Havana, capital of Cuba and home to some fantastic architecture in the form of grand public edifices and colonial buildings dating back to the 16th century, is a city full of both character and characters. It’s a fascinating place to visit, with the added bonus of providing a great opportunity to practise and improve your Spanish.

The city’s melting pot of inhabitants are relaxed and friendly. Things get done according to what is affectionately and laughingly known as “Cuban time”, the local equivalent of the Spanish “mañana”, so you’ll invariably find someone to chat to, whether it be a driver of one of the city’s horse-drawn carriages or rickshaws, or just a friendly local happy to show you the sights of this amazing city. They’ll converse happily with you, especially if you’re prepared to part with some of your convertible pesos as a token of appreciation for their trouble!

As they speak the Caribbean Spanish dialect, you may notice that the inhabitants of Havana have a slightly different accent to your Spanish tutor in London. Notably the lisping ‘s’ sound which is prevalent in mainland Spain is absent so that ‘gracias’ sounds like ‘grasias’ rather than ‘grathias’. Final consonants of words are also frequently dropped.

Sit in one of the cafes or restaurants in a city square in the evening and you’ll probably be lucky enough to be treated to a performance by some of the local street musicians. Havana is home to the famous Buena Vista Social Club musical ensemble and boasts many talented musicians. Enjoy this chance to listen to the Spanish language in song – and remember to tip generously!

The light-hearted fiesta of La Tomatina takes place on the last Wednesday in August every year in the Valencian town of Buñol. Unlike many of Spain’s other celebrations, which are centuries old, La Tomatina is relatively new, originating around the end of World War II.

How it began is not entirely clear, but it seems that some sort of food fight broke out during a town celebration in 1944 or 1945. The young people apparently had so much fun that they decided to repeat the spectacle on the same Wednesday the following year, and despite several attempts to ban it during Franco’s rule for having no religious significance, it is now a firmly-established tradition. Today, thousands of people from all over the world flock to take part in the event, where they throw over-ripe tomatoes in the town’s streets.

The festival officially begins after one person scales the palo jabón, a greased pole with a ham on top. As if climbing a greasy pole wasn’t difficult enough, crowds are sprayed with water as the atmosphere builds. The successful climber wins the ham as their prize then a water cannon fires into the air and the tomato hurling officially begins. Trucks bringing over 100 tonnes of the fruit for revellers to throw at one another in an hour-long free-for-all until the second water cannon fires to signal the end.

During such a riotous event as La Tomatina, there may be more shrieking, screaming, yelling and, above all, laughter than any sort of conversation you may learn on a Spanish Language Course. You may not get the chance to expand your vocabulary much, but it’s a great spectacle and pure fun – well worth taking part in at least once.

The festival of San Fermin is one of the most famous annual celebrations in Spain. The fiesta is more commonly known in the UK as the running of the bulls – if you’re taking a Spanish language course you may already know the word for this is encierro – and it takes place in Pamplona in the Navarre region every July in honour of the local patron saint.

Whilst it’s the bull running which takes place daily from 7 to 14 July for which the fiesta is probably best known, there are many other elements to the celebrations besides this such as competitions of traditional Basque sports. The beginning of the festivities is marked at noon on 6 July when crowds gather in the town’s Plaza Ayuntamiento to witness the chupinazo, where firework rockets signal the start of the 9-day party. The following day sees the traditional procession in which a 15th-century statue of the saint is carried through the streets of the old town, accompanied by thousands of people.

Another spectacular part of the fiesta is the daily gigantes y cabezudos (giants and big heads) parade which features giant 4-metre figures representing four pairs of kings and queens of different ethnic origin, each carried by a dancer inside a wooden structure. The giants dance along accompanied by the ‘big heads’ – large caricature-like masks – as well as 6 kilikis and 6 zaldikos (figures representing horses and their riders), who chase children with their foam truncheons.

The fiesta reaches its conclusion in the main plaza at midnight on 14 July where crowds gather by candlelight to sing the mournful Pobre de Mi (Poor Me) and the mayor closes the festivities. San Fermin truly has some spectacular sights for anyone wanting to soak up the experience of a Spanish fiesta.

Spain is known the world over for its fiestas – that is, its feast days or celebrations. One of the most spectacular of these is Las Fallas, which is celebrated in Valencia and means ‘the fires’ in the local dialect. Originally a celebration in honour of the feast day of St. Joseph, Las Fallas has today evolved into a 5-day event to which up to two million people flock from all over Spain and indeed the world.

