How to Learn Spanish Quickly

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How to Learn Spanish Quickly


By:Collaborator



The number of people who speak Spanish is increasing every day, especially in the United States.
Learning Spanish can help you communicate with people you otherwise might not be able to. It can help you understand people you communicate with better. It can even result in more job opportunities and higher income.

In this article, I'll show you how to learn Spanish quickly.

The first step to learn how Spanish quickly is to get some basic Spanish down. Either purchase or check out from the library an instructional CD set to help you learn to speak Spanish. I like the ones with nontraditional teaching methods that teach you how to THINK in Spanish instead of only giving you vocabulary to learn. Vocabulary can be picked up along the way.

Set aside time each day to practice Spanish. Once you have some of the basics down, move to step three.

Join a local Spanish social group, and meet with them regularly. Not only will you learn to speak Spanish quickly, but you will also make new friends-Spanish-speaking friends who you can have fun learning the language with.

Watch television shows that are in Spanish, such as the news. I'm not normally one to advocate soaps, but to learn Spanish fast, Spanish soap operas can be helpful because of their intonation and facial expressions.

Listen to Spanish music, paying attention to the lyrics and the way words are pronounced. Whip out a vocabulary book to help you.

The key to learning Spanish quickly is to immerse yourself in the language whenever you can, and the key to immersion is to incorporate Spanish into your everyday life. The more you are involved with the language, the more Spanish you are going to learn, and the faster you will do so!


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Helpful Tips That Teach You How to Learn Spanish Grammar


By:Tim Gorman



Do you remember the days when you were in grade school, learning to speak proper English by enhancing your grammar skills? Then you know just how important it is to communicate effectively using the right words within your speech. The same is true when learning a second language; especially Spanish. When learning to speak Spanish, using the right words is probably the most important aspect to learn.
Learning how to speak Spanish while using proper grammar is an additional step to actually learning the language. Many people get discouraged during this portion of the tutoring, when grammar is introduced and soon quit before the program ends. To avoid this from happening to you, if you get stuck in a learning curve when learning to speak Spanish, it's important to remember the reason why you started taking Spanish in the first place.

One encouraging thing to be aware of when learning Spanish is that it's actually very similar to English. Many English words originated from the Spanish language, that's why many words in the English language sound the same or are similar in meaning as in Spanish. Another thing to take notice is that after you've notice yourself becoming proficient in your new language, learning new grammar rules will become easier. At first, you may notice your grammar slowly improving in the early stages of your training but try to be patient as your speech will soon get better with practice.

Starting with the basics will also help your progression. When learning new languages, the basic mechanics of grammar are often forgotten such as adjectives, nouns, pronouns, and verbs. It's best to practice repeating complete sentences instead of just learning words as repetition is key aspect in the process when learning any language. If you think about it, when you communicate with another person you talk in sentences instead of single words. So, it only makes since to learn a different language in a way that will enable to you get your full point across.

There are many resources you can review that help you answer any questions regarding Spanish grammar errors. Make the Spanish dictionary and translations guide your friend. You also want to make a conscious effort to practice listening to audio tapes daily to help you improve your Spanish grammar at a faster rate.

When learning Spanish, be sure to incorporate proper grammar when starting out. Learning the language, the right way, will ensure your success in becoming bi-lingual. The effort you put into learning Spanish will be well worth it in the years to come.

You can quickly and easily learn to speak Spanish by investing in a quality Spanish speaking course. See immediate results with the top Spanish tutoring program http://www.learntospeakforeignlanguages.com/learntospeakspanish.html currently being used by thousands of people wanting to learn Spanish just like yourself.

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How to Study Spanish Effectively

By:Flora Richards-Gustafson



Learning a new language requires time, practice and good study skills. There are different programs available on the market that offer the chance to learn Spanish while you sleep, in only 30 days or without any effort. However, there are no shortcuts to learning a new language. Whether you are in a Spanish class, taking online courses or have purchased self-paced workbooks, the best tools for learning Spanish are discipline, commitment and effective study habits.
Purchase an English-Spanish dictionary. This is the best way to know what a word means quickly. Consider purchasing a pocket dictionary for when you are out of the home.

