David is quickly picking up the Spanish language (and hopefully you are, too), so it only makes sense that the vocabulary gets a little more descriptive, too, right?  I mean, it’s nice to know how to describe a person as alto (tall), bajo (short), rubio (blonde), gordo (fat), etc… but that’s all a little general, isn’t it?  Piercings, accessories, etc… are just as important when it comes to describing another person – And that is exactly why Bueno, entonces… provides you with all of that useful vocabulary.

In the following clip, David (student) and Jimena (teacher) are already in class 15, and David is convinced that he was once robbed…by Gwen Stefani.  Jimena isn’t buying it, but you take a look for yourself– the footage is there!

So how about it?  Do you believe David’s story?  Neither do we.  But did you at least understand it?  We hope so!  To better understand the teaching method that we use on the Pizarra Mí¡gica (Magic Whiteboard), take a look at the Color & Symbol Key, where you will find a breakdown of all the grammatical terms that are represented each time Spanish is spoken.

A review of this particular Spanish class as well as the rest of the classes in the Bueno, entonces… series is available here-

If this style of teaching interests you, go ahead and take a look at the Bueno, entonces… learn Spanish website, too!  The whole series is downloadable for your iPhone, iPod, Blackberry, etc…, and there are over 18 hours of Spanish classes to be watched!  And the best part?  These Spanish classes, unlike most others out there, will actually keep your attention (Check out our Youtube page to see clips from all of our Spanish lessons.) How can you say no?

Need some help with your Spanish numbers?  Alright, maybe you’re a pro when it comes to 1-10, maybe even all the way to 20, but how about the bigger numbers?  We’re talking hundreds here.

Luckily, that’s another subject that Bueno, entonces… happens to cover in one of the 30 Spanish classes in the series.  Here’s a clip from Spanish class 6, in which Jimena and David are having their weekly Saturday review over the phone, practicing – you guessed it – numbers!

Take a look at our Color & Symbol Key to better understand our subliminal teaching method on the Pizarra Mí¡gica!  You can also read a review of this Spanish class as well as the rest of the classes in the series by visiting this Bueno, entonces…review website.

Do you feel like this is a language program that you could actually stick with?  That’s why we made it– we can’t sit and read about grammar for hours, either.  We like to see Bueno, entonces… learn Spanish as the perfect balance between Rosetta Stone and South Park, and what better combination could there be?  Check out our language learning software website to find the whole downloadable 30-class series for only $147. If you’re a Facebook fan, you not only learn useful Spanish phrases everyday – you also save $50 on the program!

An important thing to know in any language is how to give and get directions.  Left, right, forward, etc…  How else would you ask someone how to get to their house, a bar, a restaurant, or wherever else it might be that you want to go?  It’s important stuff.  Which is why Bueno, entonces has a clip from one of our classes to help you out!

Here, our teacher, Jimena, challenges our student, David, to give her directions to a donde sea (wherever), all the while practicing the imperativo (imperative tense– this is the tense you use for commands or directions).  Give it a look!

Note the color-coding and symbols used on the Pizarra Mí¡gica– this is the key to our teaching method!  We provide color-coding of certain types of words (nouns, adverbs, etc…) and symbols of various tenses, expressions, etc… This way, as you continue with the classes, your mind starts to catch onto the use of each of these without you even noticing– you’re learning and you don’t even know it!  Now how cool is that?  To check out what all the colors and symbols mean, take a look at our Color & Symbol Key.

See how easy it is to improve your Spanish? If you really want to learn to speak Spanish in a hurry – try our set of 30 Spanish lessons. More than 18 hours of funny, quirky videos that will help you speak and understand Spanish the way it is really used by native speakers – way better than a traditional Spanish grammar class. Only $147 to download all 30 classes and you can learn Spanish on your computer, iPod, iPhone, Blackberry – anything with a screen!

We’re not bad people, and we don’t mean to bash on Rosetta Stone– alright, alright… we do have a tendency to voice our opinions in a strong manner about the Stone program, but we swear, it’s all for a good reason: to prevent you from buying a program that might not be right for you!

