Posted on 18 February 2011. Tags: Academy Awards, Answering Your Questions, Approximation, arts, cultures, Discussion Group, Exact Translation, Foreign Language, Form Of Art, Inaccuracies, language, Language Academy, Language Skills, Language Writers, learn, literature, movies, Nice Thing, Novelists, Poets, spanish, Spanish Culture, Spanish Cultures, Spanish Language Television, Spanish Literature, Spanish Speaking Countries, Spanish Speaking Country
Do you want to learn Spanish and enjoy yourself at the same time? There are many ways to do this. If you’re a person who enjoys the arts, a good way to learn Spanish is to take pleasure in the arts of Spanish speaking countries.
There is a great deal of very good literature that comes from Spanish cultures. You can go to the libraries in cities and even larger towns to find Spanish literature in its original language. Ask the librarian or do a search in the computerized catalog under Spanish language writers.
If you take time to learn Spanish to a certain extent before you try this, you will have the best results. This is a practice that is mainly meant to improve already existing language skills. After you check out a book that seems interesting, begin to try reading it. You will come to words and phrases you don’t understand.
This is when it is good to have someone who will help you learn Spanish by answering your questions. If you don’t have someone like that, you can sometimes get into a discussion group, whether in person or on-line. This is also a good way to learn Spanish culture because there are novelists and poets from virtually every Spanish speaking country.
Another way to learn Spanish through the arts is by watching Spanish language movies. One way to learn which movies are good is to find out which have been nominated to win foreign language Academy Awards. There have been some very moving and sometimes funny movies that have been acknowledged.
When you watch the movies, there are often subtitles. Don’t take these words as an exact translation. They usually are just an approximation, and sometimes not even that. As you listen carefully to the words, you will find the subtitles hilarious at times in their inaccuracies. Watching a movie gives you context for language and makes it easier to learn Spanish.
Even Spanish language television, although perhaps a lower form of art, can help you to learn Spanish as well. The nice thing about television is that there is a constant supply of programs. You can watch and learn Spanish every day.
There are different types of programs. There are many Spanish soap operas. This might not be the type of program you would normally watch. However, you will find a lot of common usages that will help you learn Spanish. There are also dramas, game shows, and even sit-coms.
People who aren’t even trying to learn Spanish have been doing it for years through listening to Spanish language songs. The trick is to find a song that has lyrics clear enough to understand completely. Then, sit down with a recorder and tape the song.
Once you have the song recorded, you can go through it a phrase at a time. Write down each phrase as you hear it. Then use the Spanish you know along with your Spanish-English dictionary to translate it. Pretty soon you will learn Spanish from the song enough to sing it as you work.
If you learn Spanish better through the arts, you will have enhanced your language skills while gaining a deeper understanding of life. After all, that’s what the arts are all about.
Posted in Reasons To Learn Spanish
Posted on 17 February 2011. Tags: Apartment, Atmosphere, Customs, First Language, Grammar And Usage, imitate, immersion, Immersion Study, Intuit, language, Language Spanish, learn, Learn Spanish, Meanings Of Words, Misconceptions, Motivational Tool, Neighborhood, phrases, Social Language, spanish, Spanish Classes, Spanish Immersion, Spanish Speaking Country, Spanish Teachers, Spanish Tutor, studies
It isn’t easy trying to learn Spanish without talking to people who actually speak the language on a regular basis. Spanish teachers whose first language is English may know their subject very well. Yet, they can’t give you the understanding of the language you will get if you experience it firsthand.
Immersion study means staying in a place, such as a Spanish speaking country, where people speak a language you are trying to learn. You put yourself in a position where you have to conduct all your business in that language. Your social life will revolve around speaking that language. It will be challenging to learn Spanish this way.
However, the payoff is that, as you are forced to use it constantly, you learn Spanish much faster. You will have no choice but to learn Spanish if you are to understand what is going on around you. It is a great motivational tool.
At the same time, you are in an atmosphere where you can pick up hundreds, if not thousands, of bits of information about the language every day. You learn Spanish in much the same way as a child will learn Spanish.
