If you want to learn Spanish as a second language the first thing that you must do is learn the Spanish alphabet. Think about it, you learned the English alphabet before you learned anything else about the language, so why shouldn’t it work the same way with Spanish? You should make sure that you understand the phonetics of each letter in the alphabet; do not just memorize it by sight. If you understand the Spanish alphabet, you are already one huge step ahead of the game as you have a much greater chance of saying words correctly when you see them for the first time.

Luckily, the Spanish alphabet is much like the English alphabet only with three extra words. These extra words are either accented or extended, and this makes their pronunciation a lot easier. These letters also aid in pronouncing different words because they allow you to comprehend how the word as a whole is supposed to sound.

In fact, the Spanish alphabet is a lot easier than the English alphabet because it is a lot more straightforward. This means that all of the letters sound as they are written, you do not have to decipher between a “long a” and a “short a”. There are exceptions that you will need to learn, but these come after you have a basic knowledge of the language.

If you wish to learn how each letter sounds, ask someone who is a native Spanish speaker to say each letter as you point to it. Once you hear the pronunciation it is important that you repeat the letter so you remember each one and how it is pronounced.

You should also know how to look up words in a Spanish dictionary. The words are not listed the same as in an English dictionary. If you are looking up any word that starts with a C in an English dictionary it will be under C, however in a Spanish dictionary if you are looking up a word that starts with Ch it will not be under C, it will be under Ch.

All in all, the easiest way to start learning the Spanish language is to master the alphabet. Once you have the alphabet down, you can start learning the rest of the Spanish language.

1. To understand better. Like it or not, you’ll hear as much Spanish as English at the Miami airport, and in many other places now. Wouldn’t it be nice to understand what people are saying, and what the announcements are?

2. To be able to help others. Our bank has a branch at the grocery store, and this past week a farmer who didn’t speak English was ready to leave without his money or groceries. It felt good to be able to help him out.

3. To improve your brainpower. A new language expands the range of your possible thoughts. There are concepts and expressions in each language that don’t exist in others. These can give you new ways to think.

4. To change your perspective. In Spanish, you say “I have fear” (yo tengo miedo). Psychologists tell us that thoughts like “I am afraid” create too much identification with the feeling. It’s healthier to think “I feel fear,” or “I have fear,” and in Spanish it’s automatic.

5. To improve your memory. Did you know that most people experience a general improvement in memory from studying a language? Studies prove it.

6. To age more slowly. Learn Spanish to slow the aging process? It’s true. It has been demonstrated that you can halt the age-related decline in mental function by learning a new language.

7. To get a better job. Knowing more than one language always looks good on a job application, and Spanish is the most useful one to learn.

8. So you can enjoy ALL the channels on your cable TV.

9. So you can order without help in a TRUE Mexican restaurant.

10. So you can say hello (hola) to your neighbor.

Learn Spanish for whatever reason you want, and you’ll get all the benefits above as well. There is one more reason to learn Spanish: You’ll be able to make new friends. My wife is glad I learned.

Steve Gillman has been working on his Spanish with his wife Ana Blum, a native of Ecuador. Together they have built a website where you can get free lessons in Spanish. Visit: http://www.TheSpanishLesson.com

Why learn Spanish? Almost five years ago I met the most wonderful woman in my life in Ecuador. I’m not sure we’d be married today if I hadn’t learned a little of the language before going there. Finding true love is not the only reason to learn Spanish, though. Here are ten more.

1. To understand better. Like it or not, you’ll hear as much Spanish as English at the Miami airport, and in many other places now. Wouldn’t it be nice to understand what people are saying, and what the announcements are?

2. To be able to help others. Our bank has a branch at the grocery store, and this past week a farmer who didn’t speak English was ready to leave without his money or groceries. It felt good to be able to help him out.

3. To improve your brainpower. A new language expands the range of your possible thoughts. There are concepts and expressions in each language that don’t exist in others. These can give you new ways to think.

