Beginner Spanish with Spanish Obsessed
Spanish Obsessed 52 episodes Nov 4, 2026
Beginner Spanish from Rob and Liz of Spanish Obsessed. Couple Liz and Rob (Colombian and English) teach and discuss a range of Spanish phrases, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation - giving you the real Spanish as it's used around the world today. Engaging and lively conversation around a range of topics, equipping you with the Spanish you need to navigate through a variety of situations, from ordering different types of coffee to telling your significant you love them in 6 different ways! We update weekly, so be sure to subscribe using the button on the left to stay up to date. Also, check out our world of Spanish material, articles, and general Spanish love at SpanishObsessed.com!
Episodes
Beginners 53: Por vs para, some simple concepts to help
Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word as Rob and Lis make por and para simple, and get the English for every line, eight sentences to try out loud, and what a bocadillo is in Colombia (it isn't a sandwich):👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsPor and para usually both come out as 'for' in English, which is why they trip learners up from day on
Beginners 52: City vs country living
Just starting out? Get 95 essential Spanish phrases for beginners, free:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startRob and Lis swapped Bogotá for Colombia's coffee region. With two little ones, Lis doesn't miss the traffic, the horns or the smoke. But she does miss going out for a coffee, the libraries, and having everything close at hand. Rob explains three ways to say 'I miss' in Spanish, including one
Beginners 51: The car crash
Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get the verbs you need to describe an accident, every line in Spanish and English, and the Colombian slang for a really big smash:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsIt was a beautiful morning in Bogotá. Lis set off for work, just ten blocks away, in their new car, with Karol G playing and two wi
Beginners 50 - Telling a story with the past tense(s)
Free for listeners: the Fluency Phrasebook, 95 essential beginner phrases:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startThey say moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do. Rob and Lis moved continent, from London to Bogotá, while Lis was seven months pregnant. She tells the story: Rob took almost two weeks to pack, the goodbyes were emotional, and five minutes into the drive they realised
Beginners 49: The indefinido (part 1)
Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get the regular endings for saying what you did, every line in Spanish and English, and Lis's career, from law school in Bogotá to human rights cases:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsJob interviews are one of Rob's least favourite things. But they're also a great way into the indefinido, bec
Beginners 48 - Imperfect "triggers"
FREE: Grab your Fluency Phrasebook, 95 essential phrases for beginners designed to guide you towards fluency:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startLis's grandparents and great-grandparents grew up in small villages in the Colombian countryside. They got up before dawn, worked in the fields from childhood, celebrated at harvest time, and ate what they grew, plus the sweets her grandmother made with p
Beginners 47: Ser and Ir in the imperfect
Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word, and get Rob's hack for remembering era and iba, every line in Spanish and English, and what Lis's mum used to cook in 90s Bogotá:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsLis grew up in El Carmen, in the south of Bogotá, in the 90s. The city was more dangerous back then, but her neighbourhood was like an oasis
Beginners 46: A brief overview of the past tenses
Want to start speaking sooner? Our free Fluency Phrasebook gives you 95 essential phrases to build on:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startBefore Colombia, Rob and Lis lived in London. In the dialogue they look back on it: working from home every day, long walks at the weekend, a coffee shop, the parks, and trips into central London to see a museum. It's the first episode in a short series on the p
Beginners 45: Relationships and talking about your civil status
Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get the everyday way to say you're single, married or divorced, every line in Spanish and English, and all the gossip about who's going out with whom:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsRob and Lis got married twice: in a small wedding in England, and in a much bigger one just south of Bogotá. In
Beginners 44: Exclamations
Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get three ways to react to a delicious meal or a scorching day, every line in Spanish and English, and what happened when their daughter used the curtains as a canvas:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsIt's been 36 degrees in Colombia's coffee country, and Rob has one little word on repeat. Th
Beginners 43: Having a good time
Just starting out? Get 95 essential Spanish phrases for beginners, free:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startLis danced all night with her friends at last night's party. Rob found it boring and barely spoke to the other guests. Their chat is built around one odd Spanish construction that literally sounds like "did you pass it well?" By the end you'll be able to ask someone if they had a good time,
Beginners 42: Getting on with people
Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word, and get how to say whether you clicked with someone, notes on the slang, and the so-called mistake the Royal Spanish Academy ended up accepting:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsRob meets someone new and doesn't take to her at all. Lis spent hours chatting with the same woman and thought she was great.
