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Hello #Vivers! The weekend is approaching and also with spring weather that invites students who come to learn Spanish in Madrid to go out and have some very cool beers on one of the many terraces in our city.

But do you think they know the origin of this refreshing drink? And the origin of the word "beer"? And you? Do you know it? If you have ever wondered, in our new entry on Luis Vives' Spanish blog we tell you.

The origin of beer

When we talk about beer or ask someone where beer comes from, the first thing many people say is that its origin is from central Europe (Germany, Belgium, Czech Republic...). The issue is that in several Sumerian documents from the year 4000 BC. C. there was talk about a fermented cereal drink in Mesopotamia. In Babylon, beer consumption was so great that it forced King Hamurabi to legislate it, in his code, which sought to protect drinkers against dishonest tavern keepers, so it became the first consumer protection law in history. .

Some interesting anecdotes and legends about this drink:

In Chaldea (a region of Mesopotamia), the inhabitants offered beer to the gods as tribute.

According to some stories, when Nebuchadnezzar (king of Babylon) got bored with his concubines (lovers), he used to kill them by drowning them in beer.

Already in the Roman Empire, Pliny (Roman knight) said that the Gauls (French) called Cervesia to drink and brasce to the grain that was used to make it. So, brasce gave rise in French to brewer(beer maker) already brasserie (brewery).

During the Middle Ages, monks brewed the best beers, which in Latin were called cerevisiaemonacorum and to this day they are made in some European countries under the name “abbey beers”.

From Cervesia from the Gauls (French) derived cervoise, as the drink was called for several centuries in the French language.

The first references in Spanish come from the XNUMXth centuries, as beer, and XVI, already with the current form beer.

The French beer, the Italian beer, English beer and the German Beer come from latin bottle (to drink).

Well, now you can surprise all your friends by telling them some of these anecdotes while you enjoy a few beers, but don't forget to drink wisely and above all: if you drink, don't drive!

Source: The origin of words. Illustrated etymological dictionary. Ricardo Soca

And if you are looking to learn Spanish in Madrid to learn to speak fluently like a native and improve your grammar, stop by. Luis Vives Spanish School and take a look at the Spanish classes what we offer. They will surely adapt perfectly to your needs. Luis Vives Spanish School The best option to learn Spanish in the heart of Madrid!

The origin of the word "Christmas"

By Administrator

April 4

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Hello #Vivers! Next Friday, December 21, the long-awaited Christmas holidays arrive, a period that the students of our Spanish school for foreigners in Madrid take advantage of to rest and share good times with friends and family, but do you know the origin of the word "Christmas"? Keep reading the new entry on Luis Vives' Spanish Blog where our teacher Yara explains the origin of this word and some more curiosities related to Christmas.

The origin of Christmas

The word Christmas comes from latin Natīvītas, abl. Nativitate, which means “Nati”: birth, “vita”: of life and “te”: for you. Translated into Spanish: “birth of life for you.”

This festival, known as Christmas Day, began to be celebrated in the year 440 AD. C. That year, the Roman bishops decided that December 25 would be the day of Jesus' birth, although Jesus Christ was not born on December 25. In fact, the Bible does not explain an exact time or date of Jesus' birth.

This day replaced several pagan celebrations that the Romans celebrated on the winter solstice (such as the Natalis Solis Invicti, in Latin, or the festival of the Invincible Rising Sun, in Spanish, or the Saturnalia). The Christians added a religious meaning and the name was changed to Christmas.

Among the ancient Romans it was customary to give each other three dried figs decorated with bay leaves and olive twigs on New Year's Eve. Also some small lamps (bronze, for the rich; clay, for the poorest), on which some legend was usually written with wishes for the year that was beginning. Apparently, our custom of giving each other gifts on Christmas Day or on "Three Kings' Day" in Spain comes from this custom.

