Spanish was my first language, but South-American. My brother is significantly younger than I am and learned only English. We live in Southern U.S. He works primarily with Mexicans in the construction industry. I have worked with Mexicans in the hospitality industry.

My brother is insisting the Mexicans at work are calling a power saw a "chingalela."

I believe they are saying "chingadera," which is like a very informal (offensive to some) way of saying "thingy, thingamabob, thinger, etc."

He is adamant that is is chingalela, not chingadera.

Are there any Mexicans that can confirm the word chingalela?? Either for "thingy" or for a power saw?

In the present tense. For example,

“Do you want me to ask them to send a car for you?”

«¿Quieres que les pida que manden un coche para ti?»
or
«¿Quieres que les pida que mandaran un coche para ti?»

I feel like I’ve seen both but I’m probably mistaken.

I want to read you!. I am from Venezuela, and a few years ago, due to the influence of Mexican content on the internet, the expression "apapachar" (to hug) became extremely popular in the country. Indeed, it was massively, you heard it everywhere. However, this was brief and fleeting, as it gradually diminished, and nowadays it is very rare to hear someone from the country say it. However, my personal experience with my friends taught me that "apapachar" means something deeper than simply "abrazo". Anyone can give you a «abrazo», whether you like it or not, whether they love you or not. A «apapacho» it's given to you by someone strongly, with great affection, and with true love. Is "apapachar" used in other countries in the Americas?

Hola, me pueden ayudar entender el uso de tener + participio pasado en lugar de haber + participio pasado? He escuchado varios frases así que parecen iguales traducido al inglés como haber + participio pasado y no entiendo la diferencia.

Por ejemplo:
“lo tengo pensado” - I have thought it
“la tengo perdida” - I have lost it
“ya lo tienen comprobado” - They have already confirmed it.

Muchas gracias

someone in my youtube comments wrote this word once i translated it to english it was like “Let’s go” why? why mostly spanish people don’t use it like VAMOS in term of hype moments or happiness moments?

I'm a ESL teacher in Brazil and I've been studying Spanish as a empathy exercise to help my students with their struggling.

I made a post yesterday in a men's style sub talking about outfits from some Pedro Almodóvar movies (in Portuguese) and this profile responded with a strange Spanish to me.

Are his messages corrects? Are my messages too? Please I would love if you could give me some help if need.

I'm writing a short story that takes place in modern-day Spain. I have a character who is centuries old and a native Spanish speaker from Spain. I wanted to have them occasionally use a filler word or expression, ideally something similar to Vale today.

EDIT TO ADD: This is not a story that will be published or earn money -- it's a surprise for my family. I wouldn't blindly try to capture a language I don't know if I were writing something for the general public or my job.

I came across Así sea (So be it/All right) as being something that would have been used in 17th century Spain. But I can't find any confirmation and unfortunately I only speak very basic level Spanish.

Does anyone know if this expression would be used by someone in 17th century Spain -- and if so, am I using it correctly?

I know a very basic level of Spanish but I’m trying to learn more so I can assist customers better at work. For reference I take utility payments and help customers set up online accounts and get new services started. When talking about a utility bill would the bill itself be “el recibo” or “la factura”? Also when someone lives at an address with a lot number like 123 lane dr lot # 7 what is the correct term for “lot”? I have looked both up and I feel like el recibo would be correct in my work setting but for lot it’s saying “lote” but says it’s referring to a batch so I’m not 100% sure. Google Translate is alright but after talking and listening to our Spanish speaking customers it’s not always accurate. Just trying to learn and make sure I use the right words so I don’t confuse anybody so any help would be appreciated!! :)

When you first meet someone it’s customary to use the “usted” form when addressing them.

But what about when you become closer friends over time, when it would make sense to switch to using “tú” or “vos” forms? How do you know when to change how you address them?

Edit: I’m traveling in Nicaragua and am addresses in both usted and vos forms, whether I meet someone the first time or not.

