The Real Fast Spanish Tips Podcast

There are only 2 regular silent letters in the Spanish language. But, you'll need to be careful with both of these letters because they are silent in some words and pronounced in others. In addition, when I say ‘regular' silent letters I'm referring to the pronunciation of traditional Spanish words, not words that have been […] The post Silent Letters in Spanish – A Short But Important List appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Imagine your partner says to you that as a couple you should move together to the other side of the world to start a new life. Could you do it? Would you do it? This week we talk to Cristina Orts about her experience of moving to a new country that doesn't speak her language. […] The post Tips 116: La Vida Te Cambia appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

This episode of the podcast is part 2 of a two-part interview with Daniel Welsch. If you missed part 1 of the interview you go back and listen to it here. Daniel has some great advice for Spanish students or language students in general.  He has a lot of experience teaching English and talked about […] The post Tips 115: Life in Madrid with Daniel Welsch – Part 2 appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Ever considered an ex-pat life in Spain? This week you will hear from Daniel Welsch who has been living in Madrid for more than 10 years. I'm very excited to welcome Daniel to the podcast. It is great to talk to someone who has focused solely on Spanish and immersed himself in the culture. This interview […] The post Tips 114: Life in Madrid with Daniel Welsch appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

One question you have to ask yourself if you are learning Spanish is: which accent should you focus on? How do you choose an accent? Does it matter? In this week's theory podcast I interview Alba del Pino. Alba is from the Canary Islands. Her accent is distinctly different to the accent of the rest […] The post Tips 113: An Insider's Guide to the Canary Islands appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

How much do you notice? Actually notice? Did you know that the ability to notice is a skill that can be improved? And that you can use that ability to improve your language learning capacity?  This week's mindset podcast is inspired by the book: Alexandra Horowitz — On Looking: 11 Walks with Expert Eyes This book […] The post Tips 112: The Power of Noticing appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Can you explain when you use “to end” and “to finish” in English? If so, you can apply the idea to the Spanish verbs “acabar” and “terminar”.  This week's Spanish theory episode is dedicated to the common spanish verb “acabar”. In many of the examples in today's podcast the Spanish verb “terminar” and “acabar” are […] The post Tips 111: Common Spanish Verbs – 6 Uses for the Verb “Acabar” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

In today's mindset podcast you will hear part 2 of the two part interview with John Fotheringham. In the second part of the interview we discuss how to manage frustration due to a lack of progress. We talk about what separates a good language learner from a great language learner. And we debate the merits of […] The post Tips 110: How to Set Yourself for Language Learning Success with John Fotheringham (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

“Hay” is a unique Spanish verb. It is related to the verb “haber” or commonly referred to as the impersonal form of “haber”. In today's podcast, you will learn how to use the verb “hay” in the past, present and future. You will also learn how to use the impersonal phrase with the verb “hay” to express obligation.  […] The post Tips 109: How to Use the Spanish Verb “Hay” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

In this week's mindset podcast we welcome John Fotheringham to talk about habit forming, how to set goals for success and one aspect of language learning that rarely gets discussed. John is a passionate language learner and is running Langauge Mastery—a language learning blog and podcast dedicated to helping language learners. The focus of his website is […] The post Tips 108: How to Set Yourself for Language Learning Success with John Fotheringham (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

The uses of Ser and Estar are an important part of Spanish that you should always be revising. In today's podcast, you will learn about one specific part: the uses of ser and estar with adjectives. As a reminder, ‘ser' tends to imply a permanent feature and ‘estar' tends to imply a temporary feature. Keep this in […] The post Tips 107: 8 Uses of Ser and Estar with Adjectives appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

This podcast episode is part 2 of a two part interview with Shayna Oliveira. In this second part of the interview we cover language learning expectations, creating good study habits, getting over making mistakes and living in Brazil. Shayna's website on teaching English is http://www.espressoenglish.net/. If you missed part 1 of the interview you go back and listen […] The post Tips 106: Language Learning, Teaching English, Capoeira and Living in Brazil with Shayna Oliveira (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

