charahome

I do live translations on a daily basis. When you are thinking in both languages, and you have done it enough, your brain takes on the words and translates them as they speak them.

To me, If the person is Speaking English, and I need to translate to Spanish, As the person speaks English, I hear the Spanish word in my head.

I am not sure How I do it, but That is how it works in my case.

I work as a customer service Rep for the Spanish queue. I service the wide Hispanic community here in the United States. I speak with Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Mexicans, Peruvians, Venezuelans, Chileans, Costa Ricans, Dominicans, Spain Natives, Argentinians, and other countries. I can understand all of them when they speak, however, I do not understand some of the words they use. I have had to ask what it means. After 5 years doing the same, I am accustomed to the accents the idioms, their speed, and so forth.

However, even to this day, I have a hard time understanding Dominicans, because out of all of them they are fast fast fast talkers.

I'm not a native speaker as well, so please bare with me. I'm learning it now for almost ten years but there are still a few things that I don't understand. I'm never sure when to use the words must and need because the word must is so similar to the German word musst and I always end up being confused. Every help is appreciated, and if you find any mistakes don't hesitate to correct me.

Must and need have their own meaning.

Must - Verb —used to say that something is required by a rule or law

—used to say that someone should do something

—used to say that something is very likely

Need - 1need noun \ˈnēd\

: a situation in which someone or something must do or have something

: something that a person must have : something that is needed in order to live or succeed or be happy

: a strong feeling that you must have or do something

I hope this helps.

I sat and wondered. I drifted into the memory of our first encounter. That awful night. The rain was relentless and the road was dangerous. I was driving down the road. All of a sudden, there she was. Standing in the rain. She looked beautiful under the street light. Her face seemed like the beauty only angels have. 

Oh! What a disaster, the dolphin tried to avoid the rock and jumped up in the air.

If I am chatting, I use short cuts, abbreviations, and try to be grammatically correct.

I am not as careful as when I am writing a letter, essay, article, or blog.

I do try to self correct, if I catch it, but otherwise, I do not worry about it, in a chat environment

I am starting to learn Italian. I already speak Spanish. Problem is I am getting confused with the Italian pronunciation. I am trying to say it the way I would in Spanish.

Does anyone have any suggestions or exercises I could use to get over this small bump in my learning?

"when it rains, it pours" meaning that when troubles come, they do not come alone.

Not always, but sometimes i can see this happening.

"There is a pot of Gold at the end of each rainbow" as a kid I thought this was true, and wondered why wasn't everyone going and getting their own pot of gold.

Very naive.

English was not difficult to learn, what I found difficult was their phonics system. There are sounds that are so similar. It took me years to train my ears to differentiate certain pronunciations, and realize that I was not saying them correctly.

When my kids attended kindergarten and started learning phonics, that is when I really got the hang of it. My daughter would sit with me, and practice her phonics with me.

It is a very hard thing to do. Self motivation is one those things that require a calendar just like anything else. We tend to get distracted with other life events that are also important.

To me learning is as important as anything else. I do most of it early in the morning or late at night.

Early in the morning, there is nothing else that I can do, so I sacrifice sleep to get it done.

Late at night, I am done with anything I can possibly get done, so I have a mind free of preoccupations. Not that they go away, but what can I do about it at that point.

Learning to me is my alone, self renewing time. It helps me forget about the things that will always be there.

Hi there!  Here are some phrases that will surely come in handy:

Dónde está el baño? - Where is the bathroom?

Dónde puedo tomar un taxi? - Where can I find a taxi?

Qué hora es?  - What time is it?

Hablas inglés? - Do you speak english?

Sabes donde puedo encontrar... - Do you know where I can find...

Ayuda! - Help!

Puedo usar su telefono? - May I use your phone?

Sabes donde está x direccion? - Do you know where x address is?

By the way, if you are going to mexico, you should really try to get familiar with the accent there.  The course capriaca recommended is of a spanish with ''spaniard'' accent.  The mexican accent is more neutral.  If I were you, I'd search for a course with a more neutral accent, not necessarily a mexican one.  Because I realize there aren't many courses out there that come with that accent.  If possible try to find a spanish course that uses the voices of native spanish speakers from mexico.

