Course path · B1

Mexican Spanish B1: Saying What You Mean

Step past reporting facts: say what you would do, argue a case, and deal with a bank, a clinic, a landlord and a cancelled flight in Mexican Spanish — plus the conversations that actually happen abroad, about where you come from, what you are planning next, and what to do when they hear the accent and switch to English.

Target language: Mexican Spanish
Explained in: English
CEFR level: B1
Structure: 23 modules · 90 lessons

Course journey

Every module has a place in the story.

Follow the authored sequence from the opening lesson through the final chapter. Preview lessons remain open before enrollment.

Module 01
Saying What You Would Do
3 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. WouldFree preview
  About 15 minSay what you would do, using the conditional.
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2. If This, Then ThatLocked
  About 16 minBuild real and unreal conditions with si.
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3. Asking NicelyLocked
  About 14 minSoften requests and opinions so they land the way you intend.
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Module 02
Wishes, Doubts and Opinions
3 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Wanting Someone Else ToLocked
  About 16 minUse querer que with the subjunctive when the two subjects differ.
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2. Doubting and DisagreeingLocked
  About 16 minExpress doubt and disagreement, and notice what negation does to the mood.
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3. Giving AdviceLocked
  About 15 minRecommend, suggest and warn without giving orders.
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Module 03
Telling the Story
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. The Two Past TensesLocked
  About 18 minChoose between the preterite and the imperfect by what the sentence is doing, not by when it happened.
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2. Telling What HappenedLocked
  About 18 minBuild a paragraph-length account by setting a scene and then running events through it.
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3. Before ThatLocked
  About 15 minStep one layer further back with the pluscuamperfecto.
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4. What They SaidLocked
  About 16 minReport someone else's words, moving the tense back as Spanish requires.
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Module 04
Making a Case
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Agreeing and DisagreeingLocked
  About 16 minDisagree without sounding rude, and agree with more than sí.
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2. Giving ReasonsLocked
  About 16 minSupport an opinion with a reason, and choose the connector that fits the position it sits in.
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3. What People SayLocked
  About 15 minAttribute a claim to nobody in particular, using the impersonal and the passive.
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4. On the Other HandLocked
  About 16 minConcede a point and then answer it, which is what turns an opinion into an argument.
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Module 05
Work and Career
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. What You Actually DoLocked
  About 16 minDescribe your role and responsibilities rather than just naming your job.
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2. Reading the AdvertLocked
  About 16 minDecode a job advert and write the opening of an application.
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3. The InterviewLocked
  About 17 minAnswer the four questions every interview asks, without translating from English.
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4. Email, Meetings and Time OffLocked
  About 16 minWrite the email work runs on, and ask for what you need at the right register.
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Module 06
When You Don't Know the Word
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Describing What You MeanLocked
  About 16 minDefine a word you do not know well enough that someone hands it to you.
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2. Asking for the WordLocked
  About 15 minInvite the correction rather than waiting for it.
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3. Being Usefully VagueLocked
  About 15 minSay roughly what you mean when precisely is out of reach.
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4. Keeping It GoingLocked
  About 15 minBuy time, hold your turn, and repair a sentence mid-flow.
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Module 07
The News and the World
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Reading a HeadlineLocked
  About 15 minDecode a headline, which is written in a grammar of its own.
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2. The EnvironmentLocked
  About 16 minDiscuss the topic every B1 exam asks about, with the vocabulary it expects.
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3. Hopes and WorriesLocked
  About 16 minSay what you hope, fear and doubt, with the mood those verbs demand.
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4. Numbers and TrendsLocked
  About 15 minDescribe a rise, a fall and a proportion without reaching for a chart.
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Module 08
What Might Have Been
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. I Should HaveLocked
  About 16 minSay what you should have done, which is the most useful sentence in this module.
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2. If OnlyLocked
  About 17 minBuild a conditional about the past, and say what would have happened.
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3. It Must Have BeenLocked
  About 15 minSpeculate about the past, which Spanish does with a tense rather than a modal.
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4. Looking BackLocked
  About 16 minTell the story of a decision and what it led to.
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Module 09
Books, Films and Recommending
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Telling the PlotLocked
  About 16 minSummarise a book or film in the tense the summary is told in.
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2. What You Thought Of ItLocked
  About 16 minReview something, and scale your reaction rather than saying good or bad.
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3. Recommending ItLocked
  About 16 minRecommend something to a specific person, and warn someone off without insulting their taste.
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4. Going OutLocked
  About 15 minFind out what is on, and arrange to go.
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Module 10
Formal Register
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Usted and TúLocked
  About 16 minChoose the right form of address, and know how the switch to tú is offered.
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2. The Formal LetterLocked
  About 16 minOpen and close a formal letter or email the way a native writer would.
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3. Asking In WritingLocked
  About 17 minAsk an institution for something, using the construction that makes it formal.
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4. Complaining In WritingLocked
  About 17 minWrite a complaint that states facts, names what you want, and stays polite.
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Module 11
Money and Contracts
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. At the BankLocked
  About 16 minOpen an account and understand what the bank is telling you about charges.
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2. What Leaves the AccountLocked
  About 16 minRead a bill, and say that you have been charged for something you did not agree to.
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3. Signing Up, and Getting OutLocked
  About 17 minTake out a contract knowing what binds you, and cancel one when you want to leave.
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4. What Things Cost, and Who Owes WhomLocked
  About 16 minTalk about cost and value, and handle money between friends without awkwardness.
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Module 12
Difficult Conversations
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. How You Really FeelLocked
  About 16 minName a feeling precisely, using the construction that puts it outside you.
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2. Raising SomethingLocked
