Phrases for Giving Directions in Spanish – LSFB 025

 

Welcome to a new session of Learning Spanish for Beginners Podcast. In this session, we will learn phrases that can be used when giving directions in Spanish. Whether you are planning a trip to a Spanish-speaking country or simply want to improve your language skills, this episode is designed with you in mind. Navigating unfamiliar streets or guiding a friend to your favorite café can be challenging when you are not confident in your language abilities. In this session, we will introduce you to essential Spanish words and phrases that make giving and understanding directions much easier.

You will learn how to say words like “derecha” for right and “izquierda” for left, along with useful terms like “recto” (straight) and “vuelta” (turn). We will also cover vocabulary for describing landmarks, intersections, and common street names.

With clear examples and practical exercises, you will soon be able to ask, “¿Dónde está la parada de autobús?” (bus stop) or explain how to get to the nearest “parque.” Each term is presented in a friendly, accessible manner, making it perfect for those just starting their Spanish journey. Get ready to build confidence and explore new ways to connect with Spanish speakers through everyday conversations about directions.  

 

You can listen to the podcast session here:

 

 

Download your PDF Transcript

At the beginning of this post, you will find an audio player you can use to listen to the episode, and you can download a PDF Transcript right here: This is the link you can use to get your transcript (right click and “Save” or “Download”): PDF Transcript  

 

What other words or phrases for giving directions would you like to learn?

Please let me know in the comments sections at the end of this page.

Want to learn Spanish Faster?

If you would like to learn Spanish faster by learning the 100 most common words in spoken Spanish, you can visit: SpanishforYourJob.com/commonwords That’s all for today’s session.  

 

 

How to Determine the Gender of Nouns in Spanish? – LSFB 023

 

In this session we will learn a few easy guidelines to determine the gender of nouns in Spanish.

One of the most challenging yet fascinating aspects of learning Spanish is understanding the gender of nouns. Unlike English, where nouns are generally neutral, Spanish nouns are either masculine or feminine.

This distinction can feel confusing at first, especially if you’re new to gendered languages. However, with a few guidelines and some practice, determining the gender of Spanish nouns becomes much more manageable. Why does gender matter?

In Spanish, gender impacts how nouns interact with other parts of a sentence, such as adjectives and articles. For instance, you would say “el libro rojo” (the red book) for a masculine noun but “la mesa roja” (the red table) for a feminine noun. Getting the gender right ensures your sentences are grammatically correct and sound natural to native speakers.

This guide will walk you through the key rules, exceptions, and strategies to help you identify noun genders in Spanish with confidence. You’ll also learn some handy memory tricks and tips for practicing this essential aspect of the language.

By mastering the gender of nouns, you’ll take a significant step toward fluency and better understand how Spanish grammar works.  

You can listen to the podcast session here: 

 

 

Download your PDF Transcript

At the beginning of this post, you will find an audio player you can use to listen to the episode, and you can download a PDF Transcript right here: This is the link you can use to get your transcript (right click and “Save” or “Download”): PDF Transcript  

Want to learn Spanish Faster?

If you would like to learn Spanish faster by learning the 100 most common words in spoken Spanish, you can visit: SpanishforYourJob.com/commonwords That’s all for today’s session.  

 

 

How to Tell Time in Spanish on a Clock for Beginners – LSFB 022

  Welcome to a new session of Learning Spanish for Beginners Podcast. In this session, we will review vocabulary and phrases you can use to tell time in Spanish. You can listen to the podcast session here:

 

 

This is an essential skill for beginners because it will help you manage your schedule, ask for the time, and understand appointments. By the way, this episode will focus on the Spanish spoken in Mexico, which you can use to communicate with Spanish speakers worldwide. Let’s get started!

Basic Vocabulary for Telling Time in Spanish:

Before we start telling the time, let’s review some essential words: Hora – Hour Minuto – Minute Segundo – Second Reloj – Clock/Watch Mediodía – Noon Medianoche – Midnight La mañana – Morning La tarde – Afternoon La noche – Evening/Night  

How to Ask for the Time in Spanish:

If you want to know the time, here are two common ways to ask: ¿Qué hora es? What time is it? ¿Qué hora es? ¿Me puedes decir que hora es por favor? Can you tell me what time it is please? ¿Me puedes decir que hora es por favor? You’ll likely hear the response starting with “Es la…” or “Son las…” depending on the time. That comes next…

Telling the Time in Spanish:

To tell the time in Spanish, you use the verb ser (to be) and follow this structure: For 1:00, use “Es la…” which translates as “it is…” because it’s singular: Es la una. It’s one o’clock. Es la una. For all other hours, use “Son las…” because they’re plural, and it translates as “it’s the” as well: Here are a few examples: Son las dos. It’s two o’clock. Son las dos. Son las cinco. It’s five o’clock. Son las cinco.

