Breaking Español

Ep. 5 - Interview with Lalo Vega

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This week we interviewed the man that has helped us immensely in our journey and taught us practically all the Spanish we know, our Spanish teacher, or guide as he likes to call himself, Lalo Vega!

Lalo runs the Culture and Language Center (link) in San Diego where he has a unique approach to teaching. His students start learning how to converse from Day 1 while also beginning to understand the reasons why certain things are the way they are.

He focuses on becoming functional and being able to communicate rather than being able to pass a fluency test. Lalo has a great story about how he got to this point and in this episode we get a glimpse of his story and what you can do to start learning today.

Tips (consejos)
  • Most language learning schools focus on passing a fluency test (ex. TOEFL)
  • Duolingo is the best/first resource to get started
  • Duolingo won’t help you become conversational but it is good at building vocab
  • Combine Duolingo with a workbook and class for a great foundation to start learning
  • Keep it simple, speak like a caveman (Lalo’s term)
  • Embrace the language for what it is
  • Language learning is a skill that takes time, there is no “language learning gene”
  • Consistency is key
    • Spanish Words (Palabras Españolas)
    • Cosa = thing
    • Utilizo = I use
    • Para = for
    • Hablar = to talk
    • Pelo = hair
    • Ojo = eye
    • Pestañas = Eyelashes
    • Cargadora = Charger
    • Celular = Cell Phone
    • Solamente = Solely / Just / Only
    • Espero que si = I hope that…
    • Posiblemente = Possibly
    • Quizás = Perhaps
    • Posible hablamos mas tarder = Possibly we’ll talk later
    • Buen Provecho = Enjoy the food
    • Provechito = Enjoy the food (cute version)
    • Aprovechar = To take advantage of
    • Buena Onda = Good Vibes (Mexican slang)
    • Onda = Wave (eg. Sound Wave)
    • Ola(s) = Wave(s) like in the ocean
    • Nuestros vecinos = Our neighbors
    • Crema de cacahuate = Peanut Butter
    • Nos Veemos = We’ll see you later
      • Resources
      • Add 1 Challenge to build a routine and be able to hold a 15min conversation in 90 days
      • Grammar, Identity, and the Dark Side of the Subjunctive: Phuc Tran at TEDxDirigo
      • Culture and Language Center Weekly Email
        • ...more
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        Breaking EspañolBy Jennie & Ben Sullins