm and adventure. It […]
The post Tips 071: 10 Tapas You Have to Try Before You Die and 5 You Might Want to Avoid appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Have you ever felt like there are hundreds of things competing to distract you and limiting your focus? Or have you ever thought that for one problem resolved there are additional five others that are now a top priority? In this week’s mindset tip we finish the two-part series on focus. In last weeks mindset […]
The post Tips 070: How To Improve Your Focus (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Imagine that it is 7 o’clock. A Thursday night. You are in the main street of one of the biggest cities in Spain and everything is closed. Nobody around. All the bars are empty. You think to yourself – when do the people here eat? Even after 3 trips to Spain, Spanish eating customs still confuse […]
The post Tips 069: What You Need to Know about Spanish Eating Customs Before your Next Trip to Spain appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
I sometimes find it difficult to focus. I also feel this lack of focus is holding me back from achieving my goals. But is focus something that is only reserved for a certain type of person? Or can we all learn to improve our focus? For me, focus comes in two categories: focus for emotions […]
The post Tips 068: How To Improve Your Focus (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
‘Dar’ is one of a small list of common spanish verbs that will have a big impact on your Spanish. It is another verb that means a lot of different things in a lot of different contexts. Due to this verb’s frequency in the language, it is worth getting to know “dar” a little better. […]
The post Tips 067: Common Spanish Verbs – 5 Uses For The Word “Dar” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
How many times have you heard that you should stop making excuses? It’s good advice. Don’t make excuses. But, there is a way to change how you make excuses. You can make your excuses powerful. We learn from a very young age that excuses work. They get us out of trouble. You can save yourself […]
The post Tips 066: How Do Excuses Affect Language Learning? How One Change Can Make A Big Difference appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Knowing how ask and tell the time in Spanish should be in every student’s repertoire. I would also label ‘telling the time’ as essential Spanish vocabulary for travel. If you are making bookings or confirming departure times you want to not only make sure you have the correct time but the time of day. In […]
The post Tips 065: How to Tell The Time In Spanish, Time Based Greetings and The Merits of an Early Start appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Overwhelm sneaks up on us. Sometimes we see it coming. Sometimes we don’t. There are actually 6 different types of overwhelm. And the annoying thing, if you are experiencing any of them, your language learning ability will be affected. Overwhelm is, well, overwhelming and an important mindset topic because it could be holding your […]
The post Tips 064: The 6 Different Types Of Overwhelm And How To Avoid Them appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
After New Year’s Celebrations have finished, it is usually time to start thinking about the future. If you want to talk about your future goals, resolutions or plans in Spanish, the Spanish future tense will be very useful. On the podcast, this week, we introduce the Spanish future tense also known as the ‘futuro imperfecto.’ […]
The post Tips 063: How To Use The Spanish Future Tense appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Should you bother setting a new year’s resolution? Maybe you have set one in the past and thought “what’s the point?” It’s just something we do on New Year’s Eve as part of tradition, right? Or is there actually something to it? In preparation for this week’s mindset episode I did some research to see […]
The post Tips 062: Why You Should Rethink Your New Year’s Resolution appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Christmas in Spain is quite different to Christmas in Australia. In today’s podcast episode we discuss some of the differences between Christmas in our two countries. We will also cover some important Spanish Christmas vocabulary. Christmas in Spain starts on the 22nd of December with the famous Christmas lottery (La Lotería de Navidad). Celebrations then […]
The post Tips 061: Spanish Christmas Vocabulary – ¡Feliz Navidad! appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
The ‘minimum effective dose’ is a term borrowed from the medical world. It seeks to answer the question: what is the minimum amount of input I need to achieve a desired result? Or in other words, how can I get maximum benefit from minimum effort? The ‘minimum effective dose’ or MED in the medical world […]
The post Tips 060: Minimum Effective Dose And Language Learning appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Barcelona is a fascinating city. It’s full of life, interesting architecture and culture. In today’s podcast episode we are going to do an interview with Maria to learn about her famous city. I ask Maria what’s it like to live there. I also ask how the locals really feel about the tourists. And what’s the best tourist […]
The post Tips 059: An Insider’s Guide To Barcelona appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
The San Fermín festival is infamous. Outside of Spain, well at least here in Australia, it is known as ‘The Running Of The Bulls Festival.’ Every year there is a thirty second slot reserved on the news to remind us of what goes on at this event. The San Fermín festival is held in Pamplona […]
