I speak Spanish!

It’s very probable that on more than one occasion your friends have asked you: “What language are you speaking?” To which you may have proudly responded: “It’s Spanish! My parents taught me.” There are many interesting facts about the Spanish language, the language you speak at home with your family. Did you know that Spanish is spoken in 21 countries and three continents: Latin America, Europe, and Africa? Currently, there are more than 500 million speakers worldwide, and when asked how many native speakers there are worldwide we rank number two with 460 million speakers!

It is also interesting to find some translations in Spanish. For example “hot dog” is perro caliente and “hi” is hola! The fact that you read or understand this article is already an advantage because being bilingual will open up a world of fantastic opportunities for you. Imagine that when you travel to Spanish-speaking countries you will not need someone to help you translate. You do not even have to go far from Canada. In the United States, in cities such as Miami, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and others, you will hear many people speaking Spanish. You will be able to communicate with a lot of people in your language, including in English many speaking countries.

Little by little you can learn unique words from certain countries or regions in which Spanish is spoken; for example in Mexico a child like you, they call him "chavo"; in Argentina, "pibe"; in Ecuador, "chiringo"; in Venezuela, "chamo", and in Colombia, "chino". You can also discover treasures of Hispanic literature such as the ingenious gentleman “Don Quijote de la Mancha”, “Cien Años de Soledad”, or “La Vorágine”, among many more. Not only that, but you can also know and understand Latin music and, of course, you can have fun dancing to the cheerful rhythm of Latin music.

Did you know?

The longest word in Spanish is electroencefalografista

Learning Spanish will allow you to learn strange and fun words, so much if you are scared to pronounce them you will suffer from
hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia and, that way you will have discovered one of the longest words in our language. Did you know the word “bat” in Spanish (murciélago) has 5 vowels? If little things interest you, the words: chico, chiquito, chiquitico y chirriquitico, will allow you to specify the size of something.

As you learn, you will gradually find out what a great benefit it is to know Spanish. So when you see your friends again, tell them with pride: “I Speak Spanish”.

Spanish Language Day

April 23, Spanish Language Day is celebrated in tribute to the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, who passed away on this date in the year 1616. Cervantes, known as “El Manco de Lepanto”, is considered one of the greatest writers of his time. As a legacy, he has left his immortal work, "El ingenioso caballero Don Quijote de La Mancha".

Spanish is one of the most beautiful languages with a rich vocabulary and an interesting history. It is the language that unites us, identifies us, and gives us the possibility to share our culture, our history, and our traditions, which form part of our identity.

Tongue Twisters

"Tongue twisters have been made to unlock the tongue, without hindrance or any warning, and if any waning locks your tongue, with a tongue twister you can unlock your tongue". And if you managed that one, practice this one:

En la ciudad de Pamplona hay una plaza,
en la plaza hay una esquina,
en la esquina hay una casa,
en la casa hay una pieza,
en la pieza hay una cama,
en la cama hay una estera,
en la estera hay una vara,
en la vara hay una lora.
La lora en la vara,
la vara en la estera,
la estera en la cama,
la cama en la pieza,
la pieza en la casa,
la casa en la esquina,
la esquina en la plaza,
la plaza en la ciudad de pamplona.

What do you think of tongue twisters?.