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.

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.

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.

Beaches Hall of Fame       

The best moments always happen on the beach. Hollywood has made it pretty clear in a ton of films and no one can tell us otherwise. That’s just the way it is.

It’s the place where Danny and Sandy met and spent those unforgettable Summer Nights worthy of a musical, the place that gave us that Daniel Larusso’s unmatched scene doing the “Crane Kick” under the watchful eye of Mr. Miyagi, and the place where Colonel George Taylor, on his so-called simian adventure, realizes that he actually isn’t so far from his home planet after all and can’t help but let out a few hot-headed curses making for another iconic scene.

Well, we have good news because Spain has almost 5,000 miles of coast filled with beaches lapped by the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. 4911.939 miles to enjoy their geological and climatic peculiarities and, why not, just imagine running by the seashore at slow motion while you hear in your head the mythical Vangelis’s Chariots of Fire.

I’m sure that you´re already picturing your skin sun-kissed and the sea ​​breeze in your face. If so, then I’d say we’re on track, so don’t stop, keep reading in English, or click here to switch to Spanish and don’t miss this list with the best beaches in Spain.

Granadella Cove, Valencian Community

The first destination to enjoy your holidays in Spain is found along the Mediterranean seashore, in the province of Alicante. Located near the coastal town of Xàbia and crossing the road that meets La Granadella Forest Park, you’ll find a beach that has been elected on several occasions as the best beach in Spain. Its seabed is renowned and admired for is beauty among diving, scuba diving, and snorkel enthusiasts.

Macarella and Macarelleta Cove, Menorca, Balearic Islands

It’s time for the trendiest beach on Instagram. This virgin, isolated, and “u” shaped cove is the most photographed beach in Spain, and for good reason. You can only reach it by sea or on foot and, once you’re there, it’s as if you were in the Caribbean itself. You’ll get to walk through the soft white sand to the seashore and gaze over its turquoise waters framed by pine-covered cliffs.

Benijo Beach, Canary Islands

If you’re a person that is always looking for something different and unconventional, stop by the Canary Islands archipelago, most of its beaches have a volcanic origin. In North Tenerife you will find this incredible wild beach composed of black sand. Remote from urban centers, it is the perfect place to disconnect from all the noise and take in nature’s beauty.

El Bombo Beach, Mijas, Malaga

With 683 miles in length and 65 feet in width, this beach is characterized by its moderate waves, its dark sand, and its crystal waters, perfect for the scuba diving lovers. If this is not enough to awake your interest, imagine yourself arriving to the beach riding on the back of a traditional burrotaxi (donkey-cab).

Valdevaqueros Beach, Cadiz

When the wind blows in this little corner of ours, the Valdevaqueros’s 2.48 miles of beach becomes so much more, it transforms into a multicolor universe painted by the sails of the kitesurf and windsurf enthusiasts. If in addition, you’re looking for good company, this is the place! The beach has, as permanent residents, cows that don’t hesitate to feel at ease by the seashore while you catch up on that tan and enjoy the abundance of restaurants and chill out bars.

While the seventh art has its world-renowned Academy Awards, these Spanish beaches have received awards of their own that guarantee exceptional quality. Among them is the Blue Flag, an international classification that certifies that the beach meets and maintains environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria. Spain tops the world list of countries with Blue Flag awarded beaches. An authentic treasure of nature.

Speaking of treasures, we can’t part ways without first referring to the lucky ones that are always surrounded by sand and water, the pirates. If you want to travel the Spanish beaches in Jack Sparrow’s style, take a Spanish course and discover the treasure of learning a new language.

If you study Spanish you have probably heard this verb more than once in your classes, in a conversation, on TV..., although it is quite possible that you still do not understand what it means exactly or how you should use it. If so, don't worry! Your doubt is the same as that of many other students, because the verb quedar has many uses and meanings.

In this article we want to help you better understand the verb quedar in Spanish. So read on or click here to switch to the English version of the article.

