I work with a majority of Spanish speakers from Latin America. Mostly Venezuela and Colombia. I’ve picked up a lot of Spanish from listening, and one thing I heard a lot as a way to say excuse me was “permiso”. I began copying them and using “permiso”. However, yesterday, a coworker told me to use “disculpe” instead.

Is “permiso” rude? I don’t want to be rude.

Hello,

I have questions about the phrase la máquina. I’ve heard it mostly in song, and really don’t understand it - I think it has something to do with following or doing something like a machine, but I’m not too sure.

The lyrics are from a Young Miko song, so it might be specific to PR. The order of the sentence confuses me; why is la máquina in the middle, and then also what is la máquina? Which person? Can anyone describe what this means?

Thank you in advance!! I appreciate it!!

I took Spanish for 3 years at my highschool, all my teachers were from Venezuela and moved to America to work. I remember listening to them closely and carefully to make sure I was hearing them right and they pronounced their "y" and "ll"s like in the words yo and pollo as something that sounded like an English "j" sound in a word like "judge." Any time I say it like that though, I get corrected (not by native speakers or anyone that knows Spanish well) whenever I read something and say it like that. Was I just mishearing them all of that time and the teachers never corrected me or are they just enforcing a different accent as authoritatively correct?

Hi! Does anyone have any recommendation for dictionaries or resources that are specific to legal wording/legal phrases, etc? I’m currently in the process of getting licensed in Illinois to practice law, and I speak Spanish conversationally (years of education) but obviously don’t have the background to know court specific terms/legal phrases. I want to be sure I can communicate with individuals who speak Spanish about court specific language if necessary. So I’m looking for recommendations if anyone has them or knows of law specific dictionaries, guidebooks, etcetera that contain legal/court language specific phrases.

I’ve looked this up before, and while some resources pop up, I wanted to know if anyone had recommendations for ones they personally used that worked well or were ones that really were legal specific (some of the ones I was finding didn’t utilize phrases in the way they are meant legally, or were just not expansive nor specific enough)

I know too in Illinois courts, especially criminal, they have access to interpreters but depending on what area of law I go into, those might not be available. Plus as a note of pride lol, I want to be able to have conversations still on my own without needing an interpreter. Any guidance would be much appreciated!

I'm learning Spanish, and I'm at a very early A1 level.

I've noticed that there is a musical, melodic quality to spoken Spanish, and I noticed this when I heard people speak in Spanish, especially when it's spoken rapidly.

How does this work? I suspect it has to do with how syllables are stressed. Has anyone else here noticed this effect?

I like how it sounds, and it's pleasing to hear. It's oddly calming.

However, when you learn Spanish, does this musical quality disappear? Does it change, or improve?

Thanks!

Hola Amigos,

I'm new to Spanish, and I'm using some of the tricks that helped with my English pronunciation early on with Spanish.

I'm using music to help with my pronunciation.

When a word ends with a vowel and the next starts with one, you guys link them together, but what I want to know is, do you merge the sounds, or does one vowel take over and overpowers the other?

I've heard "no hay" almost like "noy" even after slowing it down, and "nunca es" as "nuncas".

So I thought I'd ask here to make sure.

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Hi! I have been searching through podcast apps for months now, so I figure I might as well head here to see if anyone has any recs or insight I've been missing.

In English, my favorite podcasts are Diabolical Lies (long-form culture & politics), Celebrity Memoir Book Club (smart & snarky pop culture analysis - now rebranded as Good Noticings), and If Books Could Kill (snarky breakdowns of popular nonfiction).

I would love to find some podcasts in Spanish that have a similar vibe - smart/snarky analysis of pop culture, internet culture, and politics with a progressive/leftist vibe.

I already have a list of some podcasts I'm planning on trying out, but would love your insight! Any dialect is fine, and I don't care how "difficult" it is - if it's beyond my current Spanish comprehension level, it'll just be another goal for me to work towards.

Also, if you have any other content (YouTube, TikTok, books, literally anything) that I'd like, feel free to drop your recs.

I’ve been wanting to learn conversational Spanish to not only feel more connected with my other Latino friends and parents but to feel more connected to my own culture. I grew up around spanish to where I understand it but I struggle holding a conversation. Does anyone have advice to learn Spanish at a conversational level?

I've always really loved the language and tried to learn it, and now meeting and getting with my spanish boyfriend it means i have more reason to learn the language

he sometimes talks spanish with his mum at home, and i occasionally get asked if i know how to say something by her

alot of the time i do know how to say it (e.g. how to order a coffee) but i get scared/nervous to say incase im gonna pronounce it wrong, get the words wrong or it just be more like tourist spanish i learn from duolingo rather than sounding more native which i'd like

anyone got any tips they can give me on how to sound more native and/or other methods than duolingo?

This is one of those things the (free) version of Duolingo lacks... just simply practicing nouns -- and building vocabulary.

https://fungamery.com/spanish?quiz=nouns

Would you say there is significant benefit to be had by simply doing word exercises? I definitely feel that it helps me build vocabulary and memorize lots of Spanish words.