If you’ve covered the basics, but still find full speed native Spanish conversation a struggle, this is the course for you. Join Rob, Lis and guests over 29 podcasts (and counting!), as they chat in 100% Spanish about all sorts of topics. You’ll hear the Spanish as it’s actually spoken today, and will learn colloquialisms and slang that are sure to impress.

Completing this course will help you...

What do I get?

Pro Free
Audio
Audio
Transcriptions
Transcriptions
Interactive exercises
Interactive exercises
Downloadable PDF notes
Downloadable PDF notes

Lessons

Intermediate 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.

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Intermediate 2

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!

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Intermediate 3: Plastic surgery

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!)
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Intermediate 4: Alcohol

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
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Intermediate 5: TV

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!

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Intermediate 6: White lies

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…

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Intermediate 7: Fashion

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!

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Intermediate 8: Sleep

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

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Intermediate 9: Coffee

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?

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Intermediate 11: Money

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!

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Intermediate 12: Markets

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!

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Intermediate 13: Pastimes

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?

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Intermediate 17: Vivir con los padres

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.

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Intermediate 20: El viaje

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.

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Intermediate 25: Birthdays

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!

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Intermediate 37: De tú y usted…

Tú and usted… We learn in our first Spanish class how to use these two pronouns, but it seems that native speakers don’t follow the rulebook. We explore the different shades of meaning of usted and tú, and when to really use which.

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Intermediate 38: La “Epa Colombia”

We tell the story of “Epa” Colombia, an internet sensation who became a millionaire in Colombia, all off the back of the most ridiculous videos we’ve ever seen. However, la “Epa” is now facing a possible prison sentence. What happened?

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Last days in London

Rob and Lis talk about the final few days in London before moving to Colombia: saying goodbye to friends and family, eating out of a saucepan, and forgetting passports…

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First days in Bogotá

Rob and Lis talk about their move to Bogotá: arriving at chaotic El Dorado airport, somehow getting picked up, catching covid, and the saga of the apartment.

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Introducing Ana Paz

Rob and Lis discuss he arrival of their daughter, Ana Paz. How were those first days, and do they have any advice for other first time parents?

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