Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): En ese taller mi profesor explicó que no es buena idea mentir en el currículum. - In that workshop my teacher explained that it is not a good idea to lie on your résumé.

Workshop / training session / practical course – the meaning in this sentence.
- En ese taller = In that workshop / training session.
Repair shop / garage / studio – for cars, bikes, or for an artist, etc.
- Llevé el coche al taller. = I took the car to the garage.

Context tells you which one it is. Because we have profesor explicó and currículum, it clearly means an educational workshop or training session.

Why does the sentence start with En ese taller? Could I say Mi profesor explicó en ese taller… instead?

Yes, both are correct, but the emphasis shifts slightly.

En ese taller mi profesor explicó…
Puts a bit more emphasis on that particular workshop as the setting. Very natural in Spanish; starting with a place or time expression is common.
Mi profesor explicó en ese taller…
Puts the focus more on mi profesor first, then adds where he explained it.

Grammatically, both word orders are fine. This is mostly about rhythm and what the speaker wants to highlight first.

Why is it ese taller and not este taller or aquel taller?

All three are possible, but they express different “distances” (physical, temporal, or psychological):

este taller – this workshop (close to the speaker in time or context; maybe the current course, or the one just mentioned as very relevant).
ese taller – that workshop (a bit more distant; often something previously mentioned or known, but not “right here/right now”).
aquel taller – that workshop over there / that workshop back then (more distant; often in the past or not currently relevant).

Here, ese suggests a specific workshop that both speaker and listener already know about, but it’s not right “here and now”.

Why is it mi profesor explicó in the preterite, and not explicaba?

Both are grammatically possible, but they mean different things.

Mi profesor explicó (preterite)
Presents the explanation as a completed event at a specific moment in the past.
→ On that particular occasion, my teacher explained…
That’s exactly what’s happening here.
Mi profesor explicaba (imperfect)
Would sound like you’re describing a habitual action or giving background.
→ My teacher used to explain / was explaining…
You’d usually expect more context, e.g.
En ese taller mi profesor explicaba siempre que…
= In that workshop my teacher would always explain that…

So explicó is the natural choice to talk about what he said in that one workshop.

Why is it explicó que and not dijo que?

Both are possible, but they’re not identical in nuance:

explicar = to explain → suggests giving reasons, clarification, teaching.
In a workshop with a teacher, explicó fits very well.
decir = to say / tell → more neutral, just reporting speech.
Mi profesor dijo que… would be correct, but less focused on the idea of “teaching” or “clarifying”.

So explicó que emphasizes that the teacher taught / explained the idea, not just casually said it.

Why is it no es buena idea and not no es una buena idea?

Both forms are grammatically correct:

no es buena idea mentir…
no es una buena idea mentir…

In Spanish, the article una before buena idea is often optional in general statements. Omitting una makes it a little more direct and slightly more “proverb-like”:

No es buena idea llegar tarde.
No es buena idea mentir en el currículum.

Adding una (no es una buena idea) sounds completely natural too; it just feels slightly more “spelled out” or explicit. Here the version without una is a very common pattern.

Why do we use the infinitive mentir instead of a conjugated verb like mientes?

In Spanish, when we talk about an action in general after expressions like:

es bueno / es mala idea / es importante / es necesario…

we use the infinitive, not a finite (conjugated) verb:

Es mala idea mentir. = It’s a bad idea to lie.
Es importante decir la verdad. = It’s important to tell the truth.

So:

no es buena idea mentir en el currículum
= it’s not a good idea to lie on a CV (in general)

If you said no es buena idea que mientas, that would also be correct, but it would feel more like addressing a specific person or situation (“that you lie”), not a general principle.

Why is it no es (present) after explicó (past)? Shouldn’t it be no era?

Both are possible, but they say different things:

…mi profesor explicó que no es buena idea mentir…
Uses present because this is a general truth that is still valid now.
→ He explained that lying on a CV is not a good idea (and that’s still true).
…mi profesor explicó que no era buena idea mentir…
Backshifts the tense to past; grammatically fine and often used in reported speech.
But it can sound slightly less like a timeless rule, more like something framed in the past context.

In Spanish, when a subordinate clause expresses a general truth or permanent rule, it’s very common to keep the present tense even after a past-tense reporting verb.

Why is the preposition en used in mentir en el currículum? Could I say mentir sobre el currículum?

Here, en means “within / in the content of”:

mentir en el currículum
= to lie in the CV, i.e. to write false information inside the document.

If you said mentir sobre el currículum, it would sound like:

to lie about the CV itself (e.g. saying “I don’t have a CV” when you do),
not “to write lies in the CV”.

So to talk about lies inside a document or form, Spanish typically uses mentir en + that document:

mentir en la declaración de la renta – to lie on your tax return
mentir en el formulario – to lie on the form

Why is it en el currículum, and not en un currículum or en tu currículum?

All three are possible, but with different nuances:

en el currículum
Often used to talk about CVs in general, as a type of document:
→ on a CV / on your CV / on one’s CV (in general)
Spanish frequently uses el in these generic statements.
en un currículum
Would be more like on a CV in the sense of “on some (unspecified) CV”.
en tu currículum
Clearly refers to your own CV.

In general advice or rules, Spanish likes el + singular to talk generically:

No se debe fumar en el trabajo. – You mustn’t smoke at work.
No es buena idea mentir en el currículum. – It’s not a good idea to lie on your CV.

How is currículum used in Spain? Is it the same as CV or curriculum vitae? What about spelling, accent, gender, and plural?

In Spain:

Meaning: currículum ≈ CV / résumé, short for currículum vitae.
Very common expressions:
- mandar el currículum – send your CV
- enviar el currículum por correo electrónico – send your CV by email

Spelling & accent:

Recommended modern spelling: currículum (with accent on rí).
You might also see curriculum (no accent), but that’s less standard.

Gender:

Usually treated as masculine: el currículum.

Plural:

Common in real use: los currículums (adding -s like a normal Spanish word).
You might also see los currícula (Latin plural) in very formal or academic contexts, but it’s much less common in everyday language.

So in daily Spanish from Spain, el currículum / los currículums is what you’ll hear most.

Could you say mentir en el currículo or hoja de vida instead of currículum?

It depends on the region:

In Spain, the usual everyday term is currículum (or currículum vitae) or just CV (pronounced ce-uve).
currículo can appear in more formal contexts, often meaning academic curriculum / syllabus, not necessarily your personal CV.
hoja de vida is mainly used in several Latin American countries, not in Spain.

So, in Spain, to talk about your CV, mentir en el currículum is the most natural phrase.