Mexican vs. American | Juanpa Zurita & Brent Rivera | YouTube Video

This video contrasts different situations between a son and his mother in American and Mexican culture (e.g., making breakfast, going to bed, breaking something in the house, etc.). There are a series of short clips in which the characters (played by two well-known YouTubers) express a range of emotions, including excitement and frustration, in Spanish and English. The skits are not direct translations of one another, rather, they highlight cultural differences and ways of expressing that are meant to be relatable. It also portrays some paralinguistic cues like facial expressions and body  language that might accompany some of the language.

As a learning tool, this video offers a chance to observe and analyze phrases related to expressing excitement and frustration (among other emotions), language choices influenced by power (e.g., as the mother or the child), and contextual factors. While not specifically meant for language learning, the comedic intent highlights (and sometimes exaggerates) the language one might expect to find in the real world.

Diminutives and augmentatives in Spanish | Blog Post

As a more concrete, explicit teaching or learning tool, this blog post offers basic explanations  (in English) of diminutives and augmentatives as they appear in Spanish. In my own experience, I didn’t explicitly learn about these two terms and how they related to pragmatics until I took a linguistics class - however, I had come across “-ito” and “-azo” forms before. As such, this resource is useful for a quick introduction to diminutives and augmentatives in relation to understanding how to express intensity and magnitude (whether this be for an emotion or a thought). It also includes brief descriptions of the context in which you would use certain augmentatives or diminutives and what kind of message would be conveyed. Intensity is an aspect often connected to expressing emotions in the research, as such, having an understanding of when and how to increase/decrease the intensity of a statement is a significant skill to possess. This is a great resource for learners and teachers to connect pragmatics with a grammar point, equipping learners with a practical knowledge to add to their linguistic toolkits. This would also open up great conversation about differences in which diminutive and augmentative forms are most common in different countries and cultures.

How to tell someone in Spanish that you're crazy excited to see them | Blog Post

One of the challenges in learning how to more accurately and creatively express emotions is the limited amount of set phrases that are taught to learners. For example, often learners are just taught “estoy contenta” to express happiness, but that doesn’t have the same intensity as trying to describe excitement. This article offers four commonly used expressions to convey excitement accompanied by explanations in English (when to use, why you might use it) and examples (with the original phrase or variations of the phrase). Learners and teachers could use this goldmine of information to explore the illocutionary forces of statements and imagine how they might want to use the statements (related to learner subjectivity). There is also specific mention of pragmatic pieces, such as explaining phrases you might use in different registers and contexts. Not only does learning these phrases add to their linguistic repertoire, but it allows learners to draw upon different ways of exuding personality and emotions. The article does a great job at presenting explicit information in an informative manner, offering insight into when, how, and why to use these four phrases and also giving extra explanations for variations on forms to be more creative with language use.

Probamos barbacoa de puerco ¡así sabe! | YouTube Video

In looking for authentic (e.g., as language would occur in real life) instances of individuals expressing excitement, I came across a variety of videos related to food. Humans love a good meal! This video is a great resource for a number of reasons: 1) it provides learners with different phrases and means of expressing excitement, 2) it allows for analysis of context (in a restaurant, with a friend, sitting down at a table to eat, etc.), 3) the rate of speech is faster than ones likely used in the classroom, but the speaker enunciates very clearly, and 4) it exposes learners to a variation of Spanish from a speaker who is not typically imagined when learners are introduced to expert Spanish speakers. This is also an opportunity for learners to explore the comments below (which are mostly in Spanish) to see how people are reacting to the video and expressing excitement in written form (which could expose them to shorthand and texting/writing conventions).

Bungee a 100 metros de altura ft. Juca | YouTube Video

This resource for advanced learners involves a Mexican YouTuber who creates vlogs. This video in particular is part of a larger series in which Juanpa is pushing himself out of his comfort zone and choosing to experience things that he might have otherwise put off (for fear, for time, etc.). As a resource, this video offers authentic input for learners from an expert speaker on a topic that might be more interesting than the ones typically provided in language classes. Learners can pay attention to the age of the speaker, the context in which people are speaking, who is being spoken to, etc. in this video. Additionally, I chose this video as a great example of expressing emotion through intonation and prosody, as Juanpa uses voiceovers throughout the video to describe some of the videos, and viewers cannot visually see any expressions to decode his level of excitement or emotion. Juanpa is very expressive in his way of speaking, giving learners inspiration and modeling for how they might be able to manipulate their prosody to convey the level and intensity of emotion they  would like.

Visito Barcelona con una guía turística de 1887 | YouTube Video

In this video, Judith Tiral, a YouTuber who often does videos exploring the history and stories behind different phenomena, goes on a tour of Barcelona using a historical guide from 1887. Seeing as learners have a wide range of interests, this video may be of interest to those with a fascination for history, traveling, and learning niche facts. It also serves as an opportunity to observe a different expert speaker of Peninsular Spanish, and her manner of expressing excitement. Learners could examine differences between ways of expressing emotion in real life between interlocutors and how YouTubers often speak to their cameras/audiences. Paying attention to specific phrases she uses, as well as her prosody, learners can observe and hear expressions of excitement in an authentic and engaging way.

11 ways to express your frustration in Spanish | Blog Post

As beginners are looking to expand their vocabulary, it can be helpful to have written information to reference that offers details on explicit grammar points, examples, and context. This article does such a thing as it introduces learners to 11 common expressions of frustration that are used around the world. Not just centering Peninsular Spanish varieties, this resource includes expressions used in a variety of Spanish speaking countries and contexts. For some phrases, it also explains who might use the phrase and why, offering not only explicit grammar points, but pragmatic details as well. Additionally, while some phrases might be familiar, there is a good mix of metaphors or more illustrative phrases learners could employ to express their frustration. Notably, the article emphasizes reading carefully through the presented information so as to “find the right expression for your situation.” Thus, this is a great resource for beginners to start to unpack some of the pragmatic layers and think through intention as a speaker trying to convey frustration, and how to do so in a way that would reflect the intensity and authenticity of the feeling that is being experienced.

