1.3: Language + Cultural Notes

1.3: Language + Cultural Notes

Author: Live Lingua April 12, 2024 Duration: 5:44
In this episode we're going to go over some basic language and cultural notes for the Spanish language. When you're learning another language, one of the most important things to understand is that it's not just about learning the words and vocabulary.

I know this from personal experience when I was learning Spanish — it's about learning about the culture. There are certain things that make sense to English speakers that aren't done in the same way when you're speaking Spanish.

An anecdotal story for me is that when I was first learning Spanish in Mexico, I would attempt to tell jokes. Even when I knew the words for the jokes, the jokes made absolutely no sense to the Mexicans. While I thought I was being hilarious, I was usually greeted with crickets.

Sadly, this hasn't improved that much 10 years down the road, but I'm still working on it.

But that's why it's so important to listen to the sections and understand what we say. because that will make this unit and all future units in the Live Lingua Spanish Podcasts make sense.

After listening to the episode, click here for practice exercises. Don't forget to subscribe here, rate 5 stars, and leave a review!


Join Ray as he navigates the practical side of picking up a new language in Learn Spanish with Live Lingua. This isn't about dry grammar drills; it's built around the actual phrases and exchanges you'd encounter while traveling or engaging with different cultures. Each mini-episode focuses on breaking down a real-world conversation, making the structure and nuance of Spanish more accessible and less intimidating. You'll hear the dialogue at pace, then get a slowed-down, piece-by-piece explanation that clarifies why things are said a certain way. The goal is to build comprehension and confidence for everyday situations, whether you're ordering in a restaurant, asking for directions, or having a simple chat with a neighbor. Produced by Live Lingua, this podcast turns short, focused listening sessions into tangible progress, connecting language learning directly to the places and societies where it's spoken. It’s a straightforward companion for fitting practice into a busy day, emphasizing useful, immediate understanding over perfection.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 1000

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Podcast Episodes
9.2: Conversation: At Restaurant (Ordering Drinks) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:59
Here you will experience a common restaurant situation in Spanish. This is a conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs and a waiter at a restaurant. They have just arrived and ask for a table and give their drink order.
9.1: At Restaurant (Ordering Drinks) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:50
Welcome to Unit 9 of the Live Lingua Spanish Podcast. In this unit you will learn how to ask for a table based on your party size, understand the waiter when they ask you what you want to drink, and how to order drinks.
8.15: Unit 8 review [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:27
This m-episode is a quick recap of Unit 8 of the Live Lingua Spanish Podcast. It offers a congratulations on your hard work so far in learning Spanish.
8.14: Visualization: Shopping in a department store [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08
This is a visualization practice that helps you imagine you are in a Latin American department store. You want to try on some clothing, but first you need to ask for it based on item description, its color, its size, and…
8.13: Conversation - Shopping in a department store (review) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08
This m-episode reviews the conversation you heard in Unit 8.1 of the Live Lingua Spanish Podcast. By now, you should be able to understand the entire conversation, and be able to make slight modifications to apply it to…
8.12: Bring it all together - Shopping in a department store [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:38
This m-episode puts together everything you've learned about trying on items in a department store, asking for them based on specific sizes, colors, and other requests, and how to tell someone whether or not it fits. If…
8.11: Letting people know an item is too big or too small [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:59
So you tried on the item and now you want to let the clerk know how well it fit. First you would tell them if it even fits or not, before asking to try on another item of clothing or purchase the item you've tried on. Yo…
8.10: Asking to try an item on [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:01
This m-episode teaches you how to ask to try on an item in Spanish. If you like an item but want to try it on, there are two ways to ask. You can do it by specifically naming the item or you can refer to the item as "it"…
8.9: Asking for a specific size of clothes or shoes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:21
You'll learn how to ask for specific items in the right size for you (or someone else) in this m-episode. Like the rest of the world, in Latin America the item size can be described in two ways. A general size such as sm…
8.8: Ask for a specific item for a specific person [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:40
This m-episode brings together all you have learned in the last four m-episodes. Say the following in Spanish. The first time through we will only say the English version so you have time to say it in Spanish. The second…