You’ve probably heard that the Latino culture is very, very machista.  Meaning it is excessively masculine.  Some people like this aspect of the culture, others don’t– Example: The machismo mentality means that chivalry is still very much alive.  However, it also means that the men are more aggressive and over-bearing.  Hm.  Tough call.  As things become more globalized, the machista culture is slowly evolving into something slightly less machista.  The language, however, is not making any changes at all.

Unlike in English, Spanish nouns all have genders– they are either masculino or femenino (el boleto, la mesa). Because of the masculine nature of Latin languages, the masculino form is always the dominant one.  For example:  If there is a large group of all males, you would refer to them as ellos (the masculine form of ‘them’).  If there is a large group of all females, you would refer to them as ellas (the feminine form of ‘them’).  However, if there is a mixture of men and women–even if there are one million women and one man, the group would need to be referred to as ellos.  Now how unfair is that?

A tricky part about the gender in Spanish is that there isn’t too much rhyme or reason to it– you just have to learn as you go along.  Example: A dress is a garment typically worn by a female.  So it should be a feminine noun, right?  Wrong. El vestido is masculine.  Native speakers are raised with this concept of everything being masculine or feminine, so a lot of them find it unusual that native English speakers have no such concept at all.  For us, gender is typically genitalia-related.  For them, gender is part of absolutely anything.  No worries, though, you’ll pick it up with time.

In fact, we’ve got a whole class in Bueno, entonces… devoted to the genders and masculinity of Spanish–such a major theme in the language that a full class is well worth it.  Check out the Bueno, entonces… Youtube page to see some clips of our Spanish lessons and get an idea of what our teaching method is all about (think Rosetta Stone meets South Park).  It is fast-paced, colloquially-based, and absolutely hilarious.  Oh, and you will actually learn how to SPEAK Spanish by the end.  The whole series is over 18 hours and is available on DVD or as a download for your computer, iPod, or iPhone–all for as low as $147!  Take a look at our learn Spanish site and let us know what you think!

Mini Lesson Latin Culture, Spanish grammar

WARNING: NSFW MATERIAL AHEAD.

A quick note before you continue: if you are easily offended or do not like foul language, don’t bother reading on.  Bueno, entonces… sees learning a language as something that should be fun, entertaining, and useful.  This means that we are willing to teach you things that you might hear on the street, but wouldn’t read in a text book.  If you don’t like our method of teaching, it’s probably best you go learn language from a more formal program like Rosetta Stone.

Okay, onto today’s lesson!

Surely you’ve noticed that we tend to focus on Argentine lunfardo (slang), piropos (pick-up lines), and insultos (insults).  Well, if you 1) don’t plan on going to Argentina anytime soon, 2) are interested in the slang of other countries, or 3) don’t really give a crap either way, today’s your lucky day!  We are going to teach you some of our favorite insultos and slang from various Spanish-speaking countries, so here it goes!

Chupame el pico (Chile) = Suck my dick

Dejáte de güear (Chile) = Stop f*cking around

Malparido (Colombia) = Waste of life (badly born)

Jalame el hule (Costa Rica) = Leave me alone (pull my rubber)

Malfallao (Spain) = Tightass (poorly f*cked)

Araña (Mexico) = Hoochie Mama (spider)

Lameculos (Spain) = Brown-noser (ass-licker)

Hijo de la Verga (Mexico) = Son of a Cock

Alright, so this obviously doesn’t cover all the countries, nor all the necessary phrases, but it at least gives you a bit of a base.  A really useful site for slang is Urban Dictionary (yes, even for Spanish slang), so it might be worth checking if you want to learn a little more about insultos and various slang.  And let us know if you have any others you’d like to add to the list!

Isn’t this a good way to learn Spanish?  1) fun, 2) entertaining, and 3) useful.  What more could you want?  Plus, you’re way more likely to remember and use this stuff than, say, a worksheet of formal conjugations.  If you want to learn more about the Bueno, entonces… program, check out our language learning software website!  We offer over 18 hours of classes that are available on DVD or as a download for your computer, iPod, or iPhone.  And you can get the whole series for as low as $147 - if you’re a Facebook Fan, you get it for $97 (and you’ll learn tons of useful Spanish phrases while you’re at it)!

