Easy Language Learning » Grammar

Learn Spanish To Enhance Your Vacation Experience

Admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:34:24 +0000

If you are wondering why people are rushing to learn Spanish these days, it might be hard to pinpoint one particular reason. If you are an American, your reason for learning Spanish may be far different than a European who has decided it’s time to learn the language. So, why is learning Spanish important to so many people? Let us give you some facts first: * Spanish has become the second language of the United States * The Spanish language is gaining importance as a second or third language in many European countries * There are over 400 million Spanish speakers around the globe, only exceeded by those groups speaking English, Chinese, and Hindustani. * Spanish is the fourth most popular language in the world and the native, or official, language on four different continents. So, enough for the geography lesson. So why should you make the time and investment to learn Spanish? Let me tell you some of the more popular reasons why people like you and me want to learn Spanish: It’s Very Easy to Learn The Spanish language is truly one of the easiest foreign languages to learn. Much of the Spanish vocabulary is similar to English. Better yet, written Spanish is almost completely phonetic. Even a complete beginner can look at almost any Spanish word and tell how it should be pronounced. Of course, there are a few differences in the grammar and verb structure, but the basic grammar is relatively straightforward enough to allow you to carry on a meaningful conversation after just a few lessons. Learning Spanish is Fun If you like to take on a basic challenge, then learning to talk, read, and speak Spanish is your cup of tea. As far as difficulty, learning the Spanish language is quite basic and you can really have some fun in the process. The enjoyment involved in mastering a second language and being able to speak with native speakers can be extremely rewarding. The thrill of having a second language also opens up a whole new world, and different cultures, to you. Enhance Your Travel and Vacation Experiences Knowing how to speak Spanish expands your options when you scour the globe for a new vacation experience. Countries that you have avoided in the past due to the language barrier now become prime targets for your new travels. There is nothing worse than traveling to a new country when you cannot communicate with the local population. Imagine being able to converse with people in most Central and South American countries (and many European countries) in their native language. Whether you just learn a few common Spanish phrases or learn Spanish vocabulary and pronunciation like a native speaker, you will find that it can really open new doors to you while increasing your fun and excitement in a new land. Improve Your Job Skills It’s amazing how many new jobs are now requiring candidates to possess multilingual skills in order to meet the qualifications of the position. For instance, certain regions in the United States have a significant Hispanic population and influence. Employment candidates with Spanish as a second language are highly sought after in these areas and are paying a premium to attract them. Being able to speak Spanish is also a big resume booster and can lead to a better paying job, regardless of your area of employment. Hopefully we have provided a reasonable answer as to the question posed earlier; “why is learning Spanish important for so many people?” We have touched on the more common reasons given by many Spanish students for wanting to learn this wonderful language, but not a comprehensive list for sure. Of course, each person has their own motivation for taking Spanish lessons. But regardless of your motivation for wanting to speak Spanish, the experience can be fun and rewarding and leave you with a new skill that you can use for a lifetime.

