Spanish reading
Spanish resources
Opinion-led pieces on learning Spanish as an adult: methodology, vocabulary deep dives, regional notes.
Methodology
How Long Does It Take to Learn Spanish?
FSI data puts Spanish at 600-750 hours to B2. Here is what that means at 5, 10 or 20 hours a week, and the milestones you actually hit on the way.
15 Aug 2026
Vocabulary
Spanish False Friends: The Words That Look Right and Are Not
The Spanish words English speakers get wrong because they look familiar. What each one actually means, what to say instead, and why cognates fail in exactly this pattern.
13 Aug 2026
Methodology
Spanglish: What It Actually Is, With Real Examples
Spanglish is not broken Spanish. What linguists mean by code-switching, loanwords and calques, with real examples, and why learners should recognise it rather than correct it.
13 Aug 2026
Methodology
Best Way to Learn Spanish: An Honest Plan for Adults
There is no shortcut to Spanish, but there is an efficient path. The routes that work for adults, ranked honestly against the ones that waste your time.
28 Jun 2026
Methodology
AQA GCSE Spanish (8692): Vocabulary and Topics
What the AQA GCSE Spanish 8692 spec really demands: 1,200+ vocabulary items across nine topics, the tier split, and how it maps onto frequency-first learning.
14 Jun 2026
Methodology
Colours in Spanish: The 11 Basics and Gender Rules
Colours in Spanish: the 11 basics, the gender rule that flips rojo to roja, the fruit-named invariants like rosa and naranja, and the color de X workaround.
11 Jun 2026
Methodology
Days of the Week in Spanish: Lunes to Domingo
Days of the week in Spanish, lunes to domingo: the Latin etymology, the lowercase rule, the lunes-first calendar, and why X stands in for miercoles midweek.
11 Jun 2026
Methodology
Numbers in Spanish: 1 to 100 and the Patterns
Numbers in Spanish, cero to un millon: the irregulars, the veintiuno contraction, the cien vs ciento split, the gender agreement, and the spelling rules at 21.
11 Jun 2026
Methodology
Por vs Para: The Spanish Rule That Actually Works
Por vs para in Spanish, explained: the binary rule that beats the textbook lists, the shift cases where either works, and the fixed expressions to memorise.
11 Jun 2026
Methodology
Ser vs Estar: The Two Spanish 'To Be' Verbs
Ser vs estar in full: what each verb means, conjugation tables for every major tense, the DOCTOR and PLACE mnemonics, and the shift cases that flip meaning.
11 Jun 2026
Resources
Essential Spanish Words for Travel: The 30 That Matter
The 30 essential Spanish words for travel, from agua and comida to bano and dinero, with pronunciation, the Spain vs Latin America splits, and phrase patterns.
10 Jun 2026
Methodology
How to Say Beautiful in Spanish: Hermoso, Bonito, Guapo
How to say beautiful in Spanish: hermoso, bonito, lindo, bello and guapo, which one fits a person, an object or a sunset, and what each region reaches for.
10 Jun 2026