But we have to admit, some of their advertisements are pretty funny…  Check out this video we found on YouTube (best site of life–after ours, of course).  It isn’t actually meant to be funny, but we couldn’t help but burst out laughing after watching it, so we thought we’d share it with all of you!  Hey, everyone can use a good laugh!

We don’t mean to tease, but really, does that program look like much fun? Not really.  And do you think you’ll stick with it if it’s not interesting?  Probably not.  So then what good is it?

Read an review on all of our classes at taraenbuenosaires.blogspot.com, and check out the Bueno, entonces… website just to see what we are all about– watch a couple of the demos and let us know what you think!  The whole program has over 18 hours of Spanish classes available as a download for your Blackberry, ipod, iphone, etc…, and all for $147!  Come on, get out of the Stone age.

One of the toughest aspects when it comes to learning Spanish is the fact that there are so many different tenses.  It feels overwhelming from the get-go just to take in the concept of conjugating for one tense, much less 20 (or more).  It gets easier with time, we promise, but we find the best way to learn is to simply listen and watch people use it, and you’ll pick it up without even noticing.

In this clip, David decided to be a bit of an ass (what’s new?) to Jimena, but luckily Jimena can hold her own.  Watch as they battle it out between themselves using the various tenses.

As we mentioned before, watching and listening to people speak Spanish will help you pick up the tenses so much faster that if you were to do just one or the other– that’s why we have the Pizarra Mí¡gica (Magic Whiteboard)!  The symbols and colors used help your brain to sort out the different tenses, types of words, and other grammatical concepts without you even noticing.  Take a look at our Color & Symbol Key to better understand.

Does this type of learning seem to work well for you?  Check out the rest of the Bueno, entonces… series on our website– a download of over 18 hours of classes for your ipod, iphone, or Blackberry, all for only $147!  A small price to pay for a language program that you will actually stick with.

Here at Bueno, entonces…learn Spanish we feel it is important to keep everyone updated on what major changes are happening in the Spanish-speaking world.  This is not only because it is important to know what is going on around the world, but also because if you ever plan on visiting any of these countries, you ought to know a bit about what is happening there, don’t you think?  So here’s a bit about the recent noticias (news) in Argentina…

For a paí­s Catí³lico (Catholic country), Argentina is looking pretty liberal these days.  First, they legalized the personal use of marihuana, and now they have officially given a marriage license for the first time to an Argentine gay couple.  And all within just a few months!

A earlier post explained the new law regarding personal use of marihuana being legalized, as long as it does not harm anyone else.  In this case, Argentina was following a few other Latin American countries in decriminalizing marihuana (Venezuela, Colombia, and a few others have made similar movements in the past months).  And that happened this past August.  As of this past week, the government of Buenos Aires has agreed to allow the first matrimonio (marriage) between two men to take place.  And they are the first ones in all of Latin America to do so.  Way to pave the way, Argentina!

It’s funny, though, because Argentina seems to be more progressive in this aspect than, say, the United States, even though Argentina is officially a paí­s Catí³lico (the presidente has to be Catholic, they still give money to the iglesia Catí³lica, etc…)

The ruling stated that it is against the Argentine constitucií³n to deny equal rights to all– including the right to wed.  They have allowed uniones civiles (civil unions) since 2002, and although matrimonio homosexual (homosexual/gay marriage– you can use, ‘gay’ here, too) is not officially part of the law yet, allowing this couple to wed has set a precedente that other couples in the future can refer to.  Which is still a huge deal!

To read more about this major change taking place in Argentina, visit this page from the New York Times.

Hopefully knowing more about Argentina might help convince you to come visit… be sure and let us know when you do! We’ll go have a Fernet and some beef, and maybe conjugate some verbs while we are at it. Just bring us some Twizzlers and you’ll get the deluxe royal treatment. Seriously.

