Last year, over 300,000 people followed the Way of Saint James to the northwest corner of Spain, keeping alive a tradition that dates back over a thousand years.

How would you like to spend a few weeks walking through Spanish towns and countryside? Keep reading in English or click here to switch to Spanish and learn what the Camino de Santiago is all about.

History

As the story goes, in the early 800s, a hermit living in the forest noticed a strange star in the sky. He decided to inform the local bishop, who followed the light of the star and found that it illuminated an ancient stone tomb containing three bodies. The bishop believed one of them to be the remains of Santiago el Mayor (James the Greater), and he quickly alerted the king.

That’s how it happened that the first person to walk El Camino de Santiago was King Alfonso II of Asturias, who traveled on foot from Oviedo to see the recently discovered tomb in Campostela (campo de estrellas — field of stars). The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela would later be built on the spot where the tomb was found.

Following in the king’s footsteps, in the Middle Ages it became common for Christians from Spain, France, and other parts of Europe to make the pilgrimage across northern Spain to visit the saint’s tomb. It’s worth noting that at this time, much of the Iberian Peninsula was under Moorish rule in Al-Andalus, and religion formed an important part of people’s identity. The golden age of the Camino lasted from the 11^th to the 13^th century, when common people and monarchs alike walked mile after mile toward Santiago.

Today

Although the Camino de Santiago was born from the Christian religion, today people from around the world find themselves drawn to the idea of walking through beautiful scenery for days on end for a variety of different reasons. Whether you’re looking for spiritual clarity, an outdoor adventure, or just want to see what it’s like to be completely disconnected from the modern world, you can find what you’re seeking on the Camino.

There are several different routes to Santiago de Compostela. The most heavily transited is the French Way, followed by the Portuguese Way, and the most popular time to do the Camino is in the summer. Therefore, those who’d like to skip the crowds and the heat may want to consider walking an alternative route in the spring or fall.

When you begin your journey, make sure to get a Pilgrim Passport and have it stamped at hostels, restaurants, and churches along with way, proving how far you’ve come. You’ve got to walk at least 100 km (62 miles) or bike at least 200 km (124 miles) if you want to earn the official Compostela (if you’ve done the Camino for religious reasons) or Certificate of Welcome (for everyone else) when you reach Santiago de Compostela.

Symbols

Along the trail, you’ll find lots of scallop shells and yellow arrows to help you find your way. The scallop shell, commonly found on the beaches of Galicia, has been a symbol of the Camino de Santiago for centuries. You will find it not just marking the path but also hanging from the backpacks, walking sticks, and necks of your fellow travelers, making them easy to identify.

Preparation

When you do the Camino de Santiago, you’ll enjoy instant camaraderie with people from Spain and all around the world. Take a Spanish course before you start your journey — that way, you’ll be able to connect more deeply with more people.

¡Buen camino!

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Over the last few weeks, we’ve been learning lots of common Spanish expressions with parts of the body. To close out this topic, today we’re going to cover expressions about shoulders. Continue reading in English, or if you want us to echarte una mano (give you a hand) with your Spanish reading skills, click here for the Spanish version of this post.

Physical expressions with shoulders

Along with faces and hands, shoulders are one of the most expressive parts of the body. If we pay attention to the positions and movements of someone’s shoulders, we can tell if they are tired, unsure or apathetic about something, or feeling shy.

Perhaps the expressiveness of our shoulders is responsible for the existence of so many popular Spanish expressions featuring shoulders. Below, we’ll show you three of the most common expressions with hombros and how to use them.

Verbal expressions with shoulders

Arrimar el hombro

This set phrase encapsulates a warm message. Arrimar el hombro (to bring the shoulder closer) means to help a person or group achieve something positive. A similar expression that uses another body part is trabajar codo con codo (to work elbow with elbow). Let’s take a look at some examples with English adaptations.

Si todos arrimamos el hombro, saldremos antes de trabajar

(If we all lend a hand, we’ll leave work earlier)

Si trabajamos codo con codo, saldremos antes de trabajar

(If we work side by side, we’ll leave work earlier)

The idea of lending a shoulder, like many popular expressions, has its origins in rural life. Day laborers who worked in the fields used to bend over side by side to sow seeds in furrows. In this position, the workers often bumped shoulders.

