"Lo" is one of those really versatile words in Spanish, and can be pretty tricky for English speakers to wrap their minds around (even I struggle with it sometimes!). So today's episode finishes our overview of the main ways that "lo" is used in Spanish. As a reminder, "Lo" can be used as 1) a direct object pronoun, 2) a neuter definite article, 3) a neuter relative pronoun, 4) combined with the preposition "de", 5) after the verbs Ser and Estar, and 6) in various Spanish phrases. We went over the first 3 in Episode 56, so today we'll finish up with the last 3. Let's dive in to what it all means!

Remember, learning a language is a lifelong journey.
¡Aprovéchalo, Disfrútalo y Compártelo!

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© 2021 by Language Answers, LLC
Blog for Episode 57

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Cultural Tip Transition Music edited from song by JuliusH from Pixabay

Resource Links
Episode Content 

• Episode 56: What´s Up With "Lo"? Part 1
• "How to Use ‘Lo’ in Spanish" by Gerald Erichsen, updated February 03, 2020, for ThoughtCo.
• "4 Ways to Use “Lo” to Replace or Create Any New Idea" by Real Fast Spanish
• "The article lo - Easy Learning Grammar Spanish" by Collins
• "Lo" in Wordreference.com 
• Linguee.com 

Cultural Tip

• "International Tango Festival and World Cup" Official English Website for the City of Buenos Aires
  "Festival y Mundial de Tango" Sitio oficial de turismo de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires" Spanish Version. 
• "Buenos Aires, Argentina: EP 4 Tango Festival Y Mundial" by Bare Feet with Mickela Mollozzi, uploaded to YouTube April 11, 2013
• "Tango BA - Se viene Tango Buenos Aires Festival y Mundial 2015!" by FestivalesBA, uploaded to YouTube on August 5, 2015
• "Basic Argentine Tango for fun at home" by Vivaladance, uploaded to YouTube on April 20, 2020
• "The Top 5 Cultural Celebrations in Argentina" by Julie Ritz on January 25, 2019 for Capa World
• "Buenos Aires Book Fair" Official Site
  "Fundación El Libro" Official Site in Spanish
• "Opening of the Buenos Aires Book Fair" by AP Archive, uploaded to YouTube on May 6, 2017
• "Buenos Aires International Book Fair" Official English Website for the City of Buenos Aires
  "Feria del Libro" Sitio oficial de turismo de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires
• "Argentina Culture Guide: 11 Can’t-Miss Customs & Traditions" by Celebrity Cruises
• "Yerba Mate" by Celebrity Cruises
• "How to Make Yerba Mate" by Wiki How, updated May 6, 2021
• "Yerba Mate | Thirsty For ..." by Tastemade, uploaded to YouTube on April 23, 2013

"Lo" is one of those really versatile words in Spanish, and can be pretty tricky for English speakers to wrap their minds around (even I struggle with it sometimes!). So today's episode gives an overview on the 6 main ways that "lo" is used in Spanish, focusing on the first three in this episode and the last three in the next!
 
Remember, learning a language is a lifelong journey.
¡Aprovéchalo, Disfrútalo y Compártelo!

SHOW NOTES

© 2021 by Language Answers, LLC
Blog for Episode 56

Intro and Closing Music by Master_Service from Fiverr

Cultural Tip Transition Music edited from song by JuliusH from Pixabay

Resource Links
Episode Content 

• Episodio 48: Los Pronombres de los Objetos Directos e Indirectos
• "The Neuter Relative Pronouns "Lo Cual" and "Lo Que"" by SpanishDict.com 
• "How to Use ‘Lo’ in Spanish" by Gerald Erichsen, updated February 03, 2020, for ThoughtCo.
• "4 Ways to Use “Lo” to Replace or Create Any New Idea" by Real Fast Spanish
• "Bueno" by HarperCollins Publishers, via Collins online dictionary
• "How to use LO QUE in Spanish" by Real Fast Spanish, uploaded to YouTube on October 8, 2020
• "The article lo - Easy Learning Grammar Spanish" by Collins

