Intermediate Spanish 1

Hola, and welcome to Spanish Obsessed Intermediate! Here, we introduce ourselves: who we are, where we come from, what we do, and what we like to do.

Lis interviews Rob, and finds out what it is that drives him to learn Spanish, and what makes him “Spanish Obsessed”. Apologies for a little fuzziness in this recording – at this early stage we were still trying to figure out how best to record!

Would you consider getting plastic surgery? What part of your body would you reduce/tighten up/enlarge? We talk about “la cirugía plástica,” which is particularly popular in certain parts of Colombia, which brings people from all around the world. In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Different (and interesting!) parts of the body
• Why neither Liz nor Rob would want plastic surgery
• That Rob “tiene mucha hambre” (sorry about that!)

Rob and Liz discuss a recent night of “juerga”, and the unfortunate consequences the next day! Spanish conversation around our experiences with alcohol, particularly the Colombian favourite “Aguardiente”… If you want to learn all of the vocabulary around drinking and its consequences (both good and bad), this is the podcast for you! We discuss:

• A recent night out involving sumptuous quantities of “aguardiente”
• How we felt the next day (hint: “resaca” and “guayavo”)
• The drinking culture in UK and South America

Liz explains why TV is such a central part of a Latin American’s lifestyle! We cover “telenovelas” such as “Betty La Fea” (Ugly Betty), morning shows, reality TV, and the cult of celebrity. Somos adictos a la tele!

We discuss las mentiras piadosas – white lies! A mentira piadosa literally means a “merciful” or “compassionate” lie, but do we usually end up in a red de mentiras (web of lies)? Lis gives us a couple of stories from her experiences with white lies, and the lessons she’s learnt from those. Of course, Rob never lies…

What is fashion? Is it about wearing and showing off expensive brands, or about combining your clothes with style? Well, I (Rob) don’t proclaim to know much about fashion, but that doesn’t stop me from having an opinion! One thing I noticed about fashion based Spanish vocabulary is how many of the words are borrowed from English (not all official – some you won’t find in the dictionary) – perhaps it sounds fashionable to use English when you speak Spanish!

How many hours do you sleep? Lots of people complain about and suffer from poor sleep, and we are no exception! We talk about our sleeping habits, and how these are affected by our jornadas laborales. Are you a madrugador, and does dios le ayuda? Learn these phrases and many more in our podcast devoted to sleep! Qué duermas con los angelitos

We talk about the most popular drug in the world, not just Colombia! I’m talking, of course, about el café – coffee! We’re coffee addicts, and we’re not the only ones – we talk about other coffee addicts around the world, and the recent coffee aficionados. Would you like a flat white, frapuccino, or skinny latte?

Lis and Rob discuss their favourite tropical fruits, and the central role that fruit plays in Colombian life.

The grease that keeps our capitalist wheels turning, we talk about a topic which is more important for some people than others… What are some different ways you can talk about money? Liz tells us a few cool alternatives to plain old dinero, and we talk about a crazy Ponzi scheme in Colombia. You have to hear it to believe it!

We recently started to shop in markets, rather than supermarkets, and have really come to appreciate them. We talk about the day we went shopping in our local market, and how it compares to the same experience in Colombia!

We talk about our hobbies, pasatiempos, y aficiones – do you know the difference? Do you have any hobbies or pastimes? Or, did you used to have some, but now regret dropping them?

Do you think there’s such a thing as an “addictive personality”? Do you have one? Here, we discuss our various addictions, both good and bad.

Lis tells us about her Aunt and Uncle’s farm in Moniquirá, Colombia!

Lis and Rob talk about their childhood pets, and Lis’ suicidal chickens!

According to recent statistics, 55% of Spanish people between 25-29 live at home with their parents – part of an increasing trend around Europe. Here, we talk about our experiences living with parents, as well as the pros and cons.

Rob tells Lis about 5 surprising things he learnt when he was in Colombia.

We talk about a few of the cultural norms in both England and South America, and how different they can be!

We took some holidays recently (again – we do work sometimes, honest!), starting with a wedding in Toulouse, France. Here, we talk about our experience in a French (and Colombian) wedding.

We talk about the next part of our holidays, where we travel to Barcelona.

We talk about the final few days of our time in Spain, when we visited Rob’s favourite city – Valencia.

Lis tells us of her experience in Glastonbury Festival this June, one of the largest and best known music festivals in the world! Part two follows.

Lis continues telling us of her time in Glastonbury Festival.

We talk about birthdays, and how these are celebrated in Hispanic cultures. You’ll learn about Lis’s family’s birthday songs and traditions, why Rob is sick of birthday cake, and we talk about who exactly is responsible for planning your birthday!

Why do we follow the news? Does it make us good global citizens, or is it merely entertainment? Rob and Lis discuss this and more.

Rob was in Mexico City when it was hit by a massive earthquake. Hear about his experience.

We talk about our experience with Uber, and what the future might hold for them and the “gig economy”.

Lis and Rob have had plenty of jobs between them. In this episode, they tell each other about the worst jobs they’ve ever had.