Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Intermediate Spanish - Spanish Obsessed

Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word as Rob and Lis explain why they left Colombia for Spain, and get the English for every line, the Colombian word for a pijo, and why Valencia was off the list after four days:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Why would you leave a big house in Colombia's Coffee Region, with help, family and friends close by, for the north of Spain? Back after a long break, Rob and Lis get honest about what tipped the balance: safety, life in a gated-community bubble, and parks you have to pay to use. Plus the scouting trip that crossed Valencia and a small English town off the list, how the Camino de Santiago led them to Asturias, and why the supermarkets matter more to Rob than you'd think.

Do you know what these mean?
cambiar el chip · pellizcarse · por las nubes · dar un paso en falso

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/colombia-to-spain

What are 3 things that Rob and Lis admire from each other's culture, and would like to introduce into their own?

Check out our new Obsessives programme, for intermediate Spanish learners: 
https://www.spanishobsessed.com/become-an-obsessive/

Rob and Lis discuss how various "barrios" in Colombia's cities have undergone transformations, using tourism to rejuvenate themselves. We discuss the case of "Egipto" in Bogotá, and "Comuna 13" in Medellin. Have these projects been successful, and what are the tours like?
For more Spanish materials, courses, and bonuses, head on over to spanishobsessed.com!

So, our time in Colombia is nearly up! After over 4 years living here, we're leaving. In this episode, we reflect on what we'll most miss about the country.
Head to spanishobsessed.com to check out our "Obsessives" programme!

Rob and Lis break down 5 big areas that learners often go wrong when learning Spanish.
For full transcripts, notes, and lots more learning material, head to spanishobsessed.com.

We talk about our opinions and philosophy of private and public schools (or "state and public" for our English listeners!). How do they compare in Colombia, and what's the perspective here?
Don't forget to download your free Fluency Guide from spanishobsessed.com.

Rob and Lis share how they passed Christmas and New Year's in Colombia's Coffee Country region. We share strange, symbolic traditions, and discuss how weird it is to have Christmas in warm sun!
You can access the transcription for this podcast by purchasing the Transcription Bundle here: https://www.spanishobsessed.com/lessons/transcriptions/
Check out all of our premium courses here: https://www.spanishobsessed.com/spanish-courses/

Following the shocking capture of Nicolás Maduro in Caracas last Saturday, we sit down to give our reaction. Is Colombia next in line? Also, on a lighter note, Rob discusses turning 40!
Head to spanishobsessed.com to get your free Fluency pdf, and check out all courses (including transcription for this episode and all others).

We share a few anecdotes when our emotions got the better of us when learning or speaking a foreign language. What happened, and how can we deal with the frustration (and rage!!) that often accompanies communication difficulties in a foreign language?

Rob and Lis share news of what's coming for them next.

We give a quick "life update" - what's going on in our lives, and how did we get to this point?

Lis and Rob discuss their recent immersion trip in Colombia's coffee country. What went well, what could they improve, and what did the participants make of it all?

How do you say "no" in Spanish? Rob is fond of turning down invitations, and in this episode he discusses the hidden cost of saying "no" in Spanish-speaking cultures, and why many native speakers find it so hard.

Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word as Rob and Lis ask if a new language changes you, and get the English for every line, how to say "how embarrassing!" like a local, and the ten-year guarantee that didn't last ten days:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Do you become a different person when you speak another language? Lis remembers the "actress mode" she needed at the office in England. Rob has his first real argument in Spanish, over a ten-year guarantee that didn't last ten days. And they reveal the tiny word Spanish speakers use to dodge the blame.

Do you know what these mean?
¡Qué oso! · nos tumbaron · sin querer queriendo · si Dios quiere

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/personality-change

Bonus: Can you spot Rob's pronunciation mistake? The answer's in the notes.

