Has anyone ever said to you, “No tienes ni un pelo de tonto” (you don’t have even one foolish hair)?

Don’t worry. It’s kind of a strange thing to say, but it’s not an insult.

In fact, it’s quite the opposite!

If you don’t have even one foolish hair, that means you’re a smart person with your wits about you, someone who’s difficult to trick or fool.

Read this article in Spanish

No tener ni un pelo de tonto is just one of many Spanish sayings that talk about hair.

When used in colloquial expressions, pelo (hair) usually refers to a small quantity of something or to something that just barely happens.

A hair is one of the smallest and finest (but still visible) parts of the body. In fact, we lose hair from our head every day, often without realizing it.

That’s why when we use the word pelo as part of an expression, we’re referring to a small amount of something.

So, if someone says, “No tienes ni un pelo de tonto,” what do they mean? Well, just the opposite of what it might seem.

They are trying to say that you’re not the least bit foolish.

This means they’re paying you a compliment!

If you want to keep free of “foolish hairs” and learn more Spanish expressions with pelo, watch our video and find out all you have left to learn!

• Hey, Juan.
• What’s up, Luis? Is everything okay?
• Yeah, everything’s fine. I just want to talk to you for a second. Do you have a minute?
• Sure, what’s going on?
• Well, look. For a while now I’ve been trying to think of a way to surprise my mom for her birthday. I haven’t had much luck, but today I had the idea of taking her on a tour of the theaters downtown, I’m sure she’ll love it.
• Good idea!
• But hey, you can’t tell anyone, okay? I don’t want her to find out before her birthday.
• Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.
• Thanks!

If after this conversation Luis’s mom comes along and starts to pester Juan, asking him what her son said, what he’s going to give her, saying not to worry because she won’t say anything, and things of that nature, what Luis’s mom is doing is tirar de la lengua (pulling on someone’s tongue… in this case, Juan’s.)

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If you insist that someone tells you something you know they’re not supposed to, in Spanish we say that you’re pulling their tongue (le estás tirando de la lengua).

Why do we say that?

The origins of this saying aren’t clear, but the truth is, it’s easy to visualize.

Metaphorically speaking, your words and everything you say comes from your tongue. Therefore, continuing with the metaphor, if someone could pull on your tongue, they could see all the words you don’t want to say written all over it.

Of course, since that’s not actually possible, the expression tirar de la lengua is used to say that a person is being very insistent, perhaps overly insistent, to try to get someone to tell them what they want to hear.

If you want to know and discover more expressions with lengua, take a look at this video and you’ll be able to speak in Spanish whenever you want.

Everybody is well aware that each household has its own customs.

When we visit a friend or family member in their home, things usually aren’t exactly as we’d like them; there tend to be things we’d do differently. This is also true on a bigger scale: even when cities are close together, they often have different customs or traditions because of each city’s history and the events that have happened there.

If customs change from home to home and city to city, imagine the differences between countries!

Read this article in Spanish

There’s an expression in Spanish that says, “Allá donde fueras, haz lo que vieras” (Wherever you go, do what you see). In English we have a similar saying: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” In both cases, the idea is that when you travel somewhere, you should follow the customs of the people who live there.

With this in mind, today we’re going to talk about some of the most widespread customs in Spain. They may seem a bit strange to you when you arrive, but don’t worry — they’re easy to get used to.

1. We’re used to sunny weather

If there’s one thing visitors notice when they come to Spain, it’s all the hours of sunshine we have each day. We’re so used to it that we find it very strange if it rains for more than two or three days in a row and we don’t get to see the sun, or if we have a whole week of cloudy skies in winter.

Enjoy the sunshine, but don’t forget your sunscreen!

2. We put blinds on every window

Thanks to all that sun, almost every Spanish home has persianas or Persian blinds.

A Persian blind is a set of horizontal slates linked together by a cord. This cord is placed inside the room and can be used to raise or lower the window blinds to our liking. This way we can control how much sunlight comes in. We’ll often lower the blinds before we go to bed so we don’t get woken up by the bright light when the sun comes up, or in the summertime to keep the heat out, especially around midday.

3. For hellos and goodbyes, a kiss on each cheek

In Spain, men usually greet other men with a handshake and women with two kisses, one on each cheek. Women, on the other hand, greet both men and other women with two kisses (except in very formal settings, in which they may greet someone with a handshake).

Between close friends and families, it’s also common for men to say hello and goodbye with cheek kissing. It’s such a deeply rooted custom that nobody thinks twice about kissing someone on both cheeks.

4. We get up early and stay up late

Yes, we know. In Spain we do most things later than usual. Our lunchtime is between 2 and 3 p.m., but it’s not at all uncommon for lunch to last until 4 p.m. We generally meet for dinner around 9 p.m., but the meal often doesn’t start until even later.

So, when you get to Spain, stop looking at your watch and worrying about the time. Remember, when you follow our schedule, you’ll be able to enjoy every last hour of sunshine!

5. The (famous) siesta

Since meals in Spain are usually abundant and long-lasting, sometimes it’s almost necessary to take a break so you can digest your food and rest for a little while. Even so, we’ve got to tell you something. Siestas (naps) aren’t as common as people outside of Spain might think.

With how busy life is these days, what with long work days and lots of daily activities, it’s very hard to find time to take a nap. On weekends, however, it’s a bit easier for everyone.

6. No, we’re not shouting

Spaniards often notice that when we travel to other countries, we recognize our compatriots by their slightly louder tone of voice. In Spain we’re used to it, but tourists and new arrivals are sometimes bothered by what they consider to be loud conversations.

Even if it seems like we’re speaking loudly or even shouting, it’s not because we’re angry or because people can’t hear us. Furthermore, when we use public transportation, even though we often speak with the person or group of people we’re traveling with, we do try to keep the volume down.

7. We don’t take our shoes off at the door

For Spaniards, it’s not a sign of disrespect to keep our shoes on when we enter someone’s home, whether they’re visiting us or we’re visiting them. The most we’ll do is wipe the bottom of our shoes on the welcome mat in front of the door before we go in.

However, when we arrive at our own home, we take off our shoes and change into slippers. We might even change into more comfortable clothes. But there’s no general rule about taking your shoes off in other people’s homes.

8. Punctuality… Spanish style

Although we don’t usually admit it, Spaniards know that we arrive late to most places. If there’s an important work meeting or a formal event, we make sure to be punctual… but there’s always someone who gets distracted and doesn’t make it on time. And if you’re casually meeting up with friends or family, you can be sure you’ll have to wait for at least one person.

Here’s a piece of advice. If someone tells you they’ll be there in 5 minutes, it’ll probably be more like 15 or 20.

9. Bread with every meal

A Spanish meal without bread is like a paella without rice — unthinkable!

Bread is good for pushing your food onto your fork or spoon; it’s great for picking up food and delivering it straight to your mouth; you can use it to clean your plate, to make breakfast, snacks, dinners, or whatever you want! You can eat it at home or take it on the go, eat it with meat, fish, or salad… Spaniards sometimes get offended when a restaurant charges extra for bread. It’s so ingrained in our culture that we assume it’s included in the price.

Now you know some of Spain’s most notable customs. It’s just a little heads-up so you’ll be more prepared and know what to expect when you come to Spain to learn Spanish.

Enjoy our customs!

The tongue — the muscle that allows us to speak Spanish whenever we want. It’s also a recurring theme in several common Spanish expressions.

It’s a word that causes a lot of headaches. Why in Spanish do we say morderse la lengua (bite your tongue) when you’re not really going to bite it?

Read this article in Spanish

And what in the world are people with lengua de trapo (rag tongue)? It must be impossible for someone to talk with a rag in their mouth…

These are just a couple of the many Spanish sayings that use the word lengua, or tongue. Today we’re going to take a closer look at these two expressions: morderse la lengua and lengua de trapo.

