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1. The most important: how do you feel with them?Learning a language is an emotional process... it’s not just about memorizing rules, but about feeling safe enough to make mistakes and learn from them. Questions to ask yourself if you are on the fence about a teacher:<ul><li>do you feel relaxed in their classes?</li><li>Do you feel it’s a space where you can express yourself freely, even when you’re unsure or nervous?</li><li>Do you match in vibe, interests and energy? Questions to ask yourself if you are looking for a teacher:</li><li>What type of vibe should they bring to the lesson?</li><li>Do you want lessons that are not - that - planned, or more structured ones?</li><li>What aspects of their teaching style should definetly show up?</li></ul> Remember that a good teacher doesn’t just correct ... they listen, support, and encourage you. You should feel seen, heard, and respected. Because when you feel good, you learn better (not said by me, but science!)&nbsp; 2. Does the teacher have qualifications? Qualifications don’t always make a great teacher, but they do show a level of commitment and understanding of how people learn. Someone who has studied teaching or linguistics usually knows why certain methods work and how to adapt lessons to your needs. That background gives structure to their creativity: it’s what allows them to make learning both fun and effective. Of course, passion is key, but knowledge of the “whys” and “hows” of teaching makes a real difference.&nbsp; 3. Does the teacher have prior experience? Experience brings perspective. It helps teachers anticipate your struggles, explain tricky topics more clearly, and make grammar feel less intimidating. Can they handle the classic Spanish questions: por vs para, ser vs estar, or indefinido vs imperfecto? A good teacher doesn’t need to know everything, but they should be able to guide you with confidence and clarity. Teaching is about connection, patience, and the ability to explain something in five different ways until it clicks for you.&nbsp; 4. Do you match in the way of teaching and learning? The best classes happen when both sides do a nice click. You might love visuals, games, and examples, but if your teacher focuses mostly on grammar charts, there's a high chance you'll get frustrated. Likewise, if you’re someone who learns best through conversation and your teacher only uses textbooks, that mismatch can slow you down. Knowing your learning style (and finding a teacher who adapts to it) changes everything.5.&nbsp;Do you share any interests?Having things in common with your teacher can make the lessons feel more like a chat than a class. When you both love music, series, travel, or memes, learning becomes way more enjoyable, because the examples and conversations feel real and not forced. You’ll find yourself wanting to talk more, which is exactly what helps you improve faster.Shared interests also build trust and connection. You start opening up, taking risks, and using the language to talk about things that matter to you.It makes the whole learning process more human, fun, and effortless.Overall, finding a good teacher It’s a little bit like dating: sometimes you need to try a few before you find the one.Keep looking until you find that teacher who makes learning feel natural and inspiring. ✨ And hey! If you want to find out and have a (free!) first lesson with me, click <a data-mce-href="https://calendly.com/missrosa/claim-your-free-lesson-here" href="https://calendly.com/missrosa/claim-your-free-lesson-here">here</a>.Cariños!Agus - Miss Rosa