Minutes Past the Hour:

An easy way to add minutes to the hour, is to use the conjunction “y” which translates as “and” in Spanish. Here are a few examples: Es la una y cinco. It’s 1:05. Es la una y cinco. Son las dos y diez. It’s 2:10. Son las dos y diez. Son las tres y quince. It’s 3:15. Son las tres y quince. Son las cuatro y treinta. It’s 4:30. Son las cuatro y treinta. Son las cinco y cuarenta y cinco. It’s 5:45. Son las cinco y cuarenta y cinco. Son las seis y cincuenta. It’s 6:50. Son las seis y cincuenta.  

Common Variations:

There are a few optional variations you can use for commonly used times if you want to sound more conversational. Minutes Past the Hour: For fifteen minutes past the hour, you can use the phrase “y cuarto” to convey the idea of “and a quarter.” Here’s an example: Son las tres y cuarto. It’s 3:15. Son las tres y cuarto. For half past the hour, you can use the phrase “y media” which translates as “and half.” Here’s an example: Son las cuatro y media. It’s 4:30. Son las cuatro y media.  

Minutes to the Hour:

To express minutes before the next hour, you can use the word “menos” which translates as “minus” in Spanish. Here are a few examples with the most common cases: Son las cinco menos diez. It’s 4:50. Son las cinco menos diez. Son las seis menos cuarto. It’s 5:45. Son las seis menos cuarto.  

Talking about Specific Times of Day:

Now, let’s talk about a few common words and phrases you can use to talk about specific times of the day. You can specify the time of day using phrases like these: de la mañana – in the morning de la tarde – in the afternoon de la noche – in the evening Here are a few commom examples: Son las nueve de la mañana. It’s 9:00 in the morning. Son las nueve de la mañana. Son las tres de la tarde. It’s 3:00 in the afternoon. Son las tres de la tarde. Son las ocho de la noche. It’s 8:00 in the evening. Son las ocho de la noche.   For midnight and noon, you can use these phrases: Es medianoche. It’s midnight. Es medianoche. Es mediodía. It’s noon. Es mediodía.  

Common Phrases About Time:

Here are a few additional phrases you can use to talk about time in every day life: ¿A qué hora…? At what time…? ¿A qué hora…? Here’s an example: ¿A qué hora es la reunión? What time is the meeting? ¿A qué hora es la reunión? Es temprano. It’s early. Es temprano. Es tarde. It’s late. Es tarde. Llegas a tiempo. You’re on time. Llegas a tiempo. Estás atrasado / atrasada. You’re late. Estás atrasado / atrasada.  

Practice Time!

Let’s practice some examples together. I’ll say the time in English, and you try to say it in Spanish before I give you the answer. 3:15 . . . Son las tres y cuarto.   7:30 . . . Son las siete y media.   11:45 . . . Son las doce menos cuarto / Son las once cuarenta y cinco   1:00 in the afternoon . . . Es la una de la tarde.  

Cultural Tip:

In Spanish-speaking countries, people often use the 24-hour clock for formal settings like work schedules, travel, and TV programming. For example: “Las 14:00 horas” is the equivalent of “Son las dos de la tarde.” “Las 20:30 horas” is the equivalent of “Las ocho y media de la noche. Being familiar with both systems will help you navigate different situations.  

Challenge:

Your challenge for today is to ask someone for the time in Spanish and try to understand their response. Don’t be shy; practice makes perfect!   That’s all for today’s episode. Remember, consistency is key when learning a new language. Keep practicing, and soon you’ll be a pro at telling time in Spanish. If you would like to learn Spanish faster by learning the 100 most common words in spoken Spanish, you can visit: SpanishforYourJob.com/commonwords That’s all for today’s session.  