Spanish phrases to use when you're angry | Phrase Audio

This resource provides recorded snippets of 16 expressions or phrases to use when you are upset. While many of the other resources are written blogs, this site offers a chance for learners to listen to expert speakers pronouncing these phrases and words. Of note, it may be a particularly interesting exercise to compare the recordings of the phrases to how they would be used in real life - upon listening, some phrases are pronounced with the listener in mind as opposed to being spoken with real frustration or anger. More specific instruction in a classroom could cover differences in prosody in different settings and when speaking to different people. Ultimately, this resource offers audio examples of phrases instead of just written information - although it is best accompanied with more structured discussions about when, how, and why to use these.

Christmas in September, why not? Comprehensible input to learn Spanish | YouTube Video

This YouTube video, created by a channel called Spanish After Hours, is specifically made for beginner learners of Spanish. The creator pays careful attention to their tone, rate of speech, and clarity of pronunciation so as to produce comprehensible input that is still semi-authentic in context. The video is about the creator decorating their apartment, talking through putting ornaments on a small tree and setting up figurines. There are also Spanish subtitles that are put on the screen to accompany the audio. The phrases of frustration are spoken in a slightly different manner than other videos, as the creator is only speaking to the camera and expresses almost exasperation in laughter at some mistakes they make while decorating. This video would be great for beginners to get Spanish only input on an interesting topic that is comprehensible.

How to express anger in Spanish without being rude | Blog Post

This article provides a wealth of information on different strategies to express anger, including a note on false cognates, prepositions, adjectives, and sentences. There are detailed explanations of pragmatic information such as what preposition to use to express anger at someone or something, intensity of a phrase, and how you can use it with certain people (e.g., with friends). It also provides comparisons of direct English translations with different Spanish prepositions, adjectives, and verbs. It would nicely accompany instruction on the subjunctive mood and expands the verbs that would trigger subjunctive to express anger. The example phrases that they give are also contextualized with a hypothetical scenario in which you would use it. The article provides various forms of expressing anger that do not involve profanity (a feature boasted by the article itself).

9 ways native speakers express anger in Spanish | YouTube Video

This video was created by a YouTuber named Juan who creates videos for people interested in learning Spanish. A step further from written explanations, this video provides a variety of Spanish that is not often included in Spanish classrooms. Though it was created with learners in mind, various phrases are shared in the context of a short skit demonstrating how they might be used. Juan offers explanations and context in English before showing a skit in Spanish (though Spanish and English subtitles are shown during these skits). Special effects are included which emphasize the frustration expressions and how they are used. Notably, the expressions Juan includes are introduced with a slide that has the Spanish phrase, the English idiom/equivalent, and the literal English translation. This video would be a great way to expand on cultural competence by analyzing the pragmatics of this phrase and how it would be interpreted across Spanish-speaking countries, as well as the relationships that are shown in the video (e.g., one phrase was used with a stranger who was a marketer). Learners could also analyze the types of instances that trigger specific frustration phrases, relating to severity of an action.

Feeling mad? 28 expressions of anger for your bad mood | Blog Post

This article pays close attention to the importance of intensity and having words to express that intensity, relative to the appropriateness of a situation and how a person is actually feeling. Listing 28 expressions one can use to show anger or frustration, the article briefly explains (in English) the kind of context you would use this phrase in (in regard to intensity of anger felt), the English equivalent or direct translation, and sometimes an example. Though this list is limited in its explicit pragmatic descriptions, it can be used as a starting point to open discussion on when, with whom, and why one would use each phrase. The variety of expressions also lends itself to providing learners with a selection to choose from that best fits their needs,  personalities, and how they wish to express themselves and their (intense) feelings. Lastly, this list incorporates phrases from Peninsular Spanish and Latin American Spanish dialects, creating an opportunity to cross-culturally compare phrases and their meanings.

A list of Spanish slang expressions for ANGRY: 12 ways to sound like a local | Blog Post

This list of expressions of anger extends a learner’s vocabulary from set academic phrases to slang phrases one might find in various Spanish speaking countries. Instead of limiting one’s repertoire to “enojada” or “furiosa,” the list helps learners express more intense manifestations of anger in more colorful, creative ways. Sometimes we are direct with our explanations of feelings, and sometimes we pull on different strategies to more indirectly or metaphorically express ourselves. One limitation of this source is that it only offers the specific phrase and a short explanation in English of the literal meaning and why one might use it. As such, learners and teachers should take care to do more research on these phrases and how they might be used in real life.

Cuando tu amigo y su novia discuten delante de ti | YouTube Video

Involving a variety of Spanish not always included in the Spanish classroom, this video uploaded by a popular Spanish-speaking YouTuber named Ibai records an interaction between a friend and his girlfriend getting into an argument. Expressions of anger fly left and right out of both the boyfriend’s and girlfriend’s mouths as they argue over dinner reservations, getting there on time, and saving face in front of friends. This video is particularly interesting to analyze, as there are multiple layers of pragmatics related to boasting in front of friends, gender effects of communication, relationship dynamics in a couple, and intensity/prosody of anger expressions. A larger conversation on relationship scripts and expectations (and how those are portrayed linguistically) could be touched upon in class to properly analyze the video and its content.