Adjust Your Own English Communication to Meet Other Language Levels

Admin — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 20:34:44 +0000

I first moved to a non-English speaking country almost 30 years ago. I did not know how much I would change my own way of communicating. My own English. And it has really changed. The Difficulties Of A Non-Native English SpeakerI think most people who learn English as a second language go through more adjustments in learning English as a foreign language than English speakers learning a second language. Foreigners often tell me English is an easy language to learn. It should be. There is just so much of it around. On the radio, the internet and very often in the workplace. Foreigners think English is easy. But there is a variety of English communication. There is a big step in thinking you know a language and in being a good communicator. Good cross-cultural communication takes some adjustments. Both parties need to make an effort in finding a common understanding. The Native English Speaker’s JobWhen a native English speaker is in a foreigner’s home country, often the native English speaker does most of the adjusting. If the native English speaker has traveled before, this usually happens naturally. He instinctively knows how to make it easy for his foreign listener. Non-native English speakers do not always realize how much the English speaker will adapt his conversation to make it easy for him. English speakers adjust their communication in several ways to make it easier for non-native English speakers: Slang Strong accents Different dialects or country specific vocabulary Awkward grammar Difficult vocabulary Different communication stylesThe Adjustment ProcessI can easily forget the years of adjusting my conversation I went through. This is what I remember I did: Pay attention constantly to make sure everyone understands the same thing. Backtrack the conversation as soon as a little doubt came up or if I was surprised by any reaction or remark Explained I was tired, when I was and finding the effort too much. I remember feeling as if I was doing all the effort in making the conversations work. I remember being surprised at many misunderstandings. I was also surprised at how and why they happened. Everyone has their own perceptions of their cross-cultural communication. There is no right or wrong. There are only effective and enriching cross-cultural exchanges. Native-English speakers communicating with non-native English speakers are in a situation with many different and uncontrollable perceptions. Some perceptions are based on the person or culture, and others on workplace specific conditions. It is important for native-English speakers to remember to adjust their own English communication during their first cross-cultural encounters. Practice Makes Productive Cross-Cultural CommunicationIt takes practice to smooth over the hurdles caused by these communication differences. The more conversations you have with non-native English speakers the more you pick up receptive, productive and interactive cross-cultural communication skills. Seasoned English speaking international professionals end up constantly using a reduced vocabulary. They have to adapt to so many different language levels. This makes it very easy for their non-native English-speaking partners to understand them. The non-native speakers feel flattered. This reinforces their opinion that English is a very easy language to learn. I have lived in a non-English speaking country longer than I have in my native English speaking home. Adjusting my own communication is permanently on automatic. My own day-to-day English is very simple and direct. I rely on creating pictures with words to get specific points across. Sometimes I get frustrated at limiting my own vocabulary. That’s when I hunt down stimulating conversation, or reading. And even writing. Language is important. How you use your language to communicate with others is also important. Adjusting your English communication to meet the language levels of others is part of an effective communication process. Are you committed to speeding up your international sales cycles?Learn how to combine cross-cultural marketing tools and international sales strategies for faster sales. Join us on the International Sales Road MapWould you like to develop your international business? Are you a beginner at international sales and marketing? Read the Beginners Guide Discover Your International Business