Estar manga por hombro

Literally, this expression means that the sleeve (manga) is where the shoulder should be. In other words, something is disorganized or not where it should be. Estar patas arriba (to be legs up) has the same meaning but uses yet another body part.

The best way to illustrate the meaning of this expression is to repeat something every Spanish-speaking mother has said at one time or another:

¡Recoge tu habitación, que está todo manga por hombro!

¡Recoge tu habitación, que está todo patas arriba!

(Pick up your room, it’s a mess!)

Encogerse de hombros

Whatever country you’re from, if you’re familiar with western culture you’ll probably understand someone means if they shrug their shoulders (encogerse de hombros). This gesture may not be used in the same way in Asia, but most people from western countries shrug to express doubt or disinterest. 

A la pregunta de qué tarta prefería para merendar, Martina se encogió de hombros

(When asked what type of cake she’d like for a snack, Martina shrugged)

We hope you’ve learned lots of useful expressions with body parts over these past few weeks. At don Quijote we’re happy to have the chance to accompany you on your journey to Spanish and make learning a little bit easier with videos like the one you’ll find below. Enjoy!

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Spain’s flower power packs a punch! With colorful festivals in full bloom across the peninsula, May is a beautiful time to study Spanish in Spain. Skies are sunny, birds are chirping, romance is in the air… or is that pollen? If you tend to suffer from springtime sneezing, pop an allergy pill, grab some Kleenex, and get ready for a quick virtual tour of Spain’s top flower festivals. Click here to read on in Spanish.

Cruces de Mayo

During the first week of May, many cities and towns throughout Andalusia celebrate the May Crosses Festival, including the cities of Cordoba, Granada, Seville, Malaga, and Cadiz. During this competition, large crosses are artfully decorated with flowers and placed in plazas and other spots around the city. The most artistic entries are rewarded with cash prizes from the local government.

Fiesta de los Patios

In early to mid-May, Cordoba celebrates another flower festival. This one revolves around patios, a feature of the local architecture. Since Roman times, homes in hot, dry Cordoba have often been built around central courtyards that provide shelter from the intense summer heat. Today, some patios belong to single-family homes, while others are shared by an entire apartment building. Once a year, everyone can witness the magic of these usually hidden traditional spaces, with flowerpots covering the walls and balconies overflowing with flowers in every color imaginable. This festival has been recognized as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Temps de Flors

Leaving Andalusia and heading to northeastern Spain, we come to Girona in Catalonia (about 60 miles from Barcelona) for the mid-May Girona Flower Festival. Throughout the city, monuments, sculptures and gardens are covered with flowers, making sightseeing especially enchanting. Flowers are also used in creative street art installations sure to surprise and delight visitors as they happen upon them.

As the saying goes, marzo ventoso y abril lluvioso sacan a mayo florido y hermoso (windy March and rainy April bring out a flowery and beautiful May). Although flowers are the focal point of these events, as with many Spanish fiestas, you can also expect to enjoy food, drinks, live music, and dancing.

Plan your trip to Spain and see it for yourself!

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Happy Internet Day! The invention of the World Wide Web has been one of the biggest game changers in human history, radically reshaping almost every aspect of our lives.

For all its faults, the internet has flung open the door to a seemingly infinite (and ever-growing) world of educational tools. Today, we’ll take a look at our top 5 resources for online Spanish learning. Click here to read this post in Spanish.

1. The Royal Spanish Academy

How many times have you looked up a word and found that one dictionary says one thing and another dictionary says another? Have you ever googled a grammar question and agonized over which style guide to follow? (Chicago, AP, MLA, Oxford… so many choices!)

In Spanish, this problem disappears: there is one authoritative body to rule them all! The Real Académia Española (RAE) can give you definitive answers to all your Spanish questions. Check out their website at www.rae.es or go directly to the Diccionario de la lengua española. The dictionary is very thorough: you look up a verb, you can see all the ways to conjugate it.

