Mónica Barnkow
Voseo in Spanish: understanding 'vos' in Argentina and Latin America
In the Spanish-speaking world, we widely use the pronoun tú to address those with whom we have a familiar relationship, like our friends or colleagues, or those we have some form of seniority over, like children or subordinates....
The Spanish future tense: expressing uncertainty and doubt
No matter how conscientiously we plan our day, our week, our life, the only certain thing about the future is its inherent uncertainty. ...
Understanding 'lo' in Spanish: the most versatile little word
As language learners, we often focus on the big, impressive vocabulary—those polysyllabic words that make us sound sophisticated. But sometimes the smallest words in a language carry the most weight and cause the most confusion....
False cognates in Spanish
October of 2000 was a memorable month for New York City baseball fans. The Yankees and the Mets squared off at the World Series and the ambiance in a pre-September 11 city couldn’t be more festive....
Gender in Spanish
One of the first things the student of Spanish learns is that all nouns have a gender, and that this is either masculine or feminine....
How to get better at reading in Spanish
There are four main indicators through which we judge our understanding of a language in the most general of terms: Listening, reading, speaking and writing....
Spanish study tips for success
As a Spanish instructor, one of the questions my students more frequently ask is how long it takes to become fluent....
The Spanish second person
Do you have a minute? I want to share a piece with you about the second person. If I were to translate the same question I just asked into Spanish, I would have more than one way of doing so....
The "personal A" in Spanish
The “personal a” is sure one of those areas most students of Spanish struggle with. It is not that the concept itself is difficult to understand. ...
How to memorize new words in Spanish faster
Reaching a high level of proficiency in a new language requires the acquisition of thousands of words as well as learning the mechanics of how these words combine in a system through which communication is possible....