Visual Link Spanish™ Enhanced Newsletter
|
Refer Your Friends
Click to let your friends know about the free lessons and newsletter!
Advanced Spanish Verb Module
>> Now available in audio and CD ROM format. <<
The Advanced Verb Module, that was previously only available through an online subscription, is now available to you in a more easy to use Audio and CD ROM format.
The Visual Link Spanish™ Advanced Verb Module is on sale today for $99.95, normally $119.95. Click here to get one of the first copies of the course.
Words of the Week -----
Words taken from the complete Visual Link Spanish™ course
|
English
|
Spanish
|
|
lunes
|
75
|
setenta y cinco
|
|
lunes
|
76
|
setenta y seis
|
|
martes
|
77
|
setenta y siete
|
|
miércoles
|
78
|
setenta y ocho
|
|
miércoles
|
79
|
setenta y nueve
|
|
jueves
|
80
|
ochenta
|
|
jueves
|
81
|
ochenta y uno
|
|
viernes
|
82
|
ochenta y dos
|
|
viernes
|
83
|
ochenta y tres
|
|
sábado
|
84
|
ochenta y cuatro
|
|
sábado
|
85
|
ochenta y cinco
|
|
domingo
|
86
|
ochenta y seis
|
|
domingo
|
87
|
ochenta y siete
|
|
Login to your FREE Lessons
|
Click Here to login and access your free membership and lessons. If you don't have a free membership yet, Sign up today!
|
Spanish News -----
(The news in this section is for language learning purposes only. The view of this news paragraph(s) may not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Institute of Languages. This article is not necessarily deemed true and factual although it most likely is. It also may have been taken from articles written sometime in the past.)
Spanish
" Ejecución fue incorrecta: Tony Blair"
Considera que estuvo mal la forma en que mataron a Hussein
El primer ministro Tony Blair cree que la forma en la que el ex dictador iraquí Saddam Hussein fue ejecutado fue "totalmente incorrecta", informó el domingo una portavoz del gobierno.
English
- " Execution Was Incorrect: Tony Blair"
He considers the way they killed Hussein bad form
Prime Minister Tony Blair believes that the form in which the ex Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was executed was "totally incorrect", informed a government spokesperson on Sunday.
Except from a Mexican newspaper called "Pulso".
|
Culture ----- The Courage to Speak!
Vocabulario de la semana - Weekly Vocabulary
español bien - Spanish well
herramientas disponibles - tools available
su habilidad con el español - your ability with Spanish
es hablar - is to speak
se ponen nerviosas - become nervous
una conversación - a conversation
se preocupan de que - they worry that
algo equivocado - something wrong (mistaken)
entendido - understood
incorrectamente - incorrectly
algo que necesita saber - something (that) you need to know
personas más amables - friendliest people
les hace sentir bien - it makes them feel good
su idioma - their language
para en verdad aprender el español - to really learn Spanish
en el futuro cercano - in the near future
con ellos - with them
de la conversación inicial - of the initial conversation
fácil - easy
y cómodo es - and comfortable it is
aquí está la tarea - here is the assignment
¿Están listos? - Are you (plural) ready?
practique las frases - practices the phrases
una meta - a goal
acercarse - (to) approach
mándeme - send me
cómo le fue - how it went for you
To truly learn español bien, a program like ours is one of the best herramientas disponibles to get you started, but the most important thing you can do to improve su habilidad con el español and really become fluent es hablar with native Spanish speakers.
Many people se ponen nerviosas about striking up una conversación with a native speaker. Se preocupan de que maybe they'll say algo equivocado or that they won't be entendido. They're also worried about saying things incorrectamente or possibly even getting embarrassed.
Algo que necesita saber about the Spanish culture is that native Spanish speakers are some of the personas más amables in the world. Les hace sentir bien to see others trying to learn su idioma and they are very eager to help you.
Para en verdad aprender el español, you need to have the courage to go up to a native Spanish speaker en el futuro cercano and start-up una conversación con ellos. Once you get over the fear de la conversación inicial, I think you'll be amazed at how fácil y cómodo es to talk to them.
Essential Phrases
Here are a few phrases that I recomend to get you started. First you could say "Hola, Qué tal" [Oh-law, Kay tall] which means "Hi, how are you?". Next, you could say "Me llamo Dave" [May yaw-moe Dave], or in English "My name is Dave". Of course, you don't want to say your name is "Dave" unless your name really is "Dave". Finally, to spark some conversation, you could say "De dónde es usted" [Day doan-day es oo-stead] which means "Where are you from".
