Spanish Phrases
With over 437 million people around the world speaking Spanish, it makes sense that it is a popular new language to learn. A number of people make that decision based on travel plans or work in one of the twenty countries where Spanish is the official language. Or they hear it in their everyday lives in music, television shows, and movies and want to be more involved. No matter the reason, one of the ways to get off to a great start is by first learning how to pronounce some basic phrases.
If Spanish is new to you, it’s worth noting that there are some pronunciation distinctions that can make it a challenge. The letter ‘r’, for example, is pronounced differently and takes some practice. 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. Some new learners have success practicing making the “tt” sound, as it sounds in the English word “butter”.
One of the many advantages of using Rosetta Stone is its TruAccent® technology. This technology compares your voice to native speakers and issues you immediate corrections, based on the quality of your pronunciation. If you wish to speak like a local, TruAccent will be a valuable tool. Also, remember to practice each day, and you’ll build conversational confidence when speaking Spanish wherever you go.
Learning Common Spanish Phrases
When starting out, you may be tempted to simply focus on memorizing long lists of Spanish vocabulary words and phrases. However, memorizing vocabulary isn’t usually an effective way to learn Spanish . Instead, you should plan on first learning how to pronounce commonly used words and short phrases. This focus assumes your purpose for learning Spanish is not just vocabulary acquisition, but rather to develop the ability to comfortably and confidently understand and speak Spanish in real-world situations.
There are a handful of basic Spanish phrases that show up frequently in everyday conversations. By focusing on learning how to correctly pronounce these commonly used words and short phrases, you’ll be on your way. Here are some useful phrases and greetings:
- Me llamo … = My name is…
- ¿Cómo te llamas? = What’s your name?
- Mucho gusto = Nice to meet you
- ¿Cómo estás? = How are you?
- Estoy bien, gracias = I’m well thank you
- Buenos días = Good morning
- Buenas tardes = Good afternoon
- Buenas noches = Good evening
- ¿Dónde está el baño? = Excuse me. Where is the bathroom?
- ¿Qué hora es? = What time is it?
Rosetta Stone’s language-learning programs are designed to build confidence in both speaking and understanding Spanish. Rosetta Stone teaches you a skillset beyond vocabulary with an immersive approach combining learning vocabulary with real-world situations and building a greater contextual understanding of key Spanish phrases. Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion® method is designed to prepare you to adapt in new conversations by applying the context of what you already know to new words and phrases. This way, you’ll learn the language and build upon it with your own experiences.
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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.
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