Quedar con alguien

Quedar con alguien means to meet a person intentionally, usually at a certain time and place. In other words, it is the verb we use to meet someone.

• Los domingos quedo con mis padres y vamos a comer fuera (On Sundays I meet up with my parents and we go to eat out).
• ¿Quedamos mañana para ir al cine? (Shall we meet tomorrow to go to the movies?)

Quedar as a result

In these sentences, quedar expresses the result or state in which something is found after an action or process.

• Después de la reforma, la casa ha quedado preciosa (After the renovation, the house has become beautiful)
• No quiero que uséis el móvil en clase. ¿Queda claro? (I don't want you to use your cell phone in class. Is that clear?)

Quedar for an agreement

Quedar en algo expresses 'to agree on something'. We can use this structure to express that we come to an agreement with someone.

• ¿Por qué no me has enviado todavía el informe? ¿No quedamos en que lo terminarías ayer? (Why haven't you sent me the report yet? Didn't we agree that you would finish it yesterday?)
• Para la boda, hemos quedado en que él se encarga del restaurante y yo del fotógrafo (For the wedding, we agreed that he would take care of the restaurant and I would take care of the photographer)

From this sense, we derive the question “¿En qué quedamos?” (What did we agree on?), an expression that we use to ask someone to decide between different options or alternatives:

• Ayer me dijiste que quieres empezar a ahorrar para tus vacaciones y ahora estás pensando en comprarte un coche nuevo. ¿En qué quedamos? Decídete. (Yesterday you told me that you want to start saving for your vacation and now you are thinking of buying a new car. What shall we agree on? Make up your mind)

Other uses

In these contexts, quedar indicates the point at which a process is at or the amount left over of something, as happens in the second sentence.

• Esta mañana me he gastado casi todo el dinero en el supermercado. Solo me quedan 20 € (This morning I spent almost all my money at the supermarket. I only have €20 left)
• Quedan 20 minutos para terminar la clase (There are 20 minutes left to finish class)

Quedar resembles in these cases the verb haber, since it expresses the existence or non-existence of something:

• No queda leche. ¿Puedes comprar antes de venir a casa por favor? (There is no milk left. Can you buy before you come home please?)
• ¿Queda alguna persona en la sala o ya han salido todos? (Is there any person left in the room or has everyone already left?)

The verb quedar can be used with adjectives and adverbs such as bien, mal, genial, etc. to indicate that a color, an article of clothing, or the like does or does not aesthetically favor a person or thing.

• Esa camiseta no te queda bien. No es tu talla. (That shirt doesn't fit you. It's not your size)
• Yo creo que el azul queda genial en este salón (I think the blue looks great in this living room)

While, when we use quedar bien/quedar mal con alguien, we express the idea of causing a good or bad feeling in a person:

• No puedes quedar bien con todo el mundo. A veces, alguien puede pensar que no eres simpático. (You can't look good to everyone. Sometimes, someone may think you are not nice)
• Estoy muy nervioso porque hoy voy a conocer a los padres de mi novia y no quiero quedar mal ante ellos (I'm very nervous because I'm going to meet my girlfriend's parents today and I don't want to look bad in front of them)

After all these examples and explanations, we hope that now the verb quedar has finally become clear to you and you have no doubt.

The Sun Also Rises in San Fermin this 2019

Dear reader, surely at some point you have wished to attend to a festivity so thrilling it is worthy of inspiring a novelist to create his greatest work. And speaking of such novelists, if you´re imagining a novelist so accomplished they have even won the Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize in Literature, this festival is indeed a guaranteed success. As many of you might have already guessed, we’re talking about San Fermin.

It is known that Ernest Hemingway felt an attraction so strong for this special celebration that he included it in his novel The Sun Also Rises, but he hasn’t been the only one. Orson Welles, Ava Gardner, Errol Flynn, Deborah Kerr, Charlton Heston, Tyrone Power, Dennis Rodman, Bill Clinton, are few among many other figures in varying fields to form part of this “sanferminera” loyalty.

Keep reading in English, or click here to switch to Spanish, and discover everything you must know about this “bestseller” celebration.