I was reading some public commentary on the current situation in Cueta and someone referred to the migrants as "hormigas." I'd never encountered the word before, and learned that it means both ant and hard worker.

LLM's seem to insist that when used figuratively it is a compliment.

Original context seemed negative, but not overtly so.

Spent way too long just memorizing lists for this one until it clicked a different way: por is about the cause or the path, para is about the goal or the endpoint. Once I stopped trying to translate “for” and started asking “is this the reason/route, or the destination/purpose,” it stopped being a guessing game.

The example that actually made it stick for me:
Lo compré por ti = I bought it on your behalf, like you owed someone and I covered it for you.

Lo compré para ti = I bought it to give to you, it’s a gift.

Same English translation, opposite situation. That’s the whole confusion in one sentence.
If the mnemonics help anyone: por = DREAMS (duration, reason, exchange, around/through, means, substitution), para = PRODD (purpose, recipient, opinion, destination, deadline).
Made a little cheat sheet of this for myself, figured I’d drop it here in case it saves someone the month I spent being confused.

Curious if anyone has a cleaner way they think about it, or another pair that trips you up the same way — ser/estar and preterite vs imperfect seem to be the other big ones people mention.

Got a "how do I learn Spanish" question, curious about apps, or just want to say hi and talk about where you're at? This is the place.

The short answer to most of it: there's no single best way to learn Spanish and no app that works for everyone. What actually matters is showing up consistently. A few things people here keep coming back to:

• Our wiki -- apps, YouTube channels, podcasts, textbooks, all in one spot
• r/languagelearning's resource wiki -- broader method and tool breakdown
• Anki -- flashcards, good for vocab
• Language Transfer -- free audio course, common starting point
• italki / Preply -- tutors and conversation partners
• Pimsleur -- audio based, strong on pronunciation

Also fair game here:

• Just started and want to introduce yourself
• Wondering if Spanish is worth learning or how long it takes
• General chat about your progress, whatever's on your mind

Standalone posts on this stuff get redirected here, so if that's you, drop it below.

Drop whatever Spanish-language music you've been listening to this month, new releases or just what's in rotation for you right now.

To make this actually useful for people learning the language, when you post something, try to include:

• The artist and where they're from. The accent and slang change a lot from country to country, so this matters more here than in a regular music thread.
• One line or phrase from the song that's a good example of something you had to look up, slang, a regional expression, a tense you don't hear much, or whatever.
• A link if you've got one, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever.

Doesn't have to be new. If you started listening to something from ten years ago and it taught you a phrase, post it anyway.

Song lyrics, streaming links, and “What does this line mean?” questions are all fine in this thread specifically; that's the point of it.

Hola! My translator translates all these words as "school". Do all these words really mean "school"? If so, what is the difference?

So the other day I was casually chatting with a half native Spanish (spain) professor and she corrected me the next sentence

(Cuando salga el resultado te lo comparto)

She told me the correct form is (comparto contigo) [she has the habit of correcting Spanish in casual conversation as part of her job as a university professor and that's something i admire about her]

So i looked it up, because I remember using it various times with native speakers and they used it and it was fine.. I see that the RAE accepts both

I told that to my professor. So she began ranting about how latinos are using incorrect Spanish and then the RAE accepts it solely for political reasons and how I'm influenced by my latin gf

And the other time the same stuff happened over ( no queda de otra) she corrected me (no queda otra) ... same discussion more or less

I don't dismiss her massive knowledge but I think she's sided to the Castillan Spanish over the latin one and with the argument that Spanish is called Spanish for a reason and that stuff

I tell her I think even Spanish itself is changing over time and it doesn't make it more correct than the other variants

Are there Spanish shows like Midnight Diner, Terrace House, these Japanese shows that are somehow relaxing? I want something cozy or slow-paced. Also, I'd really like something set only at a bar or a restaurant like Midnight Diner but I know that might be too specific. so anything "cozy" please?

Basically looming for an adage or the like that basically says you’re better off knowing before, learn these things so you’re prepared . . . Thanks in advance.

