The Spanish Dude Podcast (Audio)

Hola! Another episode of Gringo on the Street is live! In last week’s episode, you saw how to order coffee in Spain–and that’s pretty much how you order EVERYTHING. Cool! Well this week, we’re going to PAY for all those coffees! And I’m not just talking about “la cuenta”–one of the first things we Gringos learn =) Because when we’re sitting or standing at a bar after a quick coffee (one of my favorite parts of Spain!) “la cuenta” is not the best thing to say. When you’re in an informal situation, with no bill (it’s usually verbal) you can go a few different routes. And you’ll see most of them in this video: Gringo on the Streets (all episodes) Hope you’re loving these new videos. Please leave a comment with any ideas you have for future videos. Hasta luego, Jordan

Hola! Another episode of Gringo on the Street is live! In last week’s episode, you saw how to order coffee in Spain–and that’s pretty much how you order EVERYTHING. Cool! Well this week, we’re going to PAY for all those coffees! And I’m not just talking about “la cuenta”–one of the first things we Gringos learn =) Because when we’re sitting or standing at a bar after a quick coffee (one of my favorite parts of Spain!) “la cuenta” is not the best thing to say. When you’re in an informal situation, with no bill (it’s usually verbal) you can go a few different routes. And you’ll see most of them in this video: Gringo on the Streets (all episodes) Hope you’re loving these new videos. Please leave a comment with any ideas you have for future videos. Hasta luego, Jordan

Hola! The long awaited new episode of Gringo on the Street is LIVE. This time we’re ordering coffee. If you watch this video, no doubt you’ll be able to order coffee in Spain without a problem. But you won’t JUST see me ordering coffee in this video. You’ll see something else. You’ll see that every time I order a coffee, the person quickly responds by making my coffee. Even with my “horrible” pronunciation and “so American” accent–as I’ve been told in YouTube comments =) But none of that matters. Language is a tool for communication–to carry a message from one brain to another. Once that’s achieved, it’s all ego after that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about speaking the best you can–I want to speak the best I can! But even when my sentences are riddled with mistakes or poor pronunciation of a word–I’m understood. I’m more than understood. I have wonderful conversations. I tell jokes. Just sometimes with lots of mistakes =) I’m still learning too! It’s a lifelong thing for me, I think. So watch this new video! See me order a *million* coffees. See me make mistakes and speak like a gringo. But still get all my coffees! Then you go do it! Next opportunity, get out there and order something in Spanish! But don’t compare yourself to perfect! Don’t beat yourself up for making mistakes or sounding “stupid”. Pat yourself on the back for doing the scariest thing, getting out there and speaking Spanish in real life. Even just the small phrases and sentences in this video–if you say them in real life, you’ll feel absolutely amazing! Hope you like the new video. I’ve got another one coming next week. Hasta luego, Jordan

Hola! The long awaited new episode of Gringo on the Street is LIVE. This time we’re ordering coffee. If you watch this video, no doubt you’ll be able to order coffee in Spain without a problem. But you won’t JUST see me ordering coffee in this video. You’ll see something else. You’ll see that every time I order a coffee, the person quickly responds by making my coffee. Even with my “horrible” pronunciation and “so American” accent–as I’ve been told in YouTube comments =) But none of that matters. Language is a tool for communication–to carry a message from one brain to another. Once that’s achieved, it’s all ego after that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about speaking the best you can–I want to speak the best I can! But even when my sentences are riddled with mistakes or poor pronunciation of a word–I’m understood. I’m more than understood. I have wonderful conversations. I tell jokes. Just sometimes with lots of mistakes =) I’m still learning too! It’s a lifelong thing for me, I think. So watch this new video! See me order a *million* coffees. See me make mistakes and speak like a gringo. But still get all my coffees! Then you go do it! Next opportunity, get out there and order something in Spanish! But don’t compare yourself to perfect! Don’t beat yourself up for making mistakes or sounding “stupid”. Pat yourself on the back for doing the scariest thing, getting out there and speaking Spanish in real life. Even just the small phrases and sentences in this video–if you say them in real life, you’ll feel absolutely amazing! Hope you like the new video. I’ve got another one coming next week. Hasta luego, Jordan

