Question For Non Navite Spanish Speakers

Sigma   Sat Oct 29, 2005 8:57 pm GMT
How do you find the language Easy? Hard?'
Do you consider Spanish as a important language in the international area??? if you do or not please explain your reasons.
And also what do you think of the grammar and the various accents of Spanish?
Phil   Sat Oct 29, 2005 9:38 pm GMT
I would say that spanish is a pretty important international language. Spoken pretty exclusively in south/central america except for Brazil. I hope to one day learn it.

Here (montreal) its usually the first foreign language that people learn. From what my friends who've taken it told me, its pretty easy at the beginning, but gets harder in the advanced stage.

I've also heard spanish-speakers say that mexican accent sounds the funniest.
Guest   Sat Oct 29, 2005 10:38 pm GMT
As human languages go, in general, Spanish is one of the easier languages. Portuguese and Modern Norwegian are probably the only European languages that come close to Spanish in simplicity.

It is easy to understand why the Spanish conquistadors almost always made the Mexicans and Amerindians they encountered in the New World learn Spanish rather than the other way around. Their languages are very complex by comparison.

Every language, including Spanish, has some difficult features, however. In the case of Spanish, its most difficult aspects are in the verbal system which can be tricky. I've heard that even native Spanish speakers have trouble with the Spanish subjunctive forms.

In English, the equivalent difficulty to the Spanish subjunctive form among native speakers is the past tense. Many native English speakers incorrectly use the past tense as in the girl from California I heard on the radio who said "Now that I'm graduated (should be "Now that I have graduated) or President Bush who said "I been president of these United States for four years" (should be "I've been / I have been president of these United States for four years.")
jeje   Sat Oct 29, 2005 11:10 pm GMT
I have been president of these United States for four years

Llevo ocupando el cargo de presidente de los Estados Unidos cuatro años
*CarloS*   Sat Oct 29, 2005 11:59 pm GMT
>>Llevo ocupando el cargo de presidente de los Estados Unidos cuatro años<<

Si usas "llevo" -que estaría mal traducido- sería "llevo siendo".

La verdadera traducción (la más fiel) es "He sido presidente..."
Geoff_One   Sun Oct 30, 2005 12:31 am GMT
I live in Australia. As a hobby, I have an interest in studying languages and the two main languages that I am concentrating on are Spanish and Japanese. In regard to these two languages, I still have much to learn. I am also spending a bit of time on French and Chinese.

To me, Spanish and English are the only two languages that are world languages by any definition.

There is a Korean who lives near me and is studying Spanish. He realizes the importance of Spanish as a world language. He bought himself a Korean Spanish Spanish Korean dictionary even though he seems to speak perfectly good English.

Spanish seems relatively easy compared with most other languages. But one must still put in a lot of time and effort to become good at Spanish. The most difficult part of Spanish is the verbal system and trying to remember all the conjugations.
Sigma   Sun Oct 30, 2005 1:16 am GMT
Spanish seems relatively easy compared with most other languages. But one must still put in a lot of time and effort to become good at Spanish. The most difficult part of Spanish is the verbal system and trying to remember all the conjugations. >=

I think the same applies to me for French language even that is relative easy due is a Romance tongue the large number of conjugations can give me a hard time.

I'm Mexican and for me the funniest accent ever is the Argentinian accent, is like a mixture of Italian and Spaniard accents I think.

Also I consider the Colombian Spanish the most clear in pronunciation.

I've heard that even native Spanish speakers have trouble with the Spanish subjunctive case>=

This is very true but not only with subjuntive but with the grammar also.
*CarloS*   Sun Oct 30, 2005 2:48 am GMT
>>Also I consider the Colombian Spanish the most clear in pronunciation.<<

Wow... I also do... I consider Colombian Spanish as the most elegant, formal and clear Spanish. It's probably the closest thing to "Standard Spanish", beacause it can be understood by everyone as it has "no accent".

Although I find weird u consider Argentinian Spanish funny, I consider Mexican Spanish funny with all their invented words and weird accent...
Mitch   Sun Oct 30, 2005 5:12 am GMT
To native Spanish speakers: What about Spanish from Spain? Do you consider it clear, and easy to understand? Or is there something about the vocabulary, accent, or style that makes it less "standard" than Colombian Spanish, for example?
Thorsten   Sun Nov 27, 2005 4:46 pm GMT
I'm a German guy and the language in fashion is Spanish. Because it's spoken in lots of places such as America (north&south), Spain, Afrika, Filipinas, etc. This language is not hard to learn, at least for begginers I think.
So in my opinion this is the best.
In the States most people already can speak some Spanish, for instance, I've travelled around all over America and I've noticed that in Oregon, California, the south, southeastern, and even in Washington, Idaho, Kansas, and Dakota there's a lota people you can speak Spanish. Doesn't that give you a hint?

I apologize for my english, I'm not ace at it
Fran   Sun Nov 27, 2005 4:50 pm GMT
I'm a native speaker from Spain, and Spainsh Spanish hahahaha, well that's it, is pretty easier than Colombian or Mexican. Argetina Spanish is easy as well, and in South south america is the same, but in nothjern south america the thing gets harder, even for me!
Spanish pronunciation is totally correct, and regional changes in pronunciation exist in every country on Earth.
greg   Sun Nov 27, 2005 7:37 pm GMT
Quand j'ai commencé l'espagnol — il y a très longtemps — j'ai immédiatement adoré cette langue. Je pense que son apprentissage est "facile" ***de prime abord***, mais les choses se corsent dès qu'on vise l'aisance, surtout à l'oral. J'ai l'impression que les Espagnols ont un débit supérieur à celui d'une mitraillette !

L'espagnol est appelé à un avenir très important, à mon avis.
*CarloS*   Sun Nov 27, 2005 8:05 pm GMT
>>>To native Spanish speakers: What about Spanish from Spain? Do you consider it clear, and easy to understand? Or is there something about the vocabulary, accent, or style that makes it less "standard" than Colombian Spanish, for example?<<<

Spaniards (from Spain) pronounce the "s" as an "f" and will use words like "vos". They also use many words that we don't use in the Americas, some probably which I still haven't heard.
Xatufan   Mon Nov 28, 2005 12:35 am GMT
<<I've heard that even native Spanish speakers have trouble with the Spanish subjunctive case.>> (Brennus)

That is true. We generally use the present instead of the past. For example:

Te pedí que *traigas tu libro.

It should be: ...que trajeras...
Cro Magnon   Mon Nov 28, 2005 3:34 pm GMT
I consider Spanish fairly difficult. The main problem is those verb conjugations.

I don't know how important Spanish is internationally, but it certainly is an important language in the Western Hemisphere. In the US, it's very common and becoming more common all the time. And it's THE language of a whole continent (except Brazil, but if you know Spanish, you shouldn't have much trouble learning Portuguese).