Table Of ContentOne Week Spanish Mastery
The Complete Beginner’s Guide To Learning Spanish In Just 1 Week!
Detailed Step By Step Process To Understand The Basics
“To Have Another Language Is To Possess A Second Soul.”
–Charlemagne
© Copyright 2015
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The information provided herein is stated to be truthful and consistent, in that any liability, in terms of
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Note from the Author
Learning a new language is such a challenge, but enriching on so many levels.
It’s not only an intellectual challenge, but imagine transforming your travel
experiences, allowing you to connect with new and interesting people, or even
live or study overseas. In essence, it’s a journey to become more open minded
about the world, discovering amazing new people in the process.
As an educator for more than 20 years, i’m a fan of teaching others. And there is
no greater challenge than to learn a language. However, learning is not the
obsessive command of structures and vocabulary, but the willingness to
overcome our most basic fears and insecurities. Over the course of this book, i
will convey enough knowledge of spanish so that you will be able to read, listen,
and interact with people in this new language with the knowledge that will
inspire confidence. From here, practice will take you to a new level of
accomplishments and a lifetime of enjoyment!
In learning spanish, you will be facing 5 basic but important challenges;
grammar, vocabulary, slang and colloquialism, pronunciation and variations of
the language. In this book, i will lay out the fundamentals of each of these
stepping stones in an easy to understand method.
Imagine reading borges, cervantes, neruda, casares or sabato in its original
form! imagine heading out to madrid, buenos aires or mexico city fully equipped
to interact with the locals! i invite you to read on and begin a fascinating
learning experience.
Best,
Erica Stewart
Table Of Contents
Why Spanish?
Breaking Through the Language Barrier: It’s All in Your Mind
How Far Do You Want to Go? And Why It Matters
10 Words: Now You’re Talking!
English Words with a Spanish Accent?
Speak Up! (They Do)
The real conversation
Situation Words and Phrases.
When Eating
When Studying
When Shopping
When Sick
At the Doctor’s
Traffic and Directions
Expressing Emotion
Official Business
Spy on Spanish Speakers
Why is Grammar Chapter 8?
Word Stress
Prepositions
Pronouns, oh Pronouns
Tackling two pronouns at once
An exception
Using only one pronoun, the direct object
The pronouns themselves
Gender
Multipurpose Movies
Reading to Refine
End note
Appendix 1
Appendix 2: Spanish Cognates
**** PREVIEW OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR****
Why Spanish?
Learning the language of a different culture opens a whole other “vista” --
different points of view about life and the world around us. Because words are
the primary form of expression for human beings, speaking the language is key
to understanding another culture. Speaking and understanding Spanish, whether
for personal or professional reasons, will draw you into the cultures of Spain,
Mexico, Argentina, and so many other countries from Central and South
America that share this common language.
I started learning Spanish in high school, although a few years into the language,
my lexicon was pretty much limited to “Hello, how are you?”. I struggled with
speaking Spanish throughout college, and at many times considered that I had hit
a “language barrier”. Decades later, I lived for many years in a Spanish-speaking
country, where I finally became fluent. What took so long? In classroom
settings, languages are taught in the traditional manner: vocabulary, grammar,
more vocabulary and grammar, and eventually conversation --for advanced
students. This system has its own logic, but most people would prefer to be able
to hold a conversation within the first month of study, not in the third or fourth
year.
This book was written to help you get out of the grammar books and onto your
feet in Spanish. We’ll be using 10 tested and proven tips to fluency that can
easily be adjusted to suit your own level of learning. Whether you are just
starting out or have multiple Spanish classes under your belt, it’s best to
implement these tips in order, and as quickly as time will allow, in order to get
you up and running (not limping) in Spanish.
Breaking Through The Language
Barrier: It’s All In Your Mind
So what exactly is a language barrier? It is simply a negative reaction formed
when experiencing difficulties learning a new language. The reaction may cause
the learner to form a false belief: “I can’t do this.” Yet a language barrier is not a
physical wall, ceiling or checkpoint that excludes you from the world of Spanish
speakers. It is a barrier that has been erected within your mind, by you. It can be
climbed, like other mental barriers in life.
