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StudySpanish.com Review – The BEST Website of Spanish Grammar & Pronunciation
I found StudySpanish.com back in my college days and used it as my one-stop source for grammar when my book failed me. The grammar explanations are simple and easy to understand and in addition, each grammar section comes with a free quiz and test so that you can practice and really see if you understood the material.
In addition to having the most wonderful grammar explanations (at least up to intermediate Spanish), there are 50 pronunciation lessons. So many people don’t understand the importance of correct pronunciation, and consequently it hurts most natives’ ears to listen to these people speak Spanish. Think of a thick foreign accent in English. I’m sure that’s not how you want to sound in Spanish. So, that being said, StudySpanish.com is one of the only websites that actually breaks each different sound down and explains it in its own lesson making the site one of my absolute favorites for beginner to intermediate learners.
In addition to the pronunciation and grammar sections at StudySpanish.com, there is also a super verb drills section and even a small section for vocabulary. If you’ve gotten anywhere in your Spanish studies, then you know that one of the hardest things about Spanish are its dang verb conjugations. Therefore, it’s a pleasant surprise to find a section (apart from the basic grammar section) dedicated to just verbs. The verbs are organized into different tenses: present, preterite, imperfect, subjunctive, future, conditional, commands, and perfect tenses.
Everything that I’ve explained above is absolutely free and you don’t even have to register to get access. However, if you do register as a free member, you’ll be able to save your test grades and if you become a premium member, you’ll have access to more quizzes, tests, and vocabulary. StudySpanish.com also offers a conversational Spanish course starting at $145. However, I haven’t tried this course, so I really can’t speak about it, but if you’ve tried it please let us know what it’s about and how it worked for you. Also, if you found this post helpful, please share it with your friends on Twitter or Facebook or just leave me a comment below!
Wasting Time Watching Dora the Explorer?
If you’re watching “Dora the Explorer” to learn Spanish, I’m afraid you’re wasting your time. What you need to be watching is “Dora la Exploradora” which is the Spanish version of “Dora the Explorer” created for children whose native language is Spanish. In “Dora la Exploradora” Dora and Boots speak mostly all Spanish with tidbits of English throughout the show, basically the opposite of “Dora the Explorer” which is for English speaking children.
You see, “Dora the Explorer” wasn’t created to teach children a foreign language, but to teach them how to problem solve. In each episode youngsters are invited along on Dora’s journey to help her solve some sort of problem, and along the way there are even more problems. The foreign language component of Dora gives children an awareness of foreign languages, but it doesn’t TEACH a foreign language. However, by watching the show children may develop an interest in foreign languages and a desire to learn them.
But back to my point, if you are trying to LEARN Spanish by watching Dora, watch the Spanish version of the show. You probably won’t have access to Dora La Exploradora on your television, but here are some links to the show online:
- BEST LINK IF IT WORKS FOR YOU: Seasons 1 and 2 of Dora la Exploradora
- 2 full-length episodes – “La Isla del Tesoro” y “El Tren Chu, Chu”
Now, when you are watching Dora La Exploradora don’t get upset or frustrated because you don’t understand some things or maybe a lot of things! That’s completely normal and good. You should be able to follow the story and figure out what Dora and Boots are trying to do. In order to get the most out of watching the episodes you should watch each episode a minimum of SIX times! Yes, that’s six times. And don’t skip around episodes either. Watch the same episode six times in a row before going on to the next one. The reason is because you want to learn Spanish deeply. If you hear something once, well, it just goes in one ear and out the other for most people! So, you NEED to watch and listen to the same episode several times so that what you learn sticks. And each time that you watch an episode I’m sure your ears will pick up on something new.
