Bésame Mucho Lyrics in Spanish and English.

Bésame mucho is one of the most well known songs sung in Spanish – well, probably after Despacito nowadays. 🙂
It was written by the Mexican pianist and songwriter Consuelo Velázquez in 1932 when she was only 16 years old (and before her first kiss) wasn’t performed in front of an audience until 1940.

There have been many versions of Bésame mucho (including by The Beatles) and it is considered one of the most important songs in the history of Latin music.

Below are the original lyrics along with its English translation:

Bésame mucho in Spanish

Bésame, bésame mucho,
Como si fuera esta noche la última vez.
Bésame, bésame mucho,
Que tengo miedo a perderte, perderte después.

Quiero tenerte muy cerca,
Mirarme en tus ojos, verte junto a mí.
Piensa que tal vez mañana
Yo ya estaré lejos, muy lejos de ti.

Bésame, bésame mucho,
Como si fuera esta noche la última vez.
Bésame, bésame mucho,
Que tengo miedo a perderte, perderte después.

English Translation of Bésame mucho

Kiss me, kiss me a lot,
As if tonight were the last time.
Kiss me, kiss me a lot,
I’m afraid of losing you, of losing you later.

I want to have you very close,
See myself in your eyes, see you next to me.
Think that maybe tomorrow
I’ll already be far, very far away from you.

Kiss me, kiss me a lot,
As if tonight were the last time.
Kiss me, kiss me a lot,
I’m afraid of losing you, of losing you later.

Additional Language Notes about this Song

Besar = To Kiss – This is the infinitive before you change its form (conjugate).
Bésame = Kiss me
Here we are using the imperative – for giving orders or instructions. The accent is on the first syllable which is why the tilde (accent mark) is there … BÉS-a-me.

Como si fuera… = As if it were…
Here we are using the subjunctive FUERA – An example of the subjective in English is If I were you (and not if I was you). Yes, the subjunctive exists in English, though not many people know about it. In this case it refers to a hypothetical situation, not a real one.

La última vez = the last time
La primera vez = the first time

Tal vez = maybe / perhaps

Tengo miedo = I am scared / I am afraid
In Spanish, the verb tener (normally meaning to have) is used to say You are (or someone else is) afraid or scared.

Tener + miedo = To be scared / afraid

• Ella tiene miedo = She is scared.

Did you know?

This song appeared in the Disney live-action and animated movie The Three Caballeros (Los tres caballeros) in 1944.

New Spanish Listening Videos

We have just started recording the audio for listening activities that will accompany some of our Woodward Spanish resources.

These recordings will be published on our Woodward Spanish YouTube channel so that they are accessible to both teachers and students.

All Spanish teachers, parents and students are welcome to use these videos. It is not necessary to purchase the corresponding resource to use the listening though you will find it beneficial as it has the text of what is said with additional comprehension questions and other activities.

Note: There will not be any text on the screen as these videos are purely to help improve listening skills.

Some people will listen to these as they would a podcast while they are commuting to and from work, others while they are working out, and some will even use them in the classroom or give them as homework.

What type of Spanish will I hear?

You will hear the voice of Angélica Prieto (the author of most of the stories) in the videos and we will always use native Spanish-speakers. Angélica was born and raised in Chile. Eventually we would like to add more audio by native speakers from other countries to have a variety of Spanish accents.

Example of our Spanish Listening

Notice how in this listening we repeat the same 5 mini readings twice. The first time at a slow pace (aimed at beginners) and the second time at a natural speed.

The listening in the video above comes from the following Spanish Teacher Resource:

In Chile this topic is seen by 3rd and 4th grade students during language classes (lenguaje). So I created this page to help students with their homework and for parents who usually won’t remember what these are when their child asks about them. 🙂

Summary Chart

This summary chart is a good reference guide for students.

Here are some games to practice Diptongo vs. Hiato:
JUEGO: Diptongo e Hiato – ¿Esta palabra tiene Hiato o Diptongo?
JUEGO: Diptongo e Hiato 2 – ¿Cuál palabra tiene Diptongo? ¿Cuál palabra tiene Hiato?

Parent / Teacher Resource

I also created these worksheets that can be used in classrooms by teachers or by parents at home with their children (homeschool or exam prep). It includes our summary chart above in higher resolution.

Every purchase helps me pay for the running of our website and so I can create more learning material for everyone.

I hope you found these resources about Diptongo e Hiato useful. If you did, remember to let others know about it.

