Month: June 2022

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Culture around Spanish language

9 Tips About How To Do Well In An Interview In Spanish

9 Trucos En Una Entrevista De Trabajo En Español | iScribo
¿Buscas trabajo en un país hispanohablante? iScribo te da unos consejos básicos para que consigas hacer una entrevista de trabajo en español con confianza.

Have you just arrived in a Spanish-speaking country and are looking for a job but don’t know how to do well in an interview?

Are you planning to move to Spain and want to plan your Spanish job search before you go?

You don’t want to search for the typical phrase “prepare for job interview” in your browser so that you don’t present an application like all the others?

If any of these cases is your case, iScribo helps you to prepare and be confident to achieve your goals.

1. Analyse the Job Offers

It sounds silly but it is very important that you are clear about what job you want to do.

Often, when we go to a new country, we have the attitude of “I’ll accept anything” but we all have a defined profile. Working in a garage repairing cars is not the same as working at the reception desk making appointments.

The important thing is to aim for your goal from the beginning. Then there is always time to set lower goals and move on to something less specialised.

2. Review your Resume

Similar to the previous point, a CV to work in a hairdressing salon is not targeted in the same way as one to work in an office.

You probably have experience in several sectors. Write different CVs according to your education and experience, and send a CV that is well adapted to the job offer.

3. Information About the Company

Wicked! You have been selected and invited for an interview. The first thing to do is to look for information about the company that has shown interest in you: does it have subsidiaries, does it belong to a group, who founded it, etc.?

Knowing the history of the company and its values is essential in the recruitment process.

4. Review your Experience in Other Jobs

Take time to recall past experiences, you will be asked about situations you have already experienced. It is also very likely that you will be asked about how you dealt with a particular situation or how you helped to motivate your colleagues.

Real situations that we have already experienced give us more peace of mind when speaking.

5. Think About What you Want

Many companies will ask you about your objectives. You should be very clear about what you want if you are offered geographical mobility or sporadic travel.

Your ambitions will also come into play. You may prefer to stay longer in a position that gives you more confidence and you don’t want to be considered for promotion in the short term.

6. Dress Code

Don’t overthink it. You can go to most interviews wearing formal but relaxed attire. These days, equal opportunity policies give us a lot of possibilities.

Just look neat: don’t wear unironed or stained clothes, don’t forget to comb your hair, and even use a mild perfume. It’s all about making a good impression.

7. Prepare for Frequently Asked Questions

In most interviews, the questions are the same. Selection processes are based on the most creative application that stands out the most.

Some of the questions are:

– What are your strengths and weaknesses?

– What languages do you speak and what is your level?

We’ll tell you more about all this another time.

8. Show Interest

Take an active part in the interview and show interest in getting the job so that they see that you are a person with initiative. This characteristic is very important for problem-solving.

Do not interrupt the person who is interviewing you. It is important to let them speak and to be a good listener. Don’t give irrelevant information either, get to the point and talk about your experience through anecdotes.

9. Follow Up on the Recruitment Process

Sometimes recruitment processes take months, or your interviewer may have a heavy workload and not be able to keep you informed on a regular basis. Asking on occasion if there is progress in the process shows your interest but be careful: insisting is not a good thing either! As with everything else in life, approach situations logically and calmly.

Don’t Panic!

Many people have faced a Spanish job interview. It’s not something that only you on the planet are going to do.

I’m telling you this because nerves can play tricks on you. If you prepare yourself properly, you’ll know how to do well in an interview. Think about that you are not the only one facing a process. If you want to review your resume, look at our tool and check it for mistakes. You don’t want to make a bad impression before you start!

Categories
Spanish as a language

The Gender Of Nouns In Spanish – Common, Epicene & Ambiguous

El Género En Los Sustantivos Comunes, Epicenos Y Ambiguos | iScribo
El género de los sustantivos es masculino y femenino. Los sustantivos comunes en cuanto al género, epicenos y ambiguos son la excepción. iScribo te los enseña.

Spanish grammar tells us that the gender of nouns is either masculine (el coche) or feminine (la moto).

Sometimes we take the root of the word to form the gender, for example, amig– and then add the suffix -o/a: amigo and amiga. Another example of root + desinence is conde and condesa.

Sometimes we resort to heteronomy, which is designating the gender of nouns with different words that do not share the root, as in hombre and mujer.

