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Spanish Language Day, known as El Día del Idioma in Spanish, is an annual celebration that falls on April 23rd. This special date highlights the importance of the Spanish language and its cultural significance. This lesson will delve into the origins of this celebration and explore some key facts about "the language of Cervantes."
Spanish Language Day, declared officially by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 2010, is observed on April 23rd. This day serves as a celebration of the Spanish language's significance as an official and intercontinental language, recognizing its rich history and cultural impact.
Initially, celebrations were held on October 12th to coincide with el Día de la Hispanidad (Columbus Day) in certain countries, which commemorates Colombus' arrival to the American continent. However, the date was later changed to April 23rd to align more closely with evolving worldviews and honor the memory of Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes, who passed away on April 22, 1616 but was buried the next day.
Coincidentally, April 23rd also marks the death of English playwright William Shakespeare. This shared date of remembrance highlights the enduring legacies of both Cervantes and Shakespeare, as well as the global impact of their work and languages.
Spanish boasts 590 million speakers worldwide, making it the world's second most spoken language.
Spanish is among the world's top four most studied languages, with 21 million students currently learning it.
With over 480 million native speakers, Spanish ranks as the language with the second most native speakers worldwide. It is also the third most used language on the internet, highlighting its relevance in the digital sphere.
With widespread use in various sectors across the globe, Spanish serves as a language that facilitates mutual understanding in the realms of culture, business and beyond.
The United States, Brazil and France top the list of countries where Spanish is most commonly learned.
The Spanish language is distinguished by the presence of an official institution, La Real Academia Española (The Royal Spanish Academy), which was founded in 1713. Ever since, this institution has had the mission of ensuring the proper use and unity of the Spanish language, serving as a guardian of linguistic standards and norms while recognizing regional distinctions.
Aside from its millions of speakers, Spanish is also the official language in at least 21 countries, including Spain, the majority of Latin American nations and the African country Equatorial Guinea. Do you know why Spanish is spoken in Equatorial Guinea? Let's hear Carlos explain it:
Igualmente quiero mencionar, que en Guinea Ecuatorial se habla español, gracias a un tratado del siglo dieciocho, a través del cual Portugal le cedió a España este territorio. Se estima que hoy en día el setenta y cuatro por ciento de la población ecuatoguineana, habla español de forma nativa.
I also want to mention that in Equatorial Guinea, Spanish is spoken, thanks to an eighteenth-century treaty through which Portugal ceded this territory to Spain. It is estimated that today, seventy-four percent of the Equatoguinean population speaks Spanish natively.
Captions 61-67, Carlos explica Recursos para consultas del español - Part 1
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In addition to Spanish Language Day, Book Day is also celebrated every April 23rd to pay tribute such renowned writers as Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare. This tradition, initiated by Vicente Clavel Andrés in 1923, has become an international celebration via which UNESCO promotes culture and intellectual property protection.
The city of Barcelona, Spain, also marks this date with a very unique celebration: Sant Jordi's Day! Let's find out more about it:
un día como hoy, Sant Jordi, es el día en que se une el amor y la cultura. Además de ser el Día del Libro, para nosotros aquí en Barcelona tiene una tradición muy especial. A las mujeres se les suele regalar rosas, por una tradición y un cuento maravilloso de una doncella que estaba en peligro y fue rescatada por un príncipe de aquel peligroso dragón. Hubo un momento en el que ese amor se transformó en una rosa y es por ello que a ellas se les regala una rosa. Regalan ellas a ellos un libro, por ser parte del Día del Libro; así que es una tradición muy bonita.
a day like today, Sant Jordi, is the day that love and culture come together. In addition to being Book Day, for us here in Barcelona, it has a very special tradition. Roses are typically given to women due to a tradition and a wonderful tale of a maiden who was in danger and was rescued by a prince from that dangerous dragon. There was a moment in which that love became a rose, and that's why they [female] are given a rose. They [female] give them [male] a book because it's part of Book Day; so, it's a very nice tradition.