Oh also, in English…

Diptongo in English = Diphthong
Hiato in English = Hiatus
Vocal in English = vowel

Earth Day (el Día de la Tierra) is celebrated every year on April 22 to create awareness about the Earth’s natural environment. On this day, events are held around the world to show support for environmental protection and making our planet a better place to live.

We have created a new page with vocabulary commonly associated with Earth Day and the environment. You can find it here: Día de la Tierra – Vocabulario.

There is also a game to practice the vocabulary that appears on that page: Día de la Tierra – Juego (Note, this game is for intermediate to advanced Spanish students)

For Spanish Teachers / Parents

Apart from our free vocabulary page and game mentioned above, we also have the following resources:

Spanish Reading – Reducir, Reutilizar, Reciclar – Short Spanish reading passages about the three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle.

Spanish Reading – Día de la Tierra – Five short reading passages in Spanish: El Día de la Tierra (Earth Day), Los árboles son vida (Trees are life), Mi comunidad (My community), Ecológicos (Ecological), and La compostera (The compost bin)

Earth Day Spanish Word Search – Sopa de Letras del Día de la Tierra – There are two versions of this word search, one with clues and another without clues.

Spanish Earth Day – Verdadero o Falso – A True or False activity about el Día de la Tierra

Spanish Task Cards – Día de la Tierra – 32 multiple choice task cards with information about el Día de la Tierra and taking care of the environment in SPANISH.

I hope you find all these resources useful.

Ever since I was a teenager, I have loved talking an evening stroll wherever I am in the world.

This is a street sign I came across during one of my evening strolls in Santiago, Chile the other week.

Calle = street
Sin = without
Salida = exit

I will probably go by the same sign every day (or evening)  and not pay much attention to it. However, I thought it may be of interest to those people who are just starting to learn Spanish so I took a quick photo of it. I personally find it interesting whenever I see common everyday signs in a language I am learning, so I thought I would do the same for others.

FINALLY!!!! We have started creating videos to help students learn Spanish.

We created the channel in 2011 though have only just started adding videos now in October 2016. Our intention is to add one or two new Spanish videos every month (unless we are really busy). Some videos will be for people learning Spanish as a foreign language (ELE – español como lengua extranjera) while others will be for native Spanish speakers (especially about lenguaje / castellano and ciencias naturales).

Spanish Teachers are welcome to use our videos in the classroom or use them as something to watch at home (ideal for flipped classrooms). Parents may also find them useful to share with their children (or even better, learn along with them).

We also have some Spanish listening activities that accompany some of our resources.

You can find our YouTube channel here: Woodward Spanish on YouTube

Here are some of our Spanish lessons on YouTube:

Spanish pronunciation and regional differences

The pronunciation of Spanish in our videos will be by native Spanish speakers. Where we can, we will show regional differences in vocabulary (such as la barbilla vs. el mentón in the video above). Note, there are so many regional differences that we may miss some though you are welcome to let us know about how certain words are said in your country in the comments section of that video (it will help others).

I hope you find these Spanish videos useful.

(Remember to subscribe to our channel).

Well, to help you out, 21 creative Spanish teachers on TpT have come up with a FREE eBook containing tips and resources to help you have a great start to the new school year.

Spanish Back to School Secondary Ebook 2016: Tips and FREE Resources

Each page is packed with tips, freebies, and other resources to help you add some fun and engagement to your Spanish classroom. Be sure to click on the image for the free item on each page and to check out the other great Spanish resources by that author.

Freebies include:

• Trifold Flashcards
• Interactive Notebook Templates
• Introductory Student Handouts
• Ask and Switch Game
• All About Me Infographic Activity
• Spanish Hall Passes
• Pesca (Go Fish) Greetings Game
• AP Spanish Reading
• Spanish Agenda Labels
• Para Empezar Choice Board
• Preterite vs. Imperfect Graphic Organizer
• Question Ladder Guide
• Transition Video
• Instagram Photo Booth
• Mystery Picture
• Places PowerPoint
• Movie Review Worksheet
• Body Parts Reading
• Figure Out: -AR Verbs Activity
• Present Tense Summary Chart
• Student Profile Sheet

If you teach lower levels (Kinder – 5th Grade), then check out the Elementary Spanish Ebook!
Elementary Spanish Back to School Ebook

If you found this useful, remember to share it with others.

Of course, you naturally want to write about this in Spanish. 🙂

Do you say your team is in EL final or LA final ?

