Johnny's Learning Tip

Think Spanish
You have probably heard me say many times that the secret to learning to speak Spanish is to practice, practice, practice! One way to practice your listening and reading skills is with Think Spanish Audio Magazine. The audio magazine is an engaging non-intimidating approach to language learning that is designed to improve your Spanish while teaching you about life and culture in Spanish speaking countries. Let us know what you think.

Johnny's Learning Tip

Practice Your Listening Skills

Another great way to improve your listening skills in a foreign language is listening to the radio. There are thousands of Spanish-speaking radio stations online and a famous Latin bombshell has a program of her own: Thalía at http://www.thaliaradio.com/. Her shows are full of energy, fun and her Spanish is really easy for not very experienced ears.

Spanish Word of the Day

We’d like to announce a brand new feature on our website that we think will help you to build your vocabulary. It’s called Spanish Word of the Day… and it provides you with a new word every day including a picture and an audio recording.

So now, in addition to the podcasts, you have another way to reinforce your language studies. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you can build your vocabulary with just one word a day.

Johnny's Learning Tip

Practice Your Listening Skills

A great and pleasant way of improving your listening skills in a foreign language is watching TV. So if you´re studying Spanish and have access to Telemundo or Univision, you´re in for great learning! Besides providing you with real, unedited listening practice, watching these channels will take you on a magic and wonderful journey of Latin culture. Soaps, news, game shows and gossip shows are only some of the programs. If you don't have access to either of these channels, don't despair! You can go to YouTube.com or other online video resources and find videos by searching for words in Spanish.

Understanding Diphthongs

In English when we say "eight" we've put two vowels together (e & i) to make one sound. This vowel combination is called a diphthong. Spanish diphthongs follow hard and fast rules which may come in handy when learning to pronounce certain words. The five vowels in Spanish are divided into weak and strong categories. The i and the u are considered weak vowels and the a, e, o are the strong ones. Typically diphthongs are formed by the combination of weak and strong vowels together and also when both vowels are weak but never when two vowels in a word happen to be strong ones. So, if we look at the numbers from one to ten we'll notice that five of them are written using diphthongs:

uno

dos

tres

cuatro- cua-tro

cinco

seis

siete- sie-te

ocho 

nueve- nue-ve 

diez

Because diphthongs count as one syllable "seis" and "diez" are not broken into syllables. English speakers  notoriously disregard diphthongs and end up pronouncing incorrectly with too many syllables as in "nu-e-ve". There are times when in the interest of maintaining the highest quality of sound, diphthongs may be dissolved using an accent mark as in the name "María" or the verb to laugh "reír". An accent mark is also used strategically to differentiate certain words that are spelled the same as in the word for river "río" and the third person past tense of reír, "rio". Let us not forget that when two vowels come together and they are both strong ones there is no diphthong effect. An example would be the word for theatre "teatro". This word has three syllables, te-a-tro. Or the word for ugly "feo", pronounced fe-o. As always Spanish holds to a sense of great order and a commitment to a pleasant combination of agreeable sounds.

Será hasta pronto,

Ed

Contrasting Spanish and Italian

Since I've already touched upon the subject of verb conjugations and attempted to illustrate how Spanish, as a daughter language of Latin, arguably surpasses the mother language in linguistic beauty; it is perhaps good and proper at this time to point out once again the pattern at work which Spanish uses to achieve its high sonorous quality. One of the crowning distinctives found in Spanish is its unrelenting quest to make its word order harmonious thereby achieving uncomplicated sounds and preventing harsh sounding ones. Though I've made comparisons with other languages in previous posts, let me try once again this time with Italian. To ask the question in Italian "What is this?" you'd say: "Che cosa e questo?" Now although the Spanish version might sound quite similar "¿Qué cosa es esto?", Spanish adds an "s" in the verb and continues the same "s" sound by eliminating the "qu" sound in the impersonal pronoun thus achieving a most pleasing alliteration in a simple four word sentence. Now we can answer the question by saying "It's a pencil". In Italian, "E una matita". In Spanish, "Es un lápiz". Here again we find the tendency in Italian for short choppy sounds, while the Spanish equivalent does away with that by adding and subtracting letters where needed in the interest of modulating to a more harmonious sound.  The verb "Es" flows naturally to the article "un" and then we slide on to the the subject "lápiz" which ends naturally with the same "s" sound we began with. 

In my next post we'll consider the use of diphthongs and the phenomenon of stem changing verbs in the interest of examining further the inherent beauty and precision of the Spanish language.