5 Tips to Find a Good Teacher

Hola hola!Today I’m bringing you something I’ve been working on for quite a while: a full set of playlists I’ve been building little by little over the past year.When I was (and when I am) learning Italian and Portuguese, I often wished I had something like this: playlists organized not just by “vibe” or “mood,” but by grammar topic. Imagine listening to music while at the same time reinforcing what you’re learning in class or on your own. That’s exactly the idea here.In these playlists you’ll find hundreds of Spanish songs divided by grammar topic. The goal is simple: you listen, enjoy the music, and let the grammar sink in naturally. No pressure, no “study mode”, just songs. And honestly, even if at the beginning you don’t notice the grammar at all, you’re still exposing yourself to tons of Spanish and Spanish culture through music (and that’s already a huge win!).The process of putting these playlists together has been very organic:<ul><li>I’ve added songs little by little as I discovered them.</li><li>I’ve gone down Reddit rabbit holes to see what other learners recommend.</li><li>I’ve borrowed and adapted ideas from fellow teachers who kindly share their materials and plannings online. So what you’ll find here is not just a random selection, but a curated mix, created with Spanish learners in mind.</li></ul><h3>👇👇 Here are the playlists and their links👇👇:</h3><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/25FgqDdjGBKGAjeihKhpnF?si=nzNKRGVuTEOctM9CjggFqA" data-mce-href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/25FgqDdjGBKGAjeihKhpnF?si=nzNKRGVuTEOctM9CjggFqA">Easy, Basic Songs</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4VPDucCYM4JmosvfLSWcPd?si=q5DdplOpQleZWVQKpFkPfA" data-mce-href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4VPDucCYM4JmosvfLSWcPd?si=q5DdplOpQleZWVQKpFkPfA">Pretérito Indefinido (Simple Past)</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4IIjxaT9DHspOlQt5Q1Z1N?si=B4xR1RayT8GZ9qHfXxmfTg" data-mce-href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4IIjxaT9DHspOlQt5Q1Z1N?si=B4xR1RayT8GZ9qHfXxmfTg">Mixed Pasts</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4LjcPuExEaGwO6hKkkWhg9?si=Wz-NxtD7TtW-hkbrsvd1AQ" data-mce-href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4LjcPuExEaGwO6hKkkWhg9?si=Wz-NxtD7TtW-hkbrsvd1AQ">Future</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1DbIj1vAR0mIJk4cdsKUno?si=Nfj8fZiFRyGbbhsEhXg-8Q" data-mce-href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1DbIj1vAR0mIJk4cdsKUno?si=Nfj8fZiFRyGbbhsEhXg-8Q">Imperative</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/530ViX8NZTQqyTUNg2DQBL?si=Tz8h7H4oSUSbG2jpHeAfpQ" data-mce-href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/530ViX8NZTQqyTUNg2DQBL?si=Tz8h7H4oSUSbG2jpHeAfpQ">Present Subjunctive</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5iEYP6y5VCUhIeKrIYhxM9?si=PmHsY4FjS6ue3c1wiE1DQg" data-mce-href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5iEYP6y5VCUhIeKrIYhxM9?si=PmHsY4FjS6ue3c1wiE1DQg">Imperfect Subjunctive</a> <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6mUiB7DggTn2EqdNChyJ1a?si=jhQG3PniRiG6I7Y1yCaUHQ" data-mce-href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6mUiB7DggTn2EqdNChyJ1a?si=jhQG3PniRiG6I7Y1yCaUHQ">Pluscuamperfect Subjunctive</a> <figure id="figure-x46ditqobemeogy78x"><img id="x46ditqobemeogy78x" src="https://cdn.durable.co/covers/14mzV8koja4u6sC6eXbeP6pQzQ9dENs1C90PHHtYtkGFyyXVSYFs4FJsazdSOuQA.png" alt="" title="" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 rounded-sm md:rounded-md lg:rounded-lg" style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/covers/14mzV8koja4u6sC6eXbeP6pQzQ9dENs1C90PHHtYtkGFyyXVSYFs4FJsazdSOuQA.png" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure> If you’re a beginner, I recommend starting with the Easy, Basic Songs playlist. If you’re further along (A2+), dive into the verb tenses or even the subjunctive ones. You’ll see how much easier it is to recognize and remember a structure once you’ve heard it sung over and over. Maybe conjugating will get easier as well!Music has always been one of my favorite ways to learn languages, and I really believe these playlists can make studying Spanish more fun and less intimidating 🎶I’ll keep updating them as I find more gems, so feel free to bookmark, save, and revisit often. And of course, if you know a song that fits one of the categories, send it my way. Me encantaría agregarlas!Besos para todas/os/es🔊💓

