I always see advertisements for language learning software suggesting that you should learn Spanish (and other languages) like a child does. The implicit, or often explicit, idea is that you can learn a language without having to study, learn grammar, do any memorization, or work hard in general.

This, I believe, is total crap.

As smart as this baby is, she's got a long way to go to learn a language.

I’ll admit, when I started learning Spanish several years ago, the idea appealed to me. Who wants to sit and memorize all the different conjugations in Spanish? Who wants to learn about conditional or subjunctive tenses? Who really wants to do anything hard in general?

But several experiences made me realize that the idea of learning languages “the easy way,” “like a child does” is idiotic. I’ve been studying Spanish, and teaching English classes for a few years now, but most importantly I just had a child (actually, my wife did most of the ‘having’).

Now, I have every reason to believe that my daugther will be a genius, perhaps even a super-genius (as all parents believe). But guess what? After nearly three months of total immersion in English, she can’t speak a word of it. She just makes funny, impossibly cute, noises that don’t add up to much.

In fact, she’ll probably be about a year old before she puts together her first word in English. By three she’ll be jumbling together grammatically incorrect sentences, after five years she’ll be speaking fluently, but she’ll still have a lot to learn. Think about it. How did you really learn your first language? You probably picked it up over many, many years of hearing the language spoken, reading it, studying it in school… Most of us didn’t fully master all aspects of our native language until 18 or so, or even later, if you consider the ability to write and read at a high level.

The fact is, your second language will come much faster than your first. All the years you’ve spent learning your first language has given you some abilities and a framework. You understand how to use context to learn the meaning of a word. You can categorize words like nouns, verbs and adjectives easily and learn about syntax in the language you plan to acquire. You already know how to read.

While my baby, totally immersed in her native language, is still struggling to make noises after three months, a student taking Spanish classes for the first time will have acquired a great deal of knowledge in this time, probably enough to get by on a trip to Spain or South America. A diligent student should be able to really use the language well after a solid year of study.

The only real disadvantage you have over a child is that all the advantages gained by learning your first language may interfere with how you speak your second (or third…) language. You’ll make non-native speaker mistakes, and most likely have an accent you can never quite get rid of. The thing is, native speakers of a language make their own mistakes too, some of which they’re never able to get rid of either (think of people who confuse they’re, their and there… non-native speakers never do this, only natives).

So how do you learn Spanish like an adult? Study your grammar, memorize your vocabulary. Take classes with native speakers so you’ll start to understand how they see the language. Listen to Spanish podcasts. Work hard. If you start now, you’ll be speaking Spanish before my daughter utters her first word of English.

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Regular followers of our blogs will know we emphasize the cultural discovery that accompanies the Spanish language as one of the most rewarding aspects of learning it.

Pablo Neruda, presumably at the end of a very long line.

I have been living in South America for six years and one of the things I constantly treasure is the rich treasure-chest of literature on my doorstep. When the traffic is bad, simple paperwork takes months to complete or my bag is stolen, I find the fact that I can pick up a Spanish classic for a few pesos, to be a great comfort to me.

I have been a fan of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda’s work for fifteen years but recently I have come to appreciate it even more now that I understand it in the language in which it was written. I visited Neruda’s former home in Isla Negra, Chile a few years ago and this journey was as near to magical as I have ever experienced.

I would like to share one of my favourite poems of his with you. Let’s answer some questions together afterwards.

Poema: El amor del soldado

de Pablo Neruda

En plena guerra te llevó la vida
a ser el amor del soldado.

Con tu pobre vestido de seda,
tus uñas de piedra falsa,
te tocó caminar por el fuego.

Ven acá, vagabunda,
ven a beber sobre mi pecho
rojo rocío.

No querías saber dónde andabas,
eras la compañera de baile,
no tenías partido ni patria.

Y ahora a mi lado caminando
ves que conmigo va la vida
y que detrás está la muerte.

Ya no puedes volver a bailar
con tu traje de seda en la sala.

Te vas a romper los zapatos,
pero vas a crecer en la marcha.

Tienes que andar sobre las espinas
dejando gotitas de sangre.

Bésame de nuevo, querida.

Limpia ese fusil, camarada.

Questions

What words does the soldier use to describe the girl in the poem?