If you want to learn to speak Spanish now, check out Bueno, entonces… before you head on down. You’ll learn Spanish grammar and tons of useful Spanish phrases that’ll make you the coolest Gringo around. AND if you’re a Facebook Fan, you get $50 off the program!

Alright, for those of you who aren’t familiar with the tango culture, this music video will not only help you with your Spanish, but it will act as your Tango 101 class, too.

First and foremost, tango is not just a dance.  Tango is a type of music, too, and the most popular tango singer of all time is, without a doubt, Carlos Gardel.  As you probably imagined, Carlos Gardel was Argentine, and lived most of his life in Buenos Aires.  However, he was originally born in either Uruguay or France in 1887 or 1890 (his birthdate and place is still disputed), and died a tragic death in a plane crash in Medellí­n, Colombia at about the age of 45.  His legend is still very much alive, especially in Buenos Aires, which is why we chose one of his songs to put up on the Pizarra Mí¡gica (Magic Whiteboard).

The particular song that we chose is called ‘Por una cabeza,’ which means ‘By a head (of a horse)‘.  Ya, it sounds strange, but the song is about a man who is a horse track gambler, which is a hugely popular sport in Argentina, even today.  In the song, he compares his addiction to horses to his attraction to women.  This song is incredibly famous and has been used in loads of modern films and television shows, so don’t be surprised if you recognize it.

Take it away, Carlos!

You might have noticed that this song is full of unusual words that you might have never heard before.  Example:  Timba (a gamble). That’s because a lot of them are either lunfardo (Argentine slang that originated from tango) or particular to horse-racing– so not to worry, you’ll get around just fine without knowing these words.  Unless you happen to be a fanatic of horse races, that is…

Like this way of learning Spanish?  Check our more clips from our Spanish classes on Youtube.   And don’t forget to visit the Bueno, entonces…learn Spanish to find over 18 hours of Spanish lessons that will actually keep your attention!  The whole series is available as a download for your iPod, iPhone, Blackberry, etc…, and all for $147 – Facebook Fans also get an extra $50 off!

So you’re out at a bar, and you meet this really great girl or guy.  You’re chatting and really hitting it off.  Things are getting kinda heated, and you just can’t keep your hands off of each other.  Before you know it, you are about to rip each other’s clothes off– but you can’t because you’re in a bar.  And without having noticed, everyone else in the bar has moved as far from you as possible, because you are grossing everyone out with your blatant PDA.  The natural next step would be to go to ‘my place or yours’– but you’ve got a pesky roommate, and he/she lives with their parents.  What now? You’re flipping through your Spanish dictionary, trying to figure out what to say next, but alas, there are no words – you’re stuck.

Undoubtedly, you or a friend of yours has been in this situation before.  And it sucks.  For everyone.  For you.  For the other person.  For all the people in the bar who you accidentally got in the way while you were busy groping each other.  For some reason, North America and Europe haven’t really caught onto this awkward situation, but South America has known about it for a while.  And as awkward as it is, they not only confront it, but they have a solution: Albergues Transitories (literally, temporary lodging), or more commonly referred to as telos.

Telo comes from the word hotel, but al vesre, which is a type of Argentine slang in which the words are reversed (hotel->telo. Get it?).  Basically, what a telo is, is a hotel that you pay for by the hour.  Obviously, they are not meant to be used as lodging, but rather for…orgasmic experiences.  These telos are typically pretty cheap, and are very, very careful about keeping your privacy.  You go in, you pay for however long you want, and you leave when your time is up.  Simple as that.

Telos are not as taboo as you would expect them to be– in fact, most South Americans don’t seem to have any trouble chatting about their experiences in telos, but who they go to the telos with is a completely different story.  There are two main time slots in which telos are the busiest: mid-day and late-night.  Late-night is understandable, but why mid-day?  The age-old clichí© of men and their secretaries is pretty common, so come lunchtime, telos are full of businessmen and women. ¡Que escí¡ndalo! (How scandalous!) [FYI: One of the more important Spanish phrases to know.]