The second I saw this commercial, I knew I had to share it. Not only is it hilarious, but the words are simple. So you can focus on hearing them. In this video, we take apart the commercial, analyze it, then put it back together. Free Practice Resources: Download the Commercial – Lola y La Nieta Related Videos: A & De Reflexive Verbs (and Pronouns)

The second I saw this commercial, I knew I had to share it. Not only is it hilarious, but the words are simple. So you can focus on hearing them. In this video, we take apart the commercial, analyze it, then put it back together. Free Practice Resources: Download the Commercial – Lola y La Nieta Related Videos: A & De Reflexive Verbs (and Pronouns)

Today, not only are you going to learn a very important lesson: what to do when you have TWO OBJECT PRONOUNS in the same sentence. But you’re going to witness… My worldwide… Singing debut! But seriously, this is a very important lesson. And once you’re done with this. I promise, no more pronouns for at least a month. Free Practice Resources: Practice Worksheet: Double Object Pronouns Answer Key: Double Object Pronouns Related Videos: Subject Pronouns Possessive Adjectives Direct Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns Reflexive Verbs (and Pronouns)

Today, not only are you going to learn a very important lesson: what to do when you have TWO OBJECT PRONOUNS in the same sentence. But you’re going to witness… My worldwide… Singing debut! But seriously, this is a very important lesson. And once you’re done with this. I promise, no more pronouns for at least a month. Free Practice Resources: Practice Worksheet: Double Object Pronouns Answer Key: Double Object Pronouns Related Videos: Subject Pronouns Possessive Adjectives Direct Object Pronouns Indirect Object Pronouns Reflexive Verbs (and Pronouns)

Reflexive verbs are a little weird in Spanish. Not hard. Just weird. Do you even know what reflexive verbs are? Yeah, neither did I. We just don’t use them that much in English. And that’s the problem. Most Spanish courses and books don’t specifically compare what happens in Spanish to what happens in English. But that’s how we learn–CONTEXT! (how does this fit with everything I already know?) So the goal of this video is simple: show you what reflexive verbs are, and how and when to use them in both English and Spanish. But along the way, you’ll also see how they compare to direct and indirect object pronouns (the last two videos). There are lots of similarities–and lots of differences too (that’s part of the confusion). BONUS: The word “se” in Spanish is very confusing. Because it has many different uses and meanings. This video touches on one of them. “Ver” is the verb. “Verse” is the REFLEXIVE verb (same thing, just with “se” on the end). When you’re done, not only will you finally understand reflexive verbs and how to use them. But you’ll be one step closer to understanding that crazy word “se” also! Watch the video. Maybe twice. You’ll get it. I swear. And I’m here for questions, of course. Hasta luego! Jordan All resources for this episode can be found here: https://spanishdude.com/quickies/reflexive-verbs/?podcast

Reflexive verbs are a little weird in Spanish. Not hard. Just weird. Do you even know what reflexive verbs are? Yeah, neither did I. We just don’t use them that much in English. And that’s the problem. Most Spanish courses and books don’t specifically compare what happens in Spanish to what happens in English. But that’s how we learn–CONTEXT! (how does this fit with everything I already know?) So the goal of this video is simple: show you what reflexive verbs are, and how and when to use them in both English and Spanish. But along the way, you’ll also see how they compare to direct and indirect object pronouns (the last two videos). There are lots of similarities–and lots of differences too (that’s part of the confusion). BONUS: The word “se” in Spanish is very confusing. Because it has many different uses and meanings. This video touches on one of them. “Ver” is the verb. “Verse” is the REFLEXIVE verb (same thing, just with “se” on the end). When you’re done, not only will you finally understand reflexive verbs and how to use them. But you’ll be one step closer to understanding that crazy word “se” also! Watch the video. Maybe twice. You’ll get it. I swear. And I’m here for questions, of course. Hasta luego! Jordan All resources for this episode can be found here: https://spanishdude.com/quickies/reflexive-verbs/?podcast

I either didn’t learn or don’t remember this from school (as humans, we often block out traumatic events): Indirect object pronouns. As opposed to direct object pronouns. But when I started learning Spanish, I noticed right away–the pronouns were really confusing! One problem is… What is a direct object? What is an indirect object? Then another problem is… In English, direct object pronouns are the same as indirect object pronouns. In Spanish, they’re not. So in this video, I’ll show you: 1) What direct and indirect objects even are (in English). 2) How what they do in Spanish is different than what we do in English. 3) The difference between direct object pronouns and indirect object pronouns in Spanish (there’s no difference in English). If pronouns confuse you, watch this video. It’ll really clear things up. Hasta luego! Jordan All resources for this episode can be found here: https://spanishdude.com/quickies/indirect-object-pronouns/?podcast

