What are the Perseids?

If there is a time that takes you back to your childhood, it is the nights of the Perseids. It is the most popular meteor shower of the year, probably because it takes place in summer, which facilitates easy viewing thanks to the warm temperatures and clear skies.

This post is also available in Spanish if you want to improve your Spanish reading comprehension.

The so-called Perseids are dust particles about the size of a grain of sand coming from comets and asteroids orbiting the sun. Shooting stars are created when these little grains go through our atmosphere at a speed of about 130,000 mph and evaporate.

Have you ever wondered about the meaning of Perseids? Although they actually come from the Swift-Tuttle Comet and can be seen over the entire sky, the Perseids name refers to the constellation of Perseus, from which the meteors seem to come.

Since the Perseid meteor shower happens around August 10, the day of the religious festival for Saint Lawrence in Spain and other traditionally Catholic countries, it is also popularly known as the “Tears of Saint Lawrence.”

When is the meteor shower in 2019?

If you want to enjoy this stellar spectacle, there’s no need to wait! The Perseid meteor shower starts in July and usually lasts until the end of August. This is why it’s a favorite plan for the summer.

If your goal is to see the most shooting stars possible, the best nights to see the Perseids in 2019 are August 9^th to 11^th. You will enjoy the greatest concentration of meteors and the skies will be darker thanks to the new moon.

Although the phenomenon will be visible starting around midnight and will last the entire night, the highest peak of activity will be reached around 5 a.m. This will therefore be the time to enjoy the greatest number of Perseids.

How and where to watch the 2019 Perseids in Spain

Lie in a quiet and clear place with no light pollution. You don't need a telescope or any special gear. In fact, it’s best to use only your eyes in order to have a wider field of vision. Grab a blanket and a picnic, make yourself comfortable, and get ready to enjoy this popular stargazing event.

You will find recommendations about the best places to see the Perseids in the main cities of Spain below. Are you up for a magical night under Spanish skies?

Perseids in Madrid: Certainly, one of the best choices to observe the meteor shower in the Spanish capital is to get into Madrid’s northern mountains. Observation trips are organized every year to contemplate shooting stars from a unique natural environment at the foot of a peak called La Pedriza.

Perseids in Barcelona: A good idea to see the Perseids in the area is to visit the Fabra Observatory, located on Mount Tibidabo. At the highest point of the Collserola mountain range, you will find a unique landscape from which to contemplate the Tears of Saint Lawrence. Just find a good place!

Perseids in Valencia: If you are learning Spanish in Valencia and want to find good places to watch the meteor shower, we have good news for you: there are plenty of them! Can you think of a better place than a cove or quiet beach to enjoy this summer night show? Remember, all you need is a clear sky and no light pollution.

Perseids in Tenerife: The Canary Islands are one of the best corners of the world for stargazing. Thanks to the good weather conditions and perfect location, the islands have become one of the main international destinations for astronomical tourism. Teide National Park is a privileged place to see the Perseids, but you can also appreciate and enjoy the event from any beach or quiet place.

Perseids in Seville: If you are going to witness this magical experience in the province of Seville, one of the ideal places to do so is the astronomical observatory located in the town of Castillo de las Guardas. Another great option is to move around the Monastery of the Cartuja de Cazalla, where a guided tour with an explanation of the night sky is organized every year. Finally, we cannot forget the Starlight Reserves, protected natural areas that maintain the best lighting conditions to facilitate stargazing, either for scientific, natural or cultural reasons.

Perseids in Granada: Take advantage of the excellent conditions provided by the mountain rage of Sierra Nevada. A very nice choice is to go around Hoya de la Mora. It’d be great to go with someone who has done this hiking route before. Oh, and be sure to take some warm clothes as it gets chilly at night.

Remember that the Perseids are a natural phenomenon and are not 100% predictable. This is part of the event’s natural charm, something that makes it magical and mysterious. You will have to be on the lookout not to miss this authentic beauty. Don't forget to make a wish!

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Have you ever thought about volunteering in a Spanish-speaking country? Donating your time to a good cause not only makes the world a better place, it also makes you, the volunteer, a happier, healthier, and more knowledgeable person. Sound good? Read on to learn what volunteering is all about and why it is important. As always, you can read this post in English or Spanish.

 

Make a positive impact on the community

At the most basic level, volunteering is usually about helping people, animals, or the planet. There are lots of organizations around the world that work to improve the quality of life of a certain group, but unfortunately they often don’t have the funds necessary to pay employees to do this important work. Volunteers choose to work for free because they believe in the vision an organization is trying to make a reality.

