If you want to say “from” in Spanish, you may want to say “desde.” However, since it’s a preposition, there are some other variations of “from” that are idiomatic and indispensable for certain situations, including “de,” “a partir de,” “de parte de,” and “al lado de.” It will all depend on the context of what you’re trying to express.
For all the difficulties with Spanish prepositions, it’s not any more complicated than most other languages—especially when you already speak French, English, Italian, or have had significant exposure to the basics of Spanish itself. When any two languages come from the same root or language family, they tend to have many words in common (cognates) or have a profound degree of similarity because they are directly linked to a single earlier root language. Spanish comes directly from Latin, as do French and Italian—even English has close, if not direct, ties.
That is why you’ll find English words like “family” that look almost identical and sound remarkably similar in French (famille), Italian (famiglia), and Spanish (familia).
Beyond the obvious spelling and vocabulary similarities, you’ll find that Spanish has a fairly straightforward system of pronunciation. Unlike English, there are only a few well-known irregularities. The standard Spanish alphabet is also an almost exact match with English. In fact, there are only three more letters you’ll have to add in: ch (chay), ll (elle), and ñ (eñe).
What makes Rosetta Stone effective is that we prepare you to use your new language in your real world. You’ll learn the language, not just the words, with our immersive approach. So it’s not just about the features, but what you’re able to do because of them. You’ll be ready to handle any situation with ease and confidence.
Learn Spanish Words and Phrases
People decide to learn Spanish for any number of different reasons. Some people choose to learn Spanish because the language is prominent in much of our most popular music and restaurant fare. Others learn Spanish because they are planning to visit or work in one of the 20 countries around the globe in which Spanish is the official language. Whether it’s for leisure travel, employment or interest, you can get off to a great start by familiarizing yourself with some of the most commonly used Spanish words and phrases. Learning these basic Spanish words and phrases is important, because learning grammar alone won’t help you to understand how the language is used by the estimated 437 million Spanish speakers around the world.
Focusing on proper pronunciation before working on extensive vocabulary acquisition is the key to learning to speak Spanish with confidence. Often, beginning language learners get caught up in trying to master long lists of words or phrases, yet, find themselves unable to understand or be understood in actual Spanish conversations. Rosetta Stone provides you with the right building blocks, carefully sequencing lessons to build on each other. This approach, putting pronunciation ahead of memorization of words, will go a long way towards helping you feel confident and comfortable engaging with locals.
It’s important to note that Spanish does have some unique pronunciation distinctions that can make it challenging for language learners. As one example, the letter r is pronounced differently and takes some practice for most new learners. This distinct sound is formed by tapping the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth, about a third of the way back in the mouth. Some Spanish language experts counsel new Spanish learners to practice making the “tt” sound, as it sounds in the English word butter.
Developing proper pronunciation requires that you get immediate and precise feedback on your efforts. Feedback will help you to make any needed corrections to your pronunciation. Then you’ll want to practice, so you develop the ability to readily shape the sounds that make up the Spanish language. Rosetta Stone integrates our patented speech-recognition engine, known as TruAccent, into every language lesson. TruAccent works by providing real-time feedback of spoken words with pronunciation and cadence scoring (so you can practice your pronunciation and accent). It was developed by scanning and integrating the speech of native and non-native Spanish speakers, and can be a very powerful tool in helping you learn to speak and understand Spanish.
Once you can understand and pronounce the basic words and short phrases of Spanish, it’s a natural transition to move on to learning the longer phrases that are the backbone of everyday conversations. Rosetta Stone’s brief, 10-minute lessons are structured to help you learn in exactly this way, focusing first on conversational basics and pronunciation and then moving onto vocabulary acquisition in context with real-world situations. Rosetta Stone’s proven approach to language learning will help you to become a comfortable and confident Spanish speaker.
Try Our Award-Winning App
Surround yourself with Spanish whenever, wherever with the Rosetta Stone app.
Download a unit and knock it out on the train or a flight. Select a 5-10 minute lesson and sneak it in while you wait in line or for your ride to show up. And explore dynamic features, like Seek and Speak, where you can point at an object in the real world and get a translation.
The best part? You don’t have to choose between app or desktop. Both come with your subscription and sync, so you can switch between devices seamlessly.