Christmas tree

The custom of the famous Christmas tree arose in Germany during the first half of the 680th century. According to a traditional account, when the British missionary Saint Boniface (755-1483) was preaching on Christmas Day, he attempted to destroy the sacredness of the oak and cut down one. The oak, when it fell, knocked down all the bushes around it except a small fir tree. This was interpreted as a miraculous divine message, and it was called at that very moment "Tree of the Child Jesus." The event was very important among German Christians and, since then, the custom of decorating a fir tree for Christmas began. Centuries later, Martin Luther (1546-XNUMX) instituted the custom of decorating it with lit candles.

One last curiosity: many times we have seen the word written Christmas in English (Christmas) in abbreviated form (Xmas), because this is because the letter X is the Greek abbreviation for Christ.

Sources: Very interesting magazine and website of the Diocese of the Canary Islands.

If you are looking for a Spanish school for foreigners in Madrid to learn to speak Spanish fluently like a native and improve your grammar, stop by. Luis Vives Spanish School and take a look at the Spanish classes what we offer. They will surely adapt perfectly to your needs. Luis Vives Spanish School The best option to learn Spanish in the heart of Madrid!

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Hello #Vivers! In today's entry in Luis Vives' Spanish Blog We are going to review one of the grammatical structures that generate the most doubts in the students of our Spanish academy, the construction Estar + Gerund. We leave you an infographic with the shape of regular and irregular gerunds and the uses of this structure. At the end you will find some links to online exercises so you can practice them. If you want to see it, you just have to keep reading...

exercises to practice

In the following links you can find some exercises in which you can practice this grammatical structure and check if you have assimilated the concepts well:

If you are looking for a Spanish academy in Madrid to learn to speak Spanish fluently and improve your grammar, stop by Luis Vives Spanish School and take a look at the Spanish classes that we offer, they will surely adapt perfectly to your needs. Luis Vives Spanish School, the best option to learn Spanish in the heart of Madrid!

Expressions related to sports

By Administrator

March 16th, 2023

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Hello #Vivers! Unfortunately, summer is coming to an end and vacations are over. However, in our Spanish school we return with batteries full of energy to continue teaching. We return with a new entry in Luis Vives' Spanish Blog. This time we leave you this video of Luis Vives TV in which our beloved teacher Daniel Agudo will explain some colloquial expressions to us.

These are everyday expressions that have their origin in the world of sports. If you want to see it, you just have to click and hit "play". If you like it, don't forget to "like" it and share it with your friends...

We hope you liked it and you know, if you are looking for a Spanish course in Madrid to learn to speak Spanish fluently and improve grammar, stop by Luis Vives Spanish School and take a look at the Spanish classes what we offer. They will surely adapt perfectly to your needs. Luis Vives Spanish School, the best option to learn Spanish in the heart of Madrid!

Native Spanish courses. 10 ways to tell someone is crazy.

10 ways to say someone is crazy in Spanish like a native

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Hello #vivers! You've probably heard someone tell a friend that they're crazy on more than one occasion, or maybe you've told them so yourself. But if you want to seem like an expert, in today's article we're going to show you other ways to express the same thing just as a true native would do in Spain, which is how we teach it in our Spanish courses. And remember that in Cursalia.online you have free online Spanish courses.

First of all, although it is logical, it is necessary to clarify that all the expressions that we show you are usually used in a colloquial context and we do not use them to refer to people with mental health problems, but to refer to someone who behaves irrationally, inadequate, strange or illogical, that is, people who do small crazy things, attitudes that escape common sense.

1. Be like a goat

This phrase is used to indicate that the person behaves in a strange, extravagant or simply crazy way.
Why is it associated with goats? Most likely, this expression comes from ranchers who, observing the behavior of their goats, could verify that the offspring of sheep, cows or horses, when they were weaned, stayed calmly next to their mothers, while those of The goats (kids) ran away, so that the mother goats ran desperately, like crazy, after their babies so that no harm would happen to them. So if you want to indicate that someone is behaving in a strange or inappropriate way, you can say that he "is crazy."

2. Someone missing a screw

According to the RAE (Royal Academy of the Spanish Language), “someone missing a screw” It is when a person has little sense or lacks it.

Literally, just like a machine, missing a screw can cause it to malfunction. When we refer to a person we mean that he has some crazy ideas or does not behave with common sense, that is, he does not "work very well."

So, if you know someone who does things without logic, without sense, in short, who is crazy, that means that that person is missing a screw.

For example: This guy is doing stupid things all day. I think that It's missing a screw...

3. Hit someone's head/pot/tong

We say that “someone loses his mind, his jaw or his pot” when he is doing something crazy, behaving irrationally, or talking nonsense. But also when someone is distracted, he is confused about something or completely forgets about something. It is a colloquial expression that a Spanish native uses frequently and that we teach in our courses.

Example: "But how do you do those things, aunt!… You're losing your pot…" / "Oh! I left my wallet with the money and documentation at home... I've lost my grip... "

4. Being sick in the head / Not being right in the head

The truth is that this expression does not need many explanations as it is quite obvious. We use it to refer to someone who behaves unwisely.

5. Be like a shower

We use this phrase to say that a person has no logic or control and does things without using reason.

Its origin is probably due to the fact that a watering can is an object, made of metal or plastic, that we use to pour water on plants and flowers. This object, at the end, has many holes and there is a theory that the expression, which is not very prior to the XNUMXth century, was born when comparing that end full of holes, with the “holes” that a person metaphorically has in their head. when you lose your logic.

6. Being crazy

The term crazy It is common to use it, in a more casual than formal way, to indicate that someone he is not right in the head o is lack of judgment.

We find its origin in the Caló language (the language spoken by the gypsy people) in which the word 'chat' literally means 'and' (in reference to the action of moving from one place to another). And it was as a result of that meaning that it began to be used to refer to those people who were madly in love with someone, since these were used to 'go head' because of the passionate love they felt.

It did not take long for it to be used in Spanish as one of the many synonyms of the term 'crazy' and finally it was incorporated into the RAE Dictionary.

This expression is a little older and is out of use.

7. Being gone or crazy

These expressions are equivalent to the previous one, but more frequent. They are related to the verb “go”. Specifically, the second expression, “estar pirado/a”, comes from the verb “pirarse”, which in colloquial language means to leave a place. Therefore, when using these expressions we are saying that someone his head has gone or he has lost his mind (the pot or tong), that is, he is crazy.

8. Being crazy

According to the RAE, we use it colloquially to refer to someone who has lost his mind or behaves as such. It is also very common to use the expression “whistle something to someone” to show that you like something a lot just like we use “drive someone crazy. For example: uterine “I love chocolate” / “Chocolate drives me crazy.”

9. Being hung up

It is literally being under the influence of a drug. It is said of those who are in that situation and, figuratively, of those who behave as if they were like that, of those who act a little crazy, of course.

10. Being mad/majareta

The term majara has its origin in Arabic, ““mahrum”. This is linked to “haram” which means taboo or sin. This has given the term ““mahrum” a negative meaning such as excluded, prohibited, unfortunate, miserable, denied and that in the Arabic of al-Andalus was used with the meaning of poor man, which led to "crazy” a way of saying "crazy" something more compassionate.

Now that you know all these different ways to tell someone they are crazy, we can assure you that we are not crazy, nor are we nuts or have a screw loose for thinking that in our Spanish classes, you will learn these types of expressions that a native uses in their daily life. And if you can't come to our School in Madrid, start preparing yourself now with the best online Spanish courses, at Cursalia.online. Don't think twice and contact us if you need more information. WhatsApp, email and through our form contact.

Luis Vives Spanish School. More than lessons!