Volunteering is about taking matters into our own hands and doing something positive for the future. Not because somebody is paying us, but because we want to.

 

Build relationships and make new friends

Traveling abroad takes you out of your comfort zone. You are far away from your friends and family, you’re speaking a different language, eating different foods, learning new cultural norms… it’s an incredible learning experience unlike any other, but isn’t always easy.

Volunteering during your time abroad puts you in close contact with a group of big-hearted people you can connect with. As you work together on a team with local volunteers, you’ll make friends with people in a different language. You will speak better Spanish and learn more about the local culture than you ever would otherwise. You may begin to see the world from a different perspective as you share time with people from other backgrounds.

 

Improve your physical and mental health

Studies have shown that volunteering can help you combat stress, anger, depression, and anxiety. Who wouldn’t want that?! Instead of feeling isolated and lonely in your new environment, you’ll have a network of fellow volunteers for support.

Volunteering is hard work, but it can also be a lot of fun! And the best part is that the fun isn’t fleeting: as a volunteer, you’ll experience a deep satisfaction knowing that you’re putting your energy into helping move the world in a positive direction.

On the physical side, volunteering keeps you active! It cuts into your couch time and gives you something productive to do. You will be taking full advantage of your time in a different country by challenging yourself and gaining strength in body and mind.

 

Live in Spanish

Volunteering and learning Spanish are a match made in heaven. Volunteering abroad is the best way to break down any barriers that stand between you and full Spanish fluency.

Using your Spanish in practical, real life situations will change the way your brain processes the language. You will become an effective communicator in Spanish as you hone your listening skills, develop the ability to express yourself clearly and communicate new ideas in real time, and pick up lots of new vocabulary. Speaking in Spanish every day will smooth out the bumps that may be disrupting your flow, allowing you to speak naturally without stopping to think about each word. You’ll know you’re on the right track when you begin to dream in Spanish!

 

Advance your career

Volunteering is a powerful learning experience that will propel you forward in your academic and professional career. You will be a stronger candidate for any position when you highlight the enhanced skillset you’ve gained during your volunteering program abroad. Using Spanish in a work environment, communicating across cultures, and having international experience are just some of the highly marketable skills you’ll gain as a volunteer overseas.

You never know — your volunteering experience may even ignite a new passion and lead you to consider new career paths.

 

Feeling inspired? Check out our volunteer programs in Latin America and make volunteering a part of your Spanish learning experience.

With don Quijote, you can play with dogs at an animal shelter by the beach, take care of colorful toucans, help underprivileged children, work with the elderly, or take part in our medical volunteering program. We have volunteer opportunities available in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Mexico.

 

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Last week, we explained when to use ser and when to use estar. Today, we’ll go over some words you can use with both ser and estar. Careful — this doesn’t mean that you can use ser and estar indiscriminately. Some words change their meaning depending on which verb you choose.

Read on to learn how you can change the meaning of a sentence just by changing ser to estar, or click here to read this post in Spanish.

 

BUENO
We use SER to express:	We use ESTAR to express:
Someone’s good behavior. Mi niño es muy bueno. Nunca hace travesuras. (My child is very good. He never gets into mischief.) The quality of something or someone. Mi profesor de español es muy bueno. Explica muy bien. (My Spanish teacher is very good. He explains things very well.) Las naranjas son muy buenas para la salud. (Oranges are very good for your health.)	When somebody is healthy after having been sick. Mi niño ha estado resfriado toda la semana pero ahora ya está bueno. (My child had a cold all week, but now he is fine.) That somebody is physically attractive. Mi profesor de español está muy bueno. Se nota que va al gimnasio. (My Spanish teacher is good-looking. You can tell he goes to the gym.) That a food or drink tastes good. Estas naranjas están muy buenas. ¿Dónde las has comprado? (These oranges are very good. Where did you buy them?)

 

 

MALO
We use SER to express:	We use ESTAR to express:
Someone’s bad behavior. Mi niño es muy malo. Está todo el día haciendo travesuras. (My child is very bad. He spends all day getting into mischief.) The bad quality of something or someone. Mi profesor de español es muy malo. No explica nada bien. (My Spanish teacher is very bad. He doesn’t explain things well at all.) Las naranjas no son malas para la salud. (Oranges are not bad for your health.)	That someone is sick. Mi niño está malo. Creo que tiene un resfriado. (My child is sick. I think he has a cold.) The bad flavor of a food or drink. Estas naranjas están muy malas. ¿Dónde las has comprado? (These oranges are very bad. Where did you buy them?)

