It’s the weekend catch-up session again, and Jimena and David are both partaking in a spot of stalking…David is in Mendoza spying on his mother with the Tango instructor, and Jimena is following her boyfriend because she is convinced he is cheating on her. Unfortunate, but let”s be honest, all these gorgeous Argentine men allegedly cheat- before I came here I was warned that it’s a given (and it turns out he is probaly not even cheating, she’s just a really bad cook!) Ah dear, i’m sure there are no such exciting dramas on ‘learn Spanish’ programmes such as Rosetta Stone. So as usual the Saturday catch lesson has been a games session. “Veo Veo” is the Spanish version of “I Spy” and is useful to recap. The games this week have covered place descriptions and well as grammar and comparisons, and are a really good way to reiterate the lessons learnt throughout the week. “Corregi a la Profe” goes down particularly well with David (Correct the Teacher!) and is used to practice the correct useage of “por” and “para”- i”m still not impressed that there is a time for “for”and a time for “for! And while i”m on one of my favourite rant and rave subjects (the complicated nature of Espanol) today”s little lesson in complication was the fact that that word “banco”not only describes a bank, but also a bench. So be careful where you deposit your money! Now i”m going out, because I should not be aldentro, on the computer, on a lovely day like this!

Want to check out more from this reviewer? You can see her Rosetta Stone/Bueno, entonces…Pepsi Challenge blog here – and check out clips of our Spanish classes on our Youtube page. Become a Fan on Facebook and learn a new Spanish phrase everyday!

Well, a class with an abundance of information and a little sad, but comical, story to go with it and thus provide some much needed entertainment when learning Spanish or any other language. Apparently the hapless student had a torrid time at the Telo the previous evening along with his vecinita Mariana, with the room being a disaster leading to a fairly unsuccessful night…..for sure he could have benefited from the abundance of vocabulary featured in this class…..or are the Bueno, entonces… learn Spanish team feeding us a barrel full of chamuyo and none of these events ever happened……keeps the mind curious I suppose!!

Covered in today’s lesson were house and home descriptions, objects and adjectives to go with them, kitchen and bathroom vocabulary, comparisons and superlatives. Is always good when you stumble across something so simple as superlatives when attempting to learn a language…..all you are required to do is take the adjetivo and add isimo, e.g. guapo – guapisimo and bueno – buenisimo!!! Another worthy topic discussed today were comparisons, also for me an easy function to remember. There are too structures for these with one being mas/menos + adjetivo + que (more/less…..than) and the other tan/no es tan + adjetivo + como (as/not as…..as).

In all a good class with plenty of learning points, which for me is far better than prolonged no destination conversations. And to finish there was a mention of transvestites for tomorrow, could prove to be interesting as I see plenty on my home from work most days!

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!

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!