Ways: To learn Spanish
1. Immersion. To be in a place where
there is absolutely no, non Spanish speakers.
2. Pain: You have to go to place where you feel inadequate, and you do not understand.
3. Confusion principal: Read paper, market, search for things, write letters,
4. Interaction principal: You must have a reason to talk. The best way is to teach English
5. Subjected to principal: If you are subjected to a sign, or newspaper you will learn.
6. Rote memory: Write out word 20 time, saying, speaking
7. Emotions principal: The more emotions involved in learning a word, the more likely we
will learn.
8. Associations principal: The more associations we have with the word the better. The
more memories.
9. Memories: Write down all word, and where you learn.
10. Write down principal: Write down every word you learn, where, when, so you have an
association.
11. Subtitles principal: Watch a lot of TV with sub-titles. Read as you watch.
12. Girlfriend, Boyfriend. Love will definitely make you learn
13. Communication in writing: Write emails to friends in language.
14. Write book: Pretend you are writing a book to teach a person how to learn Spanish,
when you are done the book will have so many ways you learn, that you will have taught
yourself.
15. Carry principal: Carry a pen, paper, and dictionary at all times.
16. Avoid: Any place where everyone goes to learn Spanish. i.e. Antigua Guatemala. Too
much English.
17. Grouping principal: Group word by category. i.e. all word to do with cleaning your
clothes.
18. Signs principal: Read all signs, the more time you see them, the more you will learn.
19. Hearing principal: listening to people, helps you learn the sounds, the methods, etc.
20. Grammar Principal: Learn grammar from English speaker, so they can explain.
21. English teacher: Learn grammar to start
22. Spanish only teacher: After you know the grammar, switch to a Spanish teacher.
23. Pay money principal: people that pay a lot of money, feel obligation to learn.
24. Talk Fast principal: Try to talk as fast as possible so you so not translate in your
head.
25. Buy principal: To buy something everyday. Makes you interact.
26. Common areas. Sit in the common areas of hotels, or houses. Do not hide in your room.
27. Notes principals: Take all your notes in Spanish.
28. Touch principal: Touch everything, and say the word in Spanish.
29. Translation principal: Translate menus, signs for hotels.
30. Permission principal: Give your friends permission to correct you.
31. Collect problems principal: Make a list of problems, when close to a bilingual person,
have them explain. This does not work with Spanish only peoples.
32. Throw away principal: Throw away all books, and materials you have to read in your
native language.
33. Corrections principal: Write letter, etc, and than have a person correct them for you.
You will see your errors.
34. Errors principals: The more errors you make, the more you will learn. To error is
good.
35. Native words: Never use a word from your native language, intermixed with the Spanish.
36. Music: Listen to music in Spanish
37. Job principal: A job will make you learn quickly
38. Labels: label all your stuff in Spanish.
39. Talk to yourself principal: Talk to yourself out loud in Spanish.
40. Suffix, Prefix. Study all the ending and beginning
41. Phrase book: use various dictionaries, etc, because you will get bored with one.
42. Boredom principal: Change routine constantly, so you learn new words.
43. Parallel Book. Have Spanish on one side, and English on the other
44. Exchange, where I talk for one hour (Spanish), and the other person talks for one hour
(English)
45. Software: Load program into your computer, and choose a different language.
46. Teach: Teach you native language, and you will learn theirs.
How to know that you do not want to learn a language?
1. You do not buy a dictionary
2. You do not own a Grammar Book
Warning:
1. You must learn pronunciation rules first, or you will be forming bad habits forever
Learn a language is memorization. Some people are naturals. They very quickly
understand.
Others like me learn only though ROTE memory.
Rote: To repeat something until you cannot help but remember.
It works on the principal that the more SENSE used the more we remember.
To learn by rote memory:
Touch: Write
Hear: Say the word while writing.
See: See the word you are writing
Talk: To say the word.
Write (ONE) letter out 20 times.
i.e
a = ah in father
a = ah in father
a = ah in father
a = ah in father
a = ah in father
a = ah in father
a = ah in father
a = ah in father
a = ah in father
a = ah in father
a = ah in father
a = ah in father
a = ah in father
a = ah in father
a = ah in father
The process happens in this order.
1. Vocabulary by remembering words.
2. They can describe a word, and you learn the word.
3. You ask "como se llama?" or "come se dice?" for an OBJECT.
This means how do you call that? i.e. Chair.
4. You see the word so many time, or
hear the word so many time you remember it. i.e. You walk past a sign every day for a
month, or a friend has a habit of using a certain phrase.
5. Immersion.
6. You learn relations of words. To use one way "tomo" I drink, or "tomo el
sol" I am tanning.