Review of Pimsleur Method, Linguaphone and Rosetta Stone Language Courses

Admin — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 09:35:15 +0000

This review is directed towards those people wondering what makes language courses different from one another. We will cover the strengths and weaknesses of the Pimsleur Method, Linguaphone and Rosetta Stone language courses. Each course is a top rated language course.
Advantages of Pimsleur Language Courses
1. Pimsleur is a good course to learn to speak a new language.
2. Pimsleur is audio course that works if you are on the move.
3. Pimsleur is interactive course that keeps you intensely involved while learning.
4. The Pimsleur Method makes it easy to learn a new language.
5. Pimsleur is a very simple learning course.
6. You are more likely to retain what you learn because of the Graduated Interval Recall System developed by Dr. Pimsleur, the developer of the course.
7. The courses focus on the most used words in a language. This becomes very beneficial in leaning to speak a language.
8. The combined group of techniques used in these courses makes learning easy.
Disadvantages of Pimsleur Language Courses
1. There are no written transcripts of the audio.
2. If you want to go further in learning a language than simply carrying on a simple conversation you will need to purchase a few books: grammar, verbs and a dictionary to expand your vocabulary and perhaps a workbook to learn to write. A good set of flash cards could also help.
4. The short Pimsleur courses are repeated in the more expanded Comprehensive I courses. The manufacturer uses the smaller courses to entice you to buy the larger, more expensive course. If you are serious about learning a language it is not very economical to buy one of the small courses.
Comments
Pimsleur offers 38 different language courses formatted on CDs and downloads. You can download a course directly to your computer. The cost is on the expensive side but Pimsleur is an especially good course for a beginning language student.
Advantages of Linguaphone Language Courses
1. Linguaphone offers courses that teach you to read, write and speak the language.
2. Many of the Linguaphone courses have very nice manuals with beautiful pictures and the dialog of what you are going over in a lesson.
3. Linguaphone has some courses that are all audio so you can learn on the move.
4. Linguaphone courses are based on: listen, understand and speak. This method has been used for over 100 years.
5. Many people rate Linguaphone very high on their list of language courses.
Disadvantages of Linguaphone Language Courses
1. If you don’t have a basic knowledge of the language you are learning, Linguaphone courses can be somewhat difficult because it moves along too fast, without enough repetition.
2. On some of the Linguaphone audio you will need to listen very carefully.
3. You may want to go over another language course series, like Pimsleur, and use Linguaphone to expand your language skills, vocabulary and listening comprehension.
4. Linguaphone prices range from inexpensive to expensive depending on the course.
Comments
Linguaphone has 15 language courses. Most people’s ratings of Linguaphone are positive. It covers all language core skills, oral, aural, writing and reading. Linguaphone courses are very thorough courses. People who like written transcripts of the dialog will like Linguaphone. The narrators on the Linguaphone courses are British speakers.
Advantages of Rosetta Stone Language Courses
1. Many people feel that Rosetta Stone software is very good because it integrates audio, text and images.
2. Rosetta Stone software makes learning a language both simple and entertaining.
3. The Rosetta Stone lessons are short and simple, featuring native speakers, real life images with beautiful graphics and big fonts.
4. Speech recognition is available in the Rosetta Stone software to help you say the words correctly.
5. Rosetta Stone is very thorough and covers all language core skills, oral, aural, writing and reading with good sound quality.
6. Vocabulary is a strong point with the Rosetta Stone software.
Disadvantage of Rosetta Stone Software
1. Rosetta Stone software is best used by a visual learner.
2. Rosetta Stone would be best to use along with another language course that teaches you grammar, verbs and to speak the language. It can be difficult to learn a language just by looking at pictures and repeating phrases that you hear.
3. If you are a beginner you would be better starting with another language course and then use Rosetta Stone to further your studies.
Comments
Rosetta Stone software is a great way to improve your specific language vocabulary quickly. It is very difficult to really learn how to speak a language with software alone by looking at pictures and repeating phrases. This does not help you in the real world. You need to learn to think in your new language. This is a better course for a child or pre-teenager than for an adult. Rosetta Stone Software has 3 Levels. It is a more expensive language course.

Grammar Does not Work to Speak Spanish Easy

Admin — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:33:58 +0000

Grammar does not work to learn Spanish easy

Learn Spanish, with “Learn Spanish Fluently” system is easier:

Imagine that you are learning the Spanish language right at your own living room or in the Job, or wherever. . .

Spanish is everywhere and today is very important:

A. On vacation in Spanish-speaking countries.

B. Business in Spanish-speaking countries.

C. Interview in Spanish for a best Job.

Then one of the best ways to do it in your native country is at home, at your own pace.

In only 3 months.

With (Learn Spanish Fluently system ) it’s Fast, and Easy to speak Spanish. Really, it’s the best way to learn Spanish.

Practice every day from Monday to Sunday of a language learned develops better and the individual’s ability of using it as a conversation tool improves fast.

You need, at least, over 45 minutes per day to improve you Spanish faster, only 20 minutes on the morning, 20 minutes on the afternoon and 15 minutes at night.

But, You should be listen the same audio many times for learn the Spanish Language well, very well.

This means that Spanish language will became in part of you.

Other sites offer free lessons in particular areas such as grammar or verbs. But these Courses are useless. The method that they use are useless.

Convenient Learning with Audio Mp3.

The audio lessons will make you very comfortable with the pronunciation; it will give you self-reliance to talk with Spanish-Speaking people.

The biggest benefit to learning from MP3 is that you can study your lessons even while you are doing something else.

there are more benefits you can get in learning and using Spanish language in the future. You never know when you will need to use it.

Career and social boost.

Learn Spanish Fluently system and grammar:

Learning grammar is not natural. Learning grammar is not fun. Learning grammar will not make you fluent in Spanish and still most language courses teach grammar.

If you want to become fluent in Spanish language you need to slowly get used to the language, naturally.

You need to get used to how words are used.

You need to learn how words come together to form phrases.

If you learn naturally,You will speak naturally.

Learn Spanish Fluently system is the solution.

Currently, it is the only solution.

Greetings,

John G.

School Spanish Teacher for 8 years.

