Real Spanish With Bilingüe Blogs Podcast Ep. 1

Los 5 errores más comunes que cometen los estudiantes principiantes al aprender inglés

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 19:32:00 +0000

Aprender otro idioma de tu propia voluntad requiere mucho coraje. Empecé a aprender mi segundo idioma hace 15 años a los 12 años de edad. No sabía ni cómo ni dónde empezar, pero tenía un deseo ardiente de aprender. Luego de 2 años y pico, podía hablarlo con fluidez, pero sé que pude haberlo aprendido más rápido si hubiera tenido más dirección. La meta de este artículo es darte la dirección que deseaba tener yo, para que puedas crear hábitos buenos que te darán resultados desde el principio. Abajo encontrarás los 5 errores más comunes que cometen los principiantes al aprender inglés.

1. Centrarse demasiado en el tiempo

Problema: Siempre me sorprende que la pregunta más popular que me hacen es, "Rickie, ¿Cuánto tiempo te tomó lograr hablar tu segundo idioma con fluidez?" Tengo mucho conocimiento sobre mi segundo idioma, pero deciden centrarse en el tiempo que me tomó, en vez de ese conocimiento. Puede que la culpa se deba a la adicción a la gratificación inmediata de la sociedad de estos días, pero no hacen la pregunta correcta.

Solución: Es chévere tener metas y plazos para aprender un idioma, pero esas metas deben basarse en la experiencia del individuo, y no la de otra person que ya ha logrado lo que uno quiere lograr. Si quieres centrarte en una línea de tiempo, céntrate en cuántas palabras puedes aprender en una semana. Céntrate en qué tan bien te gustaría poder hablar dentro de 3 meses. La cosa más importante en cuanto al tiempo es mejorarse todos los días. Aprender un idioma es como el cuento de la liebre y la tortuga. "no llega más lejos quien más corre, sino quien no se desvía."

2. Falta de estructura

Problema: Esto suele pasar con los que aprenden inglés por su cuenta. Me he encontrado con mucha gente que no sabe dónde empezar, o si sabe dónde empezar, no sabe qué hacer después de empezar. Esta gente se encuentra en un lío después de un tiempo.

Solución: Hay que tener estructura al aprender un idioma, pero cómo se encuentra? Puedes ir a google para buscar un sílabo de inglés de gratis. El método que más me gusta es utilizar la tabla de contenido de los libros de gramática y vocabulario para guiarme. A mi juicio, es mejor aprender un aspecto de gramática junto con una categoría de vocabulary. Por ejemplo, si para gramática aprendiera el imperativo, aprendería el vocabulario de los quehaceres a la vez y crearía oraciones que combinaban los dos. Puedes hacerlo como quieras, pero no pases por alto la estructura.

3. Dar toda la responsabilidad al maestro

Problema: Me parece que muchos no saben lo que es el verdadero trabajo de un maestro. Hay un dicho que dice, "Puedo prepararte la comida, pero no puedo masticártela, ni tragártela." Los que estudian idiomas tienen que aprender esto. Tienen que aprender a aplicar lo que se les enseña y expandir su conocimiento sobre ello. Los maestros les dan a los estudiantes las herramientas para ser exitosos, pero a los estudiantes les toca utilizarlas.

Solución: Para aprender inglés, y aprenderlo rápidamente, tienes que asumir la responsabilidad de tu educación para salir adelante. Estudia las cosas que tu maestro todavía no te ha enseñado. Si tienes un sílabo, utilízalo para guiarte, mientras usas tus libros y otros recursos para avanzar. Si no hay sílabo, estudia más la unidad que tu maestro está enseñando en ese momento, ya que todos sabemos que los maestros no nos dan todos los detalles posibles. Llega a la clase con preguntas. Esto te ayudará a no centrarte en una bueno nota, sino en aprender el idioma de verdad.

4. Dudarse

Problema: Pensar demasiado en equivocarse, y el temor de verse "estúpido" impiden el progreso de muchos principiantes. ¡No lo pienses tanto! Me he encontrado con muchas personas que sí saben decir las cosas correcta en inglés, pero por temor a equivocarse deciden callarse. Si tienes miedo de correr el riesgo, nunca alcanzarás tu potencial completo.

Solución: No creo que nadie que aprenda otro idioma es tonto, pero como muchos de mis estudiantes del pasado tenían esa mentalidad, voy a usar el mismo palabreo al ofrecerte estos consejos, "Verse estúpido para lograr aprender es mejor que verse inteligente y no saber nada de verdad." No te preocupes si te ves tonto. Nos han acondicionado para no cometer errores desde chiquito, pero las personas más exitosas te dirían que tus errores son lecciones para hacerte mejor. Acepta tus errores, no te dudes, y habla sin miedo.

Mención Honorífica

A muchos principiantes les gusta utilizar los traductores como el que ofrece google para escribir en inglés. Esto no te va a ayudar nada. Los traductores electrónicos impiden el crecimiento (a menos que los uses para verificar unas palabras o frases). Si quieres ser exitoso de verdad, tienes que aprender a crear tus propias oraciones y frases. Si no puedes hacerlo todo desde el principio, tranquilo, que es el principio. Confía en el proceso y sigue creciendo, pero no lo resuelves con los traductores en línea.

5. No tomar apuntes

Problema: No sé si se debe a que vivimos en un mundo lleno de tecnología, pero últimamente, he enseñado muchos estudiantes que llegan a mis lecciones sin cuaderno/papel, lápiz/lapicero, ni tableta para tomar apuntes. Según los estudios, nosotros los seres humanos solemos recordar solo un 20% de lo que se dice en una conversación, y es por eso que los apuntes son tan importantes. Sin apuntes es casi imposible repasar una lección a menos que tengas tu propio libro de gramática o vocabulario.

Solución: Toma buenos apuntes que te ayudarán a entender bien lo que estás aprendiendo. Repásalos frecuentemente y aplícalo todo cuando leas, escribas, escuches, y hables. Los apuntes son buenos para ver dónde empezaste y cuánto has crecido. Eso te ayudará a permanecer motivado. Si vas a aprender inglés de verdad, HAY QUE tomar apuntes.

Los Mejores Libros De Gramática

Domina inglés como los nativos con estos libros. ¡Haz click en cualquier libro para comprarlo en Amazon ya!

Los Mejores Libros De Vocabulario

Aprende las palabras más importantes que usan los hablantes nativos de inglés americano todos los días. Haz click en cualquier libro para comprártelo ya!

5 Most Common Mistakes That Beginners Make When Learning Spanish

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Fri, 08 Nov 2019 19:31:00 +0000

*Haz click aquí para leer en español*

Taking on a new language on your own volition takes courage. I started learning Spanish 15 years ago when I was 12 years old. I didn't know where to start or how to go about doing things. I just had a burning desire to learn. I reached fluency after a couple years, but I know that I could have learned faster if I had more guidance. My goal with this article is to give you that guidance that I wish I had and to steer you in the right direction, so that you can create good habits that get results from the beginning. Below are the 5 most common mistakes that beginners make when learning Spanish.

1. Focusing too much on time

Problem: It always surprises me that the most frequently asked question that I receive from Spanish learners is, "Rickie, how long did it take you to become fluent in Spanish?" I have a lot of knowledge of the Spanish language, but people choose to focus on time rather than that knowledge. Maybe it is due to the addiction to instant gratification of society these days, but it is the wrong question to ask. It is a great thing to set goals, and to set deadlines when learning a language, but these goals have to be based off of yourself and your own experience as opposed to someone else who has already done it.

Solution: If you want to focus on a timeline, focus on how many words you can learn in a week. Focus on how well you would like to be able to speak 3 months from now. The most important thing involving time is that you should be improving every single day. When learning a language, it's like the tortoise and the rabbit. Slow and steady wins the race.

2. Lack of structure

Problem: This pertains more to those who decide to take the route that I took and learn Spanish on their own. I have found that many people just don't know where to begin, or if they do know where to begin, they don't know where to go after that. These people tend to get themselves into a mess that is hard to get out of.

Solution: You need to have structure when learning a language. How do you find structure? You can search for free Spanish learning syllabuses on google. My method of choice was to use Spanish vocabulary and grammar books to guide me through the language. I found it best to focus on one aspect of grammar and combine that with a category of vocabulary at the same time. For example, if I was learning the imperative form (commands) for grammar, I would learn the vocabulary for doing chores and create sentences where I would be giving commands about which chores to do. You can use any combination you'd like, but structure is needed, so don't sleep on it.

3. Relying too much on your teacher

Problem: It seems that many people do not understand the true role of a teacher. There is a saying that says, "I can prepare your food for you, but I can't chew and swallow it for you." Language learners need to understand this and learn to apply what they are taught and expand on it. Teachers give you the tools that you need in order to succeed, but it is up to you to use those tools.

Solution: In order to learn Spanish, and learn it quickly, you should take more responsibility for your learning do your best to get a head of the game. Study things that your teacher is not teaching yet. If you have a syllabus, then use that as your guide for structure, while using the book and other resources to focus on that. If you do not have a syllabus, learn more about the topic that your teacher is teaching since the teacher is most likely not going as in depth as they could. Come to class with questions. This will teach you to not focus on a grade, but rather on learning the language for fluency.

4. Doubting yourself

Problem: Thinking too hard about messing up and the fear of looking "stupid" hinder a lot of beginners from achieving good progression. Get out of your head! I come across so many people who know how to say things in Spanish, but stay quiet in conversation, because they second guess themselves. If you are to afraid to take risks, you will never reach your full potential.

Solution: I don't think anyone who is learning a language is dumb, but to put it in to terms of how my students have thought in the past, I offer you this advice, "Looking dumb to get smart is better than looking smart while only staying dumb." Don't worry about looking dumb. We are conditioned to not make mistakes since childhood, but the most successful people will tell you that mistakes are only lessons that make you better. Embrace your errors. Be bold, and speak without fear.

Honorable mention

Many beginners use online translators like Spanishdict.com, or the one provided by google when they want to create long text messages. This does not help you. Using translators hinders growth. If you really wish to succeed, you have to learn to generate your own sentences and phrases. If you cannot do it all yet don't worry. Trust the process and continue to grow, but don't resort to using online translators.

5. Not taking notes during lessons

Problem: Maybe it's because we are in a world full of technology, but lately, I have come into contact with students who come to our sessions without a notebook, a pen/pencil, or a tablet to record their notes. Studies show that we remember about 20% of what is said in a conversation, and this is why notes are so important. There are some people who do not prefer pen and paper notes, (which I believe are the best) but there are always other ways to take notes on our electronic devices. Without notes, it is almost impossible to review the material you have learned unless you have your own vocabulary an grammar books.

Solution: Take good notes that will truly help you to understand what you are learning. Review your notes frequently and then apply what is learned through reading, writing, speaking and listening. Notes are also good for you to see how far you have come, so that you can be motivated to continue. If you are serious about learning a language, you MUST have notes.

My Favorite Vocabulary Books

Here are the books that I used to master Spanish vocabulary! Buy yours from Amazon now by clicking on an image below. You won't regret it!

My Favorite Grammar Books

Master Spanish grammar with the same books I used. Click on one of the books below to purchase yours on Amazon now! It's how I became fluent and you can too!

