Speaking Spanish ?

[KathyParsons]

I agree with those who have suggested that a class is an excellent way to learn, especially if you can take it in a Spanish-speaking country - combine it with a vacation, or sign up when you sail to a Spanish-speaking port.

A suggestion: Most Spanish teachers are landlubbers, and won't know the nautical vocabulary at all, but if you bring your Spanish for Cruisers book, some sort of Spanish/English nautical word list, or even a Spanish sailing magazine, your teacher can learn some of the terms and can help you learn to say EXACTLY those things you want to know how to say. (I am the author of Spanish for Cruisers so perhaps this suggesion is not permitted...) It is always best if you can make your learning as relevant as possible.

If a course isn't practical, I have seen a number of cruisers do well with Michel Thomas's Spanish audio CDs (available through Amazon etc). He has a way of engaging you - you may be annoyed at times with the other "students" on the CD, but he does draw you in! The lessons get you speaking, not just parroting answers. Recommended.

Also, there a number of free resources on the internet. The BBC has a number of good online programs for studying Spanish: Here is the link: BBC - Languages - Spanish and you can even sign up for email reminders. You generally will hear pronunciation from Spain on the BBS series but the lessons are very good for the price!

There are also lots of "Learn Spanish" podcasts that you can download for free from the internet. You can listen and/or watch them (some are video podcasts) on your computer or on an IPod or MP3 player if you have one. You can access them through ITunes. There are so many that I hesitate to recommend any particular one. Some are audio, some are video, and they vary by level from very basic to advanced. There are offerings from Mexico, Spain, Argentina etc so you can even choose your preferred dialect. Warning: some of the podcasts aren't very good. You may have to hunt for one you like and that matches your level. But if you do want suggestions for some podcasts to check out, email me.

Finally, the Seven Seas Cruising Association in setting up "Seven Seas U" with online classes and seminars. One of my goals for this summer is to create an online version of my Spanish for Cruisers class. So, that may also be an option at some point!

Buen viento y buena mar,
Kathy

[GordMay]

Greetings, and welcome aboard KathyParsons.

I highly recommend her website (lots of free information), and her books.
Check out ➥ http://www.spanishforcruisers.com/sfc-cheatsheet.htm

➥ Complete info on SPANISH FOR CRUISERS Second Edition - Features, Reviews, Sample Pages, Sales Info

[Bash]

Byki Spanish

a lot less $$$ than Rosetta Stone.

[drew.ward]

I'm telling ya, it's not the most exciting, but 501 verbs and learning the conjugations pages at the beginning will get you further ahead in the less time than just about any method book.

There are three conjugations in Spanish (one for a verbs, e verbs, and i verbs). The pattern is almost identical throughout, you just have to learn a few slight differences.

English and Spanish are both very similar in their reliance on verb structures. If you can master the conjugations (which are more memorization than anything else) and become really good with "have, do, make and be" (spanish tener, hacer (for both do and make), and ser and estar (two different "be" verbs) then you'll be good to go.

The vast majority of Spanish sentences use the same bulk words as English.

Learn those and the modals (can/could, may/might, will/would, etc) and you can save yourself about 3 years of lessons and several hundred dollars.

[anglooff]

I would wholeheartedly agree with Drew Ward point regarding 501 verbs; I used and still use it in learning Spanish. I would only add an additional point which I have found beneficial. If like me you received "Children Classic books" from aunts and uncles on birthdays and Christmas or by anyother means as a child..Then you will have a favourite book. Mine was Jules Verne's "Around the world in 80 days" I have read it in Danish, Portuguese and Spanish while learning those languages and found it enormously helpful in sentence construction and developing vocabulary/ tenses etc...

So if you have a classic book that you love, it will probably have been translated and you may also find it on CD too. This will help enormously in developing your skills quite quickly and efficiently, if more indepth studies are either too expensive or time consuming.

Atentamente,

Alan

[drew.ward]

Good Angloof,

I often have advised my clients to read magazines or websites that cover a field they are familiar with. So if they are a computer geek, read a computer magazine in the target language. The point is to become familiar with the rhythms of the language and to being to recognize the patters. If you go with something you know, then most of the words will be familiar already and you concentrate on what you don't know.

English is an interesting animal because only 100 words comprise over 25% of all written text; a few hundred about 50% and 1000 of them a whopping 67%. So if you can learn those thousand words you can automatically recognize everything on 2/3 of every page you see.

Spanish likely has a similar list and I would recommend learning that. (the most common word in English is 'the' and in German the three most common in order are 'der, die, and das'.) It's actually a pretty logical way to learn vocabulary.

[Thermal]

Originally Posted by drew.ward

Good Angloof,

English is an interesting animal because only 100 words comprise over 25% of all written text; a few hundred about 50% and 1000 of them a whopping 67%.

When it comes to spoken English, I've come across a number of individuals that seem to be able to make do with only about a dozen words, and most of those are not in the dictionary. I haven't learned enough non-dictionary Spanish to know if that's the case for Spanish as well

[Live to Dive]

I remember clearly how I felt when visitors to my country did not attempt to learn English. In my travels (I've lived and worked in a number of foriegn countries) I've always made it a point to learn the local language and there is no doubt whatsoever that it is appreciated.

I challenge anyone who suggests that you can "get by with English" to define the meaning of the word "guest" because I really don't think they have a clue. But rather than turning that into hard work studying books listening to tapes etc make it part of the experience of being there. Some of my best tales come from trying to communicate what it is I want. Here's a tip, first menu you find in a foriegn country that is printed in both English and the local language get a copy "pay for it if you must" it will be invaluable at any restaurant.