Still tripping over the subjunctive? Our free cheatsheet gives you the most common phrases and triggers, ready to use:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

Mention Álvaro Uribe to any Colombian and watch their face change. Rob tested this at a family get-together. He and Lis unpack why the former president still divides the country: the man many credit with opening Colombia up, the questions about what it cost, and the recent court case Rob still finds hard to believe.

Do you know what these mean?
un tema caliente · por molestar · dejar una ventana abierta · los fines justifican los medios

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/uribe

Bonus: Rob calls Uribe "muy divisa". Why does Lis stop him? The answer's in the notes.

Comparing ourselves to others is natural, but is it always harmful? Rob describes his problems with self-comparison, and with Lis discusses how to turn negatives into positives.

Head to spanishobsessed.com to claim your free Fluency Phrasebook! 

We explore "la charla" - small talk. What is it, how is it used, and why? Find some tips for better smalltalk in Spanish in this episode!
Don't forget to head to spanishobsessed.com to download your free gifts.

FREE: (Finally) master the subjunctive. Get our cheatsheet of the most common subjunctive phrases and triggers:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

A Guardian article claims we're living through an epidemic of loneliness, especially among men in their 30s, 40s and 50s. Rob and Lis work out the "maths" of adult friendship, why the school gates have become their new social life, and how quickly Rob now decides whether someone could be a friend.

Do you know what these mean?
somos de lavar y planchar · hacer un plan · me raya un poco · caerle bien a alguien

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/loneliness

The infamous "suegra" - in-law. In Latin cultures, the suegra plays a pivotal part in a couple's life. In this episode, we explore their role, the stereotype, and reveal how we get on with our suegras. 

Ready to break into advanced Spanish? Start with the subjunctive. Free cheatsheet of the key phrases and triggers:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

Why did Spanish Obsessed go quiet for over a year? Rob and Lis explain, then take on a bigger question: how much money does it take to be happy? Lis looks back on student days when 10,000 pesitos a day covered lunch, photocopies and a beer. Rob asks whether happiness stops rising after a certain salary, and Lis remembers the dilemma she faced in England whenever her family came to visit.

Do you know what these mean?
arrancamos · si hay para dos, hay para tres · juicioso · ¿Me hago entender?

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/money-happiness

Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word as Rob and Johanna untangle por and para, and get the English for every line, the Colombian way to say it's pouring down, and the Bogotá bakery with a very clever name:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Por mí está bien or para mí está bien? One tiny word changes what you're saying. Rob and Johanna continue their por and para mini-series with time and opinions: deadlines, times of day, a Bogotá bakery with a very clever name, and the one sentence that uses both words at once.

Do you know what these mean?
un palo de agua · bochorno · pa' ya · estar agripado

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/por-y-para-2

FREE: (Finally) master the subjunctive. Get our cheatsheet of the most common subjunctive phrases and triggers:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

Rob reckons he has por and para 95% sorted, but can't explain why. So he asks star teacher Johanna, and her first piece of advice is: close the dictionary. Instead, they show how por and para work with goals and directions, using the bus trick that finally made it click for Rob.

Quick test: what's the difference between estoy aquí para grabar el podcast and estoy aquí por el podcast?

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/por-y-para-1

Ready to break into advanced Spanish? Start with the subjunctive. Free cheatsheet of the key phrases and triggers:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

Should you bother learning slang? Rob asks Colombian teacher Johanna. Rob remembers the restaurant in Ecuador where one word threw him completely, Johanna shares the student whose "todo bien, mamita" left her speechless, and a "gracias, mi amor" goes badly wrong in a Spanish shop. And Rob's number one tip for slang might surprise you.

Do you know what these mean?
botar · no entendí ni papa · buscarle cinco patas al gato · me costó un ojo de la cara

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/slang

Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word as Rob and Lis talk class in Colombia, and get every line in Spanish and English, the word for a social climber, and the six-hour owners' meeting that never reached item one:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Rob walks his daughter to the park one day and finds the gate padlocked. Neighbours fill him and Lis in on a six-hour owners' meeting that never even reached its first item, and how their side of the complex was branded criminals. Then they get into how Colombians measure each other: the estratos (do they really go up to seven?), a Bogotá barrio senators drive straight through, and why London felt different to Lis.

