Buenas Noches!!!

La muñeca is wrist
and La / El muñeca / o is a doll, depending on the sex of the doll.
Also used in everyday speech such as:

- ¡tu hijo es un muñeco, que rico es!

Hope that makes sense!

uso y utilizo tu mravilloso sitio hace un rato para mi autoenseñanza de español. espero que siguas hacerlo!
y sí, este video con esta fuerta mujer no es una poca cosa
ciao

http://www.teachingyourselfspanish.com/spanish-immersion-directory/

PS,,,I love the podcasts! I am recommending them on my blog post about my favorite Spanish podcasts.

I just wanted to put in my 2 cents in. I met my girl 8 months ago. She is from Colombia and I was instantly attracted to her the first day I saw her. She doesn’t speak english very well (Hardly at all) and I don’t speak spanish very well. Sometimes it is very frustrating that our communication is not there. The most frustrating part is when she is angy and it takes a while for me to understand why. I love her very much and Im learning spanish. Alot of my freinds tell me it won’t work but I have to disagree with them. My love for this girl makes me work harder at learning to communicate with her.

Have a nice day!

Is there any way to get a script of final reading by the Andalucian woman at the end of the post? Many thanks for your efforts!

There is an App called PenguinTwit which can translate all tweets in the list with just one tap , and show 2 languages of tweets side by side in landscape mode.

http://itunes.apple.com/hk/app/penguintwit/id433369290?mt=8
Translate Tweets from English to Spanish or vice versa. It’s so handy.

Here are the countries I would recommend you consider: Argentina, Spain, Guatemala and Costa Rica. While Costa Rica has a lot of American retirees living there, there are some very good language schools there with very dedicated and enthusiastic instructors. I recommend ILISA in San Jose, Costa Rica. It’s a little bit on the pricey side but the teachers are good.

But based on what you wrote about wanting to have private living quarters and a desire to be near museums and other cultural attractions, I think you may have to go for a more urban area. I’d recommend someplace in Spain or Argentina, but you could probably find what you’re looking for somewhere in Mexico, like in Mexico City.

In my experience, the language academies located in more rural areas don’t have many options for independent living situations. It’s either the traditional homestay (meals included) or nothing. Sometimes there’s the possibility of staying in a hotel or an inn but that can get very pricey if you’re staying for longer than a week. Renting a room in a house or a studio apartment where you can come and go as you please, have your privacy and your own kitchen to prepare your meals etc., is usually only found in the cities or more economically developed communities. The same goes for being near museums and other cultural attractions.

The schools that are ideally situated for that sort of experience (independent living situation plus cultural attractions) are usually going to be located in or near a city, not in the countryside.

Hope this helps!

Un saludo.

They are defining for themselves how to live in a more humane and loving world.

Why not ask them directly what are the customs to their culture without trying to market or exotify it? Why not BE with them and work in a sisterhood and brotherhood to understand how we cause the invisible person’s pain, oppress the invisible person, and chase invisible terrorists that visible presidents on our tv’s and youtube chase while killing families, children, and innocent civilians that appear to be all too much like you, your family, and your children. Lets pray they don’t confuse you with them someday and come for you. Let us listen to what this pain is so that we can begin to heal each other in acts that dignify every human being.

And to the Spaniard with the Post below, No, I, and WE, do not define ourselves or call ourselves Latinoamericano o Hispanoamericano, I would highly recommend that you read PEDAGOGY OF THE OPPRESSED, by Paulo Friere and everyone else on this site- and yes its in ENGLISH for your convenience. As for myself, my family is of Caribbean descent, and I consider myself Afro-Taino. Many of my brothers and sisters of the same descent and lineage identify with the broader term, Afro-Latin@ (the “@” sign signifies Latina/ Latino), and we always have the right to define ourselves in any way that WE define, choose, and create. You, and especially being of Spanish descent, are not the last say, or last word, on how We name Ourselves today.

Put your ego and fears aside and listen patiently. And when you awaken, guide your anger into letting nothing be more self fulfilling and nourishing than a deep passionate relentless appetite for dignity of ALL Peoples.

The Anglo world needs to put its world aside and step into the world of everything that exists outside and within it, constructed and maintained by the exploited and oppressed people subjugated to sub-human living globally– the mere price for privilege, human lives.

Umer.

Umer.

Umer.

This was indeed an interesting post, just like your previous posts. I’m new to this blog and I’ve found it very very interesting, especially for someone new to Spanish language and culture. Waiting for more posts soon.

