11/10/2023
October 12th is Spain’s national day. This day marks the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. Spanish is truly a global language as it is the official language of 21 countries on three continents and it is an official language of both the European Union and the United Nations.
Fun facts about Spanish:
- Antonio de Nebrija wrote the first grammar of the Spanish Language, which was published in 1492.
- In the word guineoecuatorial you can find all vowels twice, but no consonant is repeated.
- Spanish is one of the few languages in which pineapple is not called ananas, but piña.
- There are more than ten words for popcorn. Depending on where you are, you will need to order palomitas (Mexico and Spain), pochoclo (Argentina), pororó (Bolivia), canguil (Ecuador), canchitas (Peru), rositas de maíz (Cuba), or whatever word is used where you live.
- Most words starting in al- are of Arabic origin, such as almohada (pillow), albóndiga (meatball) or alacrán (scorpion).
- If you speak English, you already use words that come from Spanish. Some examples are tomato, tornado, ranch or cockroach.
Whether Spanish is your mother tongue or a foreign language for you, there is always a good reason to practise your interpreting skills with the speeches in our Spanish section. They are great and suitable for every level.
On our behalf, we would like to wish all our Spanish-speaking friends a wonderful 12th of October!