“It changes, everything changes.” 5 minutes of Spanish English version + Podcast

 

Hello, how are you! Good morning, good afternoon or good evening, depending on where you are or what time you're listening to us.

 

Welcome to episode 219 of the 5 minutes of Spanish! What's our topic?

 

It's December ...

 

Yes, we are in the middle of December, but … we already talked in the last podcast about the passage of time, don't you remember? Is it because of the passage of time?

 

Yes, I remember the last podcast where we talked about the passage of time, of course I remember. Today, we'll talk about something that literally does not stand still: the verb “cambiar” and its reflexive “cambiarse”.

 

Yes, because in life everything changes. We change houses, clothes, ideas, and even moods... especially before moving.

 

How do you say “mudanza” in English?

 

To move or to move house

 

And you know what's the worst thing about moving? Cambiarte tres veces en el mismo día porque no decides qué ponerte para salir. / Change clothes three times because you can't decide what to wear to go out.

 

There you have the first example:

 

Cambiar: means to modificar o sustituir algo (to change or to replace something).

Cambiarse: when we talk about changing something about ourselves, such as clothes or even the place where we live.

 

For example:

 

Yo cambié el sofá porque el otro estaba roto. / I changed the sofa because the other one was broken.

 

Pero me cambié de ropa tres veces antes de decidir qué ponerme.  /But I changed clothes three times before deciding what to wear.

 

Or this moving gem:

 

"Nos cambiamos de casa la semana pasada y ya quiero cambiar todo en la decoración". / We moved to a new house last week, and now I want to change all the decorations.

 

Ah, moving! That mix of stress and hope. Un día estás feliz porque estrenas casa, y al otro estás buscando la caja donde cambiaste todos tus calcetines. / One day you’re happy because you’re settling into a new house, and the next you’re looking for the box where you packed all your socks.

That's right! But beware, changing can also be confusing. Look at this dialogue:

¿Por qué te cambiaste? / Why did you change?
Porque me manché. / Because I stained myself.

¡Yo pensé que te habías cambiado de casa! /I thought you had moved to a new house!

 

And speaking of houses! There's nothing like moving to make you want to change everything: the furniture, the pictures, even the neighbors.

 

And why are we talking about moving and changes in this podcast?

 

Es que en el 2025 vamos a tener una nueva sede en San José, ¿nos vas a venir a visitar? / We're going to have a new headquarters in San José in 2025. Are you coming to visit us?

 

It's good to change! But you have to admit it: change is not always easy. Changing places, routines, or even language, as you do, takes time and that's why we recognize you.

 

But it is necessary. Cambiar significa crecer, mejorar, descubrir cosas nuevas. / Changing means growing, improving, discovering new things.

 

And it is not necessary to wait until 2025 to change and study more Spanish, for example, you can do it now. The calendar is just a convention, the changes have to be made as soon as possible.

 

That's why in Spanish in Cabo we don't stop for the holidays or for moving, you can study Spanish every day.

 

And so, we come to the end of this edition of the podcast with a Mercedes Sosa song in mind: Cambia, todo cambia.

 

Including moving. So, if you're packing up your things, like us, take heart! Every change brings something good.

 

If you liked the podcast, share it and we look forward to your comments.

 

See you next time and keep switching to Spanish! Let's think and dream in Spanish!

 

See you soon,

 

Bye-bye.

 

Click to listen to Mercedes Sosa`s song “Cambia, todo cambia.”