I recommend Dora because it’s a cartoon meant for the youngest. But if Dora isn’t your style or if your Spanish is a bit more advanced you may consider watching cartoons meant for older children (5 to 12 year-olds). Here are some links to some cartoons in Spanish for older children:
- A collection of rather old cartoons in Spanish – The Smurfs, Mickey Mouse, Yogi Bear, Garfield, among more
- Rugrats in Spanish – Seasons 1 – 6
- Aladdin in Spanish – Season 1
- Sponge Bob Square Pants in Spanish – Seasons 1 – 6
Provoking the Preterite Tense – Vacation
Answer the following questions using the Spanish preterite tense.
1. ¿A dónde fuiste de vacaciones?
2. ¿Con quién fuiste de vacaciones?
3. ¿A quiénes visitaste durante vacaciones?
4. ¿Cuánto tiempo duraron tus vacaciones?
5. ¿Cuánto dinero gastaste en tus vacaciones?
6. ¿En qué restaurantes comiste durante tus vacaciones?
7. ¿Tuviste algún imprevisto durante tus vacaciones? Sí, ¿Cuál?
8. ¿Te divertiste o te aburriste durante tus vacaciones?
9. ¿Cómo llegaste a tu destino?
10. ¿En dónde dormiste durante tus vacaciones?
11. Comenta algo interesante que te haya pasado en tus vacaciones.
LoMásTV Review – Watch TV in Spanish
LoMásTv is a video based web site dedicated to helping you learn or improve your Spanish. Basically, it’s like watching TV in Spanish but with the option to view English and/or Spanish captions, replay what you hear line by line, and SLOW the audio down without loosing the correct pitch. What’s great is that you have full control of these features throughout the video which means that you can choose to show the captions only when you don’t understand something and slow the audio just when it is necessary for you. Then once you get it, you can go back to regular speed and without captions.
This is pretty cool but it gets even cooler with the simple, but effective game built right in to every video. During the game the video will play line by line but a word will be missing from the transcript. You, of course, have to fill in the missing word. You even get half credit for getting the word almost correct, so give it your best shot. With each word that you get correct you earn points and your scores are recorded if you are a member of LoMásTv. But what I like most about this game is that after you finish going through the video once and you missed some, you get another shot at the words your missed in round 2! Talk about reinforcement!
LoMásTv Video Features:
- Ability to Slow the Video – Slowing the audio not only helps with comprehension but it’s great to help with correct pronunciation as well.
- Native Spanish Speakers – Hearing Spanish as it is pronounced in natural environments and by native speakers is one of the best ways to improve your vocabulary, listening, and even speaking skills!
- English & Spanish Transcripts – If you are a new Spanish learner, you’ll love being able to read along in Spanish as the speakers talk. You’ll really get a feel for the correct pronunciation of written text. However, if you are a more advanced Spanish learner, you have the option to turn off the transcripts and only turn them on when you need a little extra help.
- Integrated Spanish & English Dictionary – While you are watching the video with the transcripts up, all you have to do to get a definition of a word is click on it! The definition will appear in the screen to your right.
- Phrase Replay - Didn’t quite get it the first time? No, problem. Just click “replay” and the last complete caption will replay. You can listen to each segment as many times as you need.
- Listening & Spelling Game – Yep, that’s right. Not only do you have to know how to recognize the missing word that you hear, but you also have to be able to spell it in order to write it in the blank.
Ok, so we know that LoMásTv has an awesome video platform to help you learn Spanish, but it also has around 200 free Spanish lessons organized into four categories: grammar, vocabulary, life, and expressions. Getting free Spanish lessons is good, but what is great is that the lessons accompany the videos and you can get full access to the videos by subscribing to LoMásTv for only $9.95 per month or $99.95 per year! They also offer group rates where you can save a lot if you are a school or university. If you aren’t satisfied or if you just simply change your mind, LoMásTv offers a 7-day money-back guarantee.
I hope you’ll go over to LoMásTv and test drive their demo videos. Please, let me know what you think and if you are already a LoMásTv subscriber please share your experience.
NuLengua Review – Native Online Spanish Teachers & Tutors
Native Spanish Tutors at NuLengua
NuLengua is one of the worlds most popular one-on-one Spanish tutoring websites. Here are a few reasons why so many students choose NuLengua for their Spanish tutoring needs.