You quickly google both words and they both appear. So which one is correct and why?

In this situation of being in the final of a championship, we would use LA final.

La final – The last and decisive match or game in a championship or contest.
(According to the RAE: Última y decisiva competición en un campeonato o concurso)

EL final – The end or finish of something.
(According to the RAE: Término y remate de algo)

Examples of LA FINAL

• Messi falló su tiro penal en la final de la Copa América Centenario 2016.
• Alemania ganó la final de la Copa del Mundo en Brasil 2014.
• Mi equipo está en la final del campeonato nacional.

Examples of EL FINAL

• El final de temporada de Game of Thrones dejó estupefactos a los fanáticos.
• Quedan tres minutos para el final del partido y parece que nos vamos para el alargue.
• Estaré contigo hasta el final.
• Es el final de una era para nosotros.

Summary Chart

El secreto del amor …

LLAMA has two meanings:
1. That furry Andean animal in the picture.
2. Flame

This is a play on words…
The secret to love is keeping the LLAMA alive.

This is to let you know that you can now find Woodward Spanish on Instagram.
Yes, we will now add any new charts and images that we create onto Instagram for those that like spending time there. Eventually we will also add some of the charts we have already created too.

So remember, follow us there: Woodward Spanish on Instagram

Have a great day!

Siele – The new International Spanish exam

The Instituto Cervantes, the Universidad Autónoma de México (UNAM) and the Universidad de Salamanca have just launched the new Siele exam.

What is the Siele exam?

Siele = Servicio Internacional de Evaluación de la Lengua Española
(International Service of the Evaluation of the Spanish Language)

This is the only international exam that is able to certify you level of fluency in Spanish. It is being compared to the TOEFL and IELTS, but for Spanish.

In September 2015 and during the next three years the Siele exam can only be taken in Brazil, United States and China where at least 300,000 candidates are expected each year. By 2020 there are expected to be around 700,000 candidates per year.

How is the Siele exam?

The exam will have 4 tests:

• Lectura (Reading)
• Comprensión auditiva (Listening)
• Expresión e interacción escritas (Writing) y
• Expresión e interacción orales (Speaking)

The speaking section is recorded in case there is any reason to recheck your score.

The entire exam includes the 4 tests above though each test can also be taken separately.

There will be no pass or fail score. Each candidate will receive a score from 0 to 1000 which will also coincide with score from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

Results will be given in a maximum of three weeks. If a candidate completes the entire exam (all 4 tests), they will receive a certificate that will be valid for 2 years. If only one of the tests is taken, then the candidate will receive a report with the results.

Regional Differences

According to the Instituto Cervantes, the Siele “will pay special attention to the distinct linguistic varieties of Spanish. The reading texts and listening material will include different regional varieties/accents of Spanish while the written and oral parts of the exam will accept all Hispanic norms.”

Cost of the Siele exam

The cost of the Siele exam will be approximately 100 Euros for the complete exam.

A common mistake I see in written Spanish are with the verbs BOTAR and VOTAR and how sometimes a person writes Botar instead of Votar and vice versa. This is common among native speakers.

Why is this?

According to the Real Academia Española, the letters B and V are pronounced exactly the same in all Spanish-speaking countries.

No existe en español diferencia alguna en la pronunciación de las letras B y V. Las dos presentan hoy el sonido bilabial sonoro /b/. – Real Academia Española

This means that Botar and Votar are homonyms (= words that are pronounced the same but are different in meaning or sometimes spelling).

So, even though these two words sound the same, they both have a very different meaning:

Botar = (in English) to throw out; to throw away.
Botar = Arrojar, tirar, echar fuera a alguien o algo.

• Tienes que botar tus papeles, no los dejes ahí.
• No botes tu dinero comprando esa cosa inútil.

Votar = (in English) to vote.
Votar = Dar su voto en una elección de personas o en una reunión.

• Voy a votar por el candidato X en estas elecciones.
• No voté por el presidente actual.

The confusion about whether to use a B or V is not limited to these two words but many others. For example:

• Barón – Varón
• Baya – Vaya
• Grabar – Gravar
• Hierba – Hierva
• Tubo – Tuvo

(There are many more)

Notice how the ending of the verb changes for each subject.