Cultural Tip

• "National Holidays in Argentina in 2021" from OfficeHolidays.com (click on the links there to read more about each holiday, which is how I gathered my information.)
• "The Story Behind the Argentina Flag" by the CultureTrip.com 
• "Flag of Argentina" by Whitney Smith on February 2, 2001 for Britannica.com, updated on July 25, 2011

Do you have trouble remembering which adverb of place (or rather, adverbios demostrativos) to use in Spanish for saying where something is? Is the cat aquí, ahí, or allí? Or maybe it's acá? If so, then this episode is for you!

Remember, learning a language is a lifelong journey.
¡Aprovéchalo, Disfrútalo y Compártelo!

SHOW NOTES

© 2021 by Language Answers, LLC
Blog for Episode 55

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Cultural Tip Transition Music edited from song by JuliusH from Pixabay

Resource Links
Episode Content 

• RAE.es 
• Wordreference.com 
• "Translating "Here" and "There" While Speaking Spanish" by Gerald Erichsen for ThoughtCo.com, updated November 4, 2019
• "Adverbios demostrativos de lugar" by Paco from EspañolPlus
• Episode 53: This, That, These, and Those in Spanish
• Episode 6: Spanish Contractions, Part 2 

Cultural Tip

• "National Holidays in Argentina in 2021" from OfficeHolidays.com (click on the links there to read more about each holiday, which is how I gathered my information.)
• "Carnival Monday around the world in 2022" from OfficeHolidays.com
• "Falkland Islands War" by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica July 20, 1998, and last updated on Britannica.com on March 26, 2021 

It's been a bit since our last song sampler (see Episode #40), so today's episode is going to focus on 4 unique styles of dance music that come to us from Spain and Puerto Rico! (With a heavy emphasis on the Dance!)

Remember, learning a language is a lifelong journey.
¡Aprovéchalo, Disfrútalo y Compártelo!

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© 2021 by Language Answers, LLC
Blog for Episode 54

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Cultural Tip Transition Music edited from song by JuliusH from Pixabay

Resource Links
Past Song Samplers

• Episode 42: A Merry Christmas Song Sampler! 
• Episode 40: Song Sampler #2 
• Episodes 33-35, regarding Nursery Rhymes
• Episode 24: Spanish Christmas Songs! 
• Episode 20: Song Sampler #1 

Episode Content (and Cultural Tip)

