SS: Conjugations, Camisetas & Cartagena

Beginner fixes, Native-Sounding Tweaks & A Mindset Shift to Keep you Consistent

SPANISH SUNDAYS

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📚 Study Tip – Find Your Why

Most people start learning Spanish because they think, “Yeah, that’d be cool to speak.”
But cool isn’t enough. Not when life gets busy. Not when you feel like you’re not improving.

You need a clearer reason why you’re dedicating time and energy into this thing.

For me, it was travel. I pictured wandering through Medellín, chatting to locals, dodging tourist traps and bartering jet-skis in Cartagena. All in Spanish.

Cartagena (so stunning)

That vision kept me going when things got hard. When I felt stuck. When I wanted to quit.

So your job this week is to figure out your version of that. Ask yourself:

“Why do I want to learn Spanish?”

Be specific. Picture it. Write it down. Stick it somewhere visible.
Because motivation fades. But systems, like having a crystal-clear why, to remind you in the hard moments, these systems stick.

Maybe daydreaming more about jet-skiing in Cartagena could be the key to fluency, who knows?

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📈 Beginner Tip – Common Conjugation Mistakes

Conjugations are tough at first, but you might be making a few simple errors without realising. Some classic ones to watch out for:

❌ Incorrect: Yo hablaba español ayer.
👉 Why? “Hablaba” is imperfect. You want the preterite for a finished event.
✅ Correct: Yo hablé español ayer.

❌ Incorrect: Nosotros comimos cuando tú llegas.
👉 Mixing past and present. Keep your tenses in sync.
✅ Correct: Nosotros comimos cuando tú llegaste.

❌ Incorrect: Estoy aprender español.
👉 “Estoy” needs a gerund, not an infinitive.
✅ Correct: Estoy aprendiendo español.

These slip-ups are normal! Even advanced learners mess up sometimes. But catching them early will fast-track your fluency and limit bad habits.

My tip to really nail these conjugations is by using the Spaced Repetition System we talked about a few weeks ago, check it out here.

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🚀 Advanced Tip – Drop the “mi”

In English we say “my shirt,” “my bag,” “my house” all the time.
But in Spanish? Not always.

Native speakers often skip personal pronouns and use the definite article instead, especially when it’s obvious who the object belongs to.

✅ More natural: Me trajo la camiseta.
❌ Less natural: Me trajo mi camiseta.
Why? You’re already saying “me trajo” — we know it’s yours.

• Other examples:

✅ Me duele la cabeza. (❌ Not mi cabeza)
My head hurts.

✅ Él se lavó las manos. (❌ Not sus manos)
He washed his hands.

✅ Voy a ponerme los zapatos. (❌ Not mis zapatos)
I’m going to put my shoes on.

🧠 It’s subtle, but it makes your Spanish sound way more natural.

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🌍 Around the Hispanic World – Do They Really Talk Like That?

Ever wonder why textbook Spanish sounds nothing like real people?

Here’s the truth: Native speakers cut corners. A lot.
Just like we do in English.

We don’t say “I am going to the shop, do you want to come?”

We say: “Gonna go shop, you coming?”

Spanish is the same. Some examples:

✅ ¿Para qué estás haciendo eso? → becomes → ¿Pa’ qué estás haciendo eso?

✅ Está todo bien → becomes → ’Tá to’ bien

✅ Voy a hacerlo → becomes → Vo’a hacerlo or just ’lo hago

This isn’t slang, it’s natural speech. You’ll hear it in Spain, Argentina, Mexico… everywhere.

If you only ever listen to slow, clean audio, you’ll always struggle with the real thing. So:

– Mix in casual, native-level content (podcasts, YouTube, TV, music).
– Use subtitles at first, but then try without.
– Pause, replay, and shadow what you hear.

And remember, if you’re thinking, “Wait, are they skipping words?”
They are. But that means you’re listening to the good stuff, and before you know it you’ll be skipping words too!

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Let me know if you’re enjoying this format or if there’s anything you’d love to see in a future edition.

The book is coming along slowly but surely as well…👀

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