  About 17 minOpen a difficult conversation without it starting as an accusation.
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3. Giving GroundLocked
  About 16 minConcede a point in an argument, and admit you went too far.
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4. When Someone Is Having a Bad TimeLocked
  About 16 minRespond to bad news without reaching for advice.
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Module 13
Online Life
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Setting Things UpLocked
  About 16 minFollow written instructions on a screen, and say what is not arriving.
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2. When It Doesn't WorkLocked
  About 17 minDescribe a fault using the construction that takes the blame out of it.
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3. Scams and Staying SafeLocked
  About 16 minRecognise a scam message, and warn someone off one.
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4. Messaging PeopleLocked
  About 16 minGet the tone right in writing, where none of the softening you use out loud is audible.
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Module 14
Papers and Bureaucracy
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Getting an AppointmentLocked
  About 16 minBook the appointment that everything else depends on, and survive the phone call.
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2. Registering Where You LiveLocked
  About 17 minDo the one piece of paperwork that everything else in the country depends on.
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3. Reading What They Send YouLocked
  About 17 minUnderstand an official letter, and work out whether it needs an answer.
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4. At the CounterLocked
  About 16 minHold your ground politely when you are told no.
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Module 15
Health and the Body
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Describing SymptomsLocked
  About 17 minSay how long it has been going on, and what kind of pain it is.
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2. At the DoctorLocked
  About 17 minUnderstand what you are being asked and told to do.
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3. At the PharmacyLocked
  About 16 minAsk for something without a prescription, and read the dosage off the box.
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4. When It's UrgentLocked
  About 16 minDescribe an accident to someone who needs the facts fast.
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Module 16
Where You're From
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Explaining Where You're FromLocked
  About 16 minDescribe your country or region to someone who has never been there.
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2. Comparing Two PlacesLocked
  About 16 minCompare where you are with where you're from, without insulting either.
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3. When They Ask About the StereotypeLocked
  About 16 minCorrect a generalisation about your country without embarrassing anyone.
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4. Being the ForeignerLocked
  About 16 minAnswer the four questions you will be asked over and over.
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Module 17
Talking About the Language
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Asking Without StoppingLocked
  About 16 minAsk how to say something in the middle of a sentence, using indirect questions.
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2. Describing Your LevelLocked
  About 15 minSay how good your Spanish is, accurately and without false modesty.
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3. When They Switch to EnglishLocked
  About 16 minAsk someone to stay in Spanish without making it awkward.
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4. Repairing Yourself Mid-SentenceLocked
  About 15 minCorrect your own sentence halfway through without stopping.
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Module 18
Travel and Getting Away
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Planning the TripLocked
  About 18 minWeigh up options with somebody else, and talk about a trip that has not happened yet.
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2. Describing a PlaceLocked
  About 18 minDescribe somewhere you have been so that somebody else can picture it.
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3. When Travel Goes WrongLocked
  About 18 minReport a cancellation or a lost bag, and ask for what you are owed.
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4. How You Like to TravelLocked
  About 18 minSay what kind of traveller you are, and concede a point without giving way.
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Module 19
Plans, Hopes and Ambitions
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. What You Want to DoLocked
  About 18 minTalk about an intention, and separate what you plan from what you would like.
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2. Hoping and ExpectingLocked
  About 18 minSay what you hope for, and use the mood that Spanish requires after it.
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3. In Five YearsLocked
  About 18 minPredict, and tell the difference between a prediction and a decision.
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4. If Things Go WellLocked
  About 18 minAttach a condition to a plan, and choose the mood each conjunction demands.
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Module 20
Reading Between the Lines
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Reading a News StoryLocked
  About 18 minTell what a report establishes from what it merely passes on.
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2. Reading a Personal LetterLocked
  About 18 minRead a long message for how the writer feels, not only for what happened.
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3. Reading a ReviewLocked
  About 17 minFind the verdict inside a review that never quite states it.
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4. Reading an Opinion PieceLocked
  About 18 minWork out what a columnist thinks, and which words are doing the arguing.
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Module 21
Following What You Hear
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Following a News BulletinLocked
  About 18 minGet the story out of a radio bulletin read at full speed.
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2. Getting Through a Phone MenuLocked
  About 17 minChoose the right option first time, and find the one that reaches a human.
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3. Following Instructions at WorkLocked
  About 18 minCatch the order of a task and the exception hidden in the middle of it.
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4. Hearing a Yes or a NoLocked
  About 17 minTell an actual yes from a polite no, when both start with sí.
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Module 22
Writing It Connected
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. The Shape of a Personal LetterLocked
  About 18 minWrite a letter that is longer than a note, and give it a middle.
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2. Describing an ExperienceLocked
  About 18 minWrite about something that happened so the reader knows what it was like, not only what occurred.
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3. Writing a Short ReportLocked
  About 17 minPass on what happened and why you did what you did, in the order a reader needs it.
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4. Linking Your ParagraphsLocked
  About 17 minJoin one paragraph to the next, which is a different job from joining two sentences.
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Module 23
Passing It On
4 lessons
Lesson sequenceOpen chapterHide chapter
1. Relaying What You Were ToldLocked
  About 17 minPass on someone else's words, keeping the difference between a report and an order.
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2. Giving the GistLocked
  About 17 minSay what a text is about in one sentence, then rank what is in it.
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3. Explaining a DocumentLocked
  About 18 minTurn what a form or a notice demands into something a person can act on.
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4. Standing Between Two PeopleLocked
  About 18 minRelay what an official says without passing on how blunt it was.
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