 

 

 

 

LISTO
We use SER to express:	We use ESTAR to express:
Intelligence. Yolanda es muy lista. Ha estudiado tres carreras. (Yolanda is very intelligent. She has earned three degrees.)	That someone or something is ready. No podemos irnos todavía. Yolanda no está lista. (We can’t leave yet. Yolanda is not ready.)

 

 

RICO
We use SER to express:	We use ESTAR to express:
That someone has a lot of money. Su padre es muy rico. Tiene una empresa muy importante. (His/her dad is very rich. He has a very important business.)	The good flavor of a food or drink. Estas naranjas están muy ricas. ¿Dónde las has comprado? (These oranges are delicious. Where did you buy them?

 

NEGRO
We use SER to express:	We use ESTAR to express:
The color. Mi gato es negro y yo no creo que dé mala suerte. (My cat is black and I don’t think he brings bad luck.)	That someone is angry/fed up. Soy el único que hace algo en esta casa. Ya estoy negro. (I’m the only one who does anything in this house. I am fed up. That someone is very tan after spending time in the sun. ¡Estás negra! ¿Cuándo has ido a la playa? (You are so tan! When did you go to beach?)

 

 

VERDE
We use SER to express:	We use ESTAR to express:
The color. Mi camiseta no es azul, es verde. A lo mejor eres daltónico. (My t-shirt isn’t blue, it is green. Maybe you’re color-blind.	Someone’s lack of experience in something. No podemos darte el diploma de español avanzado. Todavía estás muy verde. Tienes que estudiar más. (We can’t give you the advanced Spanish diploma. You are still very green. You have to study more.)

 

 

As you can see, the meaning can change quite a bit if you mix up ser and estar. If you don’t pay attention, you might really confuse whoever you’re talking to! Sign up for one of our Spanish courses in Spain and Latin America and get all the ser and estar practice you need!

In the meantime, stay tuned for next week, when we’ll be posting the third and final part of our online guide to differences between ser and estar.

 

 

 

 

 

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When you think about Spain, what are the first things that come to mind? Fiestas and siestas, bullfighting and flamenco, or maybe beaches and tapas? While all these things do exist in Spain, they also contribute to a stereotypical vision of the country.

So how can you scrape below the surface and get a deeper look at modern Spain? That’s a question Spain’s nation branding project has been trying to answer since 2000, when the Marca España (Spain Brand) campaign was launched to promote the country’s strengths and build its image at home and abroad. In November 2018, the project was renamed España Global or Global Spain.

This fresh take on Spain’s strong suits highlights 20 different fortes in 3 categories:

Full Democracy: Democracy, Equality, Justice, Freedom, Security

Modernity: Science, Competitiveness and Innovation, Infrastructures, Globalization, Healthcare, Sustainability, Technology

Citizenship: Culture, Health, Sport, Europeanism, Language, Solidarity, Tolerance, Tourism

That’s a lot of strengths! In today’s post, we’ll take a closer look at a few of them. Click here to read this post in Spanish.

 

The Healthiest Country in the World

Did you know Bloomberg’s Healthiest Country Index 2019 named Spain the healthiest country in the world? A top-notch universal healthcare system, the traditional Mediterranean diet, and the European Union’s highest life expectancy at birth were among the factors that helped Spain clinch the title.

 

Historic, Cultural, and Natural Heritage

Spain ranks third worldwide in number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. See how many of the 47 you can cross off your bucket list! From the Cave of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain and the Alhambra in Granada to the Old City of Salamanca and the Works of Antoni Gaudí in and near Barcelona, you can explore the many wonders of Spain’s millenary history all around the country.

As for UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Spain comes in fourth with 18, including Valencia’s Fallas festivity and the fiesta of the patios in Cordoba.

Beach lovers take note! In 2019, Spain earned 666 Blue Flag awards for beaches (566), marinas (98), and sustainable boating tourism operators (2) – that’s more than any other country in the world. Spain also has 49 natural spaces that UNESCO recognizes as biosphere reserves.

 

Star Athletes

Anyone who’s tuned into the world’s most popular sport knows that Spain is home to two of the most valuable soccer teams on the planet: Real Madrid and Barcelona. Soccer is far from the only sport with Spanish superstars: Rafa Nadal (tennis), Mireia Belmonte (swimming), Fernando Alonso (Formula 1), Marc Márquez (MotoGP), Carolina Marín (badminton) and Pau Gasol (basketball) are just a few Spaniards who have earned international recognition for their athletic prowess.