What should I wear?

As any significant event, San Fermin has its own rules of etiquette. To become an authentic “pamplonica” you will have to get some white pants, a white T-shirt, a red handkerchief, and a red waistband.

While the tradition of wearing all white is recent, from the 1970s, the red handkerchief has its history. And it remains a mystery, because there still exists several hypotheses about the origin of its red color. One theory explains that it symbolizes the martyrdom of Saint Fermin, who was beheaded at the young age of 31. Other hypotheses say that it’s red to encourage bulls during “encierros” or because of Navarra’s flag.

Remember! Before the “chupinazo” kicks off the festival, the handkerchief must be tied around the wrist. Afterwards, it’s worn around the neck (or wherever you want).

The takeoff

There’s nothing like a traditional song to obtain valuable information:

Uno de enero, 2 de febrero, 3 de marzo, 4 de abril, 5 de mayo, 6 de junio, 7 de julio San Fermin. A Pamplona hemos de ir.

Ok, after listening the same old song year after year, I think that the most of us have a pretty clear idea about the meeting’s day and location. However! It can lead to error. Yes indeed, San Fermin is July 7^th. But the festivity starts every year on July 6^th at 12:00 noon. At this moment the “chupinazo” takes place, and fireworks are launched from the balcony of Pamplona’s hall balcony to mark the opening of the “sanfermines.”

This is the moment when you will hear: Pamploneses, Pamplonesas, ¡Viva san Fermin! ¡Gora san Fermin!

Here, if you can’t run, you’d better fly            

At 8 a.m, during two to three minutes, the city’s main street fills with adrenaline. It’s the moment of the world-famous running of the bulls or encierros.

Along a 950-yard-long circuit, bulls and humans compete in a vertiginous race that concludes in the bullring.

According to records, just a 14% of the runners in the “encierro” are from Pamplona. To live out this ‘‘once in a lifetime’’ kind of experience, runners come from all around the world, among them, 20% are American, an 8% are Australians, a 3% are from England, and a 1% are French.

If you’re planning on being one of these brave runners that dare to put themselves in front of six bulls, you better entrust yourself to a saint. That’s why this song exists and is dedicated to our beloved Saint Fermin:

A San Fermín pedimos, por ser nuestro patrón, nos guíe en el encierro, dándonos su bendición.

But San Fermin is not only about running of the bulls. Music too has a presence in all the celebrations, from the “dianas” of "La Pamplonesa" to concerts and traditional charangas to the bullfight’s “pasodobles.”

Other predominant activities are the “Riau-Riau,” held on July 6^th, and parades, such as the “Giants, big-heads, kilikis, and zaldikos parade” (Giants, with more than 159 years old of history, are the most emblematic symbols of the festivity. They are figures made of wood, cardboard, and cloth that are accompanied by “kilikis,” big-heads, and “zaldikos.” Together, they make up the “Comparsa”). Behind each giant pair, “comparseros,”,bagpipers, and “txistularis” (musicians) set the tone.

Furthermore, every night at 11 p.m, a firework spectacle lasting 15 to 25 minutes is held at the citadel park.

The festivity finishes on July 14^th at 12 midnight. If you don’t want to miss it, take a Spanish course and intone perfectly the song that says goodbye until the next year:

¡Pobre de mí, pobre de mí, que se han acabado las fiestas de San Fermín! 

A Brand-New World

Imagine the situation. It’s been no longer than two days since you set foot on British soil and you’re taking a stroll around the famous Camden Town accompanied by your new Londoner best friend. You’re enjoying its atmosphere, its alternative shops, and its music when your mohawked friend asks you: “Do you fancy Walkers?” At this point, you have no idea if he is talking about Chuck Norris or if he is asking you if you’re a fan of Game of Thrones. Thankfully, before you open your mouth, he takes a bag of chips out of his backpack that looks suspiciously familiar. The classic Lay’s.

