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2torial #0666:
Learn2 Get By In
Spanish
I want to hablo espanol!
Spanish is spoken by almost 200 million people
in the world--in Europe, the Carribean, South
America, and Africa. Next to English, Spanish is
arguably the most prevalent language in North
America. While language learning is never easy,
Spanish is not exactly Hungarian: there are many
phonetic and grammatical similarities to English.
What does "get by" mean? It refers to a basic,
functional ability to arrange food, shelter and
transport, and to share basic info about your past.
Although mastering this 2torial may not get you any
linguistic achievement awards, it will be a step
closer to understanding the local cultures and
languages of Spanish speakers all over the world.
And you'll avoid being a part of the unsightly
crowd that floods the streets of Barcelona in
August, who assume that English is spoken worldwide
and make no attempt to communicate in the native
tongue.
Oh, yes, and one suggestion: Be ready to make
mistakes. This is possibly the most difficult
lesson to learn. Charlie Parker, one of the best
Western musicians of this century, said it very
well: "If you don't make mistakes, you're not
trying hard enough!"
Feeling nervous and awkward with your first
language attempts is natural--but "getting by"
simply takes patience and an interest in your
surroundings. A hotelier will already be prepared
for your room inquiries, a taxi driver will know
you want to go somewhere, and a waiter will
anticipate that you want a meal. And those
exchanges that fall in between, well, that's where
the confusion and the fun come in.
 Get by with basic Spanish grammar and
pronunciation
 Some basic grammar
- You, formal: In English, there's only
one way to say you. In Spanish, the
singular you is Usted, unless the
person is a child or friend. The plural you is
the same in English, but in Spanish it's
Ustedes.
- Negative: Spanish is close to English
in this way: Es costoso (It's expensive)
becomes No es costoso (It's not
expensive) just by adding no.
- Plurals: Like English, Spanish nouns
are pluralized by adding an s, as in
casas, caminos and clases.
- Gender: For the most part, though
certainly not entirely, masculine nouns and
adjectives end -o, and feminine end in
-a. In the lists of Steps 2-6,
gender differences in nouns are
recognized by a slash, with the male version
coming first.
Some basic pronunciation  Spanish is pretty easy to
pronounce--most sounds are similar to English.
- Accents vary from country to country:
While there are far too many regional
distintions to name, the c or z
sound as in gracias (thank you) or
luz (light) changes from Spain to Latin
America. In Spain you are more likely to hear
grathias or luth (what might be
considered a lisp in English), while in Latin
America the letters are pronounced the same as
in English.
- The letter 'v' is softer than in
English. It's actually pronounced in between the
English 'v' and a 'b'.
- The letter 'd' is also softer than in
English. It's pronounced more like a very soft
'th'.
- The letter 'ñ' is pronounced
with a 'ny' sound. For example,
baño (bathroom) is pronounced "BAHN yo".
- The accent stresses the syllable, as
in estación, pronounced "eh stah
see OWN".
- Roll your r's. Try trilling your r's,
and particularly your double r's. It's a little
difficult at first, but a lot of fun to try.
Otherwise, please read the pronunciation guides
as you would in English. Remember, they should help
you recall the sound of the word, rather
than teaching you how to say the word.
 Learn
"the basic functions" phrases
This section includes greetings, questions about
food, lodging, and transport, and finally, numbers.
If you need information from someone, be polite!
Use a formal greeting when asking a stranger a
question--it'll set the tone for a courteous
exchange.
|
English
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Spanish
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Pronunciation
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My name is
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Me llamo
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may YA mo
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you (formal)
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Usted
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oo STED
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you (informal)
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tú
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too
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me
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me/mi
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meh/mee
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please
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por favor
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por fa VOR
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Thank you (very much)
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(muchas) gracias
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(MU chas) GRAH see yas
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yes
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sí
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see
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no
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no
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no
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hello!
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¡hola!
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OH lah
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good day/morning
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buenos días
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BWE nas DEE as
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good afternoon
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buenas tardes
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BWE nas TAR dase
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good evening
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buenas noches
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BWE nas NO chase
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goodbye
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adiós
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ah dee OS
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Excuse me
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con permiso
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kon pair MEE so
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Sir
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Señor
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sen YOUR
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Madame
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Señora
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sen YOUR ah
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Miss
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Señorita
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sen your EE tah
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Do you understand?
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Me comprende?
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me kom PREN day
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I don't understand.
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No comprendo.
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no kom PREN do
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I don't speak Spanish.
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No hablo Español.
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no AH blo EH span yol
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I am American.
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Yo soy Americano(a).
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yo soy ah meh ree KAH no(a)
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The United States
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Los Estados Unidos
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los eh STAH dose oo NEE dose
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I must go
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Necessito a ir
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ne sa SEE toh ah EAR
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When?
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Cuándo?
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KWAN do
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Do you have...
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Tiene...
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tee EH nay
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I would like...
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Yo quisiera...
