In this lesson, we’re going to go over the O in WEIRDOS, which stands for Ojalá. It’s an incredibly common expression in Spanish, which is rooted in the history of Spain!
So check out the video and practice afterwards to check your understanding!
Leave any questions or comments below!
*This video was a lot of fun to make and I hope you enjoy it and find it educational. In addition, I hope you enjoy the personal anecdotes that I have included as learning Spanish continues to be something very personal in my life! 😉
Explanation video: History of Ojalá, Spain and moor! Err I meant more. Or did I?
Here are the videos from last summer. While I didn’t make as many as I would have liked to, I am very proud of the quality of the videos as well as the popularity of my new companion, Lucas.
(please note that Mexico is NOT part of Central America even if it appears misleading in the video). I was coloring the Spanish speaking countries. Note that Belice is officially an English speaking country, but Spanish is also used (from what I understand).
Posted by Señor Jordan on Jan 13, 2009 in information
Thanks for your feedback! I’ve decided to keep the Paypal button since I can’t see it deterring people from learning.
-Sr. J
~~~~~~~~~Original Entry Below~~~~~~~~~
I read an article awhile back about restaurants where you could pay whatever you thought was fair. Sometimes people overpay, other times people underpay. It intrigued me. (See story)
¡FELIZNAVIDAD! La Navidad(or Christmas) is celebrated in many different ways depending on not only the country, but also the region. I am in no way an expert but I would love to travel to every Spanish-speaking country during holidays such as la Navidad to learn! Below are some links that explain traditions in some places.
I did find some links that might be useful to you though… and for your enjoyment, here’s me singing ‘Feliz Navidad‘ originally sung by José Feliciano.
In English and Spanish:
In Spanish only:
José Feliciano is a prominent singer, songwriter, and guitar virtuoso from Puerto Rico. The most amazing thing about José Feliciano is that he is blind but plays guitar amazingly!
Since the tradition varies depending on the country and regions in the country, the possibilities are endless! But here are some links you can check out for more information!
Posted by Señor Jordan on Nov 30, 2008 in information
If you’re wanting to learn how to type accent marks as you work on your Spanish here are the ways for a PC user. I used to know how to do it on a Macintosh but I have since forgotten!
In Microsoft Word / Wordpad
Simply follow the directions below:
1) pressctrl and‘
2) release
3) press key of vowel you would like to accent
4) release
example: [ctrl and ‘] + [a] = á
For ñ, [ctrl and shift and ~] + [n]
For any other program
Make sure num-lock is on. This is important because you’ll be using the number keypad (numbers on the right side of keyboard).
You’ll press alt, type in the code below, and release alt and it will yield the resulting letters.
Á = 0193
á = 0225
É = 0201
é = 0233
Í = 0205
í = 0237
Ó = 0211
ó = 0243
Ú = 0218
ú = 0250
Ü = 0220
ü = 0252
Ñ = 0209
ñ = 0241
¡ = 0161
¿ = 0191
Posted by Señor Jordan on Sep 30, 2008 in information
At the request of some of my Spanish II students, I have started making videos (when possible) for them as well. Originally I had only intended doing Spanish 1 videos to make it less confusing for everyone. But, oh well.
To attempt to organize amidst the confusion, I’ve changed the titles of the videos. At the beginning of the titles on this page, there will be either 01 or 02 and a three digit number.Read more…