Spanish from Scratch

Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word as Rob and Lis disagree about plans for tonight, and get the difference between ir and venir, the English for every line, and which cowboy-film word comes from Spanish:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

When the doorbell rings, English speakers say "I'm coming!" So why did Rob, the first time he heard Spanish speakers answer the door, think they were leaving? This episode tackles ir and venir, to go and to come. Rob and Lis can't agree on plans for tonight, Rob shares his two-pile flashcard trick for making verb forms stick, and you'll learn which cowboy-film word comes from Spanish.

Do you know what these mean?
¿Vamos al cine? · ¿Qué tal si...? · tampoco me gusta · Ahora vengo

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👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/ir-and-venir

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What are you doing right now? By the end of this episode you'll be able to say it in Spanish, because Rob and Lis show that the Spanish "-ing" comes down to just two sounds. Find out what's left of the verb "to go" once you take its ending off, which simple verb trips Rob up, and what Lis is really doing when she says she isn't reading.

Quick test: Why is "hearing" spelt oyendo and not oiendo?

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/ing-verbs

Can you spot which verb Rob mispronounces, and how Lis gets him to say it again?

Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word, and get a simple way to tell ser and estar apart, each line in both Spanish and English, and the one-verb swap that turns "Rob is drunk" into something far less flattering:

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Spanish has two verbs for "to be", ser and estar, and this episode gives you a simple way to tell them apart. You'll learn to say who you are, where you are and how you feel, and why Lis says you simply can't say "estoy abogado". Then a quick quiz gets personal: Lis gets to call Rob a boring man, and one small verb swap turns "Rob is drunk" into something far less flattering.

Quick test: What's the difference between estoy muy feliz and soy muy feliz?

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👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/ser-vs-estar

Want to start speaking sooner? Our free Fluency Phrasebook gives you 95 essential phrases to build on:

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Why do some of the most common Spanish verbs sprout a "go" when you talk about yourself? Rob and Lis give you five short dialogues to decode, from who makes dinner and who washes up to the odd question a bartender asks when taking your order. Plus a simple trick for saying "Shall I...?" in Spanish, no new tense required.

Do you know what these mean?
¿Qué te pongo? · Vengo de la tienda · ¿Qué hago? · No te oigo

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/go-verbs

While reviewing the "go" verbs, Lis catches Rob slipping up. 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 present tense for he, she, they and "you all", notes on the grammar, and who gets the polite usted in Colombia:

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Spanish has four ways to say "you", and even Lis, a native speaker, isn't sure she pronounces one of them correctly. This episode completes the present tense for regular verbs, so you can say what he, she, they and "you all" do. Then Rob quizzes Lis on who gets the polite usted in Colombia: the boss, a stranger, grandparents... but her first answer about her own parents may surprise you.

Do you know what these mean?
¿En qué trabajas? · ¿Usted trabaja aquí? · ¿Dónde viven ellos? · ¿Qué más?

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👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/present-tense-pronouns

Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word of Lis's café order, and get the phrases to order a coffee, a beer or a bottle of water, the English for every line, and why Lis asks the waiter for a "gift":

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Lis walks into a café and Rob plays the waiter, so you can learn to order a coffee, a beer or a bottle of water in Spanish. Why does the waiter seem to ask "what do I put you?", and why shouldn't you translate "can I have" word for word? Rob reveals the café mistake English visitors make before saying a word. And why does Lis ask the waiter for a "gift"?

Do you know what these mean?
¿Qué te pongo? · Me pones · Ya está · Me regalas

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👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/ordering-coffee

When Rob demonstrates "me traes una cerveza", Lis tells him it sounds rude. Can you spot what he left out?

Build your first real conversations with 95 essential phrases. Download the free Fluency Phrasebook:

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Rob interviews Lis about where she lives, what she does for work and whether she likes London (her answer isn't a simple yes). Along the way you'll pick up five little question words for building your own questions, and three everyday verbs to use with I, you and we. Plus: why the v in vivir isn't the v you know, and a stress pattern even Lis had never noticed.

Do you know what these mean?
¿Dónde vives? · ¿En qué trabajas? · a veces · ¿Cenamos esta noche?

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/question-words

Just starting out? Get 95 essential Spanish phrases for beginners, free:

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How do you tell someone what you love doing, and what you'd rather skip? Rob and Lis swap the things they enjoy, and Rob confesses one everyday thing he doesn't like much. Along the way you'll hear the easy pronunciation slip to avoid with "me gusta", the little phrase Rob calls one of his favourites, and a slang word from Spain that Lis, who's Colombian, didn't understand when Rob used it.

Do you know what these mean?
¿Qué te gusta hacer en el tiempo libre? · no me gusta · pero bueno · me encanta

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/likes-and-dislikes