Learn Spanish and Go

What does it mean to be fluent in a language? How long does it take?

In this episode, Jim and May dissect what it means to be fluent and how to get there.

Jim goes into depth about his own journey and what methods he used to achieve fluency in less than 2 years.

Links:

• State Department of Language Categories
• [VIDEO] How Jim learned Spanish
• [ARTICLE] How Madison (one of our writers) learned Spanish
• Margarita Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish
• Duolingo
• Support us on Patreon
• Ready to go beyond listening? Join La Escala, the Spanish and Go community built to help you practice, stay consistent, and connect.
  
  Get the complete podcast learning library, weekly challenges, and supportive community spaces—with live conversation clubs, guided grammar lessons and practice, and more available depending on your plan.
  
  Explore La Escala

Thank you to our patrons for making this podcast possible:

Tiansheng Lian, Jennifer Wilson, Nicolas Romano, Adrian Major, Jenny, Christy Warne, Marisol, Russ Moore, Sallie Boden, Annette Baesel, Christian Gonzalez, Jill Heichelbech, Kim Kaleta, Jean Lorio, Cindy Sanchez, Rebecca D Robison, Simon Larsson, Wylie Hargrove, Kristin Royer, Deb Shroyer, Adam Tinkoff, RamPandaPuss, Amy, Hal Brookins, Josh Powell, Hoy Shih, Neil Moore, Craig Stenger, Jennifer Wilson, Paula Lisowsky, Joseph Scriba, and Kenneth Revelson.

✈️ Join La Escala, our online Spanish and Go community for Spanish learners who want more practice, structure, and connection. Annual plans include 2 months free.
👉 Learn more: spanishandgo.com/community

Support the show

This is the exclusive audio breakdown section for episode 012 - Ser Fluido en Español | To Be Fluent in Spanish. 

Get access to the full interactive transcript, quizzes, and more for this and every episode by joining our community, La Escala, at spanishandgo.com/community.

Have you heard the phrases “la carne de burro no es transparente” or “la suerte de la fea, la bonita la desea” before? 

Literally, the first one translates to “the donkey meat isn’t transparent,” and the other, “the ugly’s luck, the beautiful want.” But what do they truly mean?

In this episode, Jim and May break down multiple Spanish idioms: common phrases that native speakers use that might be hard to understand for Spanish learners.

Links:

• [VIDEO] 21 Must-Know Food Related Saying and Idioms
• Ready to go beyond listening? Join La Escala, the Spanish and Go community built to help you practice, stay consistent, and connect.
  
  Get the complete podcast learning library, weekly challenges, and supportive community spaces—with live conversation clubs, guided grammar lessons and practice, and more available depending on your plan.
  
  Explore La Escala

Thank you to our patrons for making this podcast possible:

Tiansheng Lian, Jennifer Wilson, Nicolas Romano, Adrian Major, Jenny, Christy Warne, Marisol, Russ Moore, Sallie Boden, Annette Baesel, Christian Gonzalez, Jill Heichelbech, Kim Kaleta, Jean Lorio, Cindy Sanchez, Rebecca D Robison, Simon Larsson, Wylie Hargrove, Kristin Royer, Deb Shroyer, Adam Tinkoff, RamPandaPuss, Amy, Hal Brookins, Josh Powell, Hoy Shih, Neil Moore, Craig Stenger, Jennifer Wilson, Paula Lisowsky, Joseph Scriba, and Kenneth Revelson.

✈️ Join La Escala, our online Spanish and Go community for Spanish learners who want more practice, structure, and connection. Annual plans include 2 months free.
👉 Learn more: spanishandgo.com/community

Support the show

This is the exclusive audio breakdown section for episode 011 - Dichos Graciosos en Español | Funny Sayings in Spanish. 

Get access to the full interactive transcript, quizzes, and more for this and every episode by joining our community, La Escala, at spanishandgo.com/community.

This week, Ben and Marina from Notes in Spanish join Jim and May to talk about the differences between Spanish and culture in Mexico and Spain.

Ben, an Englishman, and Marina, a Madrileña (from Madrid, Spain), started the first Spanish learning podcast back in 2006. Not only do they host an incredibly popular podcast, but their work also inspired Jim and May to start an online business. Needless to say, it's is a huge honor to have them on the podcast.

In the episode, the two couples discuss the distinctive dialects of Mexican and Spain Spanish, as well as their similarities and differences.

Links:

• Notes in Spanish: Learn Spanish with Ben and Marina
  • This podcast helped Jim tremendously when he was starting out with Spanish. Ben and Marina offer transcripts, worksheets, and more for their podcast episodes.
• Different Spanish Accents From Around the World
  • You can see Marina featured in this video about different Spanish accents in the first collaboration between Notes in Spanish and Spanish and Go on YouTube.
• La Real Academia Española
  • Answers your Spanish grammar questions on Twitter using #dudarae
• Ready to go beyond listening? Join La Escala, the Spanish and Go community built to help you practice, stay consistent, and connect.
  