Beginners 41: Using "desde hace" to talk about what you've been doing
Free for listeners: the Fluency Phrasebook, 95 essential beginner phrases:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startEnglish needs "have been living" to say how long you've lived somewhere; Spanish needs far less. In a role-play catch-up, Lis quizzes Rob, who has moved to Cartagena for work and found a flat near the beach. Rob unpicks each line, sets you translations to try (including three days of non-s
Beginners 40: Telling stories with the present tense
Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get how the present tense brings your stories to life, every line in Spanish and English, and the joke opener English speakers already use:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsLis tells the story of a terrible day: she oversleeps, a magazine on the floor sends her hopping to the kitchen, and the m
Beginners 39: Negotiating prices
FREE: Grab your Fluency Phrasebook, 95 essential phrases for beginners designed to guide you towards fluency:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startRob spots a handmade mochila at a Colombian market, and the price is 250,000 pesos. Can he talk Lis down to the 180,000 he wanted to spend? Along the way you'll learn the polite phrase that asks a seller how much they'll let you have it for, which word fo
Beginners 38: Clothes shopping
Just starting out? Get 95 essential Spanish phrases for beginners, free:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startIn England you pick something, pay and leave. In Colombia, Rob warns, two or three salespeople may be waiting to help the moment you walk in. So he and Lis act out a shirt-and-trousers shopping trip, complete with a compliment Rob says you probably won't hear in a real shop. By the end you'l
Beginners 37: Hablar, decir, and contar
Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get when to use hablar, decir or contar, notes on the grammar, and the little word Spanish speakers use to count "until" ten:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsIn English, "say" and "tell" cover almost any kind of speaking, but Spanish makes you choose. Rob untangles hablar, decir and contar,
Beginners 36: Saber vs Conocer
Free for listeners: the Fluency Phrasebook, 95 essential beginner phrases:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startWhy does "Do you know Bogotá?" use a different verb from "Do you know where Bogotá is?" Flying solo this week, Rob gives you a simple yes-or-no test for choosing between saber and conocer, and reveals which one you can't use with people. You'll also pick up three phrases Rob memorised as a
Beginners 35: "Reverse construction" verbs
Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word, and get how to say what you like, what's left and what's missing, the English for every line, and Rob's mental trick for these back-to-front verbs:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsWhy might "I love it" be better thought of as "it enchants me"? Rob admits these verbs took him ages to master, so he shar
Beginners 34: Dedicar and dedicarse
FREE: Grab your Fluency Phrasebook, 95 essential phrases for beginners designed to guide you towards fluency:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startThere's a question Spanish speakers ask almost as soon as they meet you, and translated literally it sounds like poetry. Rob and Lis show you how to ask it, how to answer it, and why it suits a profession but not a single job title. You'll also learn to s
Beginners 33: Uses of "tener"
Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get the everyday uses of "tener" well beyond "to have", notes on the slang, and the word in Spain that turns money into pasta:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsWhy do Spanish speakers "have" reason instead of being right? Rob and Lis take tener well beyond "to have", with a hen Lis insisted on
Beginners 32: Aconsejar - Giving advice
Want to start speaking sooner? Our free Fluency Phrasebook gives you 95 essential phrases to build on:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startRob is planning a trip to Colombia but can't decide between the coast and the city, so he asks Lis for advice with a question that sounds odd in English but is everyday Spanish. Three quick questions later, she has just the place. Along the way you'll learn to a
Beginners 31: Using the verb llevar
Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get how to ask and answer "how long have you been...?", the English for every line, and why Lis is "carrying eight months" in London:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsRob admits he has a favourite Spanish verb, even though, as he puts it, normal people don't. It literally means "to carry", so
Beginners 30: How to tell a joke
Build your first real conversations with 95 essential phrases. Download the free Fluency Phrasebook:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startWhat did one fish say to the other? It was the first joke Rob ever learned in Spanish. Lis has a favourite about two balloons and a cactus, Rob's angry-bear joke has never made her laugh, and one job interview joke only works if you speak English and Spanish. You'
Beginners 29: How to tell a story
Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word, and get the little words that start, link and end a story, every line in Spanish and English, and why Rob ended up driving a bride to her wedding:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsHow do you start a story in Spanish if "once upon a time" feels too childish? Rob and Lis share the little words that open,
Beginners 28: Conversation strategies
Just starting out? Get 95 essential Spanish phrases for beginners, free:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startWhat do you say when you're doing all the listening and none of the talking? Rob and Lis share the short phrases Spanish speakers use to react to a story, break into a group politely, and get back on track after an interruption. Lis names a one-word reaction that's very common on Colombia's
