


Don’t worry, we will clear the confusion!

1. It is an easy Exam



2. You can take it anytime


The following are the upcoming exam dates for 2014:
JULY: 18th July- Levels B1, B2, C1

3.Only a grammar book is sufficient




4.DELE certificate Exam is for FREE


The following table is an example of the 2013 prices:


5. It is a written exam


  1. Reading Comprehension
  2. Writing
  3. Listening Comprehension
  4. Grammar and Vocabulary
  5. Speaking


6. Classroom study is sufficient



7. Exam does not focus on speaking

Remember it’s important to frame both the start and the end.



  3. Spanish is not the habitual language used for communicating.
  5. Check yours Now!




      660 horas     180 horas    840 horas
Nivel Curso DELE
180 horas
(90 horas)
1 (Inicial 1) A1
2 (Inicial 2)
3 (Inicial 3)
(90 horas)
4 (Inicial 4) B1
5 (Inicial 5)
6 (Inicial 6)
300 horas
(150 horas)
7 (Intermedio 1)
8 (Intermedio 2)
9 (Intermedio 3)
10 (Intermedio 4)
11 (Intermedio 5)
(150 horas)
12 (Avanzado 1) B2
13 (Avanzado 2)
14 (Avanzado 3)
15 (Avanzado 4)
16 (Avanzado 5)
360 horas
(180 horas)
17 (Superior 1) C1
18 (Superior 2)
19 (Superior 3)
20 (Superior 4)
21 (Superior 5)
22 (Superior 6)
(180 horas)
23 (Especial) C2 SUPERIOR
24 (Especial)
25 (Especial)
26 (Especial)
27 (Especial)
28 (Especial)


13 amazing facts about Portuguese

1. With more than 230 million speakers, Portuguese is the 6th most spoken language in the world.


2. Of the five main Romance languages (French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian), Portuguese is the second most widely spoken after Spanish.

3. Portuguese is the official language of  Brazil, Cape Verde, Macau, Mozambique, Portugal, Angola, East Timor, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome, and Principe.


4. Despite superficial similarities to Spanish, Portuguese is actually more closely related to Galician, a language spoken in northwestern Spain.

5. The earliest occurrences of a distinctive Portuguese language are found in ninth century administrative documents.

6. The longest Portuguese word is otorrinolaringologista, meaning an ear, nose, and throat doctor.


7.  Most difficult word or tongue twister in Portuguese:-
O rato roeu a roupa do rei de Roma
(The rat gnawed the king of Rome’s clothes)

8. Famous Portuguese quote to impress the locals
Se podes olhar, vê. Se podes ver, repara
(If you can look, see. If you can see, notice )

9. In Portuguese K, W and Y were not part of the alphabet before 2009 and are only used for foreign words.


10. Portuguese people can understand Spanish quite easily, but the opposite is not true.


12. It is a language that uses a system of manual, facial, and other body movements as the means of communication, especially among deaf people.

13. In 1986, Portuguese became one of the official languages of the European Union (EU) when Portugal was admitted to the organization.


15 must dos on a trip to Brazil

Brazil as we all know is the fifth largest country in the world. If you are a football fanatic and in Brazil for the world cup, make sure you make most of your trip to this beautiful country! The official language of Brazil is Portuguese – so hone your skills before getting there :)
Brazil is one beautiful place having a long stretch of about 7500 km spread coastline. It has so many tourist attractions – beautiful glittery white sand beaches, local streets brimming with music, lovely magnificent waterfalls, wildlife filled wetlands, islands, and the mysterious Amazon rain-forest which is discovered wholly by nobody till now.  Today we bring you the list of the most loved top 15 tourist destinations in Brazil – some of the must dos on a trip to Brazil.

1. Christ the Redeemer

6955601775_ba855a731b_bThis place has a huge statue of Lord Jesus Christ, famous all over the world. The Christ the Redeemer statue stands 39.6 meters (130 ft) tall, including its 9.5 meters (31 ft) pedestal and has become an icon for Rio and Brazil. 

2. Iguacu Falls

2574725634_eb6b287919_bOne of the most lovely natural wonders, the Iguaçu falls are located on the Brazil-Argentina Border. One part of these falls is in Brazil while the other part resides its feet in the land of football, Argentina. The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along the Iguazu River.