A couple of good English-Spanish dictionaries include "Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary" by Merriam-Webster and Eileen M. Haraty and "Barron's Spanish-English Dictionary (Barron's Bilingual Dictionaries)" by Margaret Cop.

Purchase workbooks. Stores sell workbooks with different teaching formats. Carefully look through the workbooks to find the one that best fits your needs.

Workbooks recommended include "Fundamental Spanish" and "Easy Spanish Step-By-Step" by Barbara Bregstein, "Spanish Verb Workbook" by Frank H. Nuessel and the "Practice Makes Perfect" series of workbooks by Dorothy Devney Richmond.

Learn the basics. By using books that teach Spanish and utilizing other study aids, learn how to say and recognize numbers, letters, days of the week and basic phrases. Constant repetition is the best way to learn the basics effectively. Place sticky notes on household items to serve as constant reminders of what they are called in Spanish. For example, place a note on a window that says "ventana," one on a door that says "puerta," one to the entrance of your kitchen that says "cocina," and so on. Knowing basic Spanish vocabulary will set a foundation you can build upon and help make your studies more effective.

Books such as "501 Spanish Verbs: with CD-ROM (Barron's Foreign Language Guides)" by Christopher Kendris and Theodore Kendris or "Easy Spanish Phrase Book: Over 770 Basic Phrases for Everyday Use" by Dover Publications can help you learn basic Spanish vocabulary, verbs and phrases.

Develop a study routine. You will learn Spanish effectively when you have time set aside to study and practice. Set a study routine by dedicating a specific time everyday to studying and practicing Spanish. Mark your study routine in your agenda or calendar so you can plan around it. Good times to time study include during a lunch break, after work or while using a machine at the gym that has a book holder (like treadmills or elliptical machines).

Ideally, those wanting to learn Spanish should study everyday for 45 to 60 minutes. During the study session, dedicate about 15 to 20 minutes to review items previously studied. Spend the rest of the study time learning new topics.

Practice reading and writing in Spanish. Read materials that are of interest to you in Spanish, and keep your Spanish-English dictionary handy. Practice writing in Spanish by writing notes to friends or translating something you read in English into Spanish.

Practice listening to Spanish to augment your vocabulary. A great way to do this is to not only watch Spanish-language television, but also watch your favorite movies in Spanish. Movies on DVD often give individuals the choice to watch the movie in a different language through the menu settings. Have the movie's closed captioning capabilities turned on so you can have English subtitles while you watch the movie.

Immerse yourself. Spanish-speaking people are not only in foreign countries. Look for cultural centers and churches that offer activities to the Spanish-speaking community, and participate. Make friends with those who want to learn to speak English and set aside time every week to practice your Spanish with them for English-language help in return.

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Learning Spanish Fast and Free

By:Nicky LaMarco



Learning another language is great for your mind, your resume, your paycheck and ease of traveling. If you need to learn to speak Spanish fast and free, you can do it by using online tutorials and online dictionaries. Links to a number of websites are provided below.
Subscribe at the Spanish Learning Center for 11 free lessons. All of the lessons are online. Provide your name and your email address and you can get started right away. It has photos and audio to help you speak Spanish properly and remember it better.

The BBC website is another free online tutorial with 10 sections on speaking Spanish. The lessons are from a BBC television series that is regularly shown on the network's Learning Zone. You do not need to provide any information to get started on this one. It is interactive--if you learn better by doing, try it.

The website 123 Teach Me offers a broader look at Spanish with beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of learning. You can learn to speak Spanish fluently by practicing and memorizing on your own with 123 Teach Me. It also has audio and photos to help you memorize and pronounce the words properly.

Download a free Spanish dictionary or use one online. SpanishDict has Spanish-to-English and English-to-Spanish versions. A dictionary can help you learn by providing you with a translation when you need it. If you discover a new Spanish word that you don't know, or you need to say something you don't know how to pronounce, simply look it up.

Learn the Spanish alphabet. This will help you understand how words and phrases are pronounced. You can learn the Spanish alphabet for free at SpanishSpanish. Roll your mouse over the letters to hear the pronunciations. Write out your own Spanish dictionary to help you memorize them.