Easy Spanish

Admin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:37:11 +0000

Everyone who is starting out learning the language looks for some easy Spanish to try and get to grips with it. Often they are amazed to discover that it can be a lot easier that they ever imagined.
Spanish and English share common roots with Latin in particular, and to a lesser degree, Greek as well. This means that many of the words simply need a different ending from English to become Spanish – and they will mean exactly the same thing too! Does that sound like easy Spanish? It does and it is.
Take “plastic,” for example. That word becomes “plastico” in Spanish. Well, you wanted easy Spanish, and it surely can’t get any easier than this. When English-speaking people think about learning Spanish they start to see it as one big problem. No hay problema, and if you can’t work out what that Spanish phrase means, then you do have one.
The best way to get to grips with easy Spanish is to learn all the easy words first. The grammar is a little different, but that will follow naturally. Take the phrase mentioned above: “no hay problema. ” It literally means, “not there is problem. ” It won’t take long for anyone to adjust to this way of thinking and make that, “there’s no problem,” its English equivalent. ”
However, let’s stick with the easy Spanish words first. It’s the endings that change in many cases, and it tends to be a regular thing too. As in the example of “plastic” becoming “plastico,” many other words ending in “ic” change to “ico” in Spanish. Clásico, cómico, histérico, metódico, técnico are all examples where you should have little difficulty in guessing what the English equivalent terms are.
It’s not just the “ic” ending words either. Easy Spanish get’s even easier when you bring in all the other groups, such as “abundant” becoming “abundante” in Spanish, “monument” becomes “monumento,” “pianist” becomes “pianista,” “indication” becomes “indicación,” “patent” becomes “patente,” “religious” becomes “religioso. ”
There are even better ones too. Easy Spanish can be very easy at times. How do you spell, “central”? You spell it quite simply as, “central. ” The pronunciation is different from the English (you emphasize the “a” and not the “n”), but it’s delightfully similar and certainly a good example of easy Spanish.
There are others too. Examples include words like, “animal,” “noble,” “admirable,” and “director. ” Usually these kind of words have the same meaning as in English, but sometimes they are a little bit different. The English word, “conductor” applied to a person usually conjures up a picture of someone leading an orchestra. In Spanish it means the driver of a car or other vehicle.
Sometimes easy Spanish needs a little bit of lateral thinking. A car is “coche” in Spanish. You may think at first glance that it’s nothing like the English, but think back to the days of highwaymen roaming the English countryside looking to hold up a coach. Coaches were the cars of those days, and the Spanish word, “coche” is just the modern equivalent.
There certainly are Spanish words that bear no resemblance to their English counterparts, but that’s to be expected; otherwise they would be the same language. Easy Spanish certainly exists, and it’s easy to learn too. Go on, try it!

Self Learning On Italian

Admin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:34:40 +0000

Learning Italian at home, listening to audio lessons on the way to the office using the CD player in the car or reading a book all about Italian are different examples of how one person can learn another language without getting formal lessons from any teacher or language professor.
If you are an interested learner, disregard your age or status in life; if you want to learn something out of pure interest and curiosity, you will reap your own rewards in the end. Also, it doesn’t matter if you have the most expensive language learning software or if you just read on available online resources and old books from the library, the important thing is that you keep on learning no matter what it takes.
The Italian language has a different accent compared to the English language, the Italian accent needed to be followed is also different, but the easy fact about the Italian language is the way each word is pronounce because it only follows the syllables and the way how each word is spelled. What else can help your progress in learning? To apply what you learn and what you are learning in the process in the most natural way possible is the answer.
Don’t expect to speak in perfect grammar. That is just too impossible. What you need to concentrate on instead is how much vocabulary you know about the language. You will for sure, commit mistakes and several attempts to talk to a native Italian speaker perfectly is going to be a failure, but that’s okay. You are a student and you’re meant to commit mistakes. No big deal.
The big event will come when you have been studying much about the Italian language and its culture. Exposing yourself to Italian movies, shows, music and history will be a great help to your fluency of the Italian language. You’ll learn the accent, you’ll acquire the most natural conversation, and most importantly, you’ll learn how it really feels to talk in fluent Italian. But until then, you will need to work hard on many aspects and not giving up is another.