4. To change your perspective. In Spanish, you say “I have fear” (yo tengo miedo). Psychologists tell us that thoughts like “I am afraid” create too much identification with the feeling. It’s healthier to think “I feel fear,” or “I have fear,” and in Spanish it’s automatic.

5. To improve your memory. Did you know that most people experience a general improvement in memory from studying a language? Studies prove it.

6. To age more slowly. Learn Spanish to slow the aging process? It’s true. It has been demonstrated that you can halt the age-related decline in mental function by learning a new language.

7. To get a better job. Knowing more than one language always looks good on a job application, and Spanish is the most useful one to learn.

8. So you can enjoy ALL the channels on your cable TV.

9. So you can order without help in a TRUE Mexican restaurant.

10. So you can say hello (hola) to your neighbor.

Learn Spanish for whatever reason you want, and you’ll get all the benefits above as well. There is one more reason to learn Spanish: You’ll be able to make new friends. My wife is glad I learned.

Of course, if you are planning on going to Spain and need to know Spanish before getting there, this might not be the perfect solution for you. However, there are thousands of courses that will be able to help you learn Spanish in no time at all. Leaving aside the courses, there is one thing you should know about learning a new language: grammar is very important. Learning a strong grammar will give you the confidence you need to pronounce the words correctly and to express yourself accurately. Take your own language for example, there are times when you know you should use a specific tense in order to express a certain thing, and I guarantee you that this is applied to any language. Therefore, be very careful at those grammar and vocabulary lessons because if you are, then it will be very easy for you to learn to speak Spanish correctly.

Another thing you should remember when interested in learning Spanish is that it will modify your understanding about how people communicate and it will also add to your general intelligence. Think of learning a new language as a blending of improving your culture and having fun – all at the same time. In the meantime, there is another great way through which you can learn Spanish: foreign movies. Watching Spanish movies with subtitles will boost your understanding of the language, your speaking level, and with a little grammar background, you will be able to communicate with your Spanish friends in no time at all.

Probably one of the easiest ways to learn a new language is through my favourite courses, look for yourself: [http://hello-spanish.info] These courses not only that they teach you the language you need, but they also do it the fun way. Good luck!

With the great number of languages that can be learned nowadays with almost no sweat at all, it can be very easy for anyone, to learn almost any language he wants from Latin to Russian and from Mandarin Chinese to Korean. One of the most interesting things about Latin languages, such as Spanish is that they have scattered around Europe, and depending on the region’s history, the language has blended on their mentality. For example, Spanish is an alive language that almost sings, you can even say it is a passion language. There are many ways through which you can learn Spanish, one of the handiest ones being to immerse yourself in a country that has Spanish as a main language.

Of course, if you are planning on going to Spain and need to know Spanish before getting there, this might not be the perfect solution for you. However, there are thousands of courses that will be able to help you learn Spanish in no time at all. Leaving aside the courses, there is one thing you should know about learning a new language: grammar is very important. Learning a strong grammar will give you the confidence you need to pronounce the words correctly and to express yourself accurately. Take your own language for example, there are times when you know you should use a specific tense in order to express a certain thing, and I guarantee you that this is applied to any language. Therefore, be very careful at those grammar and vocabulary lessons because if you are, then it will be very easy for you to learn to speak Spanish correctly.

Another thing you should remember when interested in learning Spanish is that it will modify your understanding about how people communicate and it will also add to your general intelligence. Think of learning a new language as a blending of improving your culture and having fun – all at the same time. In the meantime, there is another great way through which you can learn Spanish: foreign movies. Watching Spanish movies with subtitles will boost your understanding of the language, your speaking level, and with a little grammar background, you will be able to communicate with your Spanish friends in no time at all.

Well…who doesn’t! Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the United States and one of the most spoken languages in the whole world! It also happens to be a very ancient, exotic and beautiful language and a very useful language to know.