Calm down! You’re like flan, but this is not a conspiracy to make a fool of us when we travel to other countries. The reasons why brands change their names depending on the country they’re selling to range from legal, cultural, and linguistic issues to marketing strategies.

Keep reading in English, or click here to switch to Spanish, and learn about some “shape-shifter” brands so you won't get caught off guard during your next getaway abroad.

Lay's/Walkers

The misunderstanding that we experienced at the beginning of this post was due to commercial reasons. The PepsiCo multinational corporation, owner of the brand Lay’s, bought the British company Walkers and decided to keep the brand’s name to keep customer loyalty.

Moreover, it’s a brand whose name differs from country to country: “Sabritas” in Mexico, “Tapuchips” in Israel, “Poca” in Vietnam, and “Chipsy” in Egypt.

Mr. Clean

The history of Mr. Clean, Don Limpio, or Mr. Proper, as it was originally named, is stained by some European distributors’ opportunism. The problem began when some distributors started to send products from countries where they were cheaper to countries where they were more expensive to increase their profit margin. This caused a big internal crisis in the company.

Solution: Name the product differently in each country and negotiate its price in each one of them as if they were different products.

Dunkin' Donuts/Dunkin' Coffee 

The issue with the U.S. police force’s most representative food could only have legal reasons. The arrival of Dunkin' Donuts to Spain was anything but sweet because they found out that the word “donuts” had been a registered brand of the Panrico company for several decades. The North American brand took the decision to partner with Panrico to run the business in Spain and to keep its original name.

Some years ago, Dunkin’ broke off this agreement and changed its name in Spain to Dunkin’ Coffee.

Danone/Dannon

To end, we have a change of name done for linguistic reasons. When the Spanish brand first arrived to the U.S. in 1937, it decided to change its name to Dannon to make it easier to pronounce. (This way, Americans wouldn’t have to argue over whether to pronounce Danone as “Dan won” or “Dah–no–nay.”)

If you want to taste an authentic Danone, to enjoy an exclusive Dunkin' Coffee, or to open a bag of delicious “Sabritas,” take a Spanish course abroad and keep discovering firsthand the many other examples that we can find about the fascinating world of commercial naming.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so don’t forget to take a look at this video we've put together.

Be quiet for a second. If you listen carefully, you will surely be able to hear what is about to come. If you’re a music lover, we have something important to tell you.

The Spanish summer is much more than just sun and beach (although it does have a lot of both!). With the arrival of this season, Spain becomes a territory where you could hop from north to south traveling from festival to festival.

Keep reading in English or, if you’d like to change your tune, click here to switch to Spanish and discover some of the music festivals that we have ahead this 2019.

DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL

On June 28^th, 29^th, and 30^th, Madrid will host one of the most important events for rock and heavy metal lovers, the Download Festival. This festival’s third edition can be enjoyed in La Caja Mágica (a multipurpose stadium) at the rhythm of some of the most legendary bands of the genre: Slipknot, Scorpions, Tool, and Sum 41, among many others.

A special meeting, without any doubt, for Slipknot and Tool fans because it will be the first time that both bands play in the Spanish capital in more than a decade.

CRUÏLLA

If you read the names Black Eyed Peas, Kylie Minogue, and Vetusta Morla and you can’t help but move your feet as you remember one of their songs, pop rock is your thing, and this is your festival. During July 3^rd, 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th, several special guests come together to celebrate the tenth anniversary of this festival set in Barcelona.

But Cruïlla is much more than music, it’s also all the art created offstage with different artistic offers that go from dance and theatre to painting.

LOW COST FESTIVAL

Don’t let its name confuse you, this festival has hosted top names like The Chemical Brothers. This year, it does not lag behind as it’s bringing groups as important as New Order, Foals, and Bastille. If you’re looking for a non-overcrowded and more affordable musical event, stop by Benidorm (Alicante) on July 26^th, 27^th, and 28^th.   