  Get the complete podcast learning library, weekly challenges, and supportive community spaces—with live conversation clubs, guided grammar lessons and practice, and more available depending on your plan.
  
  Explore La Escala

Thank you to our patrons for making this podcast possible:

Tiansheng Lian, Jennifer Wilson, Nicolas Romano, Adrian Major, Jenny, Christy Warne, Marisol, Russ Moore, Sallie Boden, Annette Baesel, Christian Gonzalez, Jill Heichelbech, Kim Kaleta, Jean Lorio, Cindy Sanchez, Rebecca D Robison, Simon Larsson, Wylie Hargrove, Kristin Royer, Deb Shroyer, Adam Tinkoff, RamPandaPuss, Amy, Hal Brookins, Josh Powell, Hoy Shih, Neil Moore, Craig Stenger, Jennifer Wilson, Paula Lisowsky, Joseph Scriba, and Kenneth Revelson.

✈️ Join La Escala, our online Spanish and Go community for Spanish learners who want more practice, structure, and connection. Annual plans include 2 months free.
👉 Learn more: spanishandgo.com/community

Support the show

This is the exclusive audio breakdown section for episode 010 - Español Mexicano vs Español de España | Mexican Spanish vs Spain Spanish with Notes in Spanish. 

Get access to the full interactive transcript, quizzes, and more for this and every episode by joining our community, La Escala, at spanishandgo.com/community.

In this episode, Jim and May talk about some of the biggest differences they've noticed between living in Mexico and Puerto Rico.

Links:

• Why Is Puerto Rican Spanish so Hard?
• Ready to go beyond listening? Join La Escala, the Spanish and Go community built to help you practice, stay consistent, and connect.
  
  Get the complete podcast learning library, weekly challenges, and supportive community spaces—with live conversation clubs, guided grammar lessons and practice, and more available depending on your plan.
  
  Explore La Escala

Thank you to our patrons for making this podcast possible:

Tiansheng Lian, Jennifer Wilson, Nicolas Romano, Adrian Major, Jenny, Christy Warne, Marisol, Russ Moore, Sallie Boden, Annette Baesel, Christian Gonzalez, Jill Heichelbech, Kim Kaleta, Jean Lorio, Cindy Sanchez, Rebecca D Robison, Simon Larsson, Wylie Hargrove, Kristin Royer, Deb Shroyer, Adam Tinkoff, RamPandaPuss, Amy, Hal Brookins, Josh Powell, Hoy Shih, Neil Moore, Craig Stenger, Jennifer Wilson, Paula Lisowsky, Joseph Scriba, and Kenneth Revelson.

✈️ Join La Escala, our online Spanish and Go community for Spanish learners who want more practice, structure, and connection. Annual plans include 2 months free.
👉 Learn more: spanishandgo.com/community

Support the show

This is the exclusive audio breakdown section for episode 009 - México vs Puerto Rico | Mexico vs Puerto Rico. 

Get access to the full interactive transcript, quizzes, and more for this and every episode by joining our community, La Escala, at spanishandgo.com/community.

In this episode, Jim and May discuss the advantages and disadvantages of living the small town life in Mexico. 

Learn about the typical routine of people living in these pueblos, and how different the lifestyle can be from the big city.

Links:

• Tradition Mexican Drinks You’ve Never Heard of Before
  • Recorded in Comala, Colima Mexico
• Ready to go beyond listening? Join La Escala, the Spanish and Go community built to help you practice, stay consistent, and connect.
  
  Get the complete podcast learning library, weekly challenges, and supportive community spaces—with live conversation clubs, guided grammar lessons and practice, and more available depending on your plan.
  
  Explore La Escala

Thank you to our patrons for making this podcast possible:

Tiansheng Lian, Jennifer Wilson, Nicolas Romano, Adrian Major, Jenny, Christy Warne, Marisol, Russ Moore, Sallie Boden, Annette Baesel, Christian Gonzalez, Jill Heichelbech, Kim Kaleta, Jean Lorio, Cindy Sanchez, Rebecca D Robison, Simon Larsson, Wylie Hargrove, Kristin Royer, Deb Shroyer, Adam Tinkoff, RamPandaPuss, Amy, Hal Brookins, Josh Powell, Hoy Shih, Neil Moore, Craig Stenger, Jennifer Wilson, Paula Lisowsky, Joseph Scriba, and Kenneth Revelson.

✈️ Join La Escala, our online Spanish and Go community for Spanish learners who want more practice, structure, and connection. Annual plans include 2 months free.
👉 Learn more: spanishandgo.com/community

Support the show

This is the exclusive audio breakdown section for episode 008 - La Verdad Sobre la Vida de Pueblo en México | The Truth About Life in a Mexican Town. 

Get access to the full interactive transcript, quizzes, and more for this and every episode by joining our community, La Escala, at spanishandgo.com/community.