Growing Hispanic population

The numbers read that over 400 million Spanish speakers are in the world. Therefore, Spanish is the fourth most commonly spoken language right under English, Chinese and Hindustani. Additionally, now that Hispanic commerce is booming in North America, it is important for business competitors all over the world to find some way to keep up.

Most people don’t know that over 91% of fortune 500 companies and forbes international 800 companies cannot meet the needs of people who speak a foreign language because they do not have the ability to respond correctly to a foreign language.

Since learning Spanish would increase the general ability to communicate with the large amount of immigrants that come into the country each year, some wonder if requiring Americans to learn Spanish would be the solution to keeping up with the increasing needs of the Hispanic culture.

There are two different sides to this issue. Some believe that Americans should learn Spanish because if Americans learn Spanish, they would mostly help themselves in the long run. When people learn Spanish, they are able to have a more competitive resume when they move into the work force. Such an edge in the job market would then allow Spanish learners to demand higher pay than other job searchers who can only speak English. Furthermore, if fortune 500 companies are not able to satisfy the needs of Spanish speakers, the Americans who learn Spanish will become like precious jewels among these types of companies.

Also, when people learn Spanish, they learn about another culture. Learning about other cultures decreases the likelihood of discrimination not only in relation to the Spanish culture, but other cultures in general. People will become more aware that other types of people exist, and that these people have needs and wants that may be different from their own. An increase in cultural awareness cannot help but be beneficial to the general mindset of Americans.

On the other hand, many people believe that since the amount of Hispanic immigrants is so large, Hispanics often get very comfortable when they come to the U.S., and often they don’t feel that they have to learn English. It is not rare for immigrants in the United States to either never learn English or remain in America for many years without even trying to learn the language.

It seems that if Americans were required to learn Spanish whether by their jobs or schools, Hispanic immigrants would find even greater comfort and feel that they do not have to learn English. Americans that learn Spanish would continue to experience all of the benefits of the language. However, Hispanics would experience many negatives.

A Hispanic living in the US who does not learn to speak English would experience a lack in the number of jobs they are eligible for. Therefore, such a person may experience high levels of unemployment or poverty and may only be able to obtain jobs that require manual labor. Other workers will be able to pick and choose where they would like to be employed.

With the increase in Hispanic businesses many companies may push their employees to learn Spanish. However, it does not look like it will be a requirement any time in the near future.

Spanish Job World

It’s a very good idea to learn Spanish in today’s world. When a person learns Spanish, they gain the ability to obtain a better cultural understanding. Learning Spanish also creates more job opportunities.

Many people of different cultural origins are constantly migrating to the United States, and the increase of people of Spanish speaking origin has created a lot of diversity in the country. However, with an increase of Spanish speaking people comes an increase in the amount of people who do not know English. Therefore, it is essential that many people entering the work world learn to speak Spanish.

When a person looking for a job knows two more languages, such as English and Spanish, he or she becomes more valuable to the job market. Only so many people can speak Spanish and English. Therefore, there is less competition.

Also, a person who has learned to speak Spanish can make an employers life much easier. For instance, some industries thrive on attracting all members of the community to buy their products, including those who don’t know English. For instance, an industry that needs to get all of the community buying its products is insurance. Everyone needs car insurance, health insurance, and life insurance. The only way to tell a person who only speaks Spanish about insurance is to speak Spanish. For this reason, many professionals who work in the insurance industry in the U.S are discovering that they need to learn Spanish themselves or employee someone who is willing to learn Spanish.

Furthermore, often people who work generally in sales need to learn some way to increase and enhance their communication abilities. Sales is all about communicating with people. The best way to communicate is to make sure that everyone is able to understand one’s message. For these reasons, many companies offer to pay for classes that might help one learn Spanish. These classes can be taken at night, and may be completed in about a year to two years.

Once a person has learned Spanish, and is able to bring their ability to their place of employment, many opportunities may open up. For instance, learning Spanish creates job opportunities in the medical and customer service related fields. Also, management may offer travel opportunities to employees who have learned to speak Spanish, and a person who has learned Spanish may find themselves getting promoted to positions that require them to use their new Spanish speaking skill. Employees could become ambassadors or key speakers at meetings.

To learn Spanish is to gain many opportunities in the world of work. In a nutshell, learning Spanish can be a way for a person to increase their income and likelihood of having constant opportunities for employment. With the right amount of tenacity and dedication, it can become easy to learn Spanish. It merely takes listening skills, attention to detail, patience, and diligence. These are all skills that can be transferred to the work environment and they can’t help but make a successful employee.