Captions 53-63, Víctor en España La fiesta de Sant Jordi
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With this clip, we have come to the end of this lesson. As you can see, studying Spanish is one of the best intellectual and cultural investments that you can make. We hope you keep learning Spanish, and don't forget to send us your suggestions and comments.
Generally speaking, there are three main meals that many people eat each day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Do you know how to say the names of those three meals in Spanish? Let's see how the answer to that question depends upon where you happen to be in the Spanish-speaking world.
If you are in Spain or Mexico, the following are the names of the three main daily meals:
es la hora del desayuno
it's breakfast time,
Caption 7, Clase Aula Azul Acciones habituales y en este momento - Part 1
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Todos los días, hago la comida a mediodía
Every day, I make lunch at midday
Caption 24, Ariana Mi Casa
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y normalmente cuando llego a casa, me hago la cena,
and usually when I get home, I make myself dinner,
Caption 30, El Aula Azul Actividades Diarias
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In the following clip, our Mexican friend Karla mentions all three of these daily meals as she tells us how, in her country, tacos can be eaten at any time of the day!
Eh... Puedes encontrar tacos en todas las esquinas, en todas las ciudades de todo México y puedes comerlo, en realidad, de desayuno, de comida o de cena,
Um... You can find tacos on every corner, in every city throughout Mexico, and you can eat it, actually, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner,
Captions 37-39, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Karla y los tacos - Part 2
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In contrast, in most Latin American countries, the names of the three main meals are as follows:
Hoy es domingo y vamos a hacer el desayuno.
Today is Sunday, and we're going to make breakfast.
Captions 6-7, Quito Desayuno con Julia
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Al mediodía, preparo el almuerzo.
At noon, I make lunch.
Caption 14, GoSpanish La rutina diaria de Maru
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While some places use the word comida (e.g. Colombia), others use the term cena (e.g. Argentina). Let's hear a couple of clips:
¿Qué es la comida?
What's for dinner?
Caption 9, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 1 - Part 3
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Bueno, espero que lleguemos justo para la cena porque tengo un hambre que me muero.
Well, I hope that we are arriving just [in time] for dinner because I am dying of hunger.
Caption 49, Muñeca Brava 44 El encuentro - Part 6
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As we have just seen, the main difference between the meals of the day in Spain and Mexico vs. other Latin American countries is the term people use to talk about lunch. However, if you happen to hear the word almuerzo in Spain, you should be aware that, in that country, almuerzo refers to a mid-morning snack. In addition, it is very common for Spanish people to enjoy an afternoon snack called la merienda. Let's hear Raquel and Marisa explain this in detail:
El almuerzo es lo que tomamos entre el desayuno y la comida. Pero además tenemos la merienda y la cena. La merienda suele ser a las seis de la tarde. Y la cena es la última comida del día.
The mid-morning snack is what we have between breakfast and lunch. But in addition, we have the afternoon snack and dinner. The afternoon snack is usually at six in the afternoon. And dinner is the last meal of the day.
Captions 30-33, Raquel Presentaciones
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That's all for this lesson. We hope you learned some new words today, and don't forget to send us your suggestions and comments.
Do you know how to write the names of famous people such as Michelangelo or Jules Verne in Spanish? While keeping the name in its original language is today's rule of thumb, there are a couple of exceptions to this rule. Let's take a look.
Even if today, the preferred choice is to simply transfer the original name, there are several names of famous historical figures that are usually translated. The following is a list of some of them:
Thomas Moore - Tomás Moro
Albrecht Dürer - Alberto Durero
Hieronymus Bosch - Jerónimo Bosco; el Bosco
Michelangelo Buonarotti - Miguel Ángel
Miguel Ángel, el gran artista italiano.
Michelangelo, the great Italian artist.