Best Sites To Learn Mexican Spanish Slang

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 16:47:00 +0000

Thought you knew Spanish, because you learned it in school? Well, guess again! Every country has their own way of speaking Spanish and Mexico is no exception. Many of us are used to hearing a little bit of Mexican slang. However, It goes way beyond, "¿Qué onda, güey?"

Mexico mixes native indigenous languages and many anglicisms into their Spanish. Not to mention they also have a way of giving nicknames to almost everything. This is why I have compiled a list of the best Mexican slang resources. A lot of these lists may repeat some of the same words and phrases, but that is OK, because on each one there are plenty of different words and phrases. If Mexican Spanish is the dialect that you intend to learn, you will want to bookmark these sites to be able to reference them again later!

Sites Written In English

1*.Güey Spanish

(*Contains vulgar language*)

This site has a very extensive list of Mexican words. When I first found this list I was amazed, because Mexican Spanish is so different. Make sure that you write words and phrases down and study them, so that you can study them and commit them to memory. This site contains vulgar speech, which I am not a fan of, but it is important to know it, so that you can know what someone is saying to you, or about you or someone else in a heated moment.

2. No Hay Bronca

This site has more than the typical words that you will see on every single Mexican Spanish site that just teaches you words like, "órale." I was impressed with the word selection here, and how they were separated by category.

3. Speaking Latino

Interested in seeing how Mexican Spanish and Puerto Rican Spanish relate? Check out this page which translate Mexican Spanish words to Puerto Rican Spanish words, and then to English.

Sites that Are Only In Spanish

4. Es La Moda

Explaining Mexican Spanish is easier to do in Spanish than in English. Check out this site to find some of the common words and phrases that Mexicans use all of the time.

5. Diccionario Digital

This site gets straight to the point with a long list of Mexican words from A-Z. I recommend that you break these words up and study them for weeks until you have completely learned them. I wouldn't tackle these all in one day.

6. El Portal De México

This list is full of words and phrases used in Mexico. It is lengthy which is good for long term learning. Pace it out, so that you don't get overwhelmed with these words.

Alternate Resources For Mexicanismos

The sites above are good for learning Mexican words here and there, but if you want a few resources that are more organized, and teach you things not found in these lists, Click on one of the books below to check it out and purchase it from Amazon.

ARE YOU IN LOVE WITH MEXICO? GET YOUR MEXICAN MERCH HERE:

Cómo Recordar Todo Lo Que Aprendes En Inglés

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 18:22:00 +0000

*Read in English here*

Por fin has decido salir de tu zona de confort y poner en práctica todo lo que has estado estudiando en inglés. Estás conversando con un hablante nativo de inglés y todo va muy bien. Te sientes como si valiera la pena todas las horas que pasaste estudiando, pero de repente, sucede lo que temías.. Te quedaste estancado en la conversación. Debes saber cómo responder, pero es que se te ha olvidado cómo decir lo que quieres decir. Ahora sientes pánico y decides dejar la conversación, y te vas de inmediato.

La situación anterior suele pasar a menudo con los que aprenden un idioma nuevo. Aunque los momentos en los que uno pasa vergüenza o comete un error pueden ayudar y ser motivadores para que uno se corrija, y para no tener que sentirse así de nuevo, creo que todo el mundo preferiría no cometer ese error en primer lugar. Me gustaría ofrecerte unos tips para ayudarte a retener lo que aprendes en inglés y poder recuperar las palabras y las frases que necesitas cuando las necesites.

Cosas que uno debe considerar de antemano

1. ¿Estás tomando apuntes escritos a mano?

2. ¿Es un estilo de vida tu proceso de estudiar o es limitado por el tiempo?

Si ya sabes las respuestas para esas dos preguntas, estás en un buen lugar. Ahora, compartiré contigo mis tips.

Actividades Directas

1. Identificar tu estilo de aprender y concentrarte en él

Hay 4 estilos de aprender: Leer/Escribir, Visual, Auditivo, y Kinestético. En las escuelas, los maestros enseñan a su manera, que no siempre corresponde con el estilo de aprendizaje de todos los estudiantes. Nosotros nos acostumbramos a ese estilo de aprender y percibimos información de esa misma forma cuando no es necesariamente el estilo de aprender mas eficaz para nosotros.

Es bueno usar todos los estilos de aprender para aprender, sin embargo, cuando encuentres el estilo que funciona mejor para ti, ése debe ser la forma que más utilizas para aprender cosas nuevas.

👀 Si eres de los que aprenden visualmente, debes utilizar fotos y videos juntos con el vocabulario que estás aprendiendo.

👂 Si eres de los que aprenden auditivamente, debes escuchar más audios.

✋ Si prefieres el estilo kinestético, debes hacer actividades físicas que te ayudarán a recordar lo que estudias.

📖✍ Si escribir y leer son los estilos que funcionan para ti, es probable que ya te hayas acostumbrado a aprender así, ya que así es cómo se enseña en la escuela. Solo tienes que estar seguro de que estás leyendo las cosas correctas y tomando buenos apuntes.

2. Repasar apuntes y lecciones nuevos y viejos frecuentemente

Al aprender algo nuevo, es fácil memorizarlo. La memorización es una ilusión falsa que nos hace creer que hemos aprendido algo de verdad. Empollar para un examen es un ejemplo de la memorización. Aprender es estudiar para entender bien, y poder aplicarlo en cualquier momento.

Repasar constantemente te ayudará muchísimo. Establezca un horario y asegúrate de que estés repasando todo hasta que se convierta en una segunda naturaleza para ti. A medida que avances, no te olvides de repasar los fundamentales. Es muy fácil olvidarse de ellos, así que el repaso consistente y constante te servirán muchísimos en cuanto a lo que aprendes.

3. Aprender a usar los desencadenantes para aprender

Los desencadenantes son las cosas que nos recuerdan de una memoria o una experiencia del pasado. Por ejemplo, si menciono el cafe, puede que pienses en le cafeína, despertarse por la mañana, un incremento en energía, etc. El cafe es el desencadenante de todas esas cosas. Ya que sabes que existen los desencadenantes, podemos crear para nosotros mismos desencadenantes que significan algo para nosotros cuando estamos aprendiendo.

Si estas aprendiendo el vocabulario que se usa en la cocina, aprender y utilizar esas palabras mientras cocinas tu plato preferido puede ser tu desencadenante. Esa experiencia también sería una experiencia muy memorable.

4. Diviértete

Nadie quiere pensar en las cosas no divertidas. Si ves aprender inglés como algo aburrido y difícil, así será tu experiencia. Tienes que encontrar una manera para entretenerte mientras aprendes. Sé que en las escuelas quieren que todo el mundo se calle, y que hagan lo que se le diga pero es muy importante ser libre con tu aprendizaje y que sea algo con el que puedes relacionarte. Crea juegos y juégalos con amigos. Haz reto en publico para poner en práctica lo que has estado estudiando. Haz videos en YouTube. Éstas son tan solo algunas ideas, pero tienes que hacer lo que es divertido para ti.

5. Utilizar muchas fuentes diferentes

Una de las ventajas de vivir en el mundo hoy en día es que hay tantas personas que enseñan las mismas cosas y todo el mundo lo hace a su manera. Tenemos acceso a todo en las palmas de nuestras manos. Explora. Encuentra fuentes fiables y aprende de ellas con frecuencia. Si descubres que no te gusta la forma en la que un maestro enseña algo, consulta con otro que te lo explique mejor. Un maestro puede conocer bien la materia, pero puede que no sepa trasmitirla a tu mente, pero el otro puede decirlo de una manera más simple para ti. Como dice el refrán, "No pongas todos los huevos en la misma cesta."

Actividades Indirectas

1. El Ejercicio

Puede que no parezca mucho el ejercicio, pero cuando uno está activo físicamente, el cuerpo funciona mejor. Cuando uno no es sano, el cuerpo no está funcionando en su óptimo nivel.

2. Tomar descansos estratégicos

¡No te exijas demasiado! De vez en cuando, la mente tiene que tomar un descanso. Cuando no estás estudiando activamente, puedes aplicar lo que has aprendido, pero tus ojos no tienen que estar fijados un papel el día entero.

3. Reposar

El reposo es tanto importante para el cuerpo cómo el ejercicio. Si trabajas sin descansar, te haces más daño que bien. Ser sano afecta la mente de verdad.

4. Masticar chicle mientras estudiar

Aprendí este tip de mí profesor de anatomía. Masticar goma de masticar mientras estudiar puede ayudar con recordar la información que estudias.

Al final y al cabo, tienes que hacer lo que funciona para ti. Retener información no tiene que ser difícil. ¡Relájate, no seas tan duro contigo mismo y disfruta la experiencia!

Los Mejores Libros De Gramática

Domina inglés como los nativos con estos libros. ¡Haz click en cualquier libro para comprarlo en Amazon ya!

Los Mejores Libros De Vocabulario

Aprende las palabras más importantes que usan los hablantes nativos de inglés americano todos los días. Haz click en cualquier libro para comprártelo ya!

Best Ways To Remember What You Learn In Spanish

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 16:45:00 +0000

*Leer artículo en español*

You've finally decided to go out on a limb, and step out of your comfort zone by putting into practice what you've been studying in Spanish. You're finally having a conversation with a Spanish speaker and it's going so well. You start to feel like your studies have paid off, but then it happens.. You're stuck. You should know how to respond, but you just don't remember what you need to say! You are now in panic mode and you decide to cut the conversation short and leave in a hurry.

The above scenario happens way to often to those who are learning a new language. Although embarrassing moments and public mistakes can be helpful motivators and can push us to correct our mistakes, so that we never have to feel that way again, I think we'd all prefer to not make those mistakes at all. I'd like to offer you some tips on how to retain what you learn in Spanish and be able to retrieve the words and phrases that you need at the right time.

Things that you should consider beforehand

1. Are you taking physical handwritten notes on what you are studying?
2. Have you made your learning process a lifestyle or is it limited by time?

If you have the above things figured out already, then you're in a good place. Next, I will share with you my tips for retaining what you learn and study.

Direct Activities

1. Know your learning style and focus more on that

There are 4 different learning types: reading/writing, auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.
In school, we are taught in whatever way the teacher feels like teaching. The teachers that we have may not cater to our teaching style, but since we are used to learning that way, we continue to teach ourselves that way without realizing that it is may not the most effective way for us to learn.

It is a good practice to use all forms of learning, however, when you find the learning style that is the most effective for you, that should be your primary and most frequent way of introducing new information to yourself.

👀 If you are a visual learner, then you should use pictures and videos accompanied by the vocabulary words that you are learning.

👂If you are an auditory learner, you should be listening to a lot of material.

✋If your are a kinesthetic learner, then do physical activities that will help you remember what you are studying.

📖✍If you learn by reading and writing, You are probably already used to learning this way from school. You just have to make sure that you are reading the proper material and taking clear notes in a way that you understand.

While doing all of these things, you should still be taking notes regularly and reviewing your material, and applying it to real life regularly.

2. Consistently review new and old material

When learning something new it's easy to memorize things. Memorization is a false illusion that makes one believe that they have actually learned something. Memorization is cramming for a test. Learning is studying to make sure that you understand, and can apply the material in life.

