Until a few days ago, the only audiobook edition of Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) I was familiar with was priced at over a hundred dollars.

Now it can be purchased for $25.

That’s not bad for an edition which comes in 8 cds lasting 8 hours.

Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal is the first title in the series created by J.K. Rowling and, unfortunately, the only one that has been published in audio book format so far.

If you want to listen to this Spanish audio book along with the printed version, here is Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone) in book format.

The Spanish greeting ‘buenas tardes‘ translates both as ‘good afternoon‘ and ‘good evening‘; and the greeting ‘buenas noches‘ means both ‘good evening‘ and ‘good night‘.

So, when do you use ‘buenas tardes’ and ‘buenas noches’?

Unlike in English, these two Spanish greetings have more to do with meals and the sunset than with the actual time of day.

Therefore, ‘buenas tardes’ is usually said after lunch, which is often from 2.00 pm. ‘Buenas noches’, especially in the summer, is usually said after 9.00 pm. In winter, many people say ‘buenas tardes’ at least until 8.00 pm, even if it’s dark; and many only use ‘buenas noches’ after dinner, which tends to be from 9.00 pm.

When using ‘buenas noches’, remember that it’s not only a farewell, but also a greeting. You can use it both when you meet someone and when you leave.

As you can see, there is no golden rule as to when to use these Spanish greetings. The important point is that they’re vague and flexible. Best of all, there’s an easy way out if you’re unsure as to which one to use: you can simply say ‘buenas’.

If you want to practice saying these and other Spanish greetings, you can hear them said by native speakers in the Lessons 2, 3 and 4 of my Spanish course. Here are two samples:

Lesson 2 dialog and flashcards

If you’re an audiobook fan, you’re in for a treat. The number of Spanish audiobooks now published every month has dramatically increased over the last few years.

Today you can find dozens of titles in every category imaginable: religion, thrillers and mystery novels, classic literature, children’s books, yoga and fitness classes, self-help books, poetry readings and, of course, Spanish language learning.

Here I’m going to focus on the top 10 bestselling thrillers in Spanish on cd. There are some Spanish authors I expected to feature on this list, like Carlos Ruiz Zafón and Arturo Pérez Reverte, but unfortunately they still haven’t been published on cd in Spanish.

To keep you up to date, I’m monitoring all new audiobook releases and will let you know through this blog what comes out.

Top 10 bestselling thrillers – Spanish audiobooks on cd

1. Ángeles y demonios – Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown

2. El rey de los pleitos – The King of Torts, by John Grisham

3. Las aventuras de Sherlock Holmes – The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle

4. El intermediario – The Broker, by John Grisham

5. La fortaleza digital – Digital Fortress, by Dan Brown

6. El código da Vinci – The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown

7. Caballo de Troya: Jerusalén, by Juan José Benítez

8. La esperada – The Expected One, by Kathleen McGowan

9. Caballo de Troya 2. Masada, by Juan José Benítez

10. Caballo de Troya 7. Nahum, by Juan José Benítez

If you need help finding a Spanish audiobook, or if you want to let us know about a title you like, please post a comment below!

One of the biggest frustrations we all face when learning a foreign language is having to learn the same words over and over.

As a Spanish language teacher, here are 4 tips I’ve found will help you stop forgetting the words you’ve come across:

1. Learn new words with audio material rather than from print only

The difference between learning new Spanish words by reading them in your lesson’s glossary and hearing them said by a native speaker is abysmal.

Hearing new words said by a native speaker, preferably with their English translation afterwards, will not only make you familiar with those words substantially faster, but it will also allow you to remember them more easily.

There are dozens of good Spanish courses with audio material on cd, dvd, cd-rom, podcast and videocast that can help you do just that; and most of them are very affordable.

Check out this example of a vocabulary lesson online, on mp3 and videocast.

2. Learn new words in context

Whenever you learn a new Spanish word, make sure you also hear it in context. Remembering lists of words without context is practically impossible for most of us, because the human brain works best by making associations. In my view, dialogs are the most effective tool for learning new vocabulary.

As an example, here’s the dialog where you can hear all the new words listed in the vocabulary lesson above. You can see and hear it in three formats: online, as an mp3 and a videocast.

3. Find similarities between words

If you can find a similarity between a Spanish word you’ve just come across and another Spanish word you already know or, better still, an English word, you won’t forget it easily.

For instance, when you first see the word encantado (pleased to meet you) you can associate it to enchanted (which it’s related to), or el vino (the wine) to the vineyard.

Other associations are less strong, but they can still help you a long way. Here are some Spanish and English words with the same origin:

I find this way of learning new words so effective that I’ve included word associations throughout my Spanish course, and continue adding new ones to the lessons whenever I find them.

4. Review your vocabulary with audio material regularly

The secret of success, when it comes to mastering Spanish, is to review your material regularly. Listen to your dialogs and vocabulary lessons as frequently as you can. Repeat them out loud, along with the recordings, with and without the printed text in front of you. In other words, make reviewing part of your study routine.

Reviewing always pays off. The more often you review what you’ve learn, the more solid your knowledge will be, and the faster you’ll be able to learn and remember new words.

Here’s the Lesson 1 dialog podcast from my Spanish for Beginners course.

I’m the author and host of this 4-minute podcast. All the Spanish in this podcast has been recorded by native speakers, including myself.

You can see the transcript of the dialog and its translation in this other post and at Spanish Bookworld. There you can also download all my other podcasts in this series.