WHEN YOU SEE THE 'NEW' FLASHING - YOU'LL HAVE A NEW WORD FOR THE DAY OR OTHER RELATED PRONUNCIATION INFO
* If anyone has a favorite site for learning Spanish, let me know and I'll put it here on this first posting so we'll all know where some of the info is.
Within time I'll post a pronunciation chart. Remember that Latin American Spanish is taught in our schools and spoken in the U.S. whereas the true Castillian Spanish from Spain has a diffferent verb form which I'll show you here later.
A a B be grande C se CH che D de E e F efe G ge H hache I i J jota K ka L ele LL elle M eme N ene Ñ enye O o P pe Q cu R ere RR erre S ese T te U u V be chica W doble be X equis Y i griega Z zeta
Problem letters for English speakers: B & V sound the same, not "b" or "v" C & Z sometimes sound the same, like "s" D always like "th" in "they" G & J sometimes sound the same, like "h" H always always always silent LL & Y sound the same, "y" sound Ñ needs "nyah-nyah" effect P not so much air !!! R & RR say "dddd" as fast as you can T always like "th" in "think" X sometimes "sh" - or "h" - or "x"
Note that the "ch," "ll," and "rr" are named as single letters. _____________________________________________
5 Ways Spanish is Different From English/Save Time By Knowing The Differences Between Spanish And English
1 - Nouns Have Gender - Masculine And Feminine English doesn't have a concept of noun gender but Spanish is one of the languages that do. Just as there are male and female people there are actually male and female nouns in Spanish. Spanish nouns usually have a different ending letter to show male or female - most often o for masculine nouns and a for feminine nouns. Here's an article on nouns that goes into more detail about Masculine and Feminine Spanish Nouns
2 - Special Spanish Characters While most of the Spanish alphabet looks like English, there are several special Spanish characters you need to be aware of. Usually the letters are the same and just have an accent mark of some sort on top. Here is a lesson that not only teaches you about the special Spanish characters but also shows you how to enter those special characters on your computer keyboard. This article talks about the Spanish alphabet and explains some differences between the Spanish and English alphabet.
3 - Different Sounds To Be Made Spanish actually has a letter of the Spanish alphabet called rr. This is a double r and it has the rolling r sound that you hear when Spanish is spoken. This is a sound that speakers of English aren't required to produce. It can take some work to learn to make the rolling r sound. The best way to learn and practice this unique sound is to listen to native Spanish speakers making this sound and imitate them. You can practice making this rr sound if you listen to the phrases here with audio recorded by a native Spanish speaker.
4 - Noun, Adjectives, Must Agree in Gender and Plural In English we say the day is sunny and we say the days are sunny. In these two phrases notice that the verb changes from is to are when the subject/noun days becomes plural. But also notice that in English the adjective sunny remains unchanged. This isn't the case in Spanish.
In Spanish adjectives take on a plural form to match the nouns they describe. So the two phrases above in Spanish look like this: el dia esta soleado and in the plural form: los dias estan soleados. Most Spanish adjectives take their plural form by adding an s at the end. You can find out more about Spanish adjectives here.
5 - Word Order and Sentence Structure Can Be Different Adjectives usually follow nouns in Spanish sentence structure. This is the reverse of English. So form the example sentences above instead of saying sunny day as is done in English, the Spanish would be dia soleado. Notice the order of the words is reversed.
Also, the simple sentence I give it to you gets changed around in Spanish. It becomes te lo doy which literally is to you - it - i give. This word order can seem quite different at first but after practice becomes second-nature.
_____________________________________________ nochebuena, noun: Christmas Eve
la cena de Nochebuena Christmas dinner
Most Latin American and Spanish families eat their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena, unlike families in the States or the UK, who usually eat their Christmas dinner on Christmas Day el dÃa de Navidad.
Traditional Latin American Christmas Eve celebrations also include going to Midnight Mass, la Misa del Gallo, named after the gallo, the rooster, that heralds the break of day.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: explora,
What a typical loony-liberal proposition from Explora...let's have Americans learn Spanish so as not to inconvenience the uneducated, illiterate hordes illegally trekking across our southern border. According to Explora, Spanish-speaking immigrants have no obligation to assimilate or integrate into American society.
Originally posted by explora: nochebuena, noun: Christmas Eve
la cena de Nochebuena Christmas dinner
Most Latin American and Spanish families eat their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena, unlike families in the States or the UK, who usually eat their Christmas dinner on Christmas Day el dÃa de Navidad.
Traditional Latin American Christmas Eve celebrations also include going to Midnight Mass, la Misa del Gallo, named after the gallo, the rooster, that heralds the break of day.
Hi Explora,
Thanks for sharing that - we have exactly the same traditions (in the Phil.) - Spanish traditions that remain till now. We also call it Noche Buena and Misa de Gallo.
It's a small world.
Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can.
Originally posted by explora: nochebuena, noun: Christmas Eve
la cena de Nochebuena Christmas dinner
Most Latin American and Spanish families eat their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena, unlike families in the States or the UK, who usually eat their Christmas dinner on Christmas Day el dÃa de Navidad.
Traditional Latin American Christmas Eve celebrations also include going to Midnight Mass, la Misa del Gallo, named after the gallo, the rooster, that heralds the break of day.
Explora.. Any chance of you explaining how the word is pronounced also ? just for the sake of us numbnuts!!
Jake01: That's a good request! Maybe I can or another OP, later find something on Spanish pronunciation. It's great because every letter is pronounced and no unecessary letters as in ingles (oops, english). If so, I'll post it at the beginning post. Or for that matter, if I find something on rolling the 'r' I'll add anything I find to the top. Give me a little time for that, okay? Thanks.
Sundevil, even though Spanish is very useful in this country and in fact a lot of big business actually pay more if you can speak it, what is wrong learning another language?
You know the fact is, most English speaking countries are too **** lazy and ignorant to want to learn another language because they expect everyone in the world to speak English.
If you are quite happy to never leave the USA and see the world or to educate yourself a bit more then so be it, but if others want to learn something, leave them be, they are not harming you or the USA by learning Spanish or any other language.
So childish
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- God Bless America - God Bless Immigrants - God Bless Poor Misguided Souls Too Mr S.U.
Nochebuena may mean Good Noel. Noche-Noel, buena-good. From Wikipedia Noel: Noel (or noël, sometimes spelled nowell for the English pronunciation) refers either to the Christmas celebration or a Christmas carol. The word comes from the French word Noël meaning "Christmas", from the Latin word natalis ("birth"). It may also be from the Gaulish words "noio" or "neu" meaning "new" and "helle" meaning "light" referring to the winter solstice when sunlight begins overtaking darkness.
If Noel means New-Novelle, then Nochebuena means a New Good, or also a New Light.
Thanks for sharing that - we have exactly the same traditions (in the Phil.) - Spanish traditions that remain till now. We also call it Noche Buena and Misa de Gallo.
It's a small world.
Mrs. B., but of course, 333 years of Spanish colonization should at least leave some distinctive marks in Philippine culture. But you may be amazed why of all the countries under centuries of Castilian tutelage, the Filipinos didn't adopt Spanish as a national language. It used to be taught in college before but it recently became just an elective subject. Aside from old Filipino words, or street names, towns, cities, or provinces, the Spanish language is practically dead nowadays. Well of course the Spaniards should also be credited for establishing on Philippine soil the Catholic religion (85% of Filipinos are Catholics), the University of Santo Tomas (one of the oldest universities in the world being founded in 1611), and the San Miguel Corporation (first brewery in SE Asia in 1890). The others are downsides, so to speak, like extravagant fiestas, siesta (or noontime nap), and feudal system in politics and economy. In 1898, the Americans came, and again in 1945, and the rest is history...