Bendiciones,

Ed

Contrasting Spanish and Latin

Within the realm of recorded history we know that the Roman political conquest of such districts as Gaul (France), Spain, and Dacia (Roumania) had as a consequence a Roman linguistic conquest. Out of this victorious ancient Latin grew the Romance languages, such as Spanish, French, Portuegese, Roumanian and Italian. We can readily see the derivation of words from the Latin in for instance the word for friend: in Latin it is "amicus", in Spanish "amigo", in Italian "amico", and in French "ami". English too has many words that are derived from Latin. Words like maternal (mater), dual (duo), or dental (dens). When we start comparing grammar then we see that Spanish is a true daughter language of Latin. Take for example the conjugation of verbs. To conjugate a verb is to list together all of its forms, so let's take for example the verb "to love". In English we say:

         I love                        we love

         you love                   they love

         he, she , it loves

In Spanish we don't need the preposition "to" to express the infinitive form of this verb, we simply know it as "amar". Whereas in English the third person singular is the only form that changes to indicate person and number, Spanish changes the ending every time to distinctly indicate who is doing the loving:

        Yo amo                      nosotros amamos

         tu amas                     vosotros amaís

         el, ella, Ud. ama       Ellos, Ellas, Uds. aman

In Latin we conjugate it this way:

         amo           amamus

         amas          amatis

         amat          amant

Latin does not use a personal pronoun before the verb since it is an inflected language but Spanish being a modern language uses it and by doing so makes the verb that much more emphatic resulting in emotional effects at levels not present in Latin. Notice the beauty and free-flow of Spanish when contrasted with Latin in the following sentence:

Latin- Puer puellae bellae rosam dat.

Spanish- El niño le da a la niña bonita una rosa.

English- The boy gives the pretty girl a rose.

Although Latin has a much more conservative system of expression, it does so at the expense of the adorning pleasure found in Spanish.

BONAM FORTUNAM!

BUENA SUERTE!

GOOD LUCK!

Ed

                                                                                                                                            

Communicating Thoughts and Emotions

When learning a foreign language we must keep in mind that not only are we learning new words and structures but there will also be changes in the dynamics  between that language and our own. For English speakers, Spanish presents some interesting forms of expressing thoughts and emotions that will challenge the way we customarily communicate ideas. Take for example when we ask "What is your name?" The Spanish form literally asks " how are you called" when we say ¿Cómo te llamas? In essence the language dynamic changes from "name" being the subject of the sentence to "you" appearing as the subject in the Spanish version. Notice that the word for "name" which is "nombre" does not appear in the Spanish sentence. I suppose one could ask "¿Cuál es tu nombre?" but that is not the usual expression. Another comparison of interest is found in asking for one's age. While in English we are accustomed to asking how old people are, Spanish does not allow for such an inquiry since it would sound somewhat rude. One rather asks for the number of years that a person has when we say ¿Cuántos años tienes? Another curious variation is in the concept of asking for the time. In English the question directs itself to the time in general while in Spanish when we say ¿Qué hora es? it is the particular hour that one is asking for.

Finally, there is another oddity of ideas that comes across when one expresses the mishap of dropping an object, let's say a glass. We say "I dropped the glass" meaning we own up to the incident while the Spanish speaker will in a manner of speaking shrug responsibility for the mishap by saying "Se me cayó el vaso", the glass fell from me. These are just a few of the distinctive dynamics that characterize the Spanish language.

Hasta la próxima,

Ed

Johnny's Tip of the Week

You can learn a foreign language

Every human being has the ability to learn a language: the fact that you are reading this paragraph right now and understanding it means that you have already mastered one language. And if you have mastered this language, then there is no reason why you can’t use it to explore another one. So, tell yourself that you can learn a foreign language and believe in yourself!

Johnny's Tip of the Week

Learn How You Learn

There are as many learning styles as there are individuals. Most people, however, fall within three broad categories of learners:

Visual learners process information best when looking at pictures or diagrams.

Auditory learners prefer to get information through the spoken word.

Kinesthetic learners like to access information through touching and imitation.

Once you know what type of learner you are, you will be able to be more efficient at learning a foreign language. DiscoverSpanish.com makes it easy for you, delivering lessons in a variety of modes that accommodate and enhance your individual learning style.

Johnny's Tip of the Week

Take a Chance on Language

The only way to learn a foreign language is to try out your skills. Use any opportunity possible to speak the language, to hear it, to read it. Most importantly, relax and don’t be afraid of making mistakes.

Top-ten on iTunes

Thanks for making the Discover Spanish podcasts reach the top-ten of all podcasts on iTunes last month (Feb. 08). Our greatest satisfaction comes from knowing that we are making a positive contribution to those interested in learning a foreign language. We wish you all continued success on your journey of learning to speak Spanish.

Muchas Gracias.

