Uses of Before and After – Spanish Exercises

When telling a story it is always important to explain when things happened. Often we use the phrases ‘before…’ and ‘after…’ to help give an idea of a timeline of events. In english it is a relatively straightforward structure, however in spanish it gets a little more complicated. Follow the examples used below to learn how to use the subjunctive to make your stories even better!

before and after

Now that you have learnt about the rules for ‘before’ and ‘after’, you should head to our website to find more infographics to help your spanish language!

And now that you have learnt about ‘before’ and ‘after’, check out this article about Flamenco vocabulary and how to use it, you will love it!

Containers and Portions in Spanish – Spanish Exercises

In every country, in every language, there are different ways of naming containers and portions, like a pint of beer or a glass of wine. You will need to spend a lot of time in Spain if you want to learn how to order specifically what you are looking for in a bar, pub, or a restaurant. However, we might have something that will help you get started and became a master in containers and portions in Spanish.

Would you know how to order a good glass of wine in Spanish in one of those amazing taverns? “Copa de vino“, that’s an easy one, but the names of other containers and portions in Spanish may be a headache, because not only drinks are sizeable, food is too. So, here is a little quiz to help you out.

Match the containers and portions in Spanish with their corresponding pictures and memorize them or… take them wherever you go!

Containers and Portions in Spanish - Spanish Exercises

Do you want to continue your Spanish learning? Check out the infographics of different levels that we have in our Learning resources section page.

If you want to know even more about sizes and amounts, you should check out this post about amounts in Spanish.

Japanese words in Spanish – Spanish Exercises

Every language has been influenced by other languages, and Spanish is no different. We have a lot of words that come from English called anglicism, such as relax, marketing, backstage, and on and on. English has had an incredible influence around the world since it´s the most used language internationally. But the English language is not the only one that has had an influence on Spanish language; Japanese words in Spanish are influential too!

There are certain words that you will already know come from Japanese, such as sushi. But there are a few that you will probably use without thinking twice about, that also come from Japanese. It is true that Japanese words in Spanish language are quite recognizable since their structure is quite distinctive. But we assure you that there will be a few words that you have used without even realising.

Here are some examples of Japanese words that Spanish people include as common use:

Some examples of Japanese words that have influenced our language.

Now that you have learned that when you say “karaoke” you are actually using a word that came from Japan, you should check out our other infographics on our website.

And now that you have started learning about words from another language, you might want to learn words that are generally used in our “Flamenco” shows, which are really important in our country and they have their own way of expressing themselves.

Madrid’s Centennial Taverns – After Class Activities

Come join AIL Madrid on an exciting tour of Madrid’s centennial taverns!
AIL Madrid’s after class activities programme allows our students to dive into Spanish culture. The fun, daily outings provide the opportunity to undergo experiences that regular tourists can’t. Therefore, this month we want tell you all about our visit to Madrid’s centennial taverns!

They are enjoying one of the Madrid's centennial taverns

We chose two historical establishments for our special tour: Casa Alberto and Casa Labra. As we walked towards the first one, Sergio, one of the native Spanish speaking teachers from AIL and a true madrileño, told us about traditional dishes we were about to taste and right there our mouths started watering.

The first round of tapas was a couple of classics that are well-known and loved: refreshing gazpacho and patatas bravas. The element of surprise came when our teacher ordered soldaditos de Pavía and chatos de vino. Nobody knew what to expect! A few bites of soldaditos (deep-fried cod) with some sips of chatos (little glasses of wine) was delightful. Good choice, teacher!

Thanks to this tour around Madrid’s centennial taverns, we found some of the best examples of Spanish traditions in the taverns we visited! If you’re looking for fun and sociable way to explore the city, why not join us for the next AIL Madrid’s after class activity?

Also, if you want to learn how to cook Spanish food, check out this post about Spanish cooking classes in Madrid.

Bullfighting Expressions- Spanish Exercises

There are many different ways to express yourself in Spanish language. Some of them include direct comparisons with animals.  These animals are normally native within Spain. Which animal is Spain’s most representative, not because of its food providing, but because of the shows they offer? They “see red” and are picturised as often being quite angry! Indeed, we are talking about bulls, and especially, expressions related to bullfighting.

In Spanish, there are some expressions that involve certain items related to bullfighting, like “capote”; or that directly involve the bull itself. One common sentence we use, translated literally, is: “catch the bull by the horns”. This usually means confronting some kind of problems with initiative.

In this image you will be able to see other expressions related to bullfighting:

Expressions Related with Bullfighting

If you are thirsty for more knowledge about Spanish and our very curious ways of talking and expressing ourselves, take a look at the infographic section on our website. You will find many great mini-lessons, for all abilities, to help you get better at speaking Spanish!

We have a lot of different articles about Spanish that you can find interesting. For instance, if follow the link you will find out how to order drinks in Spanish, which is very useful if you go out at night in Spain.

Featured AIL Student – Franco

Franco Imperial, Student in AIL Madrid

Franco
The Philippines
28 years old
I like Spain a lot and I’m not planning on leaving. This is my country now!