Beginner Spanish 27: Problem solving
Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get four verbs for fixing things, notes on the grammar behind "do you need me to help you?", and the one-word fix for this very podcast:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsHow do you say "do you need me to help you?" in Spanish? It's not a word-for-word translation, and Rob and Lis show the struc
Beginner Spanish 26: Some pronunciation tips
Free for listeners: the Fluency Phrasebook, 95 essential beginner phrases:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startWhy does the word bueno give away almost every English-speaking learner at some point? Rob admits he still catches himself saying "buena persona" the English way. Lis explains what your mouth should do on an "o", and Rob shares a simple test for checking your vowels, plus what people from
Beginner Spanish 25: How to pay a compliment
Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get how to say a colour suits someone, every line in Spanish and English, and why one Spanish word for "compliment" is often unwelcome:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsTwo Spanish words both translate as "compliment", so why is one of them often unwelcome? Rob and Lis explain, then tackle th
Beginner Spanish 24: Making excuses
FREE: Grab your Fluency Phrasebook, 95 essential phrases for beginners designed to guide you towards fluency:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startWhen Rob taught English to kids in Spain, he learned more Spanish from them than they learned English from him, including the two little words that opened almost every homework excuse. You'll find out why Spanish speakers don't "make" excuses, and how to
Beginner Spanish 23: Asking for a favour
Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word, and get three simple ways to ask anyone for a favour, notes on the grammar, and the cheeky credit-card request Lis slips in:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsRob opens by asking Lis for money (again), which leads into three simple ways to ask anyone for a favour in Spanish. You'll also learn how to get
Beginner Spanish 22: Spanish proverbs
Want to start speaking sooner? Our free Fluency Phrasebook gives you 95 essential phrases to build on:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startWhich Spanish proverb does Lis say every day, and which one does Rob admit he uses maybe too much? They share six sayings you can use in real conversations, from a train running late to a job interview that didn't go to plan. Rob meets one he's never heard befor
Beginner Spanish 21: Dealing with the authorities
Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get the everyday Spanish for being pulled over by the police, the English for every line, and the unexpected place Rob found help with his speeding fine:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsEver been pulled over, sure you'd done nothing wrong? Rob gets a speeding fine in Spain with no proof, then
Beginner Spanish 20: Driving
Build your first real conversations with 95 essential phrases. Download the free Fluency Phrasebook:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startLis plays a Colombian traffic cop, and Rob is the driver she pulls over. How many rules has he broken, and does "I'm not from here" get him off the hook? Before that, they sort out motorways, lanes and dead ends, the phrase you'll see on road signs everywhere, and
Beginner Spanish 19: How to complain
Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get how to complain when something's broken or missing, every line in Spanish and English, and the textbook word for calling a waiter that Lis finds aggressive:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsLis reckons complaining is Rob's favourite topic, though he insists whinging is something else enti
Beginner Spanish 18: At the doctors
Just starting out? Get 95 essential Spanish phrases for beginners, free:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startHow do you tell a doctor in Spanish what kind of pain you have? English has aches, stings and itches, but Spanish has fewer words, so Lis compares the pain to needles, a pinch or even a stab. Rob, the self-confessed language geek, asks for the Spanish for pins and needles, and the answer inv
Beginner Spanish 17: Social networks
Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word, and get how to say you're updating your profile or uploading a photo, the English for every line, and the Colombian nickname for Facebook:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsWhat's the Colombian nickname for Facebook? Lis reveals it, and Rob explains why alerts go off in the middle of the night: her What
Beginner Spanish 16: Morning and evening people
Free for listeners: the Fluency Phrasebook, 95 essential beginner phrases:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startLis does everything with the morning sun; Rob would rather get going at ten or eleven at night. So when do they record together, and who wins? You'll learn to ask and answer what time you get up and go to bed, hear the weekend wake-up time Rob refuses to believe, and pick up the single Spa
Beginner Spanish 15: Arranging to meet
Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get ways to arrange to meet someone, notes on the grammar, and your first taste of the "would" form of Spanish verbs:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsYou know how to ask ¿Qué hora es? But what do you say when you want to meet someone at that time? Following on from their telling-the-time episo
Beginner Spanish 14: Telling the time
