María Ortega García


Therefore I am. On deep culture feedback loops and reshaping language

___, therefore I am. How would you complete this sentence? Don’t give it too much thought. If you are of European descent, you may immediately start with “I think”, as Descartes thought, but if you are of African descent, what may come to mind is “We are”. This is a […]


Is grammar prescriptive or descriptive?

There is no such thing as “correct” use of language. <img width=”890″ height=”293″ src=”https://mariaortegagarcia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/language-makers.png” alt=”” loading=”lazy” srcset=”https://mariaortegagarcia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/language-makers.png 890w, https://mariaortegagarcia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/language-makers-300×99.png 300w, https://mariaortegagarcia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/language-makers-768×253.png 768w, https://mariaortegagarcia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/language-makers-18×6.png 18w” sizes=”(max-width: 890px) 100vw, 890px” /> <h4 style=”text-align: center;”>Languages are not prescriptive. Languages don’t tell us how to communicate. We tell languages how we want to communicate.</h4>Having […]


How to deal with anger towards the target language

When learning a language is not a love story. For many, the main reason why they learn a language is because they fall in love with it. They love the sound of it. They want to connect with native speakers. They are attracted to the culture of the language. This […]


Somatic Writing. A chat with Jennifer Arnspiger | Ep.3

In this episode, Jennifer Arnspiger and I talk about somatic journaling and how that kind of writing can heal us from trauma. We talked about: What is somatic writing and how does it work How we can write intense emotions in a safely way The way to feel more safe […]


What got you here, won’t get you there | Ep. 2

And how different phases of your life require you to embody different parts of you. In this episode, we explore the idea of remaining open to explore parts of Self that we are not acquainted with yet, or how our own personal myth can guide us during times of change. […]


Language in motion.

Or bringing emotion into language learning Emotion comes from the Latin verb “emovere, ” which means ” to move, ” ” move out, ” ” move through, ” or ‘stir’. So, if emotion is related to movement, the opposite of emotion is something that doesn’t move or is stagnant. Learning is […]


Reshaping ourselves into acceptance | Ep. 1

Reflections on unconditional love (including self love) In this episode, the first of the podcast, we delve straight into an exploration of acceptance, love, including the self one, and how the labels we define ourselves and others with shape us, for better, but usually for worse. We’ll talk about: The […]


Trauma Informed Teaching

Why language teachers need to learn about trauma? But first, What is trauma-informed teaching?  Trauma-informed teaching is a framework for creating safe and supportive learning environments for learners who have experienced trauma. This approach recognises the impact that trauma can have on a person’s ability to learn and engage with […]


Language Teachers are Obsolete

Language teachers are becoming obsolete. And I am not referring to the inherent part of the job, which makes us unnecessary if we teach the language well. No. I mean that language teachers are becoming obsolete as a profession.  I had this thought several years ago when many language apps […]


Journaling – Introspective Reflection for Spanish Learning

From stream-of-consciousness writing to guided journaling, jotting down what’s inside our heads has the power to make sense of the tangle of ideas in our brains. I started journaling when I was a teenager and have never really stopped doing it, but the format, the content and the language have […]


Learning Spanish with Music

Spanish is an isochronic language which means a couple of things:   The duration of every syllable is equal (syllable-timed language) The duration of every word in the sentence is the same   This type of rhythm was originally metaphorically referred to as “machine-gun rhythm” or “ritmo metralleta” in Spanish because each […]


Cyclical Language Learning

Nature’s first green is gold,Her hardest hue to hold.Her early leaf’s a flower;But only so an hour.Then leaf subsides to leaf.So Eden sank to grief,So dawn goes down to day.Nothing gold can stay. As our friend Robert Frost said in his poem: Nothing gold can stay. But what is gold, […]


Learn Spanish by watching movies and TV shows. Tips and tools.