2. Fundéu

Fundéu is another official resource that works hand in hand with the RAE. Languages evolve quickly, and Fundéu is the RAE’s way to answer language and usage questions as they emerge in real time. One of the hot issues in the last couple of years has been gender-inclusive and gender-neutral language. As you can imagine, this is a particularly difficult subject to navigate in Spanish, where all nouns have a gender and the masculine form is traditionally used when referring to groups of both males and females.

3. YouTube

This popular video-sharing website is a treasure chest full of Spanish language and cultural gems! You can find dynamic Spanish lessons, watch top YouTubers from different Spanish-speaking countries, learn how to make traditional foods as you follow recipes in Spanish, or listen to songs in Spanish with the lyrics and sing along. This is a fun way to work on your listening skills, learn about different cultures, and improve your pronunciation!

If you’re not quite sure what you’re in the mood for, just type a word in Spanish in the search bar and prepare to be entertained!

4. Spanish language newspapers

See the world from a different point of view! Search for periódico + country name to find newspapers from different Spanish-speaking countries. (In Spain, the most-read newspaper is El País.) Reading foreign newspapers in Spanish will not only help you improve your language skills and teach you new vocabulary, it will also give you a more international perspective on global issues and events.

5. Sample DELE Exams

Earning a DELE diploma is one of the best ways to officially certify your Spanish level. But even if you’re not planning on taking the exam any time soon, going over practice tests can help you round out your Spanish skills and discover your strengths and weaknesses. Visit www.dele.org and click on each of the levels to find a full practice exam (with answer key).

There’s a lot the digital world can offer us, but some things never change. The best way to learn Spanish is to travel to a country where it is spoken, take a course, and talk to people. When you learn with don Quijote, you’ll be immersed in Spanish day in and day out, polishing your language skills and putting them to use in the real world. Until then, take full advantage of the virtual tools at your fingertips!

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Countries across Europe are revving up for their beloved yearly singing competition, the Eurovision Song Contest. What began in 1956 as a way to bring Europeans together after World War II is now a long-standing international tradition full of sparkle and fanfare. As per the official rules, politics are left at the door so everyone can fully enjoy this must-see television event.

This year, why not join them? No matter where you are in the world, you can stream the live performances on the official Eurovision website. In today’s post we’ll help you brush up on the basics to get you ready to organize your watch party next week. We hope you’ll be rooting for Spain! Click here to read this post in Spanish and get in the mood.

Who is participating?

This time around, 42 countries are participating in the Eurovision Song Contest. That’s right, this competition goes way beyond the 28 members of the European Union… countries as far-flung as Russia, Iceland, Morocco, and Israel have been welcomed into the Eurovision gang at one time or another. And if you think that’s surprising, you might just lose your mind when you hear that Australia has participated in Eurovision four times. But hey, the more the merrier!

How does it work?

By mid-March, each participating country has to submit a performer (up to 6 people) and an original song (3 minutes or less). Each country has its own system, but usually TV viewers in each country get to vote for who will represent them.

The anticipation builds for over a month before the first live competitions begin in May. This year, more than a dozen countries will be eliminated during the Semi-Finals on May 14 and 16, leaving only 26 countries for the Grand Final on May 18.

We already know six countries who will make it to the Grand Final: the “Big Five” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK, who qualify automatically every year) and the host country, Israel. Eurovision is always hosted by the country who won the competition the year before.

What happens at the Grand Final?

Each of the 26 acts gives a spectacular live singing performance (live instruments are not allowed). Once everyone has had their time on stage, the voting begins. Each country can award two sets of 1 to 8, 10, and 12 points. One set is determined by a 5-person jury of music industry professionals, while the other set is decided by viewers at home, who can vote by phone, text, or the official app. You cannot vote for your own country.

Tensions mount as each country announces how they will be awarding their points with a live broadcast from an emblematic location (such as the Royal Place in Madrid).

