The final episode in the series of Show Time Spanish includes episode eight of our soap Verano Español. Just what will Laura say to Ángel and Fiona after discovering them together? And will Ramón finally have the courage to tell Laura how he feels? Find out in the long-awaited final instalment of the telenovela.
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Learning Spanish is an exciting journey, and mastering conversational skills is one of the most rewarding parts of the process. You might feel nervous about speaking as a beginner, but with regular practice and the right strategies, you can build your confidence and fluency. In this blog, we’ll explore tips to improve your Spanish conversation practice and provide short speaking exercises to get you started.
In the podcast lesson, we have an interview in Spanish that uses all the vocabulary that we have learnt so far. Listening to it is a great way of practising your listening skills. Another way of making the most of it is by listening to it and trying to answer Mark’s questions with your own answers in Spanish!
Speaking is one of the fastest ways to solidify what you’ve learned in your Spanish studies. It allows you to connect grammar and vocabulary with real-life communication.
Regular Spanish conversation practice helps you think in the language, improve pronunciation, and build confidence. To help you achieve this, we are giving you some tips to improve your Spanish conversation skills. ¡Vamos!
Focus on short, everyday phrases and questions. You don’t need complex grammar to start talking. Use simple structures to introduce yourself, ask basic questions, and answer them.
In a previous episode, we invited you to practise your speaking skills while reviewing what you have learnt. Also, in the blog article, we discuss whether or not Spanish is a difficult language to learn. Don’t miss it!
Even a few minutes of Spanish conversation practice each day can make a big difference. Repetition helps solidify your skills and reduces hesitation when speaking.
This is one of the reasons why we create our lessons so they only take you a coffee break at a time to improve and practise. Consistency is key!
Practise speaking aloud, even when you’re alone. This helps you get used to the sounds of Spanish and improves your pronunciation.
Read on because we have prepared some conversation practice for you at the end of this blog article!
If you’re unsure where to start, use questions and answers as a framework. This keeps your conversation practice focused and productive. To start, we have prepared some short speaking exercises for beginners.
Here are a few common questions you can use to practise speaking. Below each question, you’ll find suggested answers to help you frame your responses.
Suggested answer: Soy de Estados Unidos.
Suggested Answer: Sí, tengo dos hermanos y una hermana.
Suggested Answer: Soy profesor y trabajo en una universidad.
Suggested Answer: Me gusta leer y escuchar música.
Spanish conversation practice example
To make your conversation practice even more effective, try combining these exercises into a mini-dialogue. Here’s an example:
Rehearsing such conversations will help you feel more confident during real-life interactions.
Spanish conversation practice is key to becoming fluent. By starting with simple exercises, speaking regularly, and using common questions and answers as prompts, you’ll quickly build your speaking skills. Remember, consistency is essential, so dedicate a few minutes daily to practising out loud. Whether you’re practising alone or with a partner, each small step brings you closer to fluency.
In our last episode and blog article of the season, we bring you something cultural but related to languages, so don’t miss it!
Happy Coffee Breaking!
No festive period is complete without a sale, and we’re offering you 25% off all our courses right through until 31 December, midnight GMT. If you’ve been thinking about taking your language-learning more seriously next year, perhaps now is the time to jump on board and purchase one of our Season Passes. We’re delighted to be able to offer free language-learning materials to hundreds of thousands of listeners around the world, but you can take your learning to a new level with our premium materials which include lesson guides, extra listening materials and exericses for each of our courses.
To receive your 25% discount, simply use the coupon code holidays09 (lower case) at checkout when you’re buying one of our courses. If you’ve not purchased an item from us before, you can view our full range of products here, or visit the appropriate store front for Coffee Break French, Coffee Break Spanish, Show Time Spanish, One Minute Languages, or School Run French. When you complete the form, make sure you enter holidays09 in the coupon code area at the bottom of the signup page.
Please note that the 25% reduction will be applied at checkout. EU customers should be aware that the prices quoted on our signup pages do not include VAT. If you use the coupon code then the 25% discount will be applied and then 17.5% VAT will be added to the total cost. It’s worth also pointing out that as of 1st January 2010, the VAT charges will have to increase to 17.5% in line with the Inland Revenue arrangements in the UK.