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yo key see EH rah
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to eat
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comer
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ko MEHR
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a room
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una habitación
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OO na ha bee tah see OWN
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water
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agua
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AH gwa
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food
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comida
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ko ME da
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I'm lost
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Yo estoy perdido/a
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yo soy pair DEE doh
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I'm sick
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Yo estoy enfermo/a
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yo es TOY en FER mo
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sorry
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lo siento, disculpame
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lo see EN to, dis CUL pa meh
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I'm hungry
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tengo hambre
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TENG goh AHM bray
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I'm thirsty
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tengo sed
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TENG goh sed
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Where is...
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Donde esta...
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DON day eh STAH
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the bathroom
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el baño
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el BAN yo
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the taxi
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el taxi
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el TAHK si
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the bus
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el bus
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el BOOS
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the road to...
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la carreretera por...
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la kah reh TEH ra por...
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the train station
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la estación
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la eh sta see OWN
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the hotel
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el hotel
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el ho TEL
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many
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muchos/as
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MOO chos/chas
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very
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muy
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MOO ee
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How much does that cost?
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Cuánto cuesta?
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KWAN to KWEH sta
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Help me please.
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Ayudame, por favor
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a YOU dah meh, por fa VOR
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money
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dinero
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dee NEH ro
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numbers 0-10
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0
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cero
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SEH ro
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1
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uno
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OO no
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2
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dos
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dose
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3
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tres
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trace
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4
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cuatro
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KWAH tro
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5
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cinco
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SING ko
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6
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seis
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sase
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7
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siete
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see EH tay
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8
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ocho
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OH cho
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9
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nueve
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new EH vay
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10
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diez
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dee ES
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Please wait.
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Espera, por favor.
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eh SPEH ra por fa VOR
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good-bye
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hasta luego
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AH sta loo WAY go
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 Work
with simple conversation
Many language learners get frustrated when
communicating with the locals, because the locals
don't understand the carefully memorized words of
this 2torial. With a language like Spanish, this
language gap may be more related to poor physical
communication rather than poor pronunication.
That's right, watch how the locals gesture when
they speak, and pay attention to those
gestures--you'll be surprised how much better
you're understood. Sit down in a public place and
watch how people gesture, depending if they're
asking a question, or saying something funny, or
expressing a forceful opinion. Then go with the
movements that you observe. Here are some words
that will fill in the gaps between your gestures.
|
English
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Spanish
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Pronunciation
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I'm from
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Soy de
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soy deh
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How are you?
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Cómo esta?
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como eh STAH
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How are you? (Casual)
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Cómo estas?
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como eh STAS
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I'm fine
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yo estoy bien
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yo es TOY be EN
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friend
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amigo/a
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ah ME go/ga
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How do I get to...
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Cómo yo voy a...
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KO mo yo voy a...
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It is
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Es
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es
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There is/there are
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hay
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I
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I have
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Yo tengo
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yo TENG goh
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mine
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el mío, la mía
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el MEE yo, la MEE ya
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we
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nosotros
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no SOH trose
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a (masculine)
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un
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oon
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a (feminine)
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una
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OO na
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more
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mas
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mas
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less
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menos
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MAY nos
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One more, please.
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Uno/a mas, por favor.
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OO no/a mas, por fa VOR
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What time is it?
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Qué hora es?
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kay OH ra es
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I'm
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Yo estoy
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yo es TOY
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tired
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cansado/a
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con SAH do/a
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good
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muy bien
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MOO ee be EN
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bad
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mal
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mahl
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I like...
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Me gusta...
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meh GOO sta
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left
|
izquierda
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ees kee ER da
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right
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derecha
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deh REH cha
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straight ahead
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derecho
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deh REH cho
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big
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grande
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GRAN day
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small
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pequeño/a (or) chico/a
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pe KEN yo/a (or) CHEE ko/a
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today
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hoy
|
oy
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tommorow
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mañana
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mahn YA na
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yesterday
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ayer
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a YEHR
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bread
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pan
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pahn
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wine
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vino
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VEE no
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beer
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cerveza
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sehr VEH sa
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cheese
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queso
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KAY so
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coffee
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café
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kah FAY
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a glass
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un vaso
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oon VAH so
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The weather is good.
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Hace buen tiempo.
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AH say bwen tee EM po
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The weather is bad.
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Hace mal tiempo.
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AH say mahl tee EM po
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mountain
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montañas
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mon TAHN yas
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beach
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playa
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PLAH ya
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 Ask a
few questions
These are the phrases that'll get you some
answers, and at first, you may not understand the
answers. But be patient, and remember: No
entiendo and No hablo Español
will often help you through.
|
English
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Spanish
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Pronunciation
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slowly
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despacio
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des PAH see oh
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please repeat
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Repita, por favor
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reh PEE tah, por fa VOR
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Who?
|
¿Quién?
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kee EN
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What?
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¿Qué?
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kay
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Where?
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¿Dónde?
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DON day
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From where?
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¿De dónde?
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day DON day
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Why?
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¿Porqué?
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por KAY
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How?
|
¿Cómo?
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KOH mo
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Which?
|
¿Cuál?
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kwal
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What's that?
|
¿Qué es eso?
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kay es ES o
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Understand the magical
maybe
Go deeper into the verb
forest
