If you are considering visiting or living in Spain then it might be a good idea to learn as much as you can about the language and culture. Learning Spanish isn’t necessarily as difficult as you might imagine. The first thing that you should concentrate on is your pronunciation.
The best way to learn the pronunciation of the language is to first learn the Spanish alphabet, this is actually slightly different to the alphabet you might be used to. You will need to learn how to pronounce each letter properly in the Spanish alphabet.
If you study Spanish then you will quickly realise that it has been influenced by Arabic and Latin language. This means that if you already speak one of these languages then learning Spanish will be much easier. The alphabet is based closely on the Latin alphabet although there are a few differences.
Letters
If you speak English and I’m guessing that you do as you’re reading this article then you will be pleasantly surprised with pronunciation. Fortunately most of the pronunciation is very similar to English letters. Some letters like C have two different sounds just the same as in English.
There are also some differences in the ways some letters are pronounced, for example J sounds more like a H, and V sounds like B, Z sounds like S and R is slightly different this is a rolling R sound which is slightly different to English.
Important information
Some vowels will have accents on them, there are two reasons for this. By putting accents on the letters you mark the importance which will help with the pronunciation. The other reason for using accents is to highlight a difference between different words.
When writing Spanish it is common to put the accent on the last syllable of the word. However this rule is only really a guidelines, there are quite a few different exceptions to this rule!
Some words have an accent on the stressed vowel, it will actually help to learn the rules about where to put the accents by counting the syllables, this will make it much easier for you to learn Spanish.
You need to spend plenty of your time learning the Spanish alphabet inside out so that you can pronounce it properly. Once you can say all of the letters with the right pronunciation then this should make it much easier to learn Spanish and improve your language skills.
You might like to enrol in a Spanish class to learn the language, or alternatively you can find a number of Online courses on the Internet. These are often cheaper than physical classes and will help you with your pronunciation. Many have recorded clips so that you can listen to them. Spanish is a great language to learn and it is sure to open a wide array of different doors for you in the future!
Sam Tonzenger’s detailed articles can be found on countless web publications with reference to living and working in spain. His contributions on living and working in spain are found on http://www.spain-tips.com .
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