Amazing Playlists to Learn Spanish Seamlessly

Hola hola! I'm a DELE Examiner and I'd like to share a few tips I've gathered from the courses I've taken and also from my teaching experience. <h3>1. Create a checklist with all grammar topics included in your level</h3>I've seen too many students wanting to take an exam without actually having studied&nbsp;all the grammar topics from that level.For teachers, el <a data-mce-href="https://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/biblioteca_ele/plan_curricular/indice.htm" href="https://cvc.cervantes.es/ensenanza/biblioteca_ele/plan_curricular/indice.htm">Plan Curricular del Instituto Cervantes</a> is the most complete, trustworthy source.&nbsp;For the general public, I want to recommend the ELEInternacional site and &nbsp;Florencia, a fellow teacher who created her "Enseñar Español online" site. They have compiled all grammar topics by level in these posts:&nbsp;Contenidos nivel <a data-mce-href="https://eleinternacional.com/blog/contenidos-nivel-a1-de-espanol/" href="https://eleinternacional.com/blog/contenidos-nivel-a1-de-espanol/">A1</a>, <a data-mce-href="https://ensenar-espanol-online.com/cuales-son-contenidos-nivel-a2-espanol/" href="https://ensenar-espanol-online.com/cuales-son-contenidos-nivel-a2-espanol/">A2,</a> <a data-mce-href="https://ensenar-espanol-online.com/cuales-son-contenidos-niveles-b1-espanol/" href="https://ensenar-espanol-online.com/cuales-son-contenidos-niveles-b1-espanol/">B1</a>, <a data-mce-href="https://ensenar-espanol-online.com/contenidos-nivel-b2-espanol/" href="https://ensenar-espanol-online.com/contenidos-nivel-b2-espanol/">B2</a>,<a data-mce-href="https://ensenar-espanol-online.com/contenidos-nivel-c1-espanol-lista/" href="https://ensenar-espanol-online.com/contenidos-nivel-c1-espanol-lista/"> C1</a>. <a data-mce-href="https://campusele.com/c1-y-c2-contenidos-de-los-niveles-mas-altos/" href="https://campusele.com/c1-y-c2-contenidos-de-los-niveles-mas-altos/">C2</a>It wouldn't hurt to read the grammar topics included in the level below yours and try to identify if there's any need to study or review those resources as well.&nbsp;<h3>2. You are not sure about your level? Do an honest, self-evaluation with this template</h3>With <a data-mce-href="https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168045bb52" href="https://rm.coe.int/CoERMPublicCommonSearchServices/DisplayDCTMContent?documentId=090000168045bb52">this template</a> you'll be able to do a self-assessment in order to identify your strengths and difficulties. Read all blocks carefully and try to mark the ones you feel most identified with.&nbsp;I do not know the original author, sorry!<h3>3. Expresión escrita: Focus on improving your Writing Skills</h3>The writing test is one of the most feared sections. Focus on studying discourse connectors and on using the widest range of grammar structures you can possibly produce. While you are writing, review grammar topics in your head and try to include sentences using those topics.Pay attention to accentuation, as it also plays a part in the marking process. You can review the <a data-mce-href="https://espanol.lingolia.com/es/escuela-de-escritura/acentuacion#a-palabras-agudas" href="https://espanol.lingolia.com/es/escuela-de-escritura/acentuacion#a-palabras-agudas">rules</a> for accentuation, which are a very straightforward way to master this specific "skill".<h3>4. Comprensión lectora y auditiva: Listen and read in a wide range of Spanish Accents</h3>From level B1 onward, the Instituto Cervantes includes a range of accents from different regions / countries.This may involve being familiar with the "voseo rioplatense" (the use of "vos" instead of "tu" used in Argentina, Uruguay, El Salvador and some other countries) or the use of "usted" instead of "tu" with no formal meaning (used in Colombia, Costa Rica, etc).&nbsp;Also, this includes being familiar with a wider range of vocabulary and a couple ways of naming everyday objects (popcorn, straws and flipflops have the quality of being called very differently in each country).Get familiar with these words by listening and reading from different sources, and focus on having an idea of these differences in the use of personal pronouns and vocabulary.&nbsp;<h3>5.Expresión oral y escrita: Lie to a healthy extent</h3>Especially in the A1 and A2 oral and written exams, when mentioning something about yourself or doing a role-play, there's no "actual" need to be absolutely honest. Do you enjoy skiing but you don't remember the word for it in Spanish? You just like basketball instead.Do you think some earrings would be the perfect gift for your imaginary mother during the roleplay, but can't fantom the word? Just suggest a necklace.You don't need to get yourself into a tricky situation just because you like your ideas. Just flow with the vocabulary and structures you know best instead of doubting and pausing in the middle of your speech, or writing an incorrect word.&nbsp;<h3>6. Oral exam: Remember some phrases to get out of tricky situations</h3>If you are caught off-guard in a part of the oral exam, have these phrases memorized to get off the situation with grace:<ul><li>"¿Puedes repetir la pregunta, por favor?"</li><li>“La verdad es que nunca había pensado en eso, pero…”</li><li>“No sé mucho sobre este tema, pero…” </li></ul>These are the tips I hope you find the most useful.Get in touch if you want to have DELE Exam lessons with an official Examiner.&nbsp;

Tips for the DELE Exam (from an examiner!)

