Learn Cuban Spanish Online
Learn Cuban slang. Master the Cuban accent. Explore Cuban culture.
Created and taught by Jean Pablo SciaccaCamagüey, Cuba
Cuban slang
Learn the greetings, sayings and everyday words Cubans actually use.
The Cuban accent
Practise the rhythm, pronunciation and connected speech of Cuban Spanish.
Online Cuban Spanish classes
Build your listening and conversation skills in classes with a professional Cuban tutor.
Cuban Spanish courses
Study Cuban Spanish, culture and conversation at your own pace.
Cuban culture
Get to know Cuba through its history, music, literature and everyday life.
Interactive practice
Try a Cuban Spanish course sample and put new expressions into practice.
From Cuba to you
Meet your teacher
After teaching Cuban Spanish online to hundreds of students, I created this academy to share our language, history, music and literature.
My story
Cuban Spanish
Accent, culture & conversation
Recorded courses. Live classes. Culture and community. A little Cuba in your everyday life.
Cuban Spanish
Accent, pronunciation and the expressions we use every day.
Culture & politics
Cuban history, ideas and the stories behind the words.
Humor & conversation
Get the joke, understand the reference and join the conversation.
Audiobooks & cinema
Listen to Cuban voices through literature, films and recordings.
Flashcards & games
Practise words, sayings and Cuban slang with interactive activities.
Live & private classes
Join live classes or book a private Cuban Spanish lesson.
A little Cuban,
right now
Explore all flashcards & games
The Cuban Spanish blog
3 Cuban Shows You Should Watch
Vivir del cuento, Tras la huella and Elpidio Valdés: three names to add to your Cuban watchlist.
Cuban views on Donald Trump
Watch a Cuban Spanish Academy short about Cuban support for Donald Trump, presented from a Cuban perspective.
Can you recognise this Cuban Spanish phrase?
A short video built around a phrase in Cuban Spanish. Watch the clip from Cuban Spanish Academy and see whether you recognise it.
Discover a Cuban Spanish expression
Watch this short video about a Cuban expression from Cuban Spanish Academy and explore the Spanish spoken in Cuba.
La Jabita de la Merienda
A Cuban school memory: the snack bag, family care, social differences and the ways children share what they have.
La Bodega
What is a bodega in Cuba? Explore rationing, neighborhood conversations, shortages and the familiar question: llegó el pollo?
Celia Cruz
Explore the voice, joy and exile of Celia Cruz through a Cuban teacher’s reflection on her music and cultural legacy.
Las Parrandas
Remedios’ parrandas: illuminated floats, neighborhood rivalry and memories of Cuban celebrations.
The Cuban Vitrina
The Cuban vitrina: glasses for guests, ornaments and family history behind a familiar piece of Cuban home life, told with humor.
The Cigar Factory Reader (Lector de tabaquería)
Discover the Cuban lector de tabaquería: a tradition of reading novels and newspapers aloud while tobacco workers make cigars.
La Jaba — Cuban Slang
What does jaba mean in Cuban Spanish? Learn the everyday word for a shopping bag, with meanings, examples and Cuban context.
“Está En Candela” — Cuban Spanish for Everything Is on Fire
What does está en candela mean in Cuban Spanish? Learn how context and tone turn fire into difficulty, chaos or admiration.
The Cuban Queue Has Its Own Constitution
Quién es el último? Discover the unwritten rules of a Cuban queue and the conversations that make a cola work.
Do you know this Cuban word?
A Cuban word is the focus of this short from Cuban Spanish Academy. Watch the clip and explore Cuban Spanish vocabulary.
The Maleconazo
The Maleconazo of August 1994: a reflection on the protests, repression and balsero exodus in Cuban history.
Tirar un Cabo — Cuban Slang
What does tirar un cabo mean in Cuban Spanish? Learn this everyday way to ask for help, with examples and context.
On Amelia Peláez
Explore fruit bowls, colored glass and interlocking shapes in Amelia Peláez’s paintings of Cuban domestic life.
Camagüey: The Jarred City
Camagüey’s tinajones: discover the clay jars, courtyard houses and everyday history behind this Cuban city’s most familiar symbol.
Pinchar - Cuban Slang
Learn pinchar and pincha: Cuban Spanish for work. Understand en qué tú pinchas and other everyday examples.
Heberto Padilla: a poet, a confession, and Castro’s idea of freedom
Explore the Padilla affair and a Cuban teacher’s perspective on writing, public confession and freedom of expression.
The CDR: when the government lives on your block
Cuba’s CDR, surveillance and political control: a reflection on their effects on everyday relationships in Cuban neighborhoods.
Cuban Spanish Short
Watch this original short video from the verified Cuban Spanish Academy channel.
