There’s a lot more to learning a language than vocabulary and verb tenses.
Being able to understand cultural references, idiomatic expressions and local slang is so important for travelers and expats – it can often mean the difference between a good and great experience in your host country.
One of my new favorite (and free!) online resources for learning Spanish is the Spanish language pop culture blog Zambombazo written by Zachary Jones. The blog uses popular Latin culture and current events as a vehicle for teaching Spanish and features music videos, television clips, news and current events, comic strips and crosswords, popular vocabulary and writing exercises. Since it’s written entirely in Spanish it’s useful for improving reading comprehension skills and understanding sentence structure, but best of all it’s interesting and entertaining.
Of course there’s no substitute for real-life practice, and taking the right approach to learning a language can make all the difference. Have any great tips for learning Spanish? Share them in the comments!
Traveling to Mexico City? Check out Spanish Classes at CEPE.
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I’m currently trying to learn Spanish so this post will come in very handy. Thanks!
The reading level of the site tends to be a little above my own at times, but I’ve actually found that to be a good thing. Best of luck!
Nice post, and thanks for the link to Zambombazo! I agree that learning a language involves far more than vocabulary. Pop culture, food, geography, history — they’re all important, which is why being in a country that speaks whatever language you’re trying to learn makes the process faster and more effective. (At least that’s my experience.) I think it’s also essential to note that language varies from nation to nation and region to region. The Spanish spoken in Mexico City and Puebla, for example, differs greatly from the Spanish spoken in Buenos Aires and Montevideo. *Where* people learn a language influences how they speak it, from accents to slang.
Glad you like it! It’s been only just recently – within the past several months or so – that I’ve started to notice the differences in accents and pick up on some of the local slang here in DF. Practicing Spanish is a major focus for me heading into the New Year.
Thank you so much for the review of the new website! I’m very happy to hear that you find it interesting, entertaining and helpful in learning Spanish! Please let me know if can do anything to improve it or if you have ideas for collaboration between our two sites.
Thanks! I definitely will, and the new site design looks great! Cheers!
It’s true – nothing beats actually SPEAKING to help you learn a language. As soon as one gets over the fear of looking foolish when slaughtering a language, the constant usage is an excellent way to help with pronunciation and getting vocabulary stuck in your head!
And cudos on combining 1000/1000 with 31 Days…. I’m doing the same – Great minds think alike!
It’s a hard fear to get over but you’re completely right. Good luck with the challenge and 31 Days – it’s a lot of work but it’ll be worth it!
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