Advanced Spanish with Spanish Obsessed

Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word of Colombia's big weekend, and get the regional nicknames, from rolos to pastusos, the English for every line, and what it really means to "votar con guayabo":

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Colombia beat Greece 3-0 in its first World Cup game, and Lis saw on Facebook how people poured into the streets and partied until dawn, with the presidential run-off the very next day. What happens when a nation votes with a hangover, and what cheeky wish earns Rob the label "envidioso"? Plus, tune your ear to Colombian Spanish as Rob and Lis sort out the rolos, paisas, costeños and pastusos.

Do you know what these mean?
se emparrandó · amanecieron · votar con guayabo · estamos en la punta

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/colombia-weekend

Can you spot Rob's slip when he compares how much football matters in the US with other countries? One tiny word gives it away.

Know the rules but freeze when you need the subjunctive? Get the free cheatsheet of phrases you'll actually use:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

Clarissa was born in Venezuela with Italian roots and spent 17 years in Italy, so which side wins when she has to choose? In London, she's struck by an English lunchtime habit that the English treat like a day at the beach. She shares the Venezuelan expression for how she learned her English, plus a frank personal view of life back home. A chance to tune your ear to Venezuelan Spanish.

Do you know what these mean?
a los trancazos · sanduche · es lo máximo · ahorita

Can't catch every word? Read along with the full transcript, translations and meanings:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/clarissa-venezuela

Rob asks Clarissa "Tú no le gusta mucho entonces". Can you spot his mistake? The answer's in the notes.

Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word about Lis's "muy ficticia" driving licence, and get the Colombian way to talk about reversing, every line in Spanish and English, and how you can fail England's driving test in minute one:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Lis has a Colombian driving licence, but she calls it "muy ficticia". Rob remembers what happened in Italy when she had to reverse. He explains why the English driving test is so easy to fail, and how you can fail in the first minute and still have to keep driving. Then Lis reveals her dream road trip, and a colour choice that makes Rob cry "¡Ay por Dios!"

Do you know what these mean?
dar reversa · me queda muy difícil · toca pagar · ¡Ay por Dios!

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/driving-test

Describing the English driving test, Rob slips up twice and Lis corrects him both times. Can you spot the two words he gets wrong?

FREE: (Finally) master the subjunctive. Get our cheatsheet of the most common subjunctive phrases and triggers:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

What did gold mean to the Muisca, if not money? After a family trip to the British Museum's El Dorado exhibition, Lis explains what really went on at Lake Guatavita, and why the legend the conquistadors chased wasn't quite a legend. Rob knows where much of that gold ended up, and Lis recalls a very odd old test for spotting real gold, all in Bogotá Spanish at natural speed.

Do you know what these mean?
guacas · volviendo al tema · se me ocurrió esa idea · a lo mejor

Hear it, then see it. Follow along with the transcript and translations:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/el-dorado

Can you spot the word Rob invents when he says they're all very "cultured", and what Lis corrects it to?

Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word as Lis explains how Colombians vote, and get phrases like "mover todas sus fichas" and "entre comillas", notes on the slang, and why a voter in Bogotá might back a senator who represents Cartagena:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

How many votes does a Colombian actually cast? Lis walks Rob through her country's political system, from the old "reds and blues" to a party that began as a religious congregation, and soon Rob is laughing "¡Ay, qué complicado!" Why would someone in Bogotá vote for a senator who mainly represents Cartagena? And what do Colombia's political families have to do with two British party leaders?

Do you know what these mean?
me tienen como loca · mover todas sus fichas · politiqueros · entre comillas

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/colombian-politics

Ready to break into advanced Spanish? Start with the subjunctive. Free cheatsheet of the key phrases and triggers:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

Maria, from Piura on Peru's northern coast, landed at Heathrow alone, with no plan and not a word of English. Nobody was waiting for her, so how did her first ride end up costing £117? She talks about 3am starts at the bus stop, the job she was determined not to do, and the soldier's motto that kept her going. A chance to tune your ear to northern Peruvian Spanish.

Do you know what these mean?
a la deriva · sobre la marcha · nunca hago marcha atrás · pa' lante

Missed something? The full transcript, translations and meanings are here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/maria-peru

Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word of three South American must-sees, and get the word every traveller to the Andes should know, the English for every line, and a hotel where even the chairs are made of salt:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Lis's cousin Margarita, visiting from Colombia, has travelled all over South America, and here she picks her top three places. Find out which traditional tea she swears by before Machu Picchu, and the unusual souvenir you can collect in your passport at the entrance. Then there's a "sea" in Bolivia you shouldn't enter without a guide, and a hotel where even the chairs are made of salt.

Do you know what these mean?
el soroche · sin lugar a dudas · tener presente · a lo lejos

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/south-america

Free for listeners: the subjunctive cheatsheet, with the most common phrases and triggers in one download:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

What do Mexicans say instead of "cool", and when does "padre" stop meaning father? Lis sits down with Bárbara from Guadalajara for a crash course in the slang Mexicans use among friends, including the word Bárbara calls the most Mexican of all (parental guidance advised). Then Bárbara reveals the "drowned" breakfast you have to try, and what gets served alongside a shot of mezcal. A great chance to tune your ear to Mexican Spanish.

Do you know what these mean?
chido · muy padre · qué onda guey · no manches

Can't catch every word? Read along with the full transcript, translations and meanings:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/mexican-slang