Read our explanation of how to conjugate Spanish verbs in the Present Tense (including some of the irregular verbs)

Or, if you prefer, see our notes written in Spanish about the Present Tense (El Presente Indicativo)

Spanish Present Tense Games

Try these interactive games to practice the present tense in Spanish:

Present Tense Regular Verbs ending in -AR
Present Tense Regular Verbs ending in -ER
Present Tense Regular Verbs ending in -IR
Present Tense Irregular Verbs ending in -AR
Present Tense Irregular Verbs ending in -ER
Present Tense Irregular Verbs ending in -IR

The image above is from a new page we created to help people learn about the planets in Spanish.

Spanish Vocabulary: El sistema solar y los planetas – Here we have included facts about each planet in our solar system (and the sun).

Random fact: Did you know that Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system even though Mercury is closer to the sun?

Spanish Game: Juego de Los Planetas de nuestro sistema solar – This game has questions in Spanish based on the information and fun facts we published on our Spanish vocabulary page.

Something curious about the words planeta and sistema…

Even though the word planeta ends in the letter A, it is considered masculine so we say EL planeta.

The same is for the word sistema which ends in the letter A. It is considered masculine so we say EL sistema.

There are three different ways of saying computer in Spanish. It depends on where you are located.

• Spain: el ordenador
• Chile / Colombia: el computador
• Latin America: la computadora

Here is the official RAE explanation about the difference between computador and computadora according to their Diccionario panhispánico de dudas dictionary:

computador -ra. ‘Máquina electrónica capaz de realizar un tratamiento automático de la información y de resolver con gran rapidez problemas matemáticos y lógicos mediante programas informáticos’. Estas formas son las usadas mayoritariamente en el español de América, por influjo del inglés computer. Según las zonas, existen distintas preferencias: en la mayoría de los países de América se prefiere el femenino computadora, mientras que el masculino computador es de uso mayoritario en Chile y Colombia. En España se usa preferentemente el término ordenador, tomado del francés ordinateur.

You may also hear an informal shortened version used: la compu (especially among young people)

Occasionally you will here a computer called el PC o la PC (pronounced like Pe Ce) which comes from the English abbreviation PC (Personal Computer). Again a masculine or feminine article is used depending on the country.

Joke about the Spanish Gender for Computer

Here’s a joke about whether a computer is considered Masculine or Feminine in Spanish:

A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

House for instance, is feminine: “la casa.”
Pencil, however, is masculine: “el lápiz.”

A student asked, “What gender is computer?”

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher divided the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether
“computer” is a masculine noun or a feminine noun.

Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The men’s group decided that “computer” should definitely be of the feminine gender (“la computadora”), because:

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic;
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

HOWEVER…

The women’s group concluded that computers should be Masculine (“el computador/el ordenador”), because:

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;
2. They have a lot of data but still can’t think for themselves;
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

So, How do YOU say computer in Spanish?

Of course there are many more countries where Spanish is widely spoken though it not being an official language. For example, Spanish was one of the official languages of The Philippines until 1987 so it is widely spoken there.

We have more information about Spanish-speaking countries and their capitals in English as well as in Spanish (Países de habla hispana y sus capitales)

We also have some games for you to test your knowledge about these countries and their capitals:
Try our interactive Game about Spanish-speaking countries and their capital cities using the sentence “The capital of COUNTRY X is …” with 4 alternatives to choose from.

There is also a version of this game in Spanish: Juego de las capitales de los países de habla hispana. Usamos la frase “La capital de PAÍS X es …” y hay que elegir la respuesta correcta de 4 alternativas.

Spanish Teacher Resources

Spanish Name Tags
Foldable Spanish name tags for desks or to be used individually for group activities (pinned to their tops). These are perfect for the beginning of the school year when you are learning the names of each student and also for substitute teachers.

Flags of Spanish-speaking countries
21 individual flags for decorating the Spanish classroom. You may also want to laminate the flags and use them as large flashcards.

Spanish-speaking Countries Worksheets
A variety of different activities including vocabulary building exercises (countries and nationalities), a cultural quiz, scrambled words exercises, mix and match activities and more.

Spanish-speaking Countries – Speaking Activity Cards
A class activity gets students away from their desks, interacting and speaking with other students in Spanish.

Spanish-speaking Countries and Capitals Word Search
A word search about Spanish-speaking countries and another about their capital cities. There are versions with clues and without clues.

Spanish-speaking Countries Crossword
Two versions of a crossword. One version contains the flags of each Spanish-speaking country as the clue to complete the crossword and the other version has their capital cities.

We also have these products bundled up into one pack at a discount:

List of Days of the week in Spanish

Notice how the Spanish days of the week do NOT start with a capital letter.