How well can you make do in Spanish? This week, for the theoretical Spanish podcast, you will learn about the uses of the verb ‘hacer'. Of course, ‘hacer' doesn't just mean ‘to make' or ‘to do', there are 8 other ways that you can use this common Spanish verb.  Check out today's podcast for all of […] The post Tips 105: Common Spanish Verbs – 9 Uses for the Word “Hacer” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

In this week's mindset podcast we welcome Shayna Oliveira to talk about language exchanges, building friendships and teaching English. Shayna is teaching English over at http://www.espressoenglish.net/. For a number of weeks I have wanted to get Shayna onto the podcast to talk about improving your ability to teach english. Why? Because one of the best ways to improve your […] The post Tips 104: Language Learning, Teaching English, Capoeira and Living in Brazil with Shayna Oliveira (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

The verb ‘pasar‘ is in the top 10 most common regular Spanish verbs. It occurs frequently, it is useful and easy to conjugate. But, it is used in a lot of different situations and contexts, which means we still need to set aside some time to take a closer look at this important Spanish verb. […] The post Tips 103: Common Spanish Verbs – 7 Uses for the Word “Pasar” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

It's hard to imagine the feeling of being in a space shuttle when it is taking off. But I could imagine the experience may involve a lot fear. It's a funny comparison but speaking Spanish in public and taking off in a rocket ship aren't vastly different when it comes to our fears. Both can […] The post Tips 102: What an Astronaut can Teach Us about Learning Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Is forgetting in Spanish as simple as forgetting in English? If you want to forget in Spanish or at least express the idea, there are three ways you can do it. This week explore how the verb ‘olvidar' is used and how the idea of something forgotten in Spanish differs from how we are used […] The post Tips 101: Olvidar vs Olvidarse – How to Forget in Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Last year, when I was living in Madrid, I was chatting to a friend about a very addictive chocolate biscuit we have in Australia. She said she would love to try them. Immediately after uttering those words, we both thought—Madrid is a big city, we could find them here, right? What else was I going […] The post Tips 100: How to Diversify your Spanish Skills by Solving Problems appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

The good thing about transitive and intransitive verbs in Spanish is most English students tend to get them right when guessing. The bad thing is we don't really learn about this idea in school. But, it helps if you want to understand certain phrases and grammar structures in Spanish. And of course, there is the […] The post Tips 099: Transitive vs Intransitive Verbs In Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Memory is important for language learning. That's pretty obvious. But how can you improve your memory? It turns out there are a number of simple tactics to can use to boost your memory. But underlying all tactics for an improved memory is one very important principle.  The defining principle for all memory tactics is … […] The post Tips 098: How to Improve Your Memory – The Most Important Principle appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

In this week's theory podcast we take a close look at the verb “llegar”. “Llegar” is a common Spanish verb and generally gets used correctly by native English students but there are more ways to use this verb than what you may expect.  In today's podcast I have broken out the use of “llegar” into […] The post Tips 097: Common Spanish Verbs – 7 Uses for the Word “Llegar” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

This podcast episode is part 2 of a two part interview that I recently did with Kris Broholm. Kris is running his own language learning podcast called The Actual Fluency Podcast. He was great fun to speak to and has a lot of experience learning languages as well as talking about them. His advice on finding your process […] The post Tips 096: How to Overcome Fear and Put Yourself Out There with Kris Broholm (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Answering the phone is an everyday occurrence. But the rules of phone etiquette in English don't exactly work in another language. When you make a phone call in Spanish, the language you tend to use is more direct. If you translate literally to English it may feel rude. But, it isn't for a Spanish person. […] The post Tips 095: How to Make a Phone Call in Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

This week we welcome Kris Broholm to the podcast to discuss language learning mindset. Kris is running a language learning podcast called Actual Fluency. Each week he invites on an ‘expert' language learner—typically a polyglot who can speak a number of languages. He then attempts to find out what is working for them and their best tips […] The post Tips 094: How to Overcome Fear and Put Yourself Out There with Kris Broholm (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Valencia is an amazing city. It home to delicious food, a good climate, great people and some impressive modern architecture. In this week's Spanish podcast episode we talk about what to see and do in Valencia from a local's perspective. In this podcast, we introduce a new guest, Laura Del Busto Bel. Laura is a […] The post Tips 093: What to See and Do in Valencia appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