The post Tips 058: What You Should Know About San Fermín appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Do you know how to express would, could and should in Spanish? In this tip we will be looking at the Spanish conditional tense. We will give a few examples of how to form this conjugation. And we will give a few common situations where the conditional tense should be used. The two big positives […]
The post Tips 057: How To Use The Spanish Conditional Tense appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
What can Jerry Seinfeld teach us about learning Spanish? Before I say what it is, it’s definitely one lesson I wish I had learned earlier. Jerry Seinfeld probably doesn’t need an introduction. But if you haven’t heard of him, let’s just say he was fairly successful. With this in mind, it is worth taking a […]
The post Tips 056: How To Avoid Breaking The Chain And Improve Your Spanish Faster appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
This week on the Real Fast Spanish Tips podcast we will be looking at another Spanish past tense. This Spanish past tense is called ‘Pretérito Indefinido’ or ‘Pasado Indefinido’. As well as introducing a new past tense, we introduce a new guest. The new guest on the podcast is a friend of mine from Barcelona, […]
The post Tips 055: Pretérito Indefinido – The Simple Spanish Past Tense appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this podcast episode I’m going to give away the secret to success. I’m going to share the one thing you need to know to be successful at learning a language. What is most interesting about this secret is that it has remained unchanged for more than 2000 years. But, before I give away the […]
The post Tips 054: The Secret To Success appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
There are a number of words that are exactly the same in English and Spanish. This is a big advantage of learning Spanish. But, this advantage is completely lost if you run into Spanish false friends. False friends are words that appear to be almost identical in both languages. But, they convey completely different ideas. […]
The post Tips 053: 10 Spanish False Friends You Need To Know appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Have you ever heard another language student speak and thought to yourself you will never reach their level? I have. I have met language students who have achieved an almost native level. And what’s worse, some of them have done it in a number of different languages. If I compare myself to these students, I feel […]
The post Tips 052: How To Better Your Best appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
‘Poner’ is one of a small list of Spanish verbs with a huge assortment of common uses. There are 28 uses for “poner” listed in my Spanish to Spanish dictionary. Some uses of ‘poner’ are more frequent than others. In today’s podcast, I will look a few of the most useful contexts for this common […]
The post Tips 051: 3 Spanish Phrases With The Verb ‘Poner’ appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
If I could think in Spanish then I could speak in Spanish. If I could think in Spanish then I good do anything in Spanish. How then can I start to think in Spanish? There is no secret to thinking in Spanish. You just start. You don’t need permission. You don’t need a certain level […]
The post Tips 050: How To Think In Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
This week on the Real Fast Spanish Tips podcast we will be looking at the past imperfect tense. There are many different past tenses in Spanish. And as you build your knowledge you will need to become familiar with, at least, the most common ones. One of the first recommendations that I give to developing […]
The post Tips 049: The Past Imperfect appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
As I stood there listening to her, I understood nothing. Not a word. Why after all this time of practicing was my comprehension so poor? I thought I have failed at Spanish and at life. But after my lowest moment, I learned one valuable lesson. I learned that listening comprehension can be improved. And the […]
The post Tips 048: 4 Crucial Steps For Improving Your Listening Comprehension appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
As you build your Spanish knowledge you will find yourself reacting to lots of different scenarios. Each scenario will require it’s own vocabulary and a different set of reactions. In today’s podcast we will look at some useful ways to react in Spanish. The reactions that we discuss in today’s podcast fall into two categories: […]
The post Tips 047: 10 Common Ways To React In Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Have you figured out what time of day you should be studying? Let’s assume that you have managed to get into the habit of practicing daily. The next question is how you can get the most out of that routine. So how should you figure out how to get the most out of your routine? […]
The post Tips 046: The Best Time Of Day To Study appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
When you hear the word ‘guiri’, it’s worth double checking to see if the person who is speaking is talking about you. The word is generally used to talk about foreigners. The word ‘guiri’ is commonly used in Spain and is similar to the south american version ‘gringo’. Chances are that you will never get […]
The post Tips 045: How To Make Your Spanish Sound Better Than It Is appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In today’s mindset podcast we take a deep dive into a heavy topic. We will take a look at accountability. We do this with the intention of using the idea of accountability to propel our Spanish forward. Accountability is a scary topic. But a powerful one. The question is are you using it? And could […]
The post Tips 044: How To Use The Power Of Accountability In Your Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
This week on the podcast we welcome our first guest. Arantxa Flórez joins us to discuss Spanish introductions. The first phase in any conversation is an exchange of pleasantries. So what are the best ways to open a conversation? How should you get somebody’s name? What should you ask to find out what they do? […]
