Tips to Learn Conversational Spanish

Many can see the value in learning conversational Spanish.Spanish has quickly become the second most spoken language in the United States, and many nations across Europe are also seeing an amazing growth in the amount of Spanish speakers. So, how can you learn conversational Spanish without getting frustrated and pulling out your hair?

The first step is simple. Keep you vocabulary simple to begin with. Many learners get discouraged by trying to learn all of the grammatical rules about conjugating verbs and gender and blah, blah, blah, and its too overwhelming and they give up. Keep it simple. Learn a few basic phrases that you can use right away. Don't try to understand why a certain phrase is said a certain way. Just go with it, and use your new words. Invest in a good Spