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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 16h

31 Days of Scary Movies Night Two: Freddy Vs Jason I said I was watching scary movies. I didn’t say I was only watching GOOD scary movies 😂 Fun fact, Paramount kept the “Friday the 13th” name, while New Line had rights to Jason, so the later films used Jason without the franchise title

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 17h

Spanish Challenge Friday! What Spanish word do you always forget, no matter how many times you learn it? Mine changes constantly, but there’s always at least one word that refuses to stick in my brain What’s yours? #learnspanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

30 Days of Scary Movies Spooky season is finally here and I’m watching 31 scary movies each night in October. Night One: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre First saw it when I was 13 in a basement with two friends, no lights, and a mountain of junk food from 7-11

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Language Lesson Learned Thursday! “Aunque” can use either the indicative or subjunctive, depending on meaning: “Aunque es difícil…” = “Even though it’s difficult…” A known fact “Aunque sea difícil…” = “Even if it’s difficult…” Hypothetical or uncertain #learnspanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Spanish Idiom Wednesday! “Tirar la casa por la ventana.” Literally: “To throw the house out the window.” It means to spend a lot of money or go all out for a special occasion. “Para su boda, tiraron la casa por la ventana.” Do you say this when you spend a ton? #learnspanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Why can “hablamos” mean both “we speak” and “we spoke”? In regular -ar verbs, the present and preterite differ for every person except nosotros. Hablamos mucho. = We talk a lot. Ayer hablamos. = We talked yesterday. A rare little overlap. -ir verbs do it too: vivimos. #learnspanish

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Spanish Language Trivia Tuesday! Ever wonder why “usted” looks nothing like “you”? It comes from the old respectful expression “vuestra merced,” roughly “your grace.” Over time: vuestra merced → vuesa merced → vusted → usted Changed over roughly 200-300 years #learnspanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Spanish Resource Mondays! This week: Real Fast Spanish, a channel focused on practical techniques for improving conversational Spanish This video in particular shows a great drill designed to help you build sentences and speak more naturally: youtu.be/KPoEEnRiLgQ #learnspanish #languagelearning

youtu.be

This Drill Will Transform Your Spanish

YouTube video by Real Fast Spanish

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Spanish Idiom Wednesday! “Irse por las ramas.” Literally: “To go off through the branches.” It means getting sidetracked, rambling, or avoiding the main point of a conversation. “No te vayas por las ramas. Dime qué pasó.” What do you say to express this idea? #learnspanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Spanish Resource Mondays! This week: Language Transfer’s Complete Spanish course. It teaches you to build Spanish by understanding patterns and connections instead of just memorizing. Very similar to the Michel Thomas Method youtube.com/playlist?lis... #learnspanish #languagelearning

youtube.com

Complete Spanish - YouTube

Join the campaign to help us do more, faster! www.patreon.com/languagetransfer

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Spanish Idiom Wednesday! “Hacer la vista gorda.” Literally: “To make the thick/fat sight.” It means deliberately ignoring something you know is happening, similar to “turning a blind eye” in English. “El jefe sabía lo que pasaba, pero hizo la vista gorda.” #learnspanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Spanish Trivia Tuesdays! Spanish often reshapes English loanwords to fit its own sounds and spelling: football = fútbol leader = líder beefsteak = bistec home run = jonrón whiskey = güisqui standard = estándar What are some loan words you use in every day speech? #learnspanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Spanish Resource Mondays! My preferred app for casual language exchanges is still HelloTalk. You can text, call, or join group voice rooms for your target language. There’s also a wall for posting and following. Have you tried it? apps.apple.com/us/app/hello... #learnspanish #languagelearning

apps.apple.com

HelloTalk - Language Learning App - App Store

Download HelloTalk - Language Learning by HELLOTALK FOREIGN LANGUAGE EXCHANGE LEARNING TALK CHAT APP on the App Store. See screenshots, ratings and reviews,…

