Learning and Teaching Spanish
Spanish is used frequently by people all over the world. If you know English, you can learn Spanish easily. You may wish to learn the language if you intend to study or teach it as a school subject. Another reason for learning Spanish could be that you plan to visit a place where the people speak Spanish. Here are some basic things that you should know to learn the language.
The Alphabet
First, you will have to learn the letters. They resemble the English alphabet. However, you may have to make an effort to pronounce the sounds correctly as they are quite different from English.
Vocabulary
After that, you can start learning simple words or phrases instead of diving into grammar’s subtle aspects. For example, you can learn the names of colors and other simple things. All this will boost your confidence and inspire you to move on in your endeavor.
Your first lessons can include greetings such as hola, buenos dias, and gracias. They can help you to start a conversation. If you are learning Spanish for a tour, then learn the phrases you will need to acquire information from people when you go to a new place.
Learning Grammar
Spanish nouns have an inherent gender. For instance, the feminine nouns have the letter “a” at the end. You have to use articles like las, una, and la with them and los, un, and el for masculine nouns.
Pronouns play a significant role in the language. “You” can be used formally or informally. If you want to say “you,” informally, you can say “tu,” but for formal conversations, you have to say “usted.”
It is slightly tough to learn adjectives. Many times they are written after the noun. But it is easy to learn prepositions such as “to,” “in,” and “under.” The usage of prepositions in Spanish is similar to English. Therefore, you only have to learn new words as prepositions.
Speed Up the Learning Process
If you are eager to master the language faster, you should speak in Spanish whenever possible. You can make friends with someone whose native language is Spanish. For this, you can meet them personally or through any of the social media sites like Facebook. Or join some other people who are making an effort to learn Spanish. For instance, you can look for bilingual groups such as Lenguajero. You can also volunteer to work in a place where people speak Spanish. Try to learn something new every day.
Practice thinking in Spanish. Whatever items you come across throughout the day, try to think what they are called in Spanish, for example, the names of items of furniture or clothing. It may be helpful to put sticky notes on objects with their Spanish names. For instance, you can label a chair as silla.
You can watch TV shows or movies in Spanish. All this will help you to pick up the accent and also learn new words.
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