Download your PDF Transcript

At the beginning of this post, you will find an audio player you can use to listen to the episode, and you can download a PDF Transcript right here: This is the link you can use to get your transcript (right-click and “Save” or “Download”): PDF Transcript    

 

 

 

Shortcuts to talk about the Future in Spanish – Part 2 (Podcast) – LSFB 020

Learning to talk about the future in Spanish can feel like a challenge, especially when you’re juggling conjugations and tenses. But here’s the good news: you don’t always need to master the future tense to communicate your plans, goals, or predictions effectively. In fact, native speakers often rely on simpler structures and shortcuts to express future intentions without overcomplicating the conversation.

In this session, we will learn a few additional easy shortcuts beginners can use to talk about the future in Spanish without having to memorize lots of future tense conjugations. 

You can listen to the podcast session here:

 

 

Download your PDF Transcript

At the beginning of this post, you will find an audio player you can use to listen to the episode, and you can download a PDF Transcript right here:

This is the link you can use to get your transcript (right-click and “Save” or “Download”): PDF Transcript

 

Want a Quickstart Guide to talk about the Future?

Here’s a quick guide to talk about the future in Spanish without having to struggle with the future tense conjugations.

To access the complete guide with shortcuts to talk about the future easily you can visit this page: Quick Guide to Talk about the Future

 

 

 

Shortcuts to talk about the Future in Spanish – Part 1 (Podcast) – LSFB 019

In this session we will learn a few easy tools beginners can use to talk about the future and avoid having to conjugate all verbs in the future tense in Spanish.

In fact, this is used by native speakers everyday when they talk about their plans (I use it all the time!)

It is one easiest ways to talk about the future in Spanish without having to learn lots of conjugations. You can listen to the podcast session here:

Download your PDF Transcript

At the beginning of this post, you will find an audio player you can use to listen to the episode, and you can download a PDF Transcript right here:

This is the link you can use to get your transcript (right click and “Save” or “Download”): PDF Transcript

Want a Quickstart Guide to talk about the Future?

Here’s a quick guide to talk about the future in Spanish without having to struggle with the future tense conjugations.

To access the complete guide with shortcuts to talk about the future easily you can visit this page: Quick Guide to Talk about the Future

Phrases to Ask for Directions in Spanish (Podcast) – LSFB 018

Walking around in a new city is one of the best ways to know more about the local culture and find interesting places to visit.

But, what if you are in a Spanish speaking country? “No hay problema”, in this session we will learn words and phrases that will make the process of asking for directions in Spanish much easier and enjoyable.

Continue reading “Phrases to Ask for Directions in Spanish (Podcast) – LSFB 018”

How to Pronounce the Vowel “i” in Spanish (Podcast) – LSFB 017

In this session we will learn how to pronounce the vowel “i” in Spanish and we will go over a few common examples that showcase the pronunciation of this elusive letter. Continue reading “How to Pronounce the Vowel “i” in Spanish (Podcast) – LSFB 017″

Shortcuts to talk about the Past in Spanish – Part 3 (Podcast) – LSFB 016

In this session we will learn a few additional shortcuts to talk about the past in Spanish by using the simplified conjugation structure of the present perfect tense.

In Spanish, the conjugation of verbs in the present perfect is much simpler and predictable than the conjugation of verbs in preterite, and it can be used by beginners who want to learn how to express ideas about the past without having to learn several conjugations.

Continue reading “Shortcuts to talk about the Past in Spanish – Part 3 (Podcast) – LSFB 016”

Shortcuts to talk about the Past in Spanish Part 2 (Podcast) – LSFB 015

Today we will learn a few additional shortcuts to talk about the past in Spanish by using verbs in present tense and words that talk about time.

 

If you already know how to conjugate verbs in the present tense you can use them in conjunction with simple adverbs (such as yesterday, tomorrow, later) as well as simple phrases to talk about the past easily.

Continue reading “Shortcuts to talk about the Past in Spanish Part 2 (Podcast) – LSFB 015”

Shortcuts to talk about the Past in Spanish – Part 1 (Podcast) – LSFB 014

Today we will learn a few shortcuts to talk about the past in Spanish without having to memorize several long lists of verb conjugations. Continue reading “Shortcuts to talk about the Past in Spanish – Part 1 (Podcast) – LSFB 014”