Naturally, common Spanish phrases for travel include those around transportation, landing at the airport, and finding your way around the city. But, what are the best ways to learn Spanish as a traveler? It’s certainly not learning the grammar.

We found it’s easiest if you can picture a situation in your head and associate the words with the situation. So, we’ll try to guide you through these common situations and help you picture the words while you go through them.

So, let’s start with some essential Spanish for travel – finding your way to, from, and around the airport.

Landing at the airport

The airport will probably be the first place that you’ll set foot in Spain. You might come by car, train, or bus, but since Spain has so many airports, and the air connection is the best and most reliable one, most tourists and travelers will be coming by plane.

Even though you would expect everybody to speak English in international airports, that might not be the case in Spain, especially in smaller cities, or in the south like in Andalucia. Having that in mind, it’s very useful to learn basic Spanish for traveling and have some Spanish words and phrases for travel up your sleeve in case you bump into somebody that doesn’t speak English.

Here are some words that might be useful when you get off the plane:

Looking for your luggage

When you get off a plane, if you’re traveling with a checked-in bag, the next step will be to go and collect your luggage. The signs will probably be both in Spanish and English, but in case there are not, it’s useful to know what to look for.

Also, sometimes, the airports can be confusing, so you might need to ask someone for directions. In that case, it’s good to know some essential Spanish for travel, like how to ask where your luggage will be dropped off.

To collect your luggage once you land, you should follow the sign that says “Equipaje”, which translates to luggage. It can be accompanied by some other words like “Recogida de equipaje” but if you follow only the word “Equipaje” you can be sure that you’ll arrive at the right place.

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Looking for a toilet after a long flight

After a long flight, you might want to use the toilet to freshen up. The toilettes are almost always very close to the baggage drop-off, but you can find them in the whole airport.

In Spain, the toilettes will be marked as “Aseos”, which is the Spanish word for water toilettes.

Even though the pictures of a man and a woman are normally placed on the doors so you know where to enter, you can also follow the word “Hombers” for men’s toilet, and “Mujeres” for women’s. If you’re traveling with a child, you might need a changing room. Most bigger airports have this room separate from the toilets. To find this you should look for a sign “Cambiador de bebés” or if you cannot find it, you can ask “Perdone, dónde está el cambiador de bebés?”.

Focus words:

Focus phrase:

Finding the exit

Big signs saying “Salida” will take you right off the airport. Salida literally means exit, but if you’re seeing the signs “Salidas” this actually means departures.

You will probably not come across these signs leaving the airport, because the spaces for landing and for departing are separated. However, if an airport is small, you might walk into the grand hall, and then you can come across both Salida and Salidas.

If this confuses you, you can also follow the signs for taxis and buses because they normally stop in front of the airports. These signs will normally say “Taxi” and “Autobús”.

Before you leave for the grand hall or exit the airport, you will have to pass the customs or la “Aduana”. If you have anything to declare, you will have to stop here, and if not, you will pass the door that says “Nada que declarar” which means “Nothing to declare”.

Focus words:

Focus phrase:

Flying from Spain

Other than landing at the airport in Spain, there will also be times when you would need to fly from one. This will happen if you are returning home if you’re visiting multiple places in Spain so you’re flying from a Spanish airport, or in case you have a layover there.

Since the procedures are different for arrivals and departures, you will also need to learn phrases in Spanish for traveling from Spain.

Arriving at the airport

To arrive at the airport, you will probably use some sort of public transportation, although people mostly use a taxi or a car. If you’re coming in a taxi, other than saying that you’re going to the airport – “Al Aeropuerto” – you might also need to specify the terminal. Some airports are pretty big, like the one in Madrid, and they have multiple terminals that are pretty far from one another.

So, check your ticket and once you do you can inform your taxi driver where to leave you by saying “Terminal” and followed by a number. Most airports will have up to 4 terminals, so it’s useful to know the numbers up to four. Here’s how to say it:

• Terminal uno
• Terminal dos
• Terminal tres
• Terminal cuatro

So, once you get in a taxi, you can say “Al aeropuerto, terminal cuatro”. El aeropuerto means the airport, and Al aeropuerto means “to the airport”

If you’re coming by bus or metro, there will probably be one universal stop at the airport, so you will have to ask for directions to your terminal. You can do that by what you learned in the previous part and say “¿Perdone, dónde está el terminal cuatro?” or you can say “¿Perdone, cómo llegar a la terminal cuatro?”. This means, “Excuse me, how to get to terminal 4?”

Focus words:

Focus phrases:

Boarding the plane

Once you are at the airport, the next step will be to prepare yourself for boarding the plane. Some airports have different spaces for international and domestic flights, so this would probably be the first thing you’ll want to look for.

For international flights, look for “Salidas internacionales”, and for domestic flights (if you’re traveling inside Spain), look for “Salidas domésticas”.

If you’re there for a layover, it’s useful to know that this is called “Escala” in Spanish.

Once you find your way to either domestic or international flights, you might want to check in your bag. To do so, you should look at the monitor to see where the check-in for your flight is. The monitor is called “Pantalla”, and the check-in stand is called “Mostrador de la facturación”.

Once you leave your bag, you can proceed to the security check or the “Control de seguridad”. The security might double-check and ask you if you have any special items like liquids or electronic devices. Here are some words that you might hear:

Líquido– liquid

Aparatos electrónicos – electronic devices

After you pass the security check, you can check the screen to see where your gate is. The gate is called “Puerta de embarque” or simply “Puerta”. “Embarque” means boarding.

Focus words and phrases:

If you have passed all of the above – congrats! You have passed the first lesson of Spanish for travelers, and can sit back in your plane seat and relax.

The next stop – looking for transportation after you land. Let’s go!

Looking for public transportation

Knowing how to find your way around public transportation definitely counts as essential Spanish for traveling and can help you save a lot of money by not always relying on a taxi.

Choosing transportation

Typically, there will be a few options when it comes to public transportation. Going from the airport, you can probably choose from two to three means depending on where you’re heading.

In Spanish, public transportation is “Transporte publico”.

Here are the most typical means of public transport:

Metro

If the city has a metro, then this is probably the most reliable option for you. If there is a metro station at the airport, the signs to it should be very visible once you get off the plane. There is not much thinking with this one as it is also marked as “Metro” in Spanish. You can also look for the “M” signs, but there’s not a foreign word that you should learn for it.

The things that you should look for are the lines and directions or “Línea” and “Dirección”. However, in many cases, the airport is the last stop, so it will have only one direction, and might also have only one line.

The metro from the airport will most probably connect with the central bus or train station, and the city center.

Even if you’re not at the airport but traveling inside the city and you’re using the metro, the words below can come in handy:

Bus

With or without metro lines, it’s safe to say that almost every airport will have a bus stop very near, if not in front of the airport.

The bus stop is called “Parada de autobuses” from the verb parar which means to stop. If you’re going by bus, sometimes you can buy tickets beforehand, but if it’s an inner-city bus, the tickets are probably sold inside the vehicle.

The ticket is called “Billete”. Because the price of a bus ticket will depend on the place you go, to precise the place you can say “Un billete para el centro, por favor”. This means “One ticket to the city center, please”.

If you’re buying a ticket beforehand at the bus station (estación de autobuses), you should know that a ticket stand is called “Taquilla”. To go to another city or village, for example, if you’re going to Jaen, you should say “Un billete para Jaén”.

Focus words:

Train

The third basic public transportation option is the train. For example, from the airport in Madrid, the train is the only option to go to the bus station.

Now, the word for the train in Spanish is “Tren”, but the sign for the train will probably say “Renfe”. Renfe stands for Red Nacional de Ferrocarriles Españoles, or in translation National Railway Network of Spain. On all the tickets, signs, and other markings related to the railways, it will say Renfe.

To buy a train ticket, you will either use the “Taquilla” or a ticket machine – “Máquina billetera” or “Máquina de billetes”.

Focus words:

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Learn Spanish Online

• • Spanish Language

Spanish Greetings and Farewells – Different ways to say HELLO and BYE in Spanish

• ByGala
• January 16, 2022

• • Spanish Language

italki 2022 Review – The Best Platform to Learn Spanish Online

• ByMarko
• February 26, 2022

The post Common Spanish words and phrases you will need when visiting Spain appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

In this specific type of article, we will cover two things:

• italki review: Why should you choose italki as your primary platform for learning the Spanish language?
• Detailed instruction on how to start with italki, and book your first class.

If you are already familiar with the italki platform or don’t need any help with the application process, you can register to italki via this link or you can click the button below.
Either way, you will receive an additional $10 bonus credit for your first credit purchase.

In case this concept of learning a language online is new to you, or you need some assistance with creating an account on italki and booking your first class, you should continue with your reading.

Let’s dive in!

1) italki review – My personal experience.

The most convenient way of learning a new language

Sometimes just the thought of having a conversation in a language that is not your native, especially with a stranger, can immediately make you anxious. And it is normal to feel that way. Almost everybody does.

The hardest part of starting my italki journey was stepping out of my comfort zone and booking that first lesson. But after that barrier was broken, and I had the first lesson, I felt so inspired and immediately booked another one.

