¡Cultura Pop! (Music, Movies, and Media)
This Puerto Rican rapper and global streaming superstar sang hits like Tití Me Preguntó and headlined the Super Bowl.
Who is Bad Bunny?
This is the only country in Central America where English is the official language, though many speak Spanish or Kriol.
What is Belize?
This Mexican holiday, celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, honors deceased loved ones with ofrendas, marigolds, and sugar skulls.
What is El Día de los Muertos?
In Mexico, if someone asks you ¿Qué onda?, they are informally asking you this in English.
What is "What's up?"
True or False: Spanish is the second most spoken native language in the world, right behind Mandarin Chinese.
True!
This Disney animated movie is set in Colombia and features a magical house and a family member who no one talks about (Bruno).
What is Encanto?
This South American country has two official capitals: La Paz (administrative) and Sucre (constitutional).
What is Bolivia?
In Spain, it is tradition to eat this specific number of grapes at midnight on New Year's Eve for good luck.
What is 12 grapes?
In Costa Rica and Argentina, instead of tú, people use this pronoun. What is it?
What is "vos"?
True or False:Equatorial Guinea, a small nation in Central Africa, has Spanish as one of its official languages.
True! (It's the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa).
Originally a Spanish Netflix series about a group of robbers wearing Dali masks and red jumpsuits, its English title is Money Heist.
What is La Casa de Papel?
Spanning over 5,500 miles north-to-south, this country has the longest coastline in South America and borders the Andes.
What is Chile?
This famous Spanish dish consists of rice, saffron, and a mix of meats or seafood, cooked in a wide, shallow pan.
What is paella?
If a friend in Spain tells you something costs un ojo de la cara, it means it costs this.
What is an arm and a leg? (Literally: an eye from the face).
True or False: Tomatoes, chocolate, and potatoes were introduced to Europe by indigenous civilizations in the Americas.
True!
This viral Mexican food chain with a Spanish name translates literally to "The Crazy Chicken."
What is El Pollo Loco?
This capital city is built on the ruins of the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlan and is sinking a few inches every year.
What is Mexico City (Ciudad de México)?
Originating in Buñol, Spain, participants throw thousands of pounds of this red fruit at each other during an annual summer festival.
What are tomatoes (La Tomatina)?
In several Caribbean countries (like Cuba or the Dominican Republic), instead of saying ¿Cómo estás?, people casually ask ¿Qué... ? using a word for "bolted" or "thrown".
What is ¿Qué bolá??
In Spain, it is customary to leave a standard 15% to 20% tip for your server at every restaurant.
False! Tipping is minimal or optional in Spain; leaving 15% would shock the waiter.
He is a famous Spanish tennis player with 22 Grand Slam titles, known for his signature clay-court dominance and fighting spirit ("Vamos!").
Who is Rafael Nadal?
This narrow, man-made waterway connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and is controlled by Central America's southernmost Spanish-speaking republic.
What is the Panama Canal (in Panama)?
During the Christmas season in many Latin American countries, children smash open this decorated papier-mâché container filled with candy and toys.
What is a piñata?
This slang word, used across much of Latin America, means "cool," "awesome," or "neat" (and shares its name with a cool drink or a breeze).
What is chido, copado, or bacano? (Or chévere).
True or False: The letter "Ñ" has always been part of the traditional English alphabet.
False! It is unique to Spanish (and a few other languages influenced by it), historically formed by writing a small "n" above a bigger "n" (nn).