Intermediate · Conversation

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!

RobInglésLisColombiana
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Episode 2
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Rob

Spanish Obsessed Intermediate episode Two. Hola Lis ¿Cómo estás?

Spanish Obsessed Intermediate episode Two. Hi Lis How are you?

Lis

Rob Muy bien, aquí

How are you? Rob Very good, here very well behaved.

Rob

Qué bien, qué bien. Me alegro escuchar eso.

That's good, that's good. I'm glad to hear that.

Lis

Gracias. Tú, ¿Cómo vas?

Thank you. You, how's it going?

Rob

Sí, bien.

Yeah, I'm good.

Lis

Bueno, hoy el podcast es acerca de de Rob y vamos a tratar de chismosear acerca del fondo de Rob, que es inglés. Y... Bueno, yo siempre le he preguntado ¿por qué este gusto tan grande por el español? ¿Por qué eres tan obsesionado? ¿De dónde nació... Como... Esa fuerza de que te guste tanto un idioma? A mí me gusta el inglés, pero no tanto.

Well, today's podcast is about Rob and we're going to try to pry, gossip about Rob's background, which is English. And... Well, I've always asked him, why this great love of Spanish? Why are you so obsessed? Where did this come from? Like... This strength of liking a language so much? I like English, but not that much.

Rob

Sí ya no sé Es algo ahora tan central de mi vida, tan como que una parte de mi vida tan, tan importante. Yo creo que todavía tengo esa pasión para el español ya después de... No sé, 12, 13 años aprendiendo y sigo, sigo aprendiendo. Entonces, supongo que hay varias partes. Es como un viaje de aprendizaje ¿no? Nunca dejas de aprender y eso pues para cualquier cosa es chévere seguir aprendiendo y pues, qué mejor que un idioma. Y eso es la... La otra parte que... Saber español te abre puertas. No necesariamente en el trabajo, siendo un hablante del inglés. Pero en cuanto a... A viajar, claro, pero de ver el mundo desde otras perspectivas. Y... Es cierto lo que dicen que pues hablar otro idioma te cambia, yo creo, me siento que tengo dos personalidades y quizás me gusta mi personalidad española un poco más

Yeah, I don't know anymore, you know? It's such a central part of my life now, such an important part of my life. I think I still have that passion for Spanish even after.... I don't know, 12, 13 years learning and I'm still, I'm still learning. So, I guess there are several parts. It's like a learning journey, isn't it? You never stop learning and that's why for anything it's great to keep learning and, well, what better than a language. And that's the... The other part that... Knowing Spanish opens doors. Not necessarily at work, being an English speaker. But in terms of... To travel, of course, but to see the world from other perspectives. And... It's true what they say that speaking another language changes you, I think, I feel that I have two personalities and perhaps I like my Spanish personality a little more.

Lis

El Colombiano,

The Colombian

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Contents

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 34: Volver de compras

The shops are finally open again, and Rob and Lis are let loose to go shopping. Hear about their experiences in retail therapy, and learn about “window shopping” in the Spanish-speaking world!

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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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