Making that first step is always stressful, but the important thing is going through with it and not giving up.

italki provides you the opportunity to go through that stress from the comfort of your own home. It is easier to conquer that fear if you can deal with it from the place that provides you comfort.

One on one lesson with a teacher

Having the whole attention of your teacher just for yourself is one of the biggest benefits of learning Spanish (or any other language) via an online platform.

This way, they can follow your learning process and provide you with more personal lessons for your specific needs.

The more affordable option

Providing yourself with a personal language teacher can usually be very expensive. With italki, you have the opportunity to choose between many different prices, and everybody can find an option that suits their budget.

Speaking Spanish with native speakers – The most efficient way to learn the Spanish language

In my personal opinion, speaking Spanish with native speakers is the most important value that italki has to offer. Regardless of where you live, you will have an opportunity to speak with native Spanish speakers from the comfort of your own home.

Exploring new cultures while meeting new people and making new friendships

This is just a bonus you will get by using italki for learning a new language. In less than a year, I had an opportunity to meet numerous new interesting people from all around the world, just by using italki. With some of them, I even went one step further and developed a friendship.

Those are just some of the advantages of learning the Spanish language by using the italki platform. I am sure that you will find your own on top of those.

If this made you interested to give italki a try, you can go and register through the link below.

In the second part of this article, we will cover the whole path from registration to booking your first class with italki, so maybe you will find it helpful.

2) How to start learning Spanish with italki? (Detailed instructions with all necessary steps included)

If you have experience with a similar platform, you don’t have to read the whole process. You can easily use the content table above to jump to the step you have a problem with.

Step 1: Go to the italki

Click on one of the links on this page, and you will get a $10 bonus for your first credit purchase.

Also, we will get a small commission, which helps us make more useful guides like this one.

Step 2: ”Get started today”

After you click on one of the links you find in this article, you will land on the italki landing page. There you can find even more information about the italki platform. After reading that, you should click on the ”Get started today” button at the end of that page. That will send you to the italki registration page.

Step 3: Registration

Here you need to register for the italki platform by entering your name, email, and preferred password (it has to be 8 letters min, and have at least two different types of characters, without spaces).

Step 4: Email verification

After successful registration, you will get an email from italki where you need to click on the link in the email to verify your newly created account.

Step 5: Set your language preferences

Choose Spanish as the language you want to learn on italki, and set your current language level. Also, fill out the remaining fields (your native language and your current country of residence).

Step 6: Fill up your italki balance

Next, you need to fill up your italki balance by purchasing italki credits. Remember, by doing this you will get $10 for your first purchase if you registered through one of the links in this article.

You can choose how many credits do you want to buy. Any amount you choose will get you a $10 bonus on top of that.

Step 7: Set payment method

italki offers numerous payment methods, and you can choose between:

• Debit/credit card
• PayPal
• Skrill
• Bank transfer

Step 8: Purchase your italki credits

After entering your details, you are ready to purchase your italki credits for the first time. Be aware that a small processing fee will be included, depending on which payment provider you selected.

After you submit your payment, you should get a notification that your funds are processed.

Your bonus will arrive in your wallet 48 hours after your first purchase.

Now, you are ready to start learning Spanish.

In the next couple of steps, we will cover how to book your first class!

Step 9: Use your trial lessons first

You should start your italki experience with your trial lessons. They are a perfect way to try a couple of different options and find a teacher that will suit your needs.

Trail lessons are way cheaper than regular ones, so you should definitely use them first.

Step 10: Choosing your professor

There are two different types of professors on the italki platform: professional teachers and community tutors. You are not going to make a mistake with either option. It only depends on what you are looking to find.

Professional teachers

If you want to have a real professor with professional teaching experience, someone who will guide you through your lessons and prepare all materials for you, then you should go for a professional teacher.

Community tutors

On the other hand, if you are looking for a bit more casual option or an opportunity to have a conversation with a native Spanish speaker, then you should choose a community tutor. Community tutors are usually cheaper, too.

We understand that this can be the hardest thing for people who are just starting, and for that purpose, we created an article on how to choose your italki teacher.

Step 11: Book your first class on italki

The process of booking on italki is easy to follow.

You have the option to choose between different types of lessons, depending on what your teacher has to offer. Some of the standard options are grammar lessons, casual conversations, preparing for a specific test, etc.

You can also choose a duration that suits you best (the usual options are: 30, 45, 60, or 90 minutes).

Sometimes teachers can offer you an additional promotion if you decide to buy more classes at once. Be aware that, in that case, you will have to schedule all of them upfront.

You will also be able to check the availability of each teacher before you schedule your class.

Additionally, if you didn’t find a time that suits you best, you can request a slot outside of the teacher’s current schedule using Lesson Invitation. Some teachers may even accept short notice lessons.

Step 12: Choose your communication tool

Finally, you will have the option to choose which communication tool you want to use for your class. The easiest option is to go with the italki classroom.

In case you are more comfortable with some other video communication tool, such as Skype, Zoom, or something third, you can choose that (of course, if it is available as an option).

After that, you will receive a notification that your class is scheduled. The only thing left is for your teacher to approve it. In some cases, it can happen automatically.

Once you are done with all those steps – that’s it. You are now ready to start your own italki experience. Congrats!

FAQs

How late can I book an italki class?

The latest a student can book an italki lesson is 2 hours before the actual class. This can also vary depending on how a teacher has set up his account preferences.

How to reschedule a lesson on italki?

To reschedule a lesson on italki, you just need to use the ”change date/time” option or you can contact your teacher. You should only pay attention to rescheduling at least 24h before your class, otherwise, you won’t be allowed to do it.

How to cancel a lesson on italki?

You can cancel your italki lesson by using the ”cancel lesson” option. You need to be aware that this is possible only if there is more than 24h until your lesson.

If you run into some problems with any of the application steps, feel free to contact us via the next email: contact@travelandtapas.com

We will be happy to assist you!

The post italki 2022 Review – The Best Platform to Learn Spanish Online appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

Typical Spanish Greetings based on the part of the day

Like in most languages and cultures, there are greetings in Spanish used only in certain parts of the day, like the morning or at night. The day in Spanish can be divided into six different periods.

In Spain, the sun rises no earlier than eight in the morning, and in the summer, it can set even after 10 PM. This is because the Spanish clock is in the „wrong“ time zone. We already spoke about this in our Siesta article, but Spain has been in the CET time zone since World War 2. This decision was made to match Germany during that period, and they simply left it that way until today.

Because of this, the day in Spain is „moved“ a bit, and it starts a bit later and finishes a bit (or a lot) later. I say I lot because, on top of their time zone, Spaniards are night owls.

Probably because of the same reason Siesta exists, Spaniards normally get out to dinner or hit the clubs way later than in other European countries. The normal time to get ready and go to a family dinner downtown in Spain is 9 – 9:30 PM. The normal time to leave the house for clubbing is not earlier than 11 PM, but closer to midnight. The clubs open around midnight but normally don’t get crowded until 2-3 in the morning.

All these characteristics also influence greetings in the said periods. So, let’s break down greetings that fit every one of these six periods of the day.

1) Madrugada – early morning

Early morning, as the name suggests, starts after midnight with the first AM hours, and continues until the sunrise. In Spain, madrugada is considered somewhere between 1 and 7 AM or until the sun has not fully risen.

For this part of the day, you can say either Buenas noches or Buenos días.

• Buenas noches (Good night or good evening). On this occasion, it will mean good night. You will say this if you’re going to bed in these hours. This way, you will treat this period as „the night“. In this scenario, Buenas noches is more often a farewell rather than a greeting.
• Buenos días (Good morning). It’s less likely that you will wake up earlier than 6 or 7 AM in Spain, but if you do, and you meet someone who also just woke up, you will say good morning or Buenos días.

If you’re keeping it more casual, you can also say Hola or Buenas (which means „Hello“), or Adiós (Bye) or Hasta manaña (See you tomorrow) if you’re going away

2) Manaña – morning

Manaña is a word with two meanings in Spanish, and its meaning depends on whether it’s a feminine or a masculine noun. La manaña (Morning), and El manaña (Tomorrow). In the sentence „Hasta manaña“ you’re saying „Until tomorrow“ and referring to the masculine noun „el manaña“.

La manaña as the morning starts with the sun (normally around 8 AM) and ends around noon. It’s pretty similar to most countries.

For this period of the day, you should greet people with Buenos días (Good morning), or more casual Buenas or Hola (Hello/Hi).

For farewells, you can say Adiós (Goodbye) or you can say Hasta manaña or Hasta luego (which means „See you tomorrow“ and „See you later“). Hasta luego or See you later is used with everyone as a casual way of saying goodbye and it doesn’t need to imply that you will actually see that person again later. You can use this in supermarkets, stores, at schools, etc.

3) Mediodía – noon

Mediodía (simply means „Midday“), and that is exactly noon.

In this part of the day, you can greet people either with Buenos días (Good morning), or Buenas tardes (Good afternoon). Because none of those are true, the best things to say are simply Hola or Buenas.

