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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 8h

31 Days of Scary Movies Night Three: Friday the 13th part 3 Sadly without the 3D glasses. I always wonder what people think of the weird shots in this movie and whether they know it was supposed to be watched in 3D originally lol

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James Demlow @jdemlowdev.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

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 · 03/10/2026

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 · 29/09/2026

I believe it. I’m gonna be 45. But hey, you’re turning 51, and by 52 you could be speaking Spanish to people at a pretty decent level. And, you’re gonna be 52 anyway. Might as well speak some Spanish when you get there 😅

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

I totally get it. I probably spent 5-7 years trying everything under the sun before I finally got a system together that gave me actual results. Don’t worry though! You can still do it and it won’t take forever

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

Duolingo is like McDonald's, it's very popular and very bad for you 😅 You could do Anki, Shadowing, and Spanish language TV for 30 minutes a day for a year and probably get 1000% more ROI. You could add even more cool stuff depending on if you have an hour a day. All for free!

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

Use Anki instead! It's free and it's waaayyyy more effective than Duolingo. Plus making the cards gets to be kind of addictive 😅

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

Talk to AI for three minutes a day for 20 days only in Spanish. You'd be surprised how far that gets you 😅

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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

I always like to say Duolingo is like McDonald's. It's very popular and very bad for you 😅

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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

Fluent Forever by Gabe Wyner is probably your best bet. Just do everything he says, and you'll be conversational in like 8-11 months, depending on how much you do/day. For talking to a kid, you'll get there way faster You can also just have AI build you a program if you don't hate AI, but FF works

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

Online and free: - StudySpanish.com - Anki (for making flashcards) - ChatGPT (or your AI of choice). Have it build you a custom program Can you watch videos with headphones, or is it no audio input as well as output?

studyspanish.com

If you want to learn to speak Spanish, you’ve come to the right place.

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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

You can get pretty far in three months and be conversational in less than a year. Go for it!

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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 · 15/09/2026

You don’t have to talk at all. Each voice room has a chat where you can type as well

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

You can learn it! Anyone can! And you can do it for free. Or for very little money Anki, ElevenLabs, ChatGPT, HelloTalk and a library card. Boom If you wanna drop $9.00 a week or every two weeks, iTalki You got this!

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

In my humble opinion, Duolingo is like McDonalds. It’s very popular and not very good for you 😅

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

You can do it! Anyone can. You just need the right method. Methodology and adherence will get you there every time

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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

Anki! It's super effective and people who speak 3 or 4 languages swear by it

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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

To be fair, the methodology may be the issue. I know people who took it for 8 years in school and sound like Señor Chang from Community lol. I also know people who studied on their own for a year or two and are fully conversational So quality over quantity is the big thing for me

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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 will admit I can only speak to my experience and that of my friends and family in the US public school system

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

To be fair, the Dutch have thousands of passive hours of English due to proximity and Dutch is really close to English. My comment is more about efficiency vs effectiveness. 8 years of Spanish classes in the US to reach B1 feels very common, when you could probably swing it on your own in a year

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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

Las preposiciones siempre son lo peor, no importa qué idioma estés aprendiendo jaja

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

I think the appeal of that method is for people who want to learn a language but are afraid to speak, maybe even in their native language, they are being told they can avoid the thing that makes them uncomfortable. Same with musicians who want to play in their bedroom and not in a band

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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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