What impression do you get of her character from the poem?

What do you think are his feelings towards the girl? Are his feelings ambivalent?

How is war depicted in the poem?

What do you think happened after this snapshot? Do you imagine their love affair ended well or badly?

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Anybody who has ever tried to learn a new language knows that it’s not just about words and grammar but also the culture that surrounds it.

There are many things about Spanish and Latin American cultures that can surprise and intrigue us as native English speakers, whether we are from the United States, Europe or Australia or New Zealand.

For me, one of the most fascinating things about Spanish speaking cultures is its tradition of carnival or carnaval. Due to the Catholic influences in these countries, the timing of these festivals is based around feast of Easter and they usually end before the start of Lent.

El Entierro de la Sardina (The Burial of The Sardine)

One of the most unique practices happens at the end of the carnaval when a (ceremonial) sardine is buried often after it has been paraded through the streets of the town or village. This is called El Entierro de la Sardina.

The exact reason behind this practice seems to be unclear but it is believed to have traditionally been a type of harvest festival celebration with the fish being the harvest. It is also thought to represent the Catholic repentence at the pagan excesses of the carnaval.

In some parts of Spain, the fish is set on fire rather than buried.

This is often accompanied by big celebrations and even fireworks.

The famous Spanish painter, Francisco Goya, depicted this tradition in his painting, El Entierro de la Sardina.

El Entierro de la Sardina, 1812-1819.

What is your favorite tradition originating in a Spanish speaking country? Feel free to let us know.

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When I first arrived in Buenos Aires a few years ago, I stumbled onto Spanish language podcasts as a way to improve my Spanish while surfing around on iTunes. If you’re not familiar with podcasts, they are broadcasts in mp3 format, so that you can listen to them from your computer or mp3 player whenever you want to. Podcasts are mostly (if not completely) free, and can be downloaded from Apple’s iTunes, or from the links I’ll list below.

In Buenos Aires, I had a 25-minute commute to my Spanish class, so I would always throw on my headphones and listen to a podcast on my way to class, and on my way back from class. My class was 1 hour 30 minutes long, so this gave me 2 hours and 30 minutes of complete immersion in the language. I believe this really helped to accelerate my Spanish.

When I started, I used beginners podcasts designed specifically for Spanish learners. My favorite was Notes in Spanish with Ben Curtis and Marina Diez. Ben and Marina gave tips for improving my Spanish, and spoke in Spanish about current events, the difficulties of language learning, and life in Spain. Their lessons actually go from intermediate to advanced, so I spent several months going through these.

As my Spanish improved, I found myself able to listen to more difficult podcasts, although I stayed with podcasts specifically made with beginners in mind. I found several great podcasts at this level, which you’ll find listed below.

Nowadays, my Spanish has improved quite a bit, and I would consider myself more or less fluent. So now I’m constantly seeking out new podcasts that are made for Spanish speakers. Unfortunately, podcasting doesn’t seem to have caught on so much in the Spanish speaking world. For a while there was BBC Mundo Radio. Unfortunately this program was discontinued a few weeks ago. Still, I have been able to find a few interesting ones. These days I mostly listen to them at the gym, or while driving. Below you’ll find my 5 favorite Spanish podcasts.

5. Notes in Spanish As mentioned above, this one comes in three levels, beginner, intermediate and advanced. The podcasts are both informative and fairly entertaining. Download them here.

4. News in Slow Spanish I started enjoying this podcast at about the intermediate level. It is, as the title suggests, a podcast where current events are ready slowly, in Spanish. It also includes grammar, phrases and other useful segments. Click here to download.

3. La Casa Rojas This podcast is by Luis Rojas, a Peruvian now living in the U.S. They are completely in Spanish, and I would say become enjoyable to listen to around the upper-intermediate level. Rojas tells great stories, and provides great background not just on the Spanish language, but on the culture that comes with it. His podcasts really inspired me to keep learning. Click here to download (It appears he makes you login on the site to download. On iTunes this isn’t necessary).

2. Democracy Now! En Español Democracy Now! is an English language current events program produced 5 days per week and read by native speakers. This program is meant for native Spanish speakers, and is great for advanced level students. Click here to download.