The festival centres on the ninots (‘puppets’ or ‘dolls’) which are effigies, often bawdy or satirical, many of which are so large they need to be hoisted into place by cranes, and which locals often spend a great part of the year, and a great deal of money, making. The ninots are placed at over 350 crossroads and parks around the city on the day known as La Plantà (the rising), and remain there until 19 March which is called La Cremá (the burning). On that day, the ninots are stuffed with fireworks and, with the streetlights turned off and to the chants of the gathered crowds, they are set alight at midnight. One of the figures, however, is chosen by a vote to be spared from the fire; this is known as the ninot indultat (the pardoned puppet) and it will take its place in the local museum alongside its fellows from previous years.

When attending Las Fallas, it is advisable to familiarise yourself with the locations of the various celebrations around the city. A Spanish language course will really stand you in good stead, supplying the vocabulary to ask for directions and to understand the signs you might see along the streets.

People who are undertaking a Spanish language course often also take an interest in the country’s culture and history, and this is highly commendable as there is strong research to suggest that these students are more likely to stick with their studies and enjoy better results. Those with a sharp eye for all matters Spanish in the news will no doubt have read the news that King Juan Carlos is set to abdicate and hand the throne to his son, Crown Prince Felipe.

Spain’s history and culture is inextricably linked with its Royal Family (la Familia Real). The Royal Family are generally admired in Spain but their fortunes, like those of many royal houses, have risen and fallen over the years. King Juan Carlos came to the throne in 1975 on the death of the dictator General Franco. The King comes from the Bourbon dynasty, members of which formerly occupied the French throne as well as others across Europe. His wife Queen Sofia was born a princess of Greece and Denmark; she is a cousin of the Duke of Edinburgh and sister of the deposed King Constantine of Greece. The Kings and Queens of Spain have been Bourbon since 1700, although their reign has not been continuous as Spain spent two separate periods as a republic in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

It’s not possible to look in any great depth at the current members of the Royal Family and their forbears in one short blog, but it is well worth looking up a family tree (árbol genealógico) online to find out about the Spanish Royal House and its relationship to other European Royal Families, past and present. This is a good way not only to enrich your knowledge of Spanish history, but also to learn or reinforce vocabulary related to the family and to royal titles.

The key to developing your proficiency in any language is to take every opportunity to practise. Listening to different voices and accents and exposing yourself to new vocabulary can really bring your skills on in leaps and bounds. When you embark on a course of our Private Spanish Lessons or any of our other learning offerings, our native tutors will give you a solid foundation on which to build, but we do encourage you to put what you learn in our classrooms to the test out in the real world, and here are some of the best places to do it.

1. 1.     Madrid
   The Spanish capital boasts myriad attractions for visitors. Art lovers are sure to enjoy the masterpieces on display at the famous Prado and Reina Sofia museums; shopaholics can soak up the atmosphere and test their haggling skills at the enormous El Rastro market.
2. 2.     Barcelona
   Home of the unique architecture of Antonio Gaudi, Barcelona is a must-visit city. Cultural venues are plentiful with museums dedicated to Picasso and Miró; the city is also home to the National Museum of Art of Catalunya.
3. 3.     Valencia
   Take a guided walking tour around the ancient walls of the Islamic and Christian parts of Spain’s third largest city and see Valencia’s many historical architectural treasures, as well as one of the most futuristic – the City of Arts and Sciences by local architect Santiago Calatrava.
4. 4.     Ibiza
   It may be famous as the party capital of the Balearics, but Ibiza has something to offer all ages and tastes including artisan markets, endless sightseeing and dining opportunities and excursions of every kind, so there is no shortage of chances to try out the language.
5. 5.     Cadiz
   The historic Andalusian port was the scene of the signing of the first Spanish constitution in 1812, chosen as the city was one of the few places not to have been invaded by the French. As the oldest continuously-inhabited city in Spain and indeed Europe, it has innumerable places of interest to visit and practise your Spanish along the way.

These wonderful locations are just a short flight away, and a trip to any or all of them is a great opportunity to enrich your knowledge of Spanish language and culture. We speak a lot about this and more places in our Spanish language course.

It can’t have escaped many people’s notice that the World Cup will be taking place in Brazil this year, starting on 12 June.

Spain are of course defending champions, having won the 2010 tournament in South Africa, and adding to it by beating Italy 4-0 to win the Euro 2012 championships in Ukraine. Spain is a proud and passionate footballing nation, also boasting the best club teams in Europe at present, two of whom, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, will contest the Champions League final this coming Saturday.

