Mi Vida Loca
"Mi Vida Loca" (My Crazy Life) was created by the BBC in 2009 to help individuals learn Spanish. This series is intended for absolute beginners. This drama takes you on an intriguing mystery adventure to Madrid, Spain and beyond in 22 episodes. Each episode is a combination of real-action video with language teaching and practice. The language is presented in small bite-size chunks when it's needed. This series includes you as a main character in the drama so that you learn Spanish along the way. Since the setting is Spain, the dialect spoken is European Spanish. The average length of each episode is around five minutes and the total length for all 22 episodes combined is just under two hours.
Note: The BBC created several variations of Mi Vida Loca. One prominent version used an interactive format on the BBC website. However, because it used Adobe Flash technology (which was discontinued by Adobe in January 2021 and is unsupported by major browsers), it is no longer usable. Another version was the drama series which was made to be shown on television. The drama episodes are shorter than the interactive episodes. The version used on this website is the drama version.
Series Overview
You are on your way to visit a friend in Madrid, Spain. While in flight, you read a letter from her explaining that she will not be there during your stay but has given you the key to her apartment (aka "flat"). She has also provided you with a Spanish phrasebook that will help you communicate since you will be on your own. Your travels take you to Madrid and other parts of Spain. You meet new friends and acquaintances along the way. Throughout, there is something strange happening that you are not privy to but are trying to figure out. You need to stay to the end to find out what is going on.
Main Characters
You - you are one of the major characters in this saga. The other characters in the video often interact with you (by looking at and talking directly into the camera). You will be a critical part of this adventure as you find your way through Spain while learning some core Spanish.
Phrasebook - in this series, the "phrasebook" is an actual character. In fact, he is a main character. He is a Spanish man inside a phrasebook that speaks both English and Spanish and teaches you the right phrases just as you need them. This is lucky because you will find yourself in need of it more than you might think.
Merche - Early on, you meet Merche (short for "Mercedes"), who is the sister of Teresa and also lives in Madrid. She is a journalist and is working on a groundbreaking story. Due to her article and some unforeseen events, she can't always spend time with you. Her "vida loca" has you running around quite a bit.
Mystery Man - Part of this story's intrigue involves a "Mystery Man". If this sounds vague, it's on purpose. He first emerges in Madrid early on (thus he is also referred to as the "Man from Madrid") and pops up throughout the series. You will never learn his name, but if you stick around to the end, you will learn the reason for his involvement.
Esther - A Spanish teacher and friend of Merche who lives outside of Madrid. She provides a place for Merche (and you) to stay while away from Madrid. Staying with Esther gives Merche a place to continue working on her article and some respite from the pressure in Madrid. While with Esther, you and Merche also do some sightseeing around the countryside.
Raúl - The cameraman for Merche on this article she is writing. He lives in the location where the focus of the article is...Gran Canaria. He plays a key role in helping Merche with the article and with taking you around when Merche cannot. He proves to be innovative as he assists in a pivotal event in the plot of the story.
Other minor but named characters: Teresa - your Spanish friend and the sister of Merche (episode 01 in a written letter) / Lola - a neighbor of Merche (episode 01) / Jorge - a biologist friend of Merche (episodes 04 and 05) / Carlos - Esther's brother and an acquaintance of Merche (episodes 11 and 14).
Phrasebook - in this series, the "phrasebook" is an actual character. In fact, he is a main character. He is a Spanish man inside a phrasebook that speaks both English and Spanish and teaches you the right phrases just as you need them. This is lucky because you will find yourself in need of it more than you might think.
Merche - Early on, you meet Merche (short for "Mercedes"), who is the sister of Teresa and also lives in Madrid. She is a journalist and is working on a groundbreaking story. Due to her article and some unforeseen events, she can't always spend time with you. Her "vida loca" has you running around quite a bit.
Mystery Man - Part of this story's intrigue involves a "Mystery Man". If this sounds vague, it's on purpose. He first emerges in Madrid early on (thus he is also referred to as the "Man from Madrid") and pops up throughout the series. You will never learn his name, but if you stick around to the end, you will learn the reason for his involvement.
