| Welcome
to Vol. 18 of the Spanish Online Newsletter! Spanish lessons with
audio links, as well as Spanish speaking cities and more. As many
of you know I've been extremely busy this week finishing up the
production of the Learn
Spanish Verbs Fast! audio program (for those who pre-ordered
it, I estimate shipping out the first copies this Saturday...) Producing
an audio book is a lot of fun but also a lot of work! I hope to
find the time to write more grammar lessons for the weekly newsletter
when I get back from vacation the week after next. In the meantime
I thought you all might enjoy a short email written by Spanish student
Keith Linn, who was kind enough to share some of his experiences
with me.
Immersion
Experience in Costa Rica - by Keith Linn
Well, I'm
back from Costa Rica and needless to say it was wonderful. The phrases
that I've practiced were well understood by the locals, but when
they would reply, I was lost. I'm 47 years old and they say that
it is muy difícil for people to learn a language
once they get out of their teens. My sister actually used to teach
Spanish...and she said that the brain is like soft plastic with
regards to learning a language up to about 13 years of age, but
that the plastic hardens with age and it's hard for the brain to
absorb the necessary skills to learn and speak another language.
This only discourages me slightly, but I can see the truth in it.
I would [like to] move to Costa Rica and then I know I'd learn how
to speak the language, but that's just a dream. I'll keep hacking
away at it and hopefully someday there will some type of break through.
I have to now start working on my verbs. I've spent too much time
on learning phrases.
Something interesting:
In Costa Rica they never say "de nada" for you're welcome,
they say "con mucho gusto." Also unique to Costa Rica
if one of the locals would say "Hola" to another local
they would likely reply "Tuanis" which kinda just means
a lot of good things. It was hard for them to explain to me just
what exactly it means. One of the waiters at a restaurant explained
how it evolved from different words... The also might reply "Pura
vida" to "Hola" which is something they have on their
T-shirts that they sell to tourists, and they do use it colloquially
as well as Tuanis.
Go
to Spanish Online Learning Menu
|