Surely this has happened to you at some point in your life…

Someone you know comes up to you and tells you something extremely personal. It’s something very important, so they ask you to please not tell anyone. You tell them not to worry, you won’t.

Then, if someone else comes and asks you what the person said, you’ll have to morderte la lengua (bite your tongue) to make sure you don’t repeat a single word of what was said.

You can also use this expression in a different context. Imagine you’re at work and you’ve just finished a very important project. Suddenly, when you go to present it, your boss tells everyone that he was the one who did it. It‘s possible that to avoid having problems with your boss, you may decide to morderte la lengua and not say anything to anyone that would reveal the truth.

As you can see, morderse la lengua means that you don’t say anything, you resist the temptation to tell someone something that you have to keep quiet, whatever the reason.

On the other hand, tener lengua de trapo is completely different.

Have you ever heard a young child talk?

When children are around one and a half or two years old, they begin to speak their first intelligible words.

They try to express themselves by imitating what they’ve heard from their parents or other people around them. The problem is that most of the time, they’re not able to pronounce the words correctly, and adults can’t understand what they’re trying to say.

This way of speaking or babbling is what we’re referring to when we say someone has a lengua de trapo (rag tongue). It really sounds like they have a piece of rag in their mouth instead of a tongue.

You know what?

There are lots of other expressions with lengua, so if you want to learn even more, watch this video and we’ll tell you all about them.

Six different Latin American countries will be celebrating their independence this weekend. Coincidence? We think not! Learn how the stories of Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador are intertwined and how independence is celebrated today.

Read this article in Spanish

First, let’s crack open our history books to understand how this all came about. As you may recall, in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue, landing in the Bahamas and beginning the Spanish colonization of Latin America.

In the years that followed, Spain established four viceroyalties to govern the vast territories it had conquered. The first, the Viceroyalty of New Spain, was officially established in 1535. Its capital was Mexico City, built on the ruins of a pre-Columbian city called Mexico-Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire, which had fallen to the Spanish in 1521. Over time, New Spain came to include present-day Mexico, the U.S. states of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Florida, parts of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, and parts of British Columbia, Canada. That’s not all — New Spain also encompassed Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and the Central American countries of Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Mexico and Central America go their separate ways

Spain’s iron grip on the New World lasted almost 300 years, but when French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Spain in 1808 and the Spanish King Ferdinand VII abdicated the throne, the people of Latin America saw a chance to rebel against colonial power.

Mexico’s War of Independence began on the morning of September 16, 1810 with el grito de Dolores (the cry of Dolores), when priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bells in the town of Dolores (pictured below) and called on the townspeople to revolt against Spanish rule. This day, September 16, is celebrated as Mexico’s Independence Day, although it took more than a decade of fighting before the Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire was signed on September 18, 1821. 

Only a few days before, on September 15, 1821, the Provincial Council of the Province of Guatemala declared the independence of Central America (not including Panama, which was part of Colombia) from Spain. There was no bloodshed. This day, September 15, is celebrated as Independence Day in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador. 

Mexico and Central America briefly reunite before a permanent separation

Shortly after declaring independence in 1821, Central America joined the First Mexican Empire. However, the deal was short-lived: just two years later, in 1823, the Mexican Empire became a republic and the United Provinces of Central America was formed, completely independent from Spain and Mexico. This union didn’t last long either; it was completely dissolved by 1841, with Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and El Salvador becoming their own independent countries.

Today, Mexican Independence Day celebrations begin on the night of September 15, when the President of Mexico stands on the balcony of the National Palace in Mexico City, rings the same bell Hidalgo rang in 1810 (it’s been moved to the capital from Dolores), and recites the Grito Mexicano, based on the Grito de Dolores. Hundreds of thousands of people gather in the capital’s main plaza or Zócalo to watch, chanting back “¡Viva!” at the appropriate moments. Local politicians also re-enact the cry of Dolores in public squares throughout the country. The following day, September 16, is a national holiday with parades, live concerts, typical dress and dances, fireworks, and lots of delicious Mexican food.