I think Trellum has pretty much covered the major ones.

Habla Ingles, is probably the one that you want to keep in your shirt pocket, as that will be the one you will need the most.

One that comes to mind is "A thorn between two Roses" meaning that the person in the middle is the "thorn" surrounded by two beauties.

I have used this phrase to accent a comedic situation, like when I am taking a picture with my two boys. I am the thorn, they are the roses.

It always makes us smile.

When I was learning the correct pronunciation for the English language, I invested on a recorder. I listened to lectures, peoples conversations, and TV shows. I can remember slowing it down when I had difficulty understanding the pronunciation. IT was a great addition to my pronunciation learning.

Advise vs Advice

Price belongs to how much an item costs. Prize is an award that your receive. They are very different in meaning and cannot be used as meaning the same.

 

Advice is the noun. These nouns denote an opinion as to a decision or course of action:

 

Advise is the verb. These verbs mean to suggest a particular decision or course of action:

Welcome to the forum, you are probably at the right place for this. I would personally choose Italian myself, but it's a matter of preference. I suggest you look into them both, play around with it, and decide.

Thank you for the advise, and I have decided to start Italian. After reviewing both languages, I found that Italian is a great fit for me right now. The words are similar to spanish, and i find myself understanding much more than I expected.

I hope by next year this time, I am a fluent speaker and writer of the language. Thank you again.

Welcome to the forum! Hope you like it here and learn new things. Enjoy your stay.

I am enjoying the forum. I have received great advice. From all here.

I want to learn Italian because that is my ancestry. I want to learn French because the language fascinates me. My father could speak both with complete fluency. I would like to honor that by learning them, too.

I am already working on Italian. It seems simple, and similar to Spanish. I am enjoying the practice, and the spelling at this time. No grammar yet.

I have started already, but I would like to have proficiency in Italian. By the end of 2014, I would like to be mid way with French.

I have a new fascination for both languages. When I do become proficient, I will plan a trip to both countries. It will be great to put the new skills to work.

I know that anywhere we go, English is understood, but I do not want to rely on that.

If I had to keep track of the words, I would lose focus on the learning experience. I am sure that I cannot count how many vocabulary words I know.

I did keep track of my son when he started to speak, as he did so at the early age of six months. I was curious as to how early babies spoke on the average.

Very interesting thread. Maybe now that I am learning a new language, I may keep track of it.

I have to say I have experienced it. My family and friends that are close to me, when they want to get close to me, they will speak in Spanish. Even if they just say the word, Burrito, I know they are trying to get a smile out of me.

My boyfriend has gone to the extend to learn to write a few words, like Good Morning, and he makes a point of texting me in Spanish. It hits right in the center each time.

I learned English by the time I was three years old. I picked up by speaking to the neighbor's children. Our parents could not figure out how we understood each other, then one day, they heard me speaking English and realized that I had picked up by observation, and practice.

My first language was Spanish.

I have now been in the U.S. thirty four years. My English is better than my Spanish, but I am fluent in both.

Oh yes. There are plenty of spelling mistakes on the internet.

"Rather then", instead of "rather than"

"effect" instead of "Affect" and vice-versa

The constant confusion among There and Their. This one i can't understand why some would use out of context.

It all depends on what I am reading. If I am reading creative writing, I tend to read fast, if it is technical, I read it slowly. It has to do with the simplicity or complexity of the text at hand.

Either way, I am not a super fast reader. I like to take my time when I read.

I always wondered about that expression. How do people come up with them and then get others to use it? It is amazing, like "it is cool" ok so that means that is cold, however, the usage is for it is good, it is accepted, it is great.

A giant error that many people make is the use of affect and effect.

These two words are misused in everyday writings. I have seen it used incorrectly by journalists, writers, bloggers, and so on.

It is a shame, too. It takes away from their credibility and intellect.

My intentions can affect someone, or it can have an effect on them. However, I have seen the wrong usage.

My intentions can effect someone, or it can have an affect on them.. Urrgg. that totally irritates me.

Any thoughts?