first lesson
 

Cricketman said in an earlier post that his first lesson in Spanish was to pronounce vowel sounds. I am interested to know what was your first lesson and was it helpful.

My first lesson was don't try to reason why any preposition is used, just follow the natives because that's how they say it.

The same with English I suppose

Re: first lesson
 

Can't remember, it was so long ago and as it turned out, I knew more than just about everyone else in the class despite never having had a lesson. Just picked up stuff from my mum!
As to more recently, well our spanish class is conducted 100% in Spanish (machine gun andaluz in the case of our lovely teacher Ana!) so the first lesson was 'pin back your lugholes it's going to be a stormy ride!!!'

Re: first lesson
 

when I started to learn Spanish the course had already been running 4.5 hours a week for 4 months (I wasn't even living here when the course started) so I had a lot of catching up to do


the most important thing I took away from that lesson was that listening carefully is at least half the battle

now that I'm teaching Spanish, the first lesson does indeed include quite some time just repeating the vowel sounds!!

if you get that right you are well on the way to clear pronunciation:D

Re: first lesson
 

Unlike the verbs, I think the fact that vowels are always pronounced the same way in Spanish is one of the easier things to learn. Imagine what it must be like for a Spaniard trying to learn English! I have had problems in a couple of intercambios trying to explain to my partner why words that contain the same vowels can be pronounced in two or three different ways.

I've been trying to remember what we did in my first lesson, I think it was a mixture of learning a few basic phrases like "me llamo", "soy inglesa" and so on, and beginning to learn the present tense of a couple of verbs. There were only 4 of us in the class, two couples, and one of the men (not my OH!) learned the "me llamo" bit OK but for weeks afterwards, whatever question the teacher asked him got the same answer, "me llamo Anthony"! I think he was banking on the fact that based on the law of averages he was bound to get it right some time, bless him!

Re: first lesson
 

My first Spanish lesson was in Loughton, Essex, long ago. The Spanish lady kept banging on about learning the alphabet but nobody listened, we all wanted to know how to order a coffee or a beer.

I then had Spanish lessons in Estepona, Calpe, Denia and Benidorm. I could order a coffee by then and eventually it sank in that the Spanish alphabet was important. So are verbs and tenses, but without the alphabet they're of no use.

I don't want to put anyone off, but it took me years. It finally clicked when I only watched Spanish TV and only listened to Spanish radio, and spoke to Spanish people.

And listened. And married an interpreter, I nearly forgot that one.

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The OH and me are in the early stages of trying to teach ourselves Spanish. I am further advanced in the written form. However when we are in Spain I am not often understood. I often have to tell the OH what to say who then repeats it when it is then understood although to me it does not sound much different.
It's because she has much better pronounciation, so to me that must be the part to learn early.
I just cannot get to grips with some Spanish sounds and any tips would be appreciated.

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Give us an example of a phrase that hasn't been understood when spoken by you but is when spoken by your OH (interestingly, this may pertain to my thread on different English accents?!!).

Re: first lesson
 

It's usually the b/v sound and rrrs.( I just cannot roll them.) I do have a strong London (cockney) accent.

Re: first lesson
 

My first lesson was to keep at it, as for one reason or another I stopped going to Lynnxa for lessons some time back. If you don't keep it up, you forget things easily .... especially at my age. :D

Re: first lesson
 

my timetables pretty chocabloc atm...............but I might be able to fit you into one of my groups ;)

Re: first lesson
 

I have the same problem, I can't yet think in Spanish so everything has to be translated in my head first and then because my reply is delayed I tend to try and deliver the sentence or whatever quickly. Why am I not understood, because I leave out the odd 'se' 'le' 'lo' etc. And fear, I mumble because I lack the confidence and hope the listener will not notice. Pronunciation is vital to learn.

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Now this really is an interesting first Spanish lesson. lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fda4_wo6JI

Re: first lesson
 

Brilliant, wish she was my teacher

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I think the most difficult sound for the -British is the "cafe con leche" vowel sound.

It is said as ca-fay con lech-ay.

The ay sound at the end of cafe, pate, was one that was difficult for me to say in English. we sort of leave it dangling in the air so to speak with a soft "e" sound.

Re: first lesson
 

I can't say that I ever found ordering un "con leche" difficult. There again, some Brits never managed to pronounce "plaza" or "San Miguel" correctly. For me it tends to be the longer words with 3 or more syllables, like Valladolid, or alzahar, that I have to work on.:blink:

Re: first lesson
 

Mahou ... :D

Re: first lesson
 

I have trouble with the rolling 'rrr' as well, even though a native andaluz tried to teach me, I just can't do it.

