Learn Spanish

Did you know that more people in the world speak Spanish
than English and that Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United
States?  These statements being true,
many people have thought it prudent to learn Spanish to advance their
careers.  Also, many parents want their
children to learn Spanish so they will have advantages not only in the job
market, but in the world.  But what do
you do when your child says “Spanish is hard.” or when you yourself begin to
doubt your abilities?

For many years, I have taught native English speakers, like
myself, to speak Spanish. During that time, I have learned a few key things
that the student must do if he or she wants to learn what some consider a
difficult language, Spanish.  Whatever
your reason for wanting to learn Spanish, the following list should make the
process run a little more smoothly once you begin.

1. Understand
that Spanish is NOT English. I know
that sounds very obvious but it is really more difficult than it sounds.  Let me explain, once you begin to study
Spanish, inevitably you will come across something that does not make sense to
you.  For example, in Spanish, the
adjective comes after the noun.  So if
you wanted to say red car, in Spanish you would say carro (car) rojo
(red).  Many of my students have said to
me “That doesn’t make sense.” If you understand that Spanish is NOT English,
you will be better able to process the differences instead of becoming frustrated.  Spanish makes sense in the way that Spanish makes sense; not in the way that
English makes sense.

2. Stop telling yourself “I can’t speak/learn
Spanish.” I wish I had a dime for
every time a student gave this as an excuse. 
My standard response has become simply “Say yellow.”  At first they are confused but I ask them
again to say yellow.  The student
eventually gives in and says yellow.  And
I tell them that they just spoke Spanish. 
Yellow sounds like hielo, the
Spanish word for ice.   With the ice broken, (no pun intended) I go on to explain
that there is only one sound in Spanish that does not exist in English, the rr where the tongue rolls.  Every other sound, we make every day.  The obvious truth is that anyone who wants to
speak Spanish can do it.
3. Make a
serious commitment to learning Spanish. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you
will not be fluent in Spanish in a week’s time. 
Just like anything else in life that is worth doing, learning Spanish
takes serious time and effort.  But there
is a bright side, if you commit to learning at least one new thing with each
lesson, you will be well on your way to communicating the way you would
like.  If you have friends who speak
Spanish, ask them to let you practice with them.  This will greatly speed up your
learning.  Also, pick up a couple of
books written in Spanish and try to read them. 
Any words you do not recognize look them up in a Spanish/English dictionary.  You will be amazed at how quickly doing this
will increase your Spanish vocabulary. 

I hope these tips have helped you to understand that
learning Spanish is easier than you may have thought.  I have taught English speakers to speak
Spanish and I have taught Spanish speakers to speak English.  Through this experience, I have learned that
Spanish is actually easier to learn than English (if English is not your native
language)!  So, be grateful that you
learned English first!  On your journey
to learn the beautiful Spanish language, keep in mind all the doors that will
open to you once you arrive at your destination.  Learning Spanish is well worth the time and
effort.  Buena Suerte (Good Luck)!

Question by bird: learn spanish?
i recently moved to Florida and want to learn Spanish. What is the fastest, easiest course to take?

Best answer:

Answer by Queen of the Rÿche
talk to people who speak spanish as much as you can

What do you think? Answer below!

Mastering Spanish as a second language has many challenges. A very difficult part of learning Spanish is understanding how to conjugate any one of the hundreds of regular and irregular verbs in the correct tense. For instance, the regular verbs can be conjugated into any one of ten different tenses depending on which subject or reflexive pronouns are used in the sentence. The good news is that there is a set of rules for the subject and reflexive pronouns that allows you to conjugate each verb easily and correctly.

Subject pronouns are listed in the singular and plural forms. The singular subject pronouns are yo (I); tu (you); el, ella (he/she). The plural forms are listed as nosotros (we); ellos, ellas, Uds (they). After memorizing the singular and plural subject pronouns and understanding how they can be used to modify verbs, it’s just a matter of time before you learn to read, write and speak Spanish fluently.

As a result of these rules, Spanish is actually considered one of the easiest languages to learn if you know where to get the right help. There are a lot of Spanish teaching software’s available on the Internet today and choosing the wrong software can actually make learning Spanish a huge headache. If you take the time to identify how you learn and which software package is designed to be an asset to that learning style then learning Spanish can actually become a lot easier. Don’t be fooled though, any particular Spanish software will not do. You need to take the time to do some research so that you get the software package that best suites your learning strengths. Each Spanish teaching software has it’s strengths and weaknesses so it will be beneficial for you to take a closer look at each one.

For instance, if you are an audio learner and you enjoy playing games then you may be interested in Rocket Spanish. Rocket Spanish focuses on teaching you Spanish through audio lessons and through software games. Their course is primarily an audio package and the games are an added bonus that allows you to challenge yourself based on what you previously learned in an audio lesson the course offers.

Most people immediately think of Rosetta Stone when they begin to consider learning a new language. Rosetta Stone is a great product for individuals who want to learn a new language in the same method they learned their native language in. Basically, you are shown a picture and then the Spanish word associated with that picture will be pronounced or shown with out the English translation. A good example would be, “you might see a picture of a dog and then hear or see the word perro”. This method of teaching is designed so that the student can take the words they learn and develop those words into sentences and eventually conversations. This is a unique method of teaching and lots of people have really benefited from it. The downside to this method is that it takes a lot of time. If you work 40 or more hours a week, you may not have the spare time to maximize the full potential of this software.

Another really good Spanish teaching software is Tell Me More Spanish. The designers of Tell Me More Spanish have really put a lot of work into developing this program for the user. It has several really nice features including speech recognition, personalized learning paths, games, lots of quizzes and test, and it allows you to manage your study time effectively. In addition, it is shipped with the Castillian version and the Latin American version of Spanish. The castillian version of Spanish is the version that is spoken in Spain. The Latin American version is what we would hear spoken in North and South America. The physical design of the software program lacks all the clutter that most other software programs have. In addition, it’s designed to teach students at different skill levels. If you’re an intermediate or advanced Spanish student, you wont have to grind through the beginner lessons. You can jump straight a head to the more advanced material and begin learning. The main benefit to this software is that it’s very user friendly and has the ability to adapt to your learning needs.

Take the time to identify how you learn and what software programs utilize those learning strengths. By doing so, you will be making the task of learning Spanish a lot easier. A lot of people automatically assume that any Spanish software program will do. Don’t make the same mistake! Make sure your hard earned money is spent wisely. Please remember that the Spanish teaching software programs listed above are only three of the many software programs available to you on the Internet.

Learning To Read and Speak English has Never Been Easier Now That ClickN KIDS Launches Spanish Website
Being able to read and speak English requires the right tools that will help someone learn to read English. Hundreds of thousands of children, adults and students with learning disabilities in more than 150 countries have used ClickN KIDS programs to learn how to read English.
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