Learning basics of Spanish

It’s easy to learn Spanish if you begin with the basics. Just get down the simple verbs, some foods, and perhaps a few descriptive terms. Usually people learn Spanish by beginning to say the alphabet and rehearsing greetings such as “hello” and “goodnight,” but studying the facial features will allow you to have a bit of variety and spice as you learn Spanish.

A very fun basic to begin with while in the process of learning Spanish is the descriptions of the face. The face is recognized as the front part of the head. It includes the lips, nose, eyes, cheeks, eyebrows, nose, hair, teeth, lips, and chin.  The face functions as a tool of expression and identity, and people’s faces are the body part that is most commonly used to distinguish them. Often caricatures will overemphasize certain parts of the face in order to make them instantly recognizable to the people who may be familiar with those memorable features.

If you have a bit of trouble recalling names of others, you may want to become very familiar with the features of the face. The size of someone’s eyes let a mother know instantly which one of your children you are talking about.

It’s good to be able to speak about someone’s facial features in Spanish because if you meet someone in a Spanish-speaking country you may have to describe that person to another person who speaks Spanish. Also, describing people’s facial features in Spanish will help you to learn Spanish in a fun a creative way.

To begin with, if you meet someone who has a thin face, you would say “una cara delgada”. Translated into English, this means “She has a thin face.” If you meet someone who has a chubby face, you would say “una cara regordete.” If you meet someone you would like to describe as having had a face lift you would say un lifting or un “estiramiento facial.” If someone has wrinkles you would say “arugas.” If someone’s face is happy, you would say “una cara alegre.” If someone has a big nose you would say “una nariz grande.”  If someone has sunken eyes you would say “ojos hundidos.”  In the event that you meet someone with shifty eyes you would say “ojos furtivos.”

Those are just some Spanish words that you can you use to describe people’s faces as you continue to learn Spanish. Now, you will not be at a loss for words when you meet people on the street. See how fun it can be to learn Spanish?

In order to avoid the typical method of beginning to learn Spanish such as getting down the alphabet and, “What’s your name?” you may want to consider learning the physical anatomy in Spanish or learning how to say the different parts of a typical suburban neighborhood. When you deviate from the norm, it not only can be fun to learn Spanish, but it also can be very exciting.

Learning Spanish in Schools

Many school curriculums require students to take a language. The requirement is so popular that not only does it exist on the college level, but also the middle school and even the elementary school level. It is assumed that it would be useful to learn another language besides one’s native tongue, but many times young students ask themselves if they should really be required to learn other languages.

For instance, as a student begins to learn Spanish in elementary school, he or she may have a lot of fun with his or her teacher, doing colorful worksheets and playing nice games. They may win a couple of prizes for their great amount of participation in the class. However, these elementary students will only get a basic understanding of the language at most.

Then, as that same student progresses, he may find himself choosing to learn Spanish again to fulfill his or her middle school language requirement. He or she may perhaps gain a more intermediate understanding of the language. They may find out that now they can put a few conversations together. As they continue to learn Spanish for a few more semesters, they may understand how to write a few paragraphs in the language. However, students at this level will only rise to the medium levels of grasping the language. They may get all A’s in the class and attain some good compliments from the teacher, but there’s a good chance that they will lack fluency in the language.

A student reaching high school may choose to learn Spanish again in order to fulfill a language requirement there. Of course, this type of student will become more advanced in speaking Spanish. They will learn to say all kinds of things such as, “where is the bathroom?” They may learn the vocabulary for an entire wardrobe and the may get down the words that fit with everything they make for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When the teacher says “good morning” in class, happily they will be able to answer her back. Short verbs such “is” “are” and “where” will be effortless to them, but will they be fluent in the language? Probably not.

These students usually do not gain fluency as they learn Spanish because the classes are just not that advanced and they do not last for a long enough time. Often, in high school, a Spanish class can last for a year, but the class might not be taught daily. Even if the class is taught daily, the lure to take some real time off from learning Spanish during the summer months is just too enticing. If the process of learning Spanish is stopped during the three month summer period, it could cause a student to forget the majority of what he or she learned during class time.

Even in college, students normally will learn Spanish or another language only until they get the requirement filled. Then they stop all together, never becoming fluent even after investing all of that previous time in learning the language. Since most students do not become fluent in the language, later in life they find themselves being grateful for leaning Spanish only because they were in a Spanish restaurant one day and luckily they remembered how to read the menu.