The post Tips 043: Spanish Introductions With Arantxa Flórez appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
I have had a lot of embarrassing moments learning Spanish. I have referred to these moments as failures. But the best thing about failures is that they tell a story of what doesn’t work. One of the best ways to learn is to work out what doesn’t work. That way you can get to what […]
The post Tips 042: What Didn’t Work For Me And How To Learn Spanish Quickly appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
The word “llevar” is one of the most versatile words in the Spanish language. There are 23 uses for “llevar” listed in my Spanish to Spanish dictionary. But in today’s episode of the podcast, we will be looking at 3 common uses. We will look at one, in particular, that is extremely useful for getting […]
The post Tips 041: 3 Common Ways To Use “Llevar” In A Conversation appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
It is a hard question to ask – When do I give up? And Why? But, if you have the courage to ask, you may discover an answer in the self-analysis that is worth the effort. When I was 9 I gave up playing the saxophone. I was a pretty obedient kid. So when I […]
The post Tips 040: What You Need To Know About Give Up Triggers appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
If you want to express frequency in Spanish then you should get to know at least one of the phrases in today’s podcast. We are going to look at 15 different ways to express frequency starting from the least, “never ever”, to the most, “every day”. To start with, if you want to ask someone […]
The post Tips 039: 15 Different Ways To Express Frequency In Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
What is an expectation? How do you currently set expectations? Are there such things as bad expectations? Are you setting expectations that are stopping you achieving your Spanish goals? In today’s episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips podcast we will be looking at the mindset topic of expectations. We start off the episode with two […]
The post Tips 038: How To Set Language Learning Expectations appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
If you want to know someone well, is it important to discover what motivates him or her? Everybody has a cause and an effect of why they what they do. In contrast, a scientist always needs to match outcomes to their observations. That’s the whole point of science. Science is always trying to understand the […]
The post Tips 037: Expressing Cause And Effect In Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Imagine you find yourself in the middle of a massive street party at 1:00am. Spanish speakers surround you. There are in jokes, colloquial expressions and stories flying in all directions. You are intimated and lost in the language. What’s worse is as time wears on you start to understand less and less. You think to […]
The post Tips 036: El Día De La Paloma appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
When you start to get into the learning of Spanish. It feels great. There is a lot that you will start saying yes to. But every now and then, like in English, there will be situations when you want to say no. In today’s episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips Podcast we will be […]
The post Tips 035: It’s Time To Start Being More Negative appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
It was a perfect day, I really felt like practicing Spanish but I decided to stop because I knew it would be the best way to learn Spanish faster. Sometimes learning Spanish quickly isn’t about going flat out all of the time. Sometimes it’s about leaving reserves in the tank knowing that those reserves may […]
The post Tips 034: How To Learn Spanish Faster By Using A 20-Mile March appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
How well do you know how to say you know what you know in Spanish? It today’s podcast episode we will be looking at these two common verbs in Spanish: saber vs conocer. We will look at a different way of thinking of the translation of these two verbs and so common uses of each. […]
The post Tips 033: How To Know If You Really Know – Saber vs Conocer appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
It broke my heart when she uttered those words to me. Not only was it a massive head on collision with reality but I thought at that moment that I would never achieve my Spanish learning goals. In today’s episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips podcast, I explore one of the fundamental principles of […]
The post Tips 032: The Fluency Fallacy appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
When and how should you use ya vs todavía? These two Spanish words often get introduced together because they both relate to time. Specifically, they add emotion when discussing deadlines. In this article (and podcast) you will discover some useful distinctions that will help you to better understand these two common Spanish adverbs. Before I get to the main topic, […]
The post Ya vs Todavía – How to Use These Useful Spanish Words appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
It was a bucket list item for me. Something that I had always dreamed of. I knew that it wasn’t going to be easy but I didn’t realise that if it wasn’t for my Spanish it never would have happened. In today’s episode of the Real Fast Spanish tips podcast I discuss one of my […]
The post Tips 030: La Supercopa De España appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this theoretical episode of the podcast, we will be looking at two useful Spanish Grammar Hacking sentences. These two sentences use indirect object pronouns and so we will also be looking at the grammar structure of these types of pronouns. And using them to better form our ideas and express ourselves in Spanish. We […]
