malu

y'all know i love anki, but sometimes you just don't have the time to make over a hundred flashcards every single week.

clozemaster - an app where you fill-in-the-blank for the most commonly used words in spanish (order is random).

picture dictionary - for beginners, not an SRS! just a learning tool based on pictures for vocab. i recommend using spanish for both native and target language settings.

memrise - limited use for free, and personally i only recommend this if you're taking a course or using a textbook with associated user-created courses. this isn't common in spanish, but is in some other languages

I just learned (quite literally) that the word "e" exists in Spanish like in Portuguese (meaning "and") and I was a little surprised because I thought Spanish only used "y". But although they are used for the same reasons (as connectives) they have different uses.

You see, you generally really use "y" to connect words. However, there is an exception! When the word that follows starts with an "i" sound, then we use "e", even if the word starts with a "h" (which is silent in Spanish). For example:

Padre e hijo

Español e inglés

Julieta dijo que su hermano es sucio e inmoral.

Él era donante de pulmón e hígado.

But why does this happen? Well, since the conjugation "y" is pronounced like “i”, if we used it with another word that also starts with an "i", then it would sound awkward or unclear, because the sounds would merge like “iinmoral” ou “iígado”. So we use "E".

But! There's an exception to the exception: if the word start with an “hia”, “hie” ou “hio”, we use the conjugation "y". Some examples:

La piedra está limpia y hialina.

Es un tiempo de fuego y hielo.

Atropina y hioscina son alcaloides.

In both cases, it happens for the same reason as with “y” — to avoid similar sounds merging and sounding awkward or unclear.

The change of O to U

If the next word starts with an “o” or with an “o” sound, we change it to u. For example:

Unos u otros

Mujeres u hombres

Mañana u hoy

The change of la/una to el/un

If the next word starts with an “a” or with an “a” sound, we change it to el/un (masculine article). For example:

El agua

El hada

Un águila

Note: Although we use the masculine article, the word remains feminine, so the adjective will still be feminine (e.g., el agua está tibia).

Note²: This change only occurs when the stressed syllable is the initial “a.” If the stress is somewhere else in the word, we just keep la or una as usual:

La amiga

La hacienda

Una azotea

Note³: This only happens in the singular form. In the plural, we do not change the article:

Las aguas

Las hadas

Yesterday I found the site LingoHut (link).

LingoHut is a completely free website to learn languages, no account needed! They have soooo many languages too! Fifty, even!

The lessons and website are pretty basic but they seem like a great starting point so long as you have the writing system down already -- I tried Hebrew and there were no alphabet lessons, just straight into beginner phrases.

It uses a flash card system to teach, including a few mini games like tic-tac-toe and short quizzes. You can record yourself speaking and compare your recording with the professional audio.

in response to:

1. Develop a reading habit. Reading is the most effective way to build your vocabulary. Read books, magazines, and newspapers that cover a wide range of topics, and pay attention to unfamiliar words. Look up their meanings and try using them in context. Vocabulary building is easiest when you encounter words in context. Seeing words appear in a novel or a newspaper article can be far more helpful than seeing them appear on vocabulary lists. Not only do you gain exposure to unfamiliar words; you also see how they’re used. In fact, 15 minutes is recognized as the ideal time for students to see positive gains in reading achievement; students who read just over a half-hour to an hour per day improve the most.

2. Utilize word lists. They are incredibly flexible tools that can help you organize your learning in a variety of ways. For instance, vocabulary can be grouped into small, easy chunks that can be revisited for maximum learning benefits. Research shows that a word needs to be seen up to 10 times before we really learn it, and researchers believe that staggered repetition is the best way to learn new vocabulary. Word lists help keep vocabulary terms in manageable chunks that a student can come back to as they gain mastery. I have posted some word lists HERE and will continue to add to this in the future.

3. Use the dictionary and thesaurus. Online dictionaries and thesauruses are helpful resources if used properly. They can jog your memory about synonyms that would actually be better words in the context of what you’re writing. A full dictionary definition can also educate you about antonyms, root words, and related words, which is another way to learn vocabulary.

