There are two common ways to say “hear” in Spanish. You can use the verb “oír,” or the verb “escuchar.” How do you know when to use what? The verb “oír” means that you have registered a sound through your ear, whereas “escuchar” refers to paying attention to what a sound (or what someone is saying) means. Here are a few examples that will help you understand the difference:
- Mi padre no puede oír de su oído derecho. = My dad can’t hear out of his right ear.
- No puedo oír la televisión. = I can’t hear the television.
- Hablar menos y escuchar más. = Talk less and listen more.
- Se puso triste al escuchar las trágicas noticias. = She was sad when she heard the tragic news.
Although Spanish can seem complicated at the start, remember that you don’t have to tackle it all at once. Even with a verb like “hear,” getting a handle on “oír” will allow you to communicate in most circumstances. As you progress on your learning journey, you can slowly incorporate other words with more specific meanings.
Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion® methodology teaches you how to speak the language, not just memorize words. What makes it so effective is that we prepare you to use your new language in your everyday life. So it’s not just about the features, but what you’re able to do because of them. That way, you’ll be ready to handle any situation with ease and confidence.
Learn Spanish Words and Phrases
Often, people want to learn Spanish because they frequently encounter the language in their everyday lives. After all, Spanish pops up regularly in popular TV shows, movies, and music. Other people choose to learn Spanish because of plans to volunteer, work, or vacation in any of the 20 countries around the world where Spanish is the official language. No matter your reason for deciding to learn Spanish, you can get off to a great start by first learning how to pronounce some very basic words and phrases. It is a necessary step to understand and be understood by any of the 437 million people around the world who speak Spanish.
New learners sometimes get sidetracked trying to memorize lengthy lists of Spanish vocabulary words and phrases. This time-consuming effort can lead to the undesired outcome of having minimal ability to participate in real-world conversation. That’s why it’s strongly advised that new Spanish language learners focus first on understanding and pronouncing basic words and phrases. This smart and practical approach to learning Spanish will help you become a confident and comfortable Spanish speaker.
It’s worth noting that Spanish does have some pronunciation distinctions that can make it a challenge 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 suggest new learners practice making the “tt” sound, as it sounds in the English word butter.
Developing the skills to accurately pronounce Spanish requires immediate feedback on your pronunciation efforts. Rosetta Stone helps you dial in your pronunciation with our TruAccent™ speech-recognition engine. Our patented technology compares your voice to native and non-native speakers in real-time, so you get immediate feedback for the most accurate pronunciation. It’s also adjustable, which allows you to tweak your accent as needed. TruAccent is a powerful tool for helping you learn and speak the Spanish language.
After you have developed the ability to pronounce basic Spanish words and short phrases, you can move onto learning the longer phrases that make up much of everyday conversation. Rosetta Stone’s digestible, 10-minute language lessons are designed to lead you along this natural path to learning. With our language lessons, you’ll first focus on learning basic words and phrases, then you’ll move onto learning longer phrases, and then towards learning to understand and speak Spanish with confidence.
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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.