4) Tarde – afternoon/evening

Tarde (means „Afternoon“), and it starts from 1 PM and lasts until the sunsets.

Since we already said that the sun sets later in Spain, the afternoon can be until 9 PM. In most countries, 9 PM would be considered nighttime, but in Spain in the summertime, 9 PM is only the evening.

The Spanish language does not distinguish between evening and night, so Tarde can mean both afternoon and evening.

For this period of the day, you should greet people with Buenas tardes (which means „Good afternoon“ or „Good evening“ or „Good day“).

In some parts of Spain, Tarde only begins after the siesta. Before siesta, it is the morning or midday, and during siesta, there would normally not be many people on the streets. When siesta is over (around 4 or 5 PM) then you can start saying „Buenas tardes“. It refers to the part of the day in which the sun has started to set, but is not quite there yet.

5) Noche – nighttime

Noche (Night), like in most places means the time of the day when the sun is completely set.

Of course, as Spain has later „waking hours“, it can also refer to anything after midnight. However, that is technically Madrugada (Early morning), and it depends on your situation how you’ll perceive those hours.

The nighttime in Spain would normally start around 9 – 10 PM and last until midnight or 1 AM. This is the time that cafes and bars normally stay open on the workweek.

• For this period, you will say Buenas noches (which means „good evening“), or if you’re going away, you will say Buenas noches as „Good night“.

As a farewell, it is mostly used when the hours are getting so late that the bar is closing or it’s implied that you’re going home to sleep. It’s not that usual to say Buenas noches to a waiter at 11 PM if the working hours are not nearly ending.

When you’re leaving a pub or a cafe or a supermarket at night, it’s best if you say Adiós or Hasta manaña, Hasta luego, etc. These are all much more casual farewells that don’t imply anything.

6) Medianoche – midnight

Medianoche, similarly like Mediodía, is the middle part of the night, or, as we like to call it in English – midnight. 😀

This period refers only to midnight or until 1 AM.

Like mediodía, it’s a really short period of the day. After this, la madrugada starts, but unlike during madrugada, you will probably never say Buenos días at midnight, but rather Buenas noches or simply hola and adiós.

Spanish Greetings based on formality

Other than different periods of the day, Spanish farewells and greetings can also be divided by formality and who you speak to. Now, you should know that Spanish people talk with almost everyone in a very casual form. They call each other by first names, or even nicknames, even if there is a big age gap or different seniority level between them.

Students in schools and universities call their teachers by their first name, don’t use the formal way of conversing, even though, there is one in the Spanish language.

So, even though there are different ways of greeting people depending on the formality, in most situations, it is absolutely fine (even more natural) to use informal or semi-formal speech.

Formal Greetings in Spanish

In Spanish, when you want to use formal speech, you would use a „formal you“ instead of informal, so instead of „Tu“, you will use „Usted“. It is conjugated as a third person like „she“ or „he“, so every time you speak, you will use the third person conjugation to address the person you’re speaking to.

When you’d like to ask something you would say „Usted quiere…?“ instead of „Tú quieres..“?. If you’re not learning Spanish grammar yet, this might be a bit confusing, so we recommend taking a few lessons on italki with a teacher who can help you understand this. The English language doesn’t have this difference, so it may be hard to grasp.

So, without further a due, we’re going to focus only on the greetings instead of trying to fit a very serious grammar lesson in a few sentences.

• Hola is a great greeting that is absolutely the same amount formal and informal and really a greeting that you can use in just about any situation.
• Buenos días (good morning), Buenas tardes (good afternoon/evening), and Buenas noches (good evening, good night) are formal ways of saying hello. However, it is not a mistake to use this with your friends or family and is actually really common. 
• Buen día is a more formal way that you would not normally use with your friends, but rather in more formal situations.

Other than that, there is not much big of a difference between formal and informal greetings with these basic greetings. The use of questions like „How are you“ or „How are you doing“ as greetings is where the difference is seen. In a formal situation this is what would be acceptable to say:

¿Cómo está? (How are you doing?)

Gusto en verlo. (I am glad to see you)

Mucho gusto. (Nice to meet you)

¿Cómo se encuentra usted? (How are you?)

Informal Greetings in Spanish

As we said, if you ever went to Spain and you wanted to blend in, you will come up to informal and semi-formal addressing more often than formal.

Semi-formal situations are considered those with strangers, with people older than you or higher status but in casual situations. These will be professors at your university, your manager or boss in a smaller company that you meet daily or often in fairly casual situations. These will also be situations with parents of your friends or older relatives, etc.

For semi-formal situations you can use the following:

Hola (Hi/Hello)
¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)
¿Cémo te va? (How’s it going?)
¿Qué onda? (What’s new?)
¿Qué tal? (What’s up?)

Very informal situations will be those with your friends, close family, co-workers that you spend a lot of time with, friends of your friends that you met before, etc.

For informal situations with friends or with coworkers, you can try using one of these greetings:

Oye (Hey)
¿Qué hay de nuevo? (What’s new?)
¿Qué pasa? (What’s up?)
¿Quiubo? (What’s up?)
¿En qué andas? (What are you up to?)

You can see that there is not much difference between the two, and it’s not a mistake to use semi-formal with your friends. The only phrases reserved for friends are the bolded ones. Just don’t say them to a professor.

Different Spanish farewells

Like greetings, there are also different farewells in Spanish that you can use depending on the situation or the person you are speaking to. Here is the list of the most common ones, and an explanation for each.

• Adiós (Bye/goodbye). This is the most common way of saying goodbye. It can be both formal and informal. You cannot go wrong with it. You can say it to a stranger, as well as your close friends.
• Hasta pronto, Hasta manaña, Hasta luego, etc. (See you soon, See you tomorrow, See you later, etc). This is another very popular farewell. Hasta means „until“, so you can put any situation after it to specify when you’ll see the other person. You can say „Hasta el proximo ano“ (which means „See you next year“). However, in daily conversation, you will either use luego, pronto, or manaña.
  • Hasta luego is a very popular saying even if there is no actual intent that you will see each other ever again. You can say this to practically anyone.
• Nos vemos (See you). This farewell has a more casual tone and is great to use with friends or coworkers. It implies that you know this person fairly well and that you will see each other at one point again. This is not a very popular saying in formal situations and you should keep it in a casual situation only.
• Te veo luego / Después (See you later). This is also a casual farewell that you would normally use with friends or with someone that you will be seeing again later that day. It’s pretty self-explanatory.
• Nos estamos viendo (See you around). This is a bit more formal way of the above. This is usually used in a situation with old friends or people that you don’t often see or don’t have a close relationship with. It’s a semi-formal farewell.
• Cuídate (Take care). This is a semi-formal farewell that can be used in a variety of situations, but it has a hearted tone to it. This expression is less popular than its English version „take care“ and it usually goes with the context. Even though it’s not super unusual to say it just as a goodbye, it’s more likely that you will say it when a person is moving, traveling, when you’ll not see each other for a long time, or in situations like Covid, etc. It brings that tone of care with it so it’s more usual to use it when this tone applies.
• Chao / Chau (Bye). This comes from the famous Italian word Ciao that the whole world has adapted to. Like in most languages, in Spanish chao can be used both as a greeting and as a farewell, although, it’s more popular as a farewell. It’s super casual and has a fun, positive tone to it. You can say it to basically anyone, it’s not informal in a way that will offend anyone in a more formal situation. However, the picture-perfect for this farewell is with friends, local shop owners, neighbors, etc. And I think it is always followed by a smile.

Bonus: Spanish greeting customs

People in Spain are more physical with each other than in some parts of Europe or the world. In Spain, people are very comfortable with each other so hugs, kisses, and touches are not reserved only for our most inner circle. Of course, Spanish people respect each other’s personal boundaries and this culture of theirs does not mean someone can touch or hug you if you’re uncomfortable.

However, in Spain, the typical way to meet a stranger is as follows:

If two guys are meeting for the first time, they will shake hands. If two guy friends are meeting, they might hug or give each other a tap or two on the shoulder. This is pretty standard in most western countries. However, in the family, the men can give each other two kisses on the cheek.

If a man is meeting a woman, or two women are meeting, they will give two kisses on the cheek even if they’re a complete stranger. If you are a woman and you come to Spain, the people you meet will most likely try to give you two kisses, and it might be a bit weird if you try and shake their hands.

However, if you’re not comfortable with that, that is also completely normal. The people will shake your hand and get past it. In their culture, this is a completely normal thing, but if it is not for you, don’t try to force it on yourself. It also goes for guys.

If you’re a guy and you’re meeting a woman and feel awkward to kiss two times, it’s’ perfectly fine not to do it. Spaniards know that this tradition is not very popular outside Mediterranean countries, so they’ll understand.

If it doesn’t feel weird, then embrace it! It’s great if you can because it gives you another perspective.

Chau!

We appreciate your support!

Thank you for reading our content and following our journey! We are working towards becoming full-time content creators and being able to share stories with you even more frequently. If you’d like to support us to be one step closer to that goal, you can do it through Ko-Fi! 👇🏽

Willing to go the extra mile with your Spanish?

