Espanol lessons
Someone and I want to learn Spanish.
Douglas from Gossamer Tapestry persuaded us to join his merry troupe of friends to a week’s holiday in Costa Rica next February. So we want to learn Spanish to have the ability to order in restaurants and get around the countryside.
I am learning Spanish somewhat out of a sense of etiquette. I feel a polite duty to try to learn the language of any country I visit. When I went to Germany in college, they were pleased I was trying to speak German (they responded in English as they wanted to practice their English as much as I wanted to show off mein Deutsch, but they were pleased nevertheless). I was not a ‘pushy American’ who was expecting them to know English.
I am also learning Spanish somewhat out of neurotic concerns of being lost in Costa Rica without means of communication.
Also, Douglas is the only one of us who speaks Spanish. I am not going to be at his linguistic mercy. I shall be able to catch him in wicked acts such as telling the waiter “that man there is paying for everything.”
I speak German and I know how to sign ASL (American Sign Language). I think if I was around Germans or the deaf I would recall enough of either language to communicate adequately. But that was years ago. I fear learning a language at 44 is going to be harder.
This weekend the good folks at Rosetta Stone sent us a CD packet of interactive lessons.
We’ll see how this goes. Someone set it up and is already learning about un nino and una nina and el perro etc.
Any one out there speak Spanish?
Is it easy to learn?
What languages can you speak?
posted by Ur-spo at 8:25 AM
19 Comments:
I speak Spanish, thanks to my heritage. Both of my parents immigrated to the U.S. when they were very young with my grandparents from Mexico, and have not only acclimated to the American culture and learned the English language, but also managed to keep theirs as well. Both English and Spanish was spoken at home when I was growing up. Unfortunately, my parents never sat me down and taught me how to read it or write it; the way I learned it was just hearing my folks talk in Spanish once in awhile at home. I think I have learned enough to get by. By no means, though, am I true "well-schooled" Spanish linguist.
I speak German with a fair amount of skill (better at reading and comprehension that active ocnversation tho).
I'm hitting French again. It's a challenge, but I appear to be making some progress this time.
I have heard (not sure if true) that learning a language helps to keep the brain healthy into latter years.
I know English, ASL, ESL, and living in Canada, I hope to increase my french. In our school system it is mainly english and french even though a few schools are now offering german and spanish.
Je parle un peu francais. I can wing it in a french-speaking country, but I'm not fluent.
I understand being thrown under the train by a spanish speaker. Once, when I was in Venezuela, a "GOOD FRIEND" told the bus driver in spanish that I was for sale. It was a gay tour, so the bus driver was prepared for anything, and thought it was hysterical. I was sitting there totally confused. Needless to say, I got back at him. I told immigration, as we were coming back into the country, that they should double check his papers as he was my house boy, and I wasn't sure if he was legal. My "friend" about had a heart attack as he invisioned himself in a dusty jail cell. We have't gone that far with our teasing since. LOL
I took two years of Spanish and I was terrible at it. I told the teacher my parents were divorcing and I had trouble studying and she actually let me slide a tiny bit more than a few times. I hated it. (my parents were divorcing but it took three years) I think French is hot but that won't help you. Good luck hombre, I hope you do better than I did!
There's a myth among students that Spanish is the easiest foreign language to learn--like English, just with an o at the end. Not true.
I think it might be considered easier by the average American than either French or German because of pronunciation issues. But it has all complexities and irregularities, exceptions and conjugation issues of any Romance language.
Good for you for wanting to study the language before going abroad. Americans are notoriously lazy about learning other people's languages and it's nice to come across someone who isn't.
Si,Yo lo hablo.
http://www.learnables.com/
These guys are the only other software that I would recommend, along with Rosetta. The Learnables people are great, as is James Asher(http://www.tpr-world.com/), but his guys haven't come up with a software format yet.
As far as applied Language learning theory, Asher and Harris Winitz of the Learnables are state of the art.
Donde esta el bano. That is all I remember from four years of Spanish in high school and college. I must admit that I wasn't a very dedicated student.
Good luck with the studying. I think it's great that you want to learn the language of the country that you are visiting.
Oh cool. Good luck with that, and have fun!
I'm currently learning German- thanks for the comment you left in German of course :)
Spanish is my next language to tackle. It's beautiful and practical as well.
¡Que bueno que quierías apprendar español! Entonces, podrás encontrar a los chicos Ticos en la playa sin ropa.
Since I'm an American who lives in Italy, have worked in Austria for a couple of decades, and have a place with my Italian partner in Paris, I live in English, German, Italian and French. I also taught Spanish and Portuguese in the US many years ago. So, I know something, I think, about learning languages.
Any language (except maybe Chinese and Hungarian) are pretty easy if your goal is simply to communicate on a survival level, not worrying particularly much about grammar or correct pronunciation. If, however, you want to be able to express youself correctly and accurately in a foreign language, any language will require at least nine months of study and drill for at least 2 hrs/ day. That's for a language with a relatively easy grammar and pronunciation, such as Spanish. Languages with more complicated structures, like German, will take much longer to speak with any degree of accuracy and expression. Chinese, I am told, is about five years, five hours a day.
It is harder to learn a language at 44 than it is as a teenager, but a lot depends upon your talent and motivation. It's not impossible.
It helps if you have a Spanish speaking partner.
¡Dios mio! Debía decir "¡Que bueno que querías aprender español! Entonces, podrás encontrar a los chicos Ticos en la playa sin ropa."
Oh, finally someone I know using Rosetta Stone, I've always wanted to try them but the expense is to great without knowing how good their product actually is, let me know how it goes, I'd love to learn Spanish and Gaelic myself, as of now I only speak English, and not very well at that.
ohmygoodness
I am at work, so I asked one of the receptionists to translate Douglas' comment.
Am I going to fix his wagon....
Kiss, kiss.
I learned the first chapter of a learning book by heart. Not sure of the spelling, but here goes.
Buenos dias Michael.
Quetal estas?
Un poco preocupado?
And that's about it for me.
I speak English and French.
Bonjour Michael.
Ca va?
Que fais-tu de bon?
Ton voyage devrait etre super.
A bientot!
unbobebye!
J
Silly boy...even I used an internet translator for Doug's comments. You should have known after what you mentioned in your post.
I took a year of German in college and remember very little. I can still sing Silent Night in German though.
Good luck with the Spanish...it will come in handy at home too.
Growing up in West Texas and attending Catholic school, I was exposed to the spanish language all my life. If I wasn't hearing it around town, I was hearing it from the nuns at school. It was quit funny to hear a nun speaking Spanish with an Irish accent. Anyway, I have very good pronunciation and can read it like I know what I'm talking about. I have taken continuing ed. classes as an adult but unfortunately did not apply myself. I could probably get by in a spanish speaking country.....maybe. I have a friend that is using Rosetta and he loves it. I on the other hand need the classroom environment. Best of luck.
I spent 6 months in Spain, in Madrid, last year and I came back speaking much more fluent spanish than I expected. It has some difficulties, but it is easy to learn since people are friendly and always help you and repeat things for you, so you finally learn. The company I arranged things with was www.onetoall.org
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