Hearts beat faster and faster as more and more countries’ votes are tallied until the winner becomes clear. The spectators rooting for the winning country jump up and down in ecstasy while the rest Europe breathes a collective sigh of disappointment. The winning act takes a victory lap, performing the winning song all over again before returning home with fame, glory, and the iconic glass microphone trophy.

Spain’s contestant

Spain hasn’t won Eurovision in 50 years, so we’re ripe for a win. Miki, this year’s winner of Spain’s televised singing contest Operación Triunfo will be singing La Venda (The Blindfold), a song was written by Adrià Salas, the lead singer of La Pegatina. The Latin Grammy-nominated band’s songbook includes tunes in several Spanish languages, including Catalan and Galician, but La Venda is sung in Castilian Spanish. Why not learn the words so you can sing along?

Mark your calendar

Now you know the ground rules, but there’s really only one way to truly experience Eurovision, and that’s by watching it! You’ll be glued to the screen as you see some of the world’s craziest outfits, wildest dance moves, and all out fabulous performances.

It’ll give you something to talk to your European friends about — it’s not an official holiday here, but it might as well be!

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On the basis of our weekly endeavor to find Spanish phrases that incorporate parts of the body, like the neck and fingers, this week we will talk about phrases that use the word mouth. There is a vast abundance of Spanish sayings that use this word, thus allowing us to do something a little different this time around in hopes of helping you memorize them. Today we’re going to tell you a story. 

Continue reading this little story that we have written for you in English and try to guess what the meaning of each Spanish expression is, based on context, or click here to go to the Spanish version. Okay now, pay close attention!  

Once upon a time there was a clown who worked in a traveling circus. Each afternoon, before going on stage, the clown would paint a giant smile on his face to entertain the children who came to watch. Thanks to the boca a boca (mouth to mouth), there wasn’t a single child in the whole nation who hadn’t heard of the Jumper the Clown, and they were all dying to see him peform.

One special summer afternoon, a boy named Carlitos stood right in front of the circus with his friends, waiting for the show that was supposed to start at 6 o’clock sharp. But since el que tiene boca se equivoca (he who has a mouth makes mistakes), he told them the wrong time and they missed the beginning of the show. 

Despite everything, when they finally took their seats and watched Jumper with his huge painted smile, they were left con la boca abierta (with their mouths wide open). The show ended up going a pedir de boca (to ask by mouth) and they went home already wanting to go back and watch it again.

Por la boca muere el pez (the fish dies through its mouth) and Carlitos asked his friends to go back with him to watch Jumper's show without considering that he no longer had any money to buy tickets. Realizing this, Carlitos was saddened, and in seeing how much the young boy wanted to return, his grandfather gave him enough to buy another ticket.  

That day, Carlitos learned a great lesson, that en boca cerrada no entran moscas (flies can’t go into a closed mouth).

So, what do you think? Were you able to capture the meaning of each expression? Some are a little harder than others, so below we have provided meanings for each phrase:

Boca a boca: transferring of specific information from one person to another (word of mouth)
El que tiene boca se equivoca: everyone makes mistakes 
Con la boca abierta: in a state of wonder (with mouth agape)
A pedir de boca: to go according to plan 
Por la boca muere el pez: saying things without thinking them through
En boca cerrada no entran moscas: sometimes it's best to keep your mouth shut

We hope that you have learned some Spanish expressions using boca after having read Jumper's story. To learn more phrases pertaining to other parts of the body, we recommend that you check out our YouTube channel, where you’ll find videos like this one:  

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Giraffes, swans, ostriches, and flamingoes…  Do you know what these animals have in common? Each has an exceptionally long neck. An adult giraffe’s neck, for example, can come to measure up to 6.5 feet. And necks are precisely our topic of choice for the day.

Similarly to many other parts of the body, the neck has been a great inspiration for many sayings in Spanish. Today we will unfold the meaning of one specifically: estar con el agua al cuello... This would literally translate to being in water up to your neck. Click here if you would like to learn more in Spanish. Let’s go!

Estar Con el Agua al Cuello

In Spanish, this is a common phrase used to describe situations in which we find ourselves in a hurry or faced with a problem, one could say we are con el agua hasta el cuello. Here´s an example:

Martina está con el agua al cuello: debe dos meses de alquiler y se ha quedado en la calle.

