Spanish for Beginners with Marco

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🍗 In every holiday dinner, there are classic characters you just can't escape...

In this fun episode of Spanish for Beginners, you’ll practice your Spanish listening while getting to know three very familiar family members we all recognize.

🎧 As you listen, you’ll discover:
🤫 The nosy aunt who always asks the most awkward relationship questions
📺 The deaf grandpa whose only true love is the game on TV
📱 The teenager cousin who is permanently glued to their screen

Simple, high-frequency phrases to describe people and talk about family in Spanish.

A relatable and humorous listening lesson designed to help you build your vocabulary with situations you know all too well.

Are these characters at your family table too? ¡Vamos a ver!

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📝 Listening Activity Transcript

En todas las cenas familiares hay personajes especiales.
Por ejemplo, la tía preguntona. Cuando ella te ve, te pregunta: “¿Tienes novio?" o "¿Tienes novia?".
Y si tienes pareja, pregunta: “¿Por qué no tienes hijos?”.
No hay escape. Ella es muy chismosa, pero también amable y cariñosa.
Otro personaje clásico es el abuelo sordo.
Él siempre está en el sillón y mira el partido en la televisión.
Cuando hablas con él, siempre dice: “¿Qué? ¡Habla más fuerte!”.
Solo tiene atención para el televisor.
Y finalmente, el primo adicto al teléfono.
Este primo no habla con nadie en la mesa. Siempre tiene el teléfono en la mano.
Y cuando le haces una pregunta, responde con una sola palabra: “Sí”, “no”, “bien”, “bueno”.
No hay mucha interacción.
¿Es similar en tu familia?
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📚 More resources to learn Spanish at Latin ELE
https://latinele.com/

🤝 Take the next step in your Spanish journey. Book a lesson with Marco and start speaking en español today.

❤️ If you enjoy the show, leave a five-star review and share it with your amigos
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¡Hasta la próxima!

—Marco

🫶 Connect with family, friends, and new people in Spanish. Explore our step-by-step Spanish for Beginners Free Course and begin speaking with confidence today.

🦃 Want to explain Thanksgiving traditions to your Latino friends in Spanish? 

In this episode of Spanish for Beginners, you'll learn the Spanish vocabulary you need to talk about some of the most recognizable Thanksgiving traditions in the United States.

🎧 Through a simple listening activity, you'll practice explaining:
🦃 The presidential turkey pardon
🎈 The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
🏃 The Thanksgiving morning Turkey Trot

A great lesson for building cultural connections and helping Spanish-speaking friends feel more included in your Thanksgiving celebrations.

📝 Audio listening transcript:
El Día de Acción de Gracias es una de las celebraciones más importantes de Estados Unidos.

Hay algunas tradiciones relacionadas con esta celebración.

Una muy famosa es el indulto del pavo, un evento donde el presidente de los Estados Unidos perdona la vida de un pavo.

El pavo vive el resto de su vida en una granja o reserva especial.

Otra tradición es el Desfile del Día de Acción de Gracias de Macy's en Nueva York, donde hay globos gigantes y carrozas decoradas.

Y finalmente, la carrera del pavo, una carrera de cinco kilómetros que muchas personas corren la mañana del Día de Acción de Gracias.

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🍂 More content on Thanksgiving at Latin ELE
https://latinele.com/thanksgiving-explained-in-basic-spanish/

📚 More resources to learn Spanish at Latin ELE
https://latinele.com/

🤝 Take the next step in your Spanish journey. Book a lesson with Marco and start speaking en español today.

❤️ If you enjoy the show, leave a five-star review and share it with your amigos
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

¡Hasta la próxima!

—Marco

🫶 Connect with family, friends, and new people in Spanish. Explore our step-by-step Spanish for Beginners Free Course and begin speaking with confidence today.

🙏 How do native Spanish speakers say "thank you" and "you're welcome"?

In this episode of Spanish for Beginners, you'll learn common gratitude expressions used across the Spanish-speaking world.

Perfect for everyday conversations with amigos, coworkers, and new Spanish-speaking friends.

📖 Find the complete lesson summary and extra examples at Latin ELE
https://latinele.com/how-to-say-thank-you-in-spanish/



📚 More resources to learn Spanish at Latin ELE
https://latinele.com/

🤝 Take the next step in your Spanish journey. Book a lesson with Marco and start speaking en español today.