In case you were wondering, May 5 has nothing to do with Mexican Independence: Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla during the French-Mexican War in 1862.

Costa Rica celebrates its Independence Day a bit differently. First, a burning torch is carried by runners in a relay through five countries, from Guatemala to Costa Rica, symbolizing the route the news of independence traveled in 1821. In that year, the news took a month to reach Costa Rica — although independence was declared on September 15, Costa Rica didn’t know it was independent until October. After the torch arrives, the whole country stops to celebrate by dressing in typical Costa Rican attire and attending or participating in festive parades complete with live bands and dancing.

If you’re studying Spanish at don Quijote in Mexico or Costa Rica this September, expect the streets and plazas to be alive with traditional celebrations and bursting with local colors and flavors.

Each language has its details, curiosities, history and traditions. But it’s undeniable that Spanish is a language full of expressions and with hundreds and hundreds of synonyms.

The following is only a sample.

You know what a tongue is.

Read the Spanish version

It’s a muscle in the mouth used to speak and to taste. And, tongue is also synonymous with language: the Spanish tongue, the English tongue... But, there is still more. “Lengua” is Spanish for tongue, and in Spanish, lengua can also be a strip of cloth or any elongated, narrow material. But when we look at sayings that involve the tongue, we can see that Spanish and English are quite close…

If they tell you that you are running around with your tongue hanging out (con la lengua fuera), it means that you are going around in a hurry, rushing all over the place. Just imagine, when someone is running and suddenly stops, usually what happens is, because of fatigue, they open their mouth to catch their breath. Suddenly the tongue is visible after so much hurrying about.

However, if someone tells you that you are a tongue wagger (dando la lengua), they mean you are a charlatan. In order to speak, the essential muscle is the tongue. So, if you are moving it a great deal it means that you’re talking a lot, without stopping.

But beware, that is very different from using a prodigal tongue (irse de la lengua). This doesn’t mean this person talks a lot, it means they talk too much, divulging things such as secrets or other confidential information.

So to avoid this, the best thing to do is to bite your tongue (morderse la lengua). But don’t worry, you won’t hurt yourself. Biting your tongue helps to quash the urge to say something. In other words, to not say anything that you might later regret, it is better to bite your tongue and not say it.

But of course, surely you have been in the situation more than once where you have been pressured to talk about something. And after enough insistence, something slipped out and you ended up giving information you hadn’t intended to. Well today you’re going to discover that you have just run across someone who had the ability to loosen your tongue (tirar de la lengua). It is the way we have of saying that one person has strongly urged another to tell him something that, perhaps, he should not have.

And when young children are learning to talk, we say that they trip over their tongue (or have a lengua de trapo). Well no. Children learning to talk don’t actually step on their tongues. it’s just that, since they are beginning to learn, they don’t pronounce well and have a limited vocabulary; it’s as if the words don’t come out properly. Have you ever had that feeling, like sometimes all that comes out is baby talk?

Finally, if you meet a person who has a sharp tongue (or sin pelos en la lengua), you have a direct, sincere and critical person, who will tell you exactly what they think, even when it is not the most appropriate time for it.

So, after this review, you will have noticed that we went from being children and tripping over our tongue, then we grew a little and we couldn’t stop wagging our tongue. As we grow older we always go around with our tongue hanging out, but we try not have a prodigal tongue with people that try to loosen our tongue and, for that reason, we try to bite our tongue. Now, when we must tell the truth, we use our sharp tongue.

What a tongue-twister!

Come join us at don Quijote and learn even more about the Spanish tongue.

Learning Spanish takes time. To make learning easier and more entertaining, today we’re bringing you a list of the best TV shows to learn Spanish depending on your level.

Grab a snack, get comfortable, and get ready to binge on some of the best TV series in Spanish.

Read this article in Spanish

First, for beginners, one of the best series is Cuéntame cómo pasó. It’s about the passing of time and the most important historical events that have happened in Spain from 1968 to 1986 (so far — the show’s still going). It’s the longest running Spanish TV show in history and revolves around what happens to the Alcántara family over the years.

