SS: SRS, Complaining about Heat, Mastering 'Ponerse' & Odd Andalucian Town Names
How to Memorise Vocab Long-Term, Essential Travel Phrases, Describing Emotional or Physical Actions w/ Ponerse & Very Weird Town Names
SPANISH SUNDAYS
📚 Study Tip of the Week: The Power of SRS
One of the most effective (and underused) ways to actually remember vocab is by using an SRS — Spaced Repetition System.
SRS works by testing your knowledge over time, just as you’re likely to forget something. Whether it’s a certain phrase or vocab.
Apps like Quizlet or Anki do this automatically. It might not be the most fun thing to do, but it’s so effective. I still remember random words like "puenting" (bungee jumping) from four years ago, because I added them to my Quizlet deck.
Bottom line: A little consistent effort = big payoff
📈 Beginner: The Unbearable Heat
After being in Spain last week, I’ll give you some of the phrases I was using all too often. Some great vocab you’ll actually use in hot weather:
Me derrito → I’m melting
No puedo más con este calor → I can’t take this heat anymore
Hace un calor que flipas → It’s insanely hot
A very Spanish way to complain.Estoy sudando la gota gorda → I’m sweating buckets
Literally: “the fat drop.”, very Spanish.¡Qué calorón hace hoy, no manches! → It’s insanely hot today, no way!
Very Mexican phrase.
Try dropping a few of these into your chats on holiday.
🤔 QUIZ
How would you say:
1. “We can’t take this heat anymore”?
2. “She is sweating buckets”?
3. ”They are melting”?
🚀 Advanced: Mastering ‘Ponerse’
Ponerse is one of those verbs that can make you sound so much more natural in Spanish.
It’s super versatile, especially when talking about emotional or physical reactions:
Me puse rojo → I turned red (from embarrassment, anger, etc.)
Me puse a llorar → I started crying
Me puse a correr → I started running
Se puso enfermo → He got sick
Nos pusimos nerviosos → We got nervous
Just remember:
ponerse + adjective = to become
ponerse a + verb = to start doing something
🤔 QUIZ
How would you say:
“She started to laugh”?
“They got sad”?
“I started to study”?
🌍 Around the Hispanic World: What’s Up with These Almería Place Names
Southern Spain has some... interesting town names. Here are a few from Almería:
🔪 Matagorda – Literally “Fat Woman Killer”
🤷 El Toyo – “The Dumb Guy”
👮 Guardias Viejas – “Old Lady Police”
💩 La Mojonera – Roughly “The Big Turd Maker”
Next time you’re in Andalucía, keep your eyes on the signs…
✅ ANSWERS
📈 Beginner
1. No podemos más con este calor
2. Ella está sudando la gota gorda
Remember, we need “Ella” to specify who we are referring to
3. Se derriten OR Se están derritiendo
🚀 Advanced
Se puso a reír
Se pusieron tristes
Me puse a estudiar
That’s it for this week! Let me know if there's a topic you want covered — grammar, culture, vocab, anything you're stuck on.
And don’t forget: the e-book's still in the works. It’ll be your full Spanish roadmap, from beginner to fluent — simple study plans, smart habits, and how to actually stick with it.
¡Nos vemos pronto!
Rors 🌞