Cuban Spanish Short
Watch this original short video from the verified Cuban Spanish Academy channel.
Three ways to say friend in Cuban Spanish
Discover three ways to say friend in Cuban Spanish in this short video from Cuban Spanish Academy about Cuban vocabulary.
How to say very in Cuban Spanish: muy and mucho
Watch a short Cuban Spanish Academy video about expressing very in Cuban Spanish, with muy and mucho as the starting point.
What does it really mean to be a doctor in Cuba?
A Cuban teacher’s reflection on doctors, salaries, resources and the conditions of medical work in Cuba.
In Cuba several generations live in the same house
Explore housing shortages and the experience of grandparents, parents and children sharing one home in Cuba.
Reinaldo Arenas and being homosexual in Cuba
Reinaldo Arenas and life in Cuba: a reflection on literature, persecution, exile and freedom of expression.
How does Cuba’s ration book actually work?
Understand Cuba’s libreta de abastecimiento and a native teacher’s perspective on rationing, shortages and everyday food supplies.
Dominoes! The real Cuban national sport
Cuban dominoes: discover the double-nine set, family conversations and the everyday traditions around the table.
The Cuban Spanish of Cuban grandmothers
Explore the Cuban Spanish of Cuban grandmothers in this short video from Cuban Spanish Academy about language and Cuban culture.
Flirting in Cuban Spanish
A short video about flirting in Cuban Spanish from Cuban Spanish Academy. Explore this side of Cuban language and culture in the clip.
Why is every building deteriorating in Cuba?
A reflection on maintenance, building materials, investment and the deterioration of Havana’s buildings.
How was Cuba before 1959?
Cuba before 1959: a reflection on inequality, political changes and the effects of the Revolution on everyday life.
How does Cuba’s public education system work?
Cuba’s public education system: a firsthand account of school conditions, teaching materials and political pressure.
Cafecito: Cuban coffee and Cuban Spanish
Cuban coffee meets Cuban Spanish in this cafecito short from Cuban Spanish Academy. Watch the clip about coffee and Cuban language.
Why Is Chess So Popular in Cuba?
Chess in Cuba: Capablanca, school chess and childhood memories of one of the island’s best-known games.
Full-time job? Here, your $15 USD of the month
Cuban state salaries, basic necessities and the informal economy: a reflection on everyday life. Figures reflect the article’s context.
Three foods to try in Cuba
Discover three foods to try in Cuba in this short video from Cuban Spanish Academy, exploring Cuban food as part of Cuban culture.
An expression often used in Cuba
Watch a short Cuban Spanish Academy video about an expression often used in Cuba and explore Cuban Spanish through the clip.
A Cuban way to say you are in love
Explore a Cuban way of saying you are in love in this short video from Cuban Spanish Academy about Cuban Spanish expressions.
Ño: expressing surprise in Cuban Spanish
Discover ño as a way of expressing surprise in Cuban Spanish. Watch this short Cuban Spanish Academy video about the Cuban expression.
Three famous Cuban songs
Listen to a short video about three famous Cuban songs from Cuban Spanish Academy and explore music as part of Cuban culture.
Three Cuban Spanish expressions
Explore three Cuban Spanish expressions in this short video from Cuban Spanish Academy, focused on the language used in Cuba.
Famous Cuban films: part two
Discover famous Cuban films in part two of this short Cuban Spanish Academy series about Cuban cinema and Cuban culture.
Le ronca el mango: a Cuban Spanish expression
Explore the Cuban phrase le ronca el mango in this short video from Cuban Spanish Academy, dedicated to expressions used in Cuba.
Discover Cuban films
Watch a short Cuban Spanish Academy video about Cuban films and explore cinema as one way to discover the culture of Cuba.
A view of Cuban Spanish: 22 June 2026
Watch the Cuban Spanish Academy short published on 22 June 2026, sharing a perspective on Cuban Spanish as a variety of Spanish.
Get to know a Cuban phrase
Explore a Cuban phrase in this short Cuban Spanish Academy video about Cuban Spanish, with the full clip available to watch here.
Cuban words to know before visiting Cuba
Explore Cuban words for a visit to Cuba in this short video from Cuban Spanish Academy about the Spanish used on the island.
Can you understand two Cubans talking?
Listen to two Cubans talking in this short Cuban Spanish Academy video and see how much of their Cuban Spanish conversation you understand.
A view of Cuban Spanish: 11 June 2026
Watch the Cuban Spanish Academy short published on 11 June 2026, presenting a perspective on the Cuban variety of Spanish.
Human rights in Cuba: a Cuban perspective
Watch a Cuban Spanish Academy video about human rights in Cuba. Its original description includes references to human rights reports and organisations.
