Guide To The Spanish Language
An introduction to Spanish without the grammar - A new and fresh perspective with some interesting items on
language and the similarities between Spanish and English
Inevitably when learning another language we use books and the written word. The good news is that when learning Spanish the written word is just as
it is spoken. They write phonetically, unlike English, which certainly makes reading and writing Spanish that much easier. It is difficult to explain to a
foreign student learning English how to pronounce the words “Antique” and “Leicestershire” etc.
Reading is a useful way to improve our Spanish but only if we can correctly pronounce what we read. Spanish is relatively simple in this respect. Imagine
trying to read Arabic, or Japanese; languages that use a completely alien script. The Spanish not only use a very familiar script to English and a very
similar alphabet but they also write as they speak. Once we have got to grips with the pronunciation of the alphabet and the vowels, reading is relatively
easy, and a great way to improve your Spanish. A great tip is to read newspapers and movie subtitles. Watch a film in English audio with subtitles
in Castellano a great way to improve your Spanish.
Getting to the point of being able to read aloud in Spanish and being understood is not that difficult and you don’t have to know what, whatever
your reading, actually means. It is great practice for your pronunciation skills
and will help you to get familiar with the way words are put together to make a recognisable sentence in Spanish.
As I think you can appreciate by now, learning a language, apart from the grammar, has many interesting elements to keep us busy. Learning to listen,
training our ear, dialects, accents, pronunciation, reading, use of vocabulary, clichés and metaphors, with all these elements if we can do without grammar
I am sure you will agree, all the better.
