Lanzarote Relocation

Archive for the ‘Speaking Spanish’ Category

There are so many courses available on the internet… some paid for, and some for free. However… the lovely Lynn Cobb from Javea has kindly provided us with an exclusive 152 page Spanish Lesson document completely free, to set you on your way.

You will need to have Adobe installed on your computer to download the document – but give it a try, and let us know how you get on. Simply click the link below.

Learn-aprender spanish course pdf for internet

Lynn also offers email support for the entire course for a one off fee of just €50 – great value… and with her experience of teaching Spanish… a definite consideration. We’ve been talking to Lynn for some time now, and find her approachable, friendly, and extremely helpful.

We receive no money for promoting Lynn and her services – she’s just great! Here is some more information about Lynn.

My name’s Lynn & I’m married with two daughters, 10 & nearly 14. We moved to Jávea at the end of 2003, after having lived for a short time in the US  (I hated it!)
My husband was still working in the US when we moved here, & no sooner had we settled the girls into school he had to go back there for a few weeks! I suddenly realised that I was in a strange country with 2 little kids, could do no more than order a coffee in Spanish & didn’t even know how to phone an ambulance if I needed to!
I resolved there & then to learn Spanish as quickly as possible, so signed up for an intensive course.
About 3 years later I started teaching Spanish, almost by accident. The course I have written was originally a series of lessons for some groups that I teach. It’s aimed at absolute beginners, and is intended to give you the tools for day to day living – not teach you the ins & outs of Spanish grammar!

I’ve written on here before about the fear of the English to deal with
Spanish businesses because of the language barrier after having had a great
experience after plucking up the courage to chance my arm and walk into a
Spanish garage when I needed some work done on my car (Rosalen Zentrum Article). The mechanic I mentioned has become a great friend, and we have since helped each other out with much more than cars!

Well, we had a not dissimilar conversation this week with another Spanish
business whom we were talking to due to a project we are working on. A
conversation that supported the thesis that sometimes it pays to take a
(perceived?) risk and step out of your comfort zone.

The norm here, or so people are so often told is the case, that when looking
for a rental property you can expect to pay one months rent, a months
deposit – and – the equivalent of another months rent to the agent as a
finders fee. Talking to Manuel (who does speak excellent English) and
lanzarote.org it seems that, although it may also have once been the case with
many Spanish estate agents in Lanzarote – times, unbeknown to much of the
English speaking community have changed…. Manuel told us that since
the start of the recession that most of the Spanish agents have completely
dropped the extra month’s rent taken as a deposit.

Don’t take everything at face value – so often in Lanzarote with things such
as property rentals, car sales and a number of other services there is a price
differential that some suppliers feel they can get away with due to the fear
of the ex-pats to step out of their comfort zone.

Go ahead, give it a try, you might be pleasantly surprised. We have been
every time we’ve tried it. Why not give google.es a try for a change…

Alan

Many of us are learning to speak Spanish correctly (slowly but surely) but it is often good to be able to speak to your Spanish friends informally too. So here is a small list of some commonly used Spanish words and phrases that are a little out of the ordinary. You may also find these useful Spanish phrases a benefit also.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ok, so you’re learning Spanish slowly now…. and putting phrases together. You’re confident enough to phone a Spanish business to enquire about some information. You agree that they can send you some information via email… but then they ask you to spell it for them. Yesterday’s article showed you how to pronounce the alphabet… but what about phonetics? It will make it so much easier if you could say the Spanish equivalent to “F for foxtrot” – so here is a handy list of the Spanish phonetic alphabet. Bookmark it on your computer, or print it out for next to your telephone… so you always have it to hand.

Good luck!

* A – Antonio
* B – Barcelona
* C – Carmen
* Ch – chocolate
* D – Dolores, Daniel
* E – Enrique, España
* F – Francia
* G – Gerona
* H – historia
* I – Inés
* J – José
* K – kilo
* L – Lorenzo
* Ll – Llobregat
* M – Madrid
* N – Navarra, Navidad
* Ñ – ñoño
* O – Oviedo
* P – París
* Q – querido
* R – Ramón
* S – sábado
* T – Tarragona, Teruel
* U – Ulises
* V – Valencia
* W – Washington
* X – Xiquena
* Y – Yagüe, yegua
* Z – Zaragoza

ALPHABET-ABECEDARIO
Most of the letters in Spanish ‘say’ more or less what they do in English. The main difference is, once you know the ‘rules’, you will be able to read or spell any word correctly. Did you know that kids in Spanish schools don’t have ‘spelling tests’, like they do in the UK? This is because the spelling is straightforward & logical -none of this ‘rough, trough, Slough – or there, their, they’re’! Obviously there will be regional variations in pronunciation – this is a sort of ‘generic’ guide. Also remember that when reading a word in spanish, every letter is pronounced, except with gue/gui & qu – and of course the silent ‘h’.

VOWELS-VOCALES (A E I O U)

N.B. The examples are just that – examples. They are not (except in a few cases) the same words translated!

CONSONANTS – CONSONANTES

Many thanks to Lynn for this information – Lynn lives on the mainland and provides Spanish lessons, and online translations – you can contact her for her services on learn-aprender@hotmail.com

Further to our earlier posts about learning Spanish in Lanzarote, here is a list of some translated words for around your house – very handy if dealing with workmen, or shop staff. Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry »

If you are looking to extend your property in Lanzarote, build a wall, convert your terrace etc… you may enlist the services of a Spanish Building Company. There are many terms which may leave you a little baffled – even if you are just nipping around to your local hardware store. Benjamin Ritter from Denia in Spain, has very kindly donated the following translations which may help you get through the language barrier. Thanks Benjamin! Read the rest of this entry »

Shopping for ingredients in Lanzarote can be a nightmare if you don’t know the Spanish words for what you are trying to buy.
Read the rest of this entry »

A list of a few useful conversational Spanish phrases that you won’t find in your schoolbooks!  Read the rest of this entry »

Only polite…
Hello – Hóla
Good day – Buenos diás
Good evening – Buenos tardes
Good night – Buenos noches
Good bye – Adiós
See you later – Hasta luego Read the rest of this entry »