Caption 19, Aprendiendo con Carlos - El microrrelato
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Jeanne d’Arc - Juana de Arco
Karl Marx - Carlos Marx
Niccolo Machiavelli - Nicolás Maquiavelo
Jules Verne - Julio Verne
Johann Sebastian Bach - Juan Sebastián Bach
Alexandre Dumas - Alejandro Dumas
Martin Luther - Martín Lutero
This is another exception to the rule. Let's see a couple of examples:
Queen Elizabeth II - reina Isabel II
Prince Philip - príncipe Felipe
Su marido es el príncipe Felipe, duque de Edimburgo.
Her husband is Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
Captions 25-26, El Aula Azul - Adivina personajes famosos
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Pope Ioannes Paulus II (Latin); John Paul II (English) - Juan Pablo II
Fuimos a la beatificación del Papa Juan Pablo Segundo.
We went to the beatification of Pope John Paul the Second.
Caption 9, Latinos por el mundo - Chilenas en Venecia
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In order to preserve their semantic connotations, the nicknames of famous historical figures are also translated into Spanish:
Ivan Vasilyevich; Ivan the Terrible (English) - Iván el Terrible
Pépin le Bref (French); Pepin the Short (English) - Pepino el Breve
Considering all of the above, the important thing to keep in mind is this: Although the current trend is in favor of the original form, there are some famous names that currently alternate the use of the transferred form and its translation. For example, instead of using the original Catalan name Antoni Gaudí, you could use its Spanish version (Antonio Gaudí), just as our friend Víctor does in his series about this famous architect:
Antonio Gaudí era catalán y lo decía con mucho orgullo.
Antoni Gaudí was Catalan, and he said it with great pride.
Caption 16, Víctor en España - Vida y legado de Antonio Gaudí
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And that's all for today. By the way, do you know what the Spanish equivalent of your name is? Find out and let us know, and don't forget to send us your questions and comments.
Have you thought about your resoluciones de Año Nuevo (New Year's resolutions) yet? Let's go over ten of the most common propósitos de Año Nuevo (another Spanish term for "New Year's resolutions") and find out how to talk about them in Spanish.
After a season of comer de más (overeating), a lot of us feel we have put on a few libras (pounds) or kilos (kilograms, since much of the Spanish-speaking world uses the metric system) and wish to adelgazar (lose weight) in the New Year.
Entonces, en un sentido es, quiero bajar de peso,
So, in one sense it's, I want to lose weight,
Caption 22, Cuentas claras Sobreviviendo enero - Part 1
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Another way to say "to lose weight" in Spanish is perder peso.
Related to losing weight and ponerse en forma (getting in shape) or volver a estar en forma (getting back in shape) is exercising. Let's see how to say this in Spanish:
quiero hacer ejercicio,
I want to exercise,
Caption 23, Cuentas claras Sobreviviendo enero - Part 1
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One way to get in more physical activity might be to take up some new exercise-related hobby like el yoga (yoga), la natación (swimming), or pole dancing, to name a few, and, in fact, empezar un pasatiempo nuevo (starting a new hobby) is another common New Year's resolution.
Claro. Es muy importante romper con la rutina diaria y hacer cosas diferentes. Te hará sentirte mejor y desconectar del estrés.
Of course. It's very important to break the daily routine and do different things. It will make you feel better and disconnect from stress.
Captions 14-18, Karla e Isabel Nuestros hobbies
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Of course, hobbies range from physical activities to more cerebral pursuits, and for a plethora of hobby ideas and how to say them in Spanish, check out this lesson on Yabla's Top 40 Hobbies in Spanish.
Also related to such fitness/health metas (goals) are quitting smoking and drinking (either permanently or for a while):
Dejar de fumar, dejar de tomar alcohol. Por eso voy a dejar de tomar.
Give up smoking, give up drinking alcohol. That's why I am going to stop drinking.
Captions 52-53, Los médicos explican La hipertensión
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Another common resolution is to get in shape financieramente (fiscally) rather than físicamente (physically):
y en el lado financiero, quiero salir de deudas, quiero comenzar a ahorrar, quiero hacer un presupuesto.
and on the financial side, I want to get out of debt, I want to start to save, I want to create a budget.
