Last week you saw Mike and his attempts to wow his lady in the First Semester of Spanish Love Song– well, we are here to tell you that Mike is not the person you should be getting help from, because, obviously, in the end he didn’t get his woman.  Instead, we’ve got a better source when it comes to complimenting a lady.  Bueno, entonces…, of course!

In the following clip from Class 28, David tries to compliment Jimena, and… okay, maybe he’s not the BEST guy to learn compliments from due to his smoothness (or lack thereof), but at least he can teach you what not to do, right?  Right.

Check out a Color & Symbol Key for the Pizarra Mí¡gica!  What’s a Pizarra Mí¡gica, you ask?  It’s Bueno, entonces…‘s key teaching method, in which the colors and symbols used on this ‘Magic Whiteboard‘ help your brain with word association, therefore making the learning of Spanish that much easier!  Brilliant, isn’t it?

Take a look at a review of this class as well as the rest of the classes in the series.  If you like this way of learning Spanish, go ahead and visit the Bueno, entonces… site– We offer over 18 hours of Spanish classes that will have you speaking and understanding Spanish in no time!  The classes are available on DVD or as a download for ipods, iphones, Blackberries… pretty much anything with a screen.  Plus, they’re funny and a blast to watch.  Check it out!

Yesterday, like any other day, I was clicking through my Google feeds (we are completely Googled-out here at the BE office– they pretty much own our lives, and don’t even know it.) and I came across a review for Bueno, entonces…, which I am always glad to see!  And better yet?  It was a good review!  In fact, an absolutely fabulous review.

This review, unlike others, was not about the program itself, but rather about our Facebook fan page.  If you’re not a fan already, you should definitely check it out– and if you’re not interested, read this review and you will surely be convinced.

First, a bit of background.  This review was posted on a site called brighthub.com, which is a website devoted to sharing knowledge about new developments in science, technology, education, and the like.  It was written by a woman that goes by the username lmaloney.  Apparently she has been a professional writer for eight years and has a background in professional Spanish interpreting and tutoring, so we’d say she definitely knows her stuff.

Alright, enough babble, check out her post, and let us know what you think!

Image taken from foodnetwork.com

What are ñoquis del 29? Well, in some South American countries, it is a tradition to eat ñoquis (gnocchis—they are potato-filled pasta balls) on the 29^th of every month. Not only that, but the ñoquis are meant to be eaten with either a banknote or a one peso coin under the plate in order to bring prosperity in the month to come.

Seems a little random, doesn’t it? Well, there’s actually reason behind it. You see, when the tradition started, people used to get paid at the end of every month (so either the 30^th or the 31^st of each month, with the exception of February). This means that by the end of the month, they were at their poorest, especially on the 29^th, as it would have been the last day before getting paid. í‘oquis are one of the cheapest foods you can buy, as they are literally made out of pasta and potatoes—two of the starchiest, most filling foods you can combine, hence, everyone ate ñoquis as their last dinner before payday.

The exact tradition varies slightly from place to place, but the concept of ñoquis del 29 exists in most of the South American countries that have a strong Italian influence, including Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Enjoy your ñoquis, y que tengas mucha prosperidad en el mes que viene (we wish you lots of prosperity in the next month)!

Start Bueno, entonces…Learn Spanish now and you’ll be speaking and understanding native Spanish in just five weeks! 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 useful Spanish phrases!

Graffiti.  In most languages, you can say the word, and despite the language differences, most people will still understand you.  Now how cool is that?  The word graffiti originated from the Italian word graffiato, which means ‘scratched‘.  Supposedly the original ‘graffiti‘ was etched into buildings and property, dating all the way back to Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.  Obviously it has changed a bit since then.  Graffiti is now defined as any art (drawing, painting, etching, etc…) or marking made in or on property.

Image taken from buenosairesperception.blogspot.com

In some cities, graffiti has taken over the streets and buildings– it is everywhere you look, and most of the time it makes the city or neighborhood look dangerous, cluttered, and tacky.  Buenos Aires is full of graffiti, and in some barrios (neighborhoods) the graffiti is seen and appreciated as art rather than vandalization.  Honestly, some of it is pretty incredible, and it undoubtedly adds character to what would be a boring cement building or tired street corner.