1) All of the tutors at NuLengua are native Spanish speakers certified to teach Spanish as a second language. In addition, for beginning levels the tutors are bilingual with English being their second language.Therefore, the tutors will be able to explain Spanish in English for beginner students which is an absolute must when starting out with a new language.
2) Tutoring on NuLengua takes place through Skype, an easy to use free chat program. Skype is known for it’s great call and video quality. Therefore, you will be able to hear and practice correct Spanish pronunciation with your Spanish tutor. Through video and chat a strong relationship may be built between you and the tutor which will allow for better communication and consequently, improved learning & teaching.
3) NuLengua lists all of their tutors with a photo, their credentials, available hours, and a short biography. It’s extremely important for a student to like their tutor. Therefore, the list of tutors is a great starting point to help you choose the perfect tutor.
4) NuLengua tutors are affordable starting at just $7.00 per 50-minute lesson and the first lesson is free to get you started. The tutors charge different rates so when choosing a tutor, take note of the rate that they charge to make sure you stay within budget.
5) NuLengua only accepts payment through PayPal, a secure third-party payment service. In other words, NuLengua and it’s tutors never see your credit card information.
If you feel that NuLengua is right for you or you’d like more information, click this link to go directly to the NuLengua website.
Automatic Translators
Why Automatic Translators Shouldn’t be Depended on 100%
Automatic translators can be a real blessing, but they can also be very misused if you rely solely on the them to do all of the work. The truth is that automatic translators are not good at what they do. In fact, they are horrible translators because they translate literally. OK, I actually do like them and am extremely grateful for their invention having used them personally. However, automatic translators should always be used with caution, and I wouldn’t bet anything on them giving you the correct translation. Here’s why: nothing compares to a good grammar book (or site), a language dictionary, and a human brain!
Online automatic translators translate word for word a lot of the time. And if you have ever taken a language course, you know that sentence structure differs from language to language, therefore, word-for-word translations are seldom correct. Although, they may be able to translate “manzana verde” to “green apple” correctly, they fall short if translations get just a bit more complicated. Take a look at this Spanish to English translation of a segment of a children’s short story:
Originally written in Spanish:
Había una vez una niña chiquita llamada Natalie. Solo tenía tres años, y todo el mundo que la veía, se quedaba enamorada de ella. Un día, su madre afectuosa la llevó de compras para comprarle unas pijamas nuevas. ¡Sin embargo, mientras que estaban en la tienda, Natalie vio su amor verdadero, una muñeca! Y no dejó que su madre le comprara las pijamas nuevas, diciendo que ya tenía unas en la casa de su abuela.
Automatic translation to English:
There was once a very small girl called Natalie. Only it was three years old, and everybody saw that it, fell enamored with her. A day, her mother took affectionate it of purchases to buy new pajamas to him. Nevertheless, whereas they were in the store, Natalie saw its true love, a wrist! It did not leave his mother bought the new pajamas to him, saying that already she had in the house of his grandmother.
Human translation to English:
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Natalie. She was just three years old, and everyone who saw her fell in love with her. One day, her loving mother took her shopping for a new pair pajamas. However, while in the store, Natalie spotted her true love, a baby doll! She refused to let her mother buy her new pajamas, stating that she already had pajamas at her Mimi’s.
So you can see from this short children’s story translation that the automatic translator bombed it’s task as a good translator. I might add to that I used one of the most well-known and used online automatic translators. I won’t say which because I don’t want to down anyone’s business, but this one is on the first page of Google when searching for an online translator. So, in other words, it’s a really “reliable” one.
You may be thinking that automatic translators work better from English to another language and not the other way around. Let’s look at an example of a business email originally written in English and translated to Spanish using a popular online automatic translator.