Umer.

Gracias por tu clara explicación. Tienes toda la razón de que ofrecerles a los estudiantes un gama más ancho de la pronunciación de alguna letra como en este caso la ll es más preferible.
Sigo siendo fan de estos podcast.
Cordial saludo desde Holanda,

Wim Guillermo Dictus

No sé qué decirte porque en un podcast anterior Cristina lee un cuento sobre un loro y la pronunciación es distinta.

Un saludo.

Soy profesor de español en Holanda. Me encantan tus podcasts, pero hoy te pongo una pregunta.
¿Por qué la lectora – no sé si seas tú – en el texto de El Mito de Narciso pronuncia la doble ele como si fuera una ele sólo?
Es extraño y algo curioso oir hablar de “loro” donde se espera oir “lloro”.

Espero que me contestes pronto. Muchas gracias de antemano.

Wim Dictus

Thanks!

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Saludos,
Eleena

It was only when I came back to the US and would encounter strangers who spoke Portuguese that I realized my accent was a problem and not cute. I have even been told I speak in a thick German accent.

Then I went to Antigua, Guatemala for Spanish courses, and was told I sounded more like a Brazilian than a Gringo. In Spain I was told I sounded like an Italian. This goes on and on.

So at one point I picked up the Brazilian audiobook “1808″ in Portuguese, read the book, and then would mimic the superb voice of Laurentino Gomes. To my ear I started to sound like him. The problem is that he is very formal, proper sounding, and now Brazilians look at me funny because they speak in sing-sing style.

The bottom line is that unless you are exposed young and for a long time, you will never get all intonations, pronunciations and syllable timing correctly. Despite your efforts your brain will revert back to the English sounds you learned as a child, especially if you need to speak full sentences and quickly. In fact if you try to hard to alter it, you end up sounding even quirkier.

I also discovered that some people aren’t interested in hearing accented foreign languages. On reflection I will admit I was that way until I poured my heart and soul into language learning. Now I am patient to a tee with foreign speakers. I thought that people would appreciate an American speaking their tongue. Some, really many could give a rat, others do like it, but it is not universal and that is hard to accept. Just the nature of people really.

Gracias por tu comentario y por escuchar a los podcasts.

Saludos,
Eleena

p.d. Me encantan sus podcasts!

Siempre hemos usado la “ye” en ecuador.

Paulette, I loved what you wrote. I wish more people could hear this speech because the message is so important.

Un saludo,
Eleena

Thanks!
Eleena

Can you explain how we purchase your fantastic courses?

Thank you
Liz

However there are some spelling (or “orthographic”) rules for certain tricky letters such as H (which is mute) or B and V, as well as for the use of accent marks.

Some rules are as easy-to-remember as “M goes before P and B”, however that’s not usually the case. So, we’ll take a look at the rules of one letter at a time for you to digest them better.

Learning Spanish quickly can be an overwhelming and rather disappointing process if you do not approach it the right way. It can be rather difficult to pick up without the proper materials and assistance. Fortunately Rocket Spanish claims it can help you speak Spanish confidently and naturally in just eight weeks. It has an audio course, a vocabulary and software game and it also includes support from a Spanish teacher.

With the help of Rocket Spanish you can follow an interactive course that is practical and will allow you to discover how to speak in virtually any circumstance. Not only will you pick up another language, but you will do so quickly, easily and effectively. You will be on your way to becoming bilingual in no time.

In addition, the learning process should also be arranged through a closely interrelated and coherent sequence of tasks which may act as a scaffolding allowing learners to communicate in Spanish in an efficient way. If you need extra help, you can always consult an expert on the topic. A good teacher will give you advice on learning Spanish and definitely help you sequence ideas and organize topics in a clear, relevant way according to their importance, and difficulty level.

As a conclusion, there are a lot of suggestions and recommendations to help you with the Spanish learning process. It’s just a matter of getting acquainted with these tips and put them into practice as fast as you can.

In Oaxaca, Mexico, the Instituto Cultural holds classes with up to 10 students. The quality depends on the teacher, and grammar is not perfectly explained (because there is no explanation at all in english). Conversation classes are good, although some of the classes are not structured in a way that holds the student’s attention. I would rate it 7 out of 10.