In this example we can see how Martina might be going through a hard time. She lost her job and on top that, owes two months‘ worth of rent. 

Cinematic Imagery 

When considering the origin of this saying, surely many cinematic scenes must come to mind. This is because oh so often we find this exact scenario in many Hollywood films, where someone is about drown with water rising as it begins to creep up their neck.

Can you recall that nerve-wracking scene in Titanic where Leonardo DiCaprio finds himself handcuffed to a pole? Water levels rise as the ship continues to sink, and with every second that goes by, Jack comes closer and closer to drowning. Finally, Rose takes an axe and frees him from an almost inevitably horrific death. Thus we see how the protagonist was con el agua al cuello.

Other Similar Expressions

Another variation of this phrase is estar hasta el cuello. Wherein, whether it be in water or something else, we feel submerged up to our heads. This, as you can imagine, is all but relaxing.

Another expression that is very similar is estar con la soga al cuello. This phrase evokes the moment before an execution, where the guilty person finds themselves on the gallows on the brink of being hung. Undoubtedly, a very uneasy scenario that would evoke the same tension as the previous phrase.

If you've enjoyed discovering the meanings of this expression, we invite you to see the following video. In it you will find many other expressions that entail parts of the body such as the fingers or elbows. We hope you like it!

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Like so many other parts of the body, fingers (dedos) are the starting point for lots of popular expressions in Spanish. In today’s post, we’re going to learn two of them: quedar como anillo al dedo and estar para chuparse los dedos. Can you guess what these sayings mean?

If so, congratulations! If you have no idea, don’t worry. Stick around and improve your vocabulary by finding out all about them. To read this post in Spanish, click here.

Quedar como anillo al dedo

Do you remember the story of Cinderella? Today’s first expression has a lot to do with one its most famous scenes.

When the clock strikes midnight, Cinderella is running from the royal ball where she and the prince have just fallen in love. The magic spell that made it possible for her to go to the ball is about to wear off, and as she flees, she loses one of her beautiful glass slippers.

The next day, the prince finds the slipper and decides to ask all the young women in the kingdom to try it on. The slipper will only fit the foot of the woman he loves, the future princess. Everyone tries on the glass slipper, but Cinderella is the only one whose foot it fits. It fits her like a ring on a finger, como anillo al dedo. Thanks to the perfect fit, the prince finds the woman of his dreams and together they write their love story.

Venir como anillo al dedo means that something is perfect for the situation at hand. There are lots of other common expressions that mean the same thing: ir de perlas, venir que ni pintado, and venir a las mil maravillas are just a few. Let’s see some more modern examples:

A Rosa le ha venido como anillo al dedo mudarse a la capital. Estaba muy aburrida en el pueblo.

A Rosa le ha venido a las mil maravillas mudarse a la capital.

A Rosa le ha venido que ni pintado mudarse a la capital.

(Moving to the capital was the best thing Rosa could have done. She was so bored in the small town.)

Estar para chuparse los dedos

Today’s second expression almost needs no explanation. The idea of someone sucking their fingers after a meal is universal. When we finish eating something truly delicious, it’s hard not to chuparse los dedos to make the flavor last as long as possible. As we say in English, it’s finger-licking good!

Another expression used to describe exquisite flavors is hacerse la boca agua (mouthwatering). Take a look at the following examples:  

Todo lo que había en el banquete de la boda estaba para chuparse los dedos.

Se me hacía la boca agua con todo lo que había en el banquete.

(All the food at the wedding was finger-licking good.

All the food made my mouth water.)

If you found these expressions interesting, you’ll love this video. Watch to learn lots more expressions with parts of the body, like elbows and necks. Enjoy!

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Although Catholicism is the most popular religion in Spain today, it wasn’t always that way. In fact, the Moors (a term used to describe the Muslim Arab and Berber conquerors of Spain) ruled parts of the Iberian Peninsula for almost 800 years. As a result, the Moorish influences in Spain are multifold and can be seen in customs, food, art, science, culture, and, of course, the Spanish language.