• "Essential Guide to Flamenco in Spain" by Spain Traveller
• "Flamenco: Music and Dance" by Ninotchka Devorah Bennahum for Britannica.com on Jan. 12, 2000, last updated Jan. 20, 2021
• "Sevilla, Spain: Home of Flamenco" by Rick Steves' Europe, uploaded to YouTube on Nov. 1, 2017
• "This FLAMENCO dancer is going to SHOCK you | Auditions 7 | Spain's Got Talent 2021" by Spain's Got Talent, uploaded to YouTube Feb. 26, 2021
• Spain's Got Talent YouTube channel 
• The Dancer YouTube channel 
• "MACARENA is a FLAMENCO SNOW WHITE in her powerful choreography | Semifinal 02 | The Dancer" from The Dancer, uploaded to YouTube on May 31, 2021
• "OLE! MACARENA triumphs with its fan challenge| Grand Final | The Dancer" by The Dancer, uploaded to YouTube Jun. 7, 2021
• "Sevillanas, the most famous folk Spanish dance" by Laurent Escobar for Pura-Aventura.com on Apr. 16, 2015
• "Sevillana" by Andalucia.com 
• "Feria de Abril 2018" by Ayuntamiento de Sevilla, uploaded to YouTube on Apr. 19, 2018
• "How to Dance: The Charleston" by Kevin and Karen, uploaded to YouTube on Feb. 21, 2015
• "Baile Por Sevillana Alba Y Andrea" by A Bailar, uploaded to YouTube on May 9, 2018
• "Sevillanas tutorial #1 (la primera) - Aprende a bailar Sevillanas" by Maria Osende, uploaded to YouTube Jan. 19, 2019
• "Tutorial Sevillanas: Learn to dance the FIRST SEVILLANA easy footwork step by step" by Ole Ole Guapa, uploaded to YouTube on Mar. 31, 2020
• "Curso: Aprende a Bailar Sevillanas con Pilar Astola: Introducción y 1º pasos." by Pilar Astola, uploaded to YouTube on Apr. 3, 2016
• "Sevillanas Luisa Lirio Dia Andalucia" by Candido Peña Sanchez, uploaded to YouTube on Mar. 11, 2016
• "Puerto Rico's Bomba, A Dance of The African Diaspora | KQED Arts" by KQED Arts, uploaded to YouTube on Jun. 9, 2020
• "Learning the Dances of Puerto Rico" by Discover Puerto Rico.com
• "Bomba is an Essential Expression of Puerto Rican Culture" by Discover Puerto Rico.com
• "Latin American Dance: Puerto Rico" by Susan V. Cashion for Britannica.com on Nov. 7, 2008, last updated Sep. 2, 2020
• "La Plena de Puerto Rico - Borinquen 2017" by Borinquen Dance Theatre Inc, uploaded to YouTube on Mar. 25, 2018
• "Plena Puerto Rican Dance -- Husband and wife argue" by Dan Hanson, uploaded to YouTube on Oct. 18, 2013
• "Aprende a bailar plena puertorriqueña" by Triple-S Advantage, uploaded to YouTube Sep. 5, 2020
• "Pasos básicos de la plena puertorriqueña | Escuela Cultural GPR" by Gíbaro de Puerto Rico, uploaded to YouTube on Jan. 12, 2021
• "Puerto Rico is Bomba" by Discover Puerto Rico, uploaded to YouTube on Apr. 27, 2020
• "Learn How to Dance Bomba with Afro-Puerto Rican Dancer Mar Cruz | KQED Arts" by KQED Arts, uploaded to YouTube on Aug. 5, 2020
• "How to Dance Bomba Puertorriquena Rhythm YUBA with Milteri Tucker Concepcion" by Bombazo Dance Company, uploaded to YouTube on Feb. 22, 2021

Do you ever get confused as to which Spanish word, este or esa, means this or that? Then today’s episode is for you! :) And due to the hectic nature that this past week has been, the cultural tip will focus on three fun Spanish sayings.

***My apologies! I need to make a correction. In this episode, I incorrectly attributed the first two phrases in the cultural tip section to "Gramática para la composición" by M. Stanley Whitley and Luis González [Affiliate link to Amazon]. This book was used as a reference for writing the episode. The book that the phrases actually come from is "The Street-Wise Spanish Survival Guide: A Dictionary of Over 3,000 Slang Expressions, Proverbs, Idioms, and Other Tricky English and Spanish Words and Phrases Translated and Explained" by Eleanor Hamer and Fernando Díez de Urdanivia [Affiliate link to Amazon]. So this episode actually has 2 affiliate links. I have updated the blog and show notes accordingly***

Remember, learning a language is a lifelong journey.
¡Aprovéchalo, Disfrútalo y Compártelo!