The other day, I asked a group of students this question: "What apps or platforms do you use to learn Spanish?"...and wow, I was not expecting such a wide variety of answers!So today, I want to share their amazing suggestions with you. Even if you're a beginner or a more advanced learner, you might find a new tool here to add to your daily practice. Here are a few tools that I usually share with students who want extra practice outside of class (apart from the Extra Grammar Ebook and the PDFs I always share... some of you are always hungry for extra practice!).These were originally also recommended by students, and I've been re-recomending them since then. All of these are either completely free or have very&nbsp; good and solid free versions.Vamos!<h2>APPS TO PRACTICE LISTENING</h2><h3>Duolingo Podcasts</h3><a data-mce-href="DUOLINGO%20PODCASTS%20https:/podcast.duolingo.com/" href="DUOLINGO%20PODCASTS%20https:/podcast.duolingo.com/">Link aquí</a> This was recommended originally from a dear student, and he was so happy about the pace of the stories (as Spaniards tend to talk at crazy speed), and the stories in the past tenses, which he always had trouble using in a mixed and natural way.Here they share short stories in Spanish with English narration in between. Great for listening on the go, and they’re especially helpful for intermediate learners.<h3>Dreaming Spanish</h3><a data-mce-href="https://www.dreamingspanish.com/browse" href="https://www.dreamingspanish.com/browse">Link aquí</a>A favorite! I wish I had this to learn Italian💔. A dear friend from EEUU who helped me a lot with my web design recommended this for me. This YouTube-based platform offers tons of videos a wide variety of levels and accents, and it¡s all based on comprehensible input. They have content for absolute beginners all the way to advanced levels. Super engaging and actually fun to watch.I'm still waiting for something like this but in Italian!<h3>Language Transfer – Complete Spanish</h3><a data-mce-href="https://www.languagetransfer.org/complete-spanish" href="https://www.languagetransfer.org/complete-spanish">Link aquí</a>Totally free, audio-based, and very different from anything else out there. It focuses on logic and how the language works. It’s like learning through conversation and reasoning, perfect for curious minds.<h2>APPS TO PRACTICE GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY</h2><h3> Airlearn </h3><a data-mce-href="https://airlearn.com/" href="https://airlearn.com/">Link aquí</a> A newer platform where you can listen to native speakers and adjust the speed and subtitles. It also works great to practice a bit of grammar and vocabulary. Great for listening and picking up real-life vocabulary<h3>Babbel</h3><a data-mce-href="https://es.babbel.com/" href="https://es.babbel.com/">Link aquí</a> It's not 100% free, but it offers a few lessons for free and is well-structured. I usually recommend it to people who love a more academic or grammar-based approach<h3>Busuu</h3><a data-mce-href="https://www.busuu.com/es" href="https://www.busuu.com/es">Link aquí</a> Similar to Babbel but with more interactive features and a community aspect. They also let you practice with native speakers by correcting each other’s writing. <h2>&nbsp; APPS TO PRACTICE TALKING AND WRITING: </h2><h3>HelloTalk</h3><a data-mce-href="https://www.hellotalk.com/es" href="https://www.hellotalk.com/es">Link aquí</a> A super interactive app that connects you with native Spanish speakers (and speakers of basically any language). You can chat, send voice messages, and even correct each other's sentences.<h3>TalkPal AI</h3><a data-mce-href="https://talkpal.ai/es/" href="https://talkpal.ai/es/">Link aquí</a> One student described it as "Duolingo meets ChatGPT."&nbsp; You chat with an AI who speaks Spanish and corrects your messages.&nbsp; Está bueno if you’re trying to build confidence but you get a bit too anxious when speaking to real people.<h3>“Charlemos” Facebook group </h3><a data-mce-href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/charlemos/" href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/charlemos/">Link aquí&nbsp;</a> Apparently, there’s a great little community on Facebook where Spanish learners and native speakers meet up virtually to practice together. It's a friendly space to ask questions and exchange voice notes or texts.I had heard about other Facebook groups who offer language exchanges, but this one seems absolutely lovely and safer (especially for women - I've myself suffered some harrassment from online apps for language exchanges). Bueno, hasta aqui el post.&nbsp; &nbsp; Muchas, muchas gracias 💛...to all the students who shared these ideas: GRACIAS. You reminded me that the best resources often come from each other. Learning is a community process, and it’s beautiful to see how many tools are out there to support us along the way.Got more app ideas? Message me on Whatsapp — I’d love to hear about them!