Therefore, it would seem that it is not that useful to learn Spanish or another language as a school requirement. If is useful, it may only be to those students who combine learning language in a formal classroom with outside learning as well. Outside learning might include practicing speaking Spanish with a friend or attending Spanish cultural events. By combing different methods of learning Spanish, students might stand a better chance of becoming fluent.

Reason to learn spanish

It might be a good time to learn Spanish. You may never have thought of learning another language before.  Many people go their whole lives without knowing more than one language.  Yet, others like the challenge.  They find plenty of reasons to learn Spanish.

If you travel to a Spanish-speaking country, it helps to know the language.  When you learn Spanish before you go, you can be ready to take care of all your basic needs while staying at your destination.

You will know how to ask for directions and understand the answers.  You can be the first of your group to figure out the menu at a foreign restaurant and help the others to order.  If you learn Spanish, your trip will be pleasurable instead of frustrating.  This is because you can communicate well enough to handle situations as they come up.

Another reason to learn Spanish is to be able to speak to others in this country.  For example, a Spanish speaking person might be sitting next to you at a sporting event.  If you don’t know Spanish, you will be reduced to smiling and gesturing.  However, if you’ve taken the time to learn Spanish, you can hold a polite conversation with the person.  You might even make a friend.

You can help out in emergencies in this country if you learn Spanish.  Many times, there is a Spanish speaking person who is in need of assistance.  If no one trying to come to their aid can speak their language, their troubles could get worse.  Yet, if you learn Spanish, you can make yourself useful in situations like this by finding out what the person needs.

All the major cities in the US have significant Latino populations.  To fully reach their target customers, most businesses will do best if some of their employees learn Spanish.  These employees can be clerks in stores, receptionists in office buildings, or anyone who deals with many people.  This service will help both the business and the consumer.

Businesses that deal via the internet, phone, and correspondence with companies or individuals in Spanish speaking countries often have to bridge a communication gap.  Many times the employees, especially in small companies, just fumble through it without really knowing the language.  These business dealings can go much better if employees will learn Spanish.

It’s fun to learn Spanish with your children.  It gives them a new skill which they can use later in life.  At the same time, you get to spend quality time with them doing something you can all enjoy.  The kids will take to it quickly because language learning comes easiest to the young.  This is a good reason to learn Spanish with your kids.

If you enjoy the arts, you may have a good reason to learn Spanish.  If you know how to read it, you can read all the works of the great Spanish speaking writers in the original language.  You can watch foreign films from Spain or Latin America without relying on the subtitles.  And, you can understand the words of Spanish songs.

These are just a few of the reasons people have to learn Spanish.  Some people’s reasons are much more personal than this.  No matter what your reason, you will find that you enjoy learning Spanish as much as you will enjoy being able to speak it.

learning spanish

When trying to learn Spanish, it is good to first get the basics down. Some of the first things people start with when learning Spanish are the days of the week and the bathroom. However, there are many other basics parts of Spanish that a person trying to learn Spanish needs to know. The basic things you must begin with in order to learn Spanish are as follows:

First you must learn how to ask, where the bathroom is.

This is an important question, because if you ever travel to a Spanish speaking country, you may be surrounded by people who do not know how to speak your language.  You may find it difficult to point and make gestures that demonstrate that you are looking for the bathroom. Therefore, if you do not know how to ask for what you want, you may find yourself in a flurry of ridiculous motions that do not get you anywhere. On the other hand, if you simply get down the word “lavabo” then, you will be on your way to getting rid your natural urge quickly and easily.

Next you must learn to ask how to catch a cab or bus.

As you learn Spanish, you may want to begin traveling to different Spanish-speaking parts of the world, and maybe even parts of your neighborhood. When doing so you should be careful because even in certain parts of your neighborhood or city, you may run into large groups of people who only speak Spanish. Therefore, it is essential that as you learn Spanish, you learn to ask where a cab or bus is. If you learn these questions, you certainly will not find yourself stranded in the middle of a neighborhood that you are not familiar with.

Next, you must learn the days of the week.

The days of the week are important to learn in any language, and as you learn Spanish, learning the days of the week will become a great asset to you. Finally, if your teacher asks you what day your next class is, you will be able to answer marvelously in Spanish.

Then, you must learn small verbs.

Why learn Spanish if you can’t even build a sentence? Learning small verbs will make Spanish much easier for you in the beginning. The small verbs you should learn are “is” “are” “the,” and “they.” Learning these words will help you to put together a sentence like “Where is the bathroom?” or “Where is the bus?”

Lastly, you must learn “yes” and “no.”