As a business tool, I can tell you from personal experience, that Spanish will come in super handy. Even if you don’t speak with 100% brilliant fluency, your colleagues and business contacts will respect you more because you’ve made a serious attempt at learning their mother tongue and they will see you in a more positive light.

On the personal end, speaking another language is one of the best things you can do for your social life and your dating life.

Again, you don’t have to be a Spanish MASTER or anything, but being able to follow and contribute to conversations in Spanish will allow you to interact with people you might otherwise never have spoken to.

Latino countries and Spain produce many, many exotic, beautiful men and women. Surely you’d love the chance to get to know another interesting individual on a romantic level.

In fact, if you’re serious about learning the Spanish Language, learning a few Spanish Words or Spanish Phrases isn’t really an exciting way to go about it.

But if you’re DATING somebody that speaks your target language, imagine how much more interested you’d be in everything they have to say and everything connected to them and their culture!

Most people try to learn Spanish in high school or college and only succeed in learning a few choppy phrases that make you sound like a gringo as soon as you open your mouth. Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with that! It’s just the way our Spanish classes are set up don’t ENGAGE students the way that immersion does, for example.

The point is that in order to learn ANYTHING really quickly and really well, it’s vital to make some sort of emotional connection with the material that you’re learning. In fact, studies have shown that when learning takes place in the context of powerful and positive emotions, the learning is quicker, more fun and retained longer.

So the best way to learn Spanish is to go to a Spanish speaking country. If that’s not an option, language learning software like Rocket Languages is a fantastic way to simulate a Spanish speaking environment at home.

Creating and maintaining this simulated immersion can be challenging, but try and surround yourself with Spanish speaking friends and go to Spanish and latino restaurants where you will be forced to practice your Spanish all the time.

In this way, you’ll find yourself speaking fluently before you know it!

Eugene Astrovsky is a professor of linguistics in Southern California and an avid language learner. He writes Rocket Languages Review articles on his website including a review of Rocket Spanish.

So you want to learn Spanish, eh?

Well…who doesn’t! Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the United States and one of the most spoken languages in the whole world! It also happens to be a very ancient, exotic and beautiful language and a very useful language to know.

As a business tool, I can tell you from personal experience, that Spanish will come in super handy. Even if you don’t speak with 100% brilliant fluency, your colleagues and business contacts will respect you more because you’ve made a serious attempt at learning their mother tongue and they will see you in a more positive light.

On the personal end, speaking another language is one of the best things you can do for your social life and your dating life.

Again, you don’t have to be a Spanish MASTER or anything, but being able to follow and contribute to conversations in Spanish will allow you to interact with people you might otherwise never have spoken to.

Latino countries and Spain produce many, many exotic, beautiful men and women. Surely you’d love the chance to get to know another interesting individual on a romantic level.

In fact, if you’re serious about learning the Spanish Language, learning a few Spanish Words or Spanish Phrases isn’t really an exciting way to go about it.

But if you’re DATING somebody that speaks your target language, imagine how much more interested you’d be in everything they have to say and everything connected to them and their culture!

Most people try to learn Spanish in high school or college and only succeed in learning a few choppy phrases that make you sound like a gringo as soon as you open your mouth. Don’t worry, there’s nothing wrong with that! It’s just the way our Spanish classes are set up don’t ENGAGE students the way that immersion does, for example.

The point is that in order to learn ANYTHING really quickly and really well, it’s vital to make some sort of emotional connection with the material that you’re learning. In fact, studies have shown that when learning takes place in the context of powerful and positive emotions, the learning is quicker, more fun and retained longer.

So the best way to learn Spanish is to go to a Spanish speaking country. If that’s not an option, language learning software like Rocket Languages is a fantastic way to simulate a Spanish speaking environment at home.

Creating and maintaining this simulated immersion can be challenging, but try and surround yourself with Spanish speaking friends and go to Spanish and latino restaurants where you will be forced to practice your Spanish all the time.

In this way, you’ll find yourself speaking fluently before you know it!