Now that I have experienced the hospitality of people in other countries (India and China especially) I will forever more try to help foriegn visitors to my country.

[captain58sailin]

It is always a good idea to make an effort to learn the local language where ever you are going, it shows respect for their culture.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Live to Dive

...I've always made it a point to learn the local language and there is no doubt whatsoever that it is appreciated.

I challenge anyone who suggests that you can "get by with English" to define the meaning of the word "guest" because I really don't think they have a clue...

... Now that I have experienced the hospitality of people in other countries (India and China especially) I will forever more try to help foriegn visitors to my country.

A guest is one who is a recipient of hospitality, often (but not necessarily*) involving generosity, friendship and/or courtesy.
I agree that courteous behaviour and politeness, such as learning (or attempting to) learn & use our host’s language, will increase the likelihood of our becoming "welcome" guests.

* ie: Charles Manson is a "guest" of Corcoran State Prison.

[David_Old_Jersey]

I am such an "expert" on speaking foreign I am quite surprised that I only know English But, I do have quite a bit of experiance (personally and via others) of learning another language and living foreign. so my 2 cents (dos centos? )

Originally Posted by captain58sailin

I spent a year working in Mexico, after I had been there for three months, I went to an immersion school in Venezuela, and after that returned to Mexico to continue my work, it was very helpful and after a total of six months I was quite conversant, and able to understand and be understood, by the local folks, when I was back aboard my vessel, my crew were all mexicans, so I had to speak spanish to communicate effectively, it works wonders

The working side of things chimes with my experiances, the key to learning another language (or anything) is motivation. The best motivation is earning money. especially when that earning money is to put food on the table. The workplace also provides a structured learning area and plenty of learning by repetition as well as the opportunity within a known environment to expand ones vocab / practice / learn by osmosis without always the requirement to do so.

Originally Posted by drew.ward

English is an interesting animal because only 100 words comprise over 25% of all written text; a few hundred about 50% and 1000 of them a whopping 67%. So if you can learn those thousand words you can automatically recognize everything on 2/3 of every page you see.

Spanish likely has a similar list and I would recommend learning that. (the most common word in English is 'the' and in German the three most common in order are 'der, die, and das'.) It's actually a pretty logical way to learn vocabulary.

I have heard something similar about english and the 1000 words - but have never been able to find out what these words are! Any pointers would be useful

FWIW I would suggest to anyone seeking to learn a 2nd lingo iis:-

1) take a course - do NOT worry too much about learning the new lingo Yer wanta learn what you don't know! Specifically about how the lingo is constructed and used - stuff varies from how English is used.

2) Learn the Alphabet as a child would ("A is for Apple........O "), apart from one day maybe wanting an apple a good way to practice mangling the foreign sounds by rote (IMO learning by rote and repetition does have it's place) AND the numbers (hey, it's also money!).

2a) Learn "Please", "Thankyou" and some form of vaguely polite "F#ck off". and also how to order a beer

3) Give up

4) Start Again by learning lots of words. Include stuff like "Coca Cola" .


5) Go somewhere foreign for a good while.

6) Learn how to ask questions AND how to slightly rephrase them - the trick is to get to a position for you to be able to learn and expand your vocab from the locals at your own pace......and also learning (and copying) how the locals talk / phrase their language.

6a) remember that foreigners speak in dialects and with accents too. Nothing wrong with learning the Spanish or Greek equivalent of a Texan drawl (Or like an uneducated Thai farmer's daughter working as a hooker ) - but always good to know in advance that this is what you are doing..........

7) be patient. and don't give up. Even if you feel like no progress you are in fact progressing by hardwiring what you know into yer brain (as you get older it becomes harder - but not impossible).

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

... I have heard something similar about english and the 1000 words - but have never been able to find out what these words are! Any pointers would be useful ...

If one were to take the 25,000 word Oxford Pocket English Dictionary and take away the redundancies of our rich language, and eliminate the words that can be made by putting together simpler words, we find that 90% of the concepts in that dictionary can be achieved with 850 words.

Ogden's Basic English Word List
(850 words, in 5 categories)
➥ Ogden's Basic English Words

See also Ogden’s Basic English:
➥ Ogden's Basic English

[drew.ward]

Here's the list I've used in teaching:

The First 100 Most Commonly Used English Words

and here's a list in Spanish

Glossary: The Most Common Spanish Words

One of the biggest hurdles to trying to speak in a Language is that you can quickly hit a wall by not knowing what the word for something really simple is. This is why I recommend labeling everything. Seeing a word every time you use something makes your brain passively associate it with the object. It's much more efficient than trying to memorize the vocabulary. Plus it allows you to learn things you would otherwise forget that you don't know. For instance, you may know the word for door in a given language, but do you know the word for doorknob?

You would if there were a little sticker next to the doorknob and you saw that word every time you opened the door!

[David_Old_Jersey]

Those lists are in my favourites. Cheers

BTW, just been listening to "WAHAY! We're the Monkees"............in Spanish (Tema Dei Monkees).

Maybe music (and Karaoke? ) another tool to help the learning process?, especially on getting one's ear in - if not the voice...............

[dacust]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

2a) Learn "Please", "Thankyou" and some form of vaguely polite "F#ck off". and also how to order a beer

I found that the most important phrases were

• "I'm sorry"
• "Where's the bathroom?"

Next:

• "Thank you"
• "No, thank you."

And then the all important - mo ippon beru, kudasai

-dan