Please remember to use the coupon code as you’re purchasing: no refunds will be given on any materials purchased at full price if the coupon codes have not been used.
Would you like to purchase a gift membership? If so, please contact us at support@radiolingua.com and we’ll get things set up for you. Let us know what product you wish to buy and the email address of the recipient. We’ll process your payment and send the gift membership invitation in time for Christmas. Please note that the deadline for any Christmas gifts is 17 December.
New for 2010: the Radio Lingua Club. We’ve been listening to comments from our existing premium customers and one of the most common requests is for more help and advice for learning languages. We’ve decided therefore to create a ‘club’ around this. Membership to the club will last 12 months and during this time members will receive the following benefits:
The Radio Lingua Club will involve a monthly payment of just £4.00 GBP. Alternatively you can purchase a twelve-month subscription for £36. The club will launch on January 1st 2010 with our first weekly language-learning tips podcast. We’re offering a special early-bird purchase offer where you can get 25% off the twelve-month subscription: for just £27 you will get access to a full year’s worth of podcasts, you’ll access the reduced prices throughout 2010, and you will be able to use the refer-a-friend refund too.
Please note that the Radio Lingua Club is no longer available, as of July 2011.
If 2009 has been a big year for Radio Lingua, we’re really excited about what’s coming in 2010! Our Coffee Break French listeners will be aware that we’re moving into lessons 71-80 of Coffee Break French, and we’re often asked about “what happens when Coffee Break French finishes?” Well, we’re busy planning new content for intermediate learners at the moment, and we’re sure that everyone will enjoy what will come after our existing course content.
This year we introduced our first experimental video show – Walk, Talk and Learn French. We were overwhelmed at the response to Walk, Talk and Learn, but as a small company we’ve been limited in terms of the time required to produce more shows. Fans of the show will be delighted to know that we’ve filmed a second series and are working on the content at the moment, ready for launch early in 2010.
We’re a couple of days away from releasing the last ever episode of Show Time Spanish, which has developed into one of our most popular shows. As we’ve explained to listeners, Show Time took an enormous amount of work to produce each episode and we feel that we can’t continue the show in its current format. However, we are sure that Show Time Spanish listeners won’t be disappointed with what we have planned for release in the new year. We’re working on new content which will continue to feature native-speaker conversations and in-depth study of the language. We can’t say too much now, but we’ll be making some announcements early in the New Year.
If you’re interested in languages other than French and Spanish then we’re very pleased to announce that 2010 will bring more content for Italian and German learners and that we’ll continue to increase our range of One Minute Languages.
Last, but by no means least, since September we’ve been working in conjunction with schools in the UK through Radio Lingua Schools, and we’ve been involved in several projects involving languages and creative technologies. In 2010 we’re going to be looking more at the resources side of Radio Lingua Schools and have started work on a major new course for children, due to be launched in August 2010.
Of course, as we’ve said many times, we’re still a small company and we’re doing our best to continue to produce high quality, engaging materials. We hope that 2010 will bring further opportunities for new projects, collaboration and new ideas!
Of course we have lots of ideas as to our new developments, but we’re really interested to hear about your ideas. To this end, we’re asking for 10 minutes of your time and we hope that you’ll be willing to share some of your thoughts about language-learning and your next steps as a learner.
We’ve devised a survey and would be very grateful if you would tell us a little about your language-learning and your experience using Radio Lingua materials. You can give as much or as little detail as you wish, but obviously it’s extremely useful to us if you can provide as much information as possible. There are different sections of the survey, depending on which language(s) you learn with Radio Lingua, and on whether you listen to the free content or use our premium materials. You’ll be guided through the survey and we’ll try to explain why we’re asking what we’re asking.
If you complete the survey you’ll be invited to enter a prize draw – there’s an iPod Touch up for grabs along with five platinum season passes to a language course of your choice!
To start taking the survey now, click here.
Join Mark and Alba in the final regular episode of Show Time Spanish! Review key phrases, test your skills, and enjoy one last lesson—listen now!
In this 30th episode of Coffee Break French, Mark and Anna look at one activity which learners traditionally find difficult in a foreign language: using the telephone. Please note that lesson 30 of Season 2 was originally known as lesson 70 of Coffee Break French. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make things more simple for our listeners.