STARLITE

A stellar lineup for a luxury location. After seven editions, Starlite has become one of the world’s longest festivals with more than 46 days of concerts. This year, from July 5^th to August 23^rd, music, culture, and gastronomy unite in a single place: Marbella (Malaga). Enjoy a starlit stage: Jason Derulo, Luis Fonsi, and Sting, among many others, will be, for sure, the delight of the audience.

FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE BENICÀSSIM (FIB)

We conclude the festival route with the season’s classic, a festival that turns 25 summers old this year. A pop, rock, indie, and electronic music parade located in Benicàsim (Castellón, Comunidad Valenciana) that will allow you to enjoy the good atmosphere, and some paella too, on July 18^th, 19^th, 20^th, and 21^st. Just in case these reasons are not enough to awake your interest, maybe the names Lana del Rey, Fatboy Slim, and Kings of Leon will change your mind.

If this is music to your ears, take a Spanish course in Spain and drop by one of these music festivals. Improve your Spanish skills and stop sounding like a broken record using the same Spanish expressions over and over again.

It is well known that there’s a Spanish saying for just about any kind of situation. There’s a phrase that fits today’s topic perfectly (“como anillo al dedo”): “Hombre prevenido vale por dos.” (A well prepared man is worth two — or as we say in English, forewarned is forearmed).

The meaning of this popular saying is that a person who is informed and well organized has an advantage over the others. With this in mind, let’s take good note of the next official DELE exam dates in 2019. You can keep reading this article in English or, if you want to be well prepared and train your Spanish skills for the exam, click here to change to the Spanish version.

While it is true that we have talked before about how to sign up for the DELE exam in 5 easy steps, today we will be focusing strictly on what to do before you sign up. To have things clear as crystal, we will take a look at the exam dates and registration deadlines because, unlike SIELE, DELE is more strict in terms of timing when you want to get a date for the exam. That’s why we have to take a glance at the calendar from time to time.

SEPTEMBER

Levels: ADULTS A2.

Registration Deadlines: until July 24^th.

Exam Dates: Friday September 13^th.

OCTOBER

Levels: ADULTS A2, B1, and B2.

Registration Deadlines: until August 21^st.

Exam Dates: Friday October 4^th.

NOVEMBER

Levels: YOUNG LEARNERS A1 and A2/B1. ADULTS A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2.

Registration Deadlines: until October 9.

Exam Dates: Friday November 22 and Saturday November 23.

Now that you have the exam dates saved in your mind, you just need to decide which one suits you best, register, and make sure you’re 100% ready on the day of the exam. At this point it’s clear that you like to be well prepared, and at don Quijote we can help you out with that. Choose one of our DELE exam preparation courses, DELE 20 or DELE 30, and you’ll pass the exam with flying colors. Our students’ success rate is 95%.

And don’t forget to take a look at the video that we've put together about DELE and other official Spanish exams.

One of the most magical nights of the year is coming: a night when fire, water, and ancestral traditions join to welcome Midsummer's Eve on the shortest night of the year. La noche de San Juan or St. John’s Night is here.

If you want to be ready for everything this June 23^rd offers to you, keep reading in English or, if you dare to “poner la mano en el fuego” for your Spanish skills, click here to switch to Spanish.

St. John’s Night captivates both youngsters and adults for reasons that go beyond the Christian celebration it’s named after. While it is true that it’s called “St. John’s Night” to commemorate the birth of St. John the Baptist, the origin of this festival goes back to pagan rituals in which people celebrated the arrival of Midsummer's Eve by lighting bonfires to “strengthen” the sun as, from this date, the sun “weakens” as the days get shorter and shorter until the winter solstice.

For one reason or another, in the countries where it’s celebrated, the festivity maintains its most distinguishing characteristic, the lighting of bonfires to purify, to keep away evil spirits, and to move away from negativities. There are different rituals to achieve these ends, such as the burning of old stuff or dummies, but each place has its own traditions.