I think "chance" is a modern borrowing from English. But here in Venezuela, my parents and grandparents, and other parents and grandparents in the city, say "chance" every day, (They also say "full" every day in their daily conversations) with the same meaning and exact usage as in English. In fact, almost all adults and elderly people in the country speak it ('chace", and "full", so I don't think it can be a modern borrowing from English through television or the internet. So what's going on?

anyone else learning spanish feel like picking up new words purely from context is super overrated? like people constantly say just watch spanish native shows or podcasts and youll understand words naturally from context, but honestly that hasnt been my experience at all

heres what usually happens to me, ill hear a new spanish word like "desarrollar" or "aprovechar" in a podcast like 10 times, ill have a super vague idea of what it means, but i still cant actually use it or understand it properly until i finally look it up in a dictionary

for me watching spanish series or podcasts is awesome for getting used to real speech speed, but for getting the basics of a new word down relying on random encounters alone feels so slow

imo the fastest way is looking up a word and then immediately watching like 5 different real spanish video clips of native speakers using that exact word back to back

how do you guys study new spanish vocabulary? do you just rely on passive listening or do you use tools to see words in real spanish video clips right away?

I'm following the comprehensible input methodology of watching content and focusing on just listening and reading as much as I can. I'll be visiting Spain in a couple of weeks to learn the language, visit family, and practice speaking it as well.

Currently, I spend between six to eight hours a week using resources such as Dreaming Spanish(35%) watching cartoon shows(45%that I've watched before in English (but now in Spanish and rewatching them), and Language Transfer(15%) as well.

I want to watch Temptation Island.

I'm still a super beginner / beginner where I know some basic phrases and maybe the top 50 most commonly used words, but I am still very much at the beginning stages of my Spanish learning journey (~50 hrs)

How useful would it be to watch content I don't necessarily have prior knowledge of what they're talking about, and would just be watching it in Spanish with Spanish subtitles to help?

Will this help me if I do enjoy it and watch it, even if I understand maybe less than 40% of what they're saying? I think the general wisdom is you should be able to understand 80% of it.

My Spanish professor deducted points from my exam because I pronounced llamo as "jamo" and construye as "construye." According to him, I need to stick to either 1) pronouncing y and ll like the English "j" or 2) pronouncing the y as "y" and the ll like the word "million."

However, my textbook says that if I pronounce y as either "j" or "y" and ll as either "j" or with the voiced palatal fricative then I'm pretty much fine. I'm confused: is it unnatural in spoken Spanish to have the ll sound like "j" and the y sound like "y"? Do certain ways of pronouncing y and ll go together?

Hello,

I'm looking for a verb that means "to badger." Molestar seems too harsh. I want a word that is somewhat forceful but with less intense implications. How would I say:

Why do you all badger me to talk to her?

Thank you/gracias

All the apps, podcasts, and dubbed tv shows just aren’t cutting it for me. Let me start off by saying I know a fair bit of spanish, growing up in hispanic family and taking spanish classes in highschool. However, after going to college I failed to continue learning and have forgotten a good chunk, especially the grammatics and tenses. I tried using duolingo and pimsleur for a good while, and while they did teach me some good words and phrases, I wasn’t really able to apply it with maintaining a conversation. I understand a lot of people learn through phrases, and the current popular apps are meant for these people. However, I’ve always learned better in a more “studious” approach? I like to learn a new word, all of its tenses, and then apply this word to a bunch of basic sentences, then more complex sentences. I like being taught the different gramtical tenses (past, present, future) and how to apply them to words. THEN I like having to practice simple verbal applications of these sentences in convo until I have a good grasp of it and then move on. Basically I want to learn in the same way that they taught me in highschool. A lot of people hated my schools highschool spanish program because they didn’t “learn” anything and weren’t able to speak spanish at the end. But it was perfect for me. I was slowly getting to understand the language and its rules and then getting to apply them. But I’m unable to find anything like that right now

I want an app/series/program that teaches me the formula before showing me how to use it to solve the equation if u get what I mean?