• italki – Improve your Spanish by having conversations with native speakers! italki is the perfect platform for that, where more than 3500 native speakers are waiting to help you with your Spanish.
• SpanishPod101 – Real Spanish conversations. Learning based on your objectives and needs. Practice and compare your pronunciation with natives’ using voice-recording tools. Direction from a personalized teacher tailored just for you. On top of all, it is completely free to start.
• MosaLingua Premium – It is an all-inclusive language learning platform. The perfect tool for people who want to expand their vocabulary with an option to personalize the learning content that fits their needs.

Disclaimer: This section contains some affiliate links.  At no additional cost for you, we can earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase.

Learn Spanish Online

• • Spanish Language

Best ways to Learn Spanish Online – The complete guide for 2021

• ByGala
• October 8, 2021

• • Spanish Language

italki 2022 Review – The Best Platform to Learn Spanish Online

• ByMarko
• February 26, 2022

The post Spanish Greetings and Farewells – Different ways to say HELLO and BYE in Spanish appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

Normally, when you sign up for a language course, you are limited or even unable to pick your teacher. However, having the possibility to choose your teacher can be incredibly helpful to your progress and advancement.

italki offers you filters, trial lessons, and other features that could help you explore your options and choose the right for yourself.

If you’re new to this style of learning, it may seem overwhelming to see pages and pages of teachers. You might get lost in trying to decide with who to book classes, but that is completely understandable.

So, we prepared a few tips that can help you explore and make your decision.

If you are new to the italki platform, you can find out more in our previous article where we covered all the basics.

This article contains some affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost for you we can earn a small commission if you decide to click through and make a purchase.

Start with setting up the right filters

italki has a very intuitive search bar. When you first sign up, the platform will ask you to share which language or languages you’d like to learn, your goals, and some other things that can help them set up the first batch of teachers for you. You can start scrolling from there, but you can also use the filters and set some parameters that would work for you.

For example, you can set if you’re looking for a professional teacher or a community tutor. We wrote about this in our main article, but the difference is that “professional teachers” will make a structural plan for your learning process, while “community tutors” will help you become more conversational.

If you already have a medium or advanced level of some language and you’d like to practice speaking, a community tutor is a great choice. If you’re only starting and need help with grammar, sentence forming, and vocabulary, then maybe a professional teacher is a better choice.

You can also use the filters to pick a teacher from a certain country. If you speak Italian, for example, you might look for a Spanish teacher from Italy so you communicate easier. If you’re looking for a native speaker that speaks your language, you can also set that in the filters.

You can also use the filters to set up the price range you’re looking for or a specific date and time you’re available on.

So, if you start by setting the filters to fit your needs, you’ll eliminate the teachers that don’t fit what you’re looking for. This will reduce the redundancy of the teachers significantly. Now, you can start scrolling and exploring the teachers individually.

Learn how to skim through many options to find a good teacher on italki for you

Even with setting up your search, you will probably have multiple pages to go through, so visiting every teacher’s profile would take too much of your time. Luckily, italki has some basic teacher information listed on the feed that can help you skim through the profiles and see who seems like someone for you.

First, you’ll see if your teacher is a professional teacher or a community tutor. If you didn’t set this up in the filters, you could filtrate them at this point. Secondly, below the teacher’s profile picture, you will see if they have any reviews and if the reviews are positive. The reviews will be in the form of stars.

Next, you’ll be able to see how many lessons the teacher has had so far. If someone is new, italki will give them a little “New” badge so you know that they recently joined.

In this small view, you will also see the teacher’s rates, as well as which languages they speak and/or teach. On the right side, you will find their introductory video. You can also change your small view to their Intro and Schedule and even check those before viewing their full profile.

Tip: Teachers with plenty of lessons are vetted, and you can be sure that they are good and have practice. There’s no risk in booking with these teachers. On the other hand, NEW teachers bring certain risks because they have no lessons, no reviews, etc. However, NEW teachers are more likely to dedicate themselves to you specifically and have a more personalized approach.

How can an introductory video help you pick an italki teacher?

All teachers on italki are obligated to submit an introductory video. This video is crucial because it gives a student an idea of what it would look like to speak with the teacher.

Even though this video is primarily meant for teachers to introduce themselves, it can also help you confirm the technicalities of your lesson. You can use it to check the quality of the teacher’s audio and video.

Another useful thing is to see if you can actually understand the teacher speaking. Are they talking too fast for you, or perhaps, too slow? Are they quiet, so you have a hard time hearing all the words?

You can also see in which accent the teacher speaks. So, if you’re learning Spanish, you can see if the teacher speaks Spanish from Spain or Latin America. The same goes for other languages, like English. Is the teacher speaking British English or has an American accent?

Your choice can be based on your preferences. If you’d like to learn the famous “c” from Spain, you’d more likely benefit from a teacher that speaks Spanish from Spain. But, also, it can be based on what’s easier for you. If you’re more familiar with American English and don’t quite understand British English, you will see that in the introductory video.

Include the human factor when you are choosing an italki teacher

The video has another important mission – to show you the teacher’s energy. This factor is imperative and is maybe the most valuable one. When you’re taking a language course, the teacher will most likely be vetted and experienced.

The creators will choose educated teachers with good resumes to support their professionalism. If that were the only important factor to learning a language, then everybody would have the same chances. But learning from someone also depends on how well you match their energy and how well you work together.

Some people benefit from teachers that put themselves in passive positions and let their students lead the conversation. Others like to be pushed and motivated, so they need someone with strong character that will do this from them. This energy is especially important if you’re choosing a community tutor.

With a community tutor, you’re basically searching for a language pal that can help you learn how to use the language. If your energies don’t match and you feel like it would be awkward to speak to them, then that kills the point, right?

Besides the teacher’s character, the video can also help you see if you have something in common with your teacher. Teachers use the introductory video to share their hobbies, interests, and other things they like to do or speak about. If you share some interests with your teacher, it is more likely it will be a natural conversation.

Pro tip: If a teacher shares what they like to speak about and what you can expect from them, they are probably experienced in this kind of instruction even if they’re new to the platform.

Inspect their profile

Your third step is to click on the profile of a teacher you like and inspect their complete profile a bit better. The first thing that you should do is to carefully read their full description. It consists of 4 parts.

The first part is the intro that you already had the opportunity to read in the small view.

The second part is about them as a teacher. Here, the teacher can give a bit of their background in teaching or share how they conduct classes, with who they normally work, etc.

The third part is dedicated to their lessons and teaching style. Here they’ll focus more on how they organize the classes. In this part, the teacher will let you know what you can and cannot expect from their lessons, what they focus on, etc. This description will help you see if the teacher and their style align with your learning needs.

The last part of the description lets you know what materials the teacher uses in their classes. Some teachers use pictures, give out homework, prepare texts or audios, etc. Some use your experiences or only give out topics. It’s really about what you’re looking for, so be sure to read this carefully.

This description can be super helpful in helping you paint a whole picture of how your classes would look like with said teacher, so use it well!

Use reviews and stats to choose a language teacher on italki

Every teacher has reviews visible on their profile that can help you see if their lessons are truly what they say they are.

Statistics show their response rate, attendance rate, and how many classes they’ve had so far. You can also see how many students they’ve thought so far and see if people come back to them.

Reviews are a great way to hear realistic feedback from others like yourself. If there are any negative reviews, be sure to read those too. Sometimes, negative reviews can help you see more realistically, but it can also happen that someone left a bad review without much thought. Reading through them will let you decide if you should take them into consideration.

Besides these, you can also see if your teacher has any certificates.

Teachers can also offer multiple lesson types with different focuses and/or features. These are all visible on their profiles so you can choose the right one for you. For example, some teachers offer prep courses for language certificates, and some specialize in classes for kids, etc.

How do trial lessons work on italki?

Besides all these amazing things italki gave so that students can choose wisely, they also have a trial lesson as the last check.

Teachers can set up trial lessons that are usually shorter than the real lessons and usually costs less. You can find trial lessons for as much as $2 instead of booking a full class for $10.

Use these trial lessons to see if it all fits into what you’re looking for.

If you like the teacher, you can book a full-time session with them, and if not, you can look for another one.

This feature is super helpful and makes the process much less scary. So, use these trials as much as you can; or until you find your perfect fit.

Don’t be afraid to look for other options

If you have already passed all the above steps, and you have started learning with someone, that’s great! But don’t be afraid to change the teacher and find someone else if you don’t receive the value you thought you would. You’re not obligated to stay with any teacher, so don’t do it if you want the change.

It does not have to mean that the teacher you primarily chose is not good. Maybe you started with learning the basics, and now you’re more advanced, so your current teacher cannot help you anymore. Maybe, you started with a professional teacher but would now like to change to casual talking. These are all valid reasons to change a teacher, so don’t worry!

Even booking one class with a teacher and leaving a good review will help your teacher be more visible and acquire new students. You’re learning for yourself, so always put yourself first.

BONUS TIP: If you have the resources, sometimes it’s great to have more than one teacher. Combining different ways of learning can be very helpful if they align with one another. 

We hope this will help you choose the teacher that fits you perfectly and that will help you start your learning journey.

If you’d like to sign up for italki, we decided to partner up with them and provide a special bonus for our audience. So, now by registering via our affiliate link and booking your first class, you will get $10 italki credits.

Saludos!

We appreciate your support!

Thank you for reading our content and following our journey! We are working towards becoming full-time content creators and being able to share stories with you even more frequently. If you’d like to support us to be one step closer to that goal, you can do it through Ko-Fi! 👇🏽

Willing to go the extra mile with your Spanish?

• SpanishPod101 – Real Spanish conversations. Learning based on your objectives and needs. Practice and compare your pronunciation with natives’ using voice-recording tools. Direction from a personalized teacher tailored just for you. On top of all, it is completely free to start.
• MosaLingua Premium – It is an all-inclusive language learning platform. The perfect tool for people who want to expand their vocabulary with an option to personalize the learning content that fits their needs.

Disclaimer: This section contains some affiliate links.  At no additional cost for you, we can earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase.

More about italki

• • Spanish Language

How to learn Spanish online – Start your learning journey today!

• ByMarko
• October 20, 2021

• • Spanish Language

italki 2022 Review – The Best Platform to Learn Spanish Online

• ByMarko
• February 26, 2022

The post How to choose a language teacher on italki? appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

Because of the high demand for it, there was always an ongoing need for Spanish teachers. The only difference now is that we have online platforms which replaced regular classrooms as the go-to option for learning new languages.

That change has opened new opportunities for both teachers and native Spanish speakers to earn additional money by teaching their language online.

Is it possible to earn money by teaching Spanish online?

Yes! Recently, more and more teachers have been switching to teaching Spanish on online platforms. Especially in the last two years, where a high percentage of teachers went for the alternative option, of course, mainly because of the Covid situation.

How to make money by teaching Spanish online?

There are a lot of different online platforms where you can teach the Spanish language. For many of them, you don’t even have to be a certified professor. Usually, it is enough that you are a native to a fluent Spanish speaker.

What do you need to start teaching Spanish online?

In most cases, you just need a good internet connection, computer, and of course a decent knowledge of Spanish. It is always a bonus if you have some previous teaching experience.

How to become an online Spanish teacher?

We’ll split this section into a few main steps, so it would be easier to follow.

Choose an online platform

The first step you need to take is to choose from many online platforms for teaching Spanish. We covered some of them in one of our previous articles. You can take a look and decide on one that suits you best.

Take some time to set up your account

Next, you need to set up your account. Usually, it is a straightforward task. You need to provide some basic info about yourself and upload a video presentation where you will introduce yourself.

A useful tip: Our advice is to take some time for that because later it will have a big impact on your performance. You want to provide all necessary information that you think will have an impact on students’ decision to choose you from many other professors.

Take a basic language test as verification

On some platforms, you may have to complete some language tests to prove that you are capable of teaching Spanish. But you don’t have to worry about this because it is usually some basic test, and it will be easy for you, especially if you are a native Spanish speaker.

How much money can you earn by teaching Spanish online?

This question is one of the most common. It usually depends on several factors, where some of the most important are:

How much time you are willing to spend teaching Spanish

On most of these platforms, you have no limits on how many hours per day you can work. Monthly earnings can vary from just a couple of hundreds if you are looking at this as some complimentary part-time job, but if you are willing to work full time (or even more), you can earn a decent salary.

How much you put into setting up your profile

Like we already mentioned, this is one of the main factors that will have an impact on how successful you are going to be. There is a lot of competition on these platforms, and in the future, there will only be more and more teachers who are switching to teaching Spanish online. That is why it is important to find a way to stand out from the crowd. It is a plus if you include a little creativity while doing that. On top of that, try not to copy others and to be original.

How interesting and valuable your lessons are

One of the main ways to establish steady income by teaching Spanish online is to have regular students. To achieve that, you will need to have interesting lessons that are useful and bring learning value to your students. That way, you will motivate students to book more classes with you instead of searching for someone else and secure regular classes.

Your teaching level

Finally, your teaching level can have a significant impact on how much you will earn. According to our research, certified professors can get as much as 2-3 times more money than those that are not. Our advice, especially if you are new at teaching Spanish, is to acquire a language certificate. It is not a necessity, but can definitely benefit you.

What is the average earning per lesson?

On average, native Spanish speakers earn somewhere between 8 and 10 dollars per lesson. In case you are a certificated teacher, it can go up to $20 per class.

Of course, this differs from website to website, so it is important to choose wisely.

What is the best website to teach Spanish online?

Like we already mentioned, there is a lot of different platforms where you can teach Spanish online. All of them have some benefits that make them stand out. Our personal choice would be italki.

Why is italki the best platform to teach Spanish online?

italki is one of the most popular platforms, with millions of active students from all across the world.

It is also a popular choice for teachers, with more than 30,000 already on the platform. On top of that, in recent months, many teachers from other platforms switched to italki, so it is definitely the right time to start before it gets too crowded.

italki gives you as a teacher the opportunity to customize everything for your needs. Some of the main benefits are:

Choose your students and your lessons

On italki, you have the option to organize your lessons so that you can choose who do you want to teach. For example, you can set up a class only for advanced Spanish speakers, or if you prefer more, you can work with beginners only.

The same goes for lessons duration, you can choose between a short class format of 30-45 minutes, or you go with longer options of 60-90 minutes if that suits you more.

Flexible with schedule

One crucial benefit italki provides is that there are no minimum hours required per day, something that other platforms lack. Because of that, you are free to organize your time on italki so it can fit in your everyday schedule.

Learn new languages with italki

Many teachers are using italki in both directions. A platform where they can earn money by teaching the Spanish language, but also as a place to learn and practice some new language.

You can use our link to register for the italki platform, and you will get an additional $10 bonus after booking your first class with a teacher. Then, you can set up your teaching account and use the credits you earn as a teacher to learn the languages you like.

We are affiliate partners with italki, and we will receive a small commission for any purchases made through this link.

How to set up your account on italki and start earning money by teaching Spanish online?

This is something that we already covered in a separate article dedicated to italki. Feel free to check it out!

We appreciate your support!

Thank you for reading our content and following our journey! We are working towards becoming full-time content creators and being able to share stories with you even more frequently. If you’d like to support us to be one step closer to that goal, you can do it through Ko-Fi! 👇🏽

The post How to make money by teaching Spanish online appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

But how did these platforms get so popular?

We are currently living in very special circumstances. Recent happenings changed everything around us. People were prevented from leaving their homes for a while. Classes moved from regular classrooms to virtual environments. Closed borders made us search for new, alternative solutions to learn, explore, and meet new people.

All those things that we previously used to do in person now had to find a replacement in the online space. The same goes for learning, in this case, new languages.

That is how we ended up in this situation and how online learning tools suddenly bloomed.

This article contains some affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost for you we can earn a small commission if you decide to click through and make a purchase.

Is it possible to learn Spanish online?

Absolutely yes! In this day and age, it is possible to learn a language from the comfort of your bedroom. You can achieve that just by using the internet as your only source.

You don’t need to attend regular language schools, which are usually too crowded and don’t leave enough time for a teacher to fully dedicate to each student.

Also, you don’t need to spend money on some expensive alternatives, such as courses and learning software just to have the opportunity to learn a new language.

Doing it online provides you with the opportunity to select a way of learning that fits your budget. Besides that, this way you are more flexible to adjust your tempo of learning that suits your needs.

Finally, you have the opportunity to choose between many different ways of learning and to select one that suits you best.

Where to learn Spanish online?

Nowadays, there are numerous, easily accessible sources online, where you can find useful materials for learning Spanish on your own.

We have already covered most of those options in one of our first articles on this topic. Feel free to check out the article Best ways to learn Spanish online and find out more about different ways and options for learning Spanish online.

What is the best way to learn Spanish online?

It is always hard to answer this question mostly because the best way for you depends on what you are looking to achieve.

For example, if you want to improve some specific aspect of Spanish like your writing skills, the best way for you will be different than for someone looking to improve, let’s say, his conversational abilities. For example, you might benefit most from reading a book in Spanish, while the other person could benefit from using casual conversation.

However, learning a language is not one-dimensional. For you to be able to speak a language fluently, you’ll need to understand the culture, the tone, the community.

Reading improves writing skills but also gives you a perspective of natural language use. Casual conversation helps improve your speaking but also helps you figure out grammar in a natural way. And that goes on. Every part of the language is connected with one another.

Keeping that in mind, our advice would always be to combine a couple of different options, even if you are currently solely concentrating to improve a single skill.

Maybe you are wondering how talking with someone in Spanish can help you improve your writing. The answer is simple, every segment of language learning will help you improve your ability to think in a new language and to really understand it.

In our personal opinion, that is the most important factor when learning a new language, in this case, Spanish.

So one way is no better than the other, but if you want to learn quickly, surely there are some ways that are more efficient than the others, right?

What is the most efficient way to learn Spanish online?

Many people would agree that having a conversation with native speakers is probably the most efficient way to learn Spanish online.

