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Spanish homework: looksmaxxing in Spanish, for the week from August 3 to August 9, 2026

News

Spanish homework: looksmaxxing in Spanish, for the week from August 3 to August 9, 2026

 

a1 beginner homework

This homework assignment is designed to give you that practice and to help you learn as much vocabulary that is pertinent to YOUR life, as possible.

We recommend you do the homework at least 5 days a week.

You can see the weekly homework assignment here.

para el nivel a1:

Verb: ir (to go)

  • Presente (the present tense – what is happening now/currently).

    • Voy al café.

    • I go to the coffee shop.

  • Pretérito (a past tense – what already happened at a precise moment or a specific moment).

    • Ayer fui al banco.

    • Yesterday I went to the bank.

  • Imperfecto (a past tense for ongoing past actions).

    • Antes iba al cine todos los viernes.

    • Before, I used to go to the movies every Friday.

  • Presente perfecto (same as “have done” in English).

    • He ido al parque de enfrente de mi casa muchas veces.

    • I have gone to the park in front of my house many times.

  • Futuro (there are 3 ways to express the future – this is the simplest).

    • Este fin de semana voy a ir a la playa.

    • This weekend I’m going to go to the beach.

 

 

 

para el nivel a2:

Busquen un accesorio personal que no sepan decir en español y escriban 5 oraciones para describirlo.

Por ejemplo:

1 – Es un accesorio personal para las orejas.

2 – Puede ser uno o pueden ser dos (o muchos más).

3 – Es decorativo.

4 – Hay muchas formas y diseños.

5 – Algunas personas tienen un agujero en la oreja para este accesorio.

¿Qué accesorio personal es?

Tarea 2: Leer este artículo sobre looksmaxxing para la clase de la semana que viene.

 

 

 

para el nivel a3-b2:

La tarea opcional para la semana que viene es leer este artículo sobre looksmaxxing.

 

 

 

 

 

para el nivel b3-c2:

La tarea opcional para la semana que viene es ver este video sobre looksmaxxing.

 

 

 

 

tarea extra para los niveles b3-c2:

Tarea extra: La tarea extra para los niveles avanzados es leer el siguiente artículo de Infobae.com titulado Alterar la radiación solar para combatir el cambio climático.

para los que les interese hacer más tarea:

Los libros de ejercicios nunca los repasamos en clase. Simplemente les recomendamos un libro cada año, para los que les interese, y las páginas que pueden hacer cada semana. Las respuestas las pueden encontrar en la parte de atrás del libro y es un ejercicio que harán sol@s, si les interesa practicar la gramática de una manera más tradicional.

A2-A3: Hagan el ejercicio 11.5 de la página 187, y lean las páginas 187 y 188 del capítulo 11 The Direct Object del libro “Complete Spanish step-by-step. Premium second edition” de Barbara Bregstein. #affiliatelink

B1-B2: Hagan el ejercicio 16.7 de la página 141, y lean las páginas 141 y 142 de los capítulos 16 The conditional tense y 17 The present perfect and past perfect tenses del libro “Practice Makes Perfect: Intermediate Spanish Grammar, Premium Third Edition 3rd Edition” de Gilda Nissenberg. #affiliatelink

B3-C2: Lean la página 136 y hagan la página 137 del capítulo 64 del libro Gramática de uso del español: Teoría y práctica C1-C2 (Spanish Edition) de Luis Aragonés Fernández y Ramón Palencia del Burgo. #affiliatelink

 

para a2:

¡Destaca y domina!

Esta es la sección para las personas que quieran ser superestrellas del español.

Cada semana les propondremos algún tipo de tarea adicional, por si quieren practicar más entre clases.

No la repasaremos en clase, es simplemente para que practiquen más.

> > > Esta semana la tarea adicional es encontrar el significado de 5 palabras que no sepan en este artículo sobre looksmaxxing.

 

para a3-b2:

¡Destaca y domina!

Esta es la sección para las personas que quieran ser superestrellas del español.

Cada semana les propondremos algún tipo de tarea adicional, por si quieren practicar más entre clases.

No la repasaremos en clase, es simplemente para que practiquen más.

> > > Esta semana la tarea adicional es encontrar el significado de 5 palabras que no sepan en este artículo sobre looksmaxxing.

para b3-c2:

¡Destaca y domina!

Esta es la sección para las personas que quieran ser superestrellas del español.

Cada semana les propondremos algún tipo de tarea adicional, por si quieren practicar más entre clases.

No la repasaremos en clase, es simplemente para que practiquen más.

> > > Esta semana la tarea adicional es encontrar el significado de 5 palabras que no sepan en este video sobre looksmaxxing.

July 31, 2026
https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Untitled-design-8.png 1350 1080 Pura Buena Onda Team https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PBO-Logo-JosephinSans.png Pura Buena Onda Team2026-07-31 09:16:462026-07-31 09:18:50Spanish homework: looksmaxxing in Spanish, for the week from August 3 to August 9, 2026

Something’s coming… 🏔️

News

Something’s coming… 🏔️ 

Grab your metaphorical hiking boots.

Every September, the same thing happens at PBO.

 

Hundreds of you look at your Spanish.

It’s fine. 

It’s been fine for a while. 

And “fine” starts to feel a little… flat. 

Like you’ve been standing on the same plateau, staring at the same view, for way too long.

 

So you do something about it.

We call it Bootcamp. 

 

90 days.

It is not a light stroll. 

There will be days you groan at your phone when the daily task notification pops up. 

There will be a week (maybe several) where life gets loud and Spanish is the last thing you want to think about.

We’re not going to sugarcoat that part.

 

But here’s the other part.