Esther - A Spanish teacher and friend of Merche who lives outside of Madrid. She provides a place for Merche (and you) to stay while away from Madrid. Staying with Esther gives Merche a place to continue working on her article and some respite from the pressure in Madrid. While with Esther, you and Merche also do some sightseeing around the countryside.
Raúl - The cameraman for Merche on this article she is writing. He lives in the location where the focus of the article is...Gran Canaria. He plays a key role in helping Merche with the article and with taking you around when Merche cannot. He proves to be innovative as he assists in a pivotal event in the plot of the story.
Other minor but named characters: Teresa - your Spanish friend and the sister of Merche (episode 01 in a written letter) / Lola - a neighbor of Merche (episode 01) / Jorge - a biologist friend of Merche (episodes 04 and 05) / Carlos - Esther's brother and an acquaintance of Merche (episodes 11 and 14).
Important Places
Madrid - You will spend episodes 01 to 08 in Madrid, Spain. Madrid is the capital and most populous city of Spain and is located right in the middle of the country. While there, you will experience La Plaza de Oriente, La Plaza Mayor, El Río Manzanares, El Rastro market.
Medina de Rioseco - You will spend episodes 09 to 15 in and around this city. It is about three-hour drive northwest of Madrid. This location is where a friend of Merche lives. You get to see life and surroundings outside of the big city. While there, you visit a Spanish class, go shopping on your own, do some wine tasting, and take a canal boat trip.
Gran Canaria - this is a Spanish island in the Canary Islands which is located just west of Africa and close to Morrocco. You will spend episoded 16 to 21 in this area. While there is not much time for recreation, you do get many opportunities to learn Spanish. This is also where the story and mystery is explained.
Home - In the very last episode (22), Spain is in the past and you have returned home. You receive the article that Merche wrote. You also receive a call from Merche. Although she is happy about the article, she is worried that someone close to her was involved in the plot to keep her quiet. All in all, she would love you to visit again.
Medina de Rioseco - You will spend episodes 09 to 15 in and around this city. It is about three-hour drive northwest of Madrid. This location is where a friend of Merche lives. You get to see life and surroundings outside of the big city. While there, you visit a Spanish class, go shopping on your own, do some wine tasting, and take a canal boat trip.
Gran Canaria - this is a Spanish island in the Canary Islands which is located just west of Africa and close to Morrocco. You will spend episoded 16 to 21 in this area. While there is not much time for recreation, you do get many opportunities to learn Spanish. This is also where the story and mystery is explained.
Home - In the very last episode (22), Spain is in the past and you have returned home. You receive the article that Merche wrote. You also receive a call from Merche. Although she is happy about the article, she is worried that someone close to her was involved in the plot to keep her quiet. All in all, she would love you to visit again.
What You Will Learn
Because this series is for absolute beginners, a significant portion of each episode is explained in English. Spanish is introduced in small functional chunks per episode, focusing on one communicative topic. The language in the dramatized scenes goes beyond breakthrough level. Even so, they have been scripted with the needs of learners and teachers in mind: the language has been contained to keep more complex structures to a minimum.
Each episode page contains links to documents that explain all the key vocabulary and the grammar structures. More specifically, there are eight key words and phrases, and main grammar point are presented. Another 16 words and a secondary grammar point are also available. Thus, to get the most out of this series, use the vocabulary and grammar resources provided.
Unit 01 - Madrid
While in Madrid, you will learn enough Spanish to understand the basics used in the first eight episodes (01 to 08). In these episodes, you will learn the following: some Spanish basics, to order at a café, basic directions, to meet and greet, to order at a (tapas) bar, to buy a present, time and days, and to buy travel tickets.
01 - En Madrid - Learn some greetings, how to follow directions, and other Spanish basics.
02 - ¿Un amigo? - Learn to order at a café as well as masculine and feminine.
03 - Kilómetro cero - Learn to ask for and understand basic directions as well as taking the metro.
04 - Merche y Jorge - Learn to meet and greet - saying hello and your name, simple questions about nationality, name spellings.
05 - Tapas - Learn to order at a (tapas) bar - reading a tapas menu, asking for the bathroom (toilet), and asking for the bill.
06 - Un regalo - Learn to buy a present - asking prices - ¿cuánto es?, understanding prices, counting change, using numbers: 4-15, buy tickets to an attraction.
07 - La oficina de turismo - Learn times and days - asking about opening times, expressing time: clock, free time (and places to visit).