• lunes (Monday)
• martes (Tuesday)
• miércoles (Wednesday)
• jueves (Thursday)
• viernes (Friday)
• sábado (Saturday)
• domingo (Sunday)

You can hear the pronunciation of these days in the video below:

See our complete lesson about Days of the week in Spanish.

Learning Tip

One tip to help you learn the days of the week is if you have a wall calendar (Do other people still use these? I do!) and to cover the names of the days in English (or your language) with their equivalents in Spanish.

If you don’t have a calendar then in some part of your room or office put some flash cards on a wall (or mirror/fridge etc.) that say:
Hoy es … (= Today is…)
and other cards for each day of the week (lunes, martes, miércoles, jueves, viernes, sábado, domingo)
Just remember to change them first thing in the morning.

NOTE: Check out our Spanish Days of the Week Flash Cards and Activities (For Spanish Teachers and Students).

Once you have learned the Days in Spanish, then try this game:
Juego de los días de la semana
The questions in the game are similar to: “Antes del martes está el ___.” (with 4 alternatives to choose from)
Quick Help: Antes = Before —– Después = After

To help you, we have created the following charts about the Days of the week in Spanish. One chart is with the names of the days in Spanish with the English translation beside each one. The other is with the days in Spanish without by themselves. Keep a copy of one of these on your phone, computer or just print it out.

¿Cuál es tu día favorito?
(What is your favorite day?)

This is the new cartoon chart we have created. Of course it only contains a small number of sports though it is a good start.

We have some vocabulary notes that are completely in Spanish: Los deportes
And another page where the Spanish vocabulary is explained in English: Sports in Spanish

Once you have studied this vocabulary then try our two games:
Juego – Los deportes (completely in Spanish)
Game – Sports in Spanish (questions mostly in English with the answers in Spanish)

Spanish Teacher Resource

We have a pack containing 20 original Spanish Reading Passages about Sports with Comprehension Questions. All texts are short with between 4 and 8 sentences written in the Simple Present Tense making it idea for an upper Spanish 1 class.

There is a passage about each of the following sports: atletismo, equitación, golf, remo, esquí acuático, béisbol, tenis, taekwondo, rugby, gimnasia rítmica, tiro con arco, deporte de vela, básquetbol/baloncesto, gimnasia, natación, fútbol, esgrima, voleibol, ciclismo y patinaje de velocidad en línea.

También normally means TOO (and sometimes ALSO) whereas Tampoco means NEITHER or EITHER

• Tengo hambre. (I’m hungry)
  Yo también. (Me too)
• No tengo hambre. (I’m not hungry)
  Yo tampoco (Neither am I)

If you want to quickly say that you disagree with someone in Spanish, you would often use:
Yo sí or Yo no OR
A mí sí or A mí no
depending on the verb that is used in the first person’s statement (and if it is the verb Gustar or not).

• Tengo hambre. (I’m hungry)
  Yo no. (I’m not)
• No tengo hambre. (I’m not hungry)
  Yo sí (I am)

• Me gustan las manzanas. (I like apples)
  A mí no. (I don’t)
• No me gustan las manzanas. (I don’t like apples)
  A mí sí (I do)

See our Spanish grammar pages for a more detailed explanation of the use of También vs Tampoco in English

Or if you’d like to read about it in Spanish, check out: También vs Tampoco en español

Remember, we also have an interactive game to practice the difference between También and Tampoco.

Spanish Teacher Resources

We have created worksheets in Spanish to practice the difference between también and tampoco when agreeing or disagreeing with what someone has said. We also look at Yo sí, Yo no and A mí sí, A mí no (with the verb Gustar).

This pack also contains a full page color version of the chart below which you can use in class along with small photocopiable (b&w) versions.

SUMMARY CHART

That is why we have just created a new page all about the verb GUSTAR in Spanish.
(How to say you like something in Spanish)

Spanish Grammar Games

Once you have read our grammar notes about the rules for using the Spanish verb GUSTAR, then try these games…
Gusta vs Gustan and Indirect Object Pronoun + Gustar

Spanish Teacher Resources

We have created a Spanish reading passage using Gustar which includes additional exercises to practice using this verb.

It also contains a copy of the summary chart below that you can use in your classroom.

Gustar Summary Chart

And of course here is a simple summary chart showing you the correct order when saying that you like something in Spanish:

If you thing others will find this chart useful, share it on facebook, twitter or pinterest by using the buttons below.