logo spanish programs

More Spanish, More Effective, Less Money

Become Conversational in Spanish

1. Watch Demo

level 1 spanish course demo

2. Try

trial download
Free 7-Day Trial
Instant Download
start download

3. Get Started

level 1 spanish course buy now
List Price: $199.99
Hard Copy: $149.99
Download: $99.99
order free trial

Archive for the ‘Language Tips’ Category

by Dave Clark

calendar image

September 7th, 2011

“How Do You Say in Spanish?”

 The phrase, “How do you say in Spanish?” is “¿Cómo se dice en español?”

For example, if you are talking to a native Spanish speaker and you want to learn how to say “cat”, you would say, “¿Cómo se dice cat en español?”

This is a very useful phrase that can help turn any Spanish speaker into your personal tutor (provided they know some basic English words).

“How do you say in Spanish” is the same if you’re talking about plural words or singular words. For example, “How do you say cars in Spanish?” would be “¿Cómo se dice cars en español?”

If you want a literal breakdown of what it means, the word “cómo” means “how”, the phrase “se dice” means “is it said”, and “en español” means “in Spanish. So, if you said “¿Cómo se dice bike en español?, the literal translation would be “How is it said bike in Spanish?”

In summary, “How do you say in Spanish?” is “¿Cómo se dice en español?”

Now, for a related tip, if you hear a Spanish word and you want to know what it means, a super-useful phrase is, “¿Qué quiere decir?” For example, if you hear the word, “montaña” and you don’t know what it means, you could say, “¿Qué quiere decir montaña?” which means “What does montaña mean?” The literal translation is, “What does it want to say montaña?” (That’s one that really doesn’t translate well into English but native Spanish speakers use it all the time.)

Both of those useful phrases and many more are found in the Visual Link Spanish course, to get it free, just go to the free learn to speak Spanish download page.

Hopefully those language tips give you a little confidence in conversing with native speakers. Practice them and let us know how it goes when you try them out. We’d love to hear your comments on our blog.

by Jake Beus

calendar image

August 29th, 2011

Balancing Act

When people are learning Spanish, they typically tell me that they can speak but not understand, or they tell me that they can understand but can’t speak. When I began learning Spanish, I could speak but not understand. Most people tend to understand better than they can speak, especially in the beginning.

There needs to be a better balance in the learning process. People tend to focus too much on speaking or listening. There are the extra studious who focus too much on writing. Rarely will I encounter somebody who has focused too much on reading. The best way for you to learn Spanish would be to move to a Spanish-speaking country and become completely immersed in the language. However, most people are forced to study the language and learn it without going to a foreign country.

I recommend that you spend at least 20 minutes per day 5 times per week studying Spanish. It is important for you to have a balance in your study time, so this is how you should break it down:

-Speaking 35%
-Listening 35%
-Reading 20%
-Writing 10%

Speaking 35%. Speak as much as you can, but make 35% of your dedicated study time focused on speaking. Talk to yourself. Meet native speakers who will help you in exchange for you helping them. Read aloud. Ask questions. You will surely make mistakes, but do your best and continually improve.

Listening 35%. When you first learn Spanish it seems like native speakers talk a million miles per hour. Don’t be afraid to ask them to slow down. If you consistently listen to Spanish, you will understand much faster because your mind will start to think in Spanish. Just relax and listen. Don’t let your mind freak out.

Reading 20%. I recommend that you read aloud as much as possible. This will help your reading and pronunciation skills at the same time. You will surely learn a lot of new vocabulary, but in the beginning you should do your best to understand the gist of what you’re reading.

Writing 10%. If you are training for business and you will be doing a lot of writing  in Spanish, then you should probably make this a bigger percentage of your study time. If not, then you should practice writing for about 10% of your study time.

If you agree or differ on my philosophy of learning Spanish, please leave a comment below.

by Jake Beus

calendar image

August 8th, 2011

One of the main reasons that kids and adults do not achieve success in learning Spanish is that they become bored and disinterested. Studies have shown that certain types of background music can help you increase retention of what you’re learning. There are varied opinions as to whether or not music-based language learning is truly effective. My opinion is that certain things are good to learn with music, like the alphabet. Here’s an example of that:

I think it’s a good way to learn the alphabet and grammar rules. I don’t think, however, that it should be the primary focus of learning. I previously stated that most people become bored with language learning. Learn a song every once in a while to break up your routine. Sing along with the artist. Doing this can help with comprehension and pronunciation. It can be fun too, especially with upbeat Spanish songs.

In conclusion, I think that music can help you learn Spanish. Visual Link Spanish uses “brain music” in teaching you certain words and phrases. The right background music is a good idea and will help with retention. Learning Spanish should be something that breaks up your routine to make it more interesting. However, it should not be a focus in learning. I would love to hear any comments you have.

by E

calendar image

June 27th, 2011

Adding the letter -o to the end of a word does not instantly change the word from English to Spanish.  This is a common mistake made by many.  We’ve heard people do it, and probably get a laugh or two out of it.  Just be careful as it can be both disrespectful and offensive.

Here are some instances where it actually does work.  

English                               Spanish

Active                                 Activo

Passive                               Pasivo

Massive                              Masivo

Notice how -ive ending changes to -ivo ending in Spanish.  Isn’t learning Spanish fun?

Signed

E

by E

calendar image

June 14th, 2011

This week’s topic boils down to manners.  Latin Americans always say ‘con permiso’ or ‘excuse me’ when leaving a group or trying to pass someone.  This is a concept not used all of the time in the US, especially in busy areas.  Many of us are in a hurry and tend to be irritated by the people that are ‘in our way’.  If we could simply slow down, allow yourself more time to get to where you are going, and pardon yourself from a group or when trying to get by someone, life would be less stressful.  You might also find that people throw garbage at you less when politely passing.  You can learn other useful phrases in these Spanish lessons.

Good Luck!

E

by E

calendar image

May 10th, 2011

This week Dave talked about land in Mexico.  There are many American  companies that have plants in Mexico.  This increases the need to learn Spanish for those who travel to Mexico for work.

My husband recently joined the Air Force and we may have the opportunity in the future to travel abroad.  What experiencing have you had that required you to move abroad for work, or pleasure?  How long till you were able to adjust with the language barrier?

I’d love to hear stories of your experiences.

E~

 

 

 

by E

calendar image

April 5th, 2011

For those of you who travel extensively, you are aware of the many variations of Spanish between countries. There can be many variations within a country as well. The best thing to remember is that, for the most part, the language is still the same. There are simply some words that have different meanings.

This is true for English speakers as well. People in the United States speak English as do those who live in England. We can understand each other and communicate; however, there are some word meaning differences.

It’s something to watch out for when traveling…if you are learning Spanish to travel, you’ll want to remember this tip.

Happy trails

Signed…E

by E

calendar image

March 18th, 2011

I know you’ve heard this song over and over so you should know the words by now.  How well do you sing it in español?

by Brandi

calendar image

February 25th, 2011

Here is a fun Spanish song for the weekend. Enjoy! Can you understand them without looking at the subtitles? Try just listening first and then watch again for any of the words you missed. It’s fun and silly, but educational as well. Have a fun weekend!


home icon button home text button