That way you concentrate on one thing that matters the most, and that is actively using Spanish. The best way to gain confidence in your language ability is to put it to use, and what is a better way of doing that than having a conversation with a native speaker.

Where can you find native Spanish speakers online?

Online platforms are most definitely the right place for that. They are the most popular choice to learn languages online for a reason.

There are many different platforms that can help you connect with native speakers. There are different chatrooms, knowledge-sharing platforms or, you know, dating apps. Just kidding on the last one! But in the era of the Internet, there are truly numerous options of meeting native Spanish speakers online and sharing a conversation.

There are platforms that are exclusively made with the idea of helping you connect with the natives just so you can learn a language, like one that we will be talking about a bit later – so, stick around!

Now, let’s dive into the benefits of learning Spanish on online platforms.

What are the benefits of learning Spanish this way?

There are many different benefits to this way of learning. Some of the most distinctive ones are:

You do not have to go to Spanish speaking country to have an opportunity to have a conversation with native Spanish speakers.

As we already said, speaking with the natives is probably the most efficient way to learn a new language! Recently with all travel restrictions, the opportunities to have a conversation with native Spanish speakers got limited. Since we are currently unable to visit those countries and meet those people in person, this is the second-best option.

It’s the most convenient way to learn a language.

You can have your classroom with you anytime and anywhere. Whether you are at home, at the airport, or your favorite cafeteria, as long you have a stable connection to the internet.

Those are just a few general benefits of learning a language this way. Other advantages depend more on the platform you decide to go with.

What is the best online platform to have a conversation with native Spanish speakers?

Now that you sticked to the end, here is our recommendation. In our opinion, Italki is the best platform to connect with Spanish speakers and learn a language.

Made with the idea of helping us learn a language without borders, Italki is the best place to learn Spanish online by having a conversation with native speakers.

What does italki have to offer?

• More than 3500 native Spanish teachers to choose from
• Personal lessons that match your language level
• Professional teachers vs. Community tutors
• The place to meet new interesting people

We have used italki for quite some time now and we love it! Compared to listening to a course, or attending in-person group classes, italki brings so much more value and flexibility. We recommended it to all our friends and family and now, we’re recommending it to you.

We made a whole another article on why we love italki so much, so feel free to go there and see why we think italki is the best platform to learn Spanish online

But, since we love it so much, we decided that it is the right fit to partner up with them and provide a special bonus for our audience. So, now by registering via our affiliate link and booking your first class, you will get $10 italki credits.

We appreciate your support!

Thank you for reading our content and following our journey! We are working towards becoming full-time content creators and being able to share stories with you even more frequently. If you’d like to support us to be one step closer to that goal, you can do it through Ko-Fi! 👇🏽

Willing to go the extra mile with your Spanish?

• SpanishPod101 – Real Spanish conversations. Learning based on your objectives and needs. Practice and compare your pronunciation with natives’ using voice-recording tools. Direction from a personalized teacher tailored just for you. On top of all, it is completely free to start.
• MosaLingua Premium – It is an all-inclusive language learning platform. The perfect tool for people who want to expand their vocabulary with an option to personalize the learning content that fits their needs.

Disclaimer: This section contains some affiliate links.  At no additional cost for you, we can earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase.

Learn Spanish Online

• • Spanish Language

Best ways to Learn Spanish Online – The complete guide for 2021

• ByGala
• October 8, 2021

• • Spanish Language

italki 2022 Review – The Best Platform to Learn Spanish Online

• ByMarko
• February 26, 2022

The post How to learn Spanish online – Start your learning journey today! appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

There is an ongoing debate on whether online learning can replace physical classes, so what is the best way to learn Spanish?

We would say that there is no best way to learn Spanish. It’s all based on our preferences and needs, so it is not unusual that some people favor learning online and some in physical classes. Some people prefer a tutor, and some people like to read up and learn by themselves.

In this article, we will focus on the advantages of learning Spanish online.

And there is a ton of them!

In the era of technology, learning a language has never been easier. Still, finding the right educational resource is not as easy. That is why we decided to make a list of some of the best ways to learn Spanish.

It’s hard enough to decide to start learning a new language, so we wanted to make it easier for you to decide on where to learn Spanish online.

What will you find on this list?

We tried to cover the best free Spanish programs and resources, but we also included some that require payment for those willing to go a step further.

We put together some web places where you can take a free Spanish test online, some other places to learn business Spanish from, some for those seeking advanced Spanish lessons online, and some for beginners.

All in all, we tried to be as creative as we could, so we hope you enjoy our list. We also hope that this list will help you find the best online platform to learn Spanish for your preferences.

Enjoy!

Online classes for homeschoolers

One of the best ways to learn Spanish on your own is to start with online courses. If you are a beginner, online courses are the best starting point as you will probably need someone to direct you and teach you the basics.

Every language has its learning gradient, so having a structured course will help you organize and learn one step after another.

Best online platform to learn Spanish

Where to find online Spanish courses?

edX

edX is a platform with lots of different courses accessible to anybody who signs up. The best thing is that most of them are free of charge if you are not after a certificate. If you want a certificate, you can upgrade your course attendance with a payment, but that is totally up to you.

This platform doesn’t have the richest course library, though. However, most of the courses are made and held by university professors, so you know that the content is legitimate and worthy.

Udemy

Udemy is another online course platform similar to edX but with a much bigger course library. It is fairly popular, so you have probably heard of it. The only downside is that the platform charges for most courses.

But, don’t worry. Udemy also has frequent specials and discounts. You will find an abundance of courses for no more than 10 or 20 euros.

Coursera

Coursera is yet another huge platform for online courses. It has a lot of content, both free and charged. If you search for a “Spanish course” in their search bar, you will find more than 900 results.

Lengalia

Lengalia is a platform focused exclusively on Spanish language courses. For only $29.99 a month, you get access to tutors that can help you with your learning.

It has a great structure, but it is the best for grammar and not as much for the conversational part. At Lengalia, you can do a free Spanish test online so you can check your level and plan accordingly.

Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone is a well-known, long-existing language school. 

How hard is it to learn with Rosetta Stone? 

It is easy-peasy. The educational methods of Rosetta Stone are similar to those in Duolingo. 

But, how fast can you learn Spanish using Rosetta Stone? 

Well, not very fast. The lessons are slow and repetitive, so it is not for you if your goal is to learn Spanish fast. The course is well-organized and free of charge for students. 

The learning focus is on pronunciation and writing.

Our recommendation

edX – Basic Spanish is a course we highly recommend if you are a beginner. It is created by the Polytechnic University of Valencia, and it is designed for English speakers. It is approximated to the seven-week learning journey, and it is free of charge.

If you decide you would also like a certificate, you can purchase it for $40.

edX – Basic Spanish has a nice balance between English and Spanish. When instructing, the teachers provide a smooth, graduated transfer from English to Spanish as you level up.

The focus is on the conversational and social skills you would need if you went to Spain. Examples are up-to-date and creative. You can take the course at your own pace, which is awesome!

You can check out this course by clicking the picture below. Explore the content, and decide if it is the right content for you (Just type Basic Spanish 1 in the search bar).

When you finish Basic Spanish 1, there are also 2 and 3.

In our opinion, it is one of the best online Spanish certificate programs for beginners.

Conclusion

Online courses are great because usually they are pre-recorded so, you can go at your own pace. They mainly consist of video lectures, homework, and exercises that guide you through the learning process.

Another good thing is that you can often skip lectures that you are familiar with, and you can always go back to the ones you had a hard time understanding.

Most of the platforms that offer courses require a payment, but mostly you are paying for a certificate. If you are not in it for the diploma, you can take courses for free. In the end, if you change your mind, you can pay and acquire the certificate.

Online platforms for learning Spanish

In our personal opinion, this is the fastest way to learn Spanish. There are a lot of different types of online platforms to choose from. Some of them are good for practicing speaking and conversation, where others are more suitable for developing your grammar and writing skills.

These websites will have educational materials and opportunities that are not organized like courses but are in a form of free exploration, tests, exercises, etc.

Online platforms like these are convenient for intermediate-level learners to find specific content; or for beginners as a complementary resource.

Where to find good online platforms for learning Spanish?

ProfeDeELE

ProfeDeELE is an amazing platform for both students and teachers. It can offer a lot of different materials for all the levels between A1 and C2. The website has a nice-looking interface, easy exploration and navigation, and loads of learning media types.

StudySpanish.com

StudySpanish.com offers exercises of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, and use of verbs. It is structured progressively from less to more complex content. The website is in English, so beginners can easily use it. They also offer courses.

SpanishDict

SpanishDict is one of the most popular language “tools” for both English speakers learning Spanish and Spanish speakers learning English. It is an online dictionary with creative exercises, flashcard vocabulary learning, verbs, conjugations, translating tools, etc. It has an easy, modern, and manageable interface.

Lingolia

Lingolia.com is another website with grammar and vocabulary tips. It is well-organized, but you need to know the basics to get around the website.

italki

italki is a special-category platform that does not fully belong to the above category. However, many people would agree it is the best platform to learn Spanish online.

