Let´s not forget, I´m also here to learn Spanish! The classes have been great, and tough at times. There are usually 5 to 8 people in the class. This photo was from my first week of class and most of us were together in the same class for 3 weeks. The classes are entirely in Spanish so I always get a bit stressed when asked a question or given an assignment, never sure if I´m understanding everything. I have several classmates from Brazil, so with their Portuguese background, understanding Spanish is quite easy for them. So unfair!
Learning Spanish is hard work. I guess I thought it would just magically become part of my language, my understanding....uh...not quite. And, can I just say this language has too many verbs, tenses, conjugations, etc. for different reasons in the past. For instance, if you want to talk about something that happened this morning, but the day is not over, then there´s a verb tense for that. If you want to talk about something some time ago in the past, there´s a verb tense. If, for instance, you´re talking about something that you were doing in the past, and perhaps were interrupted by your dog barking, but it did not cause you to stop what you were doing...guess what...there´s a verb tense! People please! Help me out! Enough is enough! :o)
In just three weeks I think I´ve learned more than I did in my whole high school career. It´s been good, but sometimes I just want to talk in English! That´s why I loved my German friends who spoke perfect English. Though the school is quite international, there are not a lot of folks from the U.S. People ask me why that is and I´m not sure. Thoughts? Part of me thinks perhaps because we don´t feel it´s as necessary to learn another language considering most people from other countries learn English, i.e. my German buddies started learning English in 5th grade with songs like ´´Old McDonald had a farm...´´ Ha! I met one fellow American my second week and then last week a New YAWKer was in my class. YAY! We hit it off, but she´s only here two weeks. We, Americans, are definitely the minority.
I think with four hours of classes Monday through Friday it´s no wonder that I´ve been dreaming in Spanish. Mind you, I´m not having my regular dreams in Spanish. No, that would be nice. Instead I dream about conjugating verbs, but I think sometimes I may even make up verbs that don´t even exist. Quite an experience!
2 comments:
You're cracking me up with the verb tense stuff. Good question about why there aren't more Americans there--I think you hit on the head....why should we learn any other language? We already know the "best" language--English of course! I was going to say that it's a lot easier for Europeans to travel to Spain for something like that, but then you mention people coming from Brazil and that blows that theory.
I'm enjoying your blog!!!!
xoxo,
val
Hey there! I like what you've posted on your blog. The picture of the churreria brings back memories -- it's also quite possible that I've been to that one. I'm not sure, it's been a long time since I was in Barcelona.
One little thing about the verb tenses and Spanish: we have just as many in English (if not more), it's just that since we learned English by speaking it, we are unaware of exactly what the grammatical structure of our language is. Most Spaniards could not tell you the name of a tense and what it is used for if their lives depended on it-- mostly because their lives have never depended on it (or their advancement at work, life, etc. They need to use the language correctly but they don't need to know the details of how it works. Something either sounds right or it doesn't, but most don't know why) We feel like Spanish is crazy with all of its tenses used for very specific things, when we have very similar differences in English. For an example, check out this website http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/types.html
That particular page has on the main part a listing of "types" of English verbs (which I never really thought about: English verbs having types), and then on the left navigation panel it lists the several tenses in English, with links to each. It gives me a HUGE appreciation for people that have learned English, because as confusing as Spanish is, I think English has it beat in the "whaaa?" category? :) Trying to explain to someone learning English why the verb "look" in "Nancy looks tired" doesn't have the same meaning as in the sentence "Nancy is looking at a picture." Or explaining the difference in meaning between "I didn't see her" and "I haven't seen her." (although in Spanish that difference also translates to two of the tenses, so once you learn those you'll be able to express that difference).
I tell my students that grammar can be confusing, and make you wonder why things have to be so complicated, but it also allows you to say what you mean. Language is a subtle, nuanced, thing, and the English language is full of those subtleties and nuances, as is Spanish, so the only way to express all your thoughts, desires, and irritations is to study the nuances and try to absorb them. The great thing is that once you learn one Romance language (the languages that are derived from Latin),the other ones are super easy to learn, as your Portuguese-speaking Brazilian colleagues have shown you. Enjoy the experience! And wrap your head around the grammar -- it's worth it!! :) (okay, I'm biased, 'cause I'm a Spanish teacher, and all language teachers love grammar, because knowing how to manipulate it allows you to say and do the coolest things with language.)
Erika
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