 

Commitment to Equality

 

Spain is a leader in building an equal society. In 2018, Spain made history with a new government boasting the highest percentage of female ministers (over 60%) in Europe and North America. Spain also has the parliament with most gender parity in the European Union, with 47% female representation in 2019.

Same-sex marriage and adoption have been legal in Spain since 2005, when Spain became the third country in the world to legalize gay marriage. Every year the country hosts many Pride festivities, with Madrid Pride in the lead as the biggest LGBTQ Pride event in Europe.

 

The Power of Words

According to a 2018 report by Instituto Cervantes, Spanish is the fastest growing language in the world. It’s an official language in 21 countries and has 577 million speakers. 480 million of those are native speakers, which means that 97 million people learned Spanish as a second language (or third, or fourth…)!! Currently, 7.6% of the world’s population can communicate in Spanish.

Spain also celebrates linguistic diversity. In addition to Spanish, some regions have co-official languages: Basque, Catalan/Valencian/Balearic, Galician, or Aranese.

 

 

There are so many other things Spain has to be proud of — we didn’t even mention its innovative chefs, its cutting-edge high-speed train network, or its position as the world leader in organ donation and transplantation. Learn Spanish in Spain and start peeling back the innumerable layers to find all the things that make Spain unique. 

If you’re interested in learning more about international brands, take a look at our video to see how brands change as they move across the world.

 

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If you’re currently studying Spanish at our Spanish school in Cusco, get ready to celebrate! It’s time for Las Fiestas Patrias, Peru’s biggest national holiday.

In fact, Peru's Fiestas Patrias are two different holidays: July 28 is Independence Day and July 29 is the Day of the Armed Forces and National Police of Peru. With parades, fairs, fireworks, and festivities all over the country, it’s a good time to be in Peru!

Everybody likes a good fiesta, but what is this one all about? Read on in English or click here to switch to Spanish and find out how Peru wrenched free of Spain’s control.

There were many indigenous Peruvian uprisings in the latter half of the 18^th century. The first large-scale rebellion was led by José Gabriel Condorcanqui, also known as Túpac Amaru II. Condorcanqui was the great-grandson of Túpac Amaru, the last indigenous ruler of the Inca Empire, who had been killed by the Spanish in 1572.

From 1780 to 1781, Túpac Amaru II and his allies (including many women, notably his wife Michaela Bastidas, who many consider was more daring leader and a better strategist than her more famous husband) fought against the Spanish to improve the rights of indigenous Peruvians. The thousands of indigenous men and women who participated in the revolt were eventually defeated, and both Michaela Bastidas and Túpac Amaru II were executed. In 1781, Inca cultural traditions were outlawed.

Although his rebellion was unsuccessful, Túpac Amaru II inspired many indigenous and mestizo people across Latin America and beyond, both at the time and in the centuries that followed. One famous example is American rapper Tupac Amaru Sakur (1971-1996), who was named after Túpac Amaru II.

The criollos, Europeans born in Latin America, saw their chance to challenge Spanish rule in 1808, with the French invasion of Spain. With Spain’s government in crisis, and the ideas of enlightenment and the American and French revolutions in the air, El Primer Grito de la Independencia (“the first cry of independence”) was heard in Ecuador in 1809, marking the beginning of criollo revolutionary movements throughout Latin America.

When the War of Independence broke out in Argentina in 1810, the Spanish viceroy of the Viceroyalty of Peru reincorporated several provinces in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Ecuador back into the Viceroyalty of Peru. Peru became a center of Spanish military power and royalist attitudes.

Peru’s War of Independence began in 1811 with the Battle of Huaqui, in which the royalist troops of the Viceroyalty of Peru triumphed over the revolutionary troops of La Primera Junta (founded in Buenos Aires, Argentina). In the years that followed, many battles were lost and won around the viceroyalty.

General José de San Martín of Argentina was a decisive figure. He liberated Argentina and then Chile, which he used as a base to attack Peru by sea. San Martín occupied the Peruvian port of Pisco in 1820 and entered Lima in 1821. He declared Peruvian independence on July 28, 1821. Peru’s War of Independence continued until 1826, when the last royalists surrendered.

Now, almost 200 years later, the people of Peru celebrate their independence on the same date every year. When you are enjoying music, food, the joyful spirit that fills the country, remember the history that made this celebration possible.