Free & Useful Apps to Learn Spanish (According to My Students!)

Disclaimer: None of my posts have been written using any kind of AI. AI is only used to check on grammar mistakes and word synonyms.&nbsp; <h3>Use the phrases and words you know on a daily basis</h3>Practice makes perfect: if you are a beginner, stick to a reduced number of phrases and/or verbs that you can use in different contexts and with different uses. I start teaching beginners SER (to be) and TENER (have), because you can stretch those to talk about quality, quantity &amp; content in different settings.&nbsp;Some phrases: - ¿Cuánto es? ¿Dónde es? ¿Quién es? ¿Cómo es? ¿Cuándo es? ¿Cuál es? - ¿Es... libre de gluten / vegetariano / grande / pequeño ? - (No) tengo frio / sueño / hamper / dolor. - (No) tengo mi pasaporte / mi maleta / mi comida / a mi amigo &nbsp;- ¿Tenéis (Spain) / tienen (rest of the world)... comida / platos veganos / sal / agua / baño/ leche de almendras?<h3> Once you feel confident with them, switch them up for more complex phrases</h3>This is not the most low - effort tip, but it's necessary to evolve your language usage, the variety of your vocabulary and the phrases you form.&nbsp; Keep doing this until you feel you have a couple of ways to express the same idea.Greetings and goodbyes are a great start: &nbsp; A1: ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal? But as you get more proficiency, you'll get to: A2: ¡Buen día! ¿Qué tal la mañana? Yo bien, ¿y tú? ¡Me alegro! ¿Cuánto cuesta? B1: ¡Buenos días a todos! ¿Que cómo estoy yo? Por aquí excelente, nunca estuve mejor. ¿Y por allí? Ah, qué dicha. ¿Me dices cuánto cuesta?&nbsp; B2: ¡Buenos días, qué gusto veros/verlos! ¿Cómo ha estado todo? Me alegro mucho. ¿Serías tan amable de decirme cuánto cuesta? C1: ¡Buenos días! ¿Podrías indicarme el precio, por favor? Agradezco mucho tu ayuda <h3>Use language apps to practice&nbsp;</h3>We know them: Duolingo is the most known app to learn languages, although is not my favorite App. For my own learning, I like Memrise and Drops, and I've heard good things about Babbel as well.&nbsp; There are also many interesting apps that allow you to "talk" to and write to an AI-powered voice, which can be a useful way to prepare yourself for different settings and challenges. I strongly believe that human interaction is preciously irreplaceable, but anything we can use to improve our knowledge, feel more confident and enjoy the process is very well welcomed.&nbsp; No kind of app will match real interaction, but they but they can be helpful and knowledge doesn't take up space.

PART II - Low-effort things you can do to improve your Spanish

Disclaimer: None of my posts have been written using any kind of AI. AI is only used to check on grammar mistakes and word synonyms.&nbsp;Low-effort things you can do to improve your Spanish. This also works for any other language you are learning!<h3> Join Facebook and WhatsApp groups&nbsp;</h3> Focus on those where they speak in Spanish. It can be the main purpose of the group, such as "Practice Spanish daily" or local groups where native speakers naturally speak Spanish.<h3> Follow people on social media that create content in Spanish.&nbsp;</h3>Interact with those posts so that the algorithm knows you are interested in that type of content. You can also change your settings so that your apps know you can and want to watch content in that language. Again, these can be teachers who share their knowledge of the language, or mainstream content creators who make videos that are interesting to you.&nbsp; If you want a list of creators I like and follow, you'll find it at the end of this post.&nbsp; &nbsp; <h3>Eavesdrop</h3>We love a good "chismecito": try paying attention to that story that is being told ion the subway or at the table next to you. Not only will you have the chance to hear a great story, but also you'll pick a ton of vocabulary, common expressions, verb tense mixes and pacing and accent usage.&nbsp; It's the perfect (and cheapest) listening exercise!

Blog

5 Tips to Find a Good Teacher

Amazing Playlists to Learn Spanish Seamlessly

Tips for the DELE Exam (from an examiner!)

Free & Useful Apps to Learn Spanish (According to My Stud...

PART II - Low-effort things you can do to improve your Sp...

Low-effort things you can do to improve your Spanish