Margarita Robles: Language Journeys

Posts

4 Truths I’ve Learned About Language Learning — as a Teacher and a Student

August 09, 2025

Photo by Ling App on Unplash Being a Spanish teacher in a foreign country has taught me just as much about learning as it has about teaching. Over the years — and especially as an expat — I’ve realized that teaching a language isn’t only about grammar and vocabulary. It’s about patience, mindset, and the little habits we build. Here are four truths I’ve learned from my journey as both a teacher and a lifelong learner. 1. Slow Down — Clarity Comes First Spanish native speakers often talk fast, use slang, and sometimes skip grammar rules. In my classes, I’ve learned to slow down, speak clearly, and stick to the rules so my students can follow me. I know some teachers speak faster, and they have their reasons. But I’ve seen how much more my students interact when they actually understand what I’m saying. I’ve experienced the same as a listener — I love listening to Mel Robbins’ podcast because she speaks at a pace I can follow. My former boss at an international school also spoke clea...

This Summer Isn’t Edited: A Single Mom’s Reality Check

July 25, 2025

Photo by Gagah Rizki on Unsplash If you scroll through social media, it feels like everyone is on a perfect holiday. Blue skies, European cities, smiling families, sunset views. But our summer? It’s different. Not edited, not perfect — but full of small, real moments. I’m a single mom. I’m a teacher. I’m also an expat. That means summer isn’t just a break. It’s time to breathe again. For me, rest doesn’t mean planning another big adventure. It means silence, space, and doing… nothing for a while. Just a glass of prosecco, a bit of Baileys on the rocks (not an ad 😄), a series I love, and hugs from my daughter. That’s the summer I need. Here’s the thing: I love to travel. I really do. But I don’t love all the planning behind it. Packing, checking schedules, finding where to go, what to eat, and how to get there — it often means I’m back in “in charge” mode. And as a teacher and a mom, I spend the whole year organizing and thinking ahead. This summer, I just didn’t want that again. We’ve...

I Never Thought I’d Do This: 50 Teens, One Bus, and Barcelona

July 11, 2025

Photo by Howei Wang on Unsplash If you had told me 10 years ago that I’d be travelling by bus across Europe with 50 Czech teenagers, I would have laughed. Or cried. Or both. At my school, teachers were invited every year to create and propose student trips. It wasn’t my first year there — actually, it was my fourth (or third, if you skip the Covid year) — so I decided to give it a try. I asked a couple of colleagues I really get along with to join me, and weeks later, we handed our proposal to the principal. Destination: Barcelona. I truly believe you are never fully prepared. You try, you mess it up or learn, and then you try again. That was me. I wasn’t prepared to take almost 50 teenagers by bus to Spain. But from the beginning, I knew I wasn’t doing this alone. My team — Martin, Maxwell, and me — wasn’t just a team. We were also friends, and soon-to-be travel buddies. The travel agency was picked, the trip was approved, and the response from students exceeded expectations — our bus...

Teaching Spanish in Czechia: My Very First Class Ever

June 28, 2025

It was 2011. I was walking toward a 13th-grade classroom—the final year of studies—at an international school in Ostrava. I remember feeling excited and nervous, wondering if I should speak with a Spanish accent or just be myself. I thought, “Just keep it clear. Don’t mess with the whole spectrum of Latin American accents and words,” which vary so much from country to country. It wasn’t my first year at the school. I had started my journey in the Czech Republic in 2010, working as a teacher assistant at a primary school—in a different building, surrounded by little kids. This time, I was about to face older students. Some of them were already adults. (Fun fact: the Czech system has 9 years of basic education, then 4 years of secondary school.) To make things even more interesting, these students had never had a Spanish lesson with a native speaker—not even a Latin American teacher. A Peruvian in Ostrava? No way! I walked in. The girls sat at the front, boys in the back. I think the...

Let’s Sound More Spanish – Part 2

June 21, 2025

Photo by Kiril Krsteski on Unsplash Welcome to my second post about sounding more Spanish! If you’ve ever tried watching a Spanish movie with subtitles, you probably noticed that there are many words you won’t find in textbooks or regular lessons. In my experience, upper-intermediate students want to learn these phrases, but—let’s be honest—Spanish people use a lot of swear words! So, I’ll start with some normal phrases and end with a few spicy ones. Curro / Currar (job / to work) In Spanish movies, “curro” is a very common word. In Latin America, people use different words for “job.” For example, in Peru, we say “trabajo,” but in Argentina, people say “laburo.” All mean “job.” Echar la bronca (to tell someone off / give someone a hard time) You can combine this with “curro.” For example: Me han echado la bronca en el curro — Someone gave me a hard time at work. Gilipollas / Gilipollez (idiot / nonsense) ¡Qué gilipollez! — That’s nonsense. ¡Vaya gilipollas! — What an id...

Let’s Sound More Spanish – Part 1

June 13, 2025

Photo by Mitchell Nijman on Unsplash Watching a Spanish movie is a totally different experience than reading a textbook in class. Have you ever tried using subtitles and still felt confused? Don’t worry — today I’ll guide you through some of the most common everyday Spanish expressions. Let’s help you sound more like a native! Many of the phrases you’ll find here can give your conversations a real Spanish feel. But be careful — sometimes you can’t translate them directly into English or Czech without losing their natural meaning. If you’ve already learned body parts in Spanish, you probably know “cabeza” means head. But did you know you can also call it “el coco” ( coconut )? For example: 👉 No le des mucho al coco – Don’t overthink it! Now, how do you say you don’t understand something — like, at all? You could try: 👉 No me cabe en la cabeza – I don’t get it Or casually ask someone: 👉 ¿Pillas? – Do you get it? Sounds way more native, right? So far so good... ¿pillas? Let’s...