A photo of a field of flowers in Spain during Spring bloom

The Spanish Speaking World Celebrates Lent

Enough Lent for the Season

We are reaching that time of the year where the Sun is fighting to stay out and you start to feel the change in the air; that smell of nature, the smell of trees, grass and blooming flowers. We are reaching the time where the day is longer and the great City of New York finds more excuses to stay out with him, the sun. Luckily, we are also grasping the end of Lent, that period before Easter that, in the Christian Church, is the commemoration of Christ’s fasting in the wilderness during forty days. Read more

an image of two hands clasped together

The Wall / La Muralla (Listening Exercise)

La Muralla It is the name of one of Pink Floyd´s most popular albums. In Spanish, we usually say “Pared” or “Muro” to translate“Wall”, but we also use “Muralla” for certain cases; like The Great Wall of China, which is translated “La Gran Muralla China”. This word (muralla) is mostly related to forts, castles and […]

Pisco Sour Cocktail

It’s Pisco Sour time!

Peruvian Pisco is brandy distilled from several different grape varieties grown in South America.

It is the national drink of Peru and comes in many styles–from smooth and sippable to rough and fiery. (Chile also produces pisco, although Peru contends that the Chilean version is not real pisco but a Chilean brandy that needs its own name.) Pisco became popular in California during the Gold Rush, when Peruvian miners there extolled its virtues to fellow fortune-seekers.

 

The pisco sour cocktail, invented in Peru around 1900, uses a pisco (Peruvian grape brandy) that has a bit of bite to it–that is, nothing too smooth–to create the balance in this creamy, frothy, limey drink.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup (2 oz.) pisco (see notes)

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

  • 1 teaspoon pasteurized egg whites

Preparation

In a blender, whirl 3 ice cubes, pisco, sugar, fresh lime juice, and egg whites. Whirl until smooth (you’ll no longer hear the ice cracking against the side of the blender) and serve straight up in a martini glass with a dash of aromatic bitters and a wedge of lime.

A cityscape view of Barcelona Spain

My city, Barcelona. Spanish Learning Video

Barcelona (Spain) is today one of the world’s leading tourist, economic, trade fair/exhibitions and cultural-sports centers, and its influence in commerce, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world’s major global cities. Read more

A desk where a student learns how to speak Spanish in New York City

Why Spanish is the most important language to learn

“On a poster on the wall in a university in Beijing, I recently read these remarkable words from Nelson Mandela: ‘If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.’” Read more

Four easy techniques for using foreign language every day

Most language learners I work with live in a native language environment. If you’re one of those learners, you’ve probably decided to get involved in a foreign language out of love and curiosity. You may be taking weekly classes or sitting down with a self-study book every so often. Read more

Soupa de albridigas

Sopa de albóndigas, a great Mexican recipe

It’s great to learn about a real authentic traditional recipe, especially when it comes  from one of our students and written in Spanish

We feel so grateful! Jacob´s grandmother passed it to his father and now to him who made it recently and gave us the instructions to prepare this amazing dish. Read more

the story of the cuba libre cocktail

The history of the Cuba Libre

The story goes that during the Spanish-American War, a group of off-duty U.S. soldiers got together for some drinks in a bar in Old Havana. A captain came in and ordered rum and cola on ice with lime. He liked it so much that he got the interest of the soldiers, who ordered another round and toasted “Por Cuba Libre!” in celebration of Cuba’s newfound freedom. Read more

meaning of ojala in spanish

Expressing wishes in Spanish with “Ojala”

Ojalá is a Spanish word meaning  “If only…” “God grant!” or “I hope so!”. It has its roots in the Arabic word “Inshallah!” which means “God grant!” or “God willing!”, and which entered both Spanish and Persian languages following the spread of the Arab empire to the East and the West. Read more

Spanish speaking bands and artists at SXSW 2014

South by Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) held yearly in March is the largest festival of its kind in the world. Here’s a selection of Spanish speaking artists and bands playing at SXSW 2014.

Enjoy! Read more