Numbers in Spanish

Posted by Alex Murray on Dec 31st, 2009 | no comments

Learning the numbers in Spanish is simple and practical – each and every time you shop you’ll be able to practice Spanish numbers

One of the most useful things you can learn are how to pronounce the numbers in Spanish. At some point in a Spanish speaking country you’ll be faced with shopping and if you understand nothing else, knowledge of the numbers in Spanish will help you both asking for products and understanding their price.

Cardinal Numbers

Spanish numbers from 0 to 99

Cardinal numbers are used for quantity (one, two, three), as opposed to ordinal numbers, which are used for order (first, second, third). Note that the pattern used in the teens and twenties is different to 30 and above, and that numbers ending in 1 follow the gender of the following noun; if the noun is masculine uno shortens to un; veintiuno becomes veintiún in the masculine to preserve the emphasis on the u; if feminine uno becomes una.

Spanish numbers from 100 to 999

The ending of the 100s agrees with the gender of following noun, for example doscientos becomes doscientas.

100. Cien
101. Ceinto uno
102. Ceinto dos
103. Ceinto tres
110. Ciento diez
200. Doscientos
300. Trescientos
400. Cuatrocientos
500. Quinientos
600. Seiscientos
700. Setecientos
800. Ochocientos
900. Novecientos
999. Novecientos noventa y nueve

1000 and above

1000. Mil
2000. Dos mil
3298. Tres mil doscientos noventa y ocho
10000. Diez mil
100000. Cien mil
1000000. Un millón
2000000. Dos millones

Note that in Spanish it is usual to use a comma to denote a decimal number and and period to mark thousands. Therefore 1,5 signifies one point five (one and a half) and 1.000 signifies one thousand. This doesn’t apply to all territories such as Puerto Rico where the US system is used instead.

Find out how to learn the numbers in Spanish and more

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Numbers in Spanish

Learn Spanish language and make friends! Spanish intensiv course

Posted by Alex Murray on Dec 29th, 2009 | no comments

Learn Spanish language and make friends! Spanish intensiv course www.alhambra-instituto.org We offer intensive Spanish courses of all levels. Also you can learn in internet basic Spanish with our video vocabulary, Basic and common spanish words and phrases. Unlike other learning Spanish courses available online (such as Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur, Rocket Spanish, Learn in Your Car Spanish, or Michel Thomas Spanish),”Learn Spanish with Joaquin Chacon” focuses entirely on teaching the practical Spanish from Spain

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Learn Spanish language and make friends! Spanish intensiv course

Learn Spanish – Ten Reasons Why

Posted by Alex Murray on Dec 29th, 2009 | no comments

Why learn Spanish? Almost five years ago I met the most wonderful woman in my life in Ecuador. I’m not sure we’d be married today if I hadn’t learned a little of the language before going there. Finding true love is not the only reason to learn Spanish, though. Here are ten more.

1. To understand better. Like it or not, you’ll hear as much Spanish as English at the Miami airport, and in many other places now. Wouldn’t it be nice to understand what people are saying, and what the announcements are?

2. To be able to help others. Our bank has a branch at the grocery store, and this past week a farmer who didn’t speak English was ready to leave without his money or groceries. It felt good to be able to help him out.

3. To improve your brainpower. A new language expands the range of your possible thoughts. There are concepts and expressions in each language that don’t exist in others. These can give you new ways to think.

4. To change your perspective. In Spanish, you say “I have fear” (yo tengo miedo). Psychologists tell us that thoughts like “I am afraid” create too much identification with the feeling. It’s healthier to think “I feel fear,” or “I have fear,” and in Spanish it’s automatic.

5. To improve your memory. Did you know that most people experience a general improvement in memory from studying a language? Studies prove it.

6. To age more slowly. Learn Spanish to slow the aging process? It’s true. It has been demonstrated that you can halt the age-related decline in mental function by learning a new language.

7. To get a better job. Knowing more than one language always looks good on a job application, and Spanish is the most useful one to learn.

8. So you can enjoy ALL the channels on your cable TV.

9. So you can order without help in a TRUE Mexican restaurant.

10. So you can say hello (hola) to your neighbor.

Learn Spanish for whatever reason you want, and you’ll get all the benefits above as well. There is one more reason to learn Spanish: You’ll be able to make new friends. My wife is glad I learned.

About The Author

Steve Gillman has been working on his Spanish with his wife Ana Blum, a native of Ecuador. Together they have built a website where you can get free lessons in Spanish. Visit: http://www.TheSpanishLesson.com.

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Learn Spanish – Ten Reasons Why

Common Spanish Phrases

Posted by Alex Murray on Dec 20th, 2009 | no comments

If you’re visiting Spain or Latin America it can help if you have a hand list of common Spanish phrases to hand to help you in everyday situations. Below are listed some useful Spanish phrases and of you spend a little time on them committing them to memory you will find that you don’t need to consult a phrasebook each time you need to use them. As always a little practice will help.

