Check out my course: Learn Spanish with the Bible. Play the free sample lesson.

Enjoying the podcast? Please, support it with a small donation. ¡Gracias!

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

What if one verse from the Bible could help you practise Spanish grammar, pronunciation, and fluency—all in just a few minutes? In today’s episode, I’ll show you how the Bible can become one of your most powerful language-learning tools.

We're going to dive into John 5:24, using my Spanish KJV translation. We'll break down this verse the same way we do in my course, 'Learn Spanish with the Bible.' Get ready to transform your Spanish!

First, let's hear the verse in both English and Spanish. Listen closely for the sounds and the rhythm.

Here's the English:

{5:24} Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

And now, in Spanish:

{5:24} En verdad, en verdad os digo, el que oye mi palabra y cree en el que me ha enviado, tiene vida imperecedera; y no entrará en condenación, sino que pasa de muerte a vida.

Let’s go through the verse, a few words at a time:

Verily, verily, I say unto you,

En verdad, en verdad os digo,

Notice the verb form ‘digo’. Which verb is it? It’s decir (to say, to tell). And which tense is it?: digo. It’s the present tense. These are the six forms of the verb ‘decir’ in the present tense. Say them after me: digo, dices, dice, decimos, decís, dicen. That’s the verb ‘decir’ (to say, to tell) in the present tense.

In this line, ‘en verdad, en verdad os digo’, notice also the pronoun ‘os’. Which person does it refer to? In English this line is ‘verily, verily, I say unto you’ - ‘en verdad, en verdad os digo’. The pronoun ‘os’ refers to ‘vosotros’. ‘Os digo’ ( I say unto you).

Now let’s zoom in on the next line—you’ll hear a beautiful example of how vowels work in Spanish.

The next line in our verse is: He that heareth my word, - el que oye mi palabra

Notice how I say the word ‘palabra’. This word has three A, and the three of them have the same sound: A. The Spanish A always has that sound, whether it comes at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a word: A. Palabra.

And what about the word ‘oye’? I’ll say the line again: el que oye mi palabra (He that heareth my word).

‘Oye’ is a verb form. Do you know which verb it is? It’s the irregular verb ‘oír’ (to hear). ‘Oye’ means ‘he hears’, so it’s the present tense. These are the six forms of the verb ‘oír’ (to hear) in the present tense. Say them after me, out loud. Always say the Spanish words out loud, not just quietly or in your head: oigo, oyes, oye, oímos, oís, oyen.

See the full transcript.

💌 Sign up to get my free weekly Spanish lessons.

🇪🇸 Visit my Spanish learning website.

WHO AM I?
💃🏻 I’m Maria Fernandez, a native Spanish speaker from Madrid (Spain). I’ve taught Spanish for over 5000 hours, and counting. My mission is to make you fluent in Spanish super fast. Creating step-by-step lessons for you is one of the things I love most. 😀

Over the last few years I've published a bunch of courses, books and audiobooks. I’ve also studied an insane amount of English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese.

To find out more about me, visit my website: kerapido.com

Support the show

Enjoying the podcast? Please, support it with a small donation. ¡Gracias!

Learn Spanish fast with my fun courses.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

In today’s episode we’re going to practise asking for directions in Spanish.

You’re in a small town, and you’re a bit lost. A friendly local sees you looking around and comes to help. I’ll be that friendly local.

¿Puedo ayudarle en algo? Can I help you with anything?¿Puedo ayudarle en algo?

And this is your line: Yes, I’m looking for the train station.

Can you say that in Spanish?: Yes, I’m looking for the train station.

Yes is: sí, sí,

I’m looking for is: busco, busco

Train station is: estación de tren, estación de tren

So “Yes, I’m looking for the train station” is: Sí, busco la estación de tren. – Sí, busco la estación de tren. [slow]

Did you get that right?: Sí, busco la estación de tren.

Now it’s my turn: It’s near the supermarket.

Está cerca del supermercado.Está cerca del supermercado.

Your line is: Is it far from here?

How would you say: Is it far from here?

Far is: lejos, lejos

From here is: de aquí, de aquí

So “Is it far from here?” is: ¿Está lejos de aquí? – ¿Está lejos de aquí? [slow]

Now listen to my answer:

No, está muy cerca. Siga todo recto y luego gire a la izquierda. [No, está muy cerca. Siga todo recto y luego gire a la izquierda.] No, it’s very close. Go straight on and then turn left.

No, está muy cerca. Siga todo recto y luego gire a la izquierda.