Consistently reviewing will really help you to learn. Set a schedule and make sure that you review certain things until you feel like it has become second nature to you. As you advance, never forget to review the fundamentals. It gets easy to forget the fundamentals, so consistent and constant review will be huge help when it comes to remembering what you learn.

3. Create triggers for yourself

Triggers are things that spark a memory and remind you of something that you have experienced in the past. For example, if I mention coffee, you may think of caffeine, waking up in the morning, energy boosts, etc. Coffee is a trigger for all of those things. Since we know that triggers exist we can create them for ourselves when we are learning.

If you're learning the vocabulary words for food or things in a kitchen, perhaps your trigger can be learning the vocabulary by cooking your favorite meal which would make it more of a memorable experience.

4. Make it fun for yourself

No one wants to think about things that aren't fun. If in your mind you think of learning Spanish as boring, and difficult, it will be so. You have to find a way to entertain yourself while learning. I know in school, they teach you to be quiet, and to do what you're told. It is very important to be free with your learning, and make it relate to you. Make it real to you. Make games, and play with friends. Create challenges to do in public. Make YouTube videos. These are just a few ideas, but act based off of what is fun to you!

5. Use multiple sources to learn

One of the advantages of living in our world today is that there are many people teaching the same thing, and everyone has their own spin on how they teach it. We have access to everything in the palm of our hands. Explore. Find reliable sources and learn from them frequently. If you discover that you don't like how one teacher teaches a certain topic, find another who explains it better. One teacher may know a topic very well, but just can't get the idea across to you, while another may be able to put it in words that create the perfect image in your head. As the saying goes, don't put all of your eggs in one basket.

Indirect activities

1. Exercise

Exercising may not seem like a lot, but when you are physically active, your body runs better. When you are not healthy your body is not working at its optimal level.

2. Take strategic breaks

Don't overdo it! Your brain has to take a break sometimes. When you are not actively studying you can be applying what you studied in real life scenarios, but don't have your eyes on paper all day.

3. Rest

Just like exercise, sleep is important for your body. If you go too hard with no rest, you're doing more damage to yourself than good. Being healthy really does affect your brain.

4. Chew gum while you study

This tip I learned from my high school anatomy teacher. Chewing gum while you study may help you to recall what you previously learned.

At the end of the day, you have to find what works for you. Retaining information doesn't have to be hard. Relax, don't be so hard on yourself, and enjoy the journey!

RESOURCES FOR LEARNING SPANISH

The Best Spanish Vocabulary Books

Here are the books that I used to master Spanish vocabulary! Buy yours from Amazon now by clicking on an image below. You won't regret it!

My Favorite Spanish Grammar Books

Master Spanish grammar with the same books I used. Click on one of the books below to purchase yours on Amazon now! It's how I became fluent and you can too!

Best Sites To Learn Caribbean Spanish Slang (Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, & Cuba)

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 06:00:00 +0000

At Bilingüe Blogs, we pride ourselves on teaching authentic Spanish, so that students can understand and communicate with natives in a natural way. Many slang words, and colloquial phrases are not taught in schools or other courses. Many dictionaries do not seem to contain them either. Typically, in order to learn these things, you have to befriend someone from the country that uses the dialect that you want to learn. Another option could be to travel or move to that country. Sometimes, neither of these options are possible, but there is no need to worry. You can learn practically anything online nowadays. With that being said, I would like to share with you some of the best sites for learning colloquial phrases and slang in Spanish. In this article we will only be investigating the Caribbean since they are close in proximity, and all have a very similar spoken dialect.

**DISCLAIMER** This article is intended for intermediate and advanced students since MOST (not all) of these websites translate slang into neutral Spanish that everyone can understand. The Spanish-English dictionary websites will have an asterisk (*) next to the number.

Universal Slang Sites

I refer to the following sites as universal slang sites, because they do not teach the colloquial phrases and words of just one country, but rather all of them. Some of these are very similar to Urban Dictionary. You can type in a term, or phrase that you heard in a Reggaeton song, or in a movie or TV show, and most of the time you will find an accurate definition. Some of them will also tell you which countries use the phrase or term. This is extremely useful, because some words mean one thing in one dialect, and another thing in a different dialect.

Sites that reveal the country to which a phrase/term belongs

If you are looking for a certain phrase, but you are uncertain of the country that uses it, I recommend that you try one of the sites below. If you can not find your expression or word on one site, try searching for it on one of the others.

1. Click here to visit site

2. Click here to visit site

3. Click here to visit site

4.* Click here to visit site
(This site translates to English, but I don't love the format. It is still very helpful!)

Sites that do not reveal the country

These sites do not allow you to search for terms, but it offers a decent-sized list of idioms and colloquial phrases, from many different Spanish speaking countries.

5.* Click here to visit site
(This site translates to English and has an awesome format.)

6.* Click here to visit site
(This site translates to English. Check the side panel to see what it has to offer.)

It may seem like a lot to go through, but do not worry. You do not have to check out all of them at once. Feel free to use them as resources to figure out things that you hear from natives, or just to learn vocabulary and colloquial phrases in your spare time.

Puerto Rican Slang

There is a saying that big things come in small packages. With Puerto Rico that is true, in regards to the culture, as well as with the vocabulary. Since the early 2000s, thanks to Reggaeton, Puerto Rico has been sharing it's rich vocabulary throughout the world. However, it is sometimes not that easy to understand. Here are a few websites that will allow you to understand exactly what the Reggaeton songs are saying. Beyond that, these sites will allow you to see many of the typical phrases used in everyday Puerto Rican conversations.

1.Click here to check it out!*

(Great source and is in English)

2. Click here to visit site

3. Click here to visit site

4. Click here to visit site

Dominican Slang

The Dominican Republic is the home of Merengue, Bachata, and Dembow. Sometimes in these musical genres, artists will use words that Spanish speakers or students from external countries might not understand right away. Check out these sites to find a few helpful phrases and slang that you may use as you become more acquainted with this beautiful dialect.

1. Click here to visit site
(One of my favorites)

3. Click here to visit site

4. Click here to visit site

5. Click here to visit site

Cuban Slang

Cuba is the biggest Spanish speaking island in the Caribbean. Just like the other islands have come up with their own way of communicating amongst each other, so have the people of Cuba. Learn the colorful vernacular of the Cubans with any and/or all of the websites below. Maybe you can surprise a few native Cubans by using the words and phrases that you learn here. Good luck!

1. Click here to visit site

2. Click here to visit site

3. Click here to visit site

4. Click here to visit site

(This site is actually in German, but the definitions and words are in Spanish.)

Sometimes the phrase or word that you are looking for just can not be found online. At times like these, it would be wise to pose a question on a forum on sites like Wordreference.com. These forums are very helpful when dealing with a new colloquial word or phrase, because you get answers directly from natives of that country. Other's (non-natives) are allowed to pitch in as well, and usually do so, if they are pretty certain that they know the correct answer to the question. Hopefully you found these sources resourceful. If so, please share this post!

Los 3 Mejores Diccionarios Ingles-Español En Línea

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 17:01:00 +0000

**Read this article in English here.**

Cuando empecé a estudiar una lengua extranjera, no sabía casi nada. Una cosa que sí sabía, era que me gustaba una chica que hablaba ese idioma. Para intentar impresionarla, decidí escribirle una carta en su lengua materna. Llevé a cabo esta tarea con la ayuda del traductor gratis de Google, y el diccionario que tenía. Era muy difícil para ella entender lo que escribí porque el traductor no era capaz de traducir bien algunas frases y palabras. Obviamente, no la impresioné. De hecho, lo único que logré hacer fue avergonzarme.
Aprendí par de lecciónes muy valiosas. La primera es que no se debe usar los traductores en línea para escribir una carta entera de amor. Otra, es que si se decide usar un traductor, se debe usar uno que sea fiable. Quiero que todo el mundo aprenda de mis errores y es por eso que quisiera compartir contigo, mis 3 diccionarios en línea, preferidos. Si estás de acuerdo con mi lista, o si no, déjame saber en los comentarios!

1. Linguee.com

Ni siquiera estaba buscando por este sitio, pero me alegro de que lo haya encontrado. Linguee.com me ha ayudado demasiado a través de los años. Si quieres un sitio que te traduzca frases completas, te va a encantar Linguee. No tan solo traduce las frases, pero provee varios ejemplos de las frases en distintas situaciones y ofrece traducciones parecidas a la vez. Además, todas las traducciones son acertadas. Esta característica es la más útil porque no siempre tenemos problemas con una palabra, sino también con la gramática. Yo le llamaría a Linguee.com el diccionario de frases. Linguee también funciona como diccionario tradicional para los que quieren definir palabras. Es por eso, que Linguee es primero en mi lista.

2. Wordrference.com

Cuando quiero buscar una sola palabra, paso por Wordreference.com. Me encanta porque no siempre quiero traducir una palabra a mi lengua materna. A veces prefiero buscar la definición de una palabra desconocida, en el idioma que estoy estudiando. Hago esto porque me hace más fluido. Wordreference es un sitio que me permite hacer eso. Si no eres capaz de entender la palabra basado en su definición, Wordreference te permite traducir la palabra a tu lengua materna.
Otra cosa que me encanta de Wordreference es que allí se ofrecen foros. Gracias a los foros se puede hacer preguntas y obtener consejos, y respuestas de hablantes nativos de inglés (o cualquier idioma). Es muy eficaz aprender palabras de los nativos, por que a veces son los únicos que pueden explicar las reglas extrañas de su idioma. Pensándolo bien, los foros son una buena forma de aprender otro acento o dialecto (jerga) también.

3. Spanishdict.com

Nunca le doy el crédito que se merece, pero tengo que admitir que Spanishdict.com es un buen sítio. Es por eso que ocupa el último espacio en mi lista. Spanishdict provee todas las definiciones posibles de una palabra. Eso me encanta porque algunas palabras tienen doble sentido, o varios usos y Spanshdict siempre aclara todo eso. (Wordreference and Linguee son capaces de hacer esto también, pero a la gente le gusta más el formato de Spanishdict.)
Los otros sítios se dedican a varios idiomas, pero Spanishdict solamente se enfoca en el inglés y el español. Uno puede repasar los tiempos verbales, y estudiar la gramática con Spansihdict. También se ofrecen ejercicios para comprobar que se ha aprendido bien una materia. Por eso, es mucho más que un diccionario, pero puesto que, en este artículo, estamos hablando de los mejores diccionarios, todo eso no es de importancia, y sigue ocupando el tercer espacio de la lista.

Conclusión

Hay varios diccionarios en línea, pero a mi juicio, estos son los mejores de los mejores. Espero que este artículo te haya sido muy útil. Favor de compartirlo, suscribirte, y comentar abajo. La proxima vez hablaremos de los mejores sítios para aprender la jerga Estadounidense. Gracias!

The 3 Best Online Spanish Dictionaries

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 05:59:00 +0000

**Para leer este artículo en español, haz click acá.**

When I first started to learn Spanish at the age of 10, I did not know much at all. I did, however, know that I liked a Spanish speaking girl at my school. To try to impress her I would write her "love notes" in Spanish. How did I accomplish this? By using my good old English-Spanish dictionary, and typing phrases into google translator of course. It turns out that most of what I had written was incorrect due to the my lack of knowledge, the horrible translations from google, and using the wrong definitions in my handheld dictionary. Needless to say, I did not end up impressing her.