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

In today's English class, we're going to conjugate the verb "to eat" in the past: I ate you ate he, she it ate we ate you guys ate they ate Wait a sec... ok. When I said "conjugate" I meant we're gonna learn the word "ate" I guess. Well, let's do the imperfect past next. Oh... #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Language Lessons Learned Thursdays! Future ≠ automatically subjunctive. For a future event that hasn’t happened yet: “Cuando llegue a casa, te llamo.” But for a habit: “Cuando llego a casa, ceno.” Pending future = subjunctive Habit/fact = indicative #learnspanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Spanish Idiom Wednesday! “Meter la pata.” Literally: “To put the paw/leg in.” It’s used when someone makes a mistake, screws something up, or says something they shouldn’t have. “Creo que metí la pata cuando le pregunté por su ex.” Have you used this? #learnspanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Spanish Trivia Tuesdays! The upside down ¿ and ¡ are relatively new. The RAE promoted them in the 1700s so readers could tell from the start that a phrase was a question or exclamation Even someone like Cervantes wrote before modern ¿...? became standard #learnspanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Spanish Resource Mondays! A great channel from Spain I follow is “ItsMoura”. I watch her play video games in Spanish and talk about it while she’s playing. Great in the background, but also flys by. I get hours of input this way. youtube.com/@itsmoura?si... #learnspanish #languagelearning

youtube.com

ItsMoura

Buenas! Mi nombre es Mila, pero puedes llamarme Moura. Aquí encontraréis gameplays de juegos de historia, sagas y singleplayers que en general no he tenido la oportunidad de jugar todavía. Adoro los ...

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Spanish Idiom Wednesday! “No tener pelos en la lengua.” “To have no hairs on your tongue.” Describes someone who says exactly what they think without holding back. “Mi hermana no tiene pelos en la lengua.” Would you say this in your every day speech? Why or why not? #Spanish #LanguageLearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

What’s your preferred method to memorize vocabulary in a foreign language? Flashcards? Good list method? Memory palace? Nemonic associations? Memorize speeches? Reading books? Rewatching the same season of tv 10 times? Or something else? #learnspanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Spanish Trivia Tuesdays! Roughly 8% of Spanish vocabulary is estimated to come from Arabic aceite → az-zayt azúcar → as-sukkar arroz → ar-ruzz almohada → al-mukhádda ojalá → in shā’ Allāh Many words begin with “al-” to reflect the definite article #learnspanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Spanish Resource Mondays! This week, I chose a resource from Spain since I usually focus on Spanish from Latin America: Linguriosa is a fabulous channel that focuses on the Spanish language and other languages as well youtube.com/@linguriosa?... #learnspanish #languagelearning

youtube.com

Linguriosa

🦖Canal para los pedantes del español.

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Great video from Language Jones that’s relevant to a recent post of mine on learning languages in a “school” setting youtu.be/STYcCNcs_vo?...

youtu.be

Is College Language Learning Backed by Science?

YouTube video by languagejones

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Spanish Idiom Wednesday! “Poner el dedo en la llaga.” Literally: “To put your finger in the wound.” It’s used when someone brings up an issue that’s painful, sensitive, or uncomfortable. Similar to “hitting a nerve” in English. Do you or people you know use it? #learnspanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I have never in my life met someone who learned a language to fluency in school, but used little to no other resources outside of classes. In fact, I would say that when someone is taking classes in high school/college, they could learn faster if they just skipped class and studied on their own.

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Spanish Resource Mondays! Ruido Social, Eva Maria Beristain. I really like these videos because she conducts street interviews with lots of different people on a wide variety of topics. Great if your focus is on Mexican Spanish #learnspanish #languagelearning youtu.be/xglPpT9BieY?...

youtu.be

ASI LOS RICOS SE QUEDAN CON TU COLONIA - Ruido Social

YouTube video by Eva Maria Beristain

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

How many hours per week do you study foreign languages? Maybe a better question, do you bother to track your hours? #learnspanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Spanish Idiom Wednesday! “Buscarle tres pies al gato.” Literally: “To look for three feet on the cat.” It’s used when someone overcomplicates something or looks for problems where there really aren’t any. Do you or your friends say this? #LearningSpanish #LanguageLearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

A thing I’ve been doing with my Spanish: asking AI to quiz me at an A1 level on a curriculum of verbs, prepositions, etc. Finding any gaps in my knowledge and putting them in a separate chat for deep diving on each. My confidence is really increasing after just a few days. #learnspanish

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

What’s stopping you from starting to learn a new language? #languagelearning #learnspanish