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One of the classic questions we’re often asked by our Spanish students is when to use ser and when to use estar. In today’s post, we’ll try to answer the main questions about ser vs. estar by looking at each verb separately to see how it’s used. In a future post, we will go over cases in which we can choose to use either ser or estar and see how the meaning of the sentence changes. Click here to read this post in Spanish. Let’s get into it!

We use ser in the following situations:

To identify:

• Our identity: “Soy Mandi” (I am Mandi)
• Our nationality: “Soy china/soy de China” (I am Chinese/I’m from China)
• Our profession or hobby: “Soy estudiante/Soy abogado/Soy deportista” (I am a student/I am a lawyer/I am an athlete)
• Our beliefs: “Soy musulmán/judío/católico/budista/…” (I am Muslim/Jewish/Catholic/Buddhist/etc.)

To describe:

• Our physical characteristics: “Soy alto/bajo/delgado/grueso/fuerte…” (I am tall/short/thin/heavy/strong/etc.)
• Our abilities: “Soy inteligente/listo/tonto/...” (I am intelligent/smart/dumb/etc.)
• Our personality: “Soy alegre/abierto/extrovertido/tímido/…” (I am cheerful/receptive/extroverted/shy/etc.)
• Our relationships: “Sophie es mi hermana/Soy primo de Tomoyo/Soy novia de Giovanni” (Sophie is my sister/I am Tomoyo’s cousin/I am Giovanni’s girlfriend)
• The material something is made of: “La mesa es de madera/metal/plástico…” (The table is made of wood/metal/plastic/etc.)

To locate events:

• In a place: “El concierto es en el estadio de fútbol” (The concert is in the soccer stadium)
• On a specific date: “La clase sobre ser y estar es el martes/en abril/la semana próxima…” (The class about ser and estar is on Tuesday/in April/next week/etc.)
• In a period of time: “Las rebajas son en primavera/verano/otoño/invierno” (The sales are in spring/summer/fall/winter)
• At a specific time: “La conferencia es a la una de la tarde” (The conference is at 1 p.m.)

To talk about the price of something when the cost is stable: ¿Cuánto es el café? Es 1,20€ (How much is the coffee? It is €1.20)

 

We use estar in the following contexts:

To describe:

• Our mood: Hoy estoy contento porque he aprobado el DELE (Today I am happy because I passed the DELE exam)
• Our physical characteristics that can change: “Zoe ha ido a la playa y ahora está muy morena”/Katie ha hecho dieta y ahora está más delgada” (Zoe went to the beach and now she is very tan/Katie has been dieting and now she is thinner)
• Our marital status: “Tatiana está casada/soltera/divorciada” (Tatiana is married/single/divorced)
• The way in which something has been made/built: “El anillo está hecho en plata/con oro/a mano” (The ring is made in silver/with gold/by hand)

To locate physical spaces: “Nuestra escuela de español en Sevilla está en el centro de la ciudad, muy cerca del mercado” (Our Spanish school in Seville is downtown, very close to the market)

When using the preposition a or en to indicate:

• A date: “Estamos a 24 de julio del 2019” (Today is July 24, 2019)
• A season: “Estamos en primavera/verano/otoño/invierno” (We are in spring/summer/fall/winter)

To talk about the price of something when the value is not stable: “La gasolina está a casi cinco euros el litro”/Los tomates están a unos cuatro euros el kilo” (Gas is at almost five euros a liter/Tomatoes are at about four euros a kilo)

 

Esperamos que estéis contentos con la explicación, aunque como sois muy listos con un poco de práctica no vais a tener ningún problema para entenderla. (We hope you are happy with the explanation, although since you are very smart, with a bit of practice you will have no problem understanding it.)

A special thanks to Lucas, our Director of Studies in Seville, for this detailed explanation of when to use ser vs. estar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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If you ever walk through downtown Madrid, you’ll see two neon signs that have come to form part of the city: the Tío Pepe sign and the Schweppes sign. Located in Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Callao, respectively, these two advertisements have become symbols of Madrid, like the screens of Times Square in New York or Piccadilly Circus in London.

The fact is that these advertising platforms have gone far beyond their original commercial motivation. They are now an integral part of the city’s skyline and appear in all the postcards and tourist photos of the city center. Want to discover how these two brands became icons of Madrid? Keep reading in English or click here to switch to Spanish.