You will imitate the way those around you speak. You will intuit the meanings of words and phrases by the way they are used. As you go through the days, you will gain knowledge of social language and customs. Learn Spanish this way and you will remember it for life.
The best way to enhance this learning is to go to Spanish classes or to have a tutor. This way you can clarify any questions you have. You can also learn Spanish from the tutor by having him/her correct any misconceptions that you have about grammar and usage.
You can make the arrangements to do immersion study on your own. Rent an apartment or home in a Spanish speaking neighborhood or country. Sign up for a class or with a tutor. Then, get out, interact with people, and let nature take its course.
There are also companies that will make the arrangements for you to learn Spanish this way. They will set up those living arrangements. Instead of living on your own, you might opt for the company to send you to a host family to live with as you learn Spanish.
This is total immersion in the language and culture of the country. You will be in a position where you are making polite dinner conversation over every meal. You will be included in invitations to social functions that you might otherwise have missed. You might learn Spanish during your time inside the home in an informal way that you would never have thought possible.
Universities and colleges also offer immersion studies for students. It doesn’t matter if you are a young student or someone going back to school. You can take a semester abroad to learn Spanish through one of their programs.
Immersion studies have always had some of the best results for people who wanted to learn Spanish. Foreign exchange students have been doing it for years. Now, the option is available to anyone.
Posted in Reasons To Learn Spanish, Spanish Phrases
Posted on 17 February 2011. Tags: Businessman, classes, Community Colleges, Community Education Classes, courses, Fluency, Foreign Language, Going To College, Grammar, language, Language Requirement, Language Studies, learn, Liberal Arts, Post Secondary Education, Professors, school, Schools Focus, Secondary School, spanish, Spanish Community, Spanish Course, Spanish Courses, Spanish Tutor, studies, Time And Money, Woman Work
Once you decide to learn Spanish, your next step is to decide where you will study. Time and money will play a part in your decision. Before you decide, though, you should look at all the options of where to learn Spanish.
The most obvious answer is: in school. However, there are all kinds of schools that teach all kinds of Spanish courses. The traditional High School Spanish course is still available for those who are enrolled as students in the schools.
If you are beyond the age of secondary school, the school might still offer classes to learn Spanish in community education classes for you. The teachers can be the same ones that teach the High School courses, or they are sometimes retired professors. They can even be any people who have demonstrated fluency in both Spanish and English through any means.
Many colleges have dropped their foreign language requirement as the emphasis is moving away from Liberal Arts. Even if your school has done this, you will still find a full course of language studies. These classes often include conversational classes. If you’re going to college, there’s no reason why you can’t learn Spanish.
Community colleges have popped up all over the nation, meeting the demand for low cost post-secondary education and community service. These small colleges give classes for those who want to learn Spanish. They are cheaper than a university, but they still have respectable programs.
In some of the larger cities, there are schools that make a business of teaching paying customers who want to learn Spanish. Most of these schools focus on conversation before they get into grammar and other written work. Some of the schools are set up for the businessman or -woman to learn Spanish for work.
Having a person locally who can tutor you is an effective way to learn Spanish. The tutor can tailor the teaching to meet your needs. If certain words are needed for your job, such as the names of tools for instance, the tutor can supply them. A tutor gives more personal attention than you will get anywhere else.
A great place to learn Spanish is in a Spanish speaking country. This is called immersion learning. You surround yourself with Spanish speaking people. You put yourself in situations where you have to do business with people who only speak Spanish. This is a powerful way to learn Spanish quickly.
If you are in a Spanish speaking country, you will learn Spanish even faster if you go to a school. You can go to a class that teaches Spanish to foreigners. These classes are taught by residents of the country or people who have emigrated from the US. Sometimes these classes are given in community centers and sometimes they are a private business.
You can also learn Spanish from your own home. You can do this through distance learning. You can take correspondence courses, or you can take courses over the internet. Some of these courses even allow you to learn Spanish better by speaking it to others over the phone.
All in all, it shouldn’t be difficult to find a place to learn Spanish if you decide to do it. What you have to do is decide how much time, effort, and expense you are willing to give to it. Then, make it happen.
Posted in Learn Spanish Verbs, Spanish Phrases