It focuses on talking to native speakers. You pay for a class and choose to either talk to certified teachers or to natives that would like to help you improve speaking. 

It’s an online platform that connects learners and tutors.

Our recommendation

These resources are great if you are an intermediate learner. With that in mind, we would recommend italki as our personal choice.

italki can be very helpful if you need pronunciation and speaking practice.

Feel free to use our registration link by clicking on the image below and earn yourself a $10 italki credits gift on your first purchase.

We are affiliate partners with italki, and we will receive a small commission for any purchases made through this link.

If you are looking to find out more about why is the italki the best platform to learn Spanish online, we wrote a separate article just on that topic! We have also included our personal experience!

Conclusion

Pun alert!! – All these online platforms are awesome to add as “side dishes” to your Spanish learning main course!

YouTube channels

Some of the options we covered so far require payments. If that is not right for you, and you don’t want to spend money on courses and certificates, then YouTube is a perfect choice. It is the best way to learn Spanish for free. Why is that?

There are amazing people on YouTube that love to share their knowledge of the Spanish language. YouTube is a great place because it is like a mix of classic courses, tutoring, and explorative materials.

Some YouTubers make videos with certain language tips with no specific order, like in those online platforms we talked about. Others have a structured playlist that follows the learning journey, similar to courses.

Even though you don’t have a personal tutor and a real interaction with the Youtuber, most of them are willing to answer the questions you write in the comments.

Where to find quality YouTube channels for learning Spanish?

We selected some of the best YouTube channels for learning Spanish, so if you are ready to learn Spanish for free, YouTube is waiting for you!

Butterfly Spanish

Butterfly Spanish is a popular YouTube channel by a lovely lady Ana that is ongoing since 2013. In her channel, you can find both playlist videos that you can follow to learn from ground zero as well as videos about specific verbs, mistakes, rules, etc.

The Youtube community loves her! All her work is free of charge, and she only earns by donations.

Easy Spanish

It  is one of the channels from the series Easy Languages. It may not be the best channel if you are dedicated and serious about learning and mastering Spanish.

Their content is more fun, everyday content to get to know the Spanish people, the culture, the habits, etc. The videos are fun, different, and we would suggest them to an intermediate learner.

Spanish with Vicente

It is a channel made by a Spanish teacher who, besides his job, gives free classes on YouTube. His lessons are very well-organized. He also put up videos to follow and learn step by step and videos that show some specific interesting parts of Spanish everyday life.

Spanish con Juan

This is another highly respected channel for learning Spanish. Juan is very detailed and has a good manner of explaining. On top of that, he is very approachable, reads the comments, and responds to his subscribers.

Our recommendation

Our personal preference and what we consider the best YouTube channel for Spanish learning is Butterfly Spanish.

Ana is so charming; she makes any lesson fun and light. She narrates and teaches in English, throwing in Spanish words here and there, so it is easy to follow if you are a beginner. Most of her content is focused on basic Spanish, but you can also find videos for intermediate and advanced learners.

She always teaches with a big smile on her face and adds charming humor to her lessons, making it very pleasant to learn from her.

Overall review

YouTube is always a good option, especially if you are looking for the best way to learn Spanish on your own.

There are tons of channels, and it is up to your preference and vibe which one will suit you the best. We think these 4 are the best YouTube channels to learn Spanish from, and since they differ a lot from one another, we think you will find what suits you.

Podcasts

Podcasts are getting more and more popular every day, and there is no surprise in that.

A few months ago, I watched a YouTube video by Nathaniel Drew where he explained how he had learned Italian in only seven days.

Nathaniel had many suggestions, but the one particular piece of advice that got to me was about podcasts. He said that he started listening to Italian podcasts every morning while jogging and that it helped him a lot.

Also, he noted that the first few days, it was hard to understand much, but after a few days, he played the podcast, and suddenly it was a lot easier for him to understand it. I guess that is similar to what happens to people who move to another state.

They say the first month you have a headache, and after that first month, you are on fire. Of course, you are not fluent, but you can understand all the necessary info you need for the day, and day after day, you are building your knowledge.

This did happen to me in Spain, but I cannot make assumptions because I already knew some Spanish when I moved there.

So, all taken to mind, podcasts are a great learning tool for anybody. The thing about them is to be consistent and not to give up. You will see for yourself – one day you wake up, and you will have that boom of knowledge.

Where to find good podcasts?

SpanishPod101

This podcast you can find on YouTube. It is one of the most popular Spanish learning podcasts, and it has a lot of firsthand tips. Not only that, but SpanishPod also has a bunch of topics connected to the culture and traditions, so you have multiple options to focus on based on your needs.

Duolingo

Duolingo Podcast  is a good option for a beginner who wants to learn to speak and understand faster. Since Duolingo has a slow and repetitive program, this podcast is a great side resource that you can use with the course. It has short, engaging stories, like children’s stories, that have a flow but are easy to understand. It is not for full beginners, but for A2 level students, it can be a good practice.

News in Slow Spanish

News in Slow Spanish is a great idea with an even better result. This podcast offers you actual stories around the Spanish-speaking countries but told in slow Spanish, so beginner learners and non-natives can understand it.

It is a great way to learn about the people, customs, and culture while learning the language. Another amazing thing is that you can choose between Spain’s Spanish-speaking show and Latin America’s Spanish-speaking show.

Nomadas

This is a great podcast for advanced learners. Every show represents a trip to a different part of the world and revolves around it. It’s super fun, but to understand it, you need a more advanced level of knowledge.

Our recommendation

SpanishPod101 and News in Slow Spanish will give you enough theme and material coverage to get used to the language. You can subscribe to SpanishPod on YouTube and watch videos, comment, and meet other learners.

With Slow Spanish, you will be up-to-date with current events in the Hispanic world, and that will make your connection to the Spanish language meaningful.

Overall review

Podcasts are great because you can slowly accommodate your ears to the sound of the tongue, and once you get a grip of it, it will be easier to build vocabulary and learn grammar.

Another great thing about podcasts is that you only need your ears for them. This means that you can do other things like jogging (like Nathaniel Drew), washing dishes, training, or just sipping your coffee on the terrace and gazing at the streets.

Podcasts may not be the perfect solution for a beginner to restrict themselves only to podcasts as a learning tool. They are great as an extra resource while learning a new language.

Books (E-books)

For those a bit more advanced, e-books can also be a good way of keeping in touch with the language. Books are good for expanding the vocabulary and getting used to the language patterns used in different situations.

It can be a good starting point even for the beginner if you choose books for children or some exclusively made for learning the language.

Books are a cool tool for building up vocabulary and for staying in touch with the language. Spanish is easy to write, but by reading, you can develop a sense of words and accents and when is a good time to use synonyms, etc.

You maybe won’t learn how to speak from books, but if you combine with other resources, it can be helpful to learn some words that are not as common and to shine! And, you know, if you are already fluent in Spanish, what’s a better way of keeping it that way than reading?

But what to read and where to find these Spanish books to read online for free?

Where to find free books online?

• Scribd is a popular online platform with thousands of books to search for. It has one of the biggest libraries in various languages, so that is a good starting point if you’re searching for Spanish books to read online for free.
• 24 Symbols is another platform to search for Spanish language books, it is recommended as everything is free
• Freelibros is a blog in Spanish dedicated to downloading and reading books.

Our recommendation

Here are some books that might be good for you based on your knowledge:

For levels A1 and A2:

• El Principito de Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
• Fray Perecio y su borrico de Juan Muñoz Martín
• El Fabuloso Mundo de las Letras de Jordi Sierra i Fibra

For Levels B1 and B2:

• La Puerta Oscura de David Lozano Garbala
• Manolito Gafotas de Elvira Lindo
• Un Tipo Encantador de Mariam Keyes

We pinned a hyperlink to all these books, so you don’t have to search for a place to download them for free.

Overall review

If you like reading, consider trying one of these books. If it seems hard at first, you can always take breaks, have a notebook to write down new words, and explore them with SpanishDict. Books can help you see how sentences are built and how words connect to a story.

Movies

Movies are an awesome add-up to your learning routine. With movies, you can learn something more about the people who speak a certain language. You are listening to the actors talking, but also watching them comport in certain situations.

Mimics and non-verbal communication are also an important part of a language and a culture, so it could help you get in the Spanish vibe a lot sooner! We made a whole article about movies. If you are a cinephile, be sure to check our previous article on 5 movies to learn Spanish from.

Our recommendation

Here is a quick list of some movies great to watch if you are learning Spanish:

• Ocho Apellidos vascos (2014)
• Campeones (2018)
• El Laberinto del Fauno (2016)

Check our previous article for more movie ideas and more info about these movies!

Overall review

You should always incorporate movies in the original language when you are trying to learn that language. The experience is not only fun, but it also affects your learning a lot more than you would expect.

What is the best way to learn Spanish online?

The best way to learn Spanish online is to make a good combination of most of these resources. Think of it as a cocktail and mix your perfect drink.