Tío Pepe: Just Another Madrileño

In Puerta del Sol, next to the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree and the Casa de Correos, there’s a monument that’s much less conventional. But that doesn’t mean it inspires any less interest in tourists! The Tío Pepe sign features a bottle of fino wine dressed in a short jacket and matching hat and carrying a Spanish guitar. Its slogan? Sol de Andalucía embotellado (bottled Andalusian sunshine).

The González Byass winery erected the first Tío Pepe sign above the rooftop terrace of Hotel París in 1935 to commemorate the centennial of the winery. At first, the advertisement showed a glass of sherry above the winery sign; it wasn’t until years later that the sign took on its current form.

Speaking of sherry, this English word is actually an anglicization of jerez, which in Spanish is both the name of the wine and the name of the place where it is made. Jerez is one of many Spanish wines with a Protected Designation of Origin.   

The Tío Pepe sign is one of the sights in the capital city that tourists most like to photograph, but it’s also beloved by Madrileños. So much so that in 2011, when the sign disappeared from Puerta de Sol for three years to be restored, lots of people missed it. When the sign returned in 2014, it was pushed out of its original position by the new Apple Store and relocated to the top of a different building in the same plaza.  

Schweppes: Presiding over Callao for 47 Years

This famous brand of tonic water is the star of another one of Madrid’s most emblematic neon signs. Crowning the Carrión building, the Schweppes logo appears in yellow letters over a blinking background of multicolored stripes and has been dominating the panoramic view of Gran Vía since 1972.

Like the Tío Pepe sign, the Schweppes sign marked a turning point in the history of Spanish advertising. As time has passed, it has gone from being just a creative ad to forming part of the city’s collective imagination, an added bonus for the brand.

The Osborne Bulls

Outside the hustle and bustle of the city, beside many a Spanish highway, one of Spain’s iconic advertisements come into view: the Osborne bulls. These black silhouettes of Spanish Fighting Bulls measure more than 45 feet high. Once again, a winery is behind this iconic advertisement; in this case, the Osborne company.

It’s a funny story. In 1987, the Spanish government banned the use of billboards on the highway to increase road safety. As a strategy to keep its signs up, Osborne decided to paint its already famous bull-shaped billboards completely black, leaving no trace of any reference to the brand. In the end, the bull billboards wound up being protected by the Spanish Supreme Court thanks to their “aesthetic and cultural interest.” In 2017, the Osborne bulls turned 60 years old.

We hope you found this post interesting. Now that you know the ins and outs of Spain’s most famous advertising spaces, we encourage you to watch the following video. In it, you’ll learn more about the world of brands in Spanish. Enjoy!

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Let’s get the fiesta started!

Each summer, Spain turns into one big party. Cities and towns across the country take advantage of the summer months to hold popular celebrations that fill the streets with music, food, and tradition. From San Fermin in Pamplona, featured in Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises, to the religious pilgrimage of the Virgen del Rocío, the Malaga Fair, and the open-air dance of the Paloma in Madrid, these fiestas are a true reflection of the joyful and festive spirit of the Spanish people.

There are lots of different types of fiestas in Spain. Do you know the difference between a verbena and a romería? Can you distinguish a saint’s feast day from other popular celebrations? With all the festivities, we know it can be easy to feel a bit lost. Stick with English or click here to switch to the Spanish version of this post and read on to become a connoisseur of Spanish fiestas.

A tradition known by many names

Nowadays, there’s barely a distinction between verbenas and romerías. Both words are used to describe fiestas populares, outdoor celebrations where people enjoy music, food, and drinks in a festive atmosphere.   

However, in earlier times these two types of events had clear differences with respect to the time of day and activities included in the celebrations. Let’s learn more about them.

Romerías

Romerías are popular fiestas celebrated close to a shrine or chapel on the day of the saint or virgin to whom the temple is consecrated. On the day of the romería, participants embark on a pilgrimage to the sanctuary, which is usually located in the countryside.

This type of celebration happens during the day. After honoring the saint or virgin, people enjoy a bite to eat in the great outdoors, often with music and popular songs to set the tone.

Within Spain, romerías are especially popular in Andalusia, and the romería of the Virgen del Rocío is the most famous one of all. Each year, around a million people travel on foot, horseback, or in a horse-drawn carriage to the small town of El Rocío to take part in the celebration. Romerías are also celebrated outside of Spain, in countries like Costa Rica, Argentina, Mexico, and Chile.