4. Keep a vocabulary journal. Making a vocabulary journal is a great place to collect and interact with words you hear or see in your reading. Each page should be dedicated to a singular new word, including its definitions, synonyms, and antonyms. Review the journal regularly to reinforce your learning. 

5. Choosing appropriate vocabulary. It’s important to use words and expressions that fit the context so your meaning is clear. For example, different audiences for your writing will require different levels of formality: the vocabulary you use in an academic essay may not be effective for a blogpost targeting a popular audience. Consider the following questions to help you choose the most appropriate words for your audience and purpose:

a. What’s the exact meaning of the word? Words may be broadly similar in meaning but differ in important aspects of that meaning. Consider the difference between ‘the fragrance of flowers’  and ‘the odour of rotten eggs.’ Both words refer to the sense of smell, but fragrance has a positive core meaning while odour has a negative one. If you don’t know what a word exactly means, check it in a dictionary. b. Is the word attached to a feeling? Compare the two sentences: ‘The freeway snakes through the town’ and ‘The freeway meanders through the town’. In this example, snake indicates negative feelings about the freeway while meander doesn’t. What level of intensity does the word show? Many words with similar meanings describe different degrees of the same quality or action. For example, ‘comical’, ‘hilarious’ and ‘side-splitting’  show different degrees of funniness. Think about the intensity of what you want to convey when choosing words. c. Is the word formal or informal? Go for formal words and expressions in business communication and academic writing. In the following examples, the second expression in each pair is more formal than the first: (1) come up with / create (2) one after another / at regular intervals (3) huge / considerable (4) enough / sufficient d. Is the word polite? Words which describe negative qualities or sensitive issues too directly can be offensive. Good communicators consider the feelings of their audience. For example, when writing about childhood obesity, it’s more appropriate to use ‘children with weight problems’ or ‘children of an unhealthy weight’ than ‘fat children’. e. Is the word specific or general? Use words with specific meanings whenever possible to make your message clearer to your audience. For example, avoid overusing general verbs such as ‘be’, ‘do’, ‘have’ and ‘get’, especially in academic writing, as they don’t accurately convey specific ideas. It’s better to use a more specific verb or verb phrase to strengthen your message. Compare the impact of the verbs in these sentences: ‘To be successful, learners need to have high-level literacy skills.’ ‘To be successful, learners need to develop and demonstrate high-level literacy skills.’ f. What other words does the word often go with? Some words are frequently used together and therefore sound more natural in combination. This is called collocation. For example, we say ‘fast train’ not ‘quick train’, but ‘quick shower’ not ‘fast shower’. Similarly, it’s more natural to say ‘highly critical’ rather than ‘deeply critical.’

6. Play word games. Classic games like Scrabble and Boggle can function as a fun way to expand your English vocabulary. Crossword puzzles can as well. If you really want to be efficient, follow up rounds of these word games with a little note-taking. Keep a list of the different words you learned while playing the game, and then study that list from time to time.

7. Use flashcards. A quick way to build a large vocabulary is to study a number of words via flashcards. In today’s digital age, a wide array of smartphone apps make flashcards convenient and easy to organize. Aiming for one new word a day is reasonable. You can always go for more, but it may not be reasonable to assimilate dozens of English words every single day.

8. Subscribe to “word of the day” feeds. Some web platforms will provide you with a word a day—either on a website, an app, or via email—to help you expand your vocabulary. You can add these words to running word lists.

9. Use mnemonics. A mnemonic device is a form of word association that helps you remember words’ definitions and proper uses. For instance think of the word obsequious which means “attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery.” Break down that word into components: “obse” is the beginning of “obsessed,” “qui” sounds like the French word for “yes” (oui), and “us” is like the word “us.” So you can think of that big word obsequious as “obsessed with saying yes to us”—which is kind of what it means!