Get a pen pal who speaks Spanish. The best way to learn another language is to use it in conversation. You will learn new words, phrases and slang with a pen pal. Sign up to become a regular member at International Penpals and start practicing your Spanish. Spanish-speaking countries include Spain, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.

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Teaching Everyday Spanish and Expressions to Students


By:Andrew Lawton



Most upper level Spanish students have their basic grammar and vocabulary down, but have trouble with common sayings and expressions used by native Spanish speakers. In class your students may come across these while reading a passage or even by listening to you. This is a Spanish classroom activity to help students understand the meaning of any of these unknown expressions.
When you read a passage in class, have students underline any expression that has not been taught before. Most of the unfamiliar phrases will have verbs that the students do know, but within the expression it does not translate well. I'm thinking of sayings like: "Ponerse las pilas" or "Échale ganas". Many students will recognize the verb "poner" and define it as "to put". This obviously doesn't help to translate "Pónganse las pilas."! For each passage that you read in class your students may find one or two of these expressions. You can even decide which ones you want them to focus on. Write the expression on the board and tell the students what it means, give an example of how it is used and let the class practice it. For homework, or class work if you have computers, tell them to type the expression into Google. Each student is to find five examples of the expression used by a native speaker in a sentence. Let your class know that it may not be the first five results on the search. They may have to dig a little to find some good examples of the expression used within a sentence. Tell your students to jot down these five meaningful examples and to write, in English, the gist of what is being communicated.

In class the next day have your students share with you the different examples they found. You may want to check the sentences before doing this to weed out the obnoxious and obscene examples that they may come across. Write a few of the example sentences on the board and talk about them. Have your students include these expressions in their journal entry that day or come up with some questions that would merit those phrases in the response. These Spanish expressions take a while to learn, but just remind your class that a language is learned through time, repetition and practice!

Anddrew Lawton
http://spanishgrammarlessons.com

I am a Spanish and ESL teacher in Austin, TX. I have a website for students to practice at: http://spanishgrammarlessons.com


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Spanish For Beginners: Tips On How To Learn Spanish Fast

By:Emma Broadley



Languages can be challenging, but a few easy tips on how to learn Spanish for beginners will help make achieving your goals both quick and enjoyable. No matter what your motivation for wanting to learn Spanish, your progress will depend on how much effort you are willing to invest. Proficiency takes time, so the more you work at it, the more fluent you will become. For most people, learning something new is always easier if it's interesting and fun, so approach learning a new language with a positive attitude and remember to take the time to enjoy the challenge and celebrate your accomplishments along the way.
You can learn Spanish quickly and easily with these few suggestions that will keep you motivated and have you speaking fluently in a surprisingly short time.

1. Find the right system for you. Everyone learns differently, and for optimal results it is important that you find the method that works best for you. Whether audio, visual, kinaesthetic or hands-on, classroom lessons, group learning, or online courses, knowing how you learn will have a great impact on your progress. People often become discouraged and give up because they do not realize that their lack of success could be a result of the method they have chosen rather than their ability to learn. Everyone can learn to speak Spanish, and with so many programs and courses available, it is possible to find the one that will give you the best results for your style of learning.

2. Listen to Spanish. Listening is the key to success and the best way to achieve fluency. This is why people who are immersed in a culture learn the language so quickly. When everyone around you is speaking Spanish, it is amazing how fast you will gain both proficiency and understanding. You can work with this same idea at home by listening to language lessons while doing housework, driving, or exercising, or tuning into Spanish radio stations which will not only help you learn the language but also allow you to become familiar with the inflections and conversational styles or tones that will make your speech more natural. It is also very helpful to watch television or movies in Spanish, especially if you can get your favorite shows so you are familiar with the dialogue, or find movies with subtitles so you can read along with the script.

Remember, when working on learning to speak a language, the focus should be on improving fluency and understanding. Do not be overly concerned with grammar and sentence structure, since this will come naturally as you learn.

3. Read Spanish. Buy a children's book and try to read it, then increase the difficulty as your reading and comprehension skills improve. Not only will this help you learn the language, but you will become more familiar with certain phrases and expressions, as well as the appropriate way to use them. Attempting to read difficult passages too soon is slow and often unenjoyable. You will learn much more Spanish by reading many easier scripts than struggling through a few difficult ones.