Originally written in English:
Dear Mr. White,
I am emailing you concerning your daughter’s grade in her Spanish class. She has consistently scored low on all of her homework and tests. I recommend that she stay after school for at least an hour, three days a week to meet with a Spanish tutor. I feel this is necessary in order for her to have a chance at passing this course.
Best regards,
Amilia Barns
Vice Principle at Jordan High
Automatic translation to Spanish:
Estimado Sr. blanco,
Le estoy enviando por correo electrónico referente a su daughter’ grado de s en su clase española. Ella ha anotado constantemente punto bajo en todas su preparación y pruebas. Recomiendo que ella permanece después de escuela por lo menos una hora tres días a la semana para encontrar con a un profesor particular español. Siento que esto es necesario para que ella tenga una ocasión en el paso de este curso.
Recuerdos,
Graneros de Amilia
Vice principio en la High School secundaria de Jordania
Human translation to Spanish:
Estimado Sr. White,
Le mando un correo electrónico referente a la calificación de su hija en su clase de español. Ella ha sacado consecuentemente puntos bajos en todas las tareas y exámenes. Recomiendo que ella se quede después de la escuela por lo menos una hora, tres días a la semana para reunirse con un profesor particular de español. Creo que es necesario para que ella tenga oportunidad de aprobar este curso.
Cordialmente,
Amilia Barn
Sub-Directora de Jordan High School
Lesson To Be Learned
If you are using an automatic translator for school or business, you should really reconsider. Using an automatic translator can negatively affect your grade and your income! If you are trying to communicate with foreign clients using an automatic translator, maybe now you know why they didn’t respond or they were confused as ever!
Hiring a Spanish Tutor Can Help You Accomplish Your Goals Better, Faster, & Cheaper
There is no doubt that you can buy some Spanish-learning software, a Spanish grammar textbook, an online learning course, or enroll in a real class. You will learn some Spanish, but to what degree? The problem with software, textbooks, and online learning courses is that they can’t tell when you get lost or when concepts should be explained in a different way so that you understand them. Real classroom settings are more ideal to learn a foreign language. However, there is normally one teacher for a whole classroom of students. Therefore, the teacher’s time is limited with each student, and he will be happy if most of the class gets most of the work. In other words, teachers expect a few students to slip through the cracks, and they allow that to happen (they really have no choice if they want to live a life of their own too).
With your own personal Spanish tutor, you won’t have to worry about missing anything, and the quality of your Spanish learning will be superb. You should tell your private Spanish tutor exactly what your goals are. Once your tutor understands what you would like to achieve, she can cater tutoring lessons specifically for you. And that’s the best kind of learning. In addition, unlike a teacher, your Spanish tutor will not go on to the next topic without you fully grasping the current one. That’s what your tutor is for, to help you stay above the cracks, not let you sit in them.
Accomplish Your Goals Faster
If you are taking a Spanish class to fulfill graduation requirements, you probably want to pass Spanish the first time around. If you invest in a private Spanish tutor it is very unlikely that you fail. You’ll be more motivated to study since you are paying someone to help you. As a result, you will get that Spanish class out of the way in one semester (instead of two) and make a better grad that what you had anticipated.
So, maybe you are not being forced to learn Spanish because of school or work. Good news…You are going to learn more! Whether you are learning Spanish to communicate better with your relatives, improve your marketability, or just have a desire to learn a foreign language, your language goals will be achieved faster by having a personal tutor assist you in your feat.
Accomplish Your Goals Cheaper
So, you are probably thinking, “How is hiring a private Spanish going to save me money if I have to pay the tutor?” Simple. You are going to learn more within a shorter amount of time. In addition, if you are taking a Spanish course in college, how much would it cost you to retake that Spanish course should you fail? LOTS! Tuition isn’t cheap and scoring low in a class could even cost you your hard-earned scholarship! Not only retaking the class expensive, but so is that big fat F on your GPA (Grade Point Average). By keeping your GPA up you actually save money since you are likely to get the better job after graduation, get into a better graduate program with possible a fellowship or paid stipend, and receive better scholarships.
