Announcements, AnNouncements, ANNOUNCEments
Spanish language learning resources:
Local: Spanish in the Park – Wednesdays – 2pm Frederick St Park
Santa Cruz Libraries: – Pimsleur, Spanish books, childrens books, and more resources
Online: Google Translate / Deepl Translate - https://www.deepl.com/en/translator
Newspapers:
'Top Spanish Newspapers For Spanish Learners' Source: https://www.verbalplanet.com/learn-spanish/resources/best-spanish-newspapers-for-learning-spanish.asp - somewhat dated information.
BBC Mundo https://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo Provides international news in a more accessible Spanish, suitable for beginners.
El Pais - https://elpais.com/internacional/ - Not ‘Easy’
20 Minutos - A popular free newspaper in Spain that offers concise news articles and is easy to navigate. https://www.20minutos.es/
La Nacion - https://www.lanacion.com.ar/
CNN en Español - https://www.cnn.com/espanol Features simplified news stories suitable for those starting to learn Spanish.
Infobae - An Argentine news outlet that offers a variety of news articles, opinion pieces, and multimedia content. https://www.infobae.com/america/
RTVE Noticias: The news website of the Spanish public broadcaster. https://www.rtve.es/noticia
PAYWALLED NEWS:
El Diario Nueva York - Focused on news relevant to the Spanish-speaking community in New York, it covers local and international news. (https://usuarios.eldiario.es/ - 4 Euros a month subscription – not too bad)
Clarin - https://www.clarin.com – Paywall. $380 a year. To rich for my blood!
News in Slow Spanish -https://www.newsinslowspanish.com/ - Paywall
El Mundo - Paywall
El Mercurio – Paywall
Dedicated Language Learning Sites / Apps:
DuoLingo – Free, grammer, vocabulary, podcasts, stories. Overall best IMO for free. Weak on Grammar tho’.
Lingq Mini Stories Offers a collection of mini-stories in simple Spanish, ideal for early language learners. 'Mini stories', flashcards, vocabulary review, audio with adjustable speed, FORUM. - 'Freemium' - free and paid content. (DUO does that as well.) - Extremely limited ‘free’ content. Get your feet wet and they then want $
Dreaming Spanish: https://www.dreamingspanish.com/browse
Offers authentic listening practice with videos from various Spanish-speaking countries.
VeinteMundos - site appears stale with broken links... An online magazine for learning Spanish, with articles written in easy-to-understand language. https://www.veintemundos.com/en/
SpanishDict - This site provides a comprehensive dictionary, translation tools, and grammar resources. It also features quizzes and flashcards to reinforce learning.
Conjuguemos - Focused on verb conjugation, this site offers exercises and games to help you master Spanish verbs and their various forms.
BBC Languages - Although no longer updated, this site still offers a wealth of resources, including audio, video, games, and vocabulary lists for Spanish learners.
Memrise - This platform uses spaced repetition and mnemonic techniques to help you learn vocabulary and phrases effectively. It includes user-generated content for a variety of topics.
Busuu - While it has a premium version, the free account offers access to basic language courses and the ability to practice with native speakers.
Open Culture - This site curates a list of free Spanish language courses, including audio and video resources from various universities and institutions.
Tandem - A language exchange app that connects you with native Spanish speakers for conversation practice. You can chat via text, voice, or video.
SpanishDict: Provides a comprehensive dictionary, grammar explanations, and exercises.
StudySpanish.com: Offers free grammar lessons and exercises.
YouTube: A vast library of Spanish content, including music, movies, news, and language learning channels.
SpanishPod101: Provides audio and video lessons with transcripts and vocabulary lists.
Forvo: https://forvo.com/languages/es/ Provides audio pronunciations of words by native speakers.
Other Tools: AI
Opera Browser 'Aria', ChatGPT, Google Gemini
An example usage: Prompt and response:
(Aria) QUESTION: Please provide some examples of using the subjunctive in spanish. Provide example sentences with english translations
Sure! The subjunctive mood in Spanish is used to express desires, doubts, wishes, conjectures, and hypotheticals. Here are some examples with their English translations:
Examples of Subjunctive in Spanish
1. Desire/Wish
o Spanish: Espero que tú vengas a la fiesta.
o English: I hope that you come to the party.
2. Doubt
o Spanish: Dudo que él tenga suficiente dinero.
o English: I doubt that he has enough money.
3. Emotion
o Spanish: Me alegra que hayas aprobado el examen.
o English: I am happy that you passed the exam.
4. Hypothetical Situation
o Spanish: Si yo fuera rico, viajaría por el mundo.
o English: If I were rich, I would travel the world.
5. Advice
o Spanish: Es mejor que tú estudies para el examen.
o English: It’s better that you study for the exam.
6. Necessity
o Spanish: Es necesario que ellos lleguen a tiempo.
o English: It is necessary that they arrive on time.
7. Recommendation
o Spanish: Quisiera que me recomiendes un buen restaurante.
o English: I would like you to recommend a good restaurant to me.