Would you like to REALLY impress your Latin lover? Are you looking to cheat on your essay for Spanish class? (I do not condone this!) Do you simply want to make sure that you are using the correct phrases/words? Well in this article, you can learn from my mistakes as I share with you my favorite online resources that I use to double check my Spanish when I am in doubt. If you agree or disagree with my selection, go ahead and leave a comment below. I would love you to read what you think!

1. Linguee.com

I stumbled across Linguee.com a few years ago, and ever since then, it has been my favorite. I love Linguee because when you search for a word in English or Spanish, it not only gives the correct definition every time, but it gives various examples of the word used in context. It has been the most useful to me over the years.

What made me fall in love with Linguee, was that it was, at the time, the only site to give accurate and abundant translations of complete phrases. Sometimes your issue is not with a vocabulary word, but rather with the grammar. Linguee helps to make sure that you are on the right track by providing several useful examples of the phrases. It also highlights the words used so that you can know exactly where your phrase fits in the sentence, in case you were unsure. This feature alone makes Linguee number one. Other sites have recently added this feature, but most of the time they're not as accurate, and the ones that are accurate, don't have as many examples as Linguee.

2. Wordreference.com

When searching for a single word, my go-to site is always wordreference.com. My favorite feature about this site is that it allows one to look up a Spanish word in Spanish (meaning that it will give the definition of the word in Spanish instead of English, while also providing synonyms). This is the best thing for intermediate and advanced students to do to stop thinking in English. If you still can not understand the word, you can switch from the completely Spanish dictionary to a Spanish-English dictionary, where the English translation of the word can be found. If you are looking to translate an English word into Spanish with word reference, you can do that as well.

Another reason that wordreference is a top option for me, is that they have forums. Many online dictionaries only know standard Spanish. This means that while the information that they give may be correct, it may not necessarily be the way that native speakers would say it. The forums give native speakers or fluent speakers the chance to tell others how they would say it. It is a good opportunity to learn different accents, because different countries say the same things in different ways.

3. Spanishdict.com

In the past, I have not given Spanishdict.com credit, but I have to admit that it is a great site and is worthy of the final spot in my list. There is nothing wrong with Spanishdict at all, but I still prefer the other two. Spanishdict is great, because it gives you every possible definition of a word. (In Spanish 1 word can have 100 different meanings.) Wordreference and Linguee do this as well, but some people like Spanishdict's format better. Spanishdict also generates phrases like Linguee, but they are not as numerous. They are pretty accurate, however.

Spanishdict is different than the other two because it is dedicated completely to Spanish. The other two work with multiple languages. This allows Spanishdict to go beyond being just a basic dictionary/phrase translator. For example, it has a blog through which it gives quick Spanish lessons and provides a mini quiz afterwords. Since this blog is specifically about the best dictionaries for quick translations, Spanishdict did not come in first place, but I do think that it has much to offer for those who are learning Spanish.

Conclusion

There are various other good online dictionaries, but in my opinion these are the best of the best. Hopefully you found this article helpful. If so, please share, and/or subscribe. Also stay tuned for the next entry about the best dictionaries to learn Spanish slang. If your goal is to sound super native, you won't want to miss it!

Real Spanish With Bilingüe Blogs Podcast #1: Spanish Vowels

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 21:29:00 +0000

Welcome to the Real Spanish podcast from Bilingüe Blogs. In this episode, you will learn the names of the vowels in Spanish, the sounds that the vowels make in comparison to the English vowels, the Purpose of this podcast, and who Melvin War is.

Feel free to visit https://bilingueblogs.blogspot.com/ for more Spanish learning tips, and lessons.

You can also check out the Bilingüe Blogs Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bilingueblogs.

While you are at it make sure to check out the song in the intro and outro of this Podcast.

Melvin War - Feel No Ways https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NebO-PMNRs

If you enjoy this podcast, stick around for more and share it with other learners!

If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element

Spanish Vocabulary and Grammar Tools

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Wed, 17 May 2017 06:03:00 +0000

I have given you all many methods and tips for learning Spanish but I have never told you which tools to use. This post is for those who need a little more guidance in regards to what to use to teach yourself Spanish or to help supplement you while you are taking separate courses. I will share my grammar books, vocabulary books, and also helpful reading books (found in the top right corner of the page). If you like the content from this post, please share it with others! Thank you! Feel Free To Purchase These Books. They Will Be Cheaper If You Purchase Them Through The Links That I Have Provided For You, And It Is Worth The Investment If You Really Want To Learn!

Top 14 Spanish Breakup Songs For Learning Spanish Vocabulary

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 20:20:00 +0000

Music always seems to comfort the brokenhearted. There are certain songs that speak to our hearts and put our pain into such poetic phrases that we cannot think of on our own. Others, like myself, just love sad songs even when they are not brokenhearted. Since I loved sad songs, and I loved Spanish, I combined the two and started to listen to Spanish breakup songs in order to help me learn Spanish. I listened to the same songs over and over to use context clues to figure out the meaning of words. Also, I would take note of the popular words that were heard across the board from many songs. Below is a list of my top 14 Spanish breakup songs (w/ lyrics). Since I know that everyone likes different genres, I tried my best to include songs for a all tastes of music. I also have them separated by reason for the breakup. Let me know what your favorite songs were from this list, and what songs you think I should have added to the list.

Just Truly Brokenhearted

1. Reik - Te Fuiste De Aqui (Pop)
English Translation - "You Went Away From Here"

Reik has SO MANY great heartbreak songs, that I thought about doing a post on them alone. This song here is so deep, and poetic. I think that it has useful descriptions of how it feels when someone that you love breaks up with you. From the instrumental to the words, this is a great song to listen to, and also a great song from which to learn Spanish. If this is not your style, don't worry. There is are plenty of other options.

2. Marc Anthony - No Sabes Como Duele (Salsa)

English Translation - "You Don't Know How It Hurts"

This song is for the Salseros! (People who love Salsa). One thing that I love about latin music is that you can dance to some of the sad songs. Even though the lyrics are about heartbreak, the instrumental is full of life and rhythm that makes you want to move. I love to dance around my kitchen to this type of stuff. Marc Anthony's voice is soothing, yet powerful at the same time making the song very easy to listen to. Go ahead and give this song a listen. See if you can get the gist of what he is saying.

3. Banda MS - A Lo Mejor (Banda)

English Translation - "Maybe"

So he/she left you and you just don't know why, or how they could move on so fast if you were there true love.. Yeah the same thing happened here in this song. This song is sung with so much emotion as well as composed terrifically. Translate this one into English and see if it speaks to you.

4. Vicente Fernandez - Por Tu Maldito Amor (Ranchera/Mexican)

English Translation - "Because Of Your Cursed/Damned Love"

Before listening to this song, go ahead and grab yourself a cold one. This is one of those songs that you just drink to because you can hear the pain in Vicente's voice. The man is practically crying. I love the lyrics of this song. I feel like at one point I could relate to this song, so deciphering the lyrics was really fun to me, and when I could fully understand the song, I would sing it at the top of my lungs. If you dno't like Mexican music, give this one a try anyway. You may be surprised.

Tired Of Their Crap

5. Romeo Santos ft Mario Domm - Rival (Pop)

English Translation - "Rival"

These 2 kings of poetry came together to create this masterpiece. This song talks about a rocky relationship that you just can't stand anymore. If you've been there before, check this one out. Learn what they are saying and blast it at 100% in your car every time thoughts of that relationship pop into your head!

6. Bachata Heightz - Dime Porque (Bachata)

English Translation - "Tell Me Why"

You must know that modern day Bachata is pretty much Latin R&B. This song right here is an example of the influence that R&B has had on this Dominican genre. Many of my haircutting clients loved this song when I would play it, and I think you will to. If you've been wronged before and never got closure listen to this smooth song and try to interpret what is being said, while feeling it at the same time!

7. Bad Bunny - Soy Peor (Trap)

English Translation - "I'm Worse"

Yes! Latin Trap does exist, and this is the first trap song that I have heard about a broken heart. I'm sure that more exist, but I don't really listen to trap music. If your ex created a numb, careless, monster out of you, then you already know what to do with this song. This song is the real deal, and lets you hear some Puerto Rican slang.

8. Jesse y Joy - La De La Mala Suerte (Pop)

Enlgish Translation - "The One With The Bad Luck"

He just couldn't get it right.. All she wanted was for him to love her honestly and sincerely Unfortunately, just like her other attempts at love, she ended up hurt again because of her "bad luck". You've been there before huh? Well, listening to this will touch your soul!

So.. You're the one who messed up this time..

9. Aventura - El Perdedor (Bachata)
English Translation - "The Loser"

If one man won't do it, another man will. If you didn't treat her right and lost her to another who did, and you now hate the guy that took her from you, this is your song. I've almost been there before. regardless, I love the song!

10. Reik - Ciego (Pop)
English Translation - "Blind"

This song is for those of us who lost our significant other because we didn't see their worth, and now we regret it. You'll feel it when the course hits. It'll make you wanna sit in a chair in the corner and cry. Go ahead and translate it.

11. Camila - Alejate de mi (Rock)

English Translation - "Leave Me"

You faked who you were in the beginning to win her heart, but now you feel guilty because you see how wonderful she truly is, so you let her know how bad you really are and give her the choice to leave.. Yeah.. No one ever does that, but in this song it happened. How considerate!

Agreeing To Let It Go

12. Reik - Con La Cara En Alta (Ballad/Rock)
English Translation - "With Our Heads Up"

Trying to end it on a good note with no hard feelings? Guess it's better than ending it as enemies who hate eachother...

13. Luis Fonsi - Se Supone (Ballad)
English Translation - "They Suppose/It Is Supposed"

"Just because you guys split doesn't mean that the feelings magically disappeared. I'm still cool with your family, and I miss you." That's the moral of this song. Luis Fonsi is one of the strongest singers out there in any language. Listen and enjoy while attempting to grasp the language.

14. Selena Quintanilla - No Me Queda Mas (Ballad)
English Translation - "I Don't Have Any Other Option."

Selena had so much hope that it would work out, but she had no other option but to give up. such a sad and common story to us all. Have fun interpreting this beautiful song! #RIPSelena

I learned about half of my Spanish through songs like these. You can do it too if you really try to see what they are saying and take notes of common words. This is a fun way to do it, other wise you have to read boring books and other stuff that you can't relate to. Why hate learning when you can enjoy it? As I mentioned before please let me know what you think of my list. Do you agree with it? Or do you wish I had added something else. I'd love to hear your opinion. If you liked this post. Please share! Thanks!

HABLEMOS Ep.1 (Spanish Learners Video Podcast): La Música Urbana

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Tue, 03 Jan 2017 08:16:00 +0000

The best way to better understand Spanish speakers, is to listen to one. Listen to this video and see if you can understand what is being said. If it is too difficult for you, English captions are available!

Vocabulario 1 (Principiante): Como Saludar

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Mon, 02 Jan 2017 01:57:00 +0000

En este artículo le enseño como saludar en inglés. Preste mucha atención y tome apuntes para retener la información. No se olvide que es muy importante decir las palabras en voz alta para mejorar su acento.