We’ve been doing this for over a decade, and every single year, the people who finish it come out the other side lit up 🔥. 

Understanding song lyrics they used to just hum along to. 

Ordering things in Spanish without rehearsing it in their head first. 

Surprising an old friend, a coworker, themselves with an hour long conversation that felt, dare I say, easy!

 

Language learning is usually a “years, not months” kind of project.

Bootcamp is our favorite exception. 

90 focused days, the right people cheering you on, and you’d be amazed what happens.

 

Bootcamp 2026 is coming.

Get your hiking boots (metaphorical, unless you’re really committing to the bit).

More very soon.

 

Want to be first to know when full details drop?

Join the Bootcamp interest list!

Trailhead’s this way. 👉

July 30, 2026
https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/PBO_2026_Bootcamp_CS_IG_post1-1.png 1688 1350 Pura Buena Onda Team https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PBO-Logo-JosephinSans.png Pura Buena Onda Team2026-07-30 13:38:332026-07-30 13:48:21Something’s coming… 🏔️

la mini-lección: La descripción A2-C2

News

la mini-lección: La descripción A2

 

 

Being able to describe vocabulary that you have not yet learned, is the single most valuable skill that you can develop as a foreign language learner. 

 

To help you make your descriptions as easy to understand as possible, we are going to remind you some things you may want to take into account when you describe a word:

 

1 – What is it? What category does it fall under? A fruit, an action, an animal, a color, a feeling, a concept, a theory, a fact, a sport, a person, a degree, a profession, etc.? (This should always be the 1st thing you start with, so that the other person can start forming an image in their head of what you’re trying to describe).

 

2 – Where is it/Where do you find it? On a mountain, in a library, on the beach, in an office?

 

3 – What size is it? The size of a nail, the size of a whale, as big as a cat? (Saying it’s small, medium or large doesn’t actually help… Small compared to what?)

 

4 – What color is it?

 

5 – Who uses it? What is used for? When do we use it?

 

6 – Is it similar to something else, or the opposite?

 

7 – When does it happen?

 

8 – What does it smell like? Does it smell good? Bad? Like an orange? 

 

9 – Does it make sounds? What kind?

 

10 – How does it feel to the touch? It is slippery, smooth, rough, soft, etc.

 

Bear in mind that personal opinions are not good for descriptions, because unless the other person knows you very well, it doesn’t help to know how you feel about it. 

For example:

  • I love this thing. I drink it on weekends. I don’t have it, etc…

Not helpful at all if you don’t know that person’s tastes.

 

Also, remember that examples can also help with your description:

  • It’s when the sea meets the land in a curved shape. 
  • There’s no waves, and the water is pretty still. 
  • For example, San Diego and San Francisco have one. (A bay)

 

la mini-lección: La descripción A3-B2

 

Being able to describe vocabulary that you have not yet learned, is the single most valuable skill that you can develop as a foreign language learner. 

 

To help you make your descriptions as easy to understand as possible, we are going to remind you some things you may want to take into account when you describe a word:

 

1 – What is it? What category does it fall under? A fruit, an action, an animal, a color, a feeling, a concept, a theory, a fact, a sport, a person, a degree, a profession, etc.? (This should always be the 1st thing you start with, so that the other person can start forming an image in their head of what you’re trying to describe).

 

2 – Where is it/Where do you find it? On a mountain, in a library, on the beach, in an office?

 

3 – What size is it? The size of a nail, the size of a whale, as big as a cat? (Saying it’s small, medium or large doesn’t actually help… Small compared to what?)

 

4 – What color is it?

 

5 – Who uses it? What is used for? When do we use it?

 

6 – Is it similar to something else, or the opposite?

 

7 – When does it happen?

 

8 – What does it smell like? Does it smell good? Bad? Like an orange? 

 

9 – Does it make sounds? What kind?

 

10 – How does it feel to the touch? It is slippery, smooth, rough, soft, etc.

 

Bear in mind that personal opinions are not good for descriptions, because unless the other person knows you very well, it doesn’t help to know how you feel about it. 

For example:

  • I love this thing. I drink it on weekends. I don’t have it, etc…

Not helpful at all if you don’t know that person’s tastes.

 

Also, remember that examples can also help with your description:

  • It’s when the sea meets the land in a curved shape. 
  • There’s no waves, and the water is pretty still. 
  • For example, San Diego and San Francisco have one. (A bay)

 

la mini-lección: La descripción B3-C2

Being able to describe vocabulary that you have not yet learned, is the single most valuable skill that you can develop as a foreign language learner. 

 

To help you make your descriptions as easy to understand as possible, we are going to remind you some things you may want to take into account when you describe a word:

 

1 – What is it? What category does it fall under? A fruit, an action, an animal, a color, a feeling, a concept, a theory, a fact, a sport, a person, a degree, a profession, etc.? (This should always be the 1st thing you start with, so that the other person can start forming an image in their head of what you’re trying to describe).

 

2 – Where is it/Where do you find it? On a mountain, in a library, on the beach, in an office?

 

3 – What size is it? The size of a nail, the size of a whale, as big as a cat? (Saying it’s small, medium or large doesn’t actually help… Small compared to what?)

 

4 – What color is it?

 

5 – Who uses it? What is used for? When do we use it?

 

6 – Is it similar to something else, or the opposite?

 

7 – When does it happen?

 

8 – What does it smell like? Does it smell good? Bad? Like an orange? 

 

9 – Does it make sounds? What kind?

 

10 – How does it feel to the touch? It is slippery, smooth, rough, soft, etc.

 

Bear in mind that personal opinions are not good for descriptions, because unless the other person knows you very well, it doesn’t help to know how you feel about it. 