If when you think about learning Spanish, you think about 1:1 lessons, conversation exchanges or classes and grammar books, and the prospect sounds a bit arid, think again. I am all for unconventional learning. I am also about adapting the learning to the specific needs of my students because: One […]


5 reasons why you should use YouTube for your language business

I’m a big fan of YouTube. YouTube and Google have been my biggest allies in providing me with a continuous stream of potential clients interested in learning Spanish. When I started making videos back in 2011, I was not too fond of it, and it shows. In my defence, I […]


Confidence comes from knowledge

Confianza viene del conocimiento And by knowledge, I don’t mean academic knowledge about different topics. Although, that kind of knowledge can help too. I am talking about self-knowledge, relational knowledge, outside knowledge, and intercultural knowledge when conversing in a non-native language. How do you build confidence? Stage one: self-knowledge As […]


Why is multilingualism important in business?

“Nowadays, one country cannot go it alone. This is a global village” <footer> <cite>–Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister.</cite> </footer> </blockquote> You may think that English is the lingua franca for business and the globalized world, and you’d be correct, but how long will English be the lingua franca?  With the […]


The difference between language teacher, language coach & embodied language coach

A language is only a tool for communication and self-expression, and it’s an evolutionary development: a collective, generational development, not a single invention. So, as we evolved, the language evolved with us. Language is a human trait, a human behaviour. And language is key to all human activities, including self-actualization. Self-actualization […]


How to become a freelance language teacher

Teacher(n) tee-cheer: A multitasking educational rockstar who lives to inspire and loves to encourage. You love languages and speak more than one, or you love your mother tongue. You have always wanted to be an educator or are curious about it. You want to make language teaching your full-time business […]


The Healing Power of Multilingual Poetry

“Dear Reader, beware. You think you’re reading my poems, but in truth, they are reading you. My words are mirrors and windows. Your reaction is merely a reflection of your own nature and experiences.” — John Mark Green Introspective writing, such as journaling, has an incredible potential for healing as […]


Hidden Streams

“If a window of opportunity appears, don’t pull down the shade.”  – Tom Peters I don’t talk about translation much because my primary income normally comes from teaching, language coaching, and secondarily through writing. But, since I started my business back in 2011, I have been doing language translations for […]


How to reduce foreign language anxiety 1

“I don’t remember the time when speaking didn’t make me anxious”, she mumbled, still trying to smile but unable to look me in the eye. “I feel you, sister”, I wanted to say, to help share her painful load and to show her that I’m proof of living with that […]


Neuroeducation and languages | Hedvig Sandbu | Words Off Limits

Hedvig and I had a varied conversation that from spanned more academic areas like neurolanguages to the experiential realities self-expression and identity in different languages. Notes from Ep.3 off Words Off Limits with Hedvig Sandbu <ul><li>Neurolanguage. Language learning + life coaching + neuroscience. Mindset.</li><li>The need to re-educating teachers.</li><li>IMAGES learning model: […]


What does speaking authentically in a non-native language mean?

Authenticity is a human need, like the need for belonging or attachment. When we are kids or teens, our need to belong to a group, fit in, trumps our need to express ourselves, and be authentic. This means that instead of listening inwards to our body’s clues about how it […]


Love

Love And the skin tingled with every look.And the hairs raised at every touch.Not a single elevation in her chest went unnoticed.And the tightness in her shouldersfelt like the only thing that kept her standing.Like a rigid framefull with a warm thick fluid. That was love for her. A state […]


Blood

Sangre brillante⁣que fluye entre mis piernas.⁣Pedazos de vida ⁣que no estuvo de ser.⁣⁣Mi sangre⁣brillante⁣pours life out of me.⁣⁣And I’m tired.⁣⁣Sangre⁣pools between my legs⁣and like a leaf⁣depleted ⁣crumples⁣and falls⁣to rest.⁣⁣Rest.⁣⁣I’d like to be like a leaf.⁣⁣And as I’m being depleted⁣crumple⁣and lay⁣to rest.⁣⁣But mi sangre⁣calls to silence.⁣Silence of a consumed body.⁣Ignored.⁣Rejected.⁣⁣Because mi […]