Hello

En español, hay varias maneras de decir Hello. Es lo mismo en inglés y abajo se encuentran las formas diferentes para decirlo.

(Cara a cara)

Hola - Hi, Hello

Oye - Hey

Buenos días - Good morning

Buenas tardes - Good afternoon

Buenas noches - Good evening, Good night

Buenas - Hey

(Por teléfono)

¿Alo? - Hello?

Bueno - Hello

How are you?

La manera de preguntar How are you? puede cambiar dependiendo de la situación. Abajo, entérese como y cuando decirlo en formas diferentes en ingles.

(Formal)

¿Cómo está usted? - How are you?

¿Cómo has/ha estado? - How have you been?

¿Qué hay de tu/su vida? - What's new (with you)?/ What have you been up to?
¿Que tal? - How is it going?

(Informal)
¿Cómo estás? - How are you?

¿Cómo vas? - How's it going?

¿Cómo andas? - How's it going?

¿Cómo te/le va? - How is it going?

¿Todo bien? - Is everything good? (No es correcto según las reglas gramaticales, pero así se dice.)

¿What's up?

No hay muchas maneras para decir What's up en inglés, pero puesto que en español cada región tiene su propia manera para decirlo, quiería que supiera como traducir las siguientes frases.

(Universal)

¿Qué pasa? - What's up?/ What's good?

¿Qué pasó? - What's up?
¿Qué sucede? - what's up?
¿Que cuentas? - What's the word? (Una manera para de decir "Que hay de nuevo en tu vida?")
¿Que se cuenta? - What's the word? (Una manera para de decir "Que hay de nuevo en tu vida?")

(Panamá)
¿Qué xopa? (sopa) - What's up?

(Colombia)
¿Qué más? - What's up?

(México)
¿Que rollo? - What's up?
¿Qué onda? - What's up?
¿Qué pedo? - What's up?

(Republica Dominicana)

¿Qué lo qué? - Hi/What's up/What it is? ("What it is" apenas se usa hoy en día pero existe)

(Puerto Rico)
¿Qué es la que hay? - Hi/What's up?/What it is?

Éstas son todas las maneras para saludar en inglés que podía pensar. Si me he olvidado de una frase que me avise. Espero que este articulo le haya ayudado. Para el próximo articulo, le enseñaré el vocabulario para responder a estas preguntas y frases. Por favor comparte esto. Gracias.

How I Learned Spanish (Video)

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Mon, 26 Dec 2016 19:34:00 +0000

I have already written an article on this, but for those of you who would like to listen and see, here ya go!

Mis 3 Maneras Preferidas De Intercambiar Idiomas

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Thu, 24 Nov 2016 15:57:00 +0000

Intercambiar idiomas puede ser una manera muy eficaz de aprender inglés (o cualquier otro idioma). Si lo hace correctamente, no solo puede aprender inglés, sino también ganar amigos, y conexiones para el trabajo. He intercambiado idiomas con varias personas y de varias maneras, y me gustaría compartir con usted mis 3 maneras preferidas para hacerlo.

1. Speaky

Mi sitio favorito para intercambiar idiomas se llama speaky.com. Yo vivo en los Estados Unidos, pero si usted no vive cerca de muchos angloparlantes, no hay mejor lugar para practicar su inglés que Speaky. Speaky le permite realizar videollamadas. Puede descargar la app. con su cellular, o visitar el sitio por internet. Con Speaky, se puede corregir los errores de un compañero mientras que se están escbribiendo. Lo que más me gusta de Speaky es que es completamente gratis. No se tiene que preocupar por las cuentas premium para obtener acceso a todos los beneficios al contrario de los demás sitios. También tiene la opción de hablar con angloparlantes nativos, o si todavía está nervioso, puede hablar con gente que esta aprenidiendo como usted. ¿En que está esperando? !Créese una cuenta de Speaky, y conéctese con gente que quieren ayudarle con su inglés!

2. Google+ Comunidades/Hangouts

Con Google+ tiene la capacidad de conectarse con gente de todas partes del mundo que tienen los mismos intereses que usted. Hay "communidades" de Google+ en las cuales puede compartir videos, fotos, ideas, y pensamientos aleatorios con un grupo de personas. Yo he usado Google+, obivamente, para promocionar este blog, y para compartir publicaciones de los demás bloggers que escriben de temas parecidos a las míos. He usado Google+ para conectar con personas que me querían compartir sus críticas de mi blog y/o hablarme sobre su proceso de aprendizaje.

Google Hangouts es increíble porque se puede mandar mensajes instantáneos, realizar llamadas, y hasta realizar videollamadas con 10 personas a la vez. Si quisiera practicar español con alguien, o varias personas en varias partes del mundo, es posible gracias a Google Hangouts. Puede crear un grupo de 5 angloparlantes nativos, y 5 estudiantes de inglés como segundo idioma, o un grupo en el que todos son hispanohablantes aprendiendo inglés, si no se siente cómodo hablandoles a los angloparlantes nativos. De cualquier modo, es una manera divertida e interesante para intercambiar idiomas con gente que está tan ávida como usted.

3. La Vida Real

Que sí, contrario al creer popular, hay un mundo más alla de la pantalla de su computadora y hasta la pantalla de su cellular. Los Estados Unidos solían ser uno de los paises más diversos del mundo. Todavía es muy diverso, pero hoy en día, hay muchos paises que son tan diversos como los Estados Unidos. Ya que el inglés y el español son los segundos y terceros idiomas más hablados del mundo, debería ser muy fácil encontar a alguien con quien intercambiar idiomas por donde vive. Trás conocer a alguien que hable inglés, pueden reunirse para intercambiar idiomas frente a frente. Un beneficio de hablar cara a cara con alguien en vez de a través de una pantalla, es que los dos pueden ver las mismas cosas, y así generar más temas de los que hablar. Por ejemplo, cuando dos personas están hablando a través de una pantalla tan solo se ven a los dos. Cuando se reunen en la vida real, pueden ver algo y hablar de ello, o del paisaje que está a su alrededor. Las computadoras y los cellulares inteligentes son chéveres, pero lárguense de ellos de vez en cuando y mejore sus habilidades sociales.

Menciones Honoríficas

No tengo mil redes sociales como el resto del mundo, pero me imagino que algunas de ellas le serviría de plataforma para intercambiar idiomas si las utilizara bien. Muchas personas de todas partes del mundo usan Whatsapp. Tal vez sería buen lugar para conectarse con la gente. No sé como funciona, pero a la gente le encanta. Facebook y Twitter se han apoderado del mundo. Estoy bastante seguro que si sabe navegar por ellos, va a poder encontrar muchos compañeros de intercambio de idioma entusiastas.

Conclusión

Hay tantas maneras de realizar un intercambio de idiomas. He encontrado 3 que me funcionan muy bien, y es por eso que se las he compartido. Hay otros sitios que no he mencionado porque cobran. No creo que deba tener que pagar si los mismos productos se les ofrecen gratis. Pues, pruebe estos métodos de intercambios de idiomas, y si le hayan gustado, comparta este artículo.

My 3 Favorite Ways To Exchange Languages

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Sun, 13 Nov 2016 04:48:00 +0000

Language exchanging can be a very effective way to learn Spanish (or any other language). If done correctly, you can not only learn a language, but also gain a new friend, and/or business connection. I have exchanged languages with several people in several ways, and I would like to share with you my 3 favorite ways.

1. Speaky

My all time favorite language exchange site is speaky.com. Where I live, there are not many Spanish speakers, but I wanted to be able to speak Spanish everyday. I found an app for my android called Speaky which allowed me to speak with Spanish speakers from all over the world. Speaky not only allows you to message, call, or videocall native Spanish speakers, but it allows you make corrections during the written conversations. When you make a mistake, or your language buddy makes a mistake on the instant messenger, you can fix their mistake and show them where they went wrong or vice versa. The best part of Speaky is that it is 100% free. You do not have to worry about a premium account in order to experience the full benefits unlike some language exchange sites. You also have the option to speak with native speakers, or if you do not feel confident enough yet, you can speak with non-native speakers. Go ahead and get a foreign language pen pal with Speaky.

2. Google+ Communities/Hangouts

Google+ is capable of connecting you with many people around the world with the same interests as yours. With Google+ there are "communities" where you can share videos, pictures, and/or random thoughts or ideas within a certain group. I use google communities to share information about this blog, of course, and also to pass on other language learning information that I have seen from other bloggers. I also have used communities to connect with people who would like to give me feedback about my blog, and/or would like to talk to me about their language learning journey.

Google Hangouts, is awesome because you can message and videocall people who want to practice speaking with you. With Google Hangouts, you can also go beyond speaking to just one person by doing a group videochat. You can group videochat with up to 10 people at a time. You can choose to link up with 5 English speakers and 5 Spanish speakers, all non-native speakers, or any other way you would like to arrange it. Either way it is a fun and interesting way to exchange languages with others who are just as eager as you.

3. Real Life

Two men conversing.

Yes, contrary to popular belief, there is a world that exists out there beyond the screen of your laptop or cell phone. The United States used to be the melting pot of the world, but many other countries are just as diverse nowadays. With Spanish and English being the 2nd and 3rd most widely spoken languages in the world, it should not be very hard to find someone to exchange languages with in real life. Make friends with someone who speaks your target language, and converse in person at a bar, a café, or anywhere you would like. Get away from the technology and learn first hand with real life experience. One benefit about doing a language exchange in person that the virtual ways do not have, is that there is so much more to see and talk about. If you were out on a walk with your new language buddy, you could practice talking about the scenery, or what people are doing. If you sit at a computer all day to talk, you are confined to a space and the other person can not see what you see, making it a little harder to come up with things to talk about constantly. Smart phones and technology are great, but let's bring back the social skills every once in a while.

Honorable Mentions

I do not have a million social medias like the rest of the world, but I imagine that some of them would work for language exchanges if you found the right people. A lot of foreign people that I know have a Whatsapp. That may be a good place to connect with others who are wanting to learn a language. I'm not certain how it works, but I know that people love it. Also, Facebook and Twitter may be good places to conduct language exchanges as well. These sites have taken the world by storm, so if you know how to use them well, I'm sure you could find a great language buddy through them.

Conclusion

There are plenty of ways in which you can conduct a language exchange. I have found 3 that have worked great for me, and hopefully will work great for you. I have heard people mention other sites, but there is no need to pay for something that you could get for free, especially if the quality is the same. Go ahead and give these language exchange methods a try and if you like the info given here, go ahead and share the article with friends, family and colleagues.

Beginners/Principiantes

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 15:49:00 +0000

Beginner Podcast/Podcast Para Principiantes

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 15:39:00 +0000

Beginner Spanish Learning Podcast 1 - La Comida

Un Plato De Mangu Dominicano

If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element

Click on the Play button to tune in to the first podcast

This podcast is conducted in English and Spanish

for those of you who are new to language learning. I

did my best to only speak in the present tense, and to

speak slow for you all. If you have any questions,

concerns, or suggestions please let me know. Also if

you like what you hear, please share this with others!

Thanks!

Fun Ways To Expand Your Vocabulary In Spanish

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Wed, 26 Oct 2016 16:27:00 +0000

Watch the video

Click Here to hear this as a podcast!