Let’s break that down.

Siga means: go or continue (It’s a formal command)

Todo recto means: straight on

Luego is: then

Gire a la izquierda: turn to the left

So all together: Siga todo recto y luego gire a la izquierda – Go straight on and then turn left. [slowly] Siga todo recto y luego gire a la izquierda

Your next line is: Thank you very much.

How do you say that in Spanish?: Thank you very much

Muchas gracias – Muchas gracias

Let’s say the full conversation together. Say all the lines out loud just a split second behind me. Imitate my pronunciation and intonation as much as you can.

Here’s the conversation:

¿Puedo ayudarle en algo?

Sí, busco la estación de tren.

Está cerca del supermercado.

¿Está lejos de aquí?

No, está muy cerca. Siga todo recto y luego gire a la izquierda.

Muchas gracias.

Let’s do more speaking practice.

See the full transcript.

💌 Sign up to get my free weekly Spanish lessons.

🇪🇸 Visit my Spanish learning website.

WHO AM I?
💃🏻 I’m Maria Fernandez, a native Spanish speaker from Madrid (Spain). I’ve taught Spanish for over 5000 hours, and counting. My mission is to make you fluent in Spanish super fast. Creating step-by-step lessons for you is one of the things I love most. 😀

Over the last few years I've published a bunch of courses, books and audiobooks. I’ve also studied an insane amount of English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese.

To find out more about me, visit my website: kerapido.com

Support the show

Enjoying the podcast? Support it with a small donation. ¡Gracias!

Learn Spanish fast with my fun courses.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

In today’s episode we’re going to practise ordering drinks in Spanish in a bar. You’re with a group of friends and you want to order drinks for all of you. I’ll be your bartender.
¿Qué vais a tomar? What are you going to have?¿Qué vais a tomar?
And this is your line: A large beer, a jug of sangria and a small bottle of water.
Can you say that in Spanish? Let’s start with: A large beer.
A beer is: una cerveza, una cerveza. Large is: grande, grande.
So ‘a large beer’ is: Una cerveza grande – una cerveza grande. Did you get that right?: una cerveza grande.
Now: A jug of sangria.
A jug is: una jarra, una jarra. And sangria is the same in Spanish: sangría, sangría.
So ‘a jug of sangria’ is: Una jarra de sangría – una jarra de sangría. Did you get that right?: una jarra de sangría.
Now: A small bottle of water.
A bottle is: una botella, una botella. And small is: pequeña, pequeña. And water is: agua, agua.
So ‘a small bottle of water’ is: Una botella pequeña de agua – una botella pequeña de agua.
Now say the whole line: A large beer, a jug of sangria and a small bottle of water.
Una cerveza grande, una jarra de sangría y una botella pequeña de agua. Una cerveza grande, una jarra de sangría y una botella pequeña de agua.
Now it’s my turn:
¿Queréis un vaso para el agua? Do you want a glass for the water?¿Queréis un vaso para el agua?
Your line is: Yes, a glass with lots of ice.
How do you say: yes?
Yes is: sí, sí.
And how do you say: a glass?
A glass is: un vaso, un vaso.
With is: con, con.
And what about lots of ice?
Ice is: hielo, hielo. And lots of is: mucho, mucho. - mucho hielo, mucho hielo
So ‘a glass with lots of ice’ is: Un vaso con mucho hielo – un vaso con mucho hielo.
So your full line is: Yes, a glass with lots of ice.
Sí, un vaso con mucho hielo. – Sí, un vaso con mucho hielo.
Now I ask:
¿Cuántos vasos queréis para la sangría? How many glasses do you want for the sangria? ¿Cuántos vasos queréis para la sangría?
Your line is: Only three.
Only is: solo, solo. And number three is: tres, tres.
So ‘only three’ is: Solo tres – solo tres.
Now I bring you the drinks and say:
Aquí tenéis la cerveza, la sangría y el agua. Here you are: the beer, the sangria and the water. Aquí tenéis la cerveza, la sangría y el agua.
And you ask: How much is it all?
How much is: ¿Cuánto es?, cuánto es. It all is: todo, todo.
So: ¿Cuánto es todo? – ¿Cuánto es todo? Did you get that right?: ¿Cuánto es todo?
I reply: Dieciséis euros. Sixteen euros.
Sixteen is: dieciséis, dieciséis.

See the full transcript.

💌 Sign up to get my free weekly Spanish lessons.

🇪🇸 Visit my Spanish learning website.