1. La Rosa De Los Vientos I’ve recently discovered this podcast, as I’m trying to replace my former favorite, BBC Mundo. This is again a podcast meant for native Spanish speakers, and is definitely meant for an advanced level. The podcasts are unusually long for the format (the most recent is 2 hour 46 minutes!) and from what I can tell so far, cover history, current events and a wide range of other topics. Download it here.

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When we think of Latin American music, names like Shakira, Buena Vista Social Club and maybe one or two other well-known acts on the international stage come to mind.

Argentine legends Sumo, with Luca Prodan.

My favorite local band is Argentine alternative rock band, Sumo, who performed in the 1980s under the charismatic leadership of lead singer, Luca Prodan, until his rock-n-roll lifestyle caught up with him in his 1987 death.

Italian-born Prodan brought the British post-punk movement to Argentina. He had lived in London and hung around with British rockers Ian Curtis and Joy Division before he moved to Buenos Aires in 1981.

Now, almost 25 years after his death, Prodan is a legend in Argentina, as well-known and respected by locals as football player Maradona!

Here is Prodan in his finest hour singing a Sumo classic, Los Viejos Vinagres.

Here, Luca gives his own unique vision of  ‘el rock nacional.’

Click here to sign up for a class.

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When we are deciding what language we should learn there are many factors that cross our minds. What will be useful to me in the workplace? What will help me on my travels? What will be relatively straightforward for me to pick up?

So, why learn Spanish?

Let’s see why.

1. Spanish is the world’s second most spoken first  language with 329 million native speakers. Whether you want to travel in the US, Latin America, Europe and even Asia, you are guaranteed to find native Spanish speakers.

2. It makes business sense to learn Spanish. The Mercosur trade group of South American countries is developing rapidly and working towards free trade agreements with the US and Europe. If you are in the export or international trade business you will not want to miss out on the potential of this market.

3. Spanish is one of the easiest foreign languages to learn. It is one of the world’s most phonetic languages (it is mostly written as it is spelt) and much of its vocabulary is similar to that of English.

4. Think of all the wonderful hispanic contributions to world culture. From Goya to Gardel and even Gael Garcia Bernal, all that is fantastic about Spanish-speaking culture will be more accessible.

5. Are you a fan of  Madonna’s hit La Isla Bonita but have no idea what it means? Learning Spanish will put an end to this torture.

Convinced? Start with today learning with native speakers, live, via Skype. Click here to register.

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I can still recall the first day of my Spanish classes in the University of Buenos Aires in January 2005. I remember it because it was so embarrassing. We each had to read aloud one word in Spanish and mine was heladera or fridge. I was feeling confident. After all, I knew the word. I knew what it meant. However, as soon as I read it everyone started laughing. Why? They laughed because I couldn’t roll my r’s – a crucial element for speaking the Spanish language – intelligibly, at least.

One way of rolling an "r."

Words that require a rolling r in Spanish can begin with the letter r like:

Reloj (watch or clock)

Rincon (corner)

Rama (branch)

Reir (to laugh)

Others do not begin with r but have an r in the word like:

Puerta (door)

Cartel (sign)

Heladeria (ice cream parlor)

Horario (schedule)

An even stronger rolling r is required for words with a double r like:

Perro (dog)

Aburrir (to be bored)

Ahorrar (to save)

Barrer (to sweep)

5 Tips for Rolling R’s Successfully

1. The Butter/Ladder Method

One of the best ways to learn to roll your r’s is to say the word butter followed by the word ladder as both require a similar sound to the Spanish r. Say them increasingly faster “butter butter butter, ladder, ladder, ladder.” You will feel your tongue almost touching the roof of your mouth during the second syllable and it is this sound you will need to recreate for the Spanish r’s.

2. Don’t stress about it

Stay calm and you will have a better chance at making the sound. If you are frustrated it is likely you will transmit that when you speak.

3. Trill

Another good way to get the sound is to keep your tongue firm and taut and to let the tip vibrate in a trrrrrr, or trilling sound.

4. Make funny noises

Try making helicopter noises or a drum roll. You might feel silly doing so but these sounds are similar to the sound you need to make to roll your r’s.

5. Practice

It might take time to get it right and you might have to endure many situations of people looking at you with a confused expression asking ¿Que? However, this is a classic scenario of practice makes perfect and with perseverance you will be rolling those r’s like a native!