Do you know what these mean?
nos echaron el chisme · arribista · toca chicanear · es una bobada

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/clasismo

Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get highlighted phrases you can tap for their real meaning, how to say "you took the words right out of my mouth", and why the tortoise and the hare fits older learners:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

A friend of Rob and Lis moved to Colombia, started learning Spanish, then gave up, convinced he was too old. So what really sits behind "it's my age"? Rob and Lis dig into it, and explain why the tortoise and the hare fits older learners so well. But first, Rob gets something off his chest about baby names, and Lis shares the rule that worked for them last time.

Do you know what these mean?
qué pecado · se desahogó · me quitaste las palabras de la boca · no pararle tantas bolas

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/too-old

Bonus: after his baby-name rant, Rob says "estaba rayando, como ustedes dicen". What should he have said? The answer's in the notes.

Our experiences trying to teach our 2 year old daughter Spanish and English. 

Free for listeners: the subjunctive cheatsheet, with the most common phrases and triggers in one download:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

Ten learners, one week in Bogotá, and one rule: Spanish only, all day. Rob and Lis look back on what surprised them, from the coffee tasting Rob loved and almost nobody else did to why Rob, of all people, ended up saying no to a restaurant. And a haggling challenge at a busy market left the stallholders baffled. Rob now thinks they got that one slightly wrong.

Do you know what these mean?
me quedé con la boca abierta · cambiar el chip · la ñapa · de pronto

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/immersion-week

Bonus: Rob admits he lives too much in "mi propio mente". What's wrong with the way he says it? The answer's in the notes.

Still tripping over the subjunctive? Our free cheatsheet gives you the most common phrases and triggers, ready to use:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

Should you even want a native Spanish accent? Lis once took accent-reduction classes, and now thinks she worried too much. Rob admits the small thrill of being asked if he's from Bogotá. Then they explain what it means when someone says you talk like a "gomelo", what their Colombian friends who almost pass as English have in common, and why Arnold Schwarzenegger comes up at all.

Do you know what these mean?
gomelo · ñerito · descrestar · chicanero

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/native-accent

Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word as Rob and Lis ask whether protests still work, and get notes on the slang, why it's "no creo que funcione" and not "funciona", and the British Museum protest Rob says almost nobody noticed:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Before they get into protests, Rob and Lis share some big family news. Then Lis tells how two protesters threw pumpkin soup at the Mona Lisa, but does that kind of protest still work? She looks back on a protest she joined at the British Museum, which Rob, who was there, says got almost no attention. And a camp in a Bogotá park tests how long public sympathy can last.

Do you know what these mean?
arrojar · manifestantes · generar atención · no creo que funcione

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/protests

Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word, and get every line in Spanish and English, how to say someone's had a hand in it, and who pulled one of Rob's sour notes out of the affirmations jar:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

When Rob came across a jar of positive affirmations, read out before family meals in Bogotá, he decided it needed souring up, so he slipped in a few notes of his own. Guess who pulled out one of his. Rob and Lis look at what studies say about visualising success, why it seems to backfire for students before exams, and the comparison that makes Lis call time on the conversation.

Do you know what these mean?
amargar esto un poco · metiste tu mano negra · lo voy a aplastar · escéptico

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/manifestation

Bonus: Rob says he's "un poco crítica" of manifestation. What's wrong with that? The answer's in the notes.

Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word as Rob and Lis swap Bogotá for the coffee country, and get the English for every line, the verb for exploring small towns, and the coffee that came with a twenty-minute talk from its grower:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Rob opens this one by asking Lis to look out of the window and describe what she sees. After two years in Bogotá, they have swapped the city for Colombia's coffee country. Lis explains the "antennae" that switched on every time they left the flat. In a mountain village, a Geisha coffee comes with its grower, who talks for about twenty minutes. And they admit what country life can't give them.