A lot of the graffiti we see here on a regular basis in Buenos Aires is in the form of stencils– outlines of a given design or mark that are spray-painted, making it so that all the images appear identical time after time that the stencil is used.  There are stencils regarding la polí­tica Argentina (Argentine politics), la polí­tica mundial (world politics), el arte (art), random crap, and basically any other topic you could imagine– it’s all there, clinging to the walls of the city.

In honor of the street art of Buenos Aires (and hundreds of other major cities worldwide), we present you with a little bit of street vocabulary!

Vereda/Acera/Andí©n = Sidewalk

Calle = Street

Semí¡foro = Traffic Light

Esquina = Corner

Manzana = A Block (whole square)/ Apple

Cuadra = A Block (length of one side)

Lí¡mpara de la Calle = Streetlight

Edificio = Building

Feel free to post some photos or URLs of cool graffiti that you’ve seen around– share the love!

Also, 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. Become a fan on Facebook and you’ll learn useful Spanish phrases and save $50 on the program!

So, you go to a restaurant, and you want to order a milanesa (super-popular food here– breaded veal). How do you ask the mozo (waiter)?  ’Puedo tener una milanesa?’ Uh, no.  Although the direct translation into English sounds good, that’ll be a dead giveaway that you’re not from around here.

Well, once again, Jimena (our Argentine teacher) and David (our British student) are here to save the day with a Bueno, entonces… clip all about how to order at a restaurant!  Guest starring… a talking milanesa!  Now what more could you want?

Did you pick up on the symbols and colors that were incorporated into our Pizarra Mí¡gica?  Those additions are the core of our teaching method seen in our Spanish classes – to learn more about what all of them mean, take a look at our Color & Symbol Key.

To read a review on  this specific Spanish lesson as well as the rest of the Spanish lessons in the series, visit this Bueno, entonces… vs. Rosetta Stone Pepsi Challenge website. Do you think you might have a better chance at sticking with a program like this instead of, say, Rosetta Stone?  Really, a language learning program is no good at all if it doesn’t keep your attention long enough to get you learning, which is why we are so confident about Bueno, entonces… Visit our website to check out a little more about who we are and what we are about.  We offer over 18 hours of quirky, funny Spanish classes that are available as a download for your iPod, iPhone, Blackberry – anything with a screen. Check us out!

It’s that time of week again– time for another song to help you learn Spanish on the Pizarra Mí¡gica!

Today we feature a very well know artist from the beautiful country of Colombia.  She’s absolutely gorgeous, speaks four languages fluently, and her hips just don’t lie.  Can you guess who it is?

Shakira!

The song featured today is called ‘No‘– we admit, it’s a little depressing, but we love it nonetheless.  And hey, it’s Shakira.  What’s not to love?  Hope you enjoy it!

As per usual, you can check out a Color & Symbol Key to the Pizarra Mí¡gica to better help you understand our teaching method (subliminal color-coding and symbols so that your brain automatically associates each bit of the code with the corresponding grammatical term, thus helping you learn the ugly Spanish grammar with ease.)

One bit that you might have noticed being repeated in the song is the se, as in no se puede (one cannot).  The se is used when referring to an unspecific person (English’s “one“).  Another example: Se come bien frí­o (One eats it very cold) or ¿Como se dice…? (How does one say…?)

If you think you could learn a lot from classes on the Pizarra Mí¡gica, check out the Bueno, entonces…!  We feature over 18 hours of Spanish lessons that are available on DVD and as downloads for just about anything with a screen (including iPods, iPhones, Blackberries, etc.)  ¡No se puede vivir sin entender lo que dice Shakira! (One can’t live without understanding what Shakira says!)

Rejection.  It’s just a fact of life.  For some, it is more common than others, but at one point or another, everyone gets rejected.  That is why we have dedicated a clip of Bueno, entonces… to the art of Spanish language rejection.