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The Spanish ñ is a new one for us native English speakers, so much so that it doesn’t even figure on our keyboards. Linguistically, it’s also a challenge for us, even more so for Irish people like me. My Argentine and Spanish friends love to trick me into saying words with ñ and then joke about it and remind me again and again how badly it sounds when I say it. Here’s a little background on the ñ for people learning Spanish.

What is the ñ?

The ñ is often said to be the only letter in the alphabet of Spanish origins although it is also a feature of the Basque, Filipino and the Paraguayan Guarani alphabet. The little squiggle over the n is called a diacritical tilde, said to have been introduced in the 12^th century by Spanish scribes. It is said to be a shorthand version of the double n or nn. The most common example of this is año (year) as a shortened from of anno.

Some Spanish words with ñ

Niño (child)

Muñeca(doll)
Extrañar (to miss)

Año(year)
España(Spain)
Pañuelo(Hankerchief)
Sueño(Dream)
Campaña(Campaign)
Cuñado/cuñada(Brother-in-law/sister-in-law)
Baño(bathroom)

Uña(nail)
Cumpleaños(birthday)
Engaño/engañar(tocheat)
Enseñar(toteach)
Madrileño(a person from Madrid)

Making the ñ sound

The example that I was given to make the ñ sound is:

Cañon (cannon) which sounds the same as the English word canyon.

The ñ sound can therefore be compared to the ny sound in English.

How Well Do You Know Your Ñ?

The great Argentine writer, Maria Elena Walsh, wrote a manifesto in favor of the often overlooked letter ñ. Here it is without the tildes over the n. See if you can see insert them into the text, where they need to be!

La Eñe Tambien Es Gente

By Maria Elena Walsh

La culpa es de los gnomos que nunca quisieron ser nomos.
Culpa tienen la nieve, la niebla, los nietos, los atenienses,
el unicornio. Todos evasores de la ene. ¡Senoras, senores,
companeros, amados ninos!

¡No nos dejemos arrebatar la ene!
Ya nos han birlado los signos de apertura de interrogación
y admiración. Ya nos redujeron hasta la apócope.
Ya nos han traducido el pochoclo.
Y como éramos pocos, la abuelita informática
ha parido un monstruoso # en lugar de la ene
con su gracioso peluquín, el ~.
¿Quieren decirme qué haremos con nuestros suenos?
¿Entre la fauna en peligro de extinción figuran los nandúes
y los nacurutuces? ¿En los pagos de Anatuya
cómo cantarán Anoranzas?
¿A qué pobre barrigón fajaremos al nudo?
¿Qué será del Ano Nuevo, el tiempo de naupa,
aquel tapado de armino y la nata contra el vidrio?
¿Y cómo graficaremos la más dulce consonante
de la lengua guaraní?
“La ortografía también es gente”, escribió Fernando Pessoa.
Y, como la gente, sufre variadas discriminaciones.
Hay signos y signos, unos blancos, altos y de ojos azules,
como la W o la K. Otros, pobres morochos de Hispanoamérica,
como la letrita segunda, la ene,
jamás considerada por los monóculos británicos,
que está en peligro de pasar al bando de los desocupados
después de rendir tantos servicios
y no ser precisamente una letra noqui.
A barrerla, a borrarla, a sustituirla,
dicen los perezosos manipuladores de las maquinitas,
sólo porque la n da un poco de trabajo.
Pereza ideológica, hubiéramos dicho en la década del setenta.
Una letra española es un defecto más de los hispanos,
esa raza impura formateada y escaneada también
por pereza y comodidad.
Nada de hondurenos, salvadorenos, caribenos,
panamenos. ¡Impronunciables nativos!
Sigamos siendo duenos de algo que nos pertenece,
esa letra con caperuza, algo muy pequeno,
pero menos nono de lo que parece.
Algo importante, algo gente, algo alma y lengua,
algo no descartable, algo propio y compartido
porque así nos canta.
No faltará quien ofrezca soluciones absurdas:
escribir con nuestro inolvidable César Bruto,
compinche del maestro Oski.
Ninios, suenios, otonio.
Fantasía inexplicable que ya fue y preferimos no reanudar,
salvo que la Madre Patria retroceda
y vuelva a llamarse Hispania.
La supervivencia de esta letra nos atane,
sin distinción de sexos, credos ni programas de software.
Luchemos para no anadir más lena a la hoguera
dónde se debate nuestro discriminado signo.
Letra es sinónimo de carácter.
¡Avisémoslo al mundo entero por Internet!
La ene también es gente.