Culture/News, Mini Lesson Colombia, Costa Rica, Insultos, Latin Culture, Mexico, Slang, Spain

When learning a language, cognates become your best amigo. What are cognates? Cognates are words that have the same meaning, and look the same in two different languages. Examples: Alcohol = Alcohol, Falso = False, Ofender = Offend… you get the idea. Now, all is good and fun with these cognates until they become your amigo falso (false friend).

Amigos falsos, or what we like to call cog-nots, are words in Spanish that look like an English word, but actually mean something completely different. Example: Carpeta doesn’t mean carpet, it mean’s folder. They’re nasty little words that no one likes, but you’re just going to have to learn to deal with them. Here, we will give you fair warning of a few amigos falsos that you might come across in your Spanish studies.

First and foremost, one of the most common amigos falsos that is notorious for causing embarrassment is… well, embarazada. Estoy embarazada, more specifically. I am embarrassed? Nope. Embarazada actually means pregnant, so when you exclaim that you are ‘so embarazada,’ for something you just did, you’re really just making things worse for yourself.

Secondly, estoy excitado/a does not mean that you are excited. Well, it somewhat does, but in Spanish, excitado/a is typically associated with sexual excitement rather than regular excitement. Instead, you might want to say estoy emocionado/a.

Here are a couple other amigos falsos to be aware of:

Sensible = Sensitive, sensible

Éxito = Success, exit

Actual = Current, actual

Assistir = To Attend, assist

Atender = To Serve/ To Take Care Of, attend

… And the list goes on…

There are loads of amigos falsos in Spanish, but you will learn them as you come across them in your studies. Don’t be too worried about them now, though. Just make sure you’re aware that cognates can also be cog-nots!

To check out David and Jimena’s conversation about amigos falsos, along with the rest of the program, visit the Bueno, entonces…learn Spanish website and become a fan on Facebook to learn useful Spanish phrases. Want to see clips of our Spanish classes to see how they’re set up? Check out our Youtube page!

Mini Lesson Spanish vocabulary

So there’s many ways to woo, but our favorite is through the art of piropos (pick-up lines).  Here, we provide you with yet another piropo to woo the crowds:

Si la felicidad es agua y el amor es fuego, ¡Como me gustaría ser tu bombero!

Alright, so the literal translation for this one is If happiness is water, and love is fire, how I would love to be your fireman! Are you weak in the knees yet?

The form of the verb gustaría might be in a form that you are not familiar with.  This form is called the condicional (conditional), or sometimes referred to as the futuro hipotético (hypothetical future).  It is primarily used in two different situations:

First, the condicional tense is used when asking a formal request.  For example, ¿Me prestarías una lapicera? (Would you lend me a pen?).  You also use the condicional for simple things like ordering a coffee in a café– a safe way to be sure you are not being rude when asking anyone outside your circle of friends for a favor.

Second, the futuro hipotético is used when referring to a ‘would be’ situation.  For example, ¡Como me gustaría ser tu bombero! (Again, how I would love to be your fireman!)  In this situation, you are referring to something in the future that you could or could not happen– it’s all hypothetical.

So there you have it– go out and find your next victi–erm, potential soulmate.

Here at Bueno, entonces… we love piropos to help us learn Spanish, because 1) they keep our loves lives thriving, and 2) they are entertaining, and therefore easier to remember.  Let us know if you have any other favorite tools you use to learn or remember Spanish, or just let us know if you have any comments or suggestions for the blog. You can check out more clips from each Spanish class on Youtube, or become a fan on our Facebook Page and learn some useful Spanish phrases!

Mini Lesson Funny, learn Spanish, Piropos, Slang

Here’s a trabalenguas (tongue-twister) to challenge your pronunciation skills: Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal en tres tristes trastos.
 En tres tristes trastos tragaban trigo tres tristes tigres.

Now, what could that jumble of words possibly mean? Let’s break it down…

Tres tristes tigres = three sad tigers. Alright, that’s easy enough.

Tragaban comes from the verb tragar, which means to swallow. Tragaban is in the past tense form of ‘them’ (referring to the tigers). What do they swallowed? They swallowed trigo, which is wheat.