Here’s a similitude. Have you ever made a to-do list that had a mountain of
tasks, then in the middle of it felt overwhelmed and ended up getting very little
done? It’s pretty much the same with languages. Most people start out with the
goal of communicating in Spanish, but then throw in the towel after getting
buried in vocabulary and grammar. More advanced learners who are already in a
conversational environment may feel overwhelmed if they encounter
experiences that discourage easy learning. These two scenarios for beginning
and advanced learners can cause the language barrier to come sliding up, but
only if you let it!
Language barriers are due to stress. Most people, when feeling overwhelmed, try
to withdraw from the source of their stress. So if your brain starts shutting down
when you’re trying to learn Spanish, it is trying to cope with something that just
seems too overwhelming. There are a few ways to get past this so you can
continue pursuing your goals.
#1 Take a Breather
Just because you’re learning a different language doesn’t mean you have to be at
it day in and day out. Of course, consistent study habits are ideal, but if you’ve
reached a point where things seem too difficult, taking a break is not going to set
you back. A few days or weeks off might be just what you need to clear your
head and allow things to click.
#2 Remember what you Love about Spanish
What was it that made you pick up your first Spanish grammar book and dive
right in? I personally like the sound of the language, the people I meet, their
friendliness, their food, their enthusiasm for life and love, their indulgence and a
quaint manner of speaking that is almost Shakespearean to me. Pinpointing the
things you yourself like about the culture that surrounds the Spanish language
can quickly enliven your own enthusiasm.
#3 Change Your Environment
Of course, it would be unrealistic to hope that all those nice characteristics I like
to encounter in Spanish speakers will actually exist in every person I meet, or
even in half of them. People are people. You’ve heard my idealism, now let’s
look at the opposite of my ideal: awful cooking, butchered Spanish that’s littered
with too much slang, skepticism, ugliness, meanness and miserliness. That’s
enough to make my lovely perception change for the worse.
If your ideals about Spanish-speakers are being assaulted to the point of no
return, move away from the negativity and try a change of environment.
#4 Change the Way You Learn
Someone once said, “Insanity is doing something the same way over and over
again, even though it doesn’t work.” If your Spanish class or grammar book isn’t
actually helping you speak Spanish, or you’re not moving at the pace you think
you could, don’t sign up for a different Spanish class or buy a new grammar
book. While most of us think learning outside the classroom is somehow
inferior, it really depends. If you are studying to be a scholar in the Spanish
language, grammar is what you will need. If you want to speak with coworkers,
clients and friends, this book is for you: way less grammar, and way more routes
to conversation. Change the way you learn.
#5 Stop being a perfectionist
Who doesn’t want to speak like a native with no slip-ups or embarrassing
language-fail moments? It’s a common aim that we automatically assume will
just happen, and we take ourselves to task whenever it doesn’t. Ask yourself a
question: When speaking in your native tongue, English, do you ever feel at a
loss when speaking to a highly educated professional, like a university language
professor or a medical specialist? They use words we’re not accustomed to
ordinarily and their sphere of life can even make them think differently than
most people. How about when you travel to a different region of the country
where the people speak and express themselves completely different?
Awkwardness happens, and all the more so when you are speaking in a language
in which you’ll never actually be a native speaker. So relax. You may one day
reach a level of fluency in which you are taken as a native, but more probably
the height of your language abilities will be when Spanish speakers assume your
parents are native speakers but you grew up in the United States, Canada or
Britain since childhood.
You may never completely lose your English accent, and that’s okay! Don’t
allow the fear of someone else’s gringo-detector deter you. Knowing that you
won’t likely become 100% proficient in every sphere of your own native
language should be reminder enough that successfully communicating is
sufficient, and that’s something you don’t have to have a doctorate in languages
to do.
But however far you would like to go with your studies, it’s best to have a
concrete idea of your Spanish speaking goals outlined from the start. This way,
you’ll always have an idea how close you are to your aim. This will make it
easier to keep going, whatever obstacles come your way.