When you’re learning Spanish, it’s easy to focus on everyday vocabulary for travel, food, or directions. But what happens when you need to describe symptoms, ask for medicine, or handle a sudden health issue? Knowing basic Spanish medical terms can make a huge difference, especially when talking to pharmacists or doctors.
To help, we’ve prepared a quick guide along with three dialogues set in a pharmacy. At the end of this post, you’ll find comprehension questions to test your understanding, plus answers to check your progress.
For a more immersive learning experience, tune into our podcast episode, where you’ll hear a real-life conversation at a pharmacy and discover more tips on understanding Spanish medical terms.
Whether you’re travelling or living abroad, understanding basic Spanish medical terms gives you more confidence when discussing health. In a pharmacy, you may need to talk about symptoms, explain an allergy, or find a quick remedy for minor health issues.
Being able to explain what you feel and understand basic responses is invaluable, especially if you need urgent help. In this episode, we’ll help you consolidate what you have learnt about Spanish medical terms. Before we dive into it, remember to check out our episodes to review how to use me duele and how to explain your symptoms in Spanish.
To help you practise some Spanish medical terms, we have created three dialogues for you to read or to read out loud. In the audio episode, you’ll find a different dialogue, so that way you can keep practising!
After the dialogues, we have included some comprehension questions. You’ll find the answers at the end of this article. ¡Mucho ánimo!
In this dialogue, Ana goes to the pharmacy with an unusual rash and is unsure of its cause.
In this dialogue, Carlos feels dizzy and wonders if he’s suffering from sunstroke.
In this last dialogue, Lucía feels feverish and goes to the pharmacy for advice.
Let’s test your reading comprehension. Can you answer the following questions? The answers are at the end of this article. ¡Suerte!
Learning medical vocabulary in Spanish doesn’t have to be intimidating. With a few key terms and practical expressions, you’ll feel more at ease when discussing health.
For more practice, listen to our latest podcast episode. You’ll hear a conversation at a pharmacy, allowing you to learn and build confidence.
In our next episode and blog post, we’ll have a look at an interview with Bea, a native Spanish speaker, who is going to tell us a bit more about herself. Mark and Bea will be talking about Spanish language learning. ¡No te lo pierdas!
Happy Coffee Breaking!
In this episode Mark is joined by Sofía from Argentina and Ana Isabel from Ecuador. Language points discussed include the difference between si no and sino, using hace with a time phrase, and voseo, the use of vos in Rioplatense Spanish.
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Learning how to ask for directions in Spanish is essential, especially if you’re travelling to a Spanish-speaking country. In this episode, we’ll walk you through some essential vocabulary and phrases to use when asking for and giving directions in Spanish. We’ve also included a sample dialogue between a tourist and a local to give you real-life context.
For those looking to improve listening comprehension, we also recommend tuning in to our podcast episode, where you’ll hear a real-life Spanish conversation about asking for directions.
When exploring a new place, knowing a few key phrases for asking directions can be incredibly helpful. Spanish is widely spoken across the globe, and even knowing just a few phrases can make navigating easier.
By learning how to ask for directions in Spanish, you’ll not only become more independent in your travels but also have a better chance of connecting with locals. And as we go through some helpful phrases, remember that giving directions in Spanish follows some standard patterns, which you’ll get familiar with in this guide.
If you don’t know how to ask for directions in Spanish, don’t forget to listen again to the lesson or read the blog article about asking for directions in Spanish before this episode. ¡Será de gran ayuda!
Below is a sample dialogue where a tourist is asking for information at a tourist information centre. Let’s imagine María, the tourist, is looking for a post office and a popular tourist attraction.
This short dialogue will help you remember how to ask for directions in Spanish, but remember that the audio podcast features a longer and more detailed dialogue.
You can read the dialogue out loud to practise your pronunciation while consolidating how to ask for directions in Spanish.
In this dialogue, we see María using some of the most essential phrases for how to ask for directions in Spanish. Let’s go over the key parts:
This is a straightforward dialogue, but it’s packed with phrases and structure that can be very helpful as you learn to ask for directions in Spanish.