Verbenas

Verbenas are popular fiestas with open-air dancing. Although the origins of verbenas also tend to be devotional and are dedicated to a saint or virgin, the main thing that differentiates a verbena from a romería is that the former is celebrated at night and has a more relaxed and festive atmosphere.

The name verbena comes from a plant with same name, which has pink flowers. Back in the day, it was customary for people to go to this type of dance with a boutonniere of verbenas on the lapel of their shirt. From there, people started calling the celebration by the name of the flower.

One of Spain’s most popular verbenas is La Paloma, which takes place in Madrid in mid-August. The celebration takes place in the La Latina neighborhood, which comes alive as its balconies and courtyards are decorated with string flags, garlands, lights, and Manila shawls. When night falls, the verbena fills every corner of the neighborhood with music in a lively fiesta that feels like pure summer.

Outside of Spain, verbenas enjoy some popularity in Colombia and Venezuela, although each country has its own style of celebrating.

Fiestas patronales

Here’s another type of fiesta! Fiestas patronales (also known as fiestas mayores) are official celebrations held each year in a specific to a city or town to celebrate the local patron saint. The celebration usually lasts multiple days and includes religious events, outdoor activities, dances, concerts, bullfighting or other bull-related events, and fairs with carnival rides.

In many cases, the same city has two patron saints, a male and a female. For example, Madrid has fiestas dedicated to San Isidro and La Almudena. Both are public holidays in the capital city.

We hope this article has helped you understand what popular fiestas are all about. But when it comes to these traditional events, words don’t say enough. We encourage you to come to Spain in the summertime to learn Spanish and get a real taste of Spanish fiestas. We’ll be waiting for you!

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The Spanish verb haber is a common source of confusion for many Spanish learners, but it’s easy to use once you get the hang of it. The best part is that haber has only one form in each verb tense: you don’t have to conjugate it! Today’s quick Spanish grammar lesson will teach you how to use haber and how it’s different from the verb estar. Read on in English or click here for the Spanish version of this post.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Understanding the Differences Between Haber and Estar

1. Haber is an impersonal verb. This means that it doesn’t have the six usual forms for each person (yo, tú, él, nosotros, vosotros, ellos). It has only one form, which is hay in the present tense.
2. We use haber to indicate the location of people, objects, or places in a general way when we don’t know the people, objects, or places we’re talking about.
   • For example, in the sentence Hay un teléfono en la mesa (There is a telephone on the table), we don’t know what telephone it is or who owns it, and in the sentence Hay cuatro alumnos en la clase (There are four students in the class), we don’t know who the students are.
3. Estar can also be used to refer to the location of people, objects, and places, but in a concrete way, when we know the things we are talking about
   • For example, in the sentence Mi teléfono está en la mesa (My phone is on the table), we’re talking about a specific phone, my phone. In the sentence Pierre, Elena, Mohammed y Jennifer están en la clase (Pierre, Elena, Mohammed, and Jennifer are in the class), we’re referring not to four students in general but to these specific four students.

Haber	Estar
un/una/unos/unas + noun.   algún(a)/algunos/as + noun.   number + noun. Hay + mucho/a/muchos/as + noun.   poco/a, pocos/as + noun.   uncountable noun   plural noun	el/la/los/las + noun.       posessive + noun. + estar     proper noun

4. If we look at the examples above (2 and 3), we can see that haber doesn’t change (hay + singular subject; hay + plural subject), while estar does (está or están, depending on the subject).
5. We also use haber to talk about things that do or do not exist, especially when referring to abstract nouns: No hay tiempo, tenemos que salir ya (There is no time, we have to leave now) or uncountable nouns: ¿Hay café? (Is there any coffee?).
6. Up to this point, we have only used examples in the present tense. Hay is the impersonal form of the verb haber in the present. In other verb tenses, the third person singular is used to express the impersonal form: Hubo un acccidente en el centro (There was an accident downtown) or No había nadie en la clase (There was nobody in the class).

Si no hay preguntas (If there aren’t any questions), that brings us to the end of today’s Spanish grammar review. A special thanks to José Ramón Rodríguez, one of our teachers in Malaga, for sharing his expertise.

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Call me by your name

 

There are few things more frustrating than arriving to your first day of work or meeting a new group of friends and finding that someone there has the same name as you. From that moment on, what’s most likely to happen is that you will stop being known by the name your parents racked their brains for during 9 long months. You will be renamed with any possible derivation of your first name, with a nickname, or with a pseudonym. And all of this because you were the second one to join the group. But at least they’ll call you by a different name to differentiate you.