FREE: Grab your Fluency Phrasebook, 95 essential phrases for beginners designed to guide you towards fluency:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startManu Chao sings "¿Qué hora son, mi corazón?", but the first time Rob asked the time that way, he was put right. Rob and Lis show you how to ask the time and answer it, from o'clock to quarter to, plus two little words for "ago" and one for "for". Why is o
Beginner Spanish 13: Habits and Customs
Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get how to say how often you do things, from "never" to "always", the English for every line, and the chocolate habit Lis kept secret from Rob:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsHow do you ask "how often" in Spanish? The answer translates literally as "every how much". Rob and Lis run the scal
Beginner Spanish 12: Arguments
Want to start speaking sooner? Our free Fluency Phrasebook gives you 95 essential phrases to build on:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startRob and Lis record this episode seconds after a real argument, and the row before, over Rob getting into Lis's Facebook and writing to the family and friends, still isn't funny to her. So they show you how to hold your own in Spanish: say you're fed up, tell som
Beginner Spanish 11: Money
Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word, and get the phrases for asking prices and haggling, every line in Spanish and English, and what it really means when something "costs a kidney":👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsWhy do South Americans call money "silver" rather than gold? Neither Rob nor Lis can answer that one. In this episode you'll
Beginner Spanish 10: Feelings and emotion
Build your first real conversations with 95 essential phrases. Download the free Fluency Phrasebook:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startHow do you say you feel happy, sad or nervous in Spanish, and why can't you say you feel "malo"? Lis is still smiling after el día de las velitas, a Colombian night of candles and tamales. Then she and Rob show you how to say what you feel and what makes you feel
Beginner Spanish 9: Going Out
Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get the questions for asking if someone fancies a drink tonight, every line in Spanish and English, and why a proper night out in Spain can end with breakfast:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsFancy a night out in Spanish? Rob and Lis give you the words for going out with friends, plus the ques
Beginner Spanish 8: Sports
Just starting out? Get 95 essential Spanish phrases for beginners, free:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startRob played a sport in Colombia that involves mud, metal discs and a little triangle of gunpowder. Then you'll learn to ask someone if they play any sport, what their favourite is, and what's popular in their country. Along the way, Rob tries out a word for jogging he's sure he heard in Spain
Beginner Spanish 7: Family
Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get how to ask anyone about their family, notes on the grammar, and how the verb for "carry" tells you how much older someone is:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsLis talks to her family in Colombia almost every day; Rob speaks to his mum about once a week. In this episode you'll learn to ask
Beginner Spanish 6: Moving House
Free for listeners: the Fluency Phrasebook, 95 essential beginner phrases:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startRob and Lis have just moved house, and they share the three biggest headaches of una mudanza. Lis moved all her belongings by bus in just two trips, while Rob hired a van, and it still wasn't enough. You'll also learn the phrase every Spanish property advert boasts about, a quick tip for s
Beginner Spanish 5: Romantic Spanish
Unlock the full transcript of this episode, plus 2 more, free. Don't miss a single word, and get four ways to tell someone how you feel, every line in Spanish and English, and Rob's favourite compliment, which involves a piece of fruit:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsThere are four ways to tell someone how you feel in Spanish, and Lis reveals which one is "very deep". Rob shares his favo
Beginner Spanish 4: Illness
FREE: Grab your Fluency Phrasebook, 95 essential phrases for beginners designed to guide you towards fluency:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startRob and Lis recorded this one while they were both under the weather, so the final conversation is real. You'll learn to say you're ill, where it hurts and how you feel, plus the Spanish word for a cold that sounds like something quite different in Englis
Beginner Spanish 3: Transport
Read this episode word for word, free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get eight ways to get around, from first to eighth, the English for every line, and the nickname for transport police you shouldn't use to their faces:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsRob and Lis count through eight ways of getting around in Spanish, first to eighth, including one ride Rob wis
Beginner Spanish 2: Resolutions
Want to start speaking sooner? Our free Fluency Phrasebook gives you 95 essential phrases to build on:👉 spanishobsessed.com/startDoes Colombia do New Year's resolutions? Lis mentions a custom called the 12 wishes, then she and Rob count down the ten most popular resolutions in Spanish, up to a number one Rob says is not surprising at all. Finally they share their own: Lis has her eye on a
Beginner Spanish 1: The Weather
Get this episode's full transcript free, plus 2 more of your choice. Don't miss a single word, and get the phrases for saying it's hot, cold, sunny or raining, every line in Spanish and English, and the rain expression that only frightens a certain kind of person:👉 spanishobsessed.com/transcriptsIn Spanish, the weather "does" heat, but when it rains, it "is". In this very first Beginners
