Name the Spanish speaking country these people are from!

1. My name is Roberta. I live in Europe and I speak Spanish with my mother and Catalan with my father. I like to dance flamenco.  I am from ______________.

2. I am 17 years old and I live near the United States. My uncle lives in San Diego. My father always listens to mariachi music on the radio. I am from ______________.

3. I live in a country famous for beautiful beaches. Many tourists visit my father’s hotel every year. The island I live on is shared with another country. I am from ______________.

4. My country is most famous for its exotic animals and plants. We are located in Central America and have a huge amount of tropical birds. I love to hike in the jungle with my uncle. I am from _______________.

5. I live where Latin America meet South America. We are famous for our canal which allows people and goods to travel more quickly. I am from _____________.

6. My country is very long! In the north we have a desert and in the south we have snow! Like most people I live near the middle in the capital city of Santiago. I am from ______________.

7. My father is a cattle rancher as my South American country produces a lot of beef. I am a huge soccer fan! I am from ______________.

8. I live on an island in the Caribbean. My island is a territory of the United States and I speak both English and Spanish perfectly. My sisters and I are all good dancers! I am from ______________.

9.I live in a small country with 15 million people. We are famous for our ancient Mayan Ruins. Many people in my country still speak indigenous languages. I am from _____________.

10. My name is Rigoberto and my favorite singer is Shakira because she is from my country! We also have many cities that are famous for their colonial architecture. I am from _______________.

Answer Key:

1. España
2. México
3. Dominican Republic
4. Costa Rica
5. Panamá
6. Chile
7. Argentina
8. Puerto Rico
9. Guatemala
10. Colombia

My long-time dream came true this fall when I was able to visit Andalucía, Spain. The region has always attracted me with its wonderful history,  warm weather,  beaches, Mediterranean food, Pablo Picasso and other famous artists and especially the laid-back life style of the people.

It is both the most populated (8.4 million) and the most southern autonomous community in the kingdom of Spain (reino de España). It is also the only European region which has both an Atlantic and Mediterranean coastline. Over 70%  of its over 500 miles of coastline feature sandy beaches (playas), making it a very popular destination for tourists. Some of which stay in Andalucía for several months as the weather stays all year round sunny and warm.

Some of the cities to visit are Málaga, Sevilla, Granada, Marbella, Torremolinos, Benalmádena and Cádiz. Sevilla (Seville) is the capital of Andalucía. It is also one of the warmest cities in Europe reaching temperatures over 40C in the summer. I especially enjoyed Málaga, home town of Pablo Picasso. This city’s biggest landmark is the Castle (Castillo) de Gibralfaro which dates back to the 14^th century with some stunning views (vistas) over the city. Also the Cathedral, Port (Puerto) de Málaga, Museum (Museo) Picasso and Constitution Square (Plaza de Constitución) are must see places.

The Spanish lifestyle calls you to stay up late into the evenings when people gather in the restaurants or coffee houses (cafés) to eat tapas or to drink hot chocolate and eat churros (fried dough pastries). Tapas (a variety of appetizers or snacks) are said to have originated in Andalucía. Popular tapas in all of Spain include shrimp, fried squid, cured ham, chorizo (spicy Spanish sausage), and potato omelettes (tortillas).

Table full of mediterranean appetizers, tapas or antipasto

The most enchanting feature of this region is the Moorish past, which has influenced the famous flamenco dance. The authentic flamenco song, sung a cappella (without musical accompaniment), is the cante jondo, an anguished lament expressing love, sadness, and loss.

Meria (Nina’s mom)

Beginning in January of this year, I began selling my self designed curriculum, readings and worksheets online through a wonderful forum called Teachers Pay Teachers.  I only discovered this website myself a couple of years ago and became an avid buyer. It was my New Year’s resolution for 2015 to sell my products on this website. It was a lot of work up front, but it is finally paying off. I have created an online community with teachers which has been a wonderful experience as being a solo teacher can sometimes be a lonely endeavour! Furthermore, there are a lot more Spanish teachers in the United States than there are in Canada. I am happy to report that I have received a lot of positive feedback on my products and my current and future students have also benefited from my online feedback as I continue to improve my course content. To access my online resources for teachers click here.

As a number of my clients are required to travel for work I have now regularly started offering lessons over Skype. While it may not be as ideal as face-to-face lessons, I have had a large degree of success with teaching people online and look forward to continuing to offer this option particularly for those people who live further out of the city or travel frequently.

Finally, just this month I have begun to create an online school for my courses! It is my intention to offer this for free to my existing clients for further practice at home where they may review lessons we covered in class together. This online platform will offer yet another avenue to pursue your language goals. I have just released my first course on German pronunciation and I look forward to continuing to work on my new online school in the coming months. For my new online school click here.

1. venir: to come

We are coming at 5 o’clock.

Venimos a las 5 de la tarde.

2. viajar: to travel

She is traveling to Europe for the first time.

Ella viaja a Europa por primera vez.

3. visitar: to visit

I am visiting my parents on Sunday.

Visito a mis padres el domingo.

4. vivir: to live

My brother lives in Bolivia.

Mi hermano vive en Bolivia.

5. volar: to fly (stem change verb o-ue)

Are you flying to Barcelona?

¿Vuelas a Barcelona?

6. volver: to return (stem change verb o-ue)

Is he returning soon?

¿Vuelve pronto?

6. ir: to go (Note: although the infinitive does not have a ‘v,’ the conjugations do)

They are going to the church and I am going to the library.

Ellos van a la iglesia y yo voy a la biblioteca.