Here are some tips to make the most out of these phrases when travelling:
If you want to hear more examples and practise with real-life conversations, be sure to listen to our podcast episode, where you’ll hear Spanish speakers discussing directions and asking for information. It’s a great way to familiarise yourself with pronunciation and get used to the flow of natural dialogue.
By learning how to ask for directions in Spanish and understanding these common phrases, you’ll be able to navigate new places with greater confidence. Remember that most locals are patient and they appreciate it when you try to speak their language, even if it’s just a few phrases.
So, don’t hesitate to practise – the more you do, the more comfortable you’ll feel! In our next episode and blog article of Coffee Break Spanish, we practise and consolidate our medical knowledge so you feel confident at the doctor’s.
This weekend (Friday 30th October – Sunday 1st November) the Radio Lingua team will be at the Language Show in London’s Olympia. We’ll be talking to language learners, answering questions, and offering visitors the chance to win a new iPod nano (the cool one with the video camera!) pre-loaded with a premium language course of your choice. There are free tickets available for the show from the official website and we’ll be among hundreds of companies and organisations involved in language learning who will be exhibiting.
Come along and chat with Mark from Coffee Break Spanish/French and Pierre-Benoît from Walk, Talk and Learn French. If you’re a teacher you can find out more about our education workshops and products through Radio Lingua Schools, and take advantage of our show offers (40% off any subscription when bought at the show). We’ll be tweeting from the show about interesting language-learners we meet, so make sure you’re following @radiolingua on Twitter if you can’t attend.
This week’s Coffee Break French deals with hiring a car in a French-speaking area. Like our last episode, this lesson focuses on using the language we’ve been working on recently in a practical context. Please note that lesson 29 of Season 2 was originally known as lesson 69 of Coffee Break French. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make things more simple for our listeners.
This week Mark returns with Loreto for the second of our Chilean episodes of Show Time Spanish. In episode 37 we learn a bit more about Chilean culture and Loreto teaches Mark some Chilean expressions.
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On 18th October 2006, episode one of a new language-learning podcast called Coffee Break Spanish was released to the world. This show was a bit different from the other Spanish learning shows out there: it was a gradual introduction to basic Spanish presented by teacher Mark, teaching student Kara. At this stage no-one really knew if the idea would work, but Coffee Break Spanish grew to become one of the most popular ways to learn Spanish online. The show quickly climbed the charts on iTunes UK and US, and began to feature in the top podcasts at Podcast Alley and on Libsyn.
Three years down the line and the Radio Lingua Network now produces twenty-seven language courses in eighteen languages and this week saw the sixty millionth download of our language lessons! That means – on average – around 55,000 downloads per day, every day for the last three years.
To celebrate this milestone in our company’s development, we’re reducing everything to 60% of the normal prices, ie. 40% off, for one week only, from noon GMT on 18th October through to midnight GMT on 25th October. There has never been a better time to purchase our lesson guides, enhanced podcasts and extra listening materials. Simply use coupon code sixty when you sign up for any of our shows. You can choose between Coffee Break Spanish, Coffee Break French and Show Time Spanish, or indeed one of our shorter One Minute or TwitterLearn courses. By purchasing a membership you can access a range of materials including pdf lesson guides featuring the words and phrases included in each lesson, enhanced podcasts which are perfect for listening on the iPod Touch or iPhone where you can see the flashcards synchronised to the audio, and bonus listening materials to help you improve your language skills even more.
Please note that the coupon code can’t be used in conjunction with any other offer and is limited to one purchase per member. Please note too that in order to qualify for the discount, the coupon code must be used at checkout time. We can’t offer retrospective discounts if the coupon code was not used.
We’ve been reading your comments regarding discussion boards and building a community around our lessons. Our previous discussion boards were created before we developed our membership system, so were unfortunately not linked to the system. Today we’re launching our new Community area where listeners can interact with each other, share their language-learning experiences and benefit from collaborative learning with fellow listeners. Accessing the Community is free, but you’ll need to sign up for an account in our system, so we’ll hopefully avoid the spam problems we’ve had in the past.
If you’re already a member of our system then you’ll be able to access My Courses in the community, where we’ll lead activities and generate discussions in which you can practise what you’ve learned in each lesson. My Courses is restricted to our premium members, so if you’ve purchased a Season Pass to Coffee Break French Level 2, you’ll see this course in My Courses, allowing you to interact with your fellow learners in the activities and discussions there. And if you’re not yet a premium member, you can join this week at a hugely discounted price! We’re looking forward to interacting with all our learners in My Courses.
