Speaking with the Right Accent in Spanish
In Spanish, accents are used for words that don't follow the rules for natural stress, to differentiate words with different meanings, and to split weak vowels
PinPoint Spanish: Insights into Mexican Spanish
Learn about the context and nuances of Mexican Spanish language usage with this PinPoint Spanish series
Learn about the context and nuances of Mexican Spanish language usage with this PinPoint Spanish series
In Defense of the Double Negative in Spanish
While some might insist otherwise, in Spanish, double negatives are valid when referring to the absence of people and things
Animal Names in Spanish: Crowing About Nomenclature
One of the most rewarding, and frequently neglected, parts of learning another language is finding out the names of the different animals
It’s Urgent that You Wait
Mexican Spanish is versatile when it comes to questions of time and punctuality through use of the diminutive term, "ahorita"
Public Rótulos and their Dubious Ortografía
Hand-painted signs and sales boards can provide artistic flair and sometimes amusement, but spelling is not one of the sign-writers' fortés
Tres Tristes Tigres and Other Spanish Tongue Twisters
When Mexicans make fun of Anglo-Saxon efforts at speaking Spanish, they usually focus on the flat r's and incorrect verb conjugations
Fundamental, My Dear Watson
People who attend conferences in Mexico will have discovered that they aren't much different here than anywhere else...
¿A Donde Hablo? —versus— ¿Quien Habla?
The phone rings when you weren't expecting a call. ¿A dónde hablo? (where am I calling?) comes a sharp, testy voice
The Mother of All Expressions in Mexican Spanish
Mexico's widespread use of a word whose English equivalents have nothing to do with matriarchal figures
When It’s Not Working: Out of Order, Useless—or Both?
In Mexico there are two ways of letting people know that something isn't working properly; they are interchangeable, with some exceptions
The Masculine Plural and Gender Neutrality in Spanish
So-called inclusive language has been creeping into use in Spanish, but the Real Academia Española is so far sticking to its guns
Spanish and the Art of Managing Disappointment
Exploring a tidy arrangement of words in Spanish usage that most usually leads to the listener’s disappointment