3. Fernando de Noronha

Fernando de NoronhaThis place is a lovely little group of isles with awesomely intricate beaches, marvelous landscapes, and amazing fauna and flora.  It is situated 220 miles off the northeastern coast in Brazil. The waters are all azure blue with gleaming golden sands.

4. Rio Carnival

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThere are carnival celebrations in virtually every corner of Brazil. The Rio Carnival attracts two million people per day on the streets and almost half a million foreigners during its 4 day celebration. The Carnival is all over the place, in the streets and squares, bars, clubs and all other venues in Rio.

5. Amazon River
At approximately 4,000 miles, the Amazon River is the second longest river in the world. The Amazon has over 3,000 Recognized species of fish and new species are still being discovered. A tenth of the world’s estimated 10 million living species live in the Amazon rainforest.

6. Salvador76344381_625b87329b_bSalvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil’s capital of happiness due to its countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The city has the largest carnival of the World. The city of Salvador is notable in Brazil for its cuisine, music and architecture.

7. Curitiba – Botanical Garden

4667390941_d9a7719a8f_bThis is a park located in the city of Curitiba, the capital of the state of Parana, and the biggest city in southern Brazil. It is the major tourist attraction and landmark of the city.  Once by the portal of entry, one may see extensive gardens in the French style fountains, waterfalls and lakes, and the main greenhouse, which shelters in its interior, specimens of plants characteristic of tropical regions. It rolls out its carpet of flowers to the visitors right at the entrance.

8. The Pantanal

Pantanal 2009The Pantanal is an area not visited by travelers as often, as it is on the far west side of Brazil and is little less easy to get to than other places. It is also arguably one of the world’s best places to see animals and birds- a place where there’s more wildlife than nightlife!

9. Historic Center of Olinda

3199934032_c354bf2610_b A well preserved colonial city, Olinda is located on the Brazil’s northeastern coast, just north of Recife. Olinda features a number of major touristic attractions, such as a historic downtown area, churches, and the famous Carnival of Olinda. Many bars, restaurants, artist and craftspeople studios add charm to the old-town setting.

10. Teatro Amazonas2581950903_2caa7175bb_bThe Teatro Amazonas Historic Theater is a popular historical attraction when visiting the city of Manaus, located in the midst of the Amazon Rainforest. The theater is a working historical landmark with scheduled operas by renowned performers, ballets, philharmonic orchestras, and performances by solo musical artists.

11. Lapa Steps

Selaron's Stairs, a mosaic tile stairway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil This crazy and colorful tiled stairway is the work of Chilean artist Jorge Selaron. This famous stairway is made up of 250 steps and measures 125 meters long. Their splendor is not only due to size, but to decor; the steps are adorned in over 2,000 brightly colored tiles from more than sixty different countries.

12. Street art of Rio

4736127587_5c9713ea00_bRio de Janeiro has become a sort-of mecca for graffiti artists in Latin America. From the intricately painted street stairs of Escadería Selaron to the layered murals, tags, and stencils in the Santa Teresa and Laranjeiras neighborhoods.

13. The Brazalian MaldivesLagoa-ParaisoThe Brazilian Maldives can be found near the beach town of Jericoacoara in northern Brazil.  Not very well known at all, but one of the most unique places in Brazil.  The town sits in the middle of a valley with sand dunes to the East and grass laid hills to the West.  Once you drive inland you can find fresh water lagoons called Paradise Lagoon (Lagoa Paraiso) and Blue Lagoon (Lagoa Azul).  Definitely worth a visit.

14. Brasilia2292729905_1deced1487_bBrasilia is not only a planned city. It is a planned capital located in the central area of the country. Just five years before, the area resembled a desert, with no people, scarce water, few animals and plants and today, it is  a masterpiece of modernist architecture listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and attracts architecture aficionados worldwide.

15. Ouro preto

1512358548_f99118ce1a_bOne of Brazil’s best-preserved colonial towns, Ouro Preto, meaning “black gold”, was founded at the end of the 17th century. It quickly became the epicenter of a new gold rush in the state of Minas Gerais. The city contains well preserved Portuguese colonial architecture, while modern buildings must adhere to historical standards maintained by the city. 18th- and 19th-century churches decorated with gold and the sculptured works of Aleijadinho make Ouro Preto one of the most popular tourist attractions in Brazil.