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

What’s your method that you’re using to learn languages that isn’t working for you? #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Spanish Resource Mondays! Carlos Ballarta is probably my favorite Spanish speaking comedian. Check out this special of his which also has great Spanish subtitles youtu.be/BrAqLQMRWrA?... #learnspanish #languagelearning #Spanish

youtu.be

REBELDE COMODINO

YouTube video by Carlos Ballarta

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

The idea that you should listen to hundreds of hours of your target language before speaking it is wild to me. It’s like saying watch 100 hours of guitar videos before you pick up a guitar. Just grab the guitar and start making noises. That’s half the fun! #spanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

En el proceso de aprendizaje del inglés, cuál es el tema o la parte más difícil para ti? #learnenglish #learnspanish #languagelearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

If anyone is learning English and wants to know how to pronounce the word “potatoes”, I got you… youtu.be/qrQVFZx7XX4?... #learnenglish #languagelearning

youtu.be

Boil 'em (Potatoes)

YouTube video by YTMND2012

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Spanish Idiom Wednesday! Let’s do: “Ahogarse en un vaso de agua.” Literally: “To drown in a glass of water.” It’s used when someone gets overwhelmed by a small problem or makes a situation seem much more difficult than it really is. Do people use this in your city? #Spanish #LanguageLearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

A language trick I use is “backchaining”: pronounce a word starting from the end and build it backwards, one syllable at a time. My hunch from experience: going backwards interrupts your brain’s expectation of what sound comes next. Just a theory, but it works for me! #Spanish #LanguageLearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Spanish Resource Mondays! This week I chose a great channel with a focus on Mexican Spanish called “How to Spanish Podcast” youtu.be/k-c9X_TC2C8?... Episodes are all less than 30 minutes and can be easily understood at the A2-B1 level. Also great for shadowing! #Spanish #LanguageLearning

youtu.be

Stop Saying "Tal Vez" — How Mexican Native Speakers Actually Talk - How To Spanish Podcast EP 414

YouTube video by How to Spanish Podcast

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Siempre me gusta decir que ya sé suficiente español para meterme en problemas, pero no suficiente para salir de ellos 😂 #Spanish #LanguageLearning

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Reposted by James Demlow

Dan McSweeney @dan2dublin.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

PSA. To help kids learn to write the Spanish alphabet, I just published an iOS app - Todas las letras. It's small, cute, & free. No data collection. No In app purchases. No politics. apps.apple.com/us/app/todas... @jonboeckenstedt.bsky.social @diedrichbader.bsky.social @chriseigeman.bsky.social

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

New Vocab Thursdays! Today we’re doing: “Desencadenar” It means “to trigger,” “to set off,” or “to unleash.” Example: “La decisión desencadenó una ola de protestas.” “The decision triggered a wave of protests.” Saw it on a news site and realized I didn’t know it 😅 #Spanish #LanguageLearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Spanish Idiom Wednesday! “A ver qué sale.” Literally: “Let’s see what comes out.” Used when you’re going to give something a try without knowing how it’ll turn out. Similar to saying, “We’ll see what happens,” or “Let’s see how it goes.” When did you last use this? #Spanish #LanguageLearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Are you learning more than one language at the same time? If so, what’s your split like these days? For me, it’s about 90% Spanish and 10% French. I want my Spanish to stay very ahead and get fossilized with the things I care about before I dial up French. #Spanish #LanguageLearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Spanish Resource Mondays! Probably my favorite book on language learning I’ve ever read is still Fluent Forever by Gabriel Wyner. fluent-forever.com/shop/ It takes you through a very particular process of how to learn any language. Sounds, words, grammar, etc. #Spanish #LanguageLearning

fluent-forever.com

Shop – Fluent Forever

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

I don’t know why people still believe kids are better at learning languages than adults. If you put yourself up against a 9 year old and you are both going to learn Spanish over a year, you’re gonna destroy the 9 year old. I think it may be an excuse to not try. #Spanish #LanguageLearning

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

New Vocab Thursdays! Let’s do the verb: “Impulsar” It means “to promote,” “to boost,” or “to drive something forward.” Example: “La nueva ley busca impulsar la economía.” “The new law aims to boost the economy.” One I hear a lot in podcasts about current events. #Spanish #LanguageLearning

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