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I take Spanish classes online, and give English classes online, so I’ve often gotten into this conversation. Which language, Spanish or English, is crazier? Which one is harder to learn? Which has the most bizarre rules?

Since this blog is mostly about Spanish learning, lets start off with some of the most difficult aspects of Spanish.

1. Spanish Verb Conjugation

Learning a language can make you a little crazy.

This is the first problem that most English speakers run up against when they start learning Spanish. Why do the verbs have to change so damn much? Take the verb “to say” for instance, in its present tense.

In English:

I say, You Say, He/She/It says, We say, They say

In Spanish:

Yo Digo, Tu Dices, El/Ella/Usted Dice, Nosotros Decimos, Ustedes Dicen

In the present tense, the verb only changes one time in English, for third person singular. In Spanish, it changes every time the subject changes, and this happens again in each of the 14 tenses! For an English speaker, it’s a lot to think about when you’re trying to have a conversation.

2. Feminine and Masculine Nouns

When speaking Spanish, you have to remember that, for some reason, all nouns have a feminine or masculine sex, which is usually indicated by whether the preceding article is “el” for masculine or “la” for feminine, and an “o” at the end of the noun for masculine, or an “a” for feminine. You also have to remember that there are a ton of exceptions to this rule. Since we don’t have anything like this in English, we just have to kind of accept it, and do lots of rote memorization.

3. Spanish Sentence Syntax

Spanish sentence syntax is a lot different than English. For an English speaker learning Spanish, it sometimes feels like you have to speak, and think, backwards. Take this Spanish sentence, for instance: Te dije que aprender un idioma es difícil. If you translate this literally, it reads: You I told that to learn a language is difficult.

4. The Subjunctive Tense

This is a special tense that English does not technically have (we use specific verbs and sentence constructions instead of a whole tense, sometimes). So, on top of remembering to conjugate for the subject of the sentence and the time it happened, you have to remember to conjugate again into the subjunctive tense if you are talking about opinions in the negative, expressing doubt, expressing wishes and hopes, and for other reasons I’m probably forgetting.

So there are just a few of the reasons Spanish seems like a crazy language to English speakers.

But believe me, there’s plenty of reasons to think English is at least as crazy….

1. Phrasal Verbs

We use phrasal verbs a lot in English. These are verbs that are created out of a phrase, such as put up, sign up, get out, run out, build up, etc. Imagine seeing these verbs if you are not a native English speaker. What would you think sign up meant? That there’s a sign somewhere up in the air? It’s impossible to look at that and see that it basically means register. Conjugating these verbs is difficult, and it’s hard for students to know whether they can be split (sign me up) or not (he put up, not put he up.)

2. Countable and Uncountable Nouns

If you are a farmer, you can have 30 tractors, or a lot of equipment. A restaurant can serve 30 steaks, or a lot of beef. Spanish speakers are always tempted to say “a lot of equipments” or “a lot of beefs.” As English speakers, we naturally know that some nouns cannot be used in the plural form, but just try explaining to someone why it’s this way.

3. Spelling

Spanish is basically spelled exactly like it sounds. So you can read a word, and just by looking at the letters that form it, you know exactly how it will sound when spoken. Imagine that! Makes a lot of sense. In English, we just throw letters around willy nilly, and expect people to figure out how they should sound when spoken. Take though, tough and thought. Or how about boot and foot? Why do would and wood sound the same? This by itself could qualify English as the craziest language.

4. Same Word or Sound, Many Meanings

Yes, I know, Spanish does this too, but I’m not sure it takes it to the level of craziness that English does. Take “by” for instance: I am standing by the wall. This book is by Hemmingway. Buy me a gun too! Say bye! Is that a bi-plane?

In the end, I think both languages are actually quite crazy, in their own way. What do you think? Have any examples that you think puts one above the other? Let us know in comments!

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Check out this great Spanish learning tool! Spanish flashcards to help you memorize new words and ingrain the ones you already know.

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