Is that going to be the edX Basic Spanish course with causal movie nights and SpanishDikt right by your hand? Or, is it going to be a class with a tutor on Italki, then a good book in Spanish, and sometimes a fun YouTube video?

The key is not to stick to only one way of learning. Be creative and explore. Remember, you should learn Spanish for at least 20 minutes per day, so you would stick to the routine.

So, make your cocktail and take a sip!

We appreciate your support!

Thank you for reading our content and following our journey! We are working towards becoming full-time content creators and being able to share stories with you even more frequently. If you’d like to support us to be one step closer to that goal, you can do it through Ko-Fi! 👇🏽

Learn Spanish

• • Spanish Language

italki 2022 Review – The Best Platform to Learn Spanish Online

• ByMarko
• February 26, 2022

• • Spanish Language

5 Movies to Learn Spanish from

• ByGala
• March 26, 2020

The post Best ways to Learn Spanish Online – The complete guide for 2021 appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.

But first, let’s talk about why watching movies is such a good idea when it comes to learning a new language.

Why beginners should start with movies?

Watching foreign movies in original language (and with subtitles) is great for starting a new language, because you can catch on the rhythm and specifics of a language in the early stages, which can help you in later learning.

For example, if you were to learn Spanish, watching movies in Spanish can help you have a sense of whether it will be hard or easy to learn it based on what your maternal language is. Also, getting a grip on the accent in the early stages will make your pronunciation way better.

Why advanced learner should watch movies?

For example, when learning Spanish, watching a movie can help you understand the social contexts of some words and expressions that are not used in your maternal language. The Spanish language has a particularly hard thing called subjuntivo, that is hard to explain grammatically, but easy to understand when you hear the locals use it.

Also, Spanish is a language rich in colloquial expressions, which you are more likely to hear in movies than in a class.

But most importantly, movies can help you get to know the people. Knowing their characteristics, how they comport in certain situations, what is normal in their culture and what is odd, their temper and social norms. All these play an extremely important part of really getting a language and speaking it naturally.

There are many awesome Spanish movies for learning Spanish, but we chose some of the best Spanish movies in general. They are not meant for you to learn the language from them, but they are very intriguing and good movies with a bonus of learning opportunities. So, let’s hop into them!

1) Ocho Apellidos Vascos (2014) (Eight Basque Surnames)

Genre: Family, comedy, romance

Duration: 1h 38 minutes

Director: Emilio Martinez Lazaro

IMDB Rating: 6.5

Actors: Clara Lago, Dani Rovira, Carmen Machi

Plot

The plot revolves around a man from Seville, Andalusia, named Rafa who falls in love with a Basque girl and decides to follow her home. Rafa is a typical Andalusian man that never left Seville, so being in Northern Spain is something completely new for him.

The two ends of Spain differ in so many things, so it is a challenge for Rafa to accommodate to Basque traditions, but also a challenge for the girlfriend’s family to accept Rafa.

Why this movie?

This movie is amazing if you are still new around the Spanish language. It will help you sense the distinctions between people inside Spain. The characteristics of the people are somewhat emphasized so it will be easy for you to notice them and get to see how the people are in Northern Spain and Southern Spain.

Besides that, it’s a very warm family movie that will give you a nice positive vibe. It is also great for you if you know somebody from Andalusia or Basque.

Who should watch it?

Just anybody who likes light positive movies with a happy ending. Even if you are not that into comedy, its still great for getting to know the cultures in Spain. Because of that, I would say that this is one of the best movies to learn Spanish from.

2) Campeones (2018) (Champions)

Genre: Drama, comedy, sports

Duration: 2h 04 minutes

Director: Javier Fesser

IMDB Rating: 7.2

Actors: Javier Gutierrez, Athena Mata, Juan Margallo

Plot

This heartwarming movie is a perfect rainy-day movie. It tells us a story about a basketball coach who is due to some circumstances sentenced to do community work. The work consists of him coaching a group of mentally disabled people.

Why this movie?

This movie shows you real emotions and the way that the Spanish language and culture cope with certain emotions. It also shows the simplicity of language and simple childish expressions. It is also one of the most beautiful movies in the Spanish language because it talks beautifully about mental incapacity and capacity.

Who should watch it?

Anyone feeling down, anyone knowing a mentally disabled person, anyone you think may watch it, anyone who likes sports – just anyone.

3) El Laberinto del Fauno (2016) (Pan’s Labyrinth)

Genre: drama, dark fantasy

Duration: 1h 58 minutes

Director: Guillermo del Toro

IMDB Rating: 8.2

Actors: Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi Lopez

Plot

This movie takes place in the war-period in 1944 in Spain, when a military officer brings his wife and stepdaughter in the country due to the war situation.

He is a sadist who doesn’t care for his stepdaughter which the mother doesn’t seem to notice. The girl is all alone in the world and finds her consolation in an occult fantasy world.

Why this movie?

This is one of the most popular Spanish movies and a remarkable piece of famous Guillermo del Toro. It’s a tragic drama with horror and fantasy elements that will take you on another level.

Regarding the language, the point of view is of a child, and thus the language is sometimes simpler and more straightforward. The story, however, has a lot of layers, so the movie can be seen a couple of times.

Who should watch it?

This movie is not for the ones who like light and positive movies. It is occult and a dark story with a heartbreaking storyline. If you like fantasy or horror, this movie is a good choice, but also if you are into drama and tragedy.

4) Contratiempo (2017) (The Invisible Guest)

Genre: mystery, thriller

Duration: 1h 46 minutes

Director: Oriol Paulo

IMDB Rating: 8.1

Actors: Mario Casas, Ana Wagener, Jose Coronado

Plot

This is a crime-mystery thriller involving a wealthy businessman caught in the middle of a murder. He goes to a witness preparation expert with whom he has less than 3 hours to find the defense. They go through the story together, as we watch new detail unveil.

Why this movie?

Spanish movies are known for good plots and plot-twists. They have a touch for the details and storylines, and they make great mystery movies. In this movie, we have a lot of dialogue between the businessman and his lawyer, which builds a great base for learning.

Otherwise, it’s an awesome movie. I do recommend subtitles, as it is a more complex storyline. This way you will be sure that you haven’t missed anything.

Who should watch it?

Anyone loving a good thriller. Also, it’s great for more advanced learners. Beginners should put subtitles on.

5) La Piel que Habito (2011) (The Skin I Live in)

Genre: drama, old-fashioned horror, thriller

Duration: 2h 00 minutes

Director: Pedro Almodóvar

IMDB Rating: 7.6

Actors: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Jan Cornet

Plot

This is not your typical jump-horror movies, but more of a psychological one. We are introduced to a skillful plastic surgeon who succeeded to make artificial skin that is undamageable. There is also a person who wears that skin, a mysterious woman he is keeping inside his house in a special room. Slowly throughout the movie, we are getting to know the secret of his past life and the story behind his project and the woman.

Why this movie?

This is yet another mystery with a super plotline created by the famous Pedro Almodóvar. The whole world loves Antonio Banderas, so that’s a plus. The movie is an easy-to-watch thriller that gives you a grasp of what Spanish movies tend to look like and the art behind a good mystery movie.

Also, it would be a sin not to watch a movie from Pedro Almodóvar, the most famous Spanish director. Antonio Banderas has a nice easy accent that you will be able to understand.

Who should watch it?

The movie has a slower storyline, so if you are more into faster movies, you may get bored. However, the whole package of the movie is great. This movie has such a hidden secret that you don’t know what you are looking at until almost the end of it.

It’s slow and confusing, and it doesn’t give you much to work with on your own (in a good way). But if you like that secretive storyline, this is a perfect movie for you!

Now, this is our selection of 5 best movies to learn Spanish from. That is because these movies are awesome, fun and a nice introduction to the Spanish culture. If you are more into more popular Spanish movies, you might want to check more movies from Almodóvar. The reason we didn’t put more of his movies here is that we tried to keep it more recent and more colorful.

If you are interested in learning the Spanish language, we wrote a separate article on that topic where we cover italki as one of the best websites to learn Spanish online.

We appreciate your support!

Thank you for reading our content and following our journey! We are working towards becoming full-time content creators and being able to share stories with you even more frequently. If you’d like to support us to be one step closer to that goal, you can do it through Ko-Fi! 👇🏽

Willing to go the extra mile with your Spanish?

• SpanishPod101 – Real Spanish conversations. Learning based on your objectives and needs. Practice and compare your pronunciation with natives’ using voice-recording tools. Direction from a personalized teacher tailored just for you. On top of all, it is completely free to start.
• MosaLingua Premium – It is an all-inclusive language learning platform. The perfect tool for people who want to expand their vocabulary with an option to personalize the learning content that fits their needs.

Disclaimer: This section contains some affiliate links.  At no additional cost for you, we can earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase.

Learn Spanish Online

• • Spanish Language

italki 2022 Review – The Best Platform to Learn Spanish Online

• ByMarko
• February 26, 2022

• • Spanish Language

Best ways to Learn Spanish Online – The complete guide for 2021

• ByGala
• October 8, 2021

The post 5 Movies to Learn Spanish from appeared first on My Coliving Space: Spain.