Most English speakers have at some time in their lives heard Donovan sing “The Hurdy Gurdy Man,” but how many knew what such a man did? The woman in this video talks about a musical family that used to play the sinfonía, and indeed this is the Spanish name for the hand-crank organ known as a “hurdy gurdy.”

It’s quite possible that El Día de Los Locos, as celebrated in La Vela de Coro, has its roots as far back as the Roman Empire, which celebrated Saturnalia at the same time of year. Both festivals, historically, involve turning the social order on its head, with slaves dressing like their masters.

La Vela is a small town in the state of Falcón, on the northwest coast of Venezuela, where every December 28th Los Locos [“The Crazy Ones”] arrive wearing colorful and elaborated costumes. The whole town becomes a party, with businesses closing and people dancing in the streets. It’s a tradition that could be in any magical realism novel and that desperately struggles to not fall into oblivion.

In a very amusing manner, Marina and Sol teach us some common greetings in Spanish. Study live with Marina, Sol and other great teachers at GoSpanish.Com. Your first five days are free and no credit card is needed.

Marina and Sol explain to us how the verb "estar" [to be] can be used to describe the location of people, places and things. You can study live online with Marina, Sol and other excellent teachers any time at GoSpanish.Com. 5 day free trial, no credit card necessary.

With examples, Marina and Sol teach us the numbers in Spanish from one to one hundred. You can study live online with Marina, Sol and other excellent teachers any time at GoSpanish.Com. 5 day free trial, no credit card necessary.

Through their clear and concise conversation, Marina and Sol teach us about the colors in Spanish as well as the verbs "gustar" [to like] and "encantar" [to love]. You can study live online with Marina, Sol and other excellent teachers any time at GoSpanish.Com. 5 day free trial, no credit card necessary.

Demonstrative pronouns such as "this ," "that," "these" and "those" can help us to indicate specific things. This video teaches us several demonstrative pronouns in Spanish. You can study live online with Marina, Sol and other excellent teachers any time at GoSpanish.Com. 5 day free trial, no credit card necessary.

A casual conversation between friends helps us to learn the days of the week in Spanish. Live small group classes start every hour on the hour with these and other fine teachers at GoSpanish.Com. Try it free for five days, no credit card needed. One on one classes are also available.

Marina offers to help Sol with her lesson on telling time. Tarde can be translated as either "afternoon" or "evening," depending upon the hour. Tarde encompasses a longer period of time from many English speakers' notions of "afternoon" or "evening." Note that "Buenas noches" [literally "Good night"] may be used when many English speakers might use "Good evening" to greet someone at a later hour, whereas "Good night" in English tends to be used mainly at bedtime or to say goodbye. GoSpanish.Com

The letter "r" in Spanish can be tricky, particularly since it can be pronounced differently depending upon its position in the word and also has a separate "double r" [rr] letter with its own pronunciation. You can study live online with Marina, Sol and other excellent teachers any time at GoSpanish.Com. 5 day free trial, no credit card necessary.

A new teacher at a school gets acquainted with her coworker in the hallway. You can study live online with Marina, Sol and other excellent teachers any time at GoSpanish.Com. 5 day free trial, no credit card necessary.

It's time to learn the five Spanish vowels along with some examples. You can study live online with Marina, Sol and other excellent teachers any time at GoSpanish.Com. 5 day free trial, no credit card necessary.

Although one language unites the people from all Spanish-speaking countries, it is useful- and fun- to become familiar with the different vocabulary and expressions utilized by Spanish speakers from various nations.

Jesús Baz is the Director of Studies at the Don Quijote spanish school in lovely Salamanca, Spain. A true salmantino, Jesús has a real pride for his city, which is home to some of Europe’s oldest universities and has a very strong intellectual tradition. The school itself, in a beautiful old building that was formerly a convent, also houses a popular student café.