Latin American Spanish

Before you pull up a seat at the holiday table, study the rules of etiquette so you can avoid a faux pas (yes, that’s French for lack of tact, or rude foreigner, depending on who you ask). While taking cues from your host or hostess is never a bad idea, it’ll also impress them if you come equipped not just with a symbolic gift but with the kind of consideration for their cultural values that money can’t buy.

Before you get out there and start mingling merrily, it pays to know a little cultural etiquette. Our international guide to party protocol will help you raise a glass in the most common languages and understand how to rub elbows without committing a faux pas.

When you’re popping into a holiday party, it’s considerate to bring a gift for the host or hostess. Many people choose flowers since they’re a beautiful and gracious way to extend thanks, but different flowers can have different meanings across cultures. In South Africa for instance, it’s customary to give flowers during the holidays, but in Egypt, they are only appropriate as gifts when attending a funeral.

Thoughtfulness and a little cultural sensitivity translate well in any language. We may have…

You’ll find tradition running deep throughout Mexico and one of the biggest is Día…

Inverted punctuation such as upside-down question marks or exclamation points are found in the…

We caught up with Michelle Luong, an extreme solo-traveler who’s moved over 20 times, setting up shop in 10+ countries, four of them in Latin America. She works as a brand manager; schlepping her laptop from the jungle to the city to the beach and back again. She admittedly loves change, which is a good thing in the hustle and bustle of her current homebase, Mexico City.

Learning Spanish? Being conversational is more than the perfunctory ¿cómo estás?, but instead involves…

If you’re learning Spanish, sometimes you’re only taught the proper words. Let’s change that—here…

After spending a year improving my Spanish speaking skills with Rosetta Stone’s app, it…

When it comes to welcoming in the new year, the possibilities are endless.

Ciudad de México I was born in Spain but raised in Miami, so I’ve…