If you are on a trip to Brazil, and want to make most of it – don’t forget to learn some Portuguese before getting there. CultureAlley can make learning Portuguese super fun – you can learn while you browse Facebook! Check it out:

13 things only bi-linguals will understand







6  Accidentally changing language mid-sentence.



9  Getting grammar rules mixed up.




13. You know 2 times the swear words :D

14 common mistakes Chinese learners make

While there are some similarities between English and Chinese, we all know that the two languages are pretty different. As a result, when English speakers start learning Chinese (Mandarin), there are some common mistakes that they make. Lets look at 14 common mistakes Chinese learners make:

1. Tones
Mandarin’s tones are a source of a lot of trouble for learners. There are 5 tones in the language. If you get it wrong: you may end up calling your mother (mā) a horse (mă)!

2. Gender confusion: In the Chinese language, gender pronouns are not separated (he and she, his and hers) for example.

3. Singular/plural noun confusion: Singular and plural nouns are not different in the Chinese language. Context is what differentiates between singular and plural nouns. As an example, if someone said ‘one cat’, in Chinese then “cat” is singular, but if someone said, ‘many cat’, then “cat” is plural. But there is no separate plural form ‘cats’ in Chinese

4. Over-using 和 (Hé)
The word “and” in English is very versatile, and this often causes English-speaking learners to latch on to 和 in Mandarin and use it for everything.
The main mistake with 和 is using it to connect phrases.

5. Misuse of prepositions:  In Chinese there is a character that can mean, ‘in’, or ‘at’ depending on the context .

6. Word order of adverbials (time, manner and place)
Mandarin word order: In Mandarin adverbials of time, manner, and place nearly always come before the verb. This is different to English where the placement varies a lot.

7. zh, ch, sh / j, q, x and ü
Back to the pronunciation! Tones are by far the most important part of Mandarin pronunciation but some consonants have peculiar pronunciations too! Here are some examples:

q: similar to ‘ch’ in the English ‘cheap’ – tongue is positioned below lower teeth
x: similar to ‘sh’ in the English ‘sheep’ – tongue is positioned below lower teeth
zh: similar to ‘j’ in the English ‘jam’

8. Not using topic-comment structure
A big feature of Mandarin sentence structure is that it is topic-prominent. This means that the most important item in the sentence should usually be put first, regardless of its grammatical role

9. Conjugations: In Chinese, there is no verb conjugation. In English, we would say, ‘I love dancing’, ‘he loves dancing’. In Chinese however, there are no separate forms: love and loves - it is just “love” for all subjects

10.  是 + adj
The most common way to link adjectives to nouns is with 很. This is often described as meaning “very”, but its main function in this case is just to sit between the noun and adjective. “她很高” can just be translated as “she’s tall”.

11.  没有 + 了
没有 is used to negate past actions, and 了 is used to mark completed actions.了 grammar is confusing, so it’s easy to mistakenly think that 了 is about the past tense. This then leads people to use 了 in phrases with 没有

12. Positive-negative inversion + 吗 (Ma)
Two common ways to form questions in Mandarin are positive-negative inversion, and adding 吗 (ma). After learning both, you can easily slip into putting both into one sentence, which is usually incorrect.

13. Inserting articles: The articles (a, an and the) are not needed in Chinese before a noun. But English speakers usually insert them.

14. Confusing first and last names: In China, the family name is written before the first name, the opposite being the case in English speaking countries.

To avoid making such mistakes, learn Mandarin Chinese with the most logical and interactive lessons at CultureAlley:

23 Spanish words that do not have a translation in English


1. Estrenar
To wear or use something for the first time.


2. Pelada


3. Botellón (n)


4. Enmadrarse (v)


5.  Friolero (n)
A person who is especially sensitive to cold weather and temperatures


6. Gentilicio (n)
A word to describe the inhabitants of a country or city


7. Pardo (a)
A brownish gray, like the color of an owl.


8. Puente (n)


9. Sobremesa (n)


 10. Tuerto (a)
One-eyed, or blind in one eye.


11. Desvelado (a)



12. Consuegro (n)


13 . Amigovio/a


14. Te quiero


15. Duende


16. Pena Ajena


17. Antier/Anteayer

18. Embalagarse


19. Atolondrar


20. Tocayo
A person who has the same name as you


21. Soler (v)


22. Pavonear (v)


23. Concuñado (n)


Conjugation of verb Existir in Spanish

In today’s blog we will learn about the conjugation of verb Existir in Spanish

The verb ‘Existir‘ means ‘to exist or to be’