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Hello #Vivers! This week in Luis Vives' Spanish Blog We are going to review the form and uses of the Pluperfect Past. This is one of the verb tenses that generate the most doubts among students who come to our school to learn Spanish. We leave you an infographic with the form of regular and irregular verbs and the uses of this past tense. At the end you will find some links to online exercises so you can practice them. If you want to see it, you just have to keep reading...

exercises to practice

In the following link you can find a lot of online exercises to practice regular and irregular verbs in the Past Pluperfect:

Exercises of the Past Perfect Past (regular and irregular)

Here we also leave you a link to profedeele.es, where you can find more explanations and activities to continue practicing with this time from the past:

The Past Pluperfect

If you are looking for a Spanish course in Madrid, you can come to our school to learn to speak Spanish fluently and improve your grammar, stop by Luis Vives Spanish School and take a look at the courses of Spanish that we offer, they will surely adapt perfectly to your needs. Luis Vives Spanish School, the best option to learn Spanish in the heart of Madrid!

Did you know?: The origin of the word "spam"

By Administrator

February 25

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Hello #Vivers! Surely you are tired of deleting advertising or commercial emails that you have never requested, junk emails or more generally known as "spam". Sometimes it becomes an annoying task to which we must dedicate a few minutes a day or at certain intervals. For our part, you can rest assured, since we do not send emails with information about our courses to learn Spanish. Have you ever thought about the true origin of this word? Today in a new entry in our section, did you know what? we tell you...

The word "spam", which does not appear in the DRAE (Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy), arose from the need to give some name to the large amount of spam we often receive over the Internet.

There is a version of the origin of "spam" that suggests that it comes from the acronym for "Short, Pointless, and Annoying Messages."

But the most reliable origin of "spam" is related to the abbreviation of the name of a pork luncheon meat that has been sold by the Hormel company since 1937, SPiced hAM (seasoned or spiced ham).

Popularization of the use of the word

The success of the meaning of the term "spam" became popular with a Monty Python sketch broadcast on his Flying Circus program. In it, a couple enters a cheap restaurant and asks the waitress what dishes are on the menu. The waitress responds “spam with egg, spam with sausage, spam with egg and sausage, spam, spam with canned egg, spam with canned sausage…”, and so on a long succession of combinations. This mechanical repetition of the term "spam" was the inspiration for computer scientists to give this name to this type of computer garbage.

Curious, right? Well, if you are interested in knowing more curiosities like this, be sure to read the Luis Vives' Spanish Blog.

And if you are looking for a course to learn to speak Spanish fluently like a native and improve your grammar, stop by Luis Vives Spanish School and take a look at the Spanish classes what we offer. They will surely adapt perfectly to your needs. Luis Vives Spanish School The best option to learn Spanish in the heart of Madrid!

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Hello, #Vivers! This week in Luis Vives' Spanish Blog We are going to review the form and uses of the Past Imperfect. We Spaniards use this structure a lot, since it helps us explain past situations in a multitude of contexts.

We leave you an infographic with the form of regular and irregular verbs, the uses of this past tense and some of its most frequent temporal markers. At the end you will find some links to online exercises that we usually use in our classes to learn Spanish so that you can practice it.

Temporary Markers

exercises to practice

In the following link you can find a lot of online exercises with which you can practice regular and irregular verbs in the Past Imperfect:

Exercises of the Past Imperfect (regular and irregular)

If you are looking to give classes to learn to speak Spanish fluently and improve your grammar, stop by Luis Vives Spanish School and take a look at the Spanish classes what we offer. They will surely adapt perfectly to your needs. Luis Vives Spanish School The best option to learn Spanish in the heart of Madrid!

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Hello #Vivers! Carnival is approaching, one of the many festivities that students who come to receive Spanish classes in Madrid can enjoy.

Carnivals have become one of the most international festivals, conquering the hearts of people for generations. Its common characteristic is that it is a period of permissiveness and a certain lack of control. Illusion, costumes, colors, paintings, masks, dances, songs, lots of fun and, above all, the Carnival parades. All of this marks the character of the festival, but what is the origin of this traditional festival?