Here are a few more supplemental phrases you can try out:
|
English
|
|
Spanish
|
|
What do you do?
|
|
¿A qué se dedica? [ah kay say deh-dee-cah]
|
|
Where do you work?
|
|
¿Dónde trabaja? [doan-day trah-bah-hah]
|
|
Are you married?
|
|
¿Está casado/a? ("o"-if talking to male "a"-female) [es-tah cah-saw-though/thah]
|
|
Do you have children?
|
|
¿Tiene hijos? [tyeh-nay ee-hohs]
|
|
How many children do you have?
|
|
¿Cuántos hijos tiene? [cwahn-toes ee-hohs tyeh-nay]
|
|
How old are you?
|
|
¿Cuántos años tiene? [cwahn-toes ahn-yohs tyeh-nay]
|
|
What do you like to do?
|
|
¿Qué le gusta hacer? [kay lay goose-tah ah-sehr]
|
Aquí está la tarea to all of you newsletter readers. ¿Están listos? Practique las frases above and set una meta of when you are going to acercarse a native speaker. Once you have done it and had a conversation in Spanish, mándeme e-mail and let me know cómo le fue. I'm eager to hear from you!
Sneak peak at next week: How's Your Sweet Tooth?
¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)
David S. Clark -- President / Director
U.S. Institute of Languages
dave_c@spanishprograms.com
http://www.spanishprograms.com
866-9SPANISH
Subscribe to our Monthly Spanish Magazine with Audio CD!
"Practice makes perfect!"
Perfect your Spanish with THINK SPANISH! MAGAZINE - now available with Audio CD. Think Spanish! Magazine is the monthly publication designed to increase Spanish fluency, BUILD VOCABULARY and GRAMMAR and IMPROVE LISTENING COMPREHENSION while teaching you about life in Spanish-speaking countries.
Now available with a monthly Audio CD - Think Spanish! Magazine will keep your Spanish strong all year long. Each issue includes dynamic articles about culture, travel, art, people and more and contains useful lessons and tutorials.
Each month the dynamic articles in Think Spanish! Magazine are read by native Spanish speakers. Think Spanish Audio CDs increase listening comprehension and pronunciation skills. For more info - Click Here!
Responses to Past Newsletters:
Note: Any links recommended by newsletter subscribers are not necessarily endorsed by the U.S. Institute of Languages™ - use at your own risk. Formatting on responses may have been changed to fit your screen.
Response #1
Hallo Mr David
Thanks you very much for your prompt email really it was ammasing when I tried to hear the lessons and I am happy because I guess that it will be easy for me to get your language.
I know English French and Arabic and hopped to know Spanish I hope to be a good student but pls try to help me . I want to draw your attention that I am not young I have 63 years. thanks for your help and hope to receive the program early.
thanks and bye . Minar Ahmed
Response #2
Dear Dave, So happy with the new Level II verb module course that I can now study without being online! THANKS and I love the CD's that I can listen to in the car on the way to/from work.
As part of my study and to help with my comprehension, I have for some time been watching the (mostly Mexican) novellas on TV. Unlike the American "Soaps," they have a beginning, middle and end (more like a paperback novel) and are often entertaining. While my American friends and family find it comical that a 60 year old "all male" fella enjoys watching these stories (it don't hurt that the women are mostly gorgeous) and the Mexican men who frequent my workplace look at me a little oddly if I mention it, their wives and girlfriends are fascinated that we have so much to talk about when I mention a particular show, character or scene.
I also learn much from the commercials and can easily get a laugh from my Mexican customers when I say something like "Tenemos siempre precios bajos...siempre." (I do work at a "big-box" store, but it ain't Walmart...think more orange).
One of the things that has me most confused while watching these dialogues is how the word "pero" seems to appear so often and in the most odd places in conversation. I only know its use as the English word "but," and am in the dark as to other use in phrases. In the novellas it often appears at the end of sentences with nothing further being said (I often find myself saying "but WHAT?"). Can it be that it's a nervous expression similar to the occasional use by many Americans of the phrase "you know?" at the end of their sentences? Or, is it possibly being used as the English word "however," which occasionally appears at the end of English sentences (correctly or not). Could you elaborate?
Thanks So Much,
Mick
Answer
Hola Mick,
Your assumption is correct. It is like "however...." or "but...." at the end of a sentence.
An example of this would be, "You really ought to sign the documents tonight, however....."
Hopefully that answers your question.
Hasta luego,
Dave
Response #2
David,
I just wanted to tell you how pleased I am with the Spanish Institute product. It is EXCELLENT. I am really enjoying it a lot. I've been studying with tutors for the past two years -- this course is really bringing it all together. It's excellent.
Do you have a medical professional product? I am a nurse and my main reason for learning Spanish is to be able to talk with my patients. Your approach would work wonders in a medical setting!
Próspero Año Nuevo,
Julia
Note: You are receiving this newsletter because you have requested the travel password, signed up for a membership to http://www.spanishprograms.com or opted in to receive our newsletter.
Send to a friend: Please feel free to send this newsletter to your friends, as long as it is copied in its entirety.
Subscribe: If a friend forwarded this to you and you would like to get your own copy each week, click here.
***: Please see instructions below to ***.
©2006 U.S. Institute of Languages
|
|
|
Back to newsletter list