For more verbs with ‘ir‘ ending here is the lesson on CultureAlley

Take a look at the conjugation of the veb Existir

 pronoun Present Preterit Imperfect Conditional Future
yo existo existí existía existiría existiré
existes exististe existías existirías existirás
él/ella/Ud. existe existió existía existiría existirá
nosotros existimos existimos existíamos existiríamos existiremos
vosotros existís exististeis existíais existiríais existiréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. existen existieron existían existirían existirán


I exist = Yo existo

We exist = Nosotros existimos

He exists = Él existe

She exists = Ella existe

You exist = Usted existe

Here are the examples using the verb

There is a lot of poverty

Existe mucha pobreza

There’s no such thing

No existe tal cosa

The company has been in existence for 90 years

Esta empresa existe desde hace 90 años

To learn more Spanish, for free, go to CultureAlley


Conjugation of verb Entrar in Spanish

Today’s blog will make us familiar with conjugation of verb Entrar in Spanish

The verb ‘Entrar‘ means ‘to enter, to go in or to come in’

For more verbs with ‘ar’ ending here is the lesson on CultureAlley

Take a look at the conjugation Entrar

pronoun Present Preterit Imperfect Conditional Future
yo entro entré entraba entraría entraré
entras entraste entrabas entrarías entrarás
él/ella/Ud. entra entró entraba entraría entrará
nosotros entramos entramos entrábamos entraríamos entraremos
vosotros entráis entrasteis entrabais entraríais entraréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. entran entraron entraban entrarían entrarán


I enter = Yo entro

We enter = Nosotros entramos

He enters = Él entra

She enters = Ella entra

You enter = Usted entra

Here are examples of its usage

I got in through the window

Entré por la ventana


I can’t get this ring on my finger

Este anillo no me entra 


I can’t get this shoe on

El pie no me entra en el zapato


To learn more Spanish, for free, go to CultureAlley

Conjugation of Verb Decir in Spanish

The conjugation of verb we cover in today’s blog is Decir

The verb ‘Decir’ means ‘to say or to tell’


Take a look at the conjugation of verb Decir

pronoun  Present Preterit Imperfect Conditional Future
yo digo dije decía diría diré
dices dijiste decías dirías dirás
él/ella/Ud. dice dijo decía diría dirá
nosotros decimos dijimos decíamos diríamos diremos
vosotros decís dijisteis decíais diríais diréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. dicen dijeron decían dirían dirán


I say = Yo digo

We say =  Nosotros decimos

He says = Él dice

She says = Ella dice

You say =  Usted dice

Here are the examples of its usage

How do you say “estación” in English?

¿Cómo se dice “estación” en inglés?

Who told you that?

¿Quién te lo ha dicho?

To learn more Spanish, for free, go to CultureAlley


Conjugation of verb Contar in Spanish

In today’s blog we will learn about the conjugation of verb Contar in Spanish

The verb ‘Contar‘ means ‘to count, to relate or to tell’


Conjugation of the verb ‘Contar :

pronoun Present Preterit Imperfect Conditional Future
yo cuento conté contaba contaría contaré
cuentas contaste contabas contarías contarás
él/ella/Ud. cuenta contó contaba contaría contará
nosotros contamos contamos contábamos contaríamos contaremos
vosotros contáis contasteis contabais contaríais contaréis
ellos/ellas/Uds. cuentan contaron contaban contarían contarán


I count = Yo cuento

We count = Nosotros contamos 

He counts = Él cuenta

She counts = Ella cuenta

You count = Usted cuenta

Here are the examples of its usage

She can count to ten

Sabe contar hasta diez

You can count them on (the fingers of) one hand

Se pueden contar con los dedos de una mano 


Tell me, how are things?

Cuéntame, ¿cómo te va la vida? 

To learn more Spanish, for free, go to CultureAlley