SHOW NOTES

© 2021 by Language Answers, LLC
Blog for Episode 53

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Cultural Tip Transition Music edited from song by JuliusH from Pixabay

Resource Links

Episode/Cultural Content 

• "El adverbio «solo» y los pronombres demostrativos, sin tilde" by the Español al Día of the Real Academia Española
• "Fracasó la RAE: sólo y éste, con tilde" by Estandarte on April 24, 2020
• "La RAE no ha cambiado de criterio: "solo" se escribe sin tilde" by Jamie Rubio Hancock on May 1, 2020 for El País
• [Affiliate link to Amazon.] "Gramática para la composición" second edition, by M. Stanley Whitley and Luis González

Cultural Tip

• [Affiliate link to Amazon.] "The Street-Wise Spanish Survival Guide: A Dictionary of Over 3,000 Slang Expressions, Proverbs, Idioms, and Other Tricky English and Spanish Words and Phrases Translated and Explained" by Eleanor Hamer and Fernando Díez de Urdanivia
• "11 Fun Spanish Phrases That’ll Knock Your Socks Off" by Devynricks for FluentU

For 2021, I decided to do something new for Spanish Answers and incorporate three special episodes throughout the year that would focus on interesting holidays celebrated in Spanish-speaking countries around the world. They're kind of like one big cultural tip regarding  a country's unique celebration. Today's episode is my first one, focusing on El Año Andino Amazónico, which is celebrated today (June 21st)!
 
Remember, learning a language is a lifelong journey.
¡Aprovéchalo, Disfrútalo y Compártelo!

SHOW NOTES

© 2021 by Language Answers, LLC
Blog for Episode 52

Intro and Closing Music by Master_Service from Fiverr

Cultural Tip Transition Music edited from song by JuliusH from Pixabay

Resource Links

Episode/Cultural Content 

• "Andean New Year in Bolivia in 2021" by OfficeHolidays.com
• "Año Nuevo Aymara en Bolivia" by Eabolivia.com 
• "Willkakuti" by BoliviaTravelSite.com 
• "The Almara People" by Rolando Y. Wee April 25, 2017 in Society for World Atlas
• "Where And What Is The Altiplano?" by Amber Pariona on August 1, 2017 in Environment for World Atlas
• "Aymara" by EveryCulture.com 
• "¿Conocías está canción en aymara? te enseñó a cantarla" by Kullakita Nayra, uploaded to YouTube on April 16, 2021
• "Hice una tarjeta con dedicatoria en aymara por el día del padre" by Kullakita Nayra, uploaded to YouTube on March 20, 2021
• "Tiwanaku and Lake Titikaka" by SacredLand.org 
• "Meet the Fighting Cholitas, Bolivia's indigenous women wrestlers who are battling for gender equality" by Sarah Hucal on November 29, 2019 for ABC News
• "Kalasasaya Temple - La Paz" by BolivaEsTurismo.com on June 19, 2016
• "Acotango" by the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, Global Volcanism Program

Do you enjoy reading science fiction (a.k.a., sci-fi) or dreaming about space travel? Then today's episode is for you!

Remember, learning a language is a lifelong journey.
¡Aprovéchalo, Disfrútalo y Compártelo!

SHOW NOTES

© 2021 by Language Answers, LLC
Blog for Episode 51

Intro and Closing Music by Master_Service from Fiverr

Cultural Tip Transition Music edited from song by JuliusH from Pixabay

Resource Links

Episode Content 

• My Language Resource Library! (Here is a direct link to the English Resource Library)
• Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
• The History of English Podcast by Kevin Stroud
• The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White [Affiliate Link]
• Wordreference.com 
• "Hipermotor" from Stars Wars Fandom
• "Curvatura (Desplazamiento)" from Wikipedia

Cultural Tip

• "The Most Famous Mythical Creature of Every Country in the World — Illustrated" from The Gate with Brian Cohen
• "El Güije, el cagüeyro, la tatagua y otros seres de la mitología cubana" by Ricardo Acevedo for Amazing Stories
• "Mitos y supersticiones que solo escucharás en Cuba" by Sandy Mederos
• "El Picudo" from Wikipedia
• "Leyenda de El Picudo" from Xplore Honduras
• "La Cuyancúa (Leyenda)" from El Salvador Mi Pais (click here for an English adaptation by Federico Stories)