Do you know what these mean?
no des papaya · pilas · pueblear · zona play

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/coffee-country

Know the rules but freeze when you need the subjunctive? Get the free cheatsheet of phrases you'll actually use:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

Rob and Lis stayed up late finishing the BBC's Traitors, a show Lis first wrote off as another reality show and a waste of time. Lis asks whether gut instinct can spot a liar, and Rob explains why the maths favours the traitors. He'd love to be one himself, but Lis has a blunt reason he wouldn't get far. And they picture what a Colombian version might look like.

Do you know what these mean?
trasnoché · me ha enganchado · ha tenido mucha acogida · el chisme jugoso

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/traitors

Bonus: Rob reaches for the Spanish word for "naivety" and Lis quietly fixes it. What did he say? It's in the transcript.

FREE: (Finally) master the subjunctive. Get our cheatsheet of the most common subjunctive phrases and triggers:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

Lis has a list of three people she'd call toxic, and the third one Rob remembers all too well: the agent who came to take back their Bogotá office on handover day, and whose face changed the moment she saw the place. Then Rob tries to argue we've been judging people wrong, using an imaginary disastrous day at a cashpoint and a famous psychology experiment. Does Lis buy it?

Do you know what these mean?
me cayó tan mal · cansona · el trasfondo · pobre desdichado

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/toxic-people

Bonus: describing a nightmare day, Rob says you'd go to get money out of "la cajera". Why does Lis step in?

Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word as Rob and Lis talk love and compatibility, and get every line in Spanish and English, two ways to say "soulmate" in Spanish, and the rule they made after their daughter arrived:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Is there a media naranja out there for everyone? Lis believed it once, especially as a teenager. Now she and Rob puzzle over data suggesting arranged marriages can be more successful than love matches. Rob tells the story of a psychologist who met a woman on a flight and convinced her to try falling in love with him on purpose. Plus the rule they made after their daughter arrived.

Do you know what these mean?
media naranja · alma gemela · pasar la página · ponernos bravos

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/soulmates

Bonus: Rob says the couple tried to create "esa afección". Why does Lis jump in? The answer's in the notes.

Ready to break into advanced Spanish? Start with the subjunctive. Free cheatsheet of the key phrases and triggers:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

Rob had three months to write a piece of music for his university course. He started at 4am on the day it was due, fuelled by around three Red Bulls. Lis remembers all-nighters powered by Coca-Cola and coffee, and oral exams she paid to put off. Then they unpack three strategies from a book by Oliver Burkeman, including an English saying that makes Lis cry "¡Qué asco!"

Do you know what these mean?
me cogió la tarde · muy sobrado · comiendo la rana · me pongo brava

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/procrastination

Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word as Rob and Lis talk status symbols, and get the English for every line, the Colombian slang for showing off, and what happened when Rob finally paid for Ray-Bans:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Lis just wants a simple digital watch, and she finds one within her budget. Then Rob sees it, and his face says it all. That moment starts a conversation about status symbols in Colombia and England: why an iPhone turns heads in Bogotá, what happened when Rob finally paid for Ray-Bans, and the car purchase that left the man who used to criticise car culture feeling rather pleased with himself.

Do you know what these mean?
dar papaya · chiviado · chicanear · lujitos

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/status-symbols

Bonus: Rob says business-class passengers get on the plane "de primera". What did he mean to say? The answer's in the notes.

Free for listeners: the subjunctive cheatsheet, with the most common phrases and triggers in one download:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

What stops people turning a business dream into a real business? Rob remembers staring out of a grey London office window on his second day at work, and Lis recalls the business cards she and her friends made before they had any business. Then Rob pitches ideas for Colombia, including a café built entirely around hangovers and a luxury jungle trip for Silicon Valley CEOs. Lis wonders what the shamans would call luxury.