For example:

  • I love this thing. I drink it on weekends. I don’t have it, etc…

Not helpful at all if you don’t know that person’s tastes.

 

Also, remember that examples can also help with your description:

  • It’s when the sea meets the land in a curved shape. 
  • There’s no waves, and the water is pretty still. 
  • For example, San Diego and San Francisco have one. (A bay)
July 27, 2026
https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Mini-lesson-0504.png 1080 1080 Pura Buena Onda Team https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PBO-Logo-JosephinSans.png Pura Buena Onda Team2026-07-27 09:00:512026-07-23 10:33:17la mini-lección: La descripción A2-C2

Spanish homework: advice with the imperative, for the week from July 27 to August 2, 2026

News

Spanish homework: advice with the imperative, for the week from July 27 to August 2, 2026

 

a1 beginner homework

This homework assignment is designed to give you that practice and to help you learn as much vocabulary that is pertinent to YOUR life, as possible.

We recommend you do the homework at least 5 days a week.

You can see the weekly homework assignment here.

para el nivel a1:

Verb: responder (to answer)

  • Presente (the present tense – what is happening now/currently).

    • Siempre responden tus preguntas.

    • They always answer your questions.

  • Pretérito (a past tense – what already happened at a precise moment or a specific moment).

    • La semana pasada respondieron los emails.

    • Last week they answered the emails.

  • Imperfecto (a past tense for ongoing past actions).

    • Respondían cuando las llamaban.

    • They would answer whenever they called them.

  • Presente perfecto (same as “have done” in English).

    • Ya han respondido las preguntas del grupo.

    • They have already answered the group questions.

  • Futuro (there are 3 ways to express the future – this is the simplest).

    • Van a responder por mensaje de texto.

    • They are going to answer by text message.

 

 

 

para el nivel a2:

Busquen un monumento o lugar famoso que no sepan decir en español y escriban 5 oraciones para describirlo.

Por ejemplo:

1 – Es un puente.

2 – Está en San Francisco.

3 – Es de color naranja.

4 – Se inauguró el año 1937.

5 – Mide 1.7 millas de largo.

¿Qué monumento o lugar famoso es?

 

 

 

 

para el nivel a3-c2:

La tarea opcional para la semana que viene es pensar en 5 situaciones hipotéticas con la palabra SI en las que un amigo o familiar tiene o podría tener un problema o necesitar consejo, y escribir 5 recomendaciones con el imperativo.

Por ejemplo:

Si necesitas dinero, llámame.

Si quieres leer un buen libro, lee….

Si tienes miedo de volar, habla con un terapeuta.

 

 

 

 

 

tarea extra para los niveles b3-c2:

Tarea extra: La tarea extra para los niveles avanzados es ver el siguiente video de Telemundo titulado Las pasajeras de Uber podrán viajar exclusivamente con conductoras.

para los que les interese hacer más tarea:

Los libros de ejercicios nunca los repasamos en clase. Simplemente les recomendamos un libro cada año, para los que les interese, y las páginas que pueden hacer cada semana. Las respuestas las pueden encontrar en la parte de atrás del libro y es un ejercicio que harán sol@s, si les interesa practicar la gramática de una manera más tradicional.

A2-A3: Hagan los ejercicios 11.2, 11.3 y 11.4 de las páginas 185 y 186 del capítulo 11 The Direct Object del libro “Complete Spanish step-by-step. Premium second edition” de Barbara Bregstein. #affiliatelink

B1-B2: Hagan los ejercicios 16.5 y 16.6 de las páginas 139 y 140, y lean la página 140 del capítulo 16 The conditional tense del libro “Practice Makes Perfect: Intermediate Spanish Grammar, Premium Third Edition 3rd Edition” de Gilda Nissenberg. #affiliatelink

B3-C2: Lean la página 134 y hagan la página 135 del capítulo 63 del libro Gramática de uso del español: Teoría y práctica C1-C2 (Spanish Edition) de Luis Aragonés Fernández y Ramón Palencia del Burgo. #affiliatelink

 

para a2:

¡Destaca y domina!

Esta es la sección para las personas que quieran ser superestrellas del español.

Cada semana les propondremos algún tipo de tarea adicional, por si quieren practicar más entre clases.

No la repasaremos en clase, es simplemente para que practiquen más.

> > > Esta semana la tarea adicional es pensar en 5 situaciones hipotéticas con la palabra SI en las que un amig@ o familiar tiene o podría tener un problema o necesitar consejo, y escribir 5 recomendaciones con el imperativo.

Por ejemplo:

Si necesitas dinero, llámame.

Si quieres leer un buen libro, lee….

Si tienes miedo de volar, habla con un terapeuta.

 

 

para a3-c2:

¡Destaca y domina!

Esta es la sección para las personas que quieran ser superestrellas del español.

Cada semana les propondremos algún tipo de tarea adicional, por si quieren practicar más entre clases.

No la repasaremos en clase, es simplemente para que practiquen más.

> > > Esta semana la tarea adicional es escribir 5 situaciones hipotéticas más con la palabra SI en las que un amigo o familiar tiene o podría tener un problema o necesitar consejo, pero con el imperativo negativo.

Por ejemplo:

Si estás cansada, no trabajes más.

Si te duele la espalda, no hagas ejercicio.

Si quieres ahorrar dinero, no comas a menudo fuera de casa.

July 23, 2026
https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/recursos.png 1080 1080 Pura Buena Onda Team https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PBO-Logo-JosephinSans.png Pura Buena Onda Team2026-07-23 13:30:072026-07-23 13:33:01Spanish homework: advice with the imperative, for the week from July 27 to August 2, 2026

Why Speaking Spanish Feels So Awkward at First (and Why Your Brain Loves It Anyway)

News

Let’s talk about that feeling.