This podcast episode is part 2 of a two part interview on language learning with Olly Richards.  If you haven't listened to part 1 of the interview then go back and start with part 1 first. In this second part of the interview we cover:  What Olly used to keep himself going in Japan for 3 years […] The post Tips 092: Olly Richards on Speaking Spanish Sooner (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Possessive pronouns in Spanish are generally straightforward except for one small detail.  The detail is about knowing whether or not you need to use the definite articles with the possessive pronouns. In today's theoretical Spanish podcast, we talk about how to use possessive adjectives in Spanish. Then we talk about how use the possessive pronouns […] The post Tips 091: Possessive Pronouns in Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

This week we welcome Olly Richards to the podcast. Olly can speak 7 languages and knows a lot about the process of acquiring foreign languages. In this mindset podcast, Olly shares some of his best tips for developing a successful language learning process. Olly runs the popular blog I Will Teach You A Language. His website offers […] The post Tips 090: Olly Richards on Speaking Spanish Sooner (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

In today's theoretical podcast, we will take a closer look at some of the different ways the word “even” can be translated from English to Spanish. When you are listening to today's podcast, have a think about the wider idea of being able to change an idea around so it can be translated in a […] The post Tips 089: 4 Ways to Translate “Even” from English to Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

What are your conversations like in Spanish? Do they flow? or do they stall? Being a great conversationalist in your first language doesn't come easily—so how then can you be great in your second language?  Learning how to have flowing conversations isn't something that can be learnt overnight. It takes years of practice. But, it […] The post Tips 088: How to Make Your Spanish Conversations Less Awkward appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

In this podcast episode you will learn the second half of the prepositions of position. This episode is part 2 of a two part series and follows on from the last theoretical episode. In last week's theory episode we looked at how to say above and under as well out or outside and in or inside […] The post Tips 087: Spanish Prepositions of Position (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Confidence in language learning is huge. Those who think they can and those who think that can't are probably right.  This mindset episode of the podcast is part 2 of a two part interview I did with a close friend of mine, Ruan De Witt. You can listen to part 1 here. Ruan is an […] The post Tips 086: How to Build Confidence with Ruan De Witt (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Prepositions are hard. Why? Because prepositions rarely translate well between languages. And their use often doesn't follow a nice set of rules. For example, when is something below and when is it underneath? How would you explain the difference? What about the difference between out and outside—could you tell a foreigner when they should use […] The post Tips 085: Spanish Prepositions of Position (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

In 2005, Ruan De Witt was riding his bicycle on a bridge in France. A passing car caused him to fall from the bridge onto the busy highway below. He broke his pelvis, hands, elbow and back. He survived the fall. He then spent three months in a French hospital re-learning how to walk. Three […] The post Tips 084: How to Build Confidence with Ruan De Witt (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

In this week's theoretical Spanish podcast we will explore the verb ‘tratar‘. ‘Tratar‘ can be confusing because of one particular meaning that is difficult to translate to English. But this difficult translation is very useful for asking what something is about. There are five forms of tratar that I cover in today's podcast: Tratar – […] The post Tips 083: Tratar – How to Treat this Helpful Spanish Verb appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

This week Amy Whitney is on the podcast. Her story beautifully captures the idea that language learning is hard but truly worth it. Amy has been a regular listener of the Real Fast Spanish Tips podcast for a quite some time. We first connected last year and it has been great hearing about her journey […] The post Tips 082: Why you Need to Overcome your Fears with Amy Whitney appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

In this week's podcast tip we are going to look at the verb ‘caer'. We will look at the differences between ‘caer' and ‘caerse' and give a few spanish phrases using this common verb. What you will discover in this tip is that ‘caer' means so much more than ‘to fall'. ‘Caer' does get used in […] The post Tips 081: 3 Spanish Phrases with the Verb ‘Caer' appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