Scene from Cuentame cómo pasó

Since it’s a show for the whole family, the dialogues are usually easy to follow and not too fast, with vocabulary that students of all Spanish levels can understand. It’s the perfect show to start learning Spanish or improve the level you already have.

If you want to hear what Spanish teenagers sound like, a good option is El internado. The story follows two orphan siblings, Marcos and Paula, who quickly discover that everyday life in an elite boarding school is anything but easy. Aside from not getting along with Iván, one of his classmates, Marcos starts to realize that strange things are happening at the school. Mystery, intrigue, high school crushes… this series has got it all, perfect for intermediate Spanish students who want to know how young people in Spain really talk.

Scene from El internado

To learn colloquial Spanish and listen to Spanish spoken by real people, both young and old, Los hombres de Paco is a very fun and entertaining show.

The series revolves around a typical police station. Paco, Lucas, and Mariano are a team of police officers who have big hearts but are clumsy and accident-prone. They complicate their cases, get tangled up in love affairs, show up at the wrong places… thanks to all the different situations they find themselves in, this is the perfect opportunity to hear Spanish as it’s spoken between friends, between adults, between young people, between work colleagues, and in the most common types of everyday situations. Watching this show is a good way to put the Spanish you already know into practice.

Scene from Los hombres de Paco

If you’re more interested in Spanish from Latin America, your best option is definitely Narcos. It follows the true and very dangerous story of an illegal cocaine trafficking network in Colombia. The leading man is Pablo Escobar, one of the biggest capos in history. The dialogue usually follows a relaxed pace, with characters speaking slowly and pausing frequently, making this a great way to learn Latin American Spanish in its purest form.

Scene from Narcos

Can’t make up your mind? For a little bit of everything, our recommendation is El ministerio del tiempo.

It’s a very special storyline. A team from the Ministry is in charge of making sure nobody travels back in time to change anything. Every time the team receives an alert, they’ve got to time travel immediately to make sure the past stays the same and protect the future. Because of the action, the show sometimes has fast dialogues, but other parts are slower, so you can hear Spanish spoken in an office environment, Spanish from other times in history, colloquial Spanish… a winning combination.

Scene from El Ministerio del Tiempo

Now you’ve got five fun ways to learn Spanish or perfect what you already know while you spend your lazy afternoons watching TV in Spanish.

Today we’re going to talk about the Spanish tongue. More concretely, about expressions that use tongue.

In other words, we’re going to have a look at common Spanish sayings that mention tongues.

Oftentimes, what we say isn’t exactly what we mean.

Read this article in Spanish

When you’re speaking in Spanish, sooner or later there will come a time when someone will tell you something serious or important that they don’t want you to tell anyone else. If someone says to you, “No te vayas de la lengua” (Don’t leave your tongue), they’re asking you not to tell anyone what they’ve told you.

I’ll give you an example.

One of your friends tells you that he’s going to give his mom the best present ever. He starts telling you every little detail about the gift and might even ask for your advice on how to buy it. At the end of the conversation, he says

• Y, por favor, no te vayas de la lengua

What does he mean by this? Simple: he’s asking you to keep this a secret so his mom doesn’t find out about the gift he is going to give her.

On the other hand, another expression with tongue is no tener pelos en la lengua (to not have hair on one’s tongue). This means the opposite of the previous expression.

If you meet someone who doesn’t have hair on their tongue it means they’re honest, direct, and will tell you what they think without sugarcoating it.

Here’s an example:

Two old friends run into each other on the street:

• Hey, how are you? Long time no see!
• Yeah, it’s been awhile! You look different.
• Different? Of course, we haven’t seen each other for a long time.
• No, no. You look older.

Even though the person really is older, the fact that their friend has been so direct in saying so means that the friend no tiene pelos en la lengua.

Now you have two new expressions to use when you speak in Spanish. If you want to learn even more, watch this video and write down all the sayings you haven’t heard before!