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Advanced Intermediate Spanish Podcast 15 – Double Pronouns in Spanish

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Following on from the previous podcast on indirect object pronouns (IOPs, for short) and their use, we now cover double pronouns in Spanish, or the redundant use of IOPs. What, we hear you ask, is that? Well, unknown to most students are a list of verbs that require the IOP even when the name of the person receiving the action is mentioned.

Because this is not as commonly known as it should be it often causes massive confusion to students. (This is what happened to me, Gordon, when I heard sentences like, “Le dije a mi madre que…”)

Listen in to this free Spanish podcast and discover what this is all about and take your abilities with the language to new levels. Until you understand this fully and can incorporate the rule into your spoken Spanish, it’s probable that you will frequently make this mistake.

“Venga”, let’s get this sorted “¡de una vez!”

Of course, a full transcription, translation and lots of useful notes about this podcast can be found in the ever-useful Spanish help-sheets that also include a list along with working examples of the verbs that require the IOPs.

You won’t be disappointed! Have a listen!

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:09 — 9.3MB)

Beginners Spanish Podcast 14 – Tell Time in Spanish

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Do speakers tell time in Spanish like we do, or do they have a totally different system?

Listen to this Spanish lesson for beginners as we explain their straight-forward process and show you what it means when you say things like “It’s seven less fifteen.”

For your greater understanding, all the additional information and guidance can be found in the comprehensive help-sheets.

Video of This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:39 — 9.8MB)

Early Intermediate Spanish Podcast 10 – Hay vs. Estar

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In this free Spanish lesson, we take a close look at hay vs estar. We’ve found that many students are very confused about how exactly these words should be used. One means “there is” while the other means “it is”.

When should you use one as opposed to the other? That’s just the question we’re here to answer.

If this has been a cause of confusion for you in the past, fret not, because this episode will help make everything clearer.

Don’t miss the simple tip that will ensure you’ll never get the choice of hay vs estar wrong again.

We have prepared a wealth of additional information and guidance specifically with you our learner in mind, which can be found in the comprehensive LightSpeed Spanish worksheets.

Video for This Spanish Lesson

Audio for This Spanish Lesson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:42 — 9.8MB)

Advanced Spanish Podcast 15 – Mercedes y Tecnología

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Mercedes, Cynthia’s mum, gives a great interview with Gordon in this advanced Spanish podcast, in which she talks clearly about the youth in Spain and the challenges and opportunities they have before them. At the time of the interview Spain was just starting to feel the effects of “la crisis” that has since overtaken the Spanish economy in such an aggressive and shocking way.

What is really interesting about one aspect of the Spanish culture is their respect for young people. Given that it was only 40 years ago that the country was still in under the control of Franco’s regime, many of today’s parents can remember only too well the hunger and shortages that the entire country suffered.

Much of them have almost made the decision that their own children were not going to have to suffer in that same way. Thus, as you listen to Mercedes, why not see if you can get the sense of this in how she describes the youth of today.

Toward the end of the podcast we talk about “la tecnología moderna” and Mercedes tells us how it has affected her life and the things she uses on a daily basis. See if you can spot them!

As always, we offer a full transcript and translation of this advanced Spanish podcast in our comprehensive Spanish helpsheets, which have been developed with you, the Spanish language learner, in mind.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:41 — 11.6MB)

Advanced Intermediate Free Spanish Podcast 16 – Elena Los Jovenes

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In this free Spanish podcast, we interview with Elena Durán (la hermana de Cynthia) we discover an interesting perspective on life as a young person in Spain. Like in every culture, the Spanish youth have a certain lifestyle that they enjoy as well as things that are important to them.

Given the current economic climate in Spain, it’s very common for young people to live at home with their parents until they leave to get married. This is because the cost of living and renting “un apartamento” alone is generally prohibitive.

Another interesting difference about the youth who choose to study in university is that, unlike here in the UK, they study locally and live with their parents. It’s fairly uncommon for them to move away from home to study their “carrera”.

The up side is that the cost of getting your degree in Spain is far less than in other countries in which the young people live in halls of residence and suchlike. The downside, however, is that many children find themselves living with their parents into their thirties!

The full transcription and translation of this free Spanish podcast can be found in our Spanish worksheets as well as an analysis of the expressions used throughout the conversation. ¡Seguro que os va a gustar!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 4:24 — 4.0MB)