Everyday Spanish phrases

More basic Spanish phrases

We’ll be adding to this list of simple Spanish phrases, but if there is some topic you’d like covered please leave a comment below and we’ll do our best to cover it if there seems like enough interest.

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Common Spanish Phrases

Overcome your fear of speaking foreign languages

Posted by Alex Murray on Dec 20th, 2009 | no comments

Many people hesitate to try and speak in a foreign language . This might be because they don’t want to feel foolish, are worried about how they will sound, are scared of sounding silly and so on. As a result they remain resolutely monolingual during any trip abroad, preferring to speak loudly in English. These are the same people who are clever, articulate and never lost for words when speaking in English. The same people who are achievers in other areas of life.

But why ? It may be because many people stop learning (or never start) languages when leaving school and when they travel abroad have only haunting memories of having to learn lists of words or conjugate verbs. Yuk. It could also be because many foreign language courses are detailed, promise a lot and require to much time. Anyway, let’s cut to the chase. Who has the time or inclination to spend months learning Spanish/French/German or any other language when planning a three day visit ?

Well, maybe things have moved on or maybe not as regards language learning when still at school. I don’t know, but I do know that it is fun and possible to learn some basic language for when you travel.

By basic, I mean basic. How to start ? Learn a few key words. For example, ‘hello’, ‘goodbye’, ‘please’, ‘thankyou’. These are words that you will hear all the time and be able to use all the time. Learn them and say them as often as possible. It is a great confidence booster to do this, and once you can do this you have cleared the first hurdle.

I’m suggesting that it is always worth learning these key words because you will almost certainly have a better holiday. Try them out. Taxi drivers and waiters are great and will almost always respond positively. The moment you attempt to speak in another language you stop being a number to them and become a human being.

Almost always you will receive a positive reaction. In some cases, especially with shop-keepers it takes longer, (a few days) but most will crack eventually and reward you with some recognition that you are not just another tourist.

So, here we are, you can now speak ten or so words fluently. A good start but perhaps it might be fun to learn a few more and so how about some numbers. Start with ‘one’, ‘two’, ‘three’. Remember that the goal is not fluency, or obsessing about finishing what you start (like having to count to ten) but to have a little fun and communicate.

Everyone buys drinks on holiday. This is an ideal occasion to use the numbers you know. It doesn’t matter if you ask for the drinks in English. The important thing is to use the opportunity to ask for the number of drinks in the foreign language, or to confirm the number of drinks ordered.

Feeling inspired move onto a few phrases. A good one is ‘that was delicious’, assuming of course that you have chosen a good restaurant, and it is amazing how appreciative and surprised the owners will be.

Decide in advance what you are going to say. If you are getting a bus or if you are going to take a taxi learn ‘one ticket’ or whatever you will need, but keep it simple.

Start with the simplest phrase you can imagine. A common mistake is to make sentences in a foreign language more complicated than necessary. For example, instead of saying ‘could you tell me where the beach is ?’, it is easier to say ‘where is the beach?’. In other words skip out the non-essential.

So, don´t be shy, learn ten, twenty or thirty words and a few phrases and make sure you use them. If you want some software to help you do this, download a free demo from www.linguata.com

About the Author

Frank Middleton is a freelance author and writes occasional articles for www.linguata.com a site dedicated to the achievable goal of learning simple foreign words and phrases.

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Overcome your fear of speaking foreign languages

How to Speak Spanish : Tips on Useful Phrases in Spanish

Posted by Alex Murray on Dec 17th, 2009 | no comments

How to Speak Spanish : Tips on Useful Phrases in Spanish Learn from our bilingual expert how to speak Spanish with useful phrases in this free language video on learning how to speak Spanish.

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How to Speak Spanish : Tips on Useful Phrases in Spanish

Languages of Spain

Posted by Alex Murray on Dec 11th, 2009 | no comments

In addition, there is strong and growing support for other regional languages, some of them in danger of extinction. These include Asturian in Asturias and León province, Aragonese in Aragon, and Aranese, a dialect of Gascon spoken only in the tiny Val d’Aran, but enough of a live language to be co-official and used in the public schools there.

With the exception of Basque, which appears to be a language isolate, all of these are Romance languages.

Arabic or Berber are spoken by the Muslim population of Ceuta and Melilla and by recent immigrants (mainly from Morocco and Algeria) elsewhere

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Languages of Spain

Months in Spanish

Posted by Alex Murray on Dec 9th, 2009 | no comments

The months in Spanish are quite similar to English and most people find them relatively easy to remember. One thing to note about the Spanish months is that, unlike English, the name of the month is written in lower case – enero, not Enero.

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Months in Spanish