Then, there are other Spanish nouns that do not have a specific gender, but the same word is used to speak in both feminine and masculine. These are the common gender nouns, but we also have the gender-ambiguous nouns and the epicene nouns. Don’t worry! iScribo tells you a bit about them.

1. Common Gender Nouns

They have only one form to designate the masculine and feminine. What tells us that gender is the determiner or adjective that accompanies them:

El turista alemán es el mejor valorado en la hostelería. (The German tourist is the most highly rated in the hospitality industry.)

La turista compró muchos recuerdos para sus familiares. (The tourist bought a lot of souvenirs for her relatives.)

El juicio se va a retrasar porque falta la testigo. (The trial is going to be delayed because the -female- witness is missing.)

Este testigo no recuerda lo que pasó. (This -male- witness does not remember what happened.)

2. Epicene Nouns

They have a masculine or feminine grammatical gender, but they designate both sexes. It is not as confusing as it seems, here are some examples to make it clearer:

  • Masculine epicenes:

Personaje (character): El personaje principal, Eva, aparece desde el primer capítulo. (The main character, Eva, appears from the first chapter.)

Vástago: Los vástagos comienzan a aparecer en primavera. (The rods begin to appear in spring.)

  • Feminine epicenes:

Víctima: La victima era un hombre de cincuenta años. (The victim was a man in his fifties.)

Avispa: La avispa que me picó era macho. (The wasp that stung me was male.)

If we are talking about animals, we can always add macho (male) and hembra (female) to clarify the speech.

3. Gender-Ambiguous Nouns

These are nouns that can be used with masculine and feminine determiners and adjectives without altering the meaning. The choice of masculine or feminine will depend on the register, the area in which they are spoken, or simply a personal preference. These are nouns that designate inanimate beings.

El mar o la mar (the sea)

            El mar estaba picado cuando fuimos a la playa.

            La mar estaba picada cuando fuimos a la playa.

            (The sea was rough when we went to the beach.)

El calor o la calor (the heat)

            Este fin de semana hará mucha calor.

            Este fin de semana hará mucho calor.

(This weekend it will be very hot.)

The context it’s Key

Most of the time, the context of the speech will help you choose each option, but it’s good to know that Spanish grammar distinguishes different genders of nouns in addition to masculine and feminine. iScribo helps you practice them. Visit the website and try our tool, you will see how it corrects and helps you with common gender nouns, epicenes, and ambiguous nouns, among other functions.

Categories
Culture around Spanish language

7 Interesting Facts About Cinema And Films In Spanish

7 Curiosidades De La Industria Del Cine Español | iScribo
El cine español está en auge, no solo por el talento de intérpretes como Javier Bardem, sino por la calidad de los subtítulos en español. Descubre más aquí.

Films in Spanish have evolved enormously throughout history. In the last century, the budget for a film from Spain was less than the video clip of a trendy American singer.

Fortunately, this is no longer the case today, and Spanish and Latin films have become a favourite of moviegoers around the world. Companies like Disney have seen the Encanto (charm) of Colombian culture and Hollywood has noticed the talent of Spanish actors like Javier Bardem or Penelope Cruz.

iScribo takes a walk today through a few curiosities of Spanish cinema. Make some popcorn, sit back on the couch, and enjoy this post.

1. Dubbing

It would be bizarre for me to see Penelope Cruz’s face in a movie and hear someone else’s voice when she speaks. Well, that’s exactly what happens in Spain: dubbing is the most common practice! It has an explanation; it was a matter of law for a long time and now it is a custom.

More and more cinemas all over the country are offering movies in the original version with Spanish subtitles, but even today, not everyone dares to do it.

Mexico can be proud to be the country ranked as producing the best dubbing in Latin America. Most of the Latin dubbing studios are located in Mexico, but actors and actresses of very diverse origins, such as Peru, Colombia and Argentina, are involved.

2. Large Productions

Spain is among the top 10 film-producing countries. It is the only Spanish-speaking country to make the list. In 2019 alone, a total of 255 feature films were produced in Spain.

The Spanish producers Juan Antonio Bayona and Belén Atienza are the two most representative producers. They work together on tapes that have broken film statistics, such as A Monster Calls or Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. We will not miss the series of The Lord of the Rings that they have prepared and is about to premiere on Amazon Prime.

Do you like Money Heist? Don’t miss the trajectory and future projects of Spanish producer Álex Pina.

3. There are no Films Without Directors

The Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar is a veteran in the industry, he even has two Oscar Awards! And of course, he has many other awards…

Do you know the Spanish Alejandro Amenábar? He is the director of blockbusters like The Others. His latest film While At War was nominated in seventeen categories at the 2022 Goya Awards. Now he’s working on a series, we can’t wait to see it!

4. All-Round Personalities

Guillermo del Toro is one of our weaknesses. He is a director, producer, screenwriter and novelist. He comes from Mexico and his career leaves no one indifferent. The depth of his films is thought-provoking, like The Shape of Water and Pan’s Labyrinth. He mixes reality with fantasy and drama, and we love it!

5. There are No Borders

The CEO of Walt Disney Studios is Spanish and his name is Manuel Muro. Good business education and a desire to take on the world have led him to the success behind Marvel and Pixar productions since 1997. Such is his great knowledge of finance and the world of cinema that he does not see the horizon of his career in this multinational company.

6. Theatre Training

Many of the actors and producers of Spanish and Latin American cinema have trained in the theatre before jumping to the big screen. Some, such as the Argentinian Ricardo Darín, continue to delight us on stage.

The Puerto Rican Traveling Theater was founded in New York in 1967 and since then it has defended the culture of Puerto Rico from the Big Apple, as well as promoted cultural exchange with other artists and the public itself.

7. And of Course, our Great Writers

The role of screenwriters in the film industry cannot be underestimated. Screenwriters are true artists because they adapt either contemporary novels or classic works to the big screen or to the stage. They also create original screenplays, which is not an easy but very creative task. The famous writer Isabel Allende has thrown herself into the world of adaptation. Another personality we would like to highlight is the Chilean screenwriter and director Sebastián Lelio, who won an Oscar for A Fantastic Woman.

A Growing Industry

You have already learned something about films in Spanish, dubbing, and also about Latin and Spanish actors, directors, and other personalities in the film industry. At iScribo we love culture and we are always willing to promote the art of an industry that keeps growing as the years go by. Do you know any other curiosity about films in Spanish? What is your favourite Spanish film or series? What about your Latin or Spanish actors of preference? Tell us in the comments.

Categories
Improving language

How To Write In Spanish – 4 Tips To Ace Your Spanish Writing

Escribir En Español: 4 Trucos Para No Equivocarte - iScribo
Escribir en español no tiene que ser un reto. Si estás aprendiendo español y no quieres cometer errores, estos consejos de escritura son perfectos para ti.

You may be scared of learning how to write in Spanish since you’ve undoubtedly blushed, sweated, scratched your head, or shed tears when learning the fundamentals of the language.

Writing in Spanish is enjoyable, and believe it or not, a little amount of regular writing practice can significantly accelerate your learning progress.

Contrary to popular belief, most individuals find learning how to write in Spanish to be a relief. When compared to other languages, it isn’t that dissimilar to writing in English, and many aspects are substantially simpler to grasp.

Here are 4 tips to get you started quickly on the correct route to Spanish writing in no time.

1. Begin with Spelling

If English is your first language, you’re in good company when it comes to spelling, since learning to spell in English is a mystery.

Why do the words “cough,” “through,” and “dough” not rhyme? Why do we have so many double letters, and why do vowels sound so different?

Fortunately, spelling in Spanish is much more straightforward than spelling in English.

This may seem too good to be true, but written words in Spanish are meant to resemble how they sound! There are many fewer instances of silent letters, duplicate letters, or spellings for the same sounds.

Also, no matter what other letters are around it, each vowel has its distinct sound.

There are several resources to assist you with your Spanish study, whether you are a total novice or not.

iScribo assists in your Spanish writing in real-time. It will assist you with syntax, grammar, spelling, and sentence formation to name a few.

2. Work on Your Grammar

In English, you can’t speak one word out of place in a phrase without someone noticing and may be referring to you as Yoda. Even though it is valid grammar, we must accept that we have a pretty rigid syntax for what is deemed standard in contemporary English.

In this regard, Spanish is a friendlier language. In phrases, at least two or three orders are normally regarded as appropriate.

When it comes to grammar, things that worry us in English are made a lot easier in Spanish. Word order, punctuation, and capitalisation are significantly simpler to master.

Of course, there’s still a lot to learn, as well as certain issues that aren’t covered in English, such as gender. There’s a lot to learn about verb tenses, irregularities, and mood.

It won’t be difficult to get started with the correct resources and a little assistance. There are several methods for studying the fundamentals of Spanish grammar. Picking up or borrowing a textbook is one of the simplest, cheapest, and most effective methods to get started.

And once you have a good grasp of Grammar you can use iScribo to double-check if your Spanish grammar is correct or not.

3. Capitalise

Capitalisation is another source of comfort in Spanish.

At times, capitalising words in English may be both excessive and misleading. We continually must judge if something is suitable or not to determine whether it is worthy of a capital letter.

Capitalising in Spanish is a lot easier. For starters, the following words are not capitalised in Spanish as they are in English: Weekdays, months, religions, languages, and nationalities. All of them are preserved in lowercase.

In other circumstances, such as titles, just a little amount of capitalisation is employed. When writing down a movie or book title, just the first word of the title is capitalised, while every subsequent word is left lowercase.

Another situation in which just partial capitalisation is used is when referring to a proper noun. Only the particular name is capitalised, with the remainder of the title remaining in lowercase. Mount Everest, for example, would be monte Everest in Spanish.

4. Master the Punctuation

While it isn’t very harsh, there is a little variation in how we punctuate sentences in English and Spanish.

The inclusion of upside-down question marks and exclamation points is the most visible alteration. When asking a question in Spanish, it must begin with an upside-down question mark. As an example:

¿Qué hora es? (What time is it?)

Exclamatory sentences follow the same logic. As an example:

¡Dios mío! (My God!)

The Bottom Line

While certain aspects of the language may be difficult to grasp, Spanish writing is not that difficult.

With these considerations in mind, try to write in Spanish and attempt to include some reading into your daily life. It’s as simple as turning on your TV’s Spanish subtitles or picking up a Spanish magazine. Continue your studies and ¡buena suerte!

Categories
Spanish as a language

Por And Para: 4 Keys To Learn Prepositions In Spanish

Por y Para: 4 Claves Para Usar Las Preposiciones - iScribo
Las preposiciones en español son el aspecto más complicado de la gramática. Aprende con iScribo cómo dominar por y para y despeja tus dudas sobre su uso.

Prepositions in Spanish are difficult to use. Indeed, in Spanish and in any language! You can consider yourself a native speaker if you master prepositions to perfection. Por and para are no exception.

Prepositions are invariable words that indicate a dependent relationship between an action and a complement. There are twenty-three in total, but in this post, we will teach you not only one difference between por and para but four easy tricks in total to master them like a native.

1. Motive or Purpose?

Use por to express a motive or reason and para for a purpose or intention. Here are some examples to make it clearer:

  • Te felicito por tu cumpleaños. (I congratulate you on your birthday.)

The motive of the greeting is the birthday.

  • Estudio español para aprender una segunda lengua. (I study Spanish to learn a second language.)

The purpose of studying Spanish is to learn a second language.

2. Undetermined Location or Address?

Use por to express an undetermined location and para for a specific destination address. Look at it with these examples:

  • El parque tiene que estar por allí. (The park has to be that way.)

I don’t quite know which way the park is….

  • Voy para tu casa en un momentito. (I’m going to your house in a moment.)

Your house is the exact address I’m going to.

3. Medium or Deadline?

Use por to express how you are going to perform the action and para to say when.

  • Voy a echar la solicitud por Internet. (I am going to apply online.)

Internet is one option among many.

  • Las patatas que he comprado son para el viernes. (These crisps I bought are to be served on Friday.)

Friday is the exact time they must serve the crisps.

4. Agent Complement or Opinion?

Maybe this is the easiest one, that’s why we have left it for the end and finish with a good vibe. When the sentence is in passive voice, always use por, however, use para to give your opinion.

  • La obra fue escrita por Cervantes. (The novel was written by Cervantes.)

Cervantes wrote the novel.

  • Para mí que Marcos no va a venir. (I don’t think Marcos is coming.)

I think that Marcos won’t come.

Read, Listen and Practise

It’s also about learning as you go. Prepositions in Spanish can be learned by watching movies, reading, or talking to native speakers. You can also copy what you hear and repeat it until the message sinks in.

As you get more proficient in Spanish grammar, you will realise that many Spanish prepositions have synonyms and that actions can be expressed in many ways. If you look closely, this is what we have done in the examples.

If you want to practise and see how you are doing with por and para, or other prepositions, go to iScribo and write some sentences. Practice makes perfect!