Sometimes, when people learn Spanish, they are not taught how to say “yes” and “no” for a long time because the Spanish-speaking teacher wants them to learn how to answer his or her questions with complete Spanish sentences. However, it is good to pick up these words as soon as your teacher begins to mention them because they will be the key to getting what you want and getting rid of what you don’t.

Learn Spanish

It isn’t easy trying to learn Spanish without talking to people who actually speak the language on a regular basis.  Spanish teachers whose first language is English may know their subject very well.  Yet, they can’t give you the understanding of the language you will get if you experience it firsthand.

Immersion study means staying in a place, such as a Spanish speaking country, where people speak a language you are trying to learn.  You put yourself in a position where you have to conduct all your business in that language.  Your social life will revolve around speaking that language.  It will be challenging to learn Spanish this way.

However, the payoff is that, as you are forced to use it constantly, you learn Spanish much faster.  You will have no choice but to learn Spanish if you are to understand what is going on around you.  It is a great motivational tool.

At the same time, you are in an atmosphere where you can pick up hundreds, if not thousands, of bits of information about the language every day.  You learn Spanish in much the same way as a child will learn Spanish.

You will imitate the way those around you speak.  You will intuit the meanings of words and phrases by the way they are used.  As you go through the days, you will gain knowledge of social language and customs.  Learn Spanish this way and you will remember it for life.

The best way to enhance this learning is to go to Spanish classes or to have a tutor.  This way you can clarify any questions you have.  You can also learn Spanish from the tutor by having him/her correct any misconceptions that you have about grammar and usage.

You can make the arrangements to do immersion study on your own.  Rent an apartment or home in a Spanish speaking neighborhood or country.  Sign up for a class or with a tutor.  Then, get out, interact with people, and let nature take its course.

There are also companies that will make the arrangements for you to learn Spanish this way.  They will set up those living arrangements.  Instead of living on your own, you might opt for the company to send you to a host family to live with as you learn Spanish.

This is total immersion in the language and culture of the country.  You will be in a position where you are making polite dinner conversation over every meal.  You will be included in invitations to social functions that you might otherwise have missed.  You might learn Spanish during your time inside the home in an informal way that you would never have thought possible.

Universities and colleges also offer immersion studies for students.  It doesn’t matter if you are a young student or someone going back to school.  You can take a semester abroad to learn Spanish through one of their programs.

Immersion studies have always had some of the best results for people who wanted to learn Spanish.  Foreign exchange students have been doing it for years.  Now, the option is available to anyone.

Learning Spanish

It’s nice when you get a chance to take a trip abroad.  If you are going to a Spanish speaking country, it might be a little intimidating to get off the beaten path and explore.  Just making yourself at home in hotels and restaurants can be quite a task if you’re unprepared.  That’s why it’s good to learn Spanish phrases to get you by.

Of course, if you have time to take a full Spanish course, that’s preferable.  Learning to speak conversational Spanish will make your stay among the local people much more pleasant.  You can communicate most ideas if you learn Spanish in this way.

However, you may not have the time to learn Spanish thoroughly.  You may have been invited on the trip unexpectedly.  You may have won the trip and have to take it in a short amount of time.  Or, perhaps you had plenty of notice, but had too busy of a schedule to fit in a full course to learn Spanish properly.

It doesn’t matter why you’re in this position; the crux of the matter is that you need to learn Spanish enough to handle your basic needs.  You will probably find English speaking people somewhere on your journey to speak with.  However, there will be times when you must depend upon Spanish speaking people to answer important questions.

You can find phrasebooks to help you find the words to ask for basic needs.  They will tell you how to introduce yourself and say please and thank you.  You will learn Spanish phrases for asking the time and weather.

More importantly, these books will tell you how to ask where the restroom is.  You will learn Spanish phrases like “Ayudame!” meaning “Help me!”  Most of the books will also tell you how to ask where you can find a doctor or dentist.

Phrasebooks can also be helpful with the hotel you’re staying at.  They can tell you how to ask for clean linens.  You can learn Spanish phrases that make it easier to order room service.  You will also know how to check into and out of your hotel.

The books will tell you the basics of how to order food in a restaurant.  They will tell you any number of words to use in different situations.  A book like this should also contain valuable information like how to ask where the US embassy is.

If you are concerned about your pronunciation, you can get the same type of phrase manuals on CD’s.  Just pop them into your CD player and repeat after the speaker.  You can do this in your car, at your computer, or in your living room.  Wherever you find comfortable will do.

A book or CD like this can help you learn Spanish phrases. What it can’t do is help you understand the answers.  You will have to rely on a lot of pointing and gesturing.  Also, never forget, if you think you might be able to understand the person, if they would speak slower, just say, “mas despacio.”  It works wonders.