Captions 25-26, Cuentas claras Sobreviviendo enero - Part 1
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Pasar tiempo (spending time) with our seres queridos (loved ones) might not seem like something we have to vow to do more of, but we all too often neglect it due to being ocupados (busy), estresados (stressed), or enfocados en nuestro trabajo (focused on our jobs). And, the pandemic has definitely made us value our ability to spend time with people more than ever before.
Eh... Tengo muchísimas ganas porque hace mucho tiempo que no veo a la familia y a los amigos.
Um... I really want to because it's been a long time since I've seen my family and friends.
Captions 8-9, El Aula Azul Conversación: Planes de fin de semana
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Having taken away our ability to travel for a time, the pandemic has also made many of us long to do so even more. A travel-related resolution might be hacer más viajes (to take more trips) generally or perhaps to finally take that special trip one has long been planning:
Quiero viajar a Japón este año.
I want to travel to Japan this year.
Caption 63, Clase Aula Azul Pedir deseos - Part 1
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Carlos puts it very simply:
Lea más libros.
"Lea más libros" [Read more books].
Caption 42, Carlos explica El modo imperativo 2: Irregulares, Usted + plurales
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Although the aforementioned stressors might make us feel like we don't have time for la lectura (reading), many set this as a resolution because they know it can enrich their vocabulary and/or language abilities while simultaneously providing a valuable escape.
Organizarse (getting organized) might entail cleaning up our clutter or picking up after ourselves more regularly:
Ahora sí, mi dormitorio está en orden.
At last, my bedroom is organized.
Caption 43, Ana Carolina Arreglando el dormitorio
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Another aspect of organization might be writing things down to avoid forgetting them or overbooking:
Pues yo, Montse, me lo apunto en la agenda, ¿eh?
Well, I, Montse, am writing it down in my planner, huh?
Caption 78, Amaya Teatro romano
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This is a more general resolution that could include having el coraje (the courage) to tackle some or many of the previous resolutions we have mentioned, as well as simply learning to vivir y valorar el momento (live and appreciate the moment). It is the notion of making the most out of each day and doing things to work towards inner paz (peace), alegría (happiness), and equilibrio (balance), while not perder oportunidades (missing out on opportunities), the specifics of which are, of course, different for each person. Let's take a look at some clips that reflect this sentiment:
y que vivan una experiencia, que vivan realmente el momento,
and that they live an experience, that they really live the moment
Captions 25-26, Melany de Guatemala Su Método de Actuación
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No tengas miedo. Debes ser fuerte y arriesgarte.
Don't be afraid. You should be strong and take risks.
Captions 44-45, De consumidor a persona Short Film - Part 1
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Entonces, vale la pena aprovechar la oportunidad.
So, it is worth it to take advantage of the opportunity.
Caption 29, Outward Bound Fabrizio
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Now that we have established them, ¿cómo cumplir con los propósitos de Año Nuevo (how do we keep our New Year's resolutions)? With a lot of enfoque (focus), disciplina (discipline), and determinación (determination), and by setting objetivos realistas (realistic goals) and working on them poco a poco (bit by bit). That said, les deseamos mucha suerte (we wish you a lot of luck) following through with your New Year's resolutions a largo plazo (in the long term)... and don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments!
In recent years, the holiday known as Día de los muertos, or Día de muertos (Day of the Dead), which is most typically celebrated on November 1st and 2nd but sometimes also on October 31st and/or November 6th, has gained considerable popularity. The 2017 release of Coco, a Pixar animated film inspired by this tradition, has likely consolidated this originally Mexican holiday's spot in mainstream culture far beyond its birthplace. Let's learn more about this unique festivity.
Scholars continue to debate whether Día de los muertos dates back to pre-Hispanic civilizations like the Aztecs, Olmecs, Zapotecs, and Mayas or is an adaptation of Catholic and pagan traditions brought in during the Conquest. Likely merging the two, this festivity meant to honor the dead has religious undertones but has also evolved into an important secular holiday with distinctive practices that are shared across the country. As Don Salo, an artisan from Yucatan, tells us, there are also many regional variations:
Aquí se le llama Janal Pixan.