I either didn’t learn or don’t remember this from school (as humans, we often block out traumatic events): Indirect object pronouns. As opposed to direct object pronouns. But when I started learning Spanish, I noticed right away–the pronouns were really confusing! One problem is… What is a direct object? What is an indirect object? Then another problem is… In English, direct object pronouns are the same as indirect object pronouns. In Spanish, they’re not. So in this video, I’ll show you: 1) What direct and indirect objects even are (in English). 2) How what they do in Spanish is different than what we do in English. 3) The difference between direct object pronouns and indirect object pronouns in Spanish (there’s no difference in English). If pronouns confuse you, watch this video. It’ll really clear things up. Hasta luego! Jordan All resources for this episode can be found here: https://spanishdude.com/quickies/indirect-object-pronouns/?podcast

Verb conjugation is an attention hog. Rarely do I have a conversation about learning Spanish without verb conjugation coming up. And with good reason. It’s not easy. Lots of tenses. So many patterns. Plus all those exceptions. But lurking in the shadows… perhaps even more confusing… are the pronouns! Me mi mí. Tú tu te ti. Él, lo, le. OMG!!!! The good news is, just like with verb conjugation, once you focus on ONE type of pronoun at a time, it’s really not that hard. It’s just confusing when you rush it, don’t practice enough, then can’t differentiate one from the other. Tú tu te ti? Come on. You’ve got to be kidding! Well this video… is all about helping you avoid that confusion! Start with one type of pronoun (direct object pronouns). Focus on them. Learn them. Practice them. When you’re done with this video, you’ll understand what direct object pronouns are, how they’re used in Spanish, and why they’re so tricky for us. And when you’re done with the Practice Worksheet on that page, you’ll start to FEEL how to use them. That’s how it’s done around here. Focus. Learn. Practice. Focus. Learn. Practice. Focus. Learn. Practice. Watch the video, do the Practice Worksheet. Then I think you’ll find, direct object pronouns, suddenly don’t seem so hard anymore. Suerte, Gringo! Jordan All resources for this episode can be found here: https://spanishdude.com/quickies/direct-object-pronouns/?podcast

Verb conjugation is an attention hog. Rarely do I have a conversation about learning Spanish without verb conjugation coming up. And with good reason. It’s not easy. Lots of tenses. So many patterns. Plus all those exceptions. But lurking in the shadows… perhaps even more confusing… are the pronouns! Me mi mí. Tú tu te ti. Él, lo, le. OMG!!!! The good news is, just like with verb conjugation, once you focus on ONE type of pronoun at a time, it’s really not that hard. It’s just confusing when you rush it, don’t practice enough, then can’t differentiate one from the other. Tú tu te ti? Come on. You’ve got to be kidding! Well this video… is all about helping you avoid that confusion! Start with one type of pronoun (direct object pronouns). Focus on them. Learn them. Practice them. When you’re done with this video, you’ll understand what direct object pronouns are, how they’re used in Spanish, and why they’re so tricky for us. And when you’re done with the Practice Worksheet on that page, you’ll start to FEEL how to use them. That’s how it’s done around here. Focus. Learn. Practice. Focus. Learn. Practice. Focus. Learn. Practice. Watch the video, do the Practice Worksheet. Then I think you’ll find, direct object pronouns, suddenly don’t seem so hard anymore. Suerte, Gringo! Jordan All resources for this episode can be found here: https://spanishdude.com/quickies/direct-object-pronouns/?podcast

Brand-new video just published! This one’s a little different–for several reasons. It’s actually two videos in one! First is the 2016 State of the Gringo Address. Where have I been? Why no new videos recently? What can you expect in the next 6-12 months? All those questions are answered in the first half of this video. Then in the second half, I debut my new show, Gringo on the Streets. If you want to FF to Gringo on the Streets, go to 6:00. Please leave a comment or send me a message with feedback and video ideas. I want to make Gringo on the Streets as quality as the Spanish Quickies–but I need your help! Jordan