A Cuban meme about communism
Watch this short from Cuban Spanish Academy, presented with Cuban meme and communism tags in its original public description.
Understanding a Cuban song: listening clip two
Listen to a Cuban song in this second short published on 9 June 2026 by Cuban Spanish Academy and see how much you understand.
Understanding a Cuban song: listening clip one
Listen to a Cuban song in this first short published on 9 June 2026 by Cuban Spanish Academy and see how much you understand.
Three Cuban words to discover
Discover three Cuban words in this short video from Cuban Spanish Academy, focused on vocabulary used in Cuban Spanish.
Cuban Spanish Academy: official trailer
Watch the official trailer for Cuban Spanish Academy. Discover the academy through its presentation video and visit the official website.
Cuban Spanish for Travelers: What You Need Before Going to Cuba
Cuban Spanish for travelers: prepare for greetings, taxis, food and everyday slang, with listening tips, tone and cultural context.
This is Cuba: a reaction in Spanish
Watch a Spanish-language video about the reality of Cuba, reacting to a video by PatoBonatoSinBozal, from Cuban Spanish Academy.
Life in Cuba in 2026: a Cuban explanation
Watch a Cuban explain life in Cuba in 2026 in this Cuban Spanish Academy video, presented as part of the Cuban Politics Course.
Cuban Spanish classes with a native tutor: 2026
Watch a Cuban Spanish Academy video about Cuban Spanish classes with a native tutor, published in 2026 and linked to the academy's learning community.
The Cuban Spanish accent in natural conversation
Explore the Cuban Spanish accent through natural conversation in this Cuban Spanish Academy video about the Spanish spoken in Cuba.
10 Cuban Words Your Grandma Always Says
Learn alabao, tarecos, patatús and other words your Cuban grandma says. Discover their meanings, examples and family context.
The secrets of the Cuban dictatorship
Information control, propaganda and the mechanisms that sustain the Cuban regime: an analysis from a Cuban perspective.
Reflections on a Cuba Left Behind: The Pain of the Cuban Diaspora
A Cuban teacher reflects on exile, family separation, memory and the connection between generations of the Cuban diaspora.
Why you should watch Fresa y Chocolate, the famous Cuban film
Fresa y Chocolate: explore the film’s characters and the Cuban context of friendship, identity and freedom.
The Pros and Cons of Visiting Cuba Under a Dictatorship
Visiting Cuba under a dictatorship: culture, history and practical challenges in an archived perspective on travel to the island.
10 Compelling Reasons to Learn Cuban Spanish in 2026
Explore how learning Cuban Spanish connects language, family, cultural understanding and personal interests beyond a textbook.
10 best places to visit in Cuba
Explore ten Cuban destinations, from Old Havana and Viñales to Baracoa and the cayos, with Cuban Spanish Academy.
Common Cuban Phrases
Learn common Cuban phrases, greetings and slang: qué bolá, asere, pinchar, tirar un cabo and everyday expressions with meanings.
Where to learn Cuban Spanish?
Where to learn Cuban Spanish online: explore an academy combining video lessons, weekly live classes and a learner community.
10 best (and controversial) Cuban Films
Discover ten influential Cuban films, from De cierta manera to Memories of Underdevelopment. Explore Cuban cinema, culture and political commentary.
Why Cubans vote for Trump
Cuban American political preferences: a perspective on exile, attitudes toward the Cuban regime and support for Donald Trump.
Cuban Spanish phrases and slang explained
Watch a Cuban Spanish Academy video explaining Cuban Spanish phrases and slang. Explore the vocabulary and expressions of Spanish in Cuba.
A Cuban perspective on Latino support for Donald Trump
Watch a Cuban Spanish Academy video discussing why Latinos vote for Donald Trump, presented as an explanation from a Cuban perspective.
Cuban New Year traditions: food and culture in 2025
Explore Cuban New Year traditions, food and culture in this Cuban Spanish Academy video published in 2025 about celebrations in Cuba.
Christmas in Cuba in 2025: a Cuban perspective
Watch a Cuban Spanish Academy video reflecting on the reality of Christmas in Cuba in 2025, presented from a Cuban perspective.
Online one-to-one Cuban Spanish lessons
Watch a video about online one-to-one Cuban Spanish lessons with Jean Pablo. The original description links to his tutor profile on Preply.
3 Cuban Shows You Should Watch
Vivir del cuento, Tras la huella and Elpidio Valdés: three names to add to your Cuban watchlist.
Cuban views on Donald Trump
Watch a Cuban Spanish Academy short about Cuban support for Donald Trump, presented from a Cuban perspective.
Your next conversation could sound a little more Cuban
Courses, culture, live classes and a community to practise with.