Friday, August 1, 2008

Desde Acá




Learning Spanish can do a lot for you and improve life in a number of countless ways.

For starters, you can improve your understanding of English. Yes, thats right! A lot of the vocabulary of English has Latin origins, much of which came to English by way of French. Since Spanish is also a Latin language, you will notice that as you study the language you will gain a better understanding of your native vocabulary. Similarly, both Spanish and English share Indo-European roots, so their grammar are similar. There probably isnt a more effective way to learn English grammar than by studying the grammar of another language, since studying forces you to think about how your language is structured. Its not unusual, for example, to gain an understanding of English verbs tenses and moods by learning how those verbs are used in Spanish.

Make Traveling Fun!

How about traveling? Sure, it is perfectly possible to visit Mexico, Spain or South America without speaking a word of Spanish. But it isnt close to half as much fun. By having an understanding of the Spanish language, it may allow you to see and do things that many other visitors dont get to. Also, the best way to truly understand a culture is to be able to speak the language. Sure you can learn a lot through a Lonely Planet guide, but its being able to communicate with the natives and the locals that will give you the experience of a lifetime. Being able to read a Latin American or Spanish newspaper, for example, can give you great insight into the places you visit and a better vision of what is going on in other parts of the world. Not to mention, Spanish offers a wealth of literature, both modern and traditional.

Learn Other Languages

Interested in learning other languages? Well, if you can learn Spanish, youll have an edge in learning the other Latin-based languages such as French, Italian and Portuguese. It can even help you learn Russian and German, since both also have Indo-European roots and have some characteristics that are present in Spanish but not English. In the end, learning Spanish will help you learn any language simply because by simply learning the structure of one language can give you a reference point for learning others.

In learning a foreign language, you are not going to find any easier language to learn than Spanish. Much of its vocabulary is similar to Englishs, and written Spanish is almost completely phonetic. Although mastering Spanish grammar can be a challenge, the basic grammar is straightforward enough that you will be able to communicate after just a few lessons.

Improve Your Career Opportunities

Being able to speak another language can also help you in your career. Without a doubt, if you live in the United States and you work in one of the helping professions like healthcare and teaching, your career options and opportunities will expand by knowing Spanish. But really, wherever you live, if youre in any occupation that involves international trade, communications, or tourism, youll find similar opportunities to use your new language skills. There is a limitless range of things you can do with Spanish!

Make Life More Interesting!

And finally, whether you enjoy talking, reading, or mastering challenges, youll find all of them in learning Spanish. Theres something about being able to successfully speak another language that makes life more interesting. Maybe thats why children often speak Pig Latin or create secret codes of their own. Learning a language can be work, well, a lot of hard work, but the efforts pay off quickly when you finally get to use your new skills!

Sonny Sheth is the author and creator of http://www.OuterSpanish.com, a free Spanish learning online resource featuring grammar lessons, vocabulary and useful phrases, Spanish idiomatic expressions, practice exams and listening comprehension drills. He can be contacted at support@outerspanish.com.

latin cds

No comments: