The four seasons / Las cuatro estaciones - 5 minutes of Spanish / English version + pocast

 Hello! How are you?

Good morning, good afternoon or good evening, depending on where you are or what time you’re listening to us.

Audio

Welcome to podcast 283. Thank you for joining us, ready to practise your Spanish.

What’s our topic today?

Let’s start with a question.

A question? Well…

Do you like spring, summer, autumn or winter? Which is your favourite season?

I like them all, but for different reasons. Every season has something special!

In spring, nature comes to life. The trees have new leaves, flowers appear, and the days start to get longer and warmer. It’s a lovely time to head out into the countryside, go for a walk, pick flowers and enjoy the sunshine.

It’s the month of love. In many places, February is the month of love, but spring is also a very romantic season. Everything blossoms – even the heart!

Right, let’s move on to the vocabulary

• Juntar flores: to pick flowers
• Hojas: leaves
• Florecer: to bloom
• Días más largos: longer days

¿Y qué hacemos en verano? And what do we do in the summer?

n summer we want to be outdoors! We go to the beach, swim in the sea, have picnics, travel and enjoy our holidays. In some countries it’s extremely hot, so we seek out the shade, air-conditioning or some ice-cold drinks. We also eat ice cream and fresh fruit. Loads of fruit!

Then autumn arrives. The leaves on some trees change colour: yellow, orange, red and brown. It’s a brilliant time for going for walks, taking photos, collecting leaves and enjoying the scenery. In some countries, the fruit and vegetable harvest begins. We also celebrate Halloween and the Day of the Dead in Mexico. It’s a season for reminiscing, sharing and enjoying some tasty treats. Because there’s always a good excuse to eat!

Vocabulary:

• Vacaciones: holidays / vacation
• Sombra: shade
• Aire acondicionado: air conditioning
• Cosecha: harvest
• Recoger hojas: to collect leaves
• Paisaje: landscape

Then winter finally arrives. In some countries, it gets very cold and it snows. Children build snowmen, have snowball fights and drink hot chocolate. Many people wear coats, gloves, scarves and hats. It is also a time for family gatherings and celebrations such as Christmas and New Year.

Vocabulario:

• Nieva: it snows
• Muñeco de nieve: snowman
• Bola de nieve: snowball
• Abrigo: coat
• Guantes: gloves
• Bufanda: scarf
• Gorro: hat

But bear in mind: the seasons aren’t the same all over the world!

The Earth has two hemispheres: the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. And here’s something interesting: when it’s summer in the north, it’s winter in the south. The seasons are opposite!

For example, Mexico, Spain, Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala, Cuba and Costa Rica are in the northern hemisphere, although some countries, such as Colombia and Venezuela, are very close to the equator and do not have such distinct seasons.

In the southern hemisphere, we find Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay and much of Bolivia and Peru. Part of Ecuador is also there.

Vocabulario:

• Hemisferio norte: Northern Hemisphere
• Hemisferio sur: Southern Hemisphere
• Ecuador: equator

o whilst we’re enjoying summer here in Mexico, people in Argentina and Uruguay are getting their coats ready for winter. And whilst, for example, people in northern Mexico celebrate Christmas in the cold, those in Uruguay can spend the festive season on the beach.

How interesting! Isn’t it?

Now let me ask you: what’s your favourite season? Do you prefer picking flowers in spring, swimming in summer, walking amongst the leaves in autumn or playing in the snow in winter?

I think I like them all, but I have one condition: in winter, I only want snow to look at through the window, whilst on holiday with a hot chocolate in my hand. And in summer, I want the beach, but with air conditioning when I get back home!

What’s more, whether it’s spring, summer, autumn or winter, any time is a good time to learn Spanish! You can practise a new word every day, listen to a podcast whilst you’re out walking, or take part in our daily workshops.

Because learning a language is like enjoying the seasons: every day you discover something new, and there’s always something waiting to blossom! Thank you for listening.

See you in the next episode!

Bye, bye

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