 

You know the one. 

Someone asks you a question in Spanish and your brain just… blanks. 

Or you say something and immediately hear how wrong it sounded the second it leaves your mouth. 

Or you’re sitting in class trying to figure out how to say something simple, like “I forgot my umbrella,” and somehow it comes out sounding like a riddle.

 

That feeling? 

The hot cheeks, the mental scramble, the little voice that says I should know this by now?

 

That’s not a sign you’re doing it wrong. 

That’s a sign you’re doing it exactly right.

Your brain actually loves this (even when you don’t)

Here’s the thing nobody tells you when you start learning a language: discomfort isn’t the obstacle. 

It’s the mechanism.

 

Neuroscientists have a name for this. 

It’s called the desirable difficulty effect. 

 

Learning that feels smooth and easy, the kind where you’re just recognizing things you already know, barely leaves a mark. 

But learning that feels a little effortful, a little wobbly, a little “wait, am I getting this right?” is exactly the kind that builds real, lasting connections in your brain.

 

Think about it like a hike. 

A flat paved path is pleasant. 

You can stroll along without breaking a sweat. 

But it’s not building any new muscle. 

It’s the uphill, slightly-too-steep section that’s doing the actual work, even though it’s the part where you’re breathing hard and questioning your choices.

 

Your brain works the same way. 

When you fumble for a word, when you have to guess at a conjugation, when you say something and then immediately think “wait, was that right?”, you’re not failing. 

You’re in the exact zone where real learning happens.

 

The awkward pause is doing you a favor

There’s a moment in every conversation practice that a lot of our students dread: the pause.

The one where you’re searching for a word and it’s just… not there yet. 

Silence. 

Maybe a nervous laugh. 

Maybe you say “um” in English because your brain gave up and switched languages on you without permission.

 

We get it. 

That pause feels like evidence that you’re not good at this.

 

It’s actually the opposite. 

That little gap, that moment of effortful searching, is your brain building the retrieval pathway it needs so that next time, the word comes faster. 

Every time you struggle to find a word and then find it (even imperfectly, even three seconds too late), you’re carving the path a little deeper. 

 

The next attempt gets easier. 

Not because the awkwardness disappears, but because your brain has practiced getting through it.

 

This is also, by the way, why cramming vocabulary from an app in silence will never get you as far as one real, slightly clumsy conversation. 

Passive review doesn’t ask your brain to reach for anything. 

Conversation does. 

That reaching is the whole point.

 

Putting yourself out there is the hard part, and it’s supposed to be

Let’s be honest about something else: it’s not just the grammar that’s uncomfortable.

It’s being seen while you mess up.

 

Speaking a new language means being a beginner in front of other people, sometimes people you respect, sometimes total strangers. 

It means your usual wit, your usual precision, your usual sense of humor, all the ways you normally show up as yourself, get stripped down to whatever vocabulary you currently have.

That’s genuinely vulnerable. 

It makes sense that it feels exposing.

 

But here’s what we want you to know: nobody is keeping score of your mistakes the way you think they are. 

Every single person who has ever learned a second language has sat in that same uncomfortable seat. 

Your teacher has been there. 

That fluent friend you’re a little intimidated by has been there. 

Fluency isn’t the absence of that discomfort. 

It’s just what’s left after you’ve walked through enough of it that it stops feeling so loud.

 

So when you get something wrong, or you blank on a word, or your accent doesn’t sound the way you wish it did, try to notice the instinct to judge yourself. 

And then, gently, let it go. 

 

Not because the mistake doesn’t matter, but because judging yourself for it doesn’t help you learn faster. 

It just makes you want to stop trying, and stopping is the only thing that actually slows you down.

 

What this looks like in real practice

You don’t need to seek out discomfort for its own sake. 

You’re not trying to suffer. 

You’re just trying to stop avoiding the moments that feel hard, because those are the moments doing the heavy lifting.

 

That might mean:

  • Answering in Spanish even when you’re not sure you have the right words yet, instead of waiting until you feel “ready”
  • Letting a pause sit for a second longer while you search for a word, instead of immediately reaching for English
  • Speaking up in class even when you know you’ll probably get something wrong
  • Trying a sentence structure you’re not fully confident in, just to see what happens

 

None of this feels good in the moment. 

That’s fine. 

It’s not supposed to. 

The goal was never to feel comfortable. 

The goal is to become someone who can hold a real conversation in Spanish, and that person gets built one slightly uncomfortable attempt at a time.

 

So next time you feel that hot-cheeks, brain-blank, “did I just say that wrong” moment: good. That’s the work. 

That’s your brain doing exactly what it’s supposed to be doing.

Keep going. 

You’re closer than you think.

July 22, 2026
https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ChatGPT-Image-Jul-21-2026-02_52_05-PM.png 1254 1254 Pura Buena Onda Team https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PBO-Logo-JosephinSans.png Pura Buena Onda Team2026-07-22 01:33:562026-07-23 10:07:38Why Speaking Spanish Feels So Awkward at First (and Why Your Brain Loves It Anyway)

la mini-lección: El imperativo A2-C2

News

la mini-lección: El imperativo A2

We will cover the tú (you informal) form of imperative mood. 

The imperative is used to give orders and commands, to make an offer or to apologize. 

 

Por ejemplo:

Abre la puerta. (Open the door.)

Si quieres hablar, llámame. (If you want to talk, call me.)

Perdóname, lo hice sin querer. (Forgive me, it was an accident.)