❤️ If you enjoy the show, leave a five-star review and share it with your amigos
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

¡Hasta la próxima!

—Marco

🫶 Connect with family, friends, and new people in Spanish. Get your FREE Spanish Starter Pack and begin your journey with confidence.

🦃 A holiday centered around family, food, and gratitude?

In this episode of Spanish for Beginners, you'll learn about Thanksgiving through a simple Spanish listening activity.

🎧 As you listen, you'll learn:
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Describing common holiday activities in Spanish
🍽️ Traditional Thanksgiving foods
📆 Talk about when it's celebrated

The basics of one of the most important celebrations in the United States

A perfect lesson for beginners who want to build their vocabulary while exploring American culture en español. ¡Vamos!

📝 Study along with the listening activity transcript and lesson summary on Latin ELE's blog 
https://latinele.com/thanksgiving-explained-in-basic-spanish/

📚 More resources to learn Spanish at Latin ELE
https://latinele.com/

🤝 Take the next step in your Spanish journey. Book a lesson with Marco and start speaking en español today.

❤️ If you enjoy the show, leave a five-star review and share it with your amigos
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

¡Hasta la próxima!

—Marco

💀 More afraid of speaking Spanish than El Chupacabras? Grab your FREE Spanish Starter Pack and start speaking with confidence from day one.

👻 A mysterious creature that attacks animals at night? 

In this episode of Spanish for Beginners, you'll discover El Chupacabras, one of Latin America's most famous legends.

🎧 Through a Spanish beginner listening activity, you'll learn:
👹 What El Chupacabras looks like
🌙 What it does during the night
🗣️ Spanish vocabulary related to legends, monsters, and Halloween

A spooky and fun way to improve your Spanish while exploring a legendary creature known throughout Latin America.

¿Te atreves a conocer al Chupacabras? 👻🦇🌙

📝 Study along with the transcript at Latin ELE
https://latinele.com/el-chupacabras-spanish-horror-tale/

📚 More resources to learn Spanish at Latin ELE
https://latinele.com/

🤝 Take the next step in your Spanish journey. Book a lesson with Marco and start speaking en español today.

❤️ If you enjoy the show, leave a five-star review and share it with your amigos
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

¡Hasta la próxima!

—Marco

☝️ Ready to master numbers from zero to millions? Check out Numbers in Motion, a mini course to use números with confidence. 

How old is Halloween, and how many trick-or-treaters actually knock on your door?

In this spooky episode of Spanish for Beginners, you’ll train your ear to catch numbers in Spanish through fun Halloween facts.

🎧 As you listen, you'll practice:
🔢 Recognizing high-frequency numbers in natural speech (from tens to thousands!)
👻 How to talk about the history of la Noche de Brujas
🎃 The shocking record weight of the world's biggest pumpkin

A quick, bite-sized listening challenge designed for A1 learners who want to practice números en español. ¡Vamos!

📝 Listening Activity Transcript: 

Algunos números interesantes de la Noche de Brujas.

¿Cuántos años tiene Halloween?
Halloween tiene más de 2000 años. Es una celebración de origen celta.

¿Cuántos niños tocan a tu puerta?
Depende de tu ubicación, pero en promedio entre 40 y 100 niños en Estados Unidos.
Y si vives en una zona muy poblada, el número puede ser de hasta 300 niños. ¡Ay, Dios!

Y finalmente... ¿Cuánto pesa la calabaza de Halloween más grande?
Pesa 3.156 libras, una calabaza cultivada por Ron Wallace de Rhode Island. Este peso se registró en octubre de 2026.
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👻 Is speaking Spanish scarier than seeing Freddy Krueger in your dreams? Face your fears and get your FREE Spanish Starter Pack to begin having real conversations with confidence ⬇️
https://latinele.com/spanish-starter-pack/

📚 More resources to learn Spanish at Latin ELE
https://latinele.com/

🤝 Take the next step in your Spanish journey. Book a lesson with Marco and start speaking en español today.

❤️ If you enjoy the show, leave a five-star review and share it with your amigos
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

¡Hasta la próxima!

—Marco

😵‍💫 Pasados driving you crazy? Get Stories to Explore Spanish Past Tenses, a FREE ebook + audio that makes the past tenses finally make sense.