Johnny and Cristina

The Challenge to Americans

The results are in from the U.S. Census Bureau, in U.S. name count, Garcias are catching up with Joneses. "Even though Smith remains the most common surname in the United States, for the first time two Hispanic surnames- Garcia and Rodriguez - are among the 10 most common in the nation, and Martinez nearly edged out Wilson for 10th place." Hispanics make up nearly 13 percent of the total population pointing to just how pervasively the migration from Spanish America has permeated North American culture. It is this impact of numbers that has made the Spanish language so persistently present in the Northern Hemisphere. Due to its long standing economic hegemony in the region, the U.S. has appropriated the geographical title of America ,but it wasn't always understood that way. The name America is the feminine form of the name Amerigo who was an Italian explorer that made several voyages to the lands of South America and in 1503 published his accounts and impressions in a series of letters that were disseminated throughout Europe. Later, a german cartographer gave the "New World" that Amerigo described the name, America. But it should be noted that this New World has within it at least 6 Americas. There is Franco America, Anglo America, Spanish America, Portuguese America, Native America and Afro America. All of the peoples that make up this vast and varied land of the Americas came originally from somewhere else and have all contributed to creating a new culture or set of cultures. It is now the culture of the North whose identity is perceived to be in jeopardy of undergoing an unwanted change. To this nation of the U.S. have come different waves of immigrants throughout its history and these groups have for the most part been assimilated within one or two generations. So far Hispanics have not conformed to this pattern of assimilation mainly due to their sustained high-level of immigration. I would argue that because the bulk of immigrants that make their way to these shores from Mexico, Central and South America are largely made up of unskilled laborers, the Spanish that they are accustomed to speaking is of an uneducated variety and thus the richness of the language goes mainly unappreciated.
But let us now be serious minded about how we in the U.S. can benefit by learning Spanish, a language with a rich history that ought to be cultivated and recognized for its high cultural value. Discover Spanish offers an avenue for getting started on this quest for knowledge. Begin the voyage and you'll soon see what an exciting and enriching experience it really can be.
Hasta la próxima vez,
Ed

Spanish in the New World

One of the urgent issues that engages us in our time is the question of immigration. But this is not a new concern since it is an action that has been practiced since the dawn of humanity. It is through the great migrations of people that languages are developed and spread and cultures are established. In the lands of the western hemisphere, known at various times to Europeans as the New World, many different people groups occupied the vast regions of land stretching from Alaska to Patagonia. They developed many languages, dialects and civilizations throughout the centuries. In the course of their history many of these people underwent great changes in language and customs due to the natural movement they suffered in times of extreme climatic conditions as well as the less natural occurences of invasions and war. However, no conditions proved to be as critically invasive and permanent as the intrusion made by the Europeans when they came to conquer and settle all of the land. This age of discovery and conquest began in the year 1492 when a man, who always signed his name as Cristóbal Colón (Christopher Columbus in English), would gain favor with the royal house of Spain and be given the opportunity to realize his enterprise of discovery. It is at this moment in history that Spain daringly breaks out unto the world stage and begins to establish the first true global empire. It would be an entire century later that England sets up a settlement of its own in the New World at Jamestown. This sixteenth century of practically unrivaled control over the conquest of new lands insured that Spanish would be the dominant language spoken throughout these newly discovered territories. In the following century with the gradual decline of Spain's power, England and France vied for control over the lands of the northern hemisphere. With England exerting itself and taking control of North America a new force would encompass the hemisphere overshadowing the lands to the south and thus it has been ever since. All of these changes and upheavals have been in part due to the constant emigration of people from one part of the world to another. This constant shifting of populations has now in our day brought great numbers of immigrants from Spanish America to Anglo America theatening, among other things, to establish Spanish as the second predominant language in the North. This, for the most part, is not a welcomed turn of events and has met with great opposition in the halls of congress. Why should this be the overwhelming sentiment? That's the next issue to address in the next post.
Hasta entonces,
Ed

Success Stories

We would love to hear about your experience learning to speak Spanish. Let us know your reasons for learning Spanish and how Discover Spanish has helped you to accomplish your goals. Encourage others by telling your story.

Virtues of the Language II

Beyond the realm of pronunciation, the virtues of which are unmistakeable in contrast to other modern languages, the system of syntax in Spanish likewise follows a most precise and logical order. In the simple declaritive sentence "El muchacho grande" we begin with a definite article that immidiately identifies the gender of the subject in question. Next we have the noun which by its ending in this case confirms the gender of the preceding article and clearly establishes the subject. We finish the sentence with an adjective that serves to qualify the noun. By contrast in English, the article in the sentence "The big boy" does nothing to identify the subject's gender since it is always neutral and said subject remains unknown until the end because the adjective is placed before the noun. If we make the sentence more descriptive by adding a verb, the Spanish version would say "El muchacho es grande". We notice that the order of the words is unchanged while the English version changes its sintactical pattern and now "The boy is big" follows more closely the word order found in Spanish although not with the same precision. So why is this of any great importance? Well, it's not, unless you deem it important to learn another language and then of course the logical choice in this hemisphere would be Spanish not just because it's the most spoken language after English but because of its unique euphonic development and its grammatical completeness. Spanish also has a long and very rich literary tradition which has sustained a body of work of unusual artistic and thematic significance contributing in no small measure to the enrichment of western culture. Now the question may arise, if the Spanish language enjoys such a high level of sophistication why is it that North Americans have traditionally been so reluctant to learn it? The answer is somewhat complex and involves historical and sociological issues which I will deal with in my next post.
Hasta pronto,
Ed