 

The conjugations for verbs ending in -ar, -er and -ir in the imperative tú form change in the affirmative and negative. Here they are:

 

Hablar Beber Vivir

Habla Bebe Vive

No hables No bebas No vivas

 

la mini-lección: El imperativo A3-B2

We will cover the tú (you informal) form of imperative mood. 

The imperative is used to give orders and commands, to make an offer or to apologize. 

 

Por ejemplo:

Abre la puerta. (Open the door.)

Si quieres hablar, llámame. (If you want to talk, call me.)

Perdóname, lo hice sin querer. (Forgive me, it was an accident.)

 

The conjugations for verbs ending in -ar, -er and -ir in the imperative tú form change in the affirmative and negative. Here they are:

 

Hablar Beber Vivir

Habla Bebe Vive

No hables No bebas No vivas

 

la mini-lección: El imperativo B3-C2

We will cover the tú (you informal) form of imperative mood, which is used to give orders and commands, to make an offer or to apologize; and take it to the next level. 

 

The conjugations for verbs ending in -ar, -er and -ir in the imperative tú form change in the affirmative and negative. Here they are:

 

Hablar Beber Vivir

Habla Bebe Vive

No hables No bebas No vivas

 

Now, how do we use it with reflexive verbs? 

And what about the direct and indirect object pronouns?

 

With reflexive verbs, the pronouns are attached to the imperative verb in affirmative sentences, and placed in front of the verb in negative sentences.

 

Por ejemplo:

 

Cállate. (Shut up.)

Estás enferma, no te levantes. (You are sick, don’t stand up.)

No te preocupes, solucionaremos el problema. (Don’t worry, we will fix the problem.)

 

Direct and indirect object pronouns work in the same way, all attached after the verb in affirmative sentences, and detached from each other in front of the verb in negative sentences. 

The indirect object pronoun always comes before the direct object pronoun.

 

Por ejemplo:

Dámelo. (Give it to me.)

No me las compres.  (Don’t buy them for me.)

Permítemelo. (Allow me/Let me do it/Let me have it.)

 

Attention! The indirect pronouns le and les before the direct pronouns lo, la, los and las change into SE.

 

Por ejemplo:

 

Cómpraselas, and not “cómpralelas.” (buy them for him/her/them.)

 

July 20, 2026
https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/photo_2026-07-20-11.32.37.jpeg 1080 1080 Pura Buena Onda Team https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PBO-Logo-JosephinSans.png Pura Buena Onda Team2026-07-20 09:00:202026-07-20 11:34:53la mini-lección: El imperativo A2-C2

Spanish homework: advice & recommendations, for the week from July 20 to July 26, 2026

News

Spanish homework: advice & recommendations, for the week from July 20 to July 26, 2026

 

a1 beginner homework

This homework assignment is designed to give you that practice and to help you learn as much vocabulary that is pertinent to YOUR life, as possible.

We recommend you do the homework at least 5 days a week.

You can see the weekly homework assignment here.

para el nivel a1:

Verb: cerrar (to close, to shut)

  • Presente (the present tense – what is happening now/currently).

    • Siempre cerramos la puerta con cuidado.

    • We always close the door carefully.

  • Pretérito (a past tense – what already happened at a precise moment or a specific moment).

    • ¿Cuándo cerramos la cuenta?

    • When did we close the account?

  • Imperfecto (a past tense for ongoing past actions).

    • De niños nunca cerrábamos la boca.

    • As children, we would never shut up.

  • Presente perfecto (same as “have done” in English).

    • Hemos cerrado los ojos y nos hemos dormido.

    • We have closed our eyes and we have fallen asleep.

  • Futuro (there are 3 ways to express the future – this is the simplest).

    • Vamos a cerrar nuestro negocio y jubilarnos.

    • We are going to shut our business down and retire.

 

 

 

para el nivel a2:

Busquen un cosmético que no sepan decir en español y escriban 5 oraciones para describirlo.

Por ejemplo:

1 – Es un cosmético que se usa en los labios.

2 – Sirve para poner color en los labios.

3 – Los labios tienen un aspecto más rojo o más oscuro.

4 – Es más común verlo en los labios de las mujeres.

5 – Maybelline, Revlon y MAC hacen este cosmético.

¿Qué cosmético es?

 

 

 

 

para el nivel a3-c2:

La tarea opcional para la semana que viene es buscar información acerca del modo imperativo / los mandatos y pensar en 3 cosas, situaciones o problemas sobre los que quieren pedir ayuda o la opinión de sus compañeros de clase.

 

 

 

 

 

tarea extra para los niveles b3-c2:

Tarea extra: La tarea extra para los niveles avanzados es escuchar el siguiente podcast de la emisora de radio española SER titulado El viaje de Julieta.

para los que les interese hacer más tarea:

Los libros de ejercicios nunca los repasamos en clase. Simplemente les recomendamos un libro cada año, para los que les interese, y las páginas que pueden hacer cada semana. Las respuestas las pueden encontrar en la parte de atrás del libro y es un ejercicio que harán sol@s, si les interesa practicar la gramática de una manera más tradicional.

A2-A3: Lean las páginas 183 y 184 del capítulo 11 The Direct Object del libro “Complete Spanish step-by-step. Premium second edition” de Barbara Bregstein. #affiliatelink

B1-B2: Lean las páginas 137 y 138 y hagan el ejercicio 16.4 del capítulo 16 The conditional tense del libro “Practice Makes Perfect: Intermediate Spanish Grammar, Premium Third Edition 3rd Edition” de Gilda Nissenberg. #affiliatelink

B3-C2: Lean la página 132 y hagan la página 133 del capítulo 62 del libro Gramática de uso del español: Teoría y práctica C1-C2 (Spanish Edition) de Luis Aragonés Fernández y Ramón Palencia del Burgo. #affiliatelink

 

para a2:

¡Destaca y domina!