7.
| English Word | Spanish Word | Sounded out | English Word | Spanish Word | Sounded out |
| Bathroom | Baño | Clean | Limpiar | ||
| Bribe | Mordida | Room | Cuarto | ||
| Beer | Cervesa | Sick | Enferma | ||
| Excuse me | Con Permiso | Pharmacy | Farmacia | ||
| Please | Por Favor | Bus | Autobus | ||
| Open | Abierto | Home | Casa | ||
| How Much | Cuantas Cuesta | Palapa | |||
| I Want | Yo Quiero | Warm | Calor, Caliente | ||
| Checkout time | Wash Clothes | Lavar Ropa | |||
| Where is? | Donde es? | Laundrymat | Lavandería | ||
| My Name is | Me llamo es. | ||||
| Disculpa Me | I'm sorry. | ||||
| Dance | Bailer | ||||
| Water | Agua | ||||
| Food | comida | coemeedah | |||
| Hot Water | Agua Caliente | ||||
| Hello | Hola | ohla | |||
| Bye | Adios | ahdeehoes | |||
| Drinks | Bebidas | Beh bee dahs | |||
| Drink | Tomar | Toemar | |||
| Bill | Cuenta | Cwenta | |||
| Book | Libro | Leebroe | |||
| Where do you live? | Donde eres? | ||||
| How old are you? |
| Pronunciation Guide: |
| The Spanish alphabet contains 26 simple and 1 compound letter. W (doble u) can be added but usually only appears in foreign words, as does the k. The compound rr is never separated and never begins a word. The letters are all feminine. |
| Alphabet | Mex | Span | Argen | Description | Spanish Word | Example in english. | ||
| a | ah | padre, sala | Father | |||||
| ai (Diphthongs) |
aye | i as in hide | ||||||
| au (Diphthongs) |
ow | ow as in How | ||||||
| b | boy | burro, voy, ver, hombre, invierno | Like b in boy when initial in a breath group and after m and n-basta, | |||||
| b between vowels | cuba, saber, uva, lavar | Between vowels the lips are more relaxed, scarcely touching each other. | ||||||
| c before a | ka | cat | cama | |||||
| c before o | cat | como, | ||||||
| c before u | cat | cuna | ||||||
| c before consonant | cat | claro | ||||||
| c before e | city | ceña | ||||||
| c before i | city | ciñe | ||||||
| Ch | Ch as in Cheese | |||||||
| d at start of word | day tongue on bottom of teeth | When initial somewhat like the the d in day, but with the tip of the tonque place on the lower edge of the upper teeth rather than on the upper part | ||||||
| d between vowels | th | madrid, verdad, nada, pasado | ||||||
| e | they | me, mesa, leche | When e is folloed bya consonant in the same syllabe, it sounds like the e in tell, el, tener, afecto | |||||
| ei (Diphthongs) |
ay | ay as in Hay | ||||||
| f | ||||||||
| g | ||||||||
| h | Not pro | |||||||
| i | ee | machine | mi, tinta | The "i" in police. | ||||
| ia (Diphthongs) |
ya | Ya in yard | ||||||
| ie (Diphthongs) |
ye | Ye as in yes | ||||||
| j | ||||||||
| k | kilo, kilometer, | |||||||
| ku | k | ques | aqui | quien | ||||
| késo | akí | kjen | ||||||
| l | L | |||||||
| ll | Ya | ll is the same as million | ||||||
| m | ||||||||
| n | ||||||||
| ñ | nnaa | N as in onion | ||||||
| o | gonna | |||||||
| o | note, for | no, nota | When o is followed by a consonant in same syllable, it sound like o or por, flor | |||||
| au (Diphthongs) |
oy | Oy as in boy | ||||||
| p | p | |||||||
| q | ka | c as in cat | ||||||
| r at beginning of word | rrrr | rosa, rana | ||||||
| rr in center | rrrr | carro, correr, guerrero | ||||||
| s | ||||||||
| t | ||||||||
| u | ||||||||
| v | boy | burro, voy, ver, hombre, invierno | Like b in boy when initial in a breath group and after m and n-basta, | |||||
| v between vowels | cuba, saber, uva, lavar | Between vowels the lips are more relaxed, scarcely touching each other. | ||||||
| w | ||||||||
| x | examen, proxima | |||||||
| y | ||||||||
| z | ||||||||
| A mayúscula Capital A a minúscula small a á el acento accent ~ (ñ) la tilde tilde ¨ (ü) la diéresis, la crema dieresis The apporoximate pronunciation of each letter is like that found in English word that follows it. |
| Vowels |
| a ah: padre, sala e they: me, mesa, leche, when e is followed by a consonant in the same syllable, it sounds like the e in tell: el, te-ner, a-fe-to. i machine: mi, tinta o note: no, nota When o is followed by a consonant in same syllable, it sounds like o in or: por, flor u rule: uno, luna |
| Consonants |
| b, v, boy Like b in boy when initial in a breath group and after m and n; basta, burro, voy, hombre, inviern. Between vowel the lips are more relaxed, scarcely touching each other: Cuba, saber, uva, lavar |
Diphthong: A blend of two vowel sounds in syllable, as in oi in coil.
Definitions to understand for
pronunciation:
Alveolar:
B Grande, is B, V pequena is V
Bilabial: Articulated with two lips.
Conjugation: To change the spelling and the pronunciation of a verb according to
who, whom you are talking. i.e I, you, we, us, them.
Dental: Pertaining to the teeth.
Diphthong: A blend of two vowel sounds in syllable, as in oi in coil.
Interdental: In between the teeth.
Glottal
Labiodental: Pertaining to the lips and the teeth.
Palatal: Pertaining to the Palate, or top of the inside of mouth.
Velar: Formed with the back of the tongue touching the soft palate, or top of the inner
mouth.
Chapter 2 Regular Verbs-Indicative Tenses
Subject Pronouns
The subject of a verb is of first, second, or third peson, singular or plural. the speaker is called thefirst person; the one addresseed, the second person; and the one spoken of, the third person.
| 1. you I | ||
Reflexive verbs:
Why: The language has trouble saying myself, yourself, etc, so they use reflexive