Blackout in Spain! How a Power Outage in Madrid Taught Us New Words—and Sparked Our Love for Spanish

Picture this: you're sitting in a cozy café in Madrid, sipping a café con leche, scrolling through Spanish news... and BAM—lights out. Fans stop spinning. Waiters scramble for flashlights. That’s exactly what happened to us—the team behind your favorite magazine—when we got caught in a massive blackout in Spain on April 28, 2025.
But this wasn’t just a flicker. It was a full-blown apagón (blackout) that brought Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon—and even parts of Portugal and southern France—to a standstill. Subways froze, traffic lights went dark, and people flooded stores in search of water and batteries.
We were right in the heart of Madrid when it all happened, and surprisingly, the chaos turned into an unforgettable language lesson. Today, we’re not just sharing the drama of the day—we’re giving you a mini survival dictionary of Spanish phrases we learned on the spot. ¡Vamos a aprender! Let’s dive in.

A blackout doesn’t just dim the streets—it lights up a whole new vocabulary. Here are the key phrases we heard that day, with English translations and context. Save them! They're useful in emergencies and in everyday conversations.

• ¡Apagón! (ah-pah-GON) – Blackout, a massive power outage.
• Headline in El País: “¡Un apagón histórico!”
• Se ha ido la luz (seh ah EE-doh lah loose) – “The power’s out.”
• “Oye, se ha ido la luz, ¿qué pasa?” – “Hey, the lights are out—what’s going on?”
• ¿Qué ha pasado? (keh ah pah-SAH-doh) – “What happened?”
• “¡Pero qué ha pasado con la luz!” – “What happened to the power?!”
• Sin corriente (seen kor-ree-EN-teh) – “No power / current.”
• “Estamos sin corriente, no puedo usar la caja.” – “There’s no power, I can’t use the register.”
• Emergencia (eh-mehr-HEN-syah) – “Emergency.”
• “El gobierno ha declarado un estado de emergencia.” – “The government has declared a state of emergency.”
• Cargador portátil (kahr-gah-DOR por-TA-teel) – “Portable charger.”
• “¡Un cargador portátil cuesta 12.50 euros ahora!” – “A portable charger costs €12.50 now!”
• Generador (heh-neh-rah-DOR) – “Generator.”
• “El aeropuerto funciona con generadores.” – “The airport is running on generators.”
• Quedarse a oscuras (keh-DAR-seh ah ohs-KOO-rahs) – “To be left in the dark.”
• “¡Nos hemos quedado a oscuras!” – “We’ve been left in the dark!”
• Llamar a los servicios de emergencia – “Call emergency services.”
• “Voy a llamar a los servicios de emergencia, estamos atrapados en el ascensor.” – “I’m calling emergency services—we’re stuck in the elevator.”
• ¡Qué caos! (keh KAH-os) – “What chaos!”
• “¡Esto es un caos total, no hay luz ni internet!” – “This is total chaos—no lights, no internet!”

Everyday Crisis Talk: Real Situations, Real Spanish

• At a store:
• “Disculpe, ¿están sin corriente? ¿Puedo pagar en efectivo?”
• “Excuse me, is the power out? Can I pay in cash?”
• Stuck in an elevator:
• “¡Ayuda! Estamos atrapados en el ascensor, por favor, llamen a los servicios de emergencia.”
• “Help! We’re stuck in the elevator—please call emergency services.”
• Asking a passerby:
• “Oiga, ¿sabe qué ha pasado con la luz? ¿Es un apagón general?”
• “Hey, do you know what happened to the lights? Is this a city-wide blackout?”
• Talking with friends:
• “¿Has visto? ¡Un apagón histórico! Dicen que puede ser por un fenómeno atmosférico raro.”
• “Did you see this? A historic blackout! They say it might be some rare weather phenomenon.”

Learn Spanish Through Real-Life Moments

Here’s how to turn chaos into a crash course in Spanish:

• Read local news: Make note of key phrases like corte de luz (power cut), suministro eléctrico (electric supply).
• Tune in to local radio: Radio Nacional de España is a great source for words like generadores and emergencia.
• Dive into social media: Explore hashtags like #Apagón and #SinLuz—translate posts, spot slang.
• Practice roleplay: “¿Dónde puedo comprar un cargador portátil?” (“Where can I buy a portable charger?”)
• Add flavor to your speech: Say “¡Esto es un lío tremendo!” instead of just “This is a problem.”

That day was part adventure, part language lesson. We learned how apagón sounds in the streets, shouted “¡Qué caos!” with the locals, and figured out where to buy cargadores portátiles.
Every moment like this is a chance to live the language—and we mean really live it.
Spanish isn’t just something you study—it’s something you experience.

And with Native Speakers Courses, you’ll be ready for whatever life (or the power grid) throws your way.
¡El español está vivo, y tú puedes vivirlo! — Spanish is alive, and you can live it.