My advice to you is that if you feel like you may need a Spanish tutor, do not risk losing money or time and just get one, even it is for one hour a week. You will be surprised at just how much your tutor can catch you up on in just one hour (but come prepared with questions, or even better, email the questions to your tutor ahead of time so that she will be able to come prepared with detailed answers).
What to Look for in a Spanish Tutor
There are Spanish tutors, and there are SPANISH TUTORS!!! Which would you like to hire?
Here, I’ll list all the criteria that a good SPANISH TUTOR should be able to list on their resume. And when you are ready to star interviewing for that very important position, you can take this as a check list to see if that tutor makes the cut.
What to look for in a Spanish tutor:
#1
The most important thing a Spanish tutor should have is extensive knowledge of Spanish grammar and not just the ability to speak Spanish. Think about it this way, you and all of your friends speak proper, or at least have the ability to speak proper English. However, how many of you could make a good English teacher or tutor to someone whose native language isn’t English? Maybe one or two of several, right? Just because someone is fluent in a language doesn’t mean they have the grammatical knowledge necessary in order to effectively teach that language.
#2
A good Spanish tutor must be fluent in Spanish! You might be thinking, well if the tutor meets requirement number 1, which is to have extensive knowledge of Spanish grammar, then they must be fluent, too. However, this thinking is incorrect. The fact is, just because a Spanish tutor may know all the grammar rules of Spanish, doesn’t mean that he or she can process these rules simultaneously and at a fast enough pace to be considered fluent.
I, personally, can vouch for this! I was a Spanish expert, or so I thought. I was a Spanish major and in my 3rd year of college. I aced all of my Spanish tests and barely had time to study due to work and my other major, geology, which took up most of my study time. I was extremely excited to study abroad in Mexico and felt prepared to “show off” my mad Spanish skills. When I arrived, I was in shock! When my host mother spoke to me and very very slowly at that, tragically, I didn’t understand 75% of what she said. I was crushed. I knew that the knowledge was in my brain to understand her, but I just wasn’t able to process it fast enough. What it all boils down to is this: I was still translating from English to Spanish in my brain instead of thinking in Spanish, and in order for me to achieve the fluency I desired, I knew I must be able to think in Spanish and not just know Spanish.
Spanish fluency is vital since a student often asks the very important question, “How can I say this in Spanish?”, and the Spanish tutor must draw upon several grammar rules and vocabulary at once. This can be difficult or not even possible for a tutor who only has knowledge of Spanish grammar.
#3
A good Spanish tutor must have a great Spanish accent and sound like a native Spanish speaker! Correct accents are essential when learning a foreign language. Therefore, having a tutor with a horrible Spanish accent will cripple your Spanish-speaking abilities. Haven’t you been on the phone with a non-native English speaker with a strong accent? It’s not the most enjoyable experience as we all know. Much effort must be put into the conversation just to communicate simple ideas.
#4
All good Spanish tutors must possess the ability to teach. No matter how knowledgeable a tutor is in their subject, if they can’t transmit their knowledge in a manner in which the student can easily understand the material, they can’t make a good tutor.
#5
Chances are if a student needs a Spanish tutor, the student’s interest level in Spanish probably isn’t too high. A good Spanish tutor must be able to motivate the student and teach them why the subject is important and relevant to their life. The Spanish tutor should be able to relate the Spanish language to the student.
#6
A Spanish tutor must be patient. A good Spanish tutor will understand that the same concept may need to be explained several times before a students understands it. After all, most of the time it’s not the first time that the student has been exposed to the concept since the Spanish teacher or Spanish learning software have probably covered it already. Basically, a tutor must understand that they are a tutor and not a teacher. Teachers generally go over a new concept once, and twice if he or she considers it to be difficult. But a tutor must go over the same concept in multiple ways until the student has a good understanding.