Esta es la sección para las personas que quieran ser superestrellas del español.

Cada semana les propondremos algún tipo de tarea adicional, por si quieren practicar más entre clases.

No la repasaremos en clase, es simplemente para que practiquen más.

> > > Esta semana la tarea adicional es buscar información acerca del modo imperativo / los mandatos.

 

 

para a3-c2:

¡Destaca y domina!

Esta es la sección para las personas que quieran ser superestrellas del español.

Cada semana les propondremos algún tipo de tarea adicional, por si quieren practicar más entre clases.

No la repasaremos en clase, es simplemente para que practiquen más.

> > > Esta semana la tarea adicional es escribir 8 recomendaciones con el imperativo para un amig@ sobre cosas que hacer (o no hacer) en un lugar en que hayas estado.

Por ejemplo:

En Roma, toma un café en la Piazza Navona, pasea por el Trastevere, no compres recuerdos, son demasiado caros, etc…

July 16, 2026
https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Untitled-design-45.png 1350 1080 Pura Buena Onda Team https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PBO-Logo-JosephinSans.png Pura Buena Onda Team2026-07-16 12:01:252026-07-16 12:01:25Spanish homework: advice & recommendations, for the week from July 20 to July 26, 2026

The Best Way to Learn Spanish Conversationally (As an Adult, With a Real Life)

News

Let’s get the obvious answer out of the way first.

 

The single best way to learn to speak Spanish is to move to a Spanish-speaking country and get lost in it. 

Order your coffee in Spanish. 

Get mildly confused by a landlord in Spanish. 

Fall in love, or at least fall in like, in Spanish. 

 

Total immersion rewires your brain in a way no app ever will, because suddenly Spanish isn’t a subject. 

It’s just how life works now.

 

But most of us have jobs. 

Mortgages. 

A dog who does not care one bit about our language goals. 

Moving to Oaxaca for eight months isn’t happening this year, and maybe not next year either.

 

So what’s the next best thing?

Conversation classes, obviously (we might be biased)

If you can’t get the immersion, you build a little immersion bubble. 

That’s what a real conversation class does. 

You’re not memorizing verb charts. 

You’re not doing worksheets alone at your kitchen table. 

You’re talking to an actual human, in real time, about real things, and you’re doing it with the safety net of a teacher who can catch you when you stumble.

 

The magic ingredient here is pressure without punishment. 

Enough pressure to make your brain actually reach for the words. 

Not so much that you clam up. 

That’s the whole game.

 

But conversation classes work best as the anchor, not the entirety. 

Here’s what else belongs in the mix.

 

Find a practice buddy who’s on the same road as you

Here’s the thing about practicing with a total stranger from a language app: you have no idea if they’re actually going to show up, or if you’re compatible, or if they’re even trying to learn the same way you are.

 

This is exactly why we built our Spanish Buddy program at PBO. 

 

Students fill out a quick form: how you like to learn, what city you’re in, whether you want to practice online or in person, WhatsApp voice notes or a standing weekly call, how often, and your current level. 

 

We take all of that and hand it right back to our students, so you can browse and reach out to someone who actually matches your vibe and your schedule.

No guessing. 

No awkward mismatch where one person wants daily texts and the other wants a monthly coffee. 

Just a shortcut to finding your person.

 

Change your phone, apps, and life settings to Spanish

This one’s free and mildly chaotic. 

Flip your phone’s language, your Instagram, your Netflix menus, your microwave if it lets you.

You’ll be lost for about two days. 

Then your brain starts absorbing vocabulary without even trying, because someone has to figure out which button says “cancel.”

 

Consume Spanish media made for native speakers, not students

Skip the textbook dialogues about buying train tickets. 

Go find a telenovela, a Spanish true crime podcast, a Bad Bunny interview. 

You won’t understand everything, and that’s the point. 

Comprehensible input doesn’t mean easy input. 

It means input you’re motivated enough to sit through anyway. 

Your ear adjusts faster than you’d think.

 

Talk to yourself

Genuinely. 

Narrate your day in Spanish while you make coffee. 

Rehearse an imaginary argument with your cable company in Spanish. 

It feels ridiculous for about a week. 

Then it becomes the fastest way to notice exactly which words you’re missing, in the privacy of your own kitchen where nobody’s watching.

 

Find your local Spanish-speaking community

You probably don’t need to leave the country to leave your bubble. 

Farmers markets, community events, a Latin dance class, a local restaurant where you actually chat with the owner instead of just ordering. 

Community exists closer than you think, and showing up in person, even nervously, in broken Spanish, tends to be met with more warmth than fear.

 

Use an AI conversation partner between classes

This is a genuinely new one, and it’s a good one. 

Practicing with an AI chat partner is judgment-free repetition. 

It’s there at 11pm when your teacher isn’t. 

It’ll never get tired of correcting your subjunctive. 

Use it to warm up before class, not as a replacement for one. 

The real human connection is still the thing that makes it stick.

(And please note that this technology is still not 100% accurate).

 

The real answer: stack it

None of these work in isolation nearly as well as they work together. 

A conversation class gives you structure and a real human relationship. 

A Spanish buddy gives you low-stakes reps on your own schedule. 

Media gives you your ear. 

Talking to yourself gives you fluency. 

And your local community gives you the thing immersion abroad gives you for free: stakes. 

A reason to actually try.

 

You don’t need to move to Buenos Aires to build a life that runs partly in Spanish. 

You just need to stack enough small doors into that world that, eventually, you’re living in it a little more every week.

 

Sigue adelante.