When and why did you decided to study Spanish?
I started taking Spanish classes when I was 18 years old, just before going to university. I wanted to learn another language and I chose Spanish because of its similarities with my native tongue, Filipino.

You arrived in Spain two years ago to do your Master’s degree. Why did you choose Spain?
I wanted to do my degree abroad, and I chose Spain because it gave me the opportunity to perfect my Spanish skills. Spanish is spoken by loads of people world-wide, which means being able to speak it makes communication on both a personal and a professional level so much easier.

Why did you sign up for classes at AIL?
I was captivated by Madrid and Spanish culture, so after I had finished my Master’s degree, I didn’t want to leave and I started looking for a job here. I was hired by a Spanish banking and consulting company, and after confusing “hipotecas” (mortgages) with hypothesis I realized I really needed Spanish business classes. AIL Madrid was the one that always appeared when searching for the best school in the Internet, so when Steven from AIL’s Student Care Team confirmed the school offered a Spanish Business programme, I signed up almost immediately.

What was your experience like with your teachers?
My teacher, Andrea has always been able to answer all my questions and she is very knowledgable. I benefited enormously; not only did she follow the books, but she used real-life materials filling in “grey areas”, which has been SO helpful.

Would you recommend AIL Madrid?
Of course! I have already recommended AIL Madrid to my American friends who want to come to Spain and learn Spanish. I think AIL can offer a lot to people with busy agendas; I can schedule my classes whenever I need.

Do you want to meet another AIL Madrid Student? You can get to know Sandra, who started as a total beginner, in our Spanish Language Students section.

Amounts in Spanish – Spanish exercises

Have you ever tried to cook something with your Spanish friends and misunderstood how much ingredient to add? Or have you been in a Spanish cooking class but have no idea about how to say amounts in Spanish? Do not worry, because with this post you will master your next Spanish cooking session!

The little amounts are the most difficult ones, so we have given you some ways to express them in Spanish, like “una pizca de…” or “un pelín de…“. But, of course, you not only can use them when cooking. Wrong! You can also use them in some expressions like the two we’ve shown you below. Can you think of any other expressions with these amounts in Spanish?

Amounts in Spanish – Spanish exercises

Hungry for more knowledge? Do you want to continue your Spanish learning? Check out the infographics of different levels that we have in our Learning resources section page on our website. We have exercise for all abilities, so whether you are a beginner or an expert, there will be something for you!

Do you want to further expand your Spanish vocabulary library? We recommend you read this post about the Top 1000 most used words in Spanish. You are guaranteed to learn something new!

Flamenco vocabulary – Spanish exercises

Have you ever been in a flamenco show? Do you enjoy the clapping hands, the way they taconean when they dance? Do you enjoy the sound of their voices and the special and unique sound their guitars made? We are sure you do! But… but do you know how to refer to flamenco artists? Maybe you need some flamenco vocabulary.

If you really enjoy a good flamenco show you need to know how to refer to those people who perform in the stage and flamenco vocabulary needed to say in Spanish what they are doing that you enjoy so much.

In order to help you with this, we give you some Flamenco vocabulary, can you say what this words means in English? Or, even better, are you brave enough to describe the words in Spanish? Let’s see!

Flamenco Spanish vocabulary

Did this flamenco vocabulary gave you the energy to continue your Spanish learning? Check out our Learning resources section page to test your Spanish level with our quizzes.

Do you want to further expand your knowledge of Spanish? We recommend you this post about co-official languages of Spain.

Co-official languages of Spain – Spanish exercises

Did you know that in some territories of Spain we have other spoken languages besides Spanish? Two of the most well-known co-official languages of Spain are Catalan in Cataluña (Catalán), known as Català locally, or Basque in País Vasco (Euskera), known as Euskera locally. However, we also have several more like Galician in Galicia (Gallego), known as Galego locally, or Valencian in Comunidad Valenciana (Valenciano).

Therefore, we found the translations of some words from Spanish to the other co-official languages of Spain. Read the infographic below to educate yourself about these other languages of Spain! Do you think they are similar to Spanish?

Co-official languages of Spain – Spanish exercises

Now, when travelling you will be able to understand a bit of the language from each region you visit. These places offer a variety of things to do for tourists, so we think they are definitely worth the trip!

Did you enjoy this insight into the languages Spanish heritage and culture? Do you want to continue your Spanish learning? Check out the infographics that we have on the Learning resources section page of our website. Whether youre a beginner or expert at speaking SPanish, we cater for all abilities!

You can also discover interesting and fun activities to do in Madrid in our After-class activities section. If you sign up to one of our courses, over 80 of these fun activities are available for free!

Top 1000 most used words in Spanish – Spanish exercises

Did you know that there is a Top 1000 most used words in Spanish? If you didn’t, I´m sure that you also didn’t know the following: among those 1000 words there are sixteen verbs in their infinitive form. You can see which ones and their position in the Top 1000, just take a look bellow.

Top 1000 most used words in Spanish – Spanish exercises

Did the Top 1000 most used words in Spanish gave you the energy to continue your Spanish learning? Check out our Learning resources section page to test your Spanish level with our quizzes.

Do you want to further expand your knowledge of Spanish? We recommend you this post about modismos españoles .