Football is also the most popular sport in many other Spanish-speaking countries, who account for a further 8 of the 32 countries playing in the World Cup. They are Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras and Argentina.

Though football isn’t of course the main focus of our Private Spanish Lessons, we thought that it might be fun and topical to run down some footballing vocabulary for you to try out during the tournament:

world cup – mundial
goal – (el) gol
foul – (la) falta
free kick – tiro libre
handball! – imano!
extra time – tiempo suplementario / prórroga
kick-off – saque de salida
national team – (la) selección
own goal – autogol
penalty – tiro penal / penalti
red card – tarjeta roja
yellow card – tarjeta amarilla
referee – (el) árbitro
fan / supporter – hincha / seguidor

And if you don’t happen to be watching right until the whistle (silbato pitido) and you miss the result of a big game, you might want to ask ¿cómo terminó el partido? to find out what the score was. Not a football fan? Don’t worry – it will all be over on 13 July for another four years!

“It is with sadness that we report that since this blog was written, Gabriel Garcia Marquez passed away on 17 April 2014 after being in fragile health for some time. Many notable figures including presidents past and present paid tribute to the visionary author, who will be much missed, especially in his native Colombia and his adopted home, Mexico.” We will still using his novels for our Spanish lessons in London.

We normally encourage our students to have a go at using Spanish as often as possible. Your efforts will normally be appreciated, however, there are some Spanish phrases that you really should ditch and stick to what you learn in your Spanish lessons instead. Here are just a few:

1. ¡Ay, caramba!
   Best translated as ‘Oh my gosh!’ or similar, it’s quite outdated. Leave this one for Bart Simpson.
2. Hasta la vista
   The Spanish equivalent of the French ‘au revoir’, it was popularised by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in Terminator, but it’s just too cheesy for most Spanish speakers nowadays.
3. Mi casa es su casa
4. Literally meaning ‘My house is your house’, in other words, ‘Make yourself at home,’ but times have changed and this isn’t used seriously any more.
5. Vale
   Usually used in the same sense as ‘OK’ or ‘Sure’, this is a word that is used in different senses in different countries, and it can be inappropriate if used incorrectly, so it’s best avoided.
6. No Bueno
   Most often used by non-Spanish speakers to mean ‘no good’, it’s very bad grammar and most Spanish speakers would feel silly saying it, so if you don’t want them to think you’re silly too, get it right (no es bueno=it’s not good) or leave it out.
7. Yo quiero Taco Bell
   The slogan of the Taco Bell Chihuahua in a well-known advertising campaign, meaning ‘I want Taco Bell’, this really shouldn’t be attempted while you’re eating out in Spain!
8. Arriba!
   In the sense of ‘Hurrah’ or ‘Come on!’ those old enough will remember it as part of the catchphrase of Looney Tunes cartoon mouse Speedy Gonzales. If you also recall his over-the-top Mexican accent, you’ll understand why this saying is not cool!
9. Muy caliente Often erroneously used as ‘hot’ in the sense of ‘attractive’, this actually means well, warm or hot (temperature). You wouldn’t describe an attractive person in English as ‘warm’, now would you?

The custom of combining the names of two languages to describe the adoption of borrowed words is something most of us are familiar with. Most of us have heard, for example, of Franglais – a combination of Français and Anglais – in which English words are adopted into French grammar, le weekend being an oft-quoted example.

Similar examples exist all around the world, and Spanglish is just one such example, where English words have found their way into the Spanish language and subsequently become subject to Spanish grammar rules.

Spanglish tends to be more prevalent in the Americas, where the influence of English is so much stronger than in mainland Spain. Here, the use of verbs such as chequear (to check) is common, whilst the ‘standard’ versions (comprobar or verificar) are used in Spain. The use of English words for modern technological terms is also widespread in many languages, and this has given rise to ‘new’ Spanish verbs such as textear, meaning ‘to text’ and other similar verbs like emailear and even twitterear.

Basic nouns also frequently pass between languages – so the appearance of words like mañana, amigo and tortilla in English could also be classed as Spanglish, and likewise in the other direction, words like el sándwich and el mouse have passed into everyday Spanish.

In today’s increasingly globalised world, it seems certain that this flow of words between languages is going to increase. If you would like to learn more about new and ‘true’ Spanish, then our native tutors can offer Private Spanish Lessons throughout the London area.