Here it's called Janal Pixan.
En maya es "comida para difuntos".
In Mayan means "food for the deceased."
Captions 67-68, Yabla en Yucatán - Don Salo
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As Adriana shares with us in the following clip, Día de los muertos aims not to mourn, but rather to remember and honor, family members and friends who have passed away:
La celebridad del Día de los Muertos, más que celebrar la muerte, es celebrar el recuerdo de nuestros santos difuntos,
The fame of the Day of the Dead, rather than celebrating death, it's to celebrate the memory of our saintly departed
Captions 40-42, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Adriana y la fiesta de los muertos - Part 1
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There are many ways to do this. One is by preparing a deceased person's favorite dishes:
Y la manera de honrarlos es, eh... haciendo sus platillos favoritos,
And the way to honor them is, um... making their favorite dishes,
Caption 16, Tatiana y su cocina Chilaquiles
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Another is by building an altar de muertos (altar to the dead) or ofrenda de muertos (offering to the dead) in one's home. Such altars might include skulls (calaveras) made of sugar and meringue, marigold flowers known by their Aztec name cempazúchitl, candles (velas), the "bread of the dead" (pan de muerto), salt (sal), water, traditional food and beverages, and papel picado (decorative pierced paper), which Meli teaches us to make:
tengo tips super fáciles para decorar tu altar de muertos o tu casa. Vamos a hacer papel picado con dos diseños,
I have super easy tips to decorate your altar to the dead or your home. We are going to make "papel picado" with two designs,
Captions 7-8, Manos a la obra Papel picado para Día de muertos
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Meli additionally teaches us how to make squishy calaveritas (sugar skulls) and explains to us yet another Day of the Dead tradition: spending the night at the cemetery:
En algunos lugares de México, las personas pasan parte de la noche en el panteón.
In some places in Mexico, people spend part of the night at the cemetery.
Captions 60-61, Manos a la obra Papel picado para Día de muertos
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While gifts for the departed in the form of the aforementioned items are often left at friends and family members' graves, Día de los muertos is not solely focused on the dead, as giving gifts such as candy sugar skulls and sharing pan de muerto and other festive food and beverages with living friends and family members is common practice. Some additionally pen light-hearted verses in the form of mock epitaphs for their friends and family, a literary genre known as calaveras literarias (literary skulls).
Día de los muertos continues to gain popularity outside of Mexico as well, particularly in areas with large Mexican immigrant populations as Adriana, a Mexican woman living in Berlin, explains:
lo que me vincula muy fuertemente a mi tierra es una festividad que se celebra aquí en Berlín hace más de treinta años.
what ties me very strongly to my land is a festivity that has been celebrated here in Berlin for more than thirty years.
Captions 30-33, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Adriana y la fiesta de los muertos - Part 1
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Día de los muertos is also important in many other Spanish-speaking countries, each with its own version. According to Julia, in Ecuador, people customarily drink colada de mora (blackberry smoothie) for Día de los muertos:
...y que en Ecuador y en otros países se la toma
...and that in Ecuador and in other countries is consumed
el dos de noviembre de todos los años, el Día de los Muertos.
on November second every year, the Day of the Dead.
Captions 52-53, Otavalo - Conozcamos el Mundo de las Frutas con Julia
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That said, in spite of such regional nuances, the goal of all Día de muertos celebrations is not to forget our grief, but remember to also happily celebrate life:
Pero metámosle también este otro poco de... de recuerdo, de memoria, de alegría, y honremos a los que ya se fueron celebrando nuestra propia vida.
But let's add to it as well this other bit of... of recollection, of memory, of happiness, and let's honor those who already departed by celebrating our own lives.
Captions 50-51, Tatiana y su cocina Chilaquiles
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Do you know about any additional Día de los muertos traditions? Write us and let us know!
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