I took this picture in Washington Heights back in January, on one of the coldest days of winter. It is of a dentist’s office, and the sign second from the left reads, “Dentistas Especialisados en Pacientes Cobardes.” On the…
I have now finished all remaining Pimsleur lessons for Spanish, including Spanish Plus, which is the name Pimsleur gives to the 10 bonus lessons they offer beyond the usual Level III. Much of this work was accomplished over the weekend while…
Today I took a field trip to the neighborhood of Elmhurst, in Queens, and an adjacent sliver of Jackson Heights, because I had read that there was a significant Colombian community there. There was. And the visit was an…
Today Spanish shocked me by making a normally wretched occasion not only tolerable, but even pleasant. I have previously described my annual appointment with the gynecologist as one of my least favorite life events, but really, that does not compare…
Yesterday was a mind-numbingly beautiful day, and therefore it became errand day, because I had accumulated a bunch of trip-requiring tasks, and it is nicer to walk from place to place in mild temperatures and sunshine than in much chillier…
I estimate I did at least five hours of work today in Dorothy Richmond’s book Spanish Verb Tenses. I find the writing—yes, there is writing involved, even in a grammar book—to be sly and witty. I…
One of the great things about this city is that I barely have to go anywhere to hear other languages. I don’t document all my linguistic encounters, because after a while it would just get ridiculous, but on Monday,…
For the past several days I have continued studying grammar, mostly in the same McGraw-Hill book I mentioned previously, Spanish Verb Tenses by Dorothy Richmond. So far I have made my way through a review of the present tense, reflexive…
Yesterday was my 300th consecutive day of studying languages. I haven’t missed a day since I began this whole thing back on July 1. I mean, I certainly don’t think it would be a tragedy if I had; it’…
I have been pondering some subjunctive issues and questions in Spanish—and also in English. For native speakers of English, subjunctive is a tricky thing. Although in Englishes of the past, subjunctive was more common, its relevance for modern English…
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