Alicante, Valencian Community

If we are going to speak about bonfires, we must begin with Las Hogueras de Alicante, also known as “Les Fogueres de Sant Joan". The region of Valencia is famous for its Fallas tradition, a festival full of flames and fireworks. So, it’s not hard to believe that they celebrate St. John’s Night for a full 4 days, from June 20^th to 24^th. This days the city turn into the epicenter of a celebration that has been recognized as a Festival of International Tourist Interest. Besides the burning of huge statues made of papier-mache, cardboard, or wood in the bonfires, the festivity also has an offering of flowers, parades, gastronomy events, and fireworks at Postiquet beach.

Malaga, Andalusia

It’s the night of the moraga beach parties, and the Malagueños know it. Thousands of them go to the beach equipped with wood for the bonfires, food, good music, good company, and the desire to have a good time. At midnight, with the bonfires already burning, the rituals begin: the jumping contests, the burning of the “júas” (rag dolls filled with paper or sawdust and made to look like famous people and characters), the burning of papers where people write down their wishes, and a dip in the sea for anyone who wants to preserve their beauty until the following year. All this is accompanied with a tasty traditional skewer of sardines in Malaga.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

However, if we celebrate St. John’s Night in Buenos Aires, they will have more hours to enjoy it as they will be celebrating the longest night of the year, the winter solstice. Besides that, the traditions brought over to the new world by the Christians retain the essence of the celebrations on the old continent.

In the neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, bonfires are lit to burn dolls called “Judas,” to set wishes aflame, and to cook delicious boniatos in the company of friends and family.

What about you? If you are wishing to get caught up in the magic and the mysticism of this celebration, you have two options: you can either burn a paper with your wish written on it and wait to see if it comes true, or you can take a Spanish course and live your dream firsthand.

If you are reading these words, maybe you find yourself in one of these turning points where you have to make a decision that could change the rest of your life. Perhaps you are about to go to university, or want to undergo a radical change of work, or maybe you just want to embark on a new adventure.

If any of these options have a Spanish-speaking country as destination, and you need to get an official Spanish certificate as soon as possible, the key that will bring your objectives within reach has a name: the SIELE exam. Keep reading this article in English or click here to change to the Spanish version.

The SIELE is recognized and promoted by several international language education organizations: the Instituto Cervantes, the Universidad Autónoma de Mexico, the Universidad de Salamanca, and the Universidad de Buenos Aires.

These organizations guarantee standards for quality and linguistic varieties in the tests.

The exam offers several specific characteristics that make SIELE different from other certificates: it has a validity of 5 years, the exam can be taken the day, time, and place of your choice by electronic means, and something that will make you happy, it’s not possible to fail the test! You will always come away from the exam with a certificate or report for one Spanish level or another.

SIELE offers you up to 4 tests that cover all the areas of knowledge of the Spanish language: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written expression and interaction, and spoken expression and interaction. There are 2 ways to take the exam:

• SIELE GLOBAL:  It’s a single multilevel exam that includes 4 tests.  With this exam, you will get the SIELE certificate.
• INDEPENDENT MODALITIES: Choose from 5 exam modalities based on a combination of the 4 tests. Taking one of these exams will allow you to obtain the SIELE Report.

5 STEPS TO ENROLL

Visit the SIELE page.

STEP 1

Choose the exam mode you’re interested in (SIELE Global or the independent modalities) and the country where you want to take the exam.

STEP 2

Select the date and the accredited center of your choice. Remember that you can take the test at any of our schools in Spain.

STEP 3

Register by creating your user account.

STEP 4

Enter your personal information.

STEP 5

Review that your purchase was successful.

When the day of the exam arrives, be cautious! Go to the center 15 minutes before the time of the test and do not forget the official ID that you used to book the exam and your siele.org user account information (email and password).

In a maximum period of three weeks you will receive an email notifying you that you are able to download your SIELE certificate or report from “My page.”

And yes, it’s true that this is an exam you cannot fail, but if you’re getting this certificate in order to reach your goals, that means you are a person that refuses to tolerate mediocrity. At don Quijote we offer  a SIELE preparation course so you can get the highest mark.

Make the beginning of this new adventure official!

If you'd like to learn more about SIELE and other official Spanish exams, take a look at this video we've put together.