We have a small town near us, named Ugijar, I hadn't a clue how to pronounce it when we first arrived.

Listened to the natives and finally got it: Ug-I-kar. (accent on the I).

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A lot of expats, and there are a lot of them, can't pronounce the name of the town they live in: Torrevieja. It has it all, the double R, the V, the J, and the emphasis is on the last syllable.

Re: first lesson
 

that's a horrid one

I know how you're meant to say it, of course, but I've heard it mis-pronounced far more often than pronounced correctly, which means my ear & brain tend to scramble it




so whenever I want to say it, it comes out San Miguel ;)

Re: first lesson
 

:confused:

surely not

Re: first lesson
 

Yes, it's written Ugíjar, so naturally the stress falls on the "I". Friends of ours have a place in Otívar, and that suffers the same, I've heard the "O" and the "VAR" stressed, but rarely the "í", except by locals of course.;). My brother pronounces Vejer something like Vecker.

Re: first lesson
 

This is from a Spanish-English webpage, with suggested pronunciations, some sound weird to me!
surprise (serpráids) - sorpresa; extrañar;
exactly (igdsǽktli) - exactamente
happen (jǽpən) - pasar; suceder; suceder
harry (jéri) - asolar; acosar; hostigar
manage (mǽnədch) - lograr; administrar;
used (yúdsd) - acostumbrado; usado
advantage (ædvǽntidch) - ventaja

Re: first lesson
 

Torrevieja ..... agree with Lynn. Slight emphasis on the 2nd bit of the dipthong, I'd have thought...??

Ugijar (can't figure how to put a tilde)...
scampicat described the local pronunciation as 'Ug-I-kar. (accent on the I)'.
Accent I understand, cos of the tilde. I'd have assumed it would be 'ooheeja' for want of a better English way of describing it:D
But then of course places have different pronunciations, as we all know. My late aunt's home village of Calonge - initially I always said calonhe.... but figured after a few times hearing her say calonshe that of course we're in Catalunya!!!
......is there an accepted way of expressing in 'english' lettering how the j tends to be pronounced? cos h obviously is fractionally too soft, k too hard. :confused:

Re: first lesson
 

Most Brits do pronounce it this way until they listen to the locals.

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So oo-gee-kha? with a hard g? blimey!!

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How about Almegijar? (Tilde on the i)

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These are mountain people in the rural wilds of Andalucia, remember.:)

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Not fair. Going to sulk:p



Al-me-gee-kha (guessing hard g again but no doubt wrong). Emphasis on the gee syllable.:fingerscrossed:


...so are Colmenarenos;)

Re: first lesson
 

Sorry, I edited my post to say there was a Tilde on the I.

You are correct : Al-me-GEE-kha. Looked unpronounceable to me when I first saw it!

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Have heard Brits who live in Fuengirola call FuengArola. Or usually Fuengy! The LL in marbella is ignored by lots. Miguel is often pronounced as MigWell. There seems to be a few who live in Friggy:rofl:

Re: first lesson
 

I'll no doubt get flack again for being intolerant but when advertisers can't be &rsed to get the voiceover actors to pronounce placenames correctly... notably Fuengirola, which more often than not is Fwengyroller..... grump grump:rolleyes:

(on Spectrum, which we listen to when OH is in the car.... 9yo and I flick between M80 and Cadena100!!!!)

mind you, though I thought I understood the umlaut (not) rule of pronouncing the u, I got thoroughly confused when checking words I thought I knew and the dictionary did NOT make it clear. grump more grump.:rofl:

Re: first lesson
 

Theres a town down the road called Piles. You just know how Brits around here pronounce it dont you.

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What a bum place to live.;)

Torrevieja is pronounced torrey-veck-ee-a.

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:lol:

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:)

So tell me how you think a Spaniard would pronounce that wonderful Welsh town ...... Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch

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Easy...........

Iwould say..........Aw F**k it!!!!!:rofl: but I cant speak for the rest of us.

BTW did you copy and paste, or do you know how to spell it?

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I have never known a spaniard call an accent a tilde, although it is correct, only acento. Even if they spell a word on the phone.

Re: first lesson
 

Well yes.... you start getting into our weirdly pronounced British words/place names it's a whole nother thread:rofl:
*puffs up with pride at the restraint not starting a list*:rofl:


Ref tilde.... maybe it's something only teachers do? Ours certainly does and another friend (who happens to be a teacher!) does....

Re: first lesson
 

I always thought tilde was the dash above the n, as in Niño. It came as a small surprise here to find out it describes all accents.

Re: first lesson
 

Is that the Aussie sheila that is alway waltzing around?:rofl:

Waltzin me Tilde....