If you’d like to say the word “some” in Spanish, you’d generally use either the pronoun “algunos” (masculine) or “algunas” (feminine). Using the adjectival form of “some” instead? Then you might say “algún.” That said, there are both synonyms and idiomatic ways to express the concept of “some,” so choosing the right version can be highly context-dependent.
Getting a grip on the various nuances of Spanish can definitely be overwhelming to new learners. Fortunately, feeling comfortable with the language comes pretty naturally as you pick up the basics, especially for those who already speak a related language like French, English, or Italian. Like Spanish, these languages come directly from Latin or have been profoundly influenced by it. This is exactly why you’ll find English words like “lesson” that look and sound remarkably similar in French (leçon), Italian (lezione), and Spanish (lección). In addition to thousands of similar words, you will find that Spanish has a simple and clear system of pronunciation—thankfully different from the English system, where spelling and pronunciation often follow wildly inconsistent rules.
Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion® methodology teaches you the language, not just the words. What makes it 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 situations with ease and confidence.
Learn Spanish Words and Phrases
Quite often, people choose to learn Spanish because they encounter the language in their everyday life. This comes as no surprise, as Spanish is spoken throughout the United States and it often appears in movies, music, TV, and restaurant fare. Other individuals decide to learn Spanish because of plans to do business, vacation, or volunteer in one of the 20 countries around the world in which Spanish is the official language. Regardless of whether you’ve decided to learn Spanish for reasons of business, travel, or everyday life, you can get off to a great start by learning commonly used Spanish words and how to pronounce them. By focusing on this first, you will develop the ability to understand how Spanish is spoken and written in everyday situations—by the estimated 437 million Spanish speakers worldwide.
Many times, new language learners get bogged down and spend time and energy trying to memorize long lists of Spanish vocabulary. This leads to frustration when they find that they are unable to participate in everyday, real-world Spanish conversations. That’s why it’s very important to put priority on learning to understand and properly pronounce commonly used Spanish words and phrases. This approach to learning will allow you to quickly develop the confidence to engage in conversation with locals.
It’s worth noting that Spanish has some unique pronunciation characteristics that can make learning proper pronunciation of some words a bit of a challenge for new language learners. As one recognizable example, the Spanish letter r is pronounced differently than its counterpart in English, and will take practice for most new learners to properly pronounce. The distinct sound of the Spanish r is made by tapping the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, just about a third of the way back in your mouth. As a tip,some language experts suggest that new Spanish learners practice making the English “tt” sound, as heard in the spoken English word butter.
Building the skills to properly pronounce Spanish requires immediate and precise feedback on your pronunciation efforts. This timely and specific feedback will allow you to make corrections to your pronunciation. From there, you can practice speaking.
Rosetta Stone helps you get the pronunciation right in a snap with TruAccent. This patented speech engine compares your voice to native and non-native speakers—in real-time—so you get the feedback you need for the most accurate pronunciation. It’s also adjustable, which allows you to tweak your accent as needed. The TruAccent™ speech-recognition engine is a powerful tool for helping you learn and speak the Spanish language.
After you have acquired basic, commonly used Spanish words, short phrases, and their pronunciation, you will be able to move onto learning the longer Spanish phrases that make up so much of everyday, real-world Spanish conversation. Each of Rosetta Stone’s 10-minute language lessons are designed to help you learn in precisely this way—first focusing on the basics, then moving onto longer phrases and always emphasizing proper pronunciation. Rosetta Stone language lessons help you acquire the skills to comfortably and confidently understand and speak Spanish.
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.