Do you know what these mean?
una carta bajo la manga · levantamuertos · mucha charla, poca acción · guayabo

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/business-ideas

Bonus: Rob says his uncle's business was "máquinas de pesar". What would a Spanish speaker actually call them? The answer's in the notes.

Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get highlighted phrases you can tap to see what they really mean, the Spanish for "what a drag", and the London neighbour who could hear Lis's dining chairs:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Who is the Bogotá neighbour yelling "¡Vete! ¡Te odio!" at two in the morning? Rob and Lis had their theories until they found out. They also reveal the nickname a family with a baby once gave him, the London neighbour who could hear Lis's dining chairs, and the near-countryside silence in England so deep it sometimes frightened Lis.

Do you know what these mean?
en pleno centro · me sé todas las canciones · qué pereza · quien sea

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/noisy-neighbours

Bonus: Rob says he'd never "cortar la pasta" at nine at night because it would bother the neighbours. Why does Lis jump in? The answer's in the transcript.

Still tripping over the subjunctive? Our free cheatsheet gives you the most common phrases and triggers, ready to use:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

Nate and Andrea of SpanishLand split their year between Nashville and Colombia, and they're about to make a big move. Andrea explains what puzzled her about American conversations and all those "I love you"s. Nate takes on 28 cousins and a birthday party every week. And Rob tells the story of a bus on the Colombian coast that did something no London bus ever would.

Do you know what these mean?
ciudad natal · echar raíces · le llevo siete años · sacar plata

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/culture-shock

Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word as Rob and Lis's baby plans meet reality, and get notes on the slang, how to say someone's in a foul mood, and the one pre-baby expectation that got a tick:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Before their daughter arrived, Lis had a plan: leave the baby with her mum and sister, and take Rob out partying at Parque la 93. Rob pictured lazy cappuccinos at the café round the corner and morning runs pushing a three-wheeled pram. So what happened? Rob also owns up to the whisky-and-Bob-Dylan night that left a new mum very annoyed, and Lis reveals the one expectation that got a tick.

Do you know what these mean?
me sabe mal · echando un ojo · de mal genio · te corché

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/parenting

Bonus: Rob says life with a baby changes "por total". What does Lis say instead? The answer's in the notes.

Know the rules but freeze when you need the subjunctive? Get the free cheatsheet of phrases you'll actually use:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

Two went in, three came out. Rob and Lis bring their newborn daughter home to their Bogotá flat and a freezer full of food, and find that being prepared wasn't enough. Rob reaches for a Spanish word for how those first weeks felt, and Lis confesses to a Homer Simpson moment. Then there's the family tradition that left Lis stuck in the middle, and Rob's very simple bath-time technique.

Do you know what these mean?
entre la espada y la pared · cansona · Mentiras · toda una odisea

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/new-baby

Bonus: Rob is explaining that he didn't know how to hold a baby, and mixes up two verbs that are only one letter apart. Which word keeps slipping out by mistake? The answer's in the notes.

Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word of their first days in Bogotá, and get every line in Spanish and English, the local words for money and traffic jams, and what people at the airport really mean when they shout "Uber!":

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Rob and Lis land at Bogotá's El Dorado airport with 30-kilo suitcases, no mobile data and a family pick-up running late. Outside, people shout "Uber!" and it has nothing to do with Uber. Their dream flat isn't ready, a Christmas getaway loses hours in traffic just getting out of Bogotá, and Rob's Christmas Day fever comes with a negative test that doesn't tell the whole story.

Do you know what these mean?
corrígeme si me equivoco · estratos · plata · trancón

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/bogota-arrival

FREE: (Finally) master the subjunctive. Get our cheatsheet of the most common subjunctive phrases and triggers:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

Rob spends two days hauling boxes up a ladder into an attic with no lights. Their last night in London comes down to one saucepan, one fork and a sofa bed, and Rob barely sleeps, convinced a flight will be cancelled. Then, ten minutes into the drive to the airport, Lis is halfway through a silent prayer when she remembers something. And Rob confesses what usually goes wrong when he books a flight.

