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Hello, #Vivers! In the entry that we bring you today, we tell you the origin of a word that I am sure that all students of Spanish courses in Spain have used at some time: the name of the country where they are located.

The origins: Spanía and Hispania

the greek word Spain It is recorded for the first time in the XNUMXst century BC. C. The geographer Artemidorus of Ephesus used it as a variant of the Greek Hispania, which passed into Latin as Hispania. At that same time that name was used by Julius Caesar, who distinguished the Hispanic later, beyond the Ebro River, and the Citerior Hispania, south of the Ebro River. After the union of the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon with the wedding of the Catholic Monarchs, the name of Hispania It began to be used heavily for the country.

The origin of the word is not known with certainty. It is believed that it may come from Punic Isephanim, which in this language spoken by the Phoenicians of Carthage meant “island or coast of rabbits”, because the rabbit was a very abundant animal in Andalusia. The Phoenicians founded the oldest city in the West, Cádiz, 3000 years ago. On Roman coins from the time of King Hadrian, Spain was represented as a seated lady, with a rabbit at her feet. Furthermore, the Roman poet Catullus called the Iberian Peninsula Cuniculosa Celtiberia, which meant more or less “Celtiberia, the Hutch”.

Other possible origins of the word

However, some authors claim that the origin of the word is Celtic, because it is related to the fact that the plain region of the Iberian Peninsula has a shape similar to the palm of the hand, which was called chip in the Celtic language, and it is possible that this is the origin of the word Hispania.

There are also other hypotheses about the origin of the word Spain, although they are less credible. For example, the word chip from the Phoenician language, which meant “hidden, hidden.” It is possible that chip derived from the Hebrew word xaphano (hide), because Spain was a distant and hidden country.

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

If you are interested in studying Spanish courses in Spain, in the Luis Vives Spanish School we offer you Spanish classes for all levels. They will surely adapt perfectly to your needs. Luis Vives Spanish School The best option to learn Spanish in the heart of Madrid!

The word of the day: "Paella"

By Administrator

May 8, 2023

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Live and study in Spain

Hello #Vivers! Many of our students of Spanish courses in Madrid have told us that they have tried paella. However, very few have been able to tell us the origin of this word.

And you? Do you know why it is called paella? If you are interested in knowing the origin of this word, in this article you can find out some curiosities about it.

As you already know, paella is a dry rice dish, with meat, fish, seafood, legumes, etc., typical of the Valencian Community.

This popular Valencian dish and famous throughout the world that we know as paella took its name from old French paele, which came from Latin limpet (similar to a large metal plate). That is, the Valencian word paella It has been taken from the name of the pan where it is prepared and thus came to Spanish around the year 1900, which replaced the old name that this dish had: “Valencian rice”.

One last curiosity: limpet of the Latins also reached us through padilla, a name that the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy explains is currently out of use, which refers to a small frying pan.

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

Surely one of the reasons why you want to come to Spain is to eat authentic Paella, as well as other typical dishes of our country, right? If you are looking for a Spanish course 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 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!

The word of the day: "Beer"

By Administrator

May 3, 2023

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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 the almost complete 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!

The word of the day: "Siesta"

By Administrator

March 30th, 2023

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Live and study in Spain

Hello #Vivers! Many of the students in our Spanish classes for foreigners tell us that one of the things that Spain is best known for in their country is the custom of taking a nap.

“nap” is probably one of the most international words in our vocabulary. Thus, it has been transferred to languages as diverse as English (siesta), French (sieste), German (siesta), Danish (siesta), Hungarian (szieszta) or Polish (sjesta)...

What is the nap?

It refers to the time dedicated to resting after eating, between three and five in the afternoon and comes from the Latin sixta, which means “the sixth hour of the day” and corresponds, approximately, to noon among the Romans.

As we have mentioned previously, the nap is a time of rest and relaxation, which allows you to regain strength for the afternoon, thereby significantly increasing performance. We all need time to rest throughout the day.

For many years, the Nordic countries considered that people who took naps (preferably Spaniards and Italians) were truly lazy. For this reason, taking a nap after eating was considered inappropriate for hard-working and industrious people, but what they did not know is that it is scientifically proven that a nap of no more than 30 minutes improves general health and prevents stress. In addition, it promotes memory and learning mechanisms.

