curiosities

Views

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

Views

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

Views

Learn Spanish

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!

Book's day

By Administrator

April 29

Views

Live and study in Spain

Hello, #vivers! Last week, like every year on April 23, Book Day was celebrated. To commemorate it, that day we carried out different activities with the students of our Spanish teaching academy: reading fragments of some of the most famous books of Spanish literature, talks about recommended books in Spanish...

The celebration of Book Day begins at the beginning of the 23th century. On April XNUMX, International Book Day is celebrated around the world. In Spain and several Latin American countries this day is celebrated.

On April 23, 1616, the two greats of literature in Spanish and English, respectively, Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare, died. Also on April 23, other eminent writers such as Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla or Manuel Mejía Vallejo were born (or died).

For this reason, this very symbolic date for universal literature was chosen by the General Conference of UNESCO to pay a global tribute to the book and its authors, and to promote and encourage the discovery of the pleasure of reading and respect for the contribution of writers to social and cultural progress in our society.

The origins of Book Day

The original idea of celebrating Book Day was born in Catalonia, when the Valencian writer Vicente Clavel André proposed it to the Official Book Chamber of Barcelona in 1923 and it was finally approved by King Alfonso October 1926 was the first Book Day.

A few years later, in 1930, the date of April 23 was definitively established as Book Day, coinciding with Saint George or Sant Jordi, patron saint of Aragon and Catalonia. It is tradition that loved ones exchange a rose and a book that day.

The origin of this curious Catalan festival is a mix of traditions from different eras. On the one hand, Sant Jordi has been the patron saint of Catalonia since the XNUMXth century. On the other hand, the famous legend of Sant Jordi and the dragon, where the knight defeated the dragon that frightened the people and the princess; When he pierced it with his sword, beautiful red roses sprouted from the body of the beast. Sant Jordi took one and gave it to the princess.

The Cervantes Prize

In addition, this day the most important literary prize in Spanish is awarded, the Cervantes Prize, which is delivered in the Auditorium of the Cisneriana University of Alcalá de Henares. This year 2021 has been received by the writer Francisco Brines. Both last year and this year, the ceremony has been canceled due to the pandemic.

If you are interested in Spanish culture and would like to know more curiosities like these, don't miss the next entries in our spanish blog. And if you are looking for a Spanish teaching academy in Madrid, don't hesitate, at Luis Vives Escuela de Español, we have the best Spanish classes, adapted to your needs and for all levels. Luis Vives Spanish School The best option to learn Spanish in Madrid!

The word of the day: "Siesta"

By Administrator

March 30th, 2023

Views

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

Views

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!

Spanish academies in Madrid - The Spanish blog - Curiosities about the Madrid metro

Did you know what?: Curiosities about the Madrid metro

By Administrator

January 20, 2023

Views

Live and study in Spain

Hello #Vivers! Madrid residents are very proud of their public transport network and specifically of their metro. Students who come to study Spanish in Madrid soon realize that on the metro they can go practically to all parts of the city without having to use the car. Did you know that the Madrid metro is one of the oldest and largest in the world? If you want to know this and any other curiosity, be sure to read this article in our “Did you know…?” section.

The Madrid metro. Did you know…?

The works to install the metro network in Madrid began on September 19, 1916. Three years later, King Alfonso XIII inaugurated this modern means of transport.
The first Madrid Metro ticket cost 15 cents each way. The hours of operation were from 6:20 in the morning until 2:00 in the morning.
The length of all lines amounts to 324 kilometers, making it the seventh longest metro network in the world behind Moscow, Tokyo, Paris, London, Shanghai and New York.
The station where the most lines converge is at Avenida de América with four in total. The line with the most stations is number 1 with 33 stops, but the one that travels the longest distance is line 12, making a total of 40,96 kilometers.
One of the distinctive features of the Madrid Metro is that its trains run on the left, when most Spanish railway infrastructure runs on the right.
The Alto del Arenal station (line 1) is much more important than it seems, since it is home to the Central Post that controls everything that happens in the Madrid underground.

Learn Spanish language and culture and much more information like this in the Luis Vives Spanish School. If you want to study Spanish in Madrid, take a look at the Spanish classes what we offer. They are sure to adapt perfectly to your needs. Luis Vives Spanish School The best option to learn Spanish in Madrid!