Caro

July 15, 2026
https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ChatGPT-Image-Jul-14-2026-01_55_03-PM.png 1254 1254 Pura Buena Onda Team https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PBO-Logo-JosephinSans.png Pura Buena Onda Team2026-07-15 00:34:352026-07-16 10:16:46The Best Way to Learn Spanish Conversationally (As an Adult, With a Real Life)

Spanish homework: 4th of July week, for the week from July 13 to July 19, 2026

News

Spanish homework: 4th of July week, for the week from July 13 to July 19, 2026

 

a1 beginner homework

This homework assignment is designed to give you that practice and to help you learn as much vocabulary that is pertinent to YOUR life, as possible.

We recommend you do the homework at least 5 days a week.

You can see the weekly homework assignment here.

para el nivel a1:

Verb: necesitar (to need)

  • Presente (the present tense – what is happening now/currently).

    • Necesita más tiempo.

    • He/she needs more time.

  • Pretérito (a past tense – what already happened at a precise moment or a specific moment).

    • Ayer el nuevo empleado no necesitó tu ayuda.

    • Yesterday, the new employee didn’t need your help.

  • Imperfecto (a past tense for ongoing past actions).

    • Cuando era joven mi mejor amiga necesitaba dinero a menudo.

    • When she was younger, my best friend used to need money often.

  • Presente perfecto (same as “have done” in English).

    • Siempre ha necesitado el apoyo de los demás.

    • He/she has always needed other’s support.

  • Futuro (there are 3 ways to express the future – this is the simplest).

    • El gato va a necesitar más comida.

    • The cat is going to need more food.

 

 

 

para el nivel a2:

Busquen un medio de comunicación que no sepan decir en español y escriban 5 oraciones para describirlo.

Por ejemplo:

1 – Es un medio de comunicación que escuchamos.

2 – Se pueden escuchar música, programas o noticias.

3 – Se puede escuchar en línea, con internet.

4 – Muchos coches tienen este medio de comunicación

5 – Marconi inventó este medio en 1880, más o menos.

¿Qué medio de comunicación es?

 

 

 

 

para el nivel a3-c2:

La tarea opcional para la semana que viene es escribir un párrafo sobre lo que hicieron durante la semana pasada, en que PBO estuvo cerrado.

 

La otra tarea opcional es escribir 1 meta muy específica para el mes de julio.

Para que quede muy claro, veamos ahora ejemplos no muy específicos y ejemplos específicos de metas:

Ejemplos NO muy específicos: 

Leer más en español.

Practicar el español fuera de clase.

Pronunciar mejor.

Ejemplos específicos: 

Leer un artículo en español 1 vez por semana.

Hablar por 10 minutos 3 veces por semana con un amig@ hispanohablante.

Practicar las correcciones de pronunciación de las clases de PBO.

Como pueden ver, queremos que sean MUY específic@s y que la meta sea solo para el mes de julio.

Atención: Subir de nivel  no puede ser una de sus metas.

 

Si les interesa, tenemos este documento llamado student goals 2026.

Lo pueden usar para estructurar sus metas y hacer seguimiento de su progreso.

Si lo quieren, les podemos enviar uno individual.

Solamente tienen que mandar un mensaje de texto al equipo administrativo (619-916-8339) o un email ([email protected]) y pedir el formulario: student goals.

 

 

 

 

 

tarea extra para los niveles b3-c2:

Tarea extra: La tarea extra para los niveles avanzados es leer el siguiente artículo de The New York Times titulado Hay metales pesados en algunos chocolates amargos.

para los que les interese hacer más tarea:

Los libros de ejercicios nunca los repasamos en clase. Simplemente les recomendamos un libro cada año, para los que les interese, y las páginas que pueden hacer cada semana. Las respuestas las pueden encontrar en la parte de atrás del libro y es un ejercicio que harán sol@s, si les interesa practicar la gramática de una manera más tradicional.

A2-A3: Lean las páginas 181 y 182 y hagan el ejercicio 11.1 del capítulo 11 The Direct Object del libro “Complete Spanish step-by-step. Premium second edition” de Barbara Bregstein. #affiliatelink

B1-B2: Lean la página 135 y hagan los ejercicios 16.1, 16.2 y 16.3 de las página 135 y 136 del capítulo 16 The conditional tense del libro “Practice Makes Perfect: Intermediate Spanish Grammar, Premium Third Edition 3rd Edition” de Gilda Nissenberg. #affiliatelink

B3-C2: Lean la página 130 y hagan la página 131 del capítulo 61 del libro Gramática de uso del español: Teoría y práctica C1-C2 (Spanish Edition) de Luis Aragonés Fernández y Ramón Palencia del Burgo. #affiliatelink

 

para a2:

¡Destaca y domina!

Esta es la sección para las personas que quieran ser superestrellas del español.

Cada semana les propondremos algún tipo de tarea adicional, por si quieren practicar más entre clases.

No la repasaremos en clase, es simplemente para que practiquen más.

> > > Esta semana la tarea adicional es escribir un párrafo sobre lo que hicieron durante la semana pasada, en que PBO estuvo cerrado.

 

 

para a3-c2:

¡Destaca y domina!

Esta es la sección para las personas que quieran ser superestrellas del español.

Cada semana les propondremos algún tipo de tarea adicional, por si quieren practicar más entre clases.

No la repasaremos en clase, es simplemente para que practiquen más.

> > > Esta semana la tarea adicional es escribir un párrafo corto sobre sus planes para este verano.