The origins of Carnival

Although the true origins of Carnival are still unknown, historians estimate that the first celebrations that would later take the name Carnival took place years before the birth of Christ and have their origins in festivals related to agriculture. It seems that farmers gathered in summer with masked faces and fully painted bodies, around a bonfire, to celebrate the fertility and productivity of the soil, or to ward off evil spirits from the harvest.

The first carnival celebration is located in Egypt. The party was nothing more than dancing, singing, and the participants wore masks and costumes as a symbol of the nonexistence of social classes. Later, the tradition spread to Greece where there was the custom of riding a boat with wheels (carrus navalis) and people danced all kinds of dances, around the 5.000th century BC. Also in Rome, numerous pagan festivals were held around the god. Bacchus, the god of wine, which is more than XNUMX years old.

These ceremonies had one point in common. They were associated with spiritual and astronomical phenomena and natural cycles. Likewise, they were manifested through expressions such as dance, chants, satire, masks and disorder. In a society with so many social differences, the festivals met the need for freedom for everyone. Rich and poor mixed together during the carnival, without recognizing each other under the fabric and masks of the costume.

Carnival Expansion

As a result of the expansion of Christianity, it gained momentum and the festival acquired the name carnival, with the main reason being to say goodbye to eating meat during the time of Lent. The etymology and origin of the word carnival indicates that it comes from the Italian term 'carnevale' and this in turn from the Latin 'carnem levare' whose meaning is carnem (meat) and levare (remove): to remove the meat.

Quickly, the carnival reached Venice, and from there, it spread throughout the world. Little by little, its characteristics were shaped, depending on the customs of each country. Each city incorporated the habits of its culture. But, in general, carnival is defined through masks, costumes, floats, parades and dances, something common in all celebrations, regardless of the place where the Carnival celebration takes place. In fact, currently the Venice carnival is one of the best known in Europe. The tradition began when the nobility began to dress up to go out and mix with the people. The masks are the most important element of this characteristic carnival. Since then, this tradition spread throughout Europe, and later throughout Latin America thanks to Spanish and Portuguese navigators, starting in the XNUMXth century.

Carnival today

One of the places in the world where Carnival is most famous is Brazil. All cities take to the streets to worship Carnival to the rhythm of samba. It is one of the most spectacular parades organized worldwide. According to the Guiness Book of Records, the largest carnival celebration in the world is in Rio de Janeiro. Other internationally famous carnivals are those of Barranquilla in Colombia, Oruro in Bolivia, Venice in Italy, Veracruz and Mazatlán in Mexico, and Cádiz and Tenerife in Spain.

Above all, carnivals are about fun… a lot of fun!

Text adapted from: www.guiainfantil.com/articulos/celebraciones/carnaval/la-historia-del-carnaval-para-los-ninos

If you are looking for Spanish classes in Madrid to learn to speak Spanish fluently like a native and improve your grammar, stop by. Luis Vives Spanish School and take a look at the Spanish classes what we offer. They will surely adapt perfectly to your needs. Luis Vives Spanish School The best option to learn Spanish in the heart of Madrid!

Uses of the subjunctive: expressing requests and demands

By Administrator

February 16

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Hello #Vivers! This week we have practiced with the B1 groups of our Spanish course the expression of complaints, requests and needs. To do this we have seen one more use of the subjunctive mood, we have done an activity to practice oral expression and interaction with which we have had a great time and we have become very demanding. If you want to put it into practice, keep reading and download the sheet we propose.

The students, in small groups, had to get into the role of an activist. They made a list of their demands on certain controversial issues and then prepared a manifesto to explain it to the rest of their classmates. For this we have given you the following sheet. The result has been very fun and the students have been able to practice the language in a very enjoyable and real way.

We leave you the sheet here, so that both Spanish teachers and students can use it and tell us what you think.

If you want to learn to speak Spanish by practicing with communicative activities like this, take a look at the Spanish course we offer at the Luis Vives Spanish School. It is sure to adapt perfectly to your needs. Luis Vives Spanish School The best option to learn Spanish in Madrid!