How to Say Hello in Spanish and Other Greetings

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Learning how to say hello in Spanish is the first step of many you will take when learning Spanish the path will definitely become harder but these early basic greetings are the food and water of any
language and their importance can never be understated.

Do not worry about the formation and the grammar of these early phrases just relax and concentrate on the sound that each of the following phrases makes as you say them, greetings are the first impression you will make when speaking to a Spanish speaker so practice saying them regularly.

When you want to say ‘Hello!’ in Spanish you use the word “¡Hola!

In Spanish the ‘h‘ is silent so you would pronounce ‘Hola‘ as ‘olla‘. This greeting is widely used as in English so you will gain lots of experience using it.

There are of course more formal greetings:

Good Morning which is “Buenas días“.

This is pronounced as ‘bwenas deeas‘ The ‘ue’ is pronounced as a ‘w’ and the accented i in “días” as an emphasized ‘ee‘

Good Afternoon which is “Buenas tardes“.

‘Tardes‘ is pronounced ‘tarrdais‘ with a very slight roll on the ‘r’.

Good Evening or Good Night is “Buenas Noches“.

“Noches” is pronounced ‘notchais‘

If you would like to ask someone how they are you would say:

“¿Cómo estás?” – How are you?

You could also use “está” if you were asking someone you did not know as a sign of respect, however, apart from asking VIP’s, this form is rarely used nowadays.

Another more informal way of asking someone this is to say:

“¿Qué tal?” – How’s it going? or How are you?

When you want to say goodbye to somebody you would say:

“¡Adiós!” – Good bye

Now, not to confuse you too much, it is important should you ever hear it being used in this manner, but “adiós” is also used frequently to say hello in Spanish, but only when passing someone very briefly.

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If you would like to learn more Spanish the best way of doing so is with a learn Spanish software program. These programs will help you learn Spanish simply and quickly and you can find reviews of the three most popular programs by following the following  link  Learn Spanish Software Reviews

Learn Spanish Like Crazy Review

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Why is Learning Spanish Like Crazy one of my Top 3 Online Spanish courses?

Compared with my other two choices, Rocket Spanish and Visual Link the ‘ Learning Spanish Like Crazy ’ program offered little in the way of interactivity and written courseware until recently and as a result was not in my considerations for a top three slot.  Not so long ago, Learning Spanish Like Crazy was purely an audio course but they must have seen this as a stumbling block when compared to their competitors and have added a whole lot of bonus material that I will cover shortly.

However, even without the added material, the initial course does provide the student with exceptional benefits with its ability to teach and improve the use of everyday Spanish in everyday situations, although it must be noted that the Spanish taught in this program is Latin American Spanish rather than the more traditional formal Spanish, so for my non American review readers, unless you specifically want to learn Latin American Spanish you would probably be better considering the two courses above!

Personally, I think that this audio course is excellent for improving the use of everyday Latin American Spanish in everyday situations and not the formal ‘textbook’ Spanish that most courses teach. The best way to explain what I mean by this is to use a few lines from the ‘Learning Spanish Like Crazy’ homepage:

- My friend from Latin America explained to me that when he first arrived in the U.S., a learning-English course taught him to ask “How do you do?” in order to ask about someone’s health or when meeting someone for the first time.

But in his thirteen years of living in the U.S. no one ever asked him “How do you do?” It was either “How are you?” or “How you doing?”
And you know what?? He was 100% correct!! I had definitely been using the “How Do You Do?” type of Spanish –

An Overview of Learning Spanish Like Crazy

The course was initially only an audio course which comprised of 30 lessons per volume. Volume one, which I am reviewing, takes the student from beginner level to intermediate, volume 2 comprises of 60 lessons and will help the student reach an advanced level and level 3, when released, will take the student to complete fluency.

As stated above the first level has had an additional 5 bonus products attached which are:

• FSI Programmatic Spanish Level One
• FSI Programmatic Spanish Level Two
• FSI Spanish Level Three (Advanced Spanish)
• FSI Spanish Level Four (Advanced Spanish)
• FSI Fast Spanish Course

For specifics on these bonus products I suggest visiting Learning Spanish Like Crazy.

Learning Methods

Learning Spanish Like Crazy was developed to allow for natural learning, the way babies and children learn their native languages. The program is based on several principles of ideal linguistic learning: complete immersal, developing ideal habits, and having the correct attitude.