Do you know what these mean?
se me fue la paloma · no llames · yo siendo yo · tal cual

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/leaving-london

Bonus: in the very first minute Rob tells listeners "si escuchan sonidos". Which verb should he have used? The answer's in the notes.

Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word as Rob and Lis swap London for Bogotá, and get the English for every line, how to say "first-time parents" in Spanish, and the promise Lis almost made Rob make:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

Why would anyone leave London for Bogotá with a baby on the way? Rob and Lis go back to the lockdown months of watching Colombia videos and studying neighbourhood maps, the pros-and-cons list that settled it, and the promise Lis almost made Rob make. Plus how people reacted when they heard the plan, and why Rob still sometimes has to pinch himself.

Do you know what these mean?
adelantar cuaderno · nos ilusionamos · padres primerizos · de primera mano

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/colombia-move

Bonus: Rob tells listeners he wants to "compartir cuaderno" with them. Why does Lis jump straight in? The answer's in the notes.

Ready to break into advanced Spanish? Start with the subjunctive. Free cheatsheet of the key phrases and triggers:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

Your plane goes down in the Caribbean, you're the only survivor, and you have five minutes to save three things before it sinks. Lis's final pick isn't an object at all. Then the deeper question: one book and one album for your time on the island. Rob admits there's an honest answer and a public one, while Lis goes back to the blank cassettes she raced to fill from the radio as a teenager.

Do you know what these mean?
¡Qué astuto! · no hay afán · el casete de hacer oficio · suena muy cursi

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/desert-island

Bonus: Rob gives Lis five minutes "hasta que se hunde el avión". What should he have said? The answer's in the notes.

Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get how to say "in broad daylight" in Spanish, notes on the slang, and the woman in the feather jacket who keeps crossing Rob's path:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

A woman with heavy make-up, red lipstick and a feather jacket has appeared in Rob's life three times. The last time, as he stepped off a train at Paddington, she did something he still can't explain. Lis tells how a Bogotá taxi driver followed her sister to a friend's door to describe a passenger who wasn't there. And in Santa Marta, a fortune teller reads Rob's future in cigarette ash.

Do you know what these mean?
de una · llamativa · en la plena luz del día · realismo mágico

Claim your first free complete transcript here:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/unexplained

Bonus: At the fortune teller's, Rob says he took "un trago" of the cigarette. What word did he need? The answer's in the notes.

Free for listeners: the subjunctive cheatsheet, with the most common phrases and triggers in one download:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/cheatsheet

A low-quality phone video of a young woman chanting "Epa Colombia" turned her into an influencer with millions of followers, and later a businesswoman with, reportedly, around 500 employees. Then she posted another video, this time with a hammer at a Transmilenio station. Lis explains what the courts decided, and shares a theory about why the case ended up on every front page.

Do you know what these mean?
sin pelos en la lengua · gomelas · la otra cara de la moneda · prensa rosa

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

👉 spanishobsessed.com/go/epa-colombia

Bonus: Rob describes Epa's laugh as "una risa todo fastidiosa". What's wrong with it? The answer's in the notes.

Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word, and get how Colombians really use "tú" and "usted", any highlighted phrase explained with a tap, and the word Lis says her mother would love:

👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcripts

From the very first class, learners are told that usted keeps people at a distance, so why do Lis and her sisters use it with each other? Rob has been frustrated by it for days. He hears Lis's mother calling a three-year-old usted, gets told "don't do that to me!" when he tries it on Lis's sister, and finds a Colombian online whose father switches to usted for bad news or a bad mood.

Do you know what these mean?
¡Uy usted cómo es! · cambiar el chip · nadie para bolas · sumercé

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Bonus: Rob calls the Covid tests "malditas pruebas" and Lis says it sounds a bit strong. Which word do Colombians use instead? The answer's in the notes.