WHO AM I?
💃🏻 I’m Maria Fernandez, a native Spanish speaker from Madrid (Spain). I’ve taught Spanish for over 5000 hours, and counting. My mission is to make you fluent in Spanish super fast. Creating step-by-step lessons for you is one of the things I love most. 😀

Over the last few years I've published a bunch of courses, books and audiobooks. I’ve also studied an insane amount of English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese.

To find out more about me, visit my website: kerapido.com

Support the show

Learn Spanish fast with my fun courses.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

In today’s episode we’re going to practise ordering food in Spanish in a restaurant. You’re in a lovely restaurant and you want to order food for two of you. I’ll be your waitress.

¿Qué van a tomar?

What are you going to have?

¿Qué van a tomar?

And this is your line: As a starter, two salads.

Can you say that in Spanish?: As a starter, two salads.

As a starter is: De primero, de primero.

And salad is: ensalada, ensalada.

So ‘As a starter, two salads’ is: De primero, dos ensaladas. - De primero, dos ensaladas.

Did you get that right?: De primero, dos ensaladas.

Now it’s my turn: And for the main course?

¿Y de segundo?

¿Y de segundo?

Your line is: A steak with roast potatoes and a burger with French fries.

How would you say: A steak with roast potatoes.

A steak is: un filete, un filete

And what about roast potatoes?: patatas asadas, patatas asadas

So ‘A steak with roast potatoes’ is:

Un filete con patatas asadas - Un filete con patatas asadas

and a burger with French fries.

How do you say that in Spanish?: and a burger with French fries.

A burger is: una hamburguesa, una hamburguesa

And French fries are: patatas fritas, patatas fritas.

A burger with French fries is: una hamburguesa con patatas fritas. - una hamburguesa con patatas fritas.

So ‘A steak with roast potatoes and a burger with French fries’ is: Un filete con patatas asadas y una hamburguesa con patatas fritas. - Un filete con patatas asadas y una hamburguesa con patatas fritas.

My next line is:

¿Y de beber?

And to drink?

¿Y de beber?

Your line is: A bottle of red house wine and sparkling mineral water.

How do you say?: A bottle of red house wine

A bottle is: una botella, una botella

And red house wine, how do you say?: red house wine

Vino tinto de la casa, vino tinto de la casa

A bottle of red house wine is:

Una botella de vino tinto de la casa - Una botella de vino tinto de la casa

And what about?: sparkling mineral water.

Mineral water is: agua mineral, agua mineral

And what about sparkling?:

Sparkling is: con gas, con gas

sparkling mineral water is: agua mineral con gas. - agua mineral con gas.

so ‘A bottle of red house wine and sparkling mineral water’ is:

Una botella de vino tinto de la casa y agua mineral con gas.

Let’s say the whole conversation together. Make sure you say all the lines out loud just a split second behind me. Imitate my pronunciation and intonation as much as you can. Here’s the conversation:

¿Qué van a tomar?

See the full transcript.

💌 Sign up to get my free weekly Spanish lessons.

🇪🇸 Visit my Spanish learning website.

WHO AM I?
💃🏻 I’m Maria Fernandez, a native Spanish speaker from Madrid (Spain). I’ve taught Spanish for over 5000 hours, and counting. My mission is to make you fluent in Spanish super fast. Creating step-by-step lessons for you is one of the things I love most. 😀

Over the last few years I've published a bunch of courses, books and audiobooks. I’ve also studied an insane amount of English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese.

To find out more about me, visit my website: kerapido.com

Support the show

Enjoying the podcast? Support it with a small donation. ¡Gracias!

Learn Spanish fast with my fun courses.

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

In today’s episode I’m going to give you fifteen tips that are going to dramatically improve your Spanish accent. Stay tuned till the end, because the tips only get better and better.

Tip #1: To sound fluent, say repeated letters only once, and drop the second one.

For example, instead of saying:
“Jaime - es - simpático.” (Jamie is nice).

Say it like this: Jaimesimpático.

Say only one E in “Jaime es”: Jaimes

Then say only one S in “es simpático”: esimpático

So the whole sentence is: jaimesimpático.

It should sound like one long word with no gaps at all between the words: jaimesimpático.

When you link words like this you’ll sound much more fluent, and you’ll also be able to understand fast spoken Spanish a lot better.

Tip #2: To sound even more fluent, link words that end in a consonant and start with a vowel.

For example: Juan escribe en español [Juanescribenespañol]. (John writes in Spanish)

Say it as if it was one long word, not three or even two word. Just one word: Juanescribenespañol.