It’s also a chance to broaden your understanding of the world and broaden your understanding of yourself. This can be accomplished by going to one of many Spanish schools abroad to study. There are so many options to choose from that you are almost guaranteed to find a number of Spanish schools abroad which fit your particular lifestyle and needs. In order to find one, though, and in order to make the most of the experience, there are some tips that, if followed, could make your time that much more memorable.

This is the way that you and I learned to speak our native languages after all. But oh, if only it were that simple. As adults we are no longer programmed to absorb new languages the way that infants and young children can. Learning through absorption is fantastic and it will work to turn you into a fluent Spanish speaker, but only accompanied by a solid grammatical foundation.

Developing a solid base understanding of Spanish grammar is essential in order to learn to speak español in a way that native speakers are going to understand. Having an understanding of Spanish grammar acts as the platform from which you can dive into effective communication.

The grammar of any language is a set of norms through which the language acts as a communicative tool. Thousands of years of communicating have brought languages to the point where they have become systemized and formed what we term “grammar”. Without these norms in place it would be very difficult for us to understand clearly what our companions were trying to share with us.
Once you have grasped some basic Spanish grammar concepts you can begin to experiment and extend your speaking ability by conversing with Spanish speakers. Asking your Spanish speaking friends to help correct you when you say something grammatically incorrect can also be very helpful.

With a good understanding of the norms of Spanish grammar and practice speaking with native Spanish speakers you can become fluent. Without speaking practice you will never become fluent and without an understanding of Spanish grammar you will never make any sense.

My boys (aged 4, 9, and 11) have also attended the classes/kids camp there, and I can highly recommend that as well. The teachers are excellent at working with kids, and they spend their days doing skits, playing games, making crafts, and so on. There is a weekly children’s excursion that the kids always like, as well. I don’t have teenagers, but their teen camp looks great, and those kids always seem to be enjoying themselves as well.

Finally, one of my favorite things about the school is how ready and willing the teachers and staff are to help all the students with every little thing. They are happy to help you figure out how to navigate the bus system, where the fun spots in town for kids are, etc. One year we stayed in a condo (instead of doing a home stay) and they even helped me figure out how to use the Mexican washing machine! All around, it’s a really great school.

I’ve never liked (not even one iota, ha ha) calling it it a “Greek I”, mainly because a letter that takes four syllables to pronounce seems a bit ridiculous.

But of course you’d normally use:
¿Cómo están (ustedes)? ¿Es éste su perro? ¿Es ésta su perra? ¿Cuál de aquellos libros les gusta?

For instance, I learned how to use thou art, ye is/are, and all the various forms. But even when I try to use it, I still through in you even when I try to stick with just thou and ye. Well, look at it this way, let’s pretend for a moment, that the U.K. still used thou and ye, as a matter of fact, there are a couple of rural areas where people use various evolved forms like tha/thee in some areas, and even ye in Ireland for the plural. Now going on that premise I go to the U.K. I understand thou and ye, I try to use it but because I grew up with just you and y’all, I’m more than likely to use those than thou and ye. So, it’s not laziness, but it’s just that in castellano you didn’t grow up with vosotros, so no, thou’rt not lazy.

But definitely if you’re going to be there for more than a year, especially if you live there, try to use it at least from a respect to other cultures standpoint, and plus would you go to, say, Japan and only learn to understand the language and not even try to speak it, trust me, give it a try.

I’m just saying my case is actually backwards, I understand ustedes, (of course if I hear son chicos, I automatically think “there kids”, but this was directed at me and my cousins boyfriend saying that we were immature) but I have trouble producing it so I usually stick with vosotros, however, if I go to Mexico or Argentina I would at least try to go to ustedes. And of course I’d probably slip back into vosotros, of course I’m not saying you have to, I’m just saying think about it.

I would also say, even if you do try to use it and ustedes slips in that’s fine.

Thank you all very much for your comments and suggestions and postive feedback. It’s really great to hear from our app customers as we rarely get to speak with any of you. We are happy to hear you liked the app. This is our first Spanish app, but we have more in production. We’re also working hard to improve the current app, Spanish Conversation, so your comments were very helpful.

Joe, you mentioned some words were not linking properly in the dialogue. Thanks for pointing this out. We would be greatful if you could let us know specifically which words encountered the glitch, so we can fix them as soon as possible. (Our devices are not experiencing the glitch.) You can contact us at redriverpress.com

Mark, thanks for your feedback about the user interface. We’ll keep this in mind for future versions when we do the next UI update. Also we plan to add automatic book marking soon, as per your suggestion.

Katey, thanks for your strong recommendation and 5 stars!