👻 A mysterious cry in the middle of the night... would you follow it?

In this special episode of Spanish for Beginners, you'll listen to the legend of La Llorona, one of the most famous ghost stories in Latin America.

This episode comes from my upper-beginner podcast, Basic Spanish Conversations, and will give you a taste of longer Spanish conversations and storytelling.

Along the way, you'll practice:
🌙 Listening to a traditional Latin American legend

📖 Understanding a story told in Spanish

⏳ Hearing the Spanish past tenses in context

A perfect challenge for learners who are ready to go beyond beginner Spanish and discover the world of stories en español.

¿Te atreves a escuchar a La Llorona? 👻🌙

📚 Study along with the transcript: 
https://latinele.com/la-llorona-spanish-horror-story/

📚 More resources to learn Spanish at Latin ELE
https://latinele.com/

🤝 Take the next step in your Spanish journey. Book a lesson with Marco and start speaking en español today.

❤️ If you enjoy the show, leave a five-star review and share it with your amigos
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

¡Hasta la próxima!

—Marco

😱 Are you DEADLY scared to speak Spanish? Grab your FREE Spanish Starter Pack and begin your Spanish journey with confidence. 

🕯️ A Funeral in Spanish: Key Words and Expressions.

In this episode of Spanish for Beginners, you'll learn how Spanish speakers talk about wakes, funerals, and saying goodbye to loved ones.

🎧 Through a simple listening activity, you'll learn:
🕯️ What happens during a velorio
⚰️ What a funeral is
🤍 How to say "my condolences" in Spanish
🙏 Why Spanish speakers often use fallecido instead of muerto

A practical and culturally rich lesson to build your Spanish vocabulary through real-life situations.

📚 Study along with the listening activity transcript on Latin ELE 
https://latinele.com/funeral-vocabulary-in-spanish/

📚 More resources to learn Spanish at Latin ELE
https://latinele.com/

🤝 Take the next step in your Spanish journey. Book a lesson with Marco and start speaking en español today.

❤️ If you enjoy the show, leave a five-star review and share it with your amigos
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

¡Hasta la próxima!

—Marco

😱 Too afraid to speak español with your amigos? Grab your FREE Spanish Starter Pack and start your language journey with confidence.

🎃 Ghosts, pumpkins, candy... and Spanish? 

In this replay episode of Spanish for Beginners, you'll learn essential vocabulary to describe Halloween en español. 

🎧 Through a Spanish beginner listening activity, you'll discover:

🎃 Common Halloween decorations like pumpkins, skeletons, spiders, and bats
👻 What children wear and do on Halloween night
🚪 Useful action verbs like golpear la puerta and tocar el timbre
🍬 The meaning of "dulce o travesura"

 A fun and spooky way to improve your Spanish listening skills this Halloween season.

¡Feliz Halloween!

📝 Study along with the episode summary on Latin ELE ⬇️
https://latinele.com/halloween-vocabulary-in-spanish/

📚 More resources to learn Spanish at Latin ELE
https://latinele.com/

🤝 Take the next step in your Spanish journey. Book a lesson with Marco and start speaking en español today.

❤️ If you enjoy the show, leave a five-star review and share it with your amigos
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

¡Hasta la próxima!

—Marco

🌴 Get travel‑ready en español with our FREE ebook Spanish Adventures Companion

💀 A cemetery that feels like a city?

In this episode of Spanish for Beginners, you'll discover La Recoleta Cemetery, one of the most famous landmarks in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

🎧 Through a beginner-friendly listening activity, you'll learn:
🏛️ Why La Recoleta is famous throughout Latin America
📍 Where the cemetery is located in Buenos Aires 
🏙️ Why many visitors say it feels like a small city

A fascinating way to practice Spanish while exploring one of Argentina's most iconic places.

📝 Study along with the FREE transcript at Latin ELE ⬇️
https://latinele.com/la-recoleta-cemetery-easy-spanish/

📚 More resources to learn Spanish at Latin ELE
https://latinele.com/

🤝 Take the next step in your Spanish journey. Book a lesson with Marco and start speaking en español today.

❤️ If you enjoy the show, leave a five-star review and share it with your amigos
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

¡Hasta la próxima!

—Marco