Telos are located all around the city, as well as on the outskirts, and typically they can be a little hard to spot if you don’t know what you’re looking for.  Subtle signs can clue you into whether you are walking past any old apartment building or a telo, but if you don’t know the signs, you would never notice.

The idea of a telo is very basic: just provide them with a bed, some flattering lighting, and maybe a large mirror.  But some telos go over and beyond these simple expectations.  Jacuzzis, open roofs, touch-screens to control everything from music to lighting to vibrating beds, costumes, and even themed rooms are not uncommon.  Hey, it’s all a business!

Check out this article from an English newspaper here in Argentina called the Argentimes to read a bit more about telos and see some photos!

As you can probably imagine, the subject of telos comes up in Bueno, entonces… David is asking to borrow Jimena’s apartment in “Spanish Class 20 – Bueno, entonces… yo pongo un plí¡stico...” and she tells him maybe he should go to a telo. For a review of Learn Spanish Level II Class 20,- or to see a review of all 30 classes, check out Jeff’s Bueno, entonces…/Rosetta Stone Pepsi Challenge blog.

Of course, if you want to really start speaking and understanding Spanish the way real people talk, check out Bueno, entonces… Learn Spanish Levels I & II – only $147 for our language learning software set: 30 classes (18 hours of conversational Spanish instruction).

Levantarse.  Hacerse.  Reirse. Oh, reflexive verbs.  What a pain.

We understand that they are hard to understand, but that’s why we are here!  More specifically, that’s why David and Jimena are here.  Here is a quick clip to lighten the mood a little with reflexive verbs, but Bueno, entonces… also has several Spanish lessons dedicated to helping you better understand the concept.  It’s not easy, so adding a little humor couldn’t help, right?  Take a look!

Check out our Color & Symbol Key to better understand the Pizarra Mí¡gica learning method– each symbol and color that you see means something, and as you watch the series, your brain starts to pick up on these symbols without you even noticing.  Neat, huh?

One of the Bueno, entonces… users wrote a hilarious blog post on this class– check it out!  If you want to read a little more about the rest of our classes, she has written about the entire series, so take a look at her blog.

Our method of teaching combines humor and entertainment with learning, because, based on our experience, if you’re bored while you’re learning, you’re not going to retain any information, right?  Right.  Check out the Bueno, entonces… Learn Spanish website to download over 18 hours of hilarious Spanish lessons for your ipod, iphone, Blackberry, etc…– And the whole set is only $147 ($97 if you’re a Facebook Fan)! You can heck out clips from our Spanish classes on our Youtube channel, too!

Okay, so imagine saying ‘Hello, how are you?’  ALL the time because you don’t know any other greetings.  Pretty boring, right?  Well, same goes for Spanish: ‘Hola, como estí¡s?’  gets pretty boring, too.  Not to mention always replying with ‘Bien, gracias’.  It’s enough to drive someone crazy!

So that is why, dear readers, we have brought to you a clip from the very first class of Bueno, entonces… learn Spanish which will help you mix up your salutations a little bit.  David is telling a story to Jimena about her boyfriend (who David is jealous of) and a strange man who approaches Jimena to rub sunscreen all over her. You should probably just take a look for yourself…

As per usual, we are going to include the link to the color-coding and symbol key to help you better comprehend what the Pizarra Mí¡gica is all about, there therefore learn more Spanish!  Brilliant!

Also we’re going to give you a link to the blogs of one of our Bueno, entonces… users who has reviewed each of the classes and written about it.  He’s an English guy living in Buenos Aires, and has a blog about this Spanish lesson that you can check out, as well as all the other 29 classes in the series–take a look at his Bueno, entonces…/Rosetta Stone Pepsi Challenge blog.

Does this style of learning seem to fit you well?  Go ahead and visit our language learning software site to check out a few other demos of our classes– the whole series is over 18 hours of classes and available on DVD for $199 or as a download for your computer, iPhone, or iPod for only $147.  A small price to pay for learning a new language, wouldn’t you say? Check out our Facebook page and you can learn hilarious Spanish phrases and pick-up lines of the day!