Studying Vocabulary When Learning a New Language

Admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:39:08 +0000

Learning vocabulary words is critical part of learning to speak a foreign language, next to grammar. If you can say any words, how can you speak the language? Learning vocabulary words isn’t always easy. In a perfect world, we would be able to look at a word and never remember it. This way, we could learn hundreds of words a day. Unfortunately, this doesn’t usually happen. For some, remembering the words is simple. For others, it is very difficult. If you practice some simple steps, hopefully you will be able to learn in a short period of time.
The key to studying a new vocabulary word is using it and seeing it over and over. If you can use a language program that has this quality built in, you are in luck. If not, there are ways to simulate it.
Put together a list of words you want to study in the first day. You might pick 10 completely unrelated words. Start by writing down the list with the target language first then English. Read through them a few times. Next, pick your first term. Read through both translations 10 times out loud. Now look at the target language word. Does it remind you of anything that be used to help you remember what it means?
For example, the Spanish word for paper is papel. This one is simple because the the beginning of the word looks just like paper. Now, every time you need to know the word for paper in Spanish, try to remember that papel looks like paper.
Now, you should repeatedly use the word. Try to write three to five sentences using the word in different ways. When you finish it with each word, write them down on an index card so that you can use them on flashcards later on. Carry them with you when you know you’ll have some free time to use them. This way, you can constantly be looking at them and reviewing them. When you are finished with vocabulary each day, don’t just move on to the next set of words and forget the rest. Always keep them all in mind.
Also when you have free time, try to construct sentences as you think using your vocabulary words. You don’t want to just remember the word when you see it, you want to have it mastered so that whenever you need it, you don’t have to think first, it just comes out. For example, you might always know that papel means paper, but will you always know how to say paper in Spanish? Papel needs to just pop in your head.
This is how you will become fluent. You need to know each word inside and out. Try to think in your language. It’s a great way to use your language whenever you want even if you don’t have any study materials. Also, you won’t look weird speaking in another language because you are only thinking it. The key to learning any language is by practicing. As they say, “practice makes perfect!”

Denver Language School

Admin — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:49:11 +0000

Denver Language School: Follow These Easy Steps to be Part of This Multicultural World and Explore Far Beyond Average Knowledge

So you want to find a a Denver Language School? Imagine being able to master a foreign language and opening your eyes to a complete new and interesting culture. There are about 195 countries in the world, each with unique costumes, sceneries, ideologies and native languages. Linguists calculate that there are about 5,000 to 6,000 forms of communication that allow humans to communicate to others their thoughts and feelings.

You’re probably thinking that English is the most spoken language. Well, please think again. It’s mandarin Chinese, yes this beautifully complex speech is pronounced most often around the world than others. In Denver Languages School the noise of foreign intrinsic words jump right off the walls of students who every day chose to more involved in this global community.

Spanish, Chinese, German, Italian, French, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, English, among others are all taught in the most effective ways. Each element of a language like grammar, speaking, listening and writing are all included in personalized classes at Denver Language School.

So next time you sit across from a visitor and see the expression on his face, you’ll understand. Some day, you’ll live those same feelings you can only perceive if you comprehend more aspects of the new culture. You can also experience the bliss of guiding him around in his native language. How is this possible? By mastering a new languages, of course. Imagine all the new people you can talk with if you study more.

The rewards of mastering a second language could be used all around, from personal to professional growth, they are limitless. There are many careers that would benefit from this extra knowledge. For example, if you’re a marketing consultant and a company wants to sell their products in other countries. To make this possible you need to understand their culture and to do that you should master their language.

You can realize all this and fulfill your thirst for knowledge of diverse cultures that make up the human race. Accompany one of the numerous students at Denver Language School that have chosen to transcend far beyond the average knowledge people have.