The word, school is, in my opinion, synonymous with the word, boring. Even if you find your Spanish class interesting, more times than not, the teachers teach it in a way that does not keep you interested at all. As a result of this, we do not learn as much as we should nor as much as we could. Here, I will teach you some fun ways to expand your vocabulary in Spanish.

1. Music Methods

For me, music means fun. For those of you who have musical talents, and a passion for learning Spanish, it could be fun to combine the two together to expand your vocabulary. Below, you can check out my list of possible activities.

Freestyle Rapping

The musical Spanish learning activity that was the most fun for me was freestyling. For those of you who do not know, Freestyling is what many rappers do, when they put on an instrumental and improvise a rap to it. This has been big in the United States for decades, but in the Dominican Republic, it is fairly new. In Spanish they actually call it "Improvisando" or "improvisar" in the infinitive form. The way that I would freestyle to learn new vocabulary words was to make a list of those words, find out their meaning, and then to put them to use. I would put on a beat, and rap sentences using those words. This is a great exercise, because not only are you learning words, but your brain is also working as it would in a typical face to face conversation in which you typically take a few seconds to respond to someone.

Here is a video of Mozart La Para "improvisando" with random words.

For those who do not think that they can freestyle, You can also watch freestyles in Spanish, and then generate a list of new words that you heard during that freestyle. It is very hard to understand exactly everything that the artists say, because of slang, but if you get the gist of it, I'd say you are in a pretty good spot. If you can not get the gist of it, do not get discouraged. Just keep trying.

Translation Of Songs

Another musical learning technique is to translate songs from English to Spanish, or Spanish to English. This is kind of similar to the previously mentioned technique, but different at the same time. I think that translating songs is much easier than translating a freestyle. When a rapper is freestyling in another language, you don't really know what will come out of their mouth next, but when listen to music, most times you will already know what the song is about. It usually doesn't jump from topic to topic. Also not everyone likes Rap, so translating songs gives you a lot more variety and keeps you engaged because you get to hear what you like.

2. Active Methods

For those of you who are extroverted and would like to do something more than just sit around and listen with music all day, there are a few activities to that you can do to keep you active and entertained as well.

TPR

The most active way to expand your Spanish vocabulary is a method called TPR, which stands for Total Physical Response. This technique requires you to have either a native Spanish speaker or a buddy who knows a lot more Spanish than you, to help you out. TPR does not use English to teach Spanish at all, and is the closest you can get to being immersed in Spanish. The way it works is, to review a list of Spanish vocabulary words. Then your helper will give you a command in Spanish, and you have to do that command. If your action in response to that command is wrong then the helper will tell you in that Spanish that it is wrong and you will have another opportunity to get it right. For Example, here is a list of silverware in Spanish; cuchara, cuchillo, y tenedor (spoon, knife, and fork). Your helper will tell you,"Agarra la cuchara." (Grab the spoon) If you reach for the knife, the helper tells you, "No, no es la cuchara. Eso es el cuchillo." (No that's not the spoon. That's the knife) Then you will have to try again. I think this method is the most effective of them all.

Interview a Spanish Speaker

Another active extroverted way to expand your vocabulary is interview a native Spanish speaker. You can pick a topic and ask them questions, while you record the conversation. Later you can review the conversation, and anything that is unknown to you can be noted, so that you can study it.

Word Games

A game of Scrabble can help tremendously.

If you have friends who can help you, word games can be a fun way to learn. For example, you can play charades, but instead of using gestures, the Spanish word or phrase would have to be explained in Spanish, until someone guesses it correctly. Scrabble would also be a great game to play as it helps not only with vocabulary but also with spelling. you could make it a little more interesting by having to define the word that is spelled, and using it in a sentence correctly.

Pick Up Lines/Tongue Twisters.

I know it sounds weird, but pick up lines (Piropos in Spanish) and tongue twisters (Trabalenguas) can help expand vocabulary in a fun way as well. They are structured weird, and sometimes use words with double meanings. They will definitely keep you engaged.

3. Traditional Methods

For all of those calm, introverted people, traditional methods may work perfect for you. These methods are the same ones used in school, but they are used in a different way, where you are in control of them.

Books

If you love reading, then books are a fantastic way to expand your Spanish vocabulary. The only reason that books seem to bore us in our classes is because, we do not get to choose them most of the time. The teacher usually chooses some old piece of literature that we can not relate to nor enjoy, but when the power is in your hands, you can read whatever you want and get so much more out of it. There are many genres to choose from. I would recommend reading The Bible, and Don Quixote de la Mancha, because they are full of vocabulary words, and they both have versions in Spanish. (They are also the most read books in the world!)

Writing

Writing is very fundamental, but yet a great way to retain new words. There are a variety of ways to write things. I used to get a list of new vocabulary words, and make a poem using those words. If you do not like poetry, but you still like writing, you can get a list of new vocabulary words, and write a short story using them. You could even write and essay. It doesn't matter what you write as long as you are trying.

Conclusion

The next time you are feeling burned out because your language class is so boring, try one of these methods to reawaken your Spanish learning drive.

Maneras Divertidas De Ampliar Su Vocabulario En Inglés

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 18:05:00 +0000

Haga Click Aquí para escuchar este artículo!

La palabra, escuela muchas veces es sinónima con la palabra, aburrida. Aún cuando uno toma un curso que le interese, la mayoría del tiempo, la forma en que enseñan las maestras es muy aburrida, y es muy fácil perder el interés en una materia. Por eso, aquí le traigo maneras divertidas de ampliar su vocabulario en ingles.

1. Métodos Musicales

La música, para mí, significa diversión. Para los que tienen talento musical y una pasión por el inglés, puede ser muy divertido incluir inglés en sus actividades musicales. Debajo encontrará mi lista de posibles actividades para cumplir eso.

Improvisación/Traducción De Canciones

La actividad más divertida, para mi fue, poner una pista de dembow, reggaeton, o rap e improvisar sobre ella. Esto, desde hace poco se ha convertido en algo muy popular en la República Domincana. pero en los Estados Unidos ha sido una parte de la cultura por décadas. Si a usted esto le suena divertido, recomiendo que aprenda una lista de palabras nuevas, y que empiece a improvisar con esas palabras. Es muy gracioso y le hace pensar muy rápido como tendría que hacer en una conversación típica. (Para los curiosos, improvisar hace referencia a Freestyle Rap en este caso.)

Hay aquí un ejemplo de improvisacion con palabras al azar,

pero usted tendría que hacerlo con palabras recién aprendidas

Si usted no se cree capaz de impovisar, puede escuchar algún improvista, y intentar decifrar lo que dice él. Escriba las palabras desconocidas, y busque las definiciones más tarde. He aprendido muchísimas palabras de esa manera. El primer improvista que vi en youtube, fue un hombre llamado Negro Activo. Un poco después vi un video del improvista más conocido de la Republica Dominicana, llamado Mozart La Para. Improvisaba sin parar y cuando improvisaba en las tiraderas (batallas de rap), siempre le ganaba a su oponente. Es una manera entretendida de aprender.

Otro método musical es traducir canciones enteras de español a inglés y/o vice versa. Este método es muy parecido al anterior, pero creo es más concreto. O sea, cuando alguien improvisa, no se sabe exactamente lo que va a salir de su boca, pero cuando escucha una canción, muchas veces ya se sabe de que se va a tratar, y hay mucha repetición. Así que, en mi opinión, es más fácil traducir canciónes. Además, no todo el mundo le gusta el rap, por lo tanto, se puede escuchar y traducir música del género que más le guste.

2. Métodos Activos

Hay quienes son extrovertidas y si usted es una de esa gente, tal vez quiera estar más activo mientras aprende más vocabulario. Si esto es el caso para usted, hay varias maneras entre las cuales elegir.

RFT

La forma más activa de ampliar su vocabulario es una de la cual me acabo de enterar. Se llama Respusta Física Total, RFT (TPR por sus siglas en Ingles). Esta técnica consiste de aprender palabras del otro idioma sin traducirlas, sino responder al oírlas. La maestra, o un compañero que ya sabe inglés, le da una lista de palabras en ingles, y después de revisar las, llama a un estudiante para que demuestre lo que significa la palabra. Por ejemplo, las siguientes son cubiertos en inglés: Spoon, Fork, Knife. (Cuchara, Tenedor, Cuchillo.) La maestra mandaría que un estudiante hiciera algo como, "Pick up the Fork." (Recoje el tenendor), si el estudiante agarra la cuchara, la maestra le dice que no es un tenedor, sino es una cuchara, y permite que el estudiante lo vuelva a intentar hasta que recoja el tenedor. Este método me es fantástico y divertidísimo. Creo que puede ser el más eficaz, pero eso no se puede medir.

Entrevistarle Al Extranjero

Una manera muy activa y extrovertida sería entrevistarle a la gente extranjera. Puede escoger un tema del que quiere que hable una persona, y grabar la conersación entre ustedes dos. Eso le ayudará a conversar mejor, y aprender vocabulario a la vez. Al revisar la conversación, puede apuntar las palabras que nunca ha escuchado, y las que sí ha escuchado, pero no ha estado seguro del significado.

Juegos De Vocabulario

Scrabble (un juego de palabras)

Otra manera activa sería crear juegos de vocabulario. Se puedejuga juegos que ya existen, o crear algo propio. Por ejemplo, si tiene amigos con quienes practicar, pueden jugar la charada con el vocabulario nuevo, pero en vez de gestionar, se tiene que describir la palabra hasta que la otro persona la descifre. También se puede jugar scrabble, pero cuando alguien deletrea una palabra, la tiene que definir y utilizarla en una oración.

Piropos Y Trabalenguas

La última manera sería hacer o estudiar los piropos (Pick Up Lines) y/o trabalenguas (Tongue Twisters). Nadie utiliza los trabalenguas en conversaciones normales, pero los piropos se puede utilizar cuando quiera. Ambos tienen un tono de guasa que significa que las oraciones se forman un poco diferente que lo normal, pero diviertase y intente utilizarlos.

3. Métodos Tradicionales

Para los introvertidos, y tranquilos, los métodos tradicionales sería una opción espectacular. Las formas tradicionales son las mismas formas que se utilizan en la escuela como escribir, y leer, pero en este caso, al contrario del de la esceulas, es diferente porque se puede leer y escribir cosas que le interesen de verdad.

Libros

Las maestras suelen hacernos leer libros aburridos y viejos que a nadie le interese. Hay muchos géneros de libros que los que hay en la escuela, entonces es muy posible encontrar algo que sea divertido o entretendido leer. Los libros más leidos del mundo (La Santa Biblia, y Don Quijote De La Mancha) son llenos de vocabulario nuevo. Ambos tienen versiones en inglés.

Escritura

La escritura es una forma fantástica de ampliar su vocabulario, especialmente cuando usted tiene control de escoger el tema del cual quisiera escribir. Cuando se escribe algo que le interese, es más probable que vaya a recordar lo que aprende.

Para mí, fue divertido crear un poema con las palabras de una categoria. Los poemas salieron graciosos a veces, otras veces salieron profundos, pero me ayudaron a recordar las palabras. Para otra persona, puede ser más entretendido escribir cuentos cortos con una lista de palabras de vocabulario, o tal vez un ensayo. No importa lo que escriba siempre y cuando no le aburre.

Conclusión

La próxima vez que se encuentre quemado por el aprendizaje, intente uno de estos métodos para avivar su deseo de estudiar, y ampliar su vocabulario.

How To Lose Your Accent In Spanish

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 02:40:00 +0000

***CLICK HERE to listen to this lesson instead of reading it!***

Before we begin, I would like to say that there is NOTHING wrong with having an accent while speaking a foreign language. Speaking any language other than your own native language is already very impressive. However, for some people, they have not fully mastered a language until they have lost their accent. Some people want not only to be as fluent as a native, but also, to sound like a native as well. If you are one of those people, and have not yet found out how to do it, I will tell you how I achieved it.

1. Know The Sounds That Letters Make

I know it sounds silly, but this is something that many Spanish language learners from all levels still get wrong. That thing is the correct pronunciation of words. If you want to sound natural, then you need to know how to make all of the sounds of the letters of the alphabet from A to Z. You may be thinking, "I Already know the sounds that the letters make!" That may be true, but are you applying it to your speech every time that you speak Spanish? Luckily many of the sounds in the Spanish alphabet are the same in the English alphabet, but there are some changes. I will list examples of this. (I recommend that you listen to my PODCAST for clarification.)

The first example that I would like to give is the pronunciation of vowel sounds. The vowels make the word. If you are not pronouncing the vowels correctly, you could accidentally be saying another word or worse; you could be saying nothing at all! Although they look the same, A-E-I-O-U in English is different than A-E-I-O-U in Spanish. When you are speaking Spanish forget the English pronunciation of vowels and consonants so that they will not confuse you. In your brain, at that moment, the only pronunciation that is welcome is the Spanish pronunciation. You have to train yourself to leave your knowledge of English letters behind until it becomes second nature to speak the sounds of the Spanish letters correctly. For example, "R" in Spanish requires one to roll their tongue to pronounce it correctly. This means that the English unrolled "R" will not work. The English "R" is never used in Spanish. There are many other Spanish letters that aren't pronounced like English ones which I will write about in another podcast. It is important to get this part right as it is essential for native speaking.

2. Imitate People

I mentioned this briefly in my first article, 5 Tips To REALLY Master Spanish, but I would like to go further in depth with this concept. Imitating someone will not only let you hear how the grammar fits together, but it will also provide you with a reliable source to refer back to. I recommend listening to Spanish music, a show, or a podcast, and pausing it after every sentence, so that you can repeat what is said and your tongue can get used to the formation that is required to make the sounds. Repeat after the person you listen to until you sound just like them. After a while you will notice that when you formulate your own sentences, that you no longer have the accent of your mother tongue, but the one that you have been studying. At first it will feel weird, but eventually, you will get used to it and you will be proud of your new native sound.

Conclusion

I am from the United States, and my first language was English. My parents do not speak any Spanish at all. When I speak it, native speakers always tell me that I sound Dominican, Cuban, or Puerto Rican. I say this, not to brag, but to encourage you and let you know that if I can succeed in losing my accent, you can too! Good Luck! If this article helped you, please comment and share.

Como Hablar Inglés Sin Acento

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Thu, 13 Oct 2016 18:14:00 +0000

***HAGA CLICK AQUÍ si usted prefiere escuchar esto en vez de leerlo!***

Para empezar, quisiera decir que hablar con acento no es una cosa mala. Se puede saber hablar inglés muy bien y quedarse con un acento todavía. No significa que usted es tonto. Hay gente que simplemente no quiere hablar con acento porque cree que si no puede hablar inglés sin acento, no ha dominado la lengua. Este artículo es para esa gente. Los que quieren hablar inglés como si fuera su lengua materna. Espero que usted aprenda algo útil de esta publicación. Si le gusta lo que lea, compártala con sus amigos, y comente. Gracias.

1. Pronunciar Bien Los Sonidos De Las Letras Del Alfabeto

Hablar sin acento no es tan difícil como se cree. Consiste de pronunciar todas las sílabas de las palabras correctamente. Esto requiere el conocimiento de los sonidos de las letas del alfabeto y mucha práctica. Tal vez se está pensando, "Ya sé como suenan las letras del alfabeto." y eso puede ser la verdad, pero ¿está aplicando esos sonidos a las palabras cuando habla, o está utilizando los mismos sonidos de español para pronunciar palabras en inglés? Por ejemplo, (Recomiendo que escuche ESTO para mejor entender mis ejemplos) algo que siempre ocurre con la "R" en español que nunca ocurre con la misma "R" en inglés, es que en español se roda la lengua. Si quiere decir la palabra "Sorry" (disculpa) en inglés no va a rodar la lengua aunque haya una doble "R." Lo pronunciaría diferente, como lo pronuncian los estadounidenses. Las letras del alfabeto de ambos idiomas son parecidas, pero distintas a la vez y su meta debe ser saber como diferenciar entre los dos.

Una cosa en la cual debe pensar es que las vocales hacen las palabras. Las vocales se pronuncian diferentes en inglés que en español. Esto es sumamente importante porque al cambiar tan solo una vocal, puede decir otra palabra que no quiere decir, o peor, puede decir algo que no tiene sentido que puede ser un poco embarazoso. Los sonidos de las vocales de ambos idiomas son muy parecidas, y le recomiendo que mientras hable en ingles, que se olvidé de las vocales de español. Eso me ayudó mucho a lo largo del camino para perder mi acento. Si solo se enfoca en un grupo de vocales, el otro grupo no va a interumpir, ni confundirle a usted. Sé que suena extraño, pero eso se puede lograr con práctica.

2. Imitar A La Gente

Ya que sabe la importancia de pronunciar bien los sonidos de las letras del alfabeto, tiene que ponerlo en práctica. Se puede practicar solo, pero es mucho mejor tener algo al cual referir. Yo le recomiendo que mire un programa de televisión en inglés, o escuche un podcast para que pueda aprender como se pronuncian correctamente las palabras. Mientras mirar el programa, o escuchar el podcast, póngalo en pausa y repita después del presentador hasta que su pronunciación sea igual. Como ya le dije, recuerde que es buena prática olvidarse de las pronunciaciones de su idioma materno para que no se confunda.

Conclusión

Soy un tipo de los EE.UU. de padres que no hablan español. Yo no soy del caribe, pero cuando los hispanohablantes me escuchan hablar español,creen que soy de La Republica Dominicana, Puerto Rico, o Cuba. No me importa de donde creen que soy, siempre y cuando no piensan que soy de los EE.UU. porque la meta es no hablar con acento americano. Digo esto, para decirle que si yo puedo hablar español sin acento utilzando el consejos que le acabo de dar, usted también puede hacerlo, pero en inglés. Buena suerte! Comente y dígame si le he ayudado con esta publicación.

5 Tips Para Aprender Inglés DE VERDAD

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Thu, 06 Oct 2016 04:06:00 +0000

Una vez, tuve mi propia cuenta de Youtube, la cual había dedicado al español (Mi lengua materna es inglés). En esa página de Youtube, solía traducir una canción de inglés, a español y después hacer un cover de esa canción. Otra cosa que hacía era contar historias en español. La mayoría de las personas que estaban en el proceso de aprender inglés o español siempre me felicitaban, y me decían que era muy impresoniante, mi forma de hablar español cómo si fuera mi lengua materna. La pregunta más popular que me hacían era, "¿Cómo aprendiste a hablar español con tanta fluidez?" Estoy seguro que hay otros que me quisieran hacer la misma pregunta. Sé que muchos quieren poder hacer lo mismo en inglés, y por eso, les voy a dar 5 secretos y consejos sobre como dominar el idioma inglés.

**OJO** No he tenido que aprender inglés como segundo idioma, pero me imagino que se puede aprender utilizando las mismas técnicas que utilicé yo para aprender español. No he hecho una investigación sobre este tema. Tan solo les voy a contar lo que funcionó para mí.

1. Tomarlo En Serio

Parece que en los paises de habla español, la educación es de gran importancia. Pero siempre hay personas perezosas, que no la valoran, ni aprovechan las oportunidades que se les presentan. Muchos hipanohablantes saben frases básicas en inglés. Por ejemplo, "Hi, how are you?" o "What's up?" son cosas que se dice para iniciar una conversación. Muchos también son conscientes de las palabrotas, pero esas frases y palabras no sirven para nada. Uno no puede comunicar bien con palabras tan básicas e inútiles. Es por eso que se tiene que tomarlo en serio.

Tal vez se esté preguntando, "¿Cómo se hace eso?" La respuesta es que tiene que cambiar su actitud, y su mentalidad sobre el asunto. Tiene que ver el aprendizaje de inglés como algo importante. Al hacer esto, estudiará para entender, recordar, y retener lo que aprende por el resto de su vida en vez de olvidarlo todo el día después del examen.

Hay personas que praticamente nacen con la pasión, y el deseo de aprender otros idiomas. Yo soy una de esas personas, y si usted es una, le resultará ser fácil y natural aprender con las mejores intenciones, y tomarlo en serio. Si no tiene una pasión por aprender idiomas, puede ser muy dificil sentir una coneción con inglés. Si no puede cambiar su actitud sobre el asunto, puede que el aprendizaje de inglés no sea para ti y debe considerar aprender algo diferente.

2. Sumergirse En El Idioma

Hay quienes pueden mudarse a vivir a otro pais, y otros que pueden vacacionar para conocer la cultura, y más importante, mejor aprender la lengua deseada. Pero, para los que no tienen cuarto (dinero), ni saben presupuestar, (gente como yo) tenemos que llevarnos la cultura y la lengua, y sumergirnos en ellas. ¿Qué significa esto? Significa que tenemos que hablar, y escuchar menos de nuestro idioma materno, y escuchar y hablar muchísimo mas del idioma deseado. Significa que tenemos que programar nuestros aparatos para que ya no sean programados en nuestro idioma materno sino, el otro. Significa que ya no podemos escuchar lo que solemos escuchar en la radio, sino que debamos escuchar programas de la radio en el otro idioma. Significa que tenemos que dejar de ver las telenovelas en español, y por lo menos intercambiarlas por las en inglés.

Leer en ingles, le ayudará sumamente. Puede que tenga que empezar con libros para niños, pero está bien. Eso no importa, lo importante es que está aprendiendo. Leer le ayudará a entender la estructura de las oraciones, así también ampliar su vocabulario. Una cosa que me encanta leer es el periódico de BBC. En ello, se encuentran noticias acerca de lo que está pasando en todos los paises del muno. Hay articulos cientificos, culturales, y otros que se tratan de otras diversas cosas.

Otra cosas que se puede hacer para sumergirse en el idioma es escribir. Si tiene talento musical, o le gusta escribir poemas o aún en prosa, debe intentarlo en el idioma que quisiera aprender. Cuando yo lo hice por primera vez, descubrí la importancia de los modismos. Por Ejemplo, "A quien madruga, Dios le ayuda." es un modismo que aprendí gracias a la escritura. En inglés, esto significa, "The early bird gets the worm." Son dos cosas diferentes en ambos idiomas, y si quería traducirlas palabra por palabra, sonaría muy inusual. pero nunca lo hubiera aprendido, si no hubiera escrito la frase incorrectamente en primer lugar.