We made it to 50 episodes!! To celebrate, I'm launching a surprise just for my listeners/readers! Check out the podcast episode (or blog) to find out what it is. :)
 
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© 2021 by Language Answers, LLC
Blog for Episode 50

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Cultural Tip Transition Music edited from song by JuliusH from Pixabay

Resource Links

Episode Content 

• My new Language Resources Library! 
• "Doorway to Mexico" by Paulina
• "No Hay Tos" by Beto and Héctor 
• "The Everything Spanish Grammar Book" by Julie Gutin [Affiliate link to Amazon.]
  "GoGo Lingo CD" [Affiliate link to Amazon.]
  This CD by GoGo Lingo is a fun way to teach your kids Spanish! Instead of traditional songs, GoGo Lingo has created fun and humerous, even a little hip!, songs that are sung in both English and Spanish.
• "Cocinando Corea" by Yuna Kim
  "Diccionario de la Lengua Española" by the Real Academia Española (RAE). 

Cultural Tip

• [Affiliate link to Amazon.] "The Street-Wise Spanish Survival Guide" by Eleanor Hamer & Fernando Díez de Urdanivia.
• "12 Funny Spanish Sayings That Are Sure to Crack a Smile on Your Face" by Francisco J. Vare for FluentU
• "Origen del dicho: «Quien fue a Sevilla, perdió su silla»" by ABC de Sevilla

Do you enjoy reading fantasy or learning more about mythical creatures from other countries? Then today's episode is for you!

Remember, learning a language is a lifelong journey.
¡Aprovéchalo, Disfrútalo y Compártelo!

SHOW NOTES

© 2021 by Language Answers, LLC
Blog for Episode 49

Intro and Closing Music by Master_Service from Fiverr

Cultural Tip Transition Music edited from song by JuliusH from Pixabay

Resource Links

Episode Content 

• Wordreference.com 

Cultural Tip

• "The Most Famous Mythical Creature of Every Country in the World — Illustrated" from The Gate with Brian Cohen
• "¿Existe Nahuelito? Un documental que promete develar el misterio" by Alejandro Rapetti for La Nacion on Nov. 17, 2020
• "The Nahuelito Enigma" by Contenidos Patagonia for patagonia-argentina.com 
• "Terrifying Legends of Peru #2: El Muki" on August 8, 2017 by Traveling & Living in Peru
• "The mischievous Muki" by Jordan Faries on Sept. 21, 2018
• "Shape Changes, Fear Does Not: The Mythical Monster Coco" updated on March 20, 2016 by Natalia Klimczak for Ancient Origins
• "Duérmete niño" from Mama Lisa's World

In this final part of our 3-part series on reflexive verbs (see Episodes 46 and 47), we will look at 10 examples of verbs that significantly change their meaning when you use them as reflexive verbs.

Remember, learning a language is a lifelong journey.
¡Aprovéchalo, Disfrútalo y Compártelo!

SHOW NOTES

© 2021 by Language Answers, LLC
Blog for Episode 48

Intro and Closing Music by Master_Service from Fiverr

Cultural Tip Transition Music edited from song by JuliusH from Pixabay

Resource Links

Episode Content  

• [Affiliate link to Amazon.] "Spanish Frequency Dictionary: Essential Vocabulary" by MostUsedWords.com 2018
• Wordreference.com 
• "To ‘leave’ in Spanish: Difference between Dejar, Salir, and Irse" by Daniela Sanchez from ¡Tell Me in Spanish!
• "David Bisbal, Danna Paola - Vuelve, Vuelve (Letra)" uploaded to YouTube by Silvia Zc on April 15, 2021
• "To Become: Spanish Verbs" by Lawless Spanish
• "Choosing the Perfect Verb of Change in Spanish: Hacerse, Volverse, Ponerse & Quedarse" by Deliberate Spanish on October 18, 2016

Cultural Tip

• "The World Factbook: Argentina"  by the CIA
• "The World Factbook: Argentina Summary" by the CIA