___________________________________________________________________ "The letter of the law is a sword that killeth; its intent is a spirit that giveth life."
Iperson, oh wow, don't go that deep. Noche means night or evening, while buena, you're right, means good. So literally, it just means Good Night! But Catholics, courtesy of old conquistadores (Spanish conquerors), made it take on its traditional candor of the December 24 festivities, normally towards late evening to midnight, characterized by sumptuous foods, drinks, fireworks, and family reunions.
___________________________________________________________________ "The letter of the law is a sword that killeth; its intent is a spirit that giveth life."
Sorry, but that's not something like a greeting. But rather it's an adjective-noun phrase. Well, sort of, because it's the reverse in Spanish, or a noun-adjective sequence. Example: casa blanca or white house.
___________________________________________________________________ "The letter of the law is a sword that killeth; its intent is a spirit that giveth life."
Originally posted by SunDevilUSA: What a typical loony-liberal proposition from Explora...let's have Americans learn Spanish so as not to inconvenience the uneducated, illiterate hordes illegally trekking across our southern border. According to Explora, Spanish-speaking immigrants have no obligation to assimilate or integrate into American society.
Might be helpful in case you go to Puerto Rico. It is the predominant language spoken.
"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence." John Adams on Defense of the boston Massacre
Thanks for sharing that - we have exactly the same traditions (in the Phil.) - Spanish traditions that remain till now. We also call it Noche Buena and Misa de Gallo.
It's a small world.
Mrs. B., but of course, 333 years of Spanish colonization should at least leave some distinctive marks in Philippine culture. But you may be amazed why of all the countries under centuries of Castilian tutelage, the Filipinos didn't adopt Spanish as a national language. It used to be taught in college before but it recently became just an elective subject. Aside from old Filipino words, or street names, towns, cities, or provinces, the Spanish language is practically dead nowadays. Well of course the Spaniards should also be credited for establishing on Philippine soil the Catholic religion (85% of Filipinos are Catholics), the University of Santo Tomas (one of the oldest universities in the world being founded in 1611), and the San Miguel Corporation (first brewery in SE Asia in 1890). The others are downsides, so to speak, like extravagant fiestas, siesta (or noontime nap), and feudal system in politics and economy. In 1898, the Americans came, and again in 1945, and the rest is history...
Hi Rough N.,
Hey, glad to hear from somebody so familiar with our history! Spanish was originally taught as a mandatory subject in colleges, then it became an elective subject. English is the second official language now. Most governmental memos are in English, court decisions, pleadings, etc., even some newspapers are in English. (American English - Proud USC's ancestors are the ones that brought the public school system to the Phil.)
I agree with ProudUSC, I also should have taken Spanish classes then had I known how important it is here.
Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can.
The king is el rey in Spanish and the queen is la reina but when they’re together, they’re los reyes. It may seem chauvinistic, but that’s just the way it is in Spanish.
Los reyes visitaron China. The king and queen visited China.
Another word like this is los padres parents, referring to el padre father and la madre mother together. Similarly, mis hermanos means my brothers or my brothers and sisters. El DÃa de Reyes falls on January 6th, the day of the Feast of the Epiphany. Much of the Spanish-speaking world exchanges Christmas presents on this date, not on Christmas Day. When children go to bed on the night of 5 January they leave their shoes outside their bedroom doors or by their windows for the Reyes Magos the Three Wise Men to leave presents beside. They may already have written letters to the Wise Men with a list of what they would like.
I was about to come here and ask for the word of the day, but you tricked me and edited the top lol
Great job Explora
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- God Bless America - God Bless Immigrants - God Bless Poor Misguided Souls Too Mr S.U.
Glad you like it. I think it's fun and it's easy to increase vocabulary this way by a word a day. As said, the 'flashing new sign' will alert viewers to where there's new info throughout the thread.
I did make a suggestion in the first post that if anyone has a favorite site for learning Spanish that I'd edit that post and include it in the list of links. There are several sites out there. And they're free!
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