 

However, there exists something worse. Think about the previous situation, you come to a new place, nobody is named like you, and yet, against all odds, everyone calls you by the name of someone who was there before you. This is something that happens to a lot of brand creators: after weeks or years of thinking up a catchy name for their “baby,” they come in second at the market and their product is forever known by the name of another, more famous brand.

 

Here we always call things by their name, and this phenomenon is called lexicalization. To discover more about it, keep reading in English, or click here to switch to Spanish.

 

This process of brand lexicalization happens when a corporation, brand, or company is so famous, or it was the first to become popular, that its name is used to refer to all other products of the same genre. The curious thing about this concept is that you probably use this it daily and, like our friend Robert, you haven’t noticed it.

 

The other day, when Robert headed home in his jeep, he stopped by in a nearby gas station to buy Scotch tape and kleenex. He seized the opportunity to refuel with diesel. When he got in the car again, and took out his thermos to take a sip of coffee, he realized that there was a post-it on the dashboard and stopped to read it. The car that was waiting behind him honked. Startled, Robert hit his head and, sore, started driving. The road home was longer than a day without bread, and when he finally arrived, he had to take an aspirin. Then he thought that it was the best time to use his new jacuzzi for the first time while he enjoyed of a bit of music with his old walkman.

 

As you may have imagined, the products that appear in this little story starring Robert are examples of brand lexicalization. These brand names have worked their way into everyday language, and can often be used interchangeably in both English and in Spanish. 

 

Jeep

All four-wheel drives (made by any company) can be called jeeps in English and Spanish despite the fact that the name Jeep is a trademark registered by the Chrysler company.

 

Scotch tape

In the United States and Canada, transparent pressure-sensitive tape is commonly known as Scotch tape because of 3M’s trademark. In Spain the lexicalized name for clear tape is Celo, which comes from the British brand Sellotape.

 

Kleenex

The Kleenex brand name is used in English and Spanish to refer to disposable tissues. Surprisingly, the product’s first aim was to alleviate the shortage of cotton in U.S. hospitals during World War I. After the war many units were left, and they were repurposed, without much success, as women’s sanitary products. In 1924, the company Kimberly-Clark began selling Kleenex as disposable makeup remover wipes. In 1930 a study revealed that 60% of women used them to blow their noses.

 

Diesel

This kind of fuel is named after the German mechanical engineer Rudolf Diesel, famous for the invention of the Diesel engine.

 

Thermos

The vacuum flask was created in 1892 by James Dewar for scientific uses in the field of cryogenics. The glassblower Reinhold Burger discovered the commercial use of the product and, in 1904, he announced a contest to put a name to it. The winner was a student who suggested "thermos," which means “hot” in Greek. In Spanish, the word is termo.

 

Post-It

The Post-It brand name is often used in English and Spanish to describe brightly colored sticky notes. The Post-It was invented by Arthur Fry, a 3M worker who found a use for the low-quality glue created by his friend Spencer Silver. The glue turned out to be enduring and residue-free, despite the fact that it wasn’t a very strong adhesive.

 

Claxon

In Spanish, a car horn is called a claxon, which comes from the Klaxon brand.

 

Aspirin

Acetylsalicylic acid is known around the world as Aspirin (Aspirina in Spanish), a trademark registered by the German multinational pharmaceutical company Bayer after its creation in 1897.

Its time as a trademark was brief because in 1917, after World War I, Bayer had to give up some of its patents and trademarks.

 

Jacuzzi

The hot tub, or whirlpool, was created by the Italian Cándido Jacuzzi in the ‘50s after he emigrated to U.S., where he worked manufacturing hydraulic pumps. Jacuzzi’s son suffered from rheumatoid arthritis and, to ease his pain, he decided to use one of his pumps to treat him with whirlpools.

 

Walkman

In 1978, Sony’s Honorary President, Massaou Ibuka, made an appearance in a meeting room with a compact device and headphones assuring his audience that it was the ideal invention to listen to music in private. After reducing the size of the headphones and the weight of the cassettes, the device was launched on the Japanese market with the Walkman name.

In this post we have told you about just a few examples of generic trademarks. From now on, we’re sure you will be more careful and you will call brands and their products by their proper name.

Although you may have learned a few new Spanish words with this post (¿tienes un Kleenex?), if you want to speak Spanish properly, you’ll need to take a Spanish course. And don’t worry, even if your class has another student with your name, for us you will always be unique.

If you want to learn more about how brands are around the world, don’t forget to take a look at this video we've put together.

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