Jack's Spanish Fluency Journey
This morning, I wanted to listen to one of my favorite episodes of The Tim Ferriss Show — the January 2016 interview with Luis von Ahn, the creator of Duolingo. I have been using Duolingo recently to bolster my studies. In fact, I’ve been using it a great deal more recently than my favorite resource, Rocket Languages, because I can easily practice/learn in short, 5-minute sessions throughout my workday.
Otra semana, otra canción… “Por Besarte”, de Lu.
I really love this song! Ironically, I was researching another number by Lu — one I’ll share with you algún día pronto — when I decided to put that one on the proverbial back burner and break out this upbeat little love song. (The other one was likely more reflective of my dark mood these days, but I’ll spare you the details about that.)
Hola, amigas. Tenemos una sorpresa para ustedes — una canción en inglés, “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You”.
¿Por que en inglés esta semana? Bueno…
The first “language” your host, Joaquin, ever learned, apart from his native tongue, of course, was actually… music. As far back as the early 1970s, I began learning to read and “speak” this language, both vocally and through the use of musical instruments.
Most youngsters enjoy music. Many can sing decently enough. And some even pick up on their own (amazing to me) the ability to play guitar, drums, or something else they enjoy listening to in the popular music of their culture. I, on the other hand, received formal training — several years of piano lessons, as well as an aggregate of about 9 years playing trombone/bass trombone in high school, university, and even some professional bands, orchestras, and jazz ensembles.
However, it was still the music I heard on the radio back in those days that caught my attention most — Read More
¡Otra miércoles, otra canción!
When I first began listening to HA-ASH, I was drawn more to their ballads — “Perdón, Perdón”, “Sé Que Te Vas”, etc. — and the way they accentuated the power of Ashley’s voice and the way the sisters harmonize so beautifully. However, there are a few of their more upbeat songs (at least, musically) I’ve grown to love, as well, and this is one of them.
I couldn’t find the translation online anywhere. Might have to offer one myself on LyricsTranslate.com soon, as I’m getting better at conjugating verbs all the time. Will keep you updated on that. The title, though, means something along the lines of “No Refunds”, and I’ll let you guess (for now) whether they’re referring to a customer visiting a shop. 😉 Read More
Otra miércoles, otra canción… “No Es Cierto”
Buenos días, amigas, y bienvenido a mi blog. This week’s vídeo de música is Danna Paola’s “No Es Cierto“, featuring Noel Schajris. This song/video was actually one of the first I ever came across back in the early days of my attempting to enrich my studies with immersion techniques. (I’m afraid that I’ve gotten more into the habit of immersion than study at this point, but that’s a story for another day.) It became especially meaningful to me, though shortly after that.
I can’t remember the exact progression, but I encountered young Danna in YouTube’s “up next” column while watching one of Lupita’s favourites, Prince Royce’s “Soy El Mismo” last otoño. It’s actually surprising to me that I’m just now featuring it here, as I remember finding it so moving when I first heard it! No Es Cierto translates to “It’s Not True”, which is what the 2 end up admitting after pretending to be happy and well without each other’s company…
¿A quién engaño?,¿Qué estoy haciendo?¡Cómo te extraño!¡Me estoy mintiendo!
¡Otra miércoles, otra vídeo de música!
Well, I’m not 100% certain about the lyrics of this one — haven’t run it through the translators just yet. But it’s both musically and visually pleasing, as are so many of Paty’s videos, so I’ll share it with you and play around with the lyrics later. (The good news — I’m getting to the point where I can follow some of them w/o cheating!)
¡Hasta luego, amigas!
Otra miércoles, otra canción… ¡ De Prince Royce!
Principe Royce hasn’t been featured in a while, and I thought it was time we circled back. There are quite a few tunes of his that I enjoy, but this one I actually hadn’t listened to (or, indeed, heard of) until today. So the others are still on the back burner for now. Please let us know how you enjoy “Corazón Sin Cara”. It’s a sweet one!
¡Hasta luego, amigas!
Otra miércoles, otra canción: “¿Qué Hago Yo?”
Okay, okay, you got me again. It’s actually Thursday (jueves) as I’m posting this, but a blogger has control of his publish date and time (as well as her content, of course), so I’m posting on miércoles in spirit, at least!
Lupita y yo have kind of a two-fer for you this week. One song — “¿Qué Hago Yo?” (What do I do?) — but two versions. Would be interested in knowing which you favor, so please let us know in the comments and/or on our Facebook page.
The first is the original video, released several years ago Read More
¡Otra miércoles, otra canción!
Esta semana, we’re bringing Sin Bandera (love that name!) back for an encore with their touching ballad, “Entra En Mi Vida”.
¡Hasta luego, amigas!
¡Otra miércoles, otra canción!
Here’s another fun one from Jenny and her Mexicats, “Labios”. I must be getting old — I thought I had already shared this one. It’s my favorite so far from this group, I’m pretty sure, though I’ll admit that there are a couple of close seconds.
Jenny sings, she plays, she dances…. What’s not to like!? I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
¡Hasta luego, amigas!
¡Otra miércoles, otra canción de música!
Okay, okay, you got me — at least the more observant of you. I am actually sharing this on un domingo, because life was too hectic during the week to get to it. Lots of upheaval at work these days, but I’ll cry you a river some other day. It’s time to share another great video with you from my hands-down favorite group, HA*ASH.
This one is from their DVD, Primera Fila – Hecho Realidad, which I enjoy as often as I can. Read More