Link the final N in “Juan” and the initial E in “escribe”: Juanescribe

Then say only one E in “escribe en”, as you learned in Tip #1: escriben.

Then link the final N in “en” to the initial E in “español”: enespañol.

And now the whole sentence sounds like one long word: juanescribenespañol.

Tip #3: The majority of Spanish words are stressed on the second-to-last syllable.

For example:

familia (faMIlia)
chocolate (chocoLAte),
avenida (aveNIda),
botella (boTElla),

Watch out for words that look similar in English. Make sure you stress them on the right syllable:

In English: FAmily.
In Spanish: faMIlia.

CHOcolate - chocoLAte

Avenue - aveNIda

BOttle - boTElla

Getting the stress right makes a big difference. People will understand you a lot better.

Tip #4: Some letters become more difficult to say when they come after certain letters.

For example:
the letter S followed by the rolled R: Israel

When saying “Israel” you don’t get a full on S and a full on RR. Instead, you get only half of each: Israel.

Avoid saying: Iss-rrael. To sound fluent, make sure you shorten both the S and the RR: Israel.

If you want tomaster the double R, and all other Spanish sounds, have a look at my Spanish courses. I’ve put the link in the show notes.

Tip #5: Spanish has only 5 vowel sounds, and they correspond to the written vowels.

The five Spanish vowel are: A, E, I, O, U

See the full transcript.

💌 Sign up to get my free weekly Spanish lessons.

🇪🇸 Visit my Spanish learning website.

WHO AM I?
💃🏻 I’m Maria Fernandez, a native Spanish speaker from Madrid (Spain). I’ve taught Spanish for over 5000 hours, and counting. My mission is to make you fluent in Spanish super fast. Creating step-by-step lessons for you is one of the things I love most. 😀

Over the last few years I've published a bunch of courses, books and audiobooks. I’ve also studied an insane amount of English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese.

To find out more about me, visit

Support the show

Enjoying the podcast? Support it with a small donation. ¡Gracias!

Learn Spanish fast with my fun courses.

Today I’m bringing you some amazing drills to improve your Spanish fluency.

🎧 Listen to my free Spanish audiobooks on Spotify, YouTube & more.

FREE PODCAST TRANSCRIPT
✍️ Here are the free transcripts of all the episodes.

WHO AM I?
💃🏻 I’m Maria Fernandez, a native Spanish speaker from Madrid (Spain). I’ve taught Spanish for over 5000 hours, and counting. My mission is to make you fluent in Spanish super fast. Creating step-by-step lessons for you is one of the things I love most. 😀

Over the last few years I've published a bunch of courses, books and audiobooks. I’ve also studied an insane amount of English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese.

To find out more about me, visit my website: kerapido.com

Support the show

Enjoying the podcast? Support it with a small donation. ¡Gracias!

Learn Spanish fast with my fun courses.

Let’s dive into today’s set of drills, all aimed at improving your Spanish fluency.

🎧 Listen to my free Spanish audiobooks on Spotify, YouTube & more.

FREE PODCAST TRANSCRIPT
✍️ Here are the free transcripts of all the episodes.

WHO AM I?
💃🏻 I’m Maria Fernandez, a native Spanish speaker from Madrid (Spain). I’ve taught Spanish for over 5000 hours, and counting. My mission is to make you fluent in Spanish super fast. Creating step-by-step lessons for you is one of the things I love most. 😀

Over the last few years I've published a bunch of courses, books and audiobooks. I’ve also studied an insane amount of English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese.

To find out more about me, visit my website: kerapido.com

Support the show

Enjoying the podcast? Support it with a small donation. ¡Gracias!

Learn Spanish fast with my fun courses.

Today’s lesson includes a fantastic set of drills to help you become more fluent in Spanish.

🎧 Listen to my free Spanish audiobooks on Spotify, YouTube & more.

FREE PODCAST TRANSCRIPT
✍️ Here are the free transcripts of all the episodes.

WHO AM I?
💃🏻 I’m Maria Fernandez, a native Spanish speaker from Madrid (Spain). I’ve taught Spanish for over 5000 hours, and counting. My mission is to make you fluent in Spanish super fast. Creating step-by-step lessons for you is one of the things I love most. 😀

Over the last few years I've published a bunch of courses, books and audiobooks. I’ve also studied an insane amount of English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Japanese.

To find out more about me, visit my website: kerapido.com

Support the show