Learning Spanish

You can learn Spanish to a certain degree and still have trouble with certain words and sentence constructions.  It seems that you are saying them right, but you notice that Spanish speakers say them differently.  If you learn Spanish language secrets, you will understand the subjects better.

One thing to remember is that you don’t always have to use the pronoun.  If you say “yo,” meaning “I,” each time you could, you will sound strident.  This is because using the pronoun is only necessary when you are emphasizing it.  If you are constantly emphasizing it, you will sound foolish.  Learn Spanish rules like this and you will sound more like a native speaker.

You can learn Spanish word order in its basic form quite easily.  It is usually like English except adjectives tend to go after the noun they describe.  However, if you spend the time to learn Spanish word order by listening to Spanish speaking people, you will find differences.  Meaning can have subtle variations when you change the word order.

There is another secret people can come across when they learn Spanish.  There are many Spanish words that look very nearly like English words that you know.  Sometimes, they can be considered direct translations.

However, some words only look similar.  They actually mean something quite different.  Pay attention to the exact translations of words, as you learn Spanish.  Using some of these words incorrectly can cause you embarrassment, or can even insult someone.

An interesting secret when you learn Spanish is that common phrases, or idioms, don’t always translate word for word.  If you try to translate an idiom word for word, you might get the meaning, or at least an approximation of it.

However, there are many idioms that would seem to mean one thing that mean something else when translated as a whole.  The only way to learn this is by experience, or to get a book of idioms.  You must remember, though, that there are different idioms in different Spanish speaking countries.

Learn Spanish from textbooks if you like, but when you are put into the culture, don’t rely on them.  This is another secret to know when you learn Spanish.  Many people don’t speak like the textbooks are written.

That’s ok; English speakers don’t either, if you think about it.  If you try to learn Spanish better in this informal way, you will likely make mistakes that the book has not prepared you for.  Don’t worry; you can pick up the language from the conversation if you’re alert.

Another secret is that pronunciation is important.  The way you pronounce your “b’s” and “v’s” will mark you as a person who does or doesn’t consider it necessary to learn Spanish well.  If you don’t roll your “r’s” properly, you will sound like a toddler to the Spanish speaking person.  All these little things can set you apart or help you fit in.

Learn Spanish with all the nuances and you will not be looked at as an outsider.  Taking a few steps to improve your Spanish will be worth it in the long run.

Children Learning Spanish

Nowadays, Spanish is being taught in grades k-5. It also is being taught in junior high school, high school, and college.However, many people are undecided on whether it is actually beneficial for small children to learn Spanish since at such a young age, they may not retain much and will most likely not be able to speak the language on any advanced level.

Children at this age may use the language for entertainment purposes. They may find the exercises fun and motivating. But are they really learning or is it a waste of time for small children to learn Spanish? There are a couple of different sides to this issue.

It is good for small children to learn Spanish because it teaches them about diversity. While many schools have many races attending them, there are still other schools around that are not very diverse at all due to the neighborhoods where the schools are located. Therefore, when a small child has the opportunity to learn Spanish, he or she can be exposed to a culture and race of people other than his or her own.

When a child learns about different cultures and races, he or she becomes more well- rounded and may become more likely not to have incidences in his or her life where he or she accidentally discriminates against someone of another race.

Also, small children who learn Spanish will most likely learn about Spanish food. Learning about different kinds of food from different cultures is valuable because it makes it seem as if other food exists besides unhealthy fast food or even the fried snacks found in school lunches. Learning about Spanish food may prompt a child to want to learn how to cook this type of food. If as an adult, the grownup child cooks Spanish food, soon his or her own children may start cooking the same food, and another culture may be spread amongst a household.

Learning Spanish will teach children more about the English language. Both Spanish and English have Latin roots. As a child learns Spanish on the basic level, he or she may be able to make connections between the Latin similarities in both Spanish and English. Such a connection may prove valuable later on as the child progresses to higher levels of learning and begins to grasp complex Spanish or English vocabulary. For instance, he or she may notice the similarities between Spanish the word “lavabo” and the English word “lavatory.”

In spite of all of the positive reasons to learn Spanish, there is also a case for not teaching Spanish to small children. These reasons can all be summed up into asking, “Is the child actually learning to speak a language or is he or she just learning cultural values that can be taught in a sociology class? Certainly at such a young age a child will not become fluent in the language. However, the jury is still out, and in any case, these kids are getting a head start on the many language requirements they will have to fulfill at the higher levels of learning.