To celebrate this special time of the year, let’s have a look at the impact that Arabic, one of the languages spoken by the Moors, has had on Spanish. Click here to read this post in Spanish.

Here are just a few of the thousands of Spanish words with Arabic origins. Keep in mind that these words came from the Arabic spoken in Al-Andalus hundreds of years ago. An, Arabic, like all languages, has continued to evolve and change.

Andalusian Arabic                            Spanish                                               English

aṭ-ṭūb                                                   adobe                                                  adobe

al-ḥabqa                                              albahaca                                              basil

al-bunduqa                                          albóndiga                                            meatball

al-jumra                                              alfombra                                              rug

al-ŷabr                                                álgebra                                                 algebra

al-mujjadda                                         almohada                                            pillow

as-sukkar                                            azúcar                                                  sugar

ar-ruzz                                                 arroz                                                    rice

bādinyana                                            berenjena                                            eggplant/aubergine

kitār                                                     guitarra                                               guitar

laymūn                                                limón                                                   lemon

nārinŷa                                                naranja                                                orange

law ša'a allah                                       ojalá                                                    hopefully

ŷarra                                                    jarra                                                     pitcher

isfinnāriyya                                         zanahoria                                             carrot

Thanks to Arabic, many of these concepts have been included in the Spanish language and continue to be used today. Do you know of any other word that does not appear in this list?

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When learning a new language, there’s only one thing more fun than picking up common Spanish language sayings: discovering their origin. Many times, the backstory is even more surprising than the sayings themselves. Click here to read the Spanish version of this post. 

Continuing with our series of common Spanish expressions with cats, this week we have a couple of sayings with surprising origins. Take out your pen and paper: when you travel to Spain or Latin America you’re sure to hear these phrases more than once.

Dar gato por liebre

This expression, to give a cat for a hare, is used when you pass something off as something more valuable. It’s usually used when somebody has fallen victim to a scam or deceit upon purchasing a product or service.

The saying first came about many years ago, between the 16th and 17th centuries. At that time, people travelled by foot or on horseback and journeys took a lot longer than they do today. Posadas (inns) were establishments that would provide food and lodging for weary travelers when they stopped along the way.

However, these businesses often took advantage of the customers who were just passing through. One way to do so was to serve them cat meat (cats were street animals) and call it hare (a much more expensive meat). This way, the posadas could save money at the cost of people they would never see again.

This practice was so common at the time that it became popular for travelers to recite a kind of rhyming incantation before meals

Si eres cabrito, mantente frito;

si eres gato, salta al plato.

(If you’re goat meat, stay fried/asleep;

If you’re cat meat, jump on the plate.)

Returning to the present, here’s an example of how this saying might be used today:

La agencia de viajes me dio gato por liebre; pagué por un hotel de cinco estrellas y me enviaron a una pensión malísima.

The travel agency gave me cat for hare; I paid for a 5-star hotel and they sent me to a crummy hostel.

Buscarle tres pies al gato

When we talk about animals in Spanish, it’s correct to use the word patas (paws) instead of pies (feet). However, this expression is an exception.

Buscarle tres pies al gato (to look for three feet on a cat) is to try to explain the unexplainable. You’re probably asking yourself why use this and not another number, since cats actually have more than three paws.

It is thought that this expression has changed over time. At some point, the saying buscarle cinco pies al gato (to look for five feet on the cat) was used to describe something impossible, which makes sense since cats only have four paws.

However, in the times of Quixote, the expression had already evolved into its more modern version. In one of the book’s passages, we find this interesting piece of dialogue:

—Y enderécese ese bacín que trae en la cabeza y no ande buscando tres pies al gato.

—¡Vos sois el gato y el rato y el bellaco! —respondió don Quijote.

(“Put that basin straight that you’ve got on your head, and don’t go looking for three feet on a cat.”

“’Tis you that are the cat, rat, and rascal,” replied Don Quixote.)

If you want to learn more expressions with gato, click to watch the video below.

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