10. Practice using new words in conversation. It’s possible to amass a huge vocabulary without actually knowing how to use words. This means you have to take it upon yourself to put your personal dictionary into use. If you come across an interesting word in your reading, make a point of using it in conversation. By experimenting in low-stakes situations, you can practice the art of word choice and, with a little bit of trial and error, hone in on the right word for a particular context. Furthermore, speaking to native – or non-native – speakers of English (or any language you are learning) will guarantee you the chance to learn new words. Anyone who has ever wondered how to develop their vocabulary will know that the most important thing is putting your vocabulary to use and hearing what people say in return. This is how language works, and before long you’ll be finding ways to work those new words into your everyday use of the language.

11. Watch movies and TV shows. This simple activity can expose you to new words and phrases. When watching TV or a movie, pay attention to the dialogue and note any unfamiliar words. When the TV show or movie is done, look up the meanings of the new words and try to use them in context.

12. Build a story. Learning vocabulary words outside of their context is difficult, so why not create context with some creative storytelling? This can be an individual writing activity or you can do this in a group. An sample group activity: Choose a word list and determine an order in which your students or friends will take their turn. Every person gets to choose one word from the word list. You begin by writing the first sentence of a story; each student then uses their chosen word in a sentence to build on the story. This gets learners comfortable using the words in sentences, and putting those individual vocabulary words into a broader context. This is also an activity you can do via text, chat window, or email, which makes it perfect for remote learning.

13. Draw it. Sometimes the best learning activities are ones that don’t feel like a learning activity. This can be an individual activity but can also be used in group settings. Here’s a way to turn vocabulary acquisition into a game: Ask each student to have a piece of paper and a pen or pencil ready, and tell them you are going to be playing a drawing game. Using the private chat feature of your remote learning software, choose one student and give them a word from your vocabulary list along with its definition, and tell them that they have 20 seconds to draw it. While the student is drawing it, make sure that you make their screen the main screen of the software. You can do a countdown to keep up the momentum, or play music while you wait. At the end of the time, the student shows their drawing to the other students: The first student to guess which vocabulary word has been drawn is the next student to draw. This activity is not only fun, but also benefits students who are visual or tactile learners.

14. Be aware of idioms. Idioms are commonly used word combinations or expressions. These have very specific meanings that are not obvious from the words they contain, e.g. ‘a piece of cake’, ‘get the hang of it’, ‘an Indian summer’, and ‘after a fashion’. Many dictionaries list and define idioms if you look up the component words. For example, try looking up ‘Indian’ or ‘summer’ to find ‘Indian summer’. Idioms are generally more appropriate for speaking and non-academic writing.

15. Practice, practice, practice. In many ways, vocabulary is like a muscle – it will get stronger the more you use it. The key to building a strong vocabulary is to use it regularly. Try using new words in your conversations, writing, and everyday life. The more that you use them, the more they will become a part of your everyday vocabulary.

The lovely @studywithbyu​ came to looking for some help with Spanish grammar, so here is a little masterlist! (warning, not so little - long post ahead!) I highly suggest checking out both resources because they cover different things and one may provide the information in a better format for you.

Grammar with SpanishDict

A great resource with reliable translations and instruction! I go here instead of to Google Translate because I know it’s much more helpful and accurate. It also has forums for individual questions. 

Here is a list of all its lessons:

Adjectives

Descriptive adjectives (regular and irregular)

Adjective placement

Nationalities as adjectives

Short form adjectives (apocopation)

Possessive adjectives

Cardinal numbers (0-100)

Cardinal numbers (101+)

Ordinal numbers

Negatives and negation

Asking questions: interrogatives

Comparisons of inequality

Comparisons of equality

Superlatives - the best, worst, most, & least

Using adjectives as nouns

Relative adjectives (cuyo)

Demonstrative adjectives

Exclamatory words

Adverbs

Adverb forms and placement 

Articles

Definite article forms (regular and exceptions)

Definite Article Uses

Indefinite article forms (regular and irregular)