One way to increase your rate of learning spanish is to make deeper connections to new spanish vocabulary. If you can create a strong new memory every time you discover a new word in Spanish your rate of learning would increase. How then can you make stronger connections to new vocabulary? It's starts with a […] The post Tips 080: How to Create a Strong Connection to New Spanish Vocabulary appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Understanding the differences between verbs such as quedar vs quedarse is a constant challenge for Spanish students. Not only is ‘quedar' versatile for its use in different contexts, but it changes meaning when it becomes reflexive. This week's theory podcast is inspired by one of the Real Fast Spanish School Members. The question came after the last […] The post Tips 079: Quedar vs Quedarse – How to Use this Handy Spanish Verb appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

There is never enough time. Well, at least, it feels that way. Despite how busy you feel, we all have the same 24 hours in a day. Yet some still manage to get so much more done. How? For as long as I can remember I have had a strange relationship with time. I often […] The post Tips 078: How to Find More Time for Your Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Sometimes mastery of a foreign language is less about how many words you know and more about how many words you know well. Your job as a language student is not to cram as much into your memory bank as possible but to focus on learning the right things. And learning them well.  This idea […] The post Tips 077: Common Spanish Verbs – 6 Uses for the Word “Echar” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Learning Spanish vocabulary or the vocabulary of any language is a big task. Put simply—it takes focused effort overtime. But there are ways to increase the effectiveness of your vocabulary learning process. In this week's mindset podcast, I introduce an idea called deliberate versus emergent strategy for vocabulary acquisition. The idea is that you learn […] The post Tips 076: Learning Spanish Vocabulary – A Deliberate vs. Emergent Strategy appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

One long term ongoing test for english students learning Spanish is the difference between ‘ser' and ‘estar'. For me these two words remind me of studying physics—as you move up the levels they keep telling you to forget the previous rules you have already learned. As if these two words weren't confusing enough, you also have […] The post Tips 075: The 4 Past Spanish Translations of ‘Was' appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

A complaint I often hear is “I feel dumb in Spanish”. I don't just hear this complaint from other students. I hear it in my own head as well. It's not a huge surprise we feel this way. But why does it bother us so much? In this week's mindset podcast episode, I explore the […] The post Tips 074: How to Avoid Feeling Dumb in Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

I don't know how many times I have walked into a Spanish restaurant and said the wrong thing. It could be at the start of the meal, during or even after I have paid. The idea seems simple enough. But there is a subtle complexity to the words people use in even common interactions such […] The post Tips 073: How to Order Food in Spanish – A Restaurant Role-Play appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

You may have heard the expression “time is money”. I don't know if that's true. Maybe it is. What I do know is that time has one thing in common with money and that is it can be poorly spent. It is possible to spend hours and hours “practicing” and not really see much benefit. […] The post Tips 072: How to Effectively Use 3 Essential Resources to Improve Your Spanish appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

How adventurous are you when it comes to food? Are you the kind of person that tries anything once? Even if you are, you might still want to know what you are getting into. Just in case. Walking into a traditional tapas bar in Spain can be a mix of fun, overwhelm and adventure. It […] The post Tips 071: 10 Tapas You Have to Try Before You Die and 5 You Might Want to Avoid appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Have you ever felt like there are hundreds of things competing to distract you and limiting your focus? Or have you ever thought that for one problem resolved there are additional five others that are now a top priority? In this week's mindset tip we finish the two-part series on focus. In last weeks mindset […] The post Tips 070: How To Improve Your Focus (Part 2 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

Imagine that it is 7 o'clock. A Thursday night. You are in the main street of one of the biggest cities in Spain and everything is closed. Nobody around. All the bars are empty. You think to yourself – when do the people here eat? Even after 3 trips to Spain, Spanish eating customs still confuse […] The post Tips 069: What You Need to Know about Spanish Eating Customs Before your Next Trip to Spain appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

I sometimes find it difficult to focus. I also feel this lack of focus is holding me back from achieving my goals. But is focus something that is only reserved for a certain type of person? Or can we all learn to improve our focus?  For me, focus comes in two categories: focus for emotions […] The post Tips 068: How To Improve Your Focus (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.

‘Dar' is one of a small list of common spanish verbs that will have a big impact on your Spanish. It is another verb that means a lot of different things in a lot of different contexts. Due to this verb's frequency in the language, it is worth getting to know “dar” a little better. […] The post Tips 067: Common Spanish Verbs – 5 Uses For The Word “Dar” appeared first on Real Fast Spanish.