¿Mande Usted? The Formal and Informal You
Spanish has two forms for the word 'you': the formal 'usted' and the informal 'tú.' Choosing the right form for the occasion requires some cultural insight
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
Variation on a Theme: the Spanish Verb Poder
The Spanish verb "poder" —to be able— can get tricky for Spanish language students as well as be a cause of headaches for Spanish speakers learning English
If You Had Read This: Verb Tenses in Spanish
Some students discover that practice is more helpful than grammar books when it comes to learning conditional tenses in Spanish
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'
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
Blogueando and other Anglicisms Used in Spanish
Technology has brought new words in Spanish into being—mostly English words fitted with the corresponding verb endings and conjugations
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
Euphemisms and Things Like That
Mexican Spanish makes use of a good number of euphemisms, which play along well with Mexico's penchant for polite language
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
A Lesson in Object Pronouns
Some complications arise with object pronouns in Spanish when you're dealing with third persons singular and plural
The Gender Problem in Spanish Language Grammar
In Spanish, feminine words end in an 'a' and masculine words in an 'o', and so do corresponding adjectives—but there are a number of exceptions
Spanish and the ‘Inclusive Language’ Controversy
Spanish grammar's use of masculine plurals to describe a mix of male and female people or things has been debated at the highest academic level