Indefinite article uses

Neuter article

Conjunctions

Conjunctions 

Gender

Masculine and feminine nouns

Professions and other nouns with both masculine and feminine forms

Number

Plural forms of nouns (regular and exceptions) 

Prepositions

Basic Prepositions

Basic por vs. para (motion vs. destination)

Contractions

Advanced por vs. para (DREEMS vs. PRODDS)

Advanced expressions with por and para

Pronouns

Subject pronouns (personal pronouns)

Spanish “you” - (tú, vos, usted, vosotros, ustedes)

Object pronouns (pronouns after prepositions)

Direct Object Pronouns

Direct object pronoun placement

Indirect Object Pronouns

Indirect object pronoun placement

Possessive pronouns

Neuter possessive pronouns

Using direct and indirect object pronouns together

Demonstrative pronouns

Relative pronouns (que, quien, el que, el cual)

Neuter relative pronouns (lo que, lo cual)

Impersonal se

Impersonal se vs. passive se

Passive se

Pronunciation

Spanish Alphabet and Pronunciation

Spanish vowels

Spanish syllables

Word stress

Written accents (tildes)

Spanish punctuation

Verbs

Infinitive forms and finding stems for regular verbs

Other uses for infinitives

Present Participles

Other uses for the present participle (gerundio)

Past participle regular forms and uses

Irregular and stressed past participles

Present perfect - Using haber with past participles

Present Tense Forms

Present tense spelling changes

Stem Changing Verbs

Irregular present tense

Verbs like gustar

Basic ser vs. estar - D.O.T. vs. Lo.Co.

Uses of ser: descriptions

Uses of ser: origins

Uses of ser: time

Uses of estar: Location

Uses of estar: condition

Informal future (ir + a + infinitive)

Imperfect Tense Forms

Spanish Preterite Tense Forms

Spelling changes in the preterit

Stem changes in the preterit

Verbs that change meaning in the preterit

Preterit vs. Imperfect - differences and signifier phrases

Affirmative informal (tú) commands

Negative Tú Commands

Formal Affirmative and Negative Commands

Subjunctive vs. Indicative

Wishes & wants in the subjunctive

Emotions with the subjunctive

Impersonal expressions with the subjunctive

Recommendations & requests with the subjunctive

Doubts & denial with the subjunctive

Ojalá with the subjunctive

Uncompleted or prospective actions with the subjunctive

Present Subjunctive Regular and Irregular Forms

Present Progressive Forms

Saber vs. Conocer

Pedir vs. preguntar (to ask)

Reciprocal verbs and pronouns

Reflexive Verbs and Pronouns

Active vs. passive voice

Nosotros commands

Indirect commands

Imperfect progressive

Simple future regular forms and uses

Simple future irregular and stem changing forms

Hacer with expressions of time

Conditional regular and irregular forms and uses

Imperfect Subjunctive

Future subjunctive forms and uses

Past perfect forms and uses

Preterit perfect

Present Perfect Subjunctive

Future perfect

Conditional perfect forms and uses

Past Perfect Subjunctive Forms

Future perfect subjunctive forms and uses

Verb structures (transitive, intransitive, pronominal)

Ir vs. irse

Verbal periphrasis

Indicative mood

Imperative mood

Copular Verbs

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Spanish Grammar @ StudySpanish.com

Nine units full of very useful grammar! I plan to use this one myself for a bit of self-instruction before I go to Catalonia. My favorite part is it gives you flashcard ideas and has review.

