Notes on Spanish, and on Spain.
Each of these goes with one of the situation guides. Read the article for the why, then use the guide for the phrases.
Christmas in Spain: the lottery, the grapes and the Kings
A Spanish Christmas starts with a lottery draw on 22 December and ends with the Three Kings on 6 January. What happens on each day, and what to say.
Christmas in South America: midnight, candles and summer
Christmas in South America is a late dinner on the 24th, a midnight toast and, in the far south, a summer heatwave. What changes from country to country.
Halloween in Spain, and the quiet holiday the next day
Halloween in Spain is a costume party for the young. The next day, Todos los Santos, is an old public holiday for visiting graves. What to say at each.
Halloween in South America, and the older days after it
Halloween in South America means trick or treat in Colombia and creole music in Peru, then 1 and 2 November, when the Andes remember their dead.
The sightseeing sentences worth learning first
A day of sightseeing is a few sentences repeated at every site. Learn them once and every cathedral, palace and viewpoint works the same way.
Mudéjar, gótico, modernismo
Spain puts its history in its buildings and rarely translates the plaques. What mudéjar means, why a patio is not a patio, and where azulejo comes from.
How to talk about art in Spanish
Buying a museum ticket takes four sentences. Saying something about the painting takes a few more. Includes the difference between cuadro and pintura.
Spanish meal times, and why lunch is the big one
A caña is a measure, not a brand, la comida means both lunch and food, and the best value meal in Spain is written on a chalkboard outside.
Two kisses, dinner at ten, and the sobremesa
Most of what goes wrong on a first trip to Spain is not grammar. It is arriving at eight for dinner, or a handshake when they went in for two kisses.