Spanish from Scratch

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In this numbers episode, Lis counts to twenty, and Rob owns up to the one number he always struggled with. Then they show how about twenty Spanish words unlock every number up to a million, including the two tens that differ by just one letter. Finally, Lis reads Colombian phone numbers at full speed, grouped in a way English speakers don't expect. Can you write them down?

Do you know what these mean?
quince · cuarenta y cinco · ciento cincuenta y dos · mi número de celular

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/numbers-1-million

Rob says veintiséis simply drops the "y" that you hear in cuarenta y cinco, but the page adds a small correction. What really happens to it?

Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get the short phrases for suggesting a drink, a coffee or dinner, the Colombian expressions explained, and why Colombians rarely say "let's have dinner":

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Want to text a friend and suggest a drink, a coffee or a bite to eat? Rob and Lis share the short phrases for making evening plans in Spanish, starting with a handy two-word opener. Find out why Colombians rarely say "let's have dinner", which plan Lis says matters more than dinner, and how a birthday barbecue in Bogotá turned a living room into a little night club.

Do you know what these mean?
¿Salimos esta noche? · Vamos a tomar algo · Vamos a almorzar · Hay una fiesta

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👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/going-out-plans

Rob got confused by the word "asado". What did he think it meant?

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This episode is all about haber, a small verb Spanish speakers use constantly, and one phrase you can start using straight away. Rob and Lis show you how to say "there has to be..." when you're hunting for a shop, a bus or a cash machine. Along the way, Rob reveals which Spanish word for "car" came from Hungarian, and the spelling mix-up that trips up even native speakers.

Do you know what these mean?
tiene que haber · hay · por aquí · un cajero

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/haber-basics

Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get the everyday words for getting around town by bus, train and bike, the English for every line, and which of Spanish's two walking verbs can also ask how you are:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

How do you ask someone where they're heading today, and how they'll get there? Rob and Lis swap questions about their journeys, and one of them is off to a building that, in Spanish, scratches the sky. Along the way you'll pick up everyday words for the bus, the train and the bike, two verbs for catching them, and which of Spanish's two walking verbs can also ask how you are.

Do you know what these mean?
¿Adónde vas a ir hoy? · voy a tomar el tren · a pie · ¿Cómo andas?

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👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/getting-around

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Two easy ways to talk about your plans in Spanish, and neither needs the future tense. Rob and Lis arrange an evening walk: where to go, when to meet, and what time Rob will drop by. You'll soon be able to say what you're going to do tonight. Plus the very Spain-Spanish sentence that makes Lis roll her eyes, and the last-minute word that ruins Rob's point.

Do you know what these mean?
¿Qué vas a hacer esta noche? · Voy a cenar · Vamos a ver · Nos vemos

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/future-plans

While going over the dialogue, Rob mixes up two little question words, and Lis catches him. Can you spot which ones?

Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word of Lis's to-do list, and get how to say what you have to do, every line in Spanish and English, and the odd little phrase that literally means "there is that":

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How do you tell someone what they have to do in Spanish? Rob asks Lis what's on today's list, and her answers run from cleaning the house to a gym trip for him, until he hands her a job too. By the end you'll be able to say what you have to do, what you don't, and ask what needs doing. And you'll meet a strange little phrase that literally means "there is that".

Quick test: what's the difference between tenemos que llegar temprano and hay que llegar temprano?

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👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/tener-que

Rob translates "ir de compras" as "go and do the shopping". What kind of shopping does Lis say it really means?

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How do you say "the biggest", "the most expensive" or "the least polluted" in Spanish? It takes one tiny word, and Rob and Lis show you which. Then Lis tests Rob on world geography: he sails through the first questions, but the furthest planet trips him up in two ways. And when they try to name the world's least polluted country, Lis's guess isn't a country at all.

Quick test: What's the difference between este coche es más caro and este coche es el más caro del mundo?

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/superlatives

In the geography quiz, Rob gets the furthest planet wrong, and Lis also corrects how he says his answer. Can you spot what he gets wrong?

Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get the two small words that let you compare almost anything, highlighted phrases you can tap to see what they really mean, and why "more good" doesn't work in Spanish:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Is London bigger than Madrid, and are dogs really less intelligent than cats? In this episode Rob and Lis show how two small words let you compare almost anything in Spanish. You'll find out why "more good" doesn't work, which two words sound so alike they can trip you up when asking "is anyone there?", and which host the script declares the friendlier one.

Quick test: To say Spain has better weather than England, would you use más bueno or mejor?

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👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/comparing-things

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Why does "a cheap car" come out as "a car cheap" in Spanish? Rob and Lis teach your first adjectives in pairs of opposites, like big and small or cheap and expensive, then get you describing cities, cars and a house. Along the way, find out why London gets a new name in Spanish, why "small" changes its ending but "big" doesn't, and which compliment Lis pays Rob right at the end.

Do you know what these mean?
una ciudad muy grande · es un coche barato · caro · es un día largo

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/first-adjectives