Okay, so far we have three sad tigers swallowing wheat.  Continuing on: en un trigal means in a wheat field (trigo. trigal. See the connection?).

And finally, en tres tristes trastos—in three sad dishes. Whew.

The second bit of the trabalenguas is the same phrase, but reversed, so we aren’t going to bother with another translation.

Tres tristes tigres tragaban trigo en un trigal en tres tristes trastos. 
En tres tristes trastos tragaban trigo tres tristes tigres.

Try saying that one ten times fast!

Want to really improve your Spanish pronunciation? Get your hands on Bueno, entonces…Learn Spanish and you could be speaking conversation Spanish in just five weeks! Check out more clips of each individual Spanish class on our Youtube Page.

Facebook Fans also get $50 off. Um, SWEET. And you’ll also learn hilarious Spanish phrases and pick-up lines. EXTRA SWEET.

Are you a Bueno, entonces… fan yet?

Mini Lesson learn Spanish, Mini Lesson, Spanish pronunciation

La Barra Brava in Argentina is what we like to call hooligans. This term pretty much always goes hand-in-hand with fútbol (soccer) fans, as they are undoubtedly the rowdiest group in the country. When translated, barra brava means wild or fierce bar or block, but hooligans is really the only term we commonly use in English to describe a group like this. In some Spanish-speaking countries this term doesn’t really exist, but rather hinchada or varying slang, depending on the country.

The Barra Brava is the rowdiest subgroup of an hincha for any given team. Hincha is a term meaning group of fans (you could use the term fan club, but that sounds a little too much like boy-crazy teenagers). To say you are a fan of something, you could say soy fanático de… or soy hincha de… Hincha is more commonly used for sports or specific teams, while fanático is used for almost everything else.

Another use of the word hincha is when referring to the group of fans as a whole, such as la hinchada de Boca es muy grande (the group of fans for Boca is very large). Hincha is not used in all Spanish-speaking countries, or at least not in this way. The word hincha comes from the verb hinchar, which literally means to swell or blow up. A swollen ankle, which is often seen in the fútbol world, is a tobillo hinchado. So you might hear of the word in other countries, but they won’t know what you’re talking about if you say you are hincha de River.

Other important terms for fútbol include:

Cancha (not to be confused with concha, as seen in the post ‘La C*ncha y La Kama Sutra’) = Field (for sports)

Estadio = Stadium

Partido = Game or Match (for sports)

Equipo = Team

There you have it. Want to check out more from Bueno, entonces…? Check out the rest of our blog posts and you can compile your own Spanish dictionary of terms - and head to our Facebook to learn useful Spanish phrases. Our language learning software is super unique and formatted to work on almost anything with a screen!

Culture/News, Mini Lesson Latin Culture, Slang, Spanish vocabulary

Ahh, no day is complete without a little Daddy Yankee. Thanks to David (our student), we not only get some Daddy, but we get some Spanish grammar in there, too!

Think the verb gustar is a pain in the ass?  Yup, us, too.  Well, luckily we can help you out a bit! The video below is just a quick clip of one of the many lessons in the Bueno, entonces… program.  Here, David is practicing his gustars with Jimena.

¿Te gusta la gasolina?

Like what you see?  Check out the Bueno, entonces…learn Spanish website and see why our unique (and sometimes bizarre) teaching method works! You can also go to our Youtube page to see more clips from our Spanish classes.

Video Clips Spanish grammar, Video Clips

Who doesn’t love a good quote from Kurt Cobain?  And, better yet– translated into Spanish.

See Jimena show her true Argentine passion by voicing her (very strong) opinion regarding…fishing.  Hm.  Random, we know, but in return David decides to push her buttons a bit (as per usual), and even throws in a quote from Kurt Cobain to really get her going.  Take a look!

Okay, so meat vs. animals.  It’s a tricky distinction, but it’s kinda the same in English (you say “I’m eating ham,” not “I’m eating pig”)  In order to avoid an embarrassing comment at a dinner party, how about a quick lesson?