The way we learn language as a baby and small child is by complete immersion. Whatever the native language, we are exposed to that language all the time. Our parents speak to us continually, we hear others speak, the television, radio and music all assert the primary language and thus, we learn to speak. Only later do we learn to read and write in that language.

Learning Spanish Like Crazy makes use of that important rule of thumb. Do not attempt to read or write a language until you are comfortable speaking. The way you become comfortable speaking is by listening to native speakers constantly; watching Spanish TV, listening to Spanish radio in the car, and listening to the lessons over and over.

Practice Makes Perfect Learning Spanish Like Crazy Review

Developing the right habits is also a part of the Learning Spanish Like Crazy program. The program asserts that you must practice, practice, practice. The only way to become comfortable with a second language is to use it and hear the sound of your own voice speaking it. It is also crucial to imitate native accents and inflections, so that true fluency can be attained. Using Spanish constantly is a habit that must be learned.

The last part of the Learning Spanish Like Crazy program is the mental component. The correct attitude must be fostered or success will not be attained. After the complete immersal and assuming the right habits, you must believe that you will succeed. It is important to visualize yourself at the end goal of fluency.

Conclusions:

This program will definitely help you learn the Spanish language the way it was meant to be learned: through speaking and listening. I found the lessons to be fun, and the speakers in the audio are fun and engaging. The cost is not prohibitive, and is much less than comparable “popular” courses such as the Rosetta Stone series and Pimsleur.

Click Here to Visit ‘Learning Spanish Like Crazy’ for more information

Why not check out this excellent verb training program (click banner below) guaranteed to increase the speed at which you learn Spanish and Spanish verbs!

Which is also reviewed here Verbarrator Review

Buy Rocket Spanish…Do You Want to Know Why?

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Deciding upon which Spanish course to use can often be a dilemma for many people as there are so many Spanish language courses to choose from nowadays but, as is often the case, popularity provides guidance, hence why so many people choose to buy Rocket Spanish. Rocket Spanish is definitely one of the most popular online Spanish courses currently available and for two very good reasons.

The Reasons Why You Should Buy Rocket Spanish

Reason 1:

Many globally known Spanish courses exist such as those provided by Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur, these courses are generally of excellent quality but, unfortunately, this quality normally comes at a price which, of course, puts a lot of people off making any initial investment in them. Rocket Spanish, however, fares much more favourably as it is a very reasonably priced course making it far more attractive to the vast majority of people who would rather not break the bank purchasing a more expensive course.

Reason 2:

Some would argue that ‘budget priced’ Spanish courses are so called because they do not provide the quality learning material that the more expensive branded programs provide and in most cases this is true, but this is where Rocket Spanish again succeeds, providing first class material that is far in excess of the attached price tag.

These two reasons alone…the price and the quality…sum up why Rocket Spanish is so popular.

Another reason why people often buy Rocket Spanish is the sales pitch that is often given which is that Rocket Spanish WILL have you speaking Spanish fluently in eights weeks. Personally, I believe this to be subjective as it depends very much on how much time and effort someone is willing to put into their studies…eight weeks is entirely possible but should not be taken as a definite bench mark!

If you would like to read my full review of Rocket Spanish that covers, in detail, all of the course materials you can do so on my main site by clicking on this link Rocket Spanish Review. However, if you have made your mind up already then CLICK ON THE BANNER at the top of this post.

As an added bonus…should you decide to buy Rocket Spanish through via a link on ny of my sites just send an email to me at danny@irregularspanishverbs.com with confirmation of purchase (usually a clickbank receipt email!) and I’ll gladly send you a copy of each of my Spanish verb conjugation books:

‘2000+ Spanish Irregular Verbs‘ and ’50 Most Commonly Used Spanish Verbs’ completely FREE!

Why not check out the excellent verb training software below also (I own a copy by the way!) just click on the banner. ¡Hasta luego amigos!

Best Learning Spanish Software

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When deciding upon the best learning Spanish software to purchase it is always best to read as many reviews as possible in order to make an informed decision. Unfortunately though, many people don’t go down this route and will often make a spontaneous decision to learn Spanish and will buy the first Spanish course they see sitting on the shelf of their local store due to their enthusiasm and eagerness to get started.