#7
A good Spanish tutor must of course be reliable. In order to be reliable a good tutor will have lessons prepared, will have read over the student’s work ahead of time if it’s available, will have extra learning resources available (i.e. Spanish/English dictionary, pencils, erasers, computer with internet, etc.), and most definitely be able to reliably meet the student’s needs. Now, I don’t expect that a good Spanish tutor will be able to meet all of the student’s needs on the spot, but I do expect them to be able to find a way to meet them in the near future. For example, I believe it’s perfectly acceptable for the tutor to say (every now and then), “I don’t know the answer to that. I’ll research it and have the answer to you by tomorrow,” or something along those lines.
#8
We all know that the subjects we get tutored in aren’t our favorite by far and therefore, are more than likely on the boring side. That’s why a Spanish tutor must have a good sense of humor. Imagine, a boring (at least in the student’s eyes) subject coupled with a boring tutor. Not a good combo. It may be so horrible that the student decides to just fail or drop the course! This isn’t good for the tutor or the student.
#9
A good Spanish tutor must vary their tutoring styles according to the way the student prefers to learn. You know you have a good tutor when the tutor starts the session like this, “How can I help you learn today?” instead of “This is what we are going to do today.” By asking how the student would like to be tutored, the tutor shows that which ever learning style works best for the student, is the learning style that will be used.
#10
And last but not least, a good Spanish tutor will care about the success of the student in and out of the realm of Spanish.
What about experience?
You might have noticed that I didn’t include experience in the list of what to look for in a Spanish tutor. I believe that jobs requiring experience before the job seeker can even become a job candidate is in short, ridiculous. How many unknown talents must there be just because they couldn’t get their foot in the door due to zero years experience? By not allowing new, inexperienced workers in, unknown opportunities are missed unreached heights never reached.
10 Ways to Make the Most of Your Study Abroad
1) Study ahead of time! I’m talking more than just the language you’ll be learning. Find a map of the city, locate where you’ll be staying, and route out the way to class, your friends’ places, downtown, etc. so you won’t have to worry with these things once you get there. Study abroad programs are short, lasting from around 5 weeks to a semester at most, and time will FLY! So get prepared ahead of time with the general feel of the city before your feet ever touch that foreign soil. In addition to mapping out all of your destinations, look over the culture of the area where you’ll be studying. Investigate the local cuisine, dress styles, mannerisms, dance, etc. If you plan on “learning” how to salsa in Mexico get started way ahead of time so that you can really hit the dance floor and not the dance class.
2) Be sure to take a real camera and not just your phone camera and plenty of batteries to last the duration of your trip. While you are there, make sure you take tons of pictures of new friends, places, and anything that strikes you as odd. Upload the pictures to your computer and to an online storage site such as Google’s Picasa. Computers can break, go missing, or your pictures can just be erased mysteriously. Therefore, it’s crucial to upload your pictures to your preferred online storage. I like Picasa since you can upload an entire album to the internet with just a few clicks and the quality of the image can be preserved. Share your web album with your classmates and invite them to do the same so that everyone can share pictures mutually.
3) Make new friends and hang out with them. I know you’re probably going with your buddies from school and you feel comfortable with them, but keep hanging out with your native-tongue buddies to a minimum.
Read the rest of this entry »
Study Abroad Experiences & Advice
If you’ve studied abroad, we invite you to share your thoughts on your experience here.
Here are some questions to get you started:
- Where did you study, how long did you stay there, and what language did you study?
- What were your expectations? Were your expectations met?
- What would you do differently if you could do it all again?
- Would you recommend other students study in the school and city where you studied?
- What surprised you most during your study abroad?
- Were there any big let-downs?
- What were your living arrangements and did you like them?
- How much did you learn compared to how much fun you had?
- What’s your best advice for someone considering or going on a study abroad trip in the near future?
I’ll go first to break the ice.
- Where did you study, how long did you stay there, and what language did you study? I studied Spanish in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico for approximately 8 months.