Categories
Improving language

How To Learn Spanish Fast – 5 Tips You Wish You Knew Before

5 Consejos Para Aprender Español De Forma Rápida - iScribo
Un artículo sobre cómo aprender español de una forma más rápida. Lee este artículo y descubre lo que necesitas saber para acelerar tu aprendizaje de español.

iScribo will teach you how to learn Spanish fast in this post. These are tried-and-tested tactics that will have you speaking Spanish in no time.

  • Without relocating overseas
  • Without having to give up your career to study full-time
  • And without marrying a Spaniard… at least not yet!

Please keep in mind that this is a strenuous workout.

You’ll have to put in a lot of effort, and it may not be for you.

However, if you are ready to put in the work, the benefits will be well worth it.

Before we get into the recommendations, let’s take a step back and think about what you’ll need to do to be successful.

To begin, don’t make the mistake of believing that you can’t learn Spanish quickly.

It is doable, and many experienced language learners will attest to this. And you don’t have to spend a fortune on Spanish lessons or sophisticated learning tools to accomplish it.

But you’ll need some direction (which is why we are here).

Let’s have a look at how to accomplish that.

1. Develop a Large Spanish Vocabulary

Words are the foundation of a language.

Nothing else counts if you don’t know enough vocabulary when you start learning Spanish.

Now, the best method to build a large vocabulary in Spanish over time is to study as you go.

As a result, some general advice is to attempt to utilise Spanish in everyday situations and focus on acquiring the precise words and phrases that you find most helpful.

However, due to the time constraints here, you must take a more direct path.

Here’s the deal.

According to studies of Spanish word frequency, the 1,000 most frequently used words in Spanish account for 87.8 percent of all spoken Spanish.

This implies that you just need to study around 1,000 words to comprehend the great bulk of what you hear in Spanish.

2. Take a Spanish Self-Study Course

A solid Spanish for beginners course is typically the most effective approach to learning the fundamentals since all of the crucial information is set out for you in an easily consumable manner.

Most essential, ensure that the course you choose has lots of dialogues and includes both audio and text so you can enhance your listening skills and learn to comprehend genuine spoken Spanish.

3. Don’t Get Obsessed With Spanish Grammar

One of the most common pitfalls for beginning Spanish students is the desire to polish their Spanish grammar.

While it is vital to master the fundamentals, you may go pretty far with just a rudimentary understanding of grammar since Spanish sentence form is often comparable to English.

And you don’t have to master every nuance of Spanish grammar to converse effectively.

We don’t want to downplay the significance of grammar in Spanish. The main danger is that you will get so preoccupied with grammatical rules that the rest of your studies will come to a standstill.

So, spend some time learning the fundamentals of the Spanish language in the first few chapters of your course or textbook, but then move on.

And as far as learning Spanish grammar goes, you can rely on a very powerful real-time Spanish grammar corrector iScribo.

It will hold your hand and make you not make any grammar mistakes and decrease your learning curve drastically.

4. Read as Much Spanish as Possible

Because you lack vocabulary as a total beginner, you will find it difficult to read much.

However, as soon as you’re ready, you should make reading Spanish a daily habit.

You’ll rapidly expand your vocabulary and master grammar naturally. To check your grammar is correct refer back to iScribo.

5. Make Spanish a Part of Your Daily Life

The next piece of advice may come off as a little trite. However, it is significantly more crucial than you would believe when it comes to the best way to learn Spanish.

If you’ve been studying Spanish for three months, it’s going to seem like a chore at times.

There will be moments when you simply want to relax in front of the television.

So, the more you can change your mindset towards learning Spanish from something you have to make time to do as part of your regular life, the less stress you’ll experience and the more progress you’ll achieve.

How do you incorporate Spanish into your daily life?

  • Get your daily intake of television, news, and so on in Spanish rather than English.
  • Participate in local Spanish societies and activities.
  • Participate in Spanish-language courses (yoga, dancing, sketching, etc.).
  • Attend local language exchange activities and practise with others.

What we’re talking about here is replacing tasks that you could normally conduct in English with counterparts in Spanish. It’s one of my favourite techniques of learning.

All of the additional exposure you receive over two or three months will quickly mount up and truly help you become acquainted with the language in use.

This is what will finally assist you in learning Spanish swiftly and simply.

How to Learn Spanish Fast – Bottomline

As you can see, learning Spanish quickly necessitates some effort. But it’s not impossible. The key is to keep focused on the big picture strategies that will genuinely help you learn and speak the language.

And lastly, to double-check your Spanish writing or grammar, I highly recommend you to use our tool, it will make your life easier.

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