In a perfect world, purchasing any Spanish course in itself would not pose an issue as every Spanish course would teach the exact same material and each course would therefore help the student to achieve their goal of speaking Spanish.

The truth is that each student is different…some are much better at learning languages than others, some are better at learning a language from a grammatical viewpoint as you would learn it at school for example, whereas others have much better results by concentrating on conversational skills.

It is for this reason that many Spanish courses are now available, each one slightly differing in teaching techniques and methods offering the best possible fit for individual students.

The one area of Spanish study that has seen a massive surge in popularity in the last ten years is the use of software for studying instead of the more traditional text books and cassettes.

Because more and more people have become connected online the flexibility that it provided for studying a language became much more apparent and as a result there has been a consistent increase in available courses.

Many of the earlier online courses offered little in the way of improving upon traditional methods other than offering the same material in a new format, but after a while specific techniques were improved upon that improved the speed at which Spanish could be learnt whilst also making learning much more enjoyable as well as improving the practical application.

Whilst some of these software courses are quite expensive, there are a few others available that are as good, if not better, which are much more reasonably priced.

Personally, I always like to use prolonged popularity rather than short term popularity as a benchmark before considering making a purchase and it for this reason that I would recommend checking out the reviews of the following popular courses before making any decision on which is the best course for you:

1.Rocket Spanish Language Course
2.Visual Link

There is one other software program that is worthy of mentioning as it has helped me, and many others, learn Spanish quickly and effectively and is a ‘must have’ if you are serious about speaking Spanish well and that program is called Verbarrator Spanish verb conjugation trainer, just click on the link to read the review.

By the way, if you are located in California, why not check out this list of Spanish classes in Los Angeles

Spanish Classes in Los Angeles

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If you are looking for Spanish Classes in Los Angeles then the list below will be of great assistance…however, before checking any of them out have you considered the benefits of a self study course?

There are two reasons why people fail in their attempt to learn Spanish, the first is cost and the second, which is far and away the main reason, is convenience.

1.Cost – Although learning Spanish has never been more accessible than it is today, especially since the arrival of the internet, the cost of learning Spanish using traditional classroom methods is still quite high in comparison to extremely affordable modern interactive home self study courses plus, if you decide Spanish isn’t for you it can be very difficult to get any money refunded from your classroom course whereas it is relatively easy to get a full refund from the supplier of a self study course.

2. Convenience – Many of us lead busy lives, even those that are retired always seem to have little time to spare, it’s an accepted part of modern day living. This is why it is important to have a Spanish course that works with you, flexible when required to be, and that can be visited whenever you have time…unfortunately, a classroom course cannot offer this flexibilty.

This lack of flexibility leads to missed lessons, miss one lesson and you will probably be ok, miss any more and you will start to get further and further behind the rest of the class, which then makes you start to think that you are wasting your time resulting in you stopping altogether. Wasted time…wasted money!

A modern interactive course provides the flexibility you need to succeed in your ambition to learn Spanish and is an affordable and convenient alternative to rigid and expensive classroom courses. Before you start visiting the sites or contacting the schools listed below give my honest review of Rocket Spanish Language course a read, it’s the most successful self study Spanish course online!

Spanish Classes in Los Angeles

• Language Door
• Savoir Faire California
• Learn Language
• My Spanish Eye
• Gift of Language
• LA Spanish
• Strommen Tutoring
• Beverly Hills Lingual Institute

These are just a few Spanish classes in Los Angeles, if you know of any other good classes please tell me about them by using the comment box below and I will add them to this list once I’ve checked them out…thanks.

In the meantime enjoy the rest of my blog/site and check out my previous post on the Ser Present Tense

10 Top Tips For Successfully Learning Spanish Quickly

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If you are considering learning Spanish or have just started out, then these10 tips are designed specifically for you! It would be great for you if you could use all of them but if not, pick out those that you can use and implement them.

1. Mental Preparation:

Too many people think that they will be able to just grab the first Spanish course off a shelf and within a few weeks be able to hold down a full blown conversation in Spanish…nothing could be further from the truth! Learning Spanish is tough and anyone who says different is either expanding upon the truth a little or, a qualified linguist, which does make them an expert in their field I guess! Being prepared mentally for the challenge ahead will always be a key ingredient in your success.