Any questions? Get in touch with us, or post your question in our Community area.
Here’s to many more years of language learning with Radio Lingua!
Recently we’ve been experiencing a huge number of problems with our server. It appears that the traffic to our site and our podcasts has been growing significantly, which is fantastic. However, it meant that fairly suddenly we outgrew our existing server and needed to rework things quite a bit. As you probably know, we’re a very small company with just three core members of staff and we don’t have a technical department ready to tackle any small – or bigger – issues which crop up. We tend to do everything in house which of course means that if we’re tackling technical problems then the ongoing teaching and production will inevitably suffer.
However, this time round the problems were just too great and we’ve been working with some very helpful technical wizards and over the past two weeks we’ve been preparing all our content for a huge migration over to a new server. With hundreds of lessons in many languages, and several parts of our site all spread across different servers, it has been quite a job bringing everything together and putting it back together again on our new server. The final stage of the migration began yesterday and by the time you read this we should be fully migrated.
In this changeover time we’ve missed a few comments and some users have had problems accessing materials. We are confident that these problems have been resolved and that all users should now be able to access the materials associated with their free or paid subscriptions.
For users there shouldn’t really be anything visible that has changed, other than the fact that all our sites (with the exception of our Helpdesk at radiolinguahelpdesk.com) will now be accessed at radiolingua.com, instead of being shared across radiolingua.com, rlnvault.com and radiolinguamedia.com. To make sure you’re on the right site, simply check your browser bar which should read https://coffeebreaklanguages.com/… Members’ materials should also be accessed via radiolingua.com.
One other point which is worth mentioning is that where we’ve updated our premium content you’ll notice that the podcast names in iTunes have changed from “RLN Coffee Break French…” (or equivalent) to “RLN * Coffee Break French”, ie. with an asterisk after RLN. This will only be the case for active feeds, those which are being actively updated, ie. Coffee Break Spanish, Coffee Break French and Show Time Spanish.
Well, since you ask, yes! But you’ll have to wait until Sunday 18th October to find out what! Sunday is a bit of a special day, and we’ll explain everything then.
Finally, on behalf of our small team, I’d like to thank all our listeners and premium subscribers for your patience and understanding both in the past few weeks and in the coming days as we work through any possible teething troubles with our new setup. We hope that the new server and a more robust, integrated site setup will make it easier to access our materials and learn more languages.
Mark Pentleton
Radio Lingua Director
Shopping can be a delightful experience, especially when you get to practice a new language. For beginner learners, understanding key Spanish shopping vocabulary can make your experience more enjoyable and less stressful.
In this blog article, we’ll explore essential phrases and words to help you navigate stores and markets in Spanish-speaking countries. Whether you’re a fan of shopping or just need to buy a few essentials, this knowledge will come in handy.
We have another blog article and episode on shopping, so if you want to know the basics of shopping, we recommend you cover that vocabulary first. If you feel confident enough, then let’s get started and learn more useful phrases to use when going shopping for clothes.
As always, don’t forget to listen to the podcast to get a good understanding of how to pronounce correctly the phrases we’ll be learning in the article. ¡Empezamos!
When you first enter a store, it’s helpful to know some basic phrases to start your shopping experience in Spanish. After the question, ¿Puedo ayudarle? (Can I help you?) you can answer by saying what you would like to buy.
These phrases are perfect for expressing your needs and preferences. For example, you might say, Quisiera ver esos zapatos, which means I would like to see those shoes.
The phrases that we have just seen are mostly interchangeable, but quiero is the most direct and informal and quisiera is the most formal one.
One of the most important aspects of the Spanish shopping vocabulary is finding the right size. Here are some phrases to help you ask for the correct one:
Using these phrases, you can ensure that you get the right fit for your clothes or shoes.
Trying on clothes is a crucial part of the shopping experience in Spanish. Here are some phrases to help you with that.
As you can see, in these three sentences we use the reflexive verb probarse, which means ‘to try something on’.
