Learn Spanish and Go – Details, episodes & analysis

Join us as we share our thoughts on returning to the U.S. after years abroad. We talk about the quirks of American life that stand out to us now—like the obsession with ice-filled drinks, constant weather complaints, and massive portion sizes. We also compare driving habits, discuss the higher cost of living, and reflect on how these experiences shape our perspective on life abroad. Whether you’re an expat or just curious about life in another country, this episode offers a relatable and light-hearted look at the contrasts between life in the U.S. and Latin America.

Key Takeaways:

• The surprising cultural differences we noticed returning to the U.S.
• How living abroad changes your perspective on everyday American habits.
• Insights on reverse culture shock and adjusting to life back home.

Links And Additional Resources:

• 005 – Diferencias Culturales Entre México Y Estados Unidos | Cultural Differences Between Mexico And The USA
• 064 – Choques Culturales En Las Calles De México – Culture Shocks In The Streets Of Mexico
• Level up your Spanish with our Podcast Membership
  • Get the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a word
  • Listen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrases
  • Test your comprehension with a multiple choice quiz

If you enjoy Learn Spanish and Go, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Pandora. This helps us reach more listeners like you. ¡Hasta la próxima!

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Join us as we explore the pitfalls that even experienced Spanish learners like Jim encounter, from tricky subjunctive usage to gender agreement issues. We’ll not only pinpoint where Jim slips up but also offer insights on how to avoid these mistakes yourself. Whether you're struggling with similar challenges or just want to refine your Spanish, this episode will help you speak more naturally and confidently.

Key Takeaways:

• The importance of correctly using the subjunctive mood in Spanish.
• How to improve gender agreement in everyday conversation.
• The risks of direct translation from English to Spanish and how to avoid them.

Links And Additional Resources:

• 050 – Errores Comunes Del Español | Common Mistakes In Spanish
• 132 – Frases Más Comunes Del Subjuntivo | The Most Common Phrases Of The Subjunctive Form
• 139 – Errores Comunes Del Español Parte 2 | Common Mistakes In Spanish Part 2
• Level up your Spanish with our Podcast Membership
  • Get the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a word
  • Listen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrases
  • Test your comprehension with a multiple choice quiz

If you enjoy Learn Spanish and Go, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Pandora. This helps us reach more listeners like you. ¡Hasta la próxima!

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

We are thrilled to discuss "Como Agua Para Chocolate," a novel that beautifully intertwines Mexican culture, cuisine, and magical realism. Discover the story of Tita, whose forbidden love and emotional journey are expressed through her magical culinary creations. This episode will provide you with insights into the novel's themes of love, family, and tradition, and how they reflect broader societal issues. Perfect for literature lovers and anyone interested in Mexican culture, this episode offers a captivating exploration of a beloved literary work.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn about the deep integration of Mexican culture and cuisine in "Como Agua Para Chocolate" and its impact on Hispanic literature.
• Understand the novel's use of magical realism to explore themes of love, family traditions, and the role of women in society.
• Discover how Tita's cooking, infused with her emotions, affects those around her and illustrates the novel's blending of realism and fantasy.

Links And Additional Resources:

• Level up your Spanish with our Podcast Membership
  • Get the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a word
  • Listen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrases
  • Test your comprehension with a multiple choice quiz

If you enjoy Learn Spanish and Go, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or Pandora. This helps us reach more listeners like you. ¡Hasta la próxima!

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show

It’s every Spanish students’ worst enemy: the dreaded subjunctive form. This beast of a grammatical concept is too big to fit in one episode, but you would do well to know about and practice some of its most common uses in every day conversation. In this episode, we cover ten or so of the most common phrases that use the subjective mood in Spanish.

Links:

• Level up your Spanish with our Podcast Membership
  • Get the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a word
  • Listen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrases
  • Test your comprehension with a multiple choice quiz

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

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For most, chocolate is a sweet made for enjoying as a dessert or in a candy. But for some communities in Oaxaca, it’s a cultural tradition passed down from generation to generation, where even the question “when are we going to drink chocolate” has a deeper meaning. Find out what cacao and chocolate means to Ervit from Chimalapa Cacao con Origin in this interview.