4. Pace yourself. Just like we all learn differently, we also all have different lifestyles and attention spans. If you do not like to sit for long periods of time, then divide the lessons into smaller increments. Don't try to do too much at once so you become overwhelmed and discouraged, but spread your studies and learn at a pace that you find comfortable. Take a few short phrases or words and begin using them until you achieve mastery, then add to your vocabulary as your time and lifestyle allow.

5. Practice speaking. Once you learn a few words or phrases, begin using them in conversation. Peppering your English with some Spanish expressions will help you improve your pronunciation, inflection, and proficiency. Read out loud, listen and repeat audio lessons, or find a Spanish speaking person to converse with. Practice makes perfect, so taking every opportunity to speak the language will help you learn quickly and make the journey more enjoyable.

Learning a new language can be challenging, but it can also be rewarding and fun. By following a few tips on how to learn Spanish for beginners, you can reach your goal and speak Spanish fluently without becoming overwhelmed, stressed, or discouraged. So, find a good program and let the adventure begin. Que te diviertas!

Emma Broadley speaks five languages. She shares Spanish language instructions developed from her own language-learning experience at www.succeed-at-spanish.com including step by step written and audio lessons on Spanish for beginners.

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Spanish Essay Phrases


By:Matthew W Graham



It is very useful to learn and memorise useful phrases for writing Spanish essays - this is probably the easiest way to improve your essays and hence your marks as a Spanish beginner.
This article is a collection of Spanish phrases to firstly help you start and conclude a Spanish essay; secondly how to present themes and argue points, and finally contains a range of connectives to make a Spanish essay flow more naturally.

The first sentence...
Voy a discutir acerca del tema de...
Voy a hablar sobre...
Voy a discutir

Introducing your opening argument...
Para empezar - to begin with
Al principio - at the start
En primer lugar - to begin with

Introducing new themes and arguments...
Para continuar - to continue
Para ilustrar... - to illustrate...

Concluding the essay...
Por fin - in short
Finalmente - finally
Para concluir - to conclude
En conclusión - in conclusion
Para terminar - to finish
En resumen - in summary

Presenting an argument...
Por un lado - on the one hand
Por otro lado - on the other hand
En cambio - in contrast
Por otra parte - on the other hand
Hay que tomar en cuenta - you have to take into account

Indicating time...
Durante - during
Mientras - while
Mientras tanto - meanwhile
Despues de infinitive - after
Antes de infinitive - before
Luego - then
Entonces - then

Because / as a result of...
A causa de - because
Como consecuencia de - as a consequence of
Debido a - due to
Porque - because
Como resultado - as a result

Spanish connectives and conjunctions...
Además - in addition, moreover
También - also
Sin embargo - however
A pesar de - in spite of
Así (que) - so
Aunque - although
Sino que - but
Pero - but
Por ejemplo - for example

Common subjunctive triggers...
Es probable que
Es necesario que
No creo que
Dudo que
Aconsejo que
Espero que
Quiero que

Presenting opinions (no subjunctive)
Creo que - I believe/ think
Pienso que - I think
Opino que - In my opinion
En mi opinión - in my opinion
Afotunadamente - fortunately
Desafortunadamente - unfortunately
Me parece que - it seems to me

Therefore
Por eso - therefore
Por lo tanto - therefore
Por consiguiente - therefore
Asi - so

Other useful Spanish words / phrases
Todavía - still
Ya - already / now
Apenas - scarcely (casi no)
En realidad - in reality
Actualmente - currently
Ahora mismo - right now
En seguida - immediately
Hoy en día - nowadays

The most... is that

Lo mejor es que
Lo malo es que
Lo importante es que

Common uses of the imperfect subjunctive in Spanish
Si tuviera... - if I had... (notes: this should be followed by a verb in the conditional tense)
Si fuera... - if I was... (as above)

I hope this collection of Spanish phrases is useful for you Spanish writing - please visit http://topspanishtips.weebly.com for more useful Spanish resources like this one.

http://www.topspanishtips.weebly.com is a collection of the best free Spanish resources on the internet. If you're learning Spanish from beginner to advanced level we provide those websites to help improve grammar and vocab, reading and writing and even you're listening and speaking online.


