Live & Learn Spanish
Home>Language Index>>SpanishAudio Lessons By learning to speak Spanish you open the door to communicating with a large part of the world. If English is your first language, you have a lot of advantages in learning this language as both languages have Latin roots. You will however face several challenges, in particular learning how to conjugate the verbs and to pronounce sounds you've never used before like the 'rolling r'. Nevertheless, the effort is well worth it as you'll discover the culture of peoples that are known for their love of life and their warm, outgoing manner. This language page is designed to give you a few useful guidelines and tips to get you started, and provides recommendations on which language resources can complement your learning. You'll find which audio lessons to use, software that immerses you in the language, the best dictionaries, exercise books and much, much more... Language SynopsisAlso known as Castilian, Spanish is a Latin-derived Romance language that originated in northern Spain. From there it gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, and subsequently evolved into the principal language of government and trade. During the 15 to 19th Centuries the language was taken to Africa, the Americas and Asia, as Spain built up its huge empire. Today, the it is an official language of Spain, most South American countries, and Equatorial Guinea in Africa; 21 countries speak it as their main language. With between 322 and 400 million native speakers across the globe, it is the world's second most-spoken language by native speakers. Estimates suggest that the combined total of native and non-native speakers is about 500 million, making it the 3rd most spoken language on earth. Below you see a map showing all the areas in the world where Spanish is found to be spoken. The light blue areas indicate countries where it is spoken as a second language. 
Did you know? 1. Most English words that end in "tion" are the same in Spanish, but end in "ción". Some example are "información", "educación", "migración", "explicación". One noteable exception to the above rule is translation, which is "traducción". With any words that begin in "s" in English, add an "e" to the beginning of the corresponding Spanish word. e.g. station becomes "estación". Without trying you now know hundreds of Spanish words! 2. In written Spanish questions begin with an upside-down question mark, and end with a normal question mark. e.g. ¿donde está mi amigo? - where is my friend? The same happens with exclamations e.g. ¡me encanta! - I love it! 3. Spanish is a phonetic language - that means words are spelt the way they sound. There are no spelling irregularities. Once you know the rules, you can rest assured that if you hear a word, you'll be able to spell it. Useful Phrases: hello - hola how are you? - ¿como estás? fine thanks - bien gracias nice to meet you - encantado/un gusto conocerte/un placer what's your name? ¿como te llamas? my name is Miguel - me llamo Miguel thank you - gracias you're welcome - de nada I'm sorry - lo siento/perdoname where is...? - ¿donde está ...? what time is it? - ¿qué hora es? Alphabet: The alphabet (abecedario) is almost the same as the English alphabet with a few additional letters, and the exception of "w". a, b, c, ch, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, ll, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, x, y, z ch - pronounced just like "ch" in English - as in "chops" ll - prounouced like the "j" in "jumper" ñ - pronounced like the "ni" in "onions" Learn Live OnlineInternet Freebies: Live Mocha is a fantastic site where you can practise speaking the language with others. The best bit about it is that it's free! Hispanic Culture CornerCultural Quirks: Quirks may depend on which country or which continent the Spanish speaker comes from. Generally though, a Spanish greeting is two kisses on the face, or a hug... as it is a very warm and people-oriented culture. Spanish speakers usually speak alot with their hands or use big, expressive gestures and facial expressions. They love their food! So be prepared to eat your heart out. If you've never had Spanish food before, don't worry, you'll be in for a treat. National Dishes and Recipes: South American and Mexican food can tend to often be quite spicy, whereas Spanish (from Spain) food is rarely very "picante". Spain his its Paella (a rice and seafood dish) and tapas (delicious snacks that traditionally would be put on a tiny plate, on top of your beer glass to stop bugs from getting in the beer!). Peru has its Ceviche (a delicious raw fish dish, "cooked" in lemon juice), Argentina has its fresh beef, and Mexico has its spicy salsa and tacos! These are just a few of the famous dishes from some Spanish speaking countries. If you're looking for more inspiration within your own kitchen, try some of these cookbooks out: SPAIN Delicioso! The Regional Cooking of Spain CUBA SOUTH AMERICA MEXICO
Traditional Music and Dance: Again, this will vary greatly depending on what country we are talking about. In Spain you've got Flamenco, Sevillanas, Paso Doble. In South America you've got the Tango, and in Cuba or for example the Dominican Republic, you've got Salsa, Bachata or Merengue, to name a few. You can get a good taste of these watching: Learn to Dance in Minutes: Salsa & Merengue Below you can see some of our favorite music clips, from all of the aforementioned genres, plus some classic ballads and great pop songs. Enjoy!
Help Others Live & LearnHave you had the experience of learning Spanish? If so we'd love to hear about your experiences. Which resources and tools did you find useful, and why? Which weren't that great? Please e-mail us your findings using the form below. By sharing our experiences we can save fellow language learners time and money. In fact that is the mission of Live & Learn Languages!
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is the "Bible" of Mexican cooking, with absolutely every recipe you would ever want, interwoven with historical tidbits, making it a culturally enriching experience as you make your way through the book.