The post Tips 029: Two Useful Grammar Hacking Sentences appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Is productivity overrated? Is learning Spanish really about getting more done in less time? In this episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips podcast, I will share one of the best productivity tips that I have ever learnt. The best part is it is not about doing more in less time. It is not about […]
The post Tips 028: What Not To Do appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
It’s one thing knowing what is best. It is another thing saying it in Spanish. The key is in knowing Spanish superlatives. Expressing a form of superiority is the topic of this weeks podcast. If you don’t already know the grammar constructions for superlatives then this weeks topic will be of use. Being able to […]
The post Tips 027: Are You The Best? An Introduction To Spanish Superlatives appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
It is often very tempting to simply look for the shinny new things. To assume that what come before is well understood and not worth another look. But in this episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips podcast we will pause to reflect. The podcast has been going now for about three months. There has […]
The post Tips 026: Is This The Missing Link? appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this episode of the Real Fast Spanish tips podcast, we will be looking at Spanish comparatives. If you can’t yet make a comparison between one thing and another in Spanish then this tip will be valuable to you. Making comparisons is something that we do every day and it’s one of the best ways […]
The post Tips 025: How Do You Compare? An Introduction To Spanish Comparatives appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Would you like to boost your IQ? Probably a silly question. So moving on quickly, in this podcast episode I will introduce another technique that will help improve your IQ. This is, of course, backed up by science. In a previous episode of the Real Fast Spanish tips podcast, I talked about improving your brain […]
The post Tips 024: Improve Your IQ With This Unusual Tip appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
How well do you know prepositions of movement in Spanish? If you can understand and use prepositions correctly you can do anything! Prepositions are tough because they don’t translate well. They tend to cause English students grief. But in this episode of the podcast we will be looking at a few examples to try and […]
The post Tips 023: Getting To Know Prepositions Of Movement appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
I thought I was speaking clearly but he had no idea what I was saying. We have heard it before, right? There is much more said in the unsaid than the said. But have you considered how your body language is telling a different story to what you are actually saying? In the latest episode […]
The post Tips 022: 4 Tricks To Lift Your Spanish Using Body Language appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In the latest episode of the Real Fast Spanish tips podcast, we will be looking at another Spanish word that can cause confusion for English students. Is the letter “a” is a letter or a word? It’s is up for debate. But debates aside, in today’s episode of the Real Fast Spanish tips podcast we […]
The post Tips 021: How to Avoid Mistakes With The Letter “A” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this episode of the real fast spanish tips podcast we look at a big mindset topic. If you have ever struggled with confidence or maybe looking to build your own confidence even though you may have an okay level of confidence to start with then in this mindset tip we are looking at this topic. […]
The post Tips 020: How To Build Confidence In Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In the latest episode of the Real Fast Spanish tips podcast, we will be looking at a common Spanish word that can be used in a number of different contexts. One of the reasons that this word causes students trouble is that it can mean slightly different things in different scenarios. But is a high […]
The post Tips 019: 3 Ways To Use “Lo” In A Sentence appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this episode of the real fast spanish tips podcast we look at a concept called little and big steps. Why should you know about this concept? It is worth knowing because when you consider what constitutes a big or little step you will be able to adjust your own mindset around how you are […]
The post Tips 018: How To Improve With Little And Big Steps appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
One critical element of conversation hacking is being able to share your thoughts and ideas as quickly as possible. A common set of ideas that you may want to able express is talking about the future. In this episode of the real fast spanish tips podcast we add a further piece of the puzzle to […]
The post Tips 017: A Hack For The Future appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
This tip is close to my heart. It is one that has given me a lot of value over the years and I’m sure it will for you too. We all know about the main subject of today’s podcast but many forget how important it is (myself included). In this latest episode of the Real […]
The post Tips 016: How To Improve Your Brain – Hint: It’s Not What You Think appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
There are lots of ways to talk about the past in Spanish. In today’s episode of the Real Fast Spanish tips podcast you will learn about a hack for talking about actions that have occurred in the past. This hack for talking about the past is in fact one of the common Spanish grammar hacking […]