To enjoy a nap you can sleep for a while, but relaxing or simply stretching for a few minutes can also be considered a kind of short nap. The nap is related to our “biological clock”: brain and physical activity decreases every four hours and to renew it, the body needs a few minutes of rest, which corresponds to the time of the mid-afternoon nap.

It is advisable to take a nap after an excessive meal, to promote digestion and regain strength before resuming activity. It is also very convenient in times of work pressure or if you feel tired or sleepy while driving during a trip.

Advantages of the siesta

The main advantages of taking a nap are:

Improves the feeling of general well-being.
Increase vitality
Reactivates reflections.
Improve our level of attention.
Increase the efficiency of our work.
Reduces the risk of cardiovascular accidents.

So now there is no excuse not to take a “nap” after eating. Sweet dreams!

Sources: Wikipedia and kioskea.net (under Creative Commons license).

Learn Spanish and enrich your vocabulary with the Spanish classes at the Luis Vives Spanish School and take a look at the courses that we offer, they will surely adapt perfectly to your needs. Luis Vives Spanish School The best option to learn Spanish in Madrid!

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

By Administrator

February 25

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Learn Spanish

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! 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!

Extracurricular activities. Football game. Spanish classes for foreigners

Extracurricular activities: soccer game

By Administrator

February 21

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New arrivals

Hello #Vivers! In yesterday's activity, the teachers and students of the Spanish classes for foreigners played a great game of soccer, and we had a great time. Despite the heat, we gave it our all and had a lot of fun. Afterwards we went to cool off on a little terrace with some cold mugs of beer and some tapas.

Thank you so much for being so great! It is a pleasure to work with students like you. We look forward to seeing you in the next activities.

In the Luis Vives Spanish School Every Friday we organize different cultural and sports activities for our students. Through these activities, students can learn about Spanish culture, practice the language with classmates and teachers outside of class, meet other students from other groups and receive the weekend with good vibes. The teachers accompany the students in all activities and visits. We try to make them universal activities, so that all our students can attend. For more information click here.

If you are looking for Spanish classes for foreigners Madrid and want to learn to speak like a native, practicing with communicative and fun activities like this, 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!

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Hello #Vivers! Taking advantage of the fact that today in many parts of the world it is celebrated Valentine's Day!, Valentine's Day, and the students of our Spanish school in Madrid love this day, we are going to dedicate today's entry to love, because love is cool! (*molar = to like in colloquial language).

We leave you a series of short films made by a well-known Spanish commercial chain dedicated to love and one more in a humorous way. You can practice your listening comprehension through these videos and take advantage of it to continue learning Spanish.

1. Love is cool: “The mattress.”

2. Love is cool: “Love is a lie.”

3. Love is cool: “Public display of affection.”

4. Love is cool: “Like two strangers.”

5. Love is cool: “Cupid in love”.

6. 14 stages of love.

That's all for today. Have a good day!

Learn Spanish in the 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 Madrid!

The word of the day: "February"

By Administrator

February 1

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Learn Spanish

Hello #Vivers! We are already at the end of February. This month, the shortest of the year, is characterized by being the month in which almond trees bloom. It is also the month in which lovers celebrate their day, but do you know the origin of the word "February"? We have already told the students who come to our academy to learn Spanish. If you continue reading the new entry on the Spanish blog, you will know it too.

February is the second month of the year and the last in the Roman calendar.

The Sabines, who were one of the Indo-European peoples who lived on the Italian Peninsula (between the Tiber and the Apennines), every year celebrated a purification festival called fever, every February 15. After the founding of Rome, this city used the name of the festivals February to name the month in which they were celebrated: the last of the year.

It is believed that the founder of Rome, Romulus, was the one who unified the many calendars that existed on the Italian Peninsula in the 304th century BC. C. and created a new one, with ten months and 300 days. But this calendar that Romulus made was not very good for such an important territory. In the year XNUMX BC. C. counselor Flavio created another calendar with two more months that were added after December: januarius, dedicated to the goddess Janus and februarius, whose name comes from the ancient purification festival of the Sabines.

The name of this month has been recorded in Spanish since 1129 and is in many modern European languages. For example: february, in English; february, in French; February, in Italian or February, in German.

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

If you are looking for an academy to learn 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!