First, the animals:

Chicken = Gallina

Pig = Chancho

Cow = Vaca

Sheep = Oveja

And the food…

Chicken = Pollo

Pork = Cerdo

Beef = Bife

Lamb = Cordero

To better understand the art of the Pizarra Mágica, check out our Color & Symbol Key!  And, of course, if you want to read a review about this class or the rest of the series, visit a blog written by one of our users in their Bueno, entonces…/Rosetta Stone Pepsi Challenge review blog.

Like this style of learning? Bueno, entonces…learn Spanish program. We also have clips of our Spanish classes on Youtube - go check ‘em out and get a taste of what we’re all about. Become a fan of Bueno, entonces… on Facebook to interact with other users in our Spanish-learning community and pick up some useful Spanish phrases!

Mini Lesson, Video Clips Funny, Spanish vocabulary

By now you probably know what Bueno, entonces… is, who we are, and what we do.  If you don’t, you’ve got a little bit of catching up to do–but no worries!– just visit our site and it explains everything there.

But, what is “bueno, entonces…” and why would use this to name our program?  Okay, let’s break it down.

The term “bueno” can either mean “well” or “okay”– you will hear it used all the time. Just imagine if “well” and “okay” were combined into one word in English, and you can guess how often you would hear it used. Pretty darned often.

“Entonces” means “so”, as in “Tengo sed, entonces voy a comprar una botella de vino.” (I am thirsty, so I’m going to buy a bottle of wine).

Combine the two together and you get a phrase that sounds something like “Okay, so…”.  This phrase is typically used to start a conversation or change subjects in a conversation, which is exactly what we want you to learn how to do in Spanish– have conversations!  Even better: start a conversation!  Daunting, we know, but it’s a good goal to reach in your language-learning process.  After all, what else are you trying to learn a language for other than to communicate with other people?

So, there you have it: our secret reasoning behind the name of our ultra-brilliant Spanish language learning program, Bueno, entonces…! Check out our website to see more of what we are about and take a gander at a few demos from our Spanish classes.  We offer a five-week course of quirky, hilarious, and outrageous Spanish lessons that are sure to 1) keep your attention, and 2) have you conversing in Spanish in no time!  Bueno, entonces…what are you waiting for?

Mini Lesson Spanish vocabulary

Ser and Estar.  It kills all of us non-native Spanish speakers– why would you have two words for ‘to be’?!  Frustrating, we know.

Well, to take away a little bit of that frustration, leave it to David to put a bit of humor into the whole situation– and incorporate a figure as random as Hamlet into the clip, too!  You gotta give him props for his effort…

By now you probably know what the Pizarra Mágica is.  If not, it’s our way of making Spanish learning a much easier, much simpler concept for you, the student.  We’ve color-coded all of the Spanish words that appear on the screen so that your brain learns to differentiate between the different parts of speech without you even noticing.  Then, after a few classes, you start to actually notice what is going on with the colors and symbols and BAM, Spanish learning becomes THAT much easier.  It’s a beautiful thing.  Check out the Color & Symbol Key to better help you understand!

Now, to help you out a little more with that ser/estar situation, here’s a basic breakdown:

Ser = To be (permanent) and Estar = To be (temporary).

Example 1:  Soy de Argentina (I am from Argentina).  You are from Argentina, and that’s never going to change.  Therefore, you use the ‘ser‘ form of to be.

Example 2: Estoy en Argentina (I am in Argentina).  You are in Argentina.  But you could be leaving tomorrow.  Or you might have just arrived from another country.  It is a temporary state, so you use the ‘estar‘ form of to be.

Ser is typically used when referring to professions, origins, and other more permanent characteristics.

Estar is typically used for feelings, whereabouts of a person or thing, and anything else that is or could be temporary.

See? It’s not that hard.  But like everything else in Spanish, there are always exceptions to the rules, and you will just learn them with time.  As long as you keep somewhat of a sense of humor, believe us, it will be infinitely less painful!

Want to learn more? Then buy whole Bueno, entonces…learn Spanish program! We also have clips of our Spanish classes on Youtube - go check ‘em out and get a taste of our style. Become a fan of Bueno, entonces… on Facebook to interact with other users in our Spanish-learning community and learn cool Spanish phrases!

Mini Lesson, Video Clips Funny, Spanish grammar, Spanish vocabulary