Taya Teaches Spanish

Taya Teaches Spanish 🌱 From zero to conversational
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02/09/2026

How far are you willing to go to prove you’re not just another guiri? 😂🍅

For context, “guiri” is a (usually playful) Spanish word for a foreigner, especially someone from Northern/Western Europe. And yes, there’s a stereotype attached to it: the foreign tourist who comes to Spain for the sun, the “cheap(er)” lifestyle, the sangría (which locals don’t even drink)… but never really becomes part of the life around them.

After almost 10 years in Spain, I’ve realised that “integrating” isn’t about trying to be Spanish. It’s about being willing to participate in the life of the place you choose to visit year after year, or even call home.

And while that doesn’t necessarily look like manual labour in the relentless Spanish countryside (huge respect to Spain’s agricultores 🫡 ), it may look like:

🗣️ Learning the language.

🇪🇸 Getting to know the culture (not just the beaches).

🤝 Making local connections.

⚖️ Understanding how the country works - warts and all.

You don’t have to stop being yourself or completely transform your life to feel at home or accepted in Spain. But making an effort to communicate in Spanish is a pretty good place to start. 🇪🇸❤️

✨Follow for the Spanish you actually need to become part of everyday life in Spain!





My sister got married last week and I’m not ready to leave the wedding bubble 🥹 While her wedding was a mix of British a...
18/08/2026

My sister got married last week and I’m not ready to leave the wedding bubble 🥹

While her wedding was a mix of British and Italian traditions, weddings are a universal celebration — & a topic that comes up surprisingly often in my Spanish classes!

Being able to talk about common adult-life experiences is essential to expressing yourself in the language you’re learning. And that means not just the vocabulary, but the cultural context behind it too.

So here’s are a few differences, traditions and expressions that you can expect to see at a Spanish wedding 👇🇪🇸

💍 No bridesmaids, groomsmen or “wedding party”

The traditional Anglo-style bridal party isn’t really a thing in Spain. Instead, you might hear ‘el padrino’ and ‘la madrina’ traditionally referring to the father of the bride and mother of the groom who accompany them down the aisle.

💶 El sobre

There’s an unwritten expectation for guests to give the couple money in an envelope (un sobre) as their wedding gift, contributing towards the cost of ‘el cubierto’ (the cost of the meal per guest) — and then some!

🥂 El cóctel / La barra libre

Spanish weddings do NOT skimp on food or drinks! El cóctel is the generous canapé/reception period before the main meal. And at most weddings, a barra libre (free bar) is part of the deal too!

🎉 ¡Viva los novios!

At any point after the ceremony, someone may shout “¡Viva los novios!” (“Long live the newlyweds!”), to which everyone responds ‘¡Viva!’.

💋 ¡Que se besen!

Guests will also chant “¡Que se besen! ¡Que se besen!” — basically, “Kiss! Kiss!” — until the newlyweds oblige, to enthusiastic applause.

📖 Readings rather than speeches

While speeches are a big part of weddings in many cultures, they aren’t such a central feature of Spanish weddings. You’re more likely to hear readings in the ceremony and have the meal reserved for eating!

And, like everything in Spain, regional traditions vary enormously!

👇What other Spanish wedding traditions have you come across, or vocabulary would you add? Tell me in the comments!

Follow me for practical Spanish + the cultural context that helps you understand how the language is used 🇪🇸

Not every Spanish teacher is the right fit for every learner… and that’s a good thing 💛So here’s what you can expect fro...
28/07/2026

Not every Spanish teacher is the right fit for every learner… and that’s a good thing 💛

So here’s what you can expect from me:

❌ You’ll never hear me promise you’ll be fluent in 30 days (or any time period)

🗣️ I’ll get you speaking before you feel “ready” (from the very first class, to be exact!)

🇪🇸 The Spanish I speak - my accent, vocabulary and cultural references - is from central Spain. I know and love sharing the main differences across the Spanish-speaking world, but I’d always recommend learning with someone who lives - or has lived extensively - where you’re most likely to communicate in Spanish.

🎉 I’ll celebrate your mistakes as much as your wins. Because mistakes are not proof of failure but to sign that you’re learning. Progress over perfection always!

🌱 I work mainly with beginner, lower level and returning learners - not because I’m limited to those levels but because it’s where I believe I have the most to give. I understand the beginner journey deeply and love shaping the foundations of everything that comes after and those breakthrough moments!

🙋🏼‍♀️ And, yes…I still make mistakes and learn new words in Spanish too sometimes

I believe none of these are a contradiction to being a great teacher, but part of what makes me one

Learning Spanish as an adult isn’t about never making mistakes. It’s about building the confidence to keep communicating despite them.

If that’s the kind of journey you’re looking for, welcome. 🤍 🇪🇸

If you believe the best Spanish teacher is always the person who was born speaking, I’m probably not the right teacher for you.

But if you’re looking for someone who truly understands what it takes to build confidence, communicate naturally and be themselves in another language - because they’ve done exactly that (& are qualified to do so) – I might just be the teacher for you.

If not, that’s okay too 🤗 There are plenty of incredible teachers out there who might be a better fit and I hope you get value from my profile regardless!

👇 Which point do you agree (or disagree with) the most?

beginnersspanish

20/07/2026

Spain just keeps giving the world reasons to love it.

Have you joined the obsession yet? ❤️‍🔥🇪🇸

Follow along for more reasons to fall in love with Spain, its language & culture.






campeones del mundo

12/07/2026

🎉 1,000 followers = mil seguidores 🎉

And yes… I’m using this milestone to teach you a very common mistake in Spanish 💡

Many learners say:

❌ un mil

❌ dos miles

But in Spanish:

MIL already means ONE thousand.

And when it’s multiple thousands, but still a specific number - it doesn’t pluralize, it stays dos MIL, tres MIL, cuatro MIL etc.

But MILES does exist, when we express generally that there are THOUSANDS OF something:

Hay miles de personas.

👀 Notice the need for the preposition DE!

So today we’re celebrating:

🎉 mil seguidores

❌ not un mil seguidores

🎉 and hopefully dos mil soon 😉

¡Gracias por seguirme y aprender español conmigo! 💚

💾 Save this video to come back to when in doubt!



 

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