Links:

• Drink chocolate with Ervit & Ruth on our Oaxaca Spanish Immersion Retreat
• Check out Chimalapa Cacao con Origin's Website
• Follow Chimalapa on Instagram
• 025 - El Chocolate: Un Regalo de México al Mundo | Chocolate: Mexico's Gift to the World
• Self-guided Chocolate Tour in Oaxaca City (YouTube Video)
• Spanish Immersion Retreats
• Level up your Spanish with our Podcast Membership
  • Get the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a word
  • Listen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrases
  • Test your comprehension with a multiple choice quiz

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

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Tacos, burritos, and guacamole - these are foods that everyone thinks of when they think of Mexican food. But Mexican cuisine goes much deeper than just tortillas and tomatoes. In this episode, we take a look at some of the Mexican dishes you’ve probably never heard of before.

Links:

• 013 - La Comida Mexicana | Mexican Food
• Level up your Spanish with our Podcast Membership
  • Get the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a word
  • Listen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrases
  • Test your comprehension with a multiple choice quiz

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

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One of the funnest things about learning a new language is learning new words that don’t have an easy translation into English. In part three of our of our “Words in Spanish That Don’t Translate” series, we dive into even more uniquely Spanish vocabulary.

Links:

• 117 - Palabras del Español que no Existen en Inglés Parte 1 | Words in Spanish That Don’t Exist in English Part 1
• 121 - Palabras del Español que no Existen en Inglés Parte 2 | Words in Spanish That Don’t Exist in English Part 2
• Película: Vivir Dos Veces
• Level up your Spanish with our Podcast Membership
  • Get the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a word
  • Listen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrases
  • Test your comprehension with a multiple choice quiz

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Even if you’ve never been to Mexico before, you’ve probably still heard all about their giant sombreros, Cinco de Mayo, and the afternoon siesta… but how much of this is actually true? In this episode, we take a closer look at eight of the most common myths about Mexico.

Links:

• 056 - Cinco de Mayo
• 075 - Sobre México | About Mexico
• 104 - ¡Al Chile! - Chilis: Straight to the Point
• Level up your Spanish with our Podcast Membership
  • Get the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a word
  • Listen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrases
  • Test your comprehension with a multiple choice quiz

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

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Ecuador really surprised us. It’s a country that seems to have a little bit of everything. Unique flora and fauna, food, culture, and history. It also has something else that most other countries do not… the equator! In this episode, we take a deeper dive into what really stood out to us about this incredible country.

Links:

• 113 - Cómo nos Impactó Nicaragua | How Nicaragua Impacted Us
• 114 - Sobre Ecuador | About Ecuador
• 119 - Cosas Que Nos Gustan de Cuenca | Things We Like About Cuenca
• 124 - El Español Ecuatoriano con Kevin | Ecuadorian Spanish with Kevin
• How Shrunken Heads Work | Stuff You Should Know
• Level up your Spanish with our Podcast Membership
  • Get the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a word
  • Listen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrases
  • Test your comprehension with a multiple choice quiz

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

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Travel and migration can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, you can enrich yourself with unique experiences, pursue happiness abroad, and help the local economy by spending your limited resources in a new-to-you part of the world. On the other hand, too much tourism or immigration to a specific area can raise prices, pressuring the locals to move out, and dilute cultural elements that made the a place desirable to visit in the first place. 

This is a conversation that’s happening a lot right now in Mexico, and it’s something us travelers should be conscious of if we seek to minimize the potential harm we may cause to local economies. In this episode, we discuss gentrification in Mexico and what we can do to help protect the places we visit and migrate to.

Links:

• 057 - Una Vida Mejor por Menos | A Better Life for Less
• Mexico City becomes 'work from home' haven for US expats, but locals are getting priced out
• Are Gringos Ruining Mexico City?
• Level up your Spanish with our Podcast Membership
  • Get the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a word
  • Listen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrases
  • Test your comprehension with a multiple choice quiz

Listen on: Apple Podcasts   Spotify

Support the show