Beginner’s Mind: A way to start working or your Spanish creatively

Creativity: ‘the ability to create.’ Simple. So before you tell yourself that you are not a creative person, think again. We often associate creativity with (curated) artistic expression, which is partially correct. Creating is bringing or making into existence something new. But creating is a very human thing: from cooking […]


6 Best Movies on Netflix for Spanish Learners

In a previous article, I suggested five books written in Spanish to indulge in your Spanish language interest. In this article, I have 6 movies or TV series to put your listening skills into practice. “It’s funny how the colours of the real world only seem really real when you […]


How to speak better Spanish (Introvert Edition)

“I think a lot, but I don’t say much.” – Anne Frank “If you want to be fluent in Spanish you have to speak more” “Speak from day one” “Talk to strangers”  Speak.  Speak.  SPEAK   Ugh, exhausting!   If you are something like me: an introvert, talking in groups […]


5 must-read books to improve your Spanish 1

Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world. – Malala Yousafzai Learning Spanish at a low pace means taking fewer lessons and spend more time doing the activities you love in Spanish. If you are something like me, you are a bookworm […]


How to talk about transformations in Spanish

What you are to be, you are now becoming. – Carl Rogers We are constantly changing, evolving, becoming and yet, changing is not easy. Allowing transformation is not uncomplicated, and it is definitely not effortless.  But I am not here to talk about how to become the person you are […]


10 journaling prompts to practise Spanish verb + preposition 1

How such a little word like a preposition (a, de, por…) can cause such havoc amongst Spanish learners?  Well, to be fair. I struggled to remember my preposition in English and French, and I still sometimes slip up. But, don’t despair! I got the hang of them by dint of […]


Practical Poetry. Hypothesis, Imperfecto Subjuntivo and Condicional through poetry

Writing poetry in your target language is – can be–, a way to more than increasing vocabulary and reaching accuracy. Although these reasons are already good in themselves. Writing poetry through guided prompts can help you nail down grammar structures in manner that involves your emotions and your experiences.  There […]


Reclaim your life through languages

What I love about this guest posts from Elfin Waters, from All About Italian, is that she brings the idea of pleasure as a way to learning the language. Pleasure not as a bonus but as the way to get there. If you have lost the joy of learning the […]


Why poetry is great to learn Spanish? 2

I recently sent a questionnaire to my audience asking them what their struggles were in Spanish and what they wanted or needed more of to improve and progress in their Spanish journey. One of the questions I asked was how interested they were in a poetry course in Spanish to […]


How to find the right words in Spanish?

How to find the words to say what you want to say, and how you want to say it? In other words, how to achieve accuracy in Spanish?  At the base of an accurate expression in Spanish – or any other language you are learning–, is an understanding of basic […]


The Robin redbreast 2

The robin redbreast had a message The robin had something to say. A song of renewal amongst the trees. A chirp to cheer el  primer sollozo of the newborn. And like in mama’s womb a sliver of light se filtra por el Este. Y el petirrojo says: Come out! Emerge! […]


Ego death and language learning

When I think about the challenges of learning a language, I rarely think about the difficulty of language itself, but about the mindset of the learner.  And that, the willingness to make mistakes, the not taking oneself too seriously, the exploration, the never-ending journey… I am glad to introduce you […]


How to understand the Spanish Subjunctive

Whenever I ask my new students, subscribers, or any member of my audience, what they struggle with, the answer is always: the Subjunctive. And I get it. There are things in English whose logic took me time to get. And there are things I still don’t get like, the pronunciation […]


What's embodied spanish

What’s Embodied Spanish and why that might be what you need

(to) teach: ‘to impart the knowledge of’ For years, I loved teaching. This passing on knowledge used to make my heart swell with joy. But, then, after many years of teaching, learning who to teach well, finding my own way of doing it, and becoming a good teacher, my heart […]