The post Tips 015: A Hack For The Past appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips Podcast, I share my thoughts on an idea I call ‘The Gap.’ The gap is something that affects all language students, I see it everywhere and in everyone. It is something that will cause you frustration unless you have a tactic for dealing with it. In […]
The post Tips 014: The One About The Gap appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Reflexive verbs can cause confusion amongst Spanish students. But they don’t have to. As a follow up to the previous podcast episodes on Spanish verbs, this episode presents the reflexive form of Spanish verbs. In order to get a good understanding of reflexive verbs, we need to start back a the most basic sentence structure. […]
The post Tips 013: 5 Useful Spanish Reflexive Verbs For Conversation appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips Podcast, we will discuss the topic of Perfectionism. Perfectionism is related to procrastination but in a weird way. Both of these ‘P’ words tend to be the habits of two very different types of students yet both students will end up with the same results. Are […]
The post Tips 012: Are You Suffering From Perfectionism? appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
This tip “estoy por” is the second part of a two part series on the words: ser, estar, por y para. In this episode of the podcast you will learn about the other two words: estar y por. If you haven’t listened to the first part, which was episode 9 – para ser, then make […]
The post Tips 011: Estoy Por – I’m up for… appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips Podcast you will hear about tactics for dealing with procrastination. Procrastination can be a silent killer. If you have ever found yourself procrastinating then this will be holding you back. It could be stopping you from achieving your goals in Spanish. It could be slowing you down. If you […]
The post Tips 010: Beating Procrastination – What Has Worked For Me appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips Podcast you will get to hear a fresh approach to an old problem. Words such as ‘ser’ vs ‘estar’ and ‘por’ vs ‘para’ tend to cause a lot of confusion. One of the reasons that I believe these words tend to cause so much confusion is […]
The post Tips 009: Para Ser – In Order To Be appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Today I introduce another mindset strategy for learning Spanish faster. In this tip I share another story from my life and how you can apply this lesson to your Spanish training. It’s Monday again and what better way to kick off the week. The idea I introduce this week is powerful if you can put […]
The post Tips 008: How A Stolen Surfboard Will Help Your Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
Verbs like gustar operate in a group of their own. In this episode of the podcast, I discuss ‘gustar’, other similar verbs and how they are used. This theoretical Thursday builds on last week’s tip including more useful vocabulary that can be used for conversational Spanish. The verbs discussed fit in well with the conversation […]
The post Tips 007: How To Use Verbs Like Gustar To Express Your Ideas appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
This episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips Podcast is the first mindset monday. What has worked really well for me to improve my Spanish has been getting into the right mindset. If you want to learn Spanish quickly there are far more things that you need to learn than just verb conjugations and vocabulary. […]
The post Tips 006: How To Find Your Spanish Drive – The First Mindset Monday appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips Podcast I introduce the first 10 words of the conversation hacking high frequency vocabulary. These first ten words are chosen based on the a combination of frequency, utility and my own personal experience with using the language during my Spanish adventures. Quote from the podcast episode: “Pero no […]
The post Tips 005: Your First 10 Spanish Words appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips Podcast I introduce the 7 principles of conversation hacking. Conversation hacking is one of the best techniques I know to get to a conversational level in Spanish as fast as possible. If you are learning Spanish and haven’t reached a conversational level yet then it is […]
The post Tips 004: An Introduction To The 7 Principles Of Conversation Hacking appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In this episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips Podcast, I discuss the last and final D of language learning. When you are struggling to execute, when you are trying to propel your Spanish forward and not seeing results it could be that you haven’t applied the third D of language learning. Quote from the […]
The post Tips 003: The Third And Final D Of Language Learning appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
In the second episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips Podcast I discuss one of my most important tips for Spanish students, the second D of language learning and why it is critical for any spanish student. How do I know this tip is so critical to learning a second language, because it’s what help me […]
The post Tips 002: The Most Important D Of Language Learning appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.
This is the first episode of the Real Fast Spanish Tips Podcast. In this episode I discuss the first D of language learning and why it is important to help you reach your spanish goals faster. I’m going to give an example how using this first D will help you to use your mind to […]
The post Tips 001: How To Get A Quality Start In Spanish With The First D Of Language Learning appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.