08 - Un billete de ida - Learn to buy travel tickets - stating destination, buying a coach ticket, departure and arrival times.
Unit 02 - Medina de Rioseco
While in and around Medina de Rioseco, you will build on the basics used in the next seven episodes (09 to 15). In these episodes, you will learn the following: to book a room, about introductions, the formal "you", to shop for food and basic items, to order a meal, to say "I like", and the months.
Unit 03 - Gran Canaria & Home
While in the Canary Islands, on the island of Gran Canaria, you will learn more challenging language used in the final seven episodes (16 to 21). In these episodes, you will learn the following: to check in at a hotel, to buy clothes and shoes, to rent (hire) a car, to ask about property, to say you're unwell, and to talk about the weather. In the final episode (22), you will be home and will look back on your Spanish adventure.
How to Use this Series
Mi Vida Loca is meant to be watched in sequential order as it builds from a basic level to increasingly more difficult levels of grammar and vocabulary. In addition, some topics are revisited and built upon in subsequent episodes. Learners are encouraged to watch the full episode or some of the key scenes more than once. Each episode is between four to seven minutes long. Multiple viewings plus quick vocabulary and grammar study should take no more than 20 to 30 minutes to complete per episode.
How to Watch
Each episode page contains suggestions about what to do before, during, and after watching each episode. See the overview of how that works below:
Before watching - Each episode page will have an episode summary and some essentially vocabulary to review before watching the actual episode. The summary should help you understand the plot at a high level, so you know what is going on. The essential vocabulary is made up of eight words (or phrases) and should help you recognize some spoken language in the episode. Write down the vocabulary in a notebook beforehand. This list of words will also be reviewed by the phrasebook during the episode.
Watching - Watch each episode at least once in its entirety as presented. To get more out of the series, you may want to watch it again but skip the phrasebook explanations. Just try to watch the parts with Spanish dialogue and see if you can recognize words that you hear spoken or see in the Spanish subtitles. You can always reference the vocabulary lists or dictionary for words and phrase you don't understand. Finally, you may want to watch the episode at least one more time after reviewing the grammar resources included with the series. While watching, try to recognize a pre-selected bit of grammar used in the episode.
After watching - Each episode page will have a set of materials that you can work through to increase your comprehension of the story and the Spanish used in the episode. There is additional vocabulary (16 additional words and phrases) and two main grammar points you can review. There are also links to other materials that can help you learn. Each episode has flashcards that can be reviewed to make the most out of the vocabulary and grammar used in the series.
Classroom Suggestions
Take a look at the Teaching with Mi Vida Loca suggestions found on the BBC website. The main suggestions for you to integrate this series into your class are summarized below:
-- You could use Mi Vida Loca for whole class teaching.
-- You could use the video conversations with the characters as roleplays.
-- You also have the option to print the vocabulary, grammar, and transcripts, which you can use as handouts or for pair work.
-- Any or all parts of the series could be used as homework to either prepare for or reinforce classwork.
-- You could use the video conversations with the characters as roleplays.
-- You also have the option to print the vocabulary, grammar, and transcripts, which you can use as handouts or for pair work.
-- Any or all parts of the series could be used as homework to either prepare for or reinforce classwork.
Of course, feel free to use your own methods or use the suggestions found on this website as well.
European Spanish
Since the series takes place mostly in central Spain, castellano (referred to here as "European Spanish") is generally used throughout. So, expect to hear some “th” sounds and vosotros forms (which are common to this dialect). You also get a taste of español de Canarias (Spanish used in the Canary Islands) in the last few episodes. And just as American and British English vary in vocabulary, occasionally the same is true for Castilian and Latin American Spanish: billete instead of boleto for instance.
None of this should stop you from using this video series if you want to learn the "Latin American" dialect of Spanish. With Mi Vida Loca, Spanish is taught in a compelling way through drama and intrigue. It should keep you motivated to keep progressing to see "what happens in the next episode". The videos and accompanying resources allow you to build a foundation of Spanish without prior knowledge. Plus, it is important to be exposed to many dialects of Spanish (including Spanish from Spain) to build better comprehension.
Review & Assessment
There is a test that can be taken at the very end of this series. It was recreated from the original test that is no longer accessible.