3. Aprender El Dialecto Que Más Le Interesa

Al igual que español, en inglés existen muchos dialectos. El inglés de Inglaterra no es lo mismo que el de Chicago, Illinois, que no es lo mismo que el de Dallas, Texas, que no es lo mismo que el de Nueva York. Hay palabras que se dice en una región que jamás se ha oido en otra. No sé cual acento de inglés se enseña en la escuela, pero me imagino que sería el acento neutro estadounidense. Para aclarar, no estoy diciendo que no se puede hablar bien con acento extranjero, pero si quiere sonar natural, va a querer escuchar varios dialectos de ingles, y imitar el que más le gusta.

Si quiere escuchar y practicar con acentos del campo, se puede ver la pelicula napoleon dynamite. Si quiere escuchar y practicar el acento neutro, puede buscar a Steven Furtick en Youtube. Si le gusta un ligero acento del campo (una mezcla entre el neutro y el campo) eche un vistazo a Rhett and Link. Si quisiera escuchar y practicar el acento de Nueva York, puede ver peliculas como "The GodFather", "Goodfellas", y otras películas que se tratan de la mafia de Italia.

4. Hablar, Hablar, y Hablar!

Hablar es sumamente importante en cuanto a mejorar sus capacidades lingüísticas. A mi juicio, creo que es más importante que escribir y leer. Cuando uno está frente a frente con otro, es raro que los dos se escriban. La mayoria del tiempo se hablan vocalmente. Si prentende mejorar su inglés, tiene que hablar cada vez que la oportunidad se presenta. Muchos tienen miedo, pero hablando francamente, usted sí se va a equivocar. Usted sí se va a avergonzar, pero no se preocupe por eso. Lo más importante es seguir practicando y hablando para que pueda aprender de los errores. Si dice algo que no es correcto no es la gran cosas. De hecho, sus errores pueden ayudarle a recordar esa palabra o frase para la proxima vez, porque creó una memoria que ahora se asocia con la palabra y/o frase.

Cuando se encuentre con un angloparlante, háblele con confianza. diga lo que puedes, y si se le olvida como decir algo, intente explicarlo con una descripción. Yo he tenido que hacer esto, pero es mejor que rendirse. Por más que se equivoque, no se de por vencido. Sé que muchos estadounidenses no son comprensivos cuando alguien no habla su idioma, pero hay gente como yo que le ayudaría. Al conocer a una persona servicial, hágase amigo de el/ella para que pueda tener un compañero con quien charlar. Hay muchas redes sociales en las que puede escribir, pero nada va a reemplazar el hablar.

5. Escribirlo

Este último consejo le puede salvar la vida.. Ok, pues, tal vez eso no sea la verdad, pero le puede ser muy conveniente a lo largo del camino de aprender inglés. El consejo al que refiero es, escribir con definiciones, el vocabulario que usted no ha aprendido. Si usted es una persona muy ocupada como yo, acaso escucha una palabra desconocida, y la busca en el diccionario para encontrar el significado. Esto no sirve para nada, porque es probable que no vaya a recordar el significado de la palabra más tarde. Entonces, cuando esté mirando la tele, o hablando con alguien, o leyendo un libro, y ve o escucha una palabra que no sabe, escríbelo en un cuaderno para luego revisarlo durante su tiempo de ocio. Al verlo vez tras vez, es más probable recordarlo por más tiempo puesto que la repetición es menester con respecto al aprendizaje. ¡Qué sencillo, no!

Conclusión

Para resumirlo, estos 5 consejos me han servido muchísimo a lo largo de mi camino de aprendizaje de español. Creo que si los combina, van a funcionar para usted también. Si usted es un principiante, o si es muy avanzado, pero se siente perdido en cuanto a este asunto, prueba lo que le acabo de decir, y déjeme saber si funcionó para usted también. Bendiciones!

5 Tips To REALLY Master Spanish

Rickiew2124@gmail.com (Rickie Walls II) — Sat, 01 Oct 2016 03:07:00 +0000

Once upon a time, I had a my own Youtube channel dedicated to everything Spanish. I would translate songs from English to Spanish, and then make a cover of them. I would also tell stories in Spanish, even though it is not my native language and I am not Latino. Many of my viewers who were in the process of learning Spanish would always tell me how they admired my ability to speak Spanish as if it were my first language. The most popular question they would ask was, "How did you learn to speak so fluently?" Since I am sure that many others have the same question, I will share my secrets and tips on how to really master Spanish.

**Disclaimer** I did not do any research on these tips. I am solely giving information based on what worked for me.

1. Be serious about it

The United States differs from other countries educationally, in that we have so many opportunities to learn whatever we would like, but we take them for granted. I have personally known many students who only took 2 years of Spanish courses because they had to do so as a prerequisite for college. They did not take the language learning process seriously, but rather did only what it took just to get a passing grade. When it is all said and done they could not even hold a basic conversion in Spanish, besides the typical, "Hola! ¿Cómo Estás?" or ridiculous things like, "Tengo catorce gatos en mis pantalones." And let's not forget those juicy swear words that almost all English speakers love when pronounced in Spanish. Those phrases and words won't get anyone anywhere.

The first and most important part of learning Spanish is to change your mentality. If you do not hit the serious switch in your mind, then vocabulary and grammar retention may be hard to accomplish. When you are serious about learning, you are trying to retain new material for a life time. When you are not serious, you try to retain new info only until your next test and then it all gets forgotten after the test is over.

In my case, being serious happened innately. I found that I was very passionate about learning and could not get enough. I did not have to shift my thoughts towards being serious, because the opposite was never an option for me. However, I realize that everyone does not have the same story as me, and my advice to you is to dig deep. If you find that you are not passionate about it, then taking it seriously may be very difficult for you. You may want to consider learning something different if you can not come to see it as important.

2. Immerse yourself in the language

Picture from "The Carlos Duran Show" in the Dominican Republic on Youtube

There are some people who can afford to move or take a vacation to a Spanish speaking country to become better speakers, because they have no choice but to do so since they are immersed in the culture and language. However, for those of us who do not have the funds, and have not quite learned how to budget yet (Unfortunately, I identify with both of these), you have to bring the country and the language to you. What does this mean? This means that you have to speak and listen in your native language as least as possible, and speak and listen in the other language as much as you can. This means that the language settings on all of your devices need to be set to Spanish. This means that you need to find some type of Spanish radio or podcast to listen to as opposed to your typical English music on your Ipod and radio. This means that you need to watch Spanish TV shows and/or movies. Some of my favorites can be found on Youtube, for example: El Chavo Del 8, El Chapulin Colorado, and El Show De Carlos Duran to name a few.

Also, Reading in Spanish helps tremendously. Even if you start with children's books, it is a great habit to get into. Reading can expand your vocabulary, and also give you a better grasp on grammar and sentence structure. My favorite thing to read when I get some down time is the newspaper. BBC has a page in Spanish called BBC Mundo. It covers a variety of things going on not only in Latin America, but around the world as well. Once you immerse yourself in the language, you will find that your fluency and comprehension will be much better.

Apart from reading and listening writing is another way to further immerse yourself in Spanish. I used to write R&B love songs in English and rarely write poems in Spanish. Now, I only write songs in Spanish in the style of Bachata (A form of music from the Dominican Republic). If you like to write songs, poems, or journals, I recommend that you begin to write in Spanish as well. This can only sharpen your skills, and cause you to think outside of the box. I have learned many Spanish idioms thanks to writing. For example, I once wanted to write, "The early bird gets the worm." Through research, I found that in Spanish this actually translates to, "A quien madruga, Dios le ayuda." This Spanish idiom literally translates to, "God helps those who wake up early." it sounds weird when translated into English, but in Spanish this is a very common phrase. I could have typed it word for word in Spanish, but it would sound less native and more Americanized. Since I have been immersing myself in the language I found this and many more idioms to be useful.

3. Find a dialect that you like and learn it

This is something that I believe many Americans do not take into consideration, but every Spanish speaking country, has their own way of speaking. To better understand this, we can compare the English spoken in England, to the English spoken in New York, Chicago, and Dallas. All of these different regions speak English, but they have their own accents and dialects. The same phenomena occurs in Spanish. In Schools, we are only taught Castilian Spanish from Spain, or if we are in a certain region, Mexican Spanish may be taught. If you do not plan on living in Mexico, or Spain, but would like to go to another Spanish Speaking country, then you would need to learn their dialect, their slang, and their accent.

I have taken a liking to the Spanish of the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. I like how they talk without pronouncing the full words, and they will remove the "s" from words in situations. I have studied the ways of speaking from both islands so much that when I speak, you would not think I was American. You can lose your American accent too if you learn to imitate the dialect that you will be dealing with the most. If you are interested in the same accents that I have studied, a couple of pages to check out would be El Mañanero con Boli for the Dominican accent and Ahora Te Cuento for the Puerto Rican accent. If you would like to find other dialects from other countries, Youtube and Soundcloud can help tremendously.

4. Speak, speak, speak!

Speaking is extremely necessary when it comes bettering your Spanish. Reading and writing are great, but the real test is speaking because you do not have as much time to think. You have to think on your toes and know what you want to say and how you want to say it. Speaking is also one of the most common forms of communication. When you are face to face with someone, you do not write to them, but rather, you speak to them vocally. Yes, when you first begin to converse with others, you will mess up. Yes, you will be nervous. Yes, you will embarrass yourself. I have found that in most cases the embarrassment causes you to associate that embarrassing experience with that word or phrase that you used incorrectly, therefore, reminding you of the correct meaning from that point on. One of my old teachers found out really quickly in Spain, that embarazada does not mean embarrassed. If you have similar situations like this, it will create great memories to look back on and laugh at.

Also, whenever you run into a Spanish speaker at work, or while shopping at the grocery, or in a helpless situation in need of an interpreter, go ahead and take the initiative. Speak to and/or for them. I do this literally every time I get the chance and I have gained a few acquaintances, email pals, and some people have even invited me to events and to their houses for dinner. From my experience, speaking with people always created a future speaking opportunity because we were bound to run into each other again. The conversations with those acquaintances made me more comfortable to try new things in regards to Spanish, and to not get embarrassed because they knew that I was not perfect at it, but that was OK because I was trying. In the beginning you may be afraid, but just try it again and again, and you'll see how easy and natural it becomes.

5. Write it down

This last tip will save your life as you continue on your Spanish learning journey. Well, not really.. but it is very useful. If you are a busy person like myself, you may be listening to something in Spanish and come across a phrase or word that you do not know. Sure, you can just look the word up in a dictionary, find the meaning, and then go on about your day, but this is a bad habit to get into. I have done this several times before and every time I looked up a word just to see what it meant at the time, I would later forget it, because I only wanted to know what it meant in that one sentence or phrase. The way that I overcame this meaningless search and forget cycle was to write things down. Whenever i would talk to someone, watch a show, listen to a podcast, or read something that had a word or phrase that I had not yet learned, I would write it down. It is a good practice to write it down with the correct definition(s). Doing so will allow you to refer back to it during your down time when you want to freshen up on you language learning.

Conclusion

To sum it all up. These 5 tips have helped me all throughout my Spanish learning journey. I believe that if you combine them, then they will work for you too. If you are a beginner, or if you are at an intermediate level or even at an advanced level, and you feel stuck, give these things a try and let me know how it goes for you. Good luck, my friends!