When interacting with store staff, this Spanish shopping vocabulary can be particularly useful:
These phrases help you understand availability and complete your transactions smoothly.
Shopping in Spanish can be a fun and rewarding way to practice your language skills. By familiarising yourself with this Spanish shopping vocabulary, you can confidently navigate stores and communicate your needs effectively.
Whether you’re saying Quisiera probarme estos zapatos I would like to try on these shoes, or asking ¿Tiene una treinta y ocho? Do you have a size 38?, these phrases will make your shopping experience much smoother.
Remember, practice makes perfect, and shopping is a great way to immerse yourself in the language. So next time you’re out and about, try using some of these phrases and enjoy the experience.
In the next episode and blog article, we will cover some essential vocabulary to avoid getting lost in a place, directions in Spanish.
¡No te lo pierdas y happy Coffee Breaking!
¡Estamos de vuelta! It’s been a few weeks since our last episode of Show Time Spanish, and this has been the result of major server problems. We’ve completed a migration of all our content to new servers today, and we’re delighted to be back with a new episode of Show Time Spanish in which Mark is joined by Loreto, from Chile. In this first of two episodes with Loreto, we learn about the geography and culture of Chile.
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It’s time to put the language we’ve been learning into practice and return to some transactional situations, this time equipped with a thorough understanding of how the language works. In this week’s show Mark and Anna discuss travelling by taxi in French, and use the constructions and expressions learned in recent weeks within this context. Please note that lesson 28 of Season 2 was originally known as lesson 68 of Coffee Break French. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make things more simple for our listeners.
In this week’s show we’re returning to our telenovela, Verano Español. It’s the morning after the night before when Ángel arrived drunk at Iona’s party. Needless to say Laura’s dad isn’t very impressed with Ángel! Laura’s friend Fiona arrives from Scotland and the love triangle threatens to become a square! As usual, in Act II, Mark will help listeners understand the story by working through a series of questions and answers about what happens in this episode.
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For beginner learners of Spanish, knowing how to use a map and ask about tourist attractions is essential, specially when visiting small villages in Spanish speaking countries. That’s why this blog post will guide you through some useful phrases and vocabulary, organised by topic, to help you use a map in Spanish and explore like a local.
If you think you need some help with the names of the main buildings you can find in a city, remember that we learnt that in a previous episode. Don’t hesitate and revise your knowledge!
When you are ready, don’t forget to listen to the podcast version of this article. We extend the vocabulary and you’ll hear a conversation to continue practising your Spanish. ¡No esperes más!
When you’re in a new city and want to find out what’s interesting to see, you can use the phrase:
This is a great way to start a conversation and get recommendations from locals.
Knowing how to say tourist attractions in Spanish is very useful, so here are some common tourist attractions you might find on a map in Spanish:
These terms will help you identify and discuss specific places you might want to visit.
When visiting the tourist attractions you find on your map in Spanish, it’s important to ask about opening hours and costs. Here are some useful phrases:
These questions will help you plan your visit more efficiently.
With these phrases and vocabulary, you’ll be well-equipped to use a map in Spanish and explore tourist attractions with ease. Whether you’re asking for directions or finding out more about the places you want to visit, these Spanish phrases will make your travel experience more enjoyable and immersive.
Remember, practice makes perfect, so don’t hesitate to use these phrases during your travels.
In the next episode, we’ll go shopping and learn some vocabulary and phrases related to that, so don’t miss it!
Happy Coffee Breaking!
In this week’s lesson we’re building on the verbal constructions we’ve been learning over the past few weeks and introducing the phrase après avoir fait quelque chose. This lesson also explains what happens when an être verb is used with this construction. Please note that lesson 27 of Season 2 was originally known as lesson 67 of Coffee Break French. We have renumbered the lessons of each season as lessons 1-40 to make things more simple for our listeners.
After our recent server problems, we’re back with Show Time Spanish! We’re staying in Mexico in episode 34 of Show Time as Mark and Juan discuss some of the interesting aspects of Mexican Spanish. ¡Todo está padrísimo en este episodio! Language points covered include pedir a alguien que + subjunctive, the expression referirse a, and llevarse a cabo. José’s intermedio concentrates on phrases which involve being angry or in a bad mood.
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Coffee Break Languages is a product of Radio Lingua Ltd.
