Re: Spanish in a british accent
 

Have you never noticed that you can usually tell the nationality of the person who taught a foreign national English, they often have a distinct UK or US accent.

Had a colleague in the UK who regularly spoke to our German techs and swore blind they understood him better when he spoke English with a German accent.

Jim

Re: Spanish in a british accent
 

absolutely

a guy on the counter in one of the banks here went to live in Ireland to learn english - he has a really strong Dublin accent

and there are columbian twins in my dd's class who went to one of the International schools for a few years - their infant teacher had a strong welsh accent - and so do they!

Re: Spanish in a british accent
 

My wife is totally fluent and works as an interpreter, and has lived longer in Spain than her native London. She learnt her Spanish as a young woman in Catalunia, long before she met me, but when we met, I already knew some Spanish too, but asked her to teach me more.

The first and only lesson didn't last long. She pronounces no mas as no moss and I try to correct her by saying no maas, which then leads to a bout of Catalan swear words. My little secret to learn the language was to leave the TV or radio on for most of the time, in Spanish, it's on now, they're blabbing on about the crisis economica, what else.

Re: Spanish in a british accent
 

7yo's new form teacher is Scottish, broad accent - I guess all his Spanish classmates will be speaking Scottish English:huh:

Re: Spanish in a british accent
 

it really does help to just have spanish blabbing away in the background, doesn't it?

Re: Spanish in a british accent
 

It's a real bu**er I can't pick up terrestrial tv; 7yo would benefit, so would I, OH might pick up a few words to add to his relatively limited repertoire:p

Re: Spanish in a british accent
 

For me the King of embarrasing accents when speaking in Spanish has to be that idiot you hear on the radio "inglés con mil palabras". Cringe, cringe, cringe.

If you want to listen to him he has even put a little video on his website so you can hear him. The guy has no shame! Fortunately he isn't British though.

http://www.ingles-mil-palabras.com/

Re: Spanish in a british accent
 

oh boy:rolleyes:

Re: Spanish in a british accent
 

why cant I say that??? well it sounds alright to me, but when I say it to the kids they just mock me!!!!!! :(:blink:

Jo xxx

Re: Spanish in a british accent
 

I used to teach courses from all over the UK and in one of them I had a student from the North of Scotland who had an extremely broad accent, so much so, that it took me over a day to tune into him so that I could answer his questions without asking him to repeat them, after which time I had no problems. It may well be that you are right - only jesting.


Jim

Re: Spanish in a british accent
 

can you manage 'hijo'?


a lot of my students really struggle with that one, too:lol:

Re: Spanish in a british accent
 

how did you guess??? No I'm useless with that one too, I always feel like I need a spittoon afterwards :eek: !!!!

Jo x

Re: Spanish in a british accent
 

one of my ladies said eeyore (like the donkey) for a while - gradually it became a really good ee-ho

Re: Spanish in a british accent
 

I tend to say eco, as in eco-friendly!!! Kids correct me, ecO not ec-oh!

Jo xxx

Re: Spanish in a british accent
 

Whilst out with some girlfriends recently we came up with a new 'drinking' game to have fun practising our Spanish.

The rules are simple. Try to devise really simple English phrases, that the others can't say in Spanish, especially after the second glass! You soon come out with really silly things like "My nervous new boyfriend is never cloud number nine".

It needs a group in order to keep the phrases coming, but it's great mental exercise, and very funny when something so simple as "My son Rico said..." can't be said whilst keeping a straight face :)