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
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
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
The Modern Use of Güey: a Nasty Little Syllable
Modern conversations in Mexico are frequently interspersed with the word "güey"—which means several things and, just as often, nothing
Bring This With You When You Go
Explaining the difference between "bring" and "take," and when to use one and when the other
Matching People and Place Names in Mexico
Each state in Mexico has its corresponding gentilic—adjectives that describe people's place of origin. Here's a guide through the nomenclature
That’s what False (Cognate) Friends are for
There are many pairs of words in English-Spanish that look and sound similar but have very different meanings, known as 'false cognates'
A Place for Every Adjective, and Every Adjective in its Place
Adjectives can be hard to place in Spanish. Here are a few tips to guide your arrangements.
Palabras Domingueras, an Exercise in Fancy Spanish Words
Spanish language students seeking an armory of fancy words need look no further than the opinion columns of Mexico's principal newspapers
Fifís vs Chairos — the Latest in Identity Politics
Mexico’s latest linguistic fashion in "them" versus "us" is fifís vs chairos; neither word is new, but they have been popularized by contemporary politics
Getting to Grips with Ordinal Numbers in Spanish
In Spanish, ordinal numbers get complicated way before cardinal numbers; this article guides you through the variations
Cardinal Numbers Spoken Using Spanish Words
Numbers in Spanish —particularly big numbers— can be a bit tricky for native English speakers. This article helps you through the counting