Follow These Simple Steps to be Part of This Multicultural World and Transcend Far Beyond Average Knowledge: Denver Language School- www.LanguagesLCI.com

By: Denver Language School

The Composite Models Of The Chinese Language And Difficulty In Understanding It

Admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:42:17 +0000

This is true that only 10,000 characters are being used regularly out of 20,000 characters of Chinese language. To be able to fully understand the language, at least when it comes to reading of course, you need to learn Chinese characters. Out of many languages in this world, the most engrossing and complex language is Chinese. Excluding Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and other parts of Malaysia, more than one billion people live in china. The Chinese language has become the most spoken language in those countries apart from china. It is known for being indirect or to understate meanings. This indirectness is attributed to a cultural trait, older than the language itself. The high degree of internal diversity brings attraction to the Chinese language and many are learning it with much interest. The ‘chinese radicals are the 214 elementary pictographs, combination of which form an infinite number of words leading to constant evolution of Chinese language. Alternatively, a new word can be formed by combining two or more radicals. Out of oldest languages around 3000 years, Chinese is one among them in this world. Chinese has developed tremendously over these long periods but the basic grammar, vocabulary and writing system have not much changed. If gender is taken into consideration, it is neutral as compared to a Latin-based language like French and hence easy to learn. Unlike English, where one might say, “I will eat,” “I ate,” or “I have eaten,” in Chinese one would say, “Wo chi” (which means “I eat” ) plus the time phrases, today, later, tomorrow, etc. The Chinese language is written in characters, each of which consists of one, up to dozens of strokes, and a phrase or sentence can be made of several characters. Due to shortness of characters as compared to English words, a translated Chinese version takes lesser spares always than English original. Chinese can be though of as a tool, without which the Chinese could not do, even for a moment in their daily life and work. If a person’s knowledge about the Chinese language is not up to a certain standard, if he or she cannot speak distinctly and fluently, or what he or she writes does not read smoothly, then the effect on that person as a Chinese is all-weather and all-directional, so the influence is obviously far greater than that of English. People’s Republic of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong is served with Mandarin as the official language as it is spoken in excess of 50% of the huge Chinese population. Mandarin also serves as the second official language of Singapore. Like Latin which helps in learning other Western languages, Mandarin is helpful in learning other Asian languages. Highly influenced by it already are the Asian languages, in particular written Chinese language. Mandarin, a widely spoken language, can be learnt through many online sites available though it is tough to learn. learn chinese faster with the help of best online teacher and participation of conversation with your friends. The best way to learn and enjoy learning chinese language is to speak regularly.

How to Learn a Language – The Three Secrets of Foreign Language Learning

Admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:45:28 +0000

In my school days I never really learned how to learn a language. As a result, I spent years struggling and failing to learn various foreign languages. To help me finally become successful in my language learning, I had to research and learn about the techniques used by the seemingly “natural” language learners. I learned that successful language learners develop three very distinct areas of their minds.

Speak It To Learn It

The first pillar of language learning is to practice speaking. This is the primary skill to develop and also the most neglected aspect of language study. If you want to learn to converse in a second language, you have to speak it, often. It is that simple. The main purpose of learning a language is to communicate. However, if you spend all of your time making lists of words and learning about grammar, you will never progress past a simple conversation in the language.

Listening – Immerse Yourself In The Sounds Of The Language

The second pillar of language learning is to practice listening. In addition to being able to speak the language, you have to be able to understand the person who is speaking to you. You have to expose yourself to the sounds of the language. For this to be possible, you need to immerse yourself in the sounds of the language. Spend as much time as possible listening to podcasts, conversations around you, the radio, radio, etc., all in your target language. At first everything will be unintelligible. However, over time you will begin to recognize certain repeating patterns and phrases. In time, you will begin to comprehend individual words. Finally, one day, you will begin to start to understand meaning. However, all of this takes time. It is necessary to expose your ears to to the sounds of the language.

Reading Practice

The third and final pillar of how to learn a language is to practice reading. It is easy to disregard this step, but it a very effective method of learning a language. As with listening, reading is a method of immersing yourself in your target language. The key is to read, as often as possible, newspapers, popular magazines, and web pages in the foreign language. This helps you learn the language in context, as it is actually used. You will also develop a sense of correctness about the language. You will know when things just look right

To maximize your success with your language, a good starting point is to study how to learn a language. Successful language learners devote time to each of the three main pillars of language learning: speaking, listening, and reading.

By: Chris Chan