Virtues of the Language

It is said that after Napoleon invaded Spain in 1810 and placed his brother Joseph on the Spanish throne, he gathered with his generals and was heard to make the comment that the German language served him well for talking and directing his horse while his native French was the language that charmed the ladies. He said that English was the ideal language for handling business affairs but that Spanish he found was best suited for talking with God.
Napoleon no doubt was much impressed by the gentle flow and general smoothness of the Spanish language. This distinctively melliflous quality is the product of a language that is phonetical to a fault. Let's take for example the simple good-bye phrase. In German the common and informal manner to say good-bye is "Tschüs". Instantly apparent is the inordinate number of letters needed to make one simple sound. This complicated pattern makes for a language that can be tough both on the tongue and on the ear. Althoug French is arguably a rich Romance language, it too is quite complicated due to its heavy reliance on multiple letter combinations to spell out words. In "Au Revoir" we see this combination at work which makes pronunciation a trial to the average new pupil of the language. English suffers from a similar condition of non-phonetical structure which is why some vowels need to be doubled in order to achieve a certain sound and then there are those vowels which are written but not pronounced. We see this at play in "Good-bye". In direct contrast to all this is the Spanish word "Adiós". Here we see what an uncomplicated structure can do to make pronunciation extremely easy. This consistent phonetical pattern predominates the language and makes capricous letter combinations and dangling unpronounced vowels completely unnecessary. Spanish clearly enjoys a combination of sounds that conform to the alphabet in a logical and consistent manner making it a language distinguished, among other things, for its sweetness of sound. A characteristic not lost on Napoleon.
Felicidades,
Ed

What is the Difference between Spanish Spoken in Latin America and Spain?

This question comes up frequently. Historically speaking, Spanish came to the new world from Spain. The Spanish spoken in Spain is what is referred to as Castilian Spanish. The differences between Castilian Spanish and Latin American Spanish is something like the difference between British English and American English. Johnny Spanish, the host of Discover Spanish, has a Latin American accent.

People from different regions of the Spanish-speaking world sometimes use different words for the same thing. For example, the word for car in Mexico is carro. In Colombia, the word is carro or automóvil. But in Spain, the word is coche.

These differences are not that big a deal. If you are speaking Spanish correctly, people will be able to understand you no matter where you are in the Spanish speaking world.

The Discover Spanish Team

Hola Discover Spanish Users

Discover Spanish is very excited to have had such a positive response in October on iTunes! We debuted our podcasts on iTunes and they quickly rose to the number one Educational podcast for over 3 weeks. We appreciate your interest in our Spanish products and have more podcasts on the way. We are working to make your Spanish learning experience as pleasurable as possible!

The online version DiscoverSpanish.com was launched a year ago. There is a lively cast of characters that interact with each other and and help you learn to speak Spanish. In keeping with the interactive theme of our learning system, the free podcasts highlight Johnny and Cristina. These podcasts act as supplements to the online system and refreshers for those who wish to listen and practice with their ipods or mp3s.

Discover Spanish was written by a team of language experts many of whom are former employees at The Foreign Language Division of The Learning Company (makers of award-winning educational software programs like Where in the World is Carmen Santiago, Learn to Speak Spanish, and The Oregon Trail). The program teaches Latin American Spanish and is geared towards language learners of all ages. Discover Spanish has received numerous awards, most recently the 2007 Eddie Award for best educational software.

What inspired us to create a fun and friendly program like Discover Spanish was the recognition that the key to learning a new language is to practice a little bit every day. The program is designed to attract beginning students and bring them back for more instruction in a friendly, stress-free environment. The lessons are short and concise and feature native speakers.

We appreciate your interest!

The Discover Spanish Team

New Podcasts

Our first three podcasts have debuted on iTunes and they are moving up the charts.

Lesson 1 - covers greeting people and asking and saying your name
Lesson 2 - covers asking people how they are and saying how you are
Lesson 3 - covers asking and saying where you are from.

Let us know what you think of them. We'd love to hear your ideas for future lessons.

Thanks to all our listeners!

Johnny Spanish

Cristina