July 9, 2026
https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Untitled-design-44.png 1350 1080 Pura Buena Onda Team https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PBO-Logo-JosephinSans.png Pura Buena Onda Team2026-07-09 16:26:072026-07-09 16:29:59Spanish homework: 4th of July week, for the week from July 13 to July 19, 2026

Nobody Is Grading You: Why It’s Time to Stop Being Afraid to Speak Spanish

News

Here’s a scene that plays out constantly and that most of us never stop to think about.

 

You’re at a coffee shop. 

Someone comes up to you and says, “Excuse me, where is bathroom?” 

No “the.” 

Wrong verb tense, maybe no verb at all. 

And what happens in your brain?

 

Nothing about grammar. 

You just think: bathroom’s over there. 

You point. 

You smile. 

Maybe you think, what a nice person. 

You do not think, that should have been “where is THE bathroom,” and technically they should have said “could you tell me where,” and honestly the intonation was a little off too.

 

Nobody thinks that. Ever.

 

That’s the part Spanish learners forget when they’re standing there, frozen, running six conjugations through their head before they’ll let a sentence out of their mouth. 

You’re bracing for a red pen that doesn’t exist.

People Are Listening in Black and White, Not Color

When someone is speaking to you in your native language and they’re not fluent in it, your brain isn’t running a rubric. 

It’s not tracking subjunctive versus indicative, or whether they nailed the pretérito versus the imperfecto. 

It’s doing one simple check: can I understand this person, yes or no?

That’s it. 

That’s the whole test. 

 

And if the answer is yes, most people feel genuinely happy. 

Not tolerant. 

Not patient in a strained way. 

Happy. 

Communication happened. 

That’s the win.

 

This is worth sitting with, because it means the bar you’re imagining, perfect grammar, flawless conjugation, zero mistakes, isn’t the bar anyone else is using. 

You made it up. 

And you can unmake it.

Native-Like Fluency as an Adult Is Rare. That’s Not a Flaw, It’s Just Biology.

Here’s something that might actually be a relief to hear: if you learned Spanish as an adult and you don’t sound like someone born speaking it, that’s not you failing. 

That’s just how language acquisition works.

 

There’s a well-known idea in linguistics called the critical period, the theory that there’s a window, generally somewhere in childhood, when the brain is uniquely wired to absorb a language’s sounds and structure in a way that becomes much harder to fully replicate later.

Researchers still debate exactly where that window closes and how absolute it is. 

Some large studies have found that adult learners who put in years of serious exposure can perform impressively well, even matching native speakers on certain grammar tests. 

But truly native-like mastery, especially accent, as an adult learner is still the exception, not the rule.

 

In other words: it is not common, expected, or even the point. 

If it were easy or typical, every adult learner would sound like a native speaker after a couple years of classes, and anyone who’s tried knows that’s not how it goes.

So let that expectation go. 

Nobody who studies language acquisition seriously expects an adult learner to sound native.

The people around you don’t expect it either. 

You’re the only one holding yourself to that standard.

What Actually Matters (Hint: It’s Not Perfection)

If perfection isn’t the goal, what is?

 

Getting your message across. 

That’s the whole game. 

A sentence with the wrong verb tense that communicates clearly beats a perfectly conjugated sentence that never leaves your mouth because you were too scared to say it.

Reps, not rules. 

Speaking is a physical skill as much as a mental one. 

Your mouth needs to practice making the sounds. 

Your brain needs practice retrieving words under pressure. 

You build that through talking, not through more studying. 

You cannot think your way into fluency from a notebook.

 

Low-stakes practice. 

Find people who are rooting for you, a teacher, a classmate, a conversation partner, and use them. 

Nobody in that room is grading you. 

They’re on your side.

 

Reframing mistakes as information, not failure. 

Every mistake tells you exactly what to work on next. 

That’s not a setback. 

That’s a shortcut.

 

Confidence beats correctness. 

A confident, imperfect sentence usually communicates better than a hesitant, technically perfect one that trails off halfway through. 

Say the sentence. 

Let it be messy. 

Keep going.

 

The more you produce it, the easier it gets. 

This one sounds obvious, but it’s easy to forget when you’re stuck in your head about mistakes.

Every single time you push a sentence out, out loud, in real time, you’re training your brain to retrieve Spanish faster and with less effort. 

It’s not magic.

 It’s repetition. 

The tenth time you order coffee in Spanish will feel nothing like the first. 

The hundredth time won’t even register as hard. 

That ease isn’t talent showing up, it’s just mileage. 

So the goal isn’t to wait until you feel ready.

 It’s to talk before you feel ready, because that’s what makes you ready.

The Bathroom Guy Again

Go back to that person asking where the bathroom is. 

They didn’t hesitate. 

They didn’t apologize for their grammar. 

They just asked, because getting an answer mattered more than getting it right.

That’s the move. 

Say the imperfect sentence. 

Ask the question with the wrong preposition. 

Order the food with the conjugation you’re not 100% sure about.

Nobody’s handing out red pens. 

They’re just glad you asked.

Your Turn

If you’re already a PBO student, you know where to find your reps: class. 

Show up, say the messy sentence, let your teacher help you clean it up next time. 

That’s literally what the room is for.

 

And if you’re not a student yet, but you’ve been sitting on the fence, wondering if you’re “ready” to start speaking Spanish out loud with real people, here’s your answer: you don’t need to be ready. 

You just need to start. 

Book a trial class and come say your first imperfect sentence with us. 

We promise, nobody’s grading you.

July 7, 2026
https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ChatGPT-Image-Jul-7-2026-03_00_13-PM.png 1254 1254 Pura Buena Onda Team https://purabuenaonda.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/PBO-Logo-JosephinSans.png Pura Buena Onda Team2026-07-07 15:39:572026-07-09 13:09:33Nobody Is Grading You: Why It’s Time to Stop Being Afraid to Speak Spanish

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