Do not set yourself unreachable targets, like being able to speak Spanish fluently in 6 weeks! There is nothing that is more likely to make you give up your quest than consistently failing to achieve your goals so you should always be realistic.

2. Physical Preparation:

There are hundreds of different Spanish courses out there many of which are expensive, but when it comes to learning Spanish, cost does not always equate to quality.

Do not be deceived by top branding and course materials that are of a quality finish, sure they look and feel nice, heck, they may even smell nice, but what really matters is the quality of information contained within the course, or more to the point, the methods of teaching.

Look for courses that let you try them out first, go online and find forums or chat-rooms to see what other people are using and like and make your decision based on what feels right for you… not the price tag. The best course isn’t necessarily the most expensive!

3. Choosing the RIGHT Spanish Course:

If you have done some research on different courses and have a shortlist… you need to cut lose all those that are not aimed at teaching you conversational Spanish as a priority.

That isn’t to say that learning grammar isn’t important, but so many people get weighed down trying to learn and memorize grammar rules that they lose sight of why they wanted to learn Spanish in the first place; the enjoyment that being able to speak and understand Spanish can bring.

You will enjoy learning Spanish much better and be much more successful at it if you are able to put a few sentences together within a week rather than being able to successfully memorize the indefinite article, subject pronouns and whatever else your first week of grammar study throws at you.

Once you are up and running and speaking Spanish confidently, grammar will become much easier to learn and it will just be a case of tweaking what you already know.

4. Post Notes on EVERYTHING!

Sounds funny I know, but buy yourself a block of post-its and stick them on everything in your home with the Spanish word for that object written on them (with the exception of your spouse, children and pets, although tortoises are ok!).

You will be amazed at how quickly you will pick up the vocabulary for everyday objects…’Everyday’ being the important word here. I am never surprised any longer by the vocabulary that Spanish courses ask beginners to learn…I mean, how many of us are going to use the words bullfighting or donkey in everyday conversation!

5. Tune in to Spanish TV and Radio:

Watching Spanish speaking TV or listening to Spanish radio stations will help you get a feel for spoken Spanish as well as keeping you up-to-date with subjects that Spanish speaking people could be talking about.

Television would be better because it is easier to understand what is being said if you have accompanying pictures.

If you are busy around the house you could always adopt a method of learning I like to call ‘subliminal Spanish’. Turn the TV or radio onto a Spanish speaking network, turn up the volume, and then get on with your chores. There is no need to pay any attention to what is being said.

Over time you will start to pick out certain words without even concentrating as well as becoming used to hearing how Spanish is spoken.

It is a good idea to start with news type programs first as the pronunciation is usually a lot clearer and understandable. However, sport is not a good choice as the commentators do tend to get a little excited and speak very quickly, although it is enjoyable to listen to!

6. Make Your Own Flashcards:

I would suggest that you make some flashcards to help you learn vocabulary, rather than buying them. I suggest this for three reasons:

• Why spend unnecessarily when it’s simple and cheaper to make them yourself!
• You are able to create cards using words that are most useful to you
• The process of actually making them will help you remember them, in fact many of the cards you make could well be redundant before you even use them!

7. Become Involved in your Local Spanish Community:

For those of you that live close to, or within, a Spanish speaking neighborhood, try to mix as much as possible into their social activities, use the local Spanish speaking supermarkets or 24/7, join in with your Spanish speaking neighbors whenever possible.

Not only will this benefit your studies but you will receive a lot of help and encouragement as well as making many new Spanish speaking friends.

8. Use Online Resources:

If you don’t have a Spanish neighborhood close to you, or you cannot receive Spanish TV or radio networks, then the next best thing is to utilize the internet. There are many resources such as chat-rooms, open forums, podcasts and PCTV networks that are all easily accessible online and can all be used to practice your Spanish…so get surfing and use them!

9. Use a Spanish Verb Trainer:

Learning Spanish verbs is probably the most difficult part of learning Spanish and also one of the most important. Using a verb trainer that will help you do this more efficiently is a wise move. If there is one area that is often overlooked by many students it is the correct use of verbs. Verbs are important as they make sense of your sentences and in Spanish they are doubly important as they also indicate who is performing the action.

