What we’re about
Meet local Spanish language and culture lovers for conversation and fun! Come to a Spanish Language Meetup and make new amigos as you practice speaking, discover new phrases, and finally figure out verb conjugations! All ages and levels welcome.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Cena en MalbecMalbec Argentinean Cuisine, Pasadena, CA
Tom has offered the wonderful suggestion that we get together once a month to enjoy a meal in a restaurant featuring dishes from a Spanish-speaking country. Naturally, we'll be enjoying some conversation in Spanish as we dine.
This time we feast at Malbec Argentinean Cuisine in Pasdaena (menu) (yelp), which boasts authentic Argentinean cuisine, including steaks, homemade pasta, desserts, South American dishes, and grilled meats.
Be aware that the prices at this restaurant can be a bit higher than the other places we've gone to - $24 to $51 for main dishes, $37 average. Usually we aim for slightly more accessible places, but this time this is a great option for Argentinean food nearby, and as someone pointed out, still cheaper than flying to Argentina. Hopefully not an impediment for anyone!
To attend, you MUST RSVP on Meetup or to Tom personally by Wednesday 3/20 so he can make the reservation for the group. If you get there and are looking for the group, the reservation is under Tom's name.
This event is different from our Wednesday events in important ways. Wednesdays are very casual, you can arrive or leave any time without RSVPing and it's no big deal if you don't order anything. For a sit-down meal at a restaurant with a reservation, it's important for everyone to RSVP, arrive on time, and order something to eat.
Paying the bill with a large group can also be challenging, so please have a look at the menu and make sure you're ready to pay your part. For a large group, an 18% gratuity may be added automatically, so together with the 9.5% tax rate, you can multiply menu prices by 1.275 to have an idea what the total will be. The restaurant will likely split the bill over a few credits cards for us, but we'll each have to make sure to pay back the card owners according to what we ordered. It's extremely helpful if you have a payment app on your phone like Venmo or Zelle.
The only really convenient parking nearby is street parking, so you may need to drive around a little bit to find a spot. Green Street is a one-way street, though, so you can park on either side. Check the signs, but generally there are no parking limitations from 6pm to 2am on nearby streets.
Many, many thanks go to Tom as always for stepping up to suggest and organize these events!
- [ONLINE] Monday Conversation in SpanishLink visible for attendees
NOTE: Zoom now requires a passcode for our meetings. If you connect using the old link, it will ask you to enter the passcode, which is just the number 1. Or you can use the new link below and you should be able to connect without entering a passcode as before.
Stuck at home during the pandemic and at least somewhat proficient in spoken Spanish? Come join us online for a couple of hours (or as long as you like) chatting in Spanish over the internet for free!
TO CONNECT WITH A COMPUTER, TABLET, OR SMART PHONE:
Simply click this link (always the same link every meetup if you want to bookmark it):
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/369401889?pwd=SFNmQUIvT0tRaHlDaVYrN3l5bzJVQT09
We're using Zoom, a free online video conference service. Clicking that link should quickly and automatically download and install the software you need (if you don't already have it), and then connect you to the meeting.
If that link doesn't install the software you need, the free app in the Apple App Store and Google Play is called ZOOM: Cloud Meetings. You shouldn't need a Zoom account to connect, but if you do create one, you only need the free Basic account. I've got the Pro account that lets us meet as long as we like.
You do need a computer or tablet with a microphone and speaker, of course, to hear the conversation and participate. You don't have to have a camera, and you don't have to turn it on if you do have one. That said, I recommend enabling video, it helps make the connection more personal, with facial expressions and body language to help with understanding. 😊
We're using Zoom's breakout room feature in our online meetups. This means we can have multiple conversations going on at the same time in separate virtual "rooms" and give everyone more opportunity to participate.
When you connect to the meeting, you'll be in the main session room, and I'll assign your breakout room as "Breakout Room 1". This will open a window giving you the option to join that room right away or to wait until later and instead remain in the main session. From then on you're free go back and forth between the rooms as you like, by joining the breakout room or leaving it to go back to the main session.
TO CONNECT OVER TELEPHONE:
Have this meeting ID ready: 369 401 889
Call any one of Zoom's US phone numbers:
669 900 9128
346 248 7799
646 558 8656
253 215 8782
301 715 8592
312 626 6799Type the meeting ID on your phone keypad and press #:
369 401 889 #
Press # again when it asks for your participant ID.
Press 1 and then # when it asks for the passcode.
You should now be connected to the meeting.
NO MATTER HOW YOU'RE CONNECTING:
You can drop in or out at any time during the conversation, and RSVPing on Meetup is nice to do, but not required. I'll actually have the meeting up and running starting around 6:45pm, so you can try connecting ahead of time and figure out any technical problems. I most likely won't be paying attention to the meeting until 7pm, though. So if you find you do need help, please feel free to comment on this meetup or message me directly.
Finally, please try to connect from a quiet location without any background noise like television or music. Zoom uses sound to determine who is talking to show the speaker's video prominently, so background noise will confuse that feature and make it hard to follow the conversation.
If you can't find a quiet location, please use a headset to keep the noise from affecting the meetup. A cheap $20 headset should work fine. You can find them on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Headsets/b?ie=UTF8&node=3015405011) and in most stores that sell computers and accessories. Make sure the one you get can connect to the type of computer or tablet you're using. If you are connecting via telephone, please do not use speakerphone if there is background noise.
Stay safe and well, everyone! Looking forward to chatting with you soon!