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Spanish Subjunctive: Common Triggers

By:Matthew W Graham



In another of my articles I discussed the best ways to learn Spanish verb endings and how to conjugate different Spanish verbs. I believe it is really important to understand the context of each Spanish verb tense so once you conjugate the verb you are using it in the correct way. The subjunctive is slightly different however because the Spanish subjunctive has around 40 common triggers which you will probably ever actually use - this means that if you can learn these you will have a good knowledge of Spanish subjunctive phrases and won't have to keep coming back to the complex rules involving doubt, expression etc. There are of course more than those in this list - however I think if you learn the list of Spanish subjunctive triggers below you have a very good idea of when to use the Spanish present subjunctive.
Subjunctive phrases using the construct "es... que"

No es cierto que - it is not certain that (note: only subjunctive if negative)

No es verdad que - it is not true that (note: only subjunctive if negative)

Es probable / improbable que - It is probable / improbable that

Es posible que - It is possible that

Es necesario / preciso / menester que - It is necessary that

Es ridículo que - It is ridiculous that

Es una lástima que - its a pity that

Es bueno / malo que - it is good / bad that

Es dudoso que - it is doubtful that

Es aconsejable que - it is advisable that

Es preferible que - it is preferible that

Es fácil / difícil que - it is easy /hard that

Es fantástico que - it is fantastic que

Es increíble que - it is incredible that

Es incierto que - it is uncertain that

Es mejor / peor que - it is better / worse that

Es raro que - it is rare that

Es terrible que - it is terrible that

Verbs triggering the Spanish subjunctive when followed by "que"

Aconsejar que - to advise that

Querer que - to want that

Preferir que - to prefer that

Esperar que - to hope that

Alegrarse de que - to be happy that

Gustar que - to like that

Estar contento de que - to be happy that

Estar en contra de que - to be against that

Hace falta que - it is necessary that

Importar(le) que - to be important that

Insistir en que - to insist that

Conviene que - it is advisable that

Dar miedo que - to be scared that

Dudar que - to doubt that

Mandar que - to order that

Negar que - to deny that

Molestar(le) que - to hate that

Parecer(le) bien mal / bien que - to seem good / bad that

Pedir(le) que - to ask someone that

No creer / pensar que - to not think that (note: only subjunctive if negative)

No parecer que - to not seem that (note: only subjunctive if negative)

No estar seguro que - no to be sure that (note: only subjunctive if negative)

No estar de acuerdo de que - to not agree that (note: only subjunctive if negative)

No estar convencido de que - to not be convinced that (note: only subjunctive if negative)

No suponer que - to not suppose that (note: only subjunctive if negative)

Ojala / desear que - to wish that

Perdonar que - to ask forgiveness

Prohibir que - to forbid that

Puede ser que - it could be that

Recomendar que - to recommend that

Rogar que - to beg / plead

Sentir que - to regret that

Sugerir que - to suggest that

Tener miedo de que / temer que - to be afraid / fear that

Vale la pena - is is worthhile that

Other subjunctive phrases

En cuanto - as son as

En caso de que - in case...

A menos que - Unless that

Antes de que - before that

Después de que - after that

Con tal de que - so that

Cuando - when

Hasta que - until

Más vale que - it is better that

Mientras que - while

Para que - in order that

Sin que - without that

Tan pronto como - as soon as

One characteristic evident of these verbs is the use of "que" to trigger the subjunctive - if you watch out for this and consider the rules you should have no problem. I won't go into the details of the imperfect subjunctive but I will say this is often triggered by if (si) phrases.

If you do struggle actually conjugating different verbs in different tenses there are resources to help available at http://www.topspanishtips.weebly.com. Thanks for reading and I hope this helps.

http://www.topspanishtips.weebly.com is a collection of the best free Spanish resources on the internet. If you're learning Spanish from beginner to advanced level we provide those websites to help improve grammar and vocab, reading and writing and even you're listening and speaking online.



Source: www.eslteachersboard.com