Here are the units and their topics:

UNIT ONE

1. Gender of Nouns I

2. Gender of Nouns II

3. Numbers: 1-10

4. Plural Forms of Nouns

5. Def. & Indef. Articles

6. The Verb Form “hay”

7. Subject Pronouns

8. Reg. Verbs I

9. Reg. Verbs II

10. Reg. Verbs III

11. Adjectives I

12. Adjectives II

13. Days of the Week

14. Numbers: 11-30

UNIT TWO

15. Ser and Estar I

16. Ser and Estar II

17. Ser and Estar III

18. Ser and Estar IV

19. Negation

20. Questions

21. Poss. Adjectives

22. Tener, venir

23. Tener que / Hay que

24. Exp. with “Tener”

25. Weather Expressions

26. The Personal “a”

27. Contractions

UNIT THREE

28. Stem-Changing Verbs: o:ue

29. Stem-Changing Verbs: e:ie

30. Stem-changing verbs: e:i

31. Estar, Ir, Dar

32. “Ir a” + infinitive

33. Acabar de

34. Volver a

35. Ordinal Numbers

36. Months, Seasons, and Dates

37. Comparisons of Inequality

38. Comparisons of Equality

39. Superlatives

UNIT FOUR

40. Pronouns as Objects of Prepositions

41. Dir. Object Pronouns I

42. Dir. Object Pronouns II

43. Dir. Object Pronouns III

44. Ind. Object Pronouns I

45. Ind. Object Pronouns II

46. Ind. Object Pronouns III

47. DO and IO Pronouns Together

48. Verbs Like Gustar

49. Present Progressive

50. Verbs with Irregular 1st Persons

UNIT FIVE

51. Saber vs Conocer / Pedir vs Preguntar

52. Numbers: 31-1000

53. Telling Time

54. Por and Para

55. Irreg. Comparatives

56. Demonstratives

57. Time Expressions With Hacer

58. Possessive Pronouns

59. Reflexive Verbs I

60. Reflexive Verbs II

61. Definite Article II

UNIT SIX

62. Pret. vs Imp. I

63. Preterite I

64. Imperfect I

65. Preterite II

66. Imperfect II

67. Pret. vs Imp. II

68. Preterite III

69. Imperfect III

70. Preterite IV

71. Preterite V

72. Preterite VI

73. Pret. vs Imp. III

74. Pret. vs Imp. Review

UNIT SEVEN

75. “Hace …” to mean “ago”

76. Formation of Adverbs

77. Subjunctive I: Introduction

78. Subjunctive II: Conjugating regular and stem-changing verbs

79. Subjunctive III: Verbs that change orthographically

80. Subjunctive IV: Irregular verbs

81. Subjunctive V: Desire

82. Subjunctive VI: Ignorance, doubt

83. Subjunctive VII: Impersonal Expressions

84. Subjunctive VIII: Actions not yet completed

UNIT EIGHT

85. Rel. Pronouns - que

86. Rel. Pronouns - quien

87. Rel. Pronouns - el que and lo que

88. Rel. Adjective - cuyo

89. Rel. Pronouns and Adjectives - Review

90. Formal Commands

91. Inform. Commands - tú

92. Irreg. Commands - tú

93. Using Object Pronouns with Commands

94. Commands Review I

95. Informal Commands - vosotros

96. 1st Person Commands - nosotros

97. Indirect Commands

98. Commands Review II

UNIT NINE

99. Future

100. Past Participle

101. Present Perfect

102. Past Perfect

103. Future Perfect

104. Conditional

I hope this helps! 

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Some other good websites:

121Spanish

PracticingSpanish

Rocket Languages

And if you plan to practice writing and don’t have a native speaker or proficient learner to help, here’s a Spanish editor!

archivo mitologíco - si te gusta la mitología este canal es perfecto. los episodios duran 10-30 minutos, son muy interesantes y tienen animaciones bonitas. el canal tiene un foco en mitología griegas, pero a veces habla de otros mitologías, como la nórdica.

wissbegierde - él tiene muchos videos sobre diferentes lenguas, ambos lenguas reales & conlangs. también habla de cómo aprender lenguas.

leyendas & videojuegos - este canal es un canal de ensayos, historia, curiosidades y diseño de videojuegos. los topicos son siempre interesantes.

infoprimates - un otro canal sobre lengas, este tiempo con animaciones. creo que los videos son muy divertidos :].

jaime - él tiene muchos videos sobre música y tecnología y es muy interesante. él tambien tiene un otro canal cuando él habla de muchos mas tópicos.