And, aside from David (our student) being all-too-familiar with rejections from Jimena (our teacher), we brought in another pair of experts to help you out– Wayne and Garth from Wayne’s World!

No Way!

Way!

You’ll laugh.  You’ll cry.  You’ll hurl.  Check it out!

Man, you gotta love them.  The colors and symbols used on the Pizarra Mí¡gica (Magic Whiteboard) are the key to our subliminal teaching method– your brain picks up on what these colors and symbols represent, and voilí¡!  You’re learning without even knowing it!  However, to speed up that process a bit, go ahead and take a look at the Color & Symbol Key.

Take a look at a review of this specific Spanish lesson as well as the rest of the Spanish lessons in the series by going to one of our Bueno, entonces...vs. Rosetta Stone Pepsi Challenge review sites. If you like this way of learning and want to look at a few more demos, visit the Bueno, entonces… website– the whole series of over 18 hours of fun Spanish classes is available for download on your iPod, iPhone, Blackberry – anything with a screen!

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Americans out there (and to all you Canadians, too, but a month late…)!  Thanksgiving is a holiday specific to the United States and Canada, seeing as it is the celebration of the Native Americans and the Pilgrims ‘getting along’ upon their arrival in North America.  A big, happy feast (or so they say).  Because a lot of the food is specific to the North American culture, there aren’t really Spanish words to describe everything properly.  However, we’ve put together a list of some of the important words you might want to know for your celebration of El Dí­a de Accií³n de Gracias (The day of Action of Thanks = Thanksgiving)!

Pavo = Turkey

Purí© de Papas = Mashed Potatoes

Arí¡ndano Rojo = Cranberry (literally, red blueberry–they aren’t very common here)

El Fútbol Americano = American Football (not soccer)

Tarta de Calabaza =  Pumpkin Pie

Parientes = Relatives

Las Sobras = The Leftovers

Batata = Yam or Sweet Potato

And last but not least, Gluglú Gluglú = Gobble Gobble (who knew turkeys were multilingual?)

Alright, now get off the computer and go spend some time with your loved ones– it’s Thanksgiving!

One of the aspects of South America that you just have to get used to when coming down here is the frequent occurrence of manifestaciones (demonstrations), huelgas (strikes), and the like.  We’ve mentioned public transportation strikes before in our Medios del Transporte post, and we’ve talked about the pasií³n, but now we are going to combine it all into one post about all things passionately ‘anti’!

There is always some kind of controversy going on in this country, whether it is something that the government did to piss off the citizens, the unionized workers, the farmers, etc…  Somebody is always unhappy about something.  And we appreciate the fact that they are willing to voice their opinions about anything and everything.  Still, it gets a little frustrating when it interferes with your everyday schedule (subtes (subways) are down, roads are blocked, certain foods aren’t available…)

Now, the importance of this aspect of South American life is so major that we didn’t only want to inform you about it, but also we wanted to provide you with a list of necessary vocabulary that you will undoubtedly find the need to use at one point or another (‘sorry I was late, there was a protest that blocked the main avenue’).  Here it goes!

Manifestacií³n = Demonstration

Huelga = Strike

Marcha = March

Bloqueo = Blocking (of a road, etc…)

Cacerolazo = Casserole-ing?  When they hit pots and pans together as a sign of protest/obnoxiousness

Piquetes = Picketing or Riot

Piquetero = Picketer or Rioter

Protesta = Protest

Carteles = Signs held at any sort of manifestacií³n

Paro = A hold/stop (as in the stopping of the Subtes = un paro de los Subtes)

There you have it– all the necessary vocabulary to get by in the day-to-day manifestaciones of South America!  Can you think of any other words or Spanish phrases that might be useful?  Add them in a comment here or on our Facebook page – and check our more clips of our Spanish lessons on our Youtube Page. If you want to really learn Spanish, then head on over to our language learning software page get your hands on Bueno, entonces…- you’ll be speaking conversational Spanish in just five weeks!