The best way to learn a verb quickly and effectively is to use a verb conjugator or a verb conjugation training program. A good verb training program will allow you to select the verb you want to learn and in whichever tense you choose and then provide the drills to train you. The aim is to make learning Spanish easier and a verb conjugation trainer will do that.

10. Total Immersion:

If money and time are not a problem for you, then the best way to learn Spanish is to invest in a total immersion course located in a Spanish speaking country.

Not only will you learn the local language but you will also be immersed into the culture and customs of your hosts as well as the local way of life. Immersion courses are not as expensive as they once were but, are still beyond the reach of many.

However, irrespective of price, they are, without doubt, the quickest and most enjoyable way to learn Spanish…if you can afford to go on an immersion course…do so, you will never regret it.

Why is Preparation the Key to Successfully Learning Spanish?

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When contemplating learning a new language such as Spanish most people will be eager to start and excited at the prospect and many believe that they will not find it difficult to do so, and for some that may well be the case. .. continue reading ..

Learning to Speak Spanish is On the Increase, Thanks to Shakira!

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Are Spanish speaking celebrities such as Shakira the real reason why learning to speak Spanish is becoming more popular or is it just a case of students having greater choice? This article explores the suggestion that popular culture can affect a student’s educational decisions and also offers alternative reasons as to why this change is happening.

The United Kingdom has recently seen an increase in the number of students moving away from the more traditional languages of French and German and instead they are opting to learn Spanish. The reason for this shift is the popularity of the ‘Colombian Songbird’ Shakira, as she is often regarded to on the internet. Well, that is what we are expected to believe if we were to take everything that is written in the newspapers as gospel!

Personally, I find it difficult to believe that a pop star can have so much influence over an entire country’s student body, especially when it is regarding the choice of which language to learn. If that were to be the case we would have seen an increase in Spanish students a long time ago in tune with the massive popularity that other Spanish speaking singers and celebrities enjoyed at one time or another; Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz, Julio Iglesias (yes, remember him) Ricky Martin and more recently the extremely popular Enrique Iglesias, son of the aforementioned Spanish swooner, and I’m sure there are many, many more.

The fact is, although Shakira is extremely good at what she does and is very popular with men and women and not always for the same reasons, I think labeling her as the catalyst for the recent changes to language education in the UK is a little extreme. However, that isn’t to say that popular culture cannot change and shape a society, and influence choice…remember the Beatles?

However, learning the Spanish language has been on the increase for many years now, irrespective of popular culture, and for a lot of people it is unquestionably the first language of choice to learn, but why?

In the US it is easy to assume why this would be the case as not only does the US share a border with Mexico, which just happens to have the largest population of Spanish speakers in the world, but according to the 2000 census, Spanish is already spoken by 12% of the US population, which means the US has the fifth largest population of Spanish speakers in the world. This is in complete contrast to the UK which is quite insular where learning languages are concerned and this is highlighted in recent figures that reveal drastic reductions in the number of students taking languages at secondary, higher education, and university levels.

However, although the overall picture is bleak for language study within the education system in the UK there is indeed room for some optimism when considering the increased number of students opting for Spanish. Rather than popular culture, there are a number of more likely reasons why this switch to Spanish is probably happening and they are:

• A greater number of teachers available that can now teach Spanish
• Greater freedom of choice for the student doubled with government policy change in 2004 that made languages non compulsory to 14 year olds and over.
• Stronger bonds with Spain due mainly to the fact that a large percentage of British people holiday each year in Spain, which is also home to over 1 million expats
• Spanish culture is seen as being much more appealing and far more accessible than other European cultures.

Adult language education, on the other hand, is one area that is increasing year on year, and it is Spanish once again that is increasing in popularity, especially in the 40 – 60 age group that one can only surmise are preparing for retirement in sunnier climates.

Online Spanish courses are the preferred way of learning Spanish for the vast majority of these mature students as they are a more cost effective and flexible means of learning Spanish, not to mention quicker, when compared to the traditional evening class.

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Interested in learning Spanish? Find out more about THE most popular and successful Online Spanish Language Course Or maybe you are already studying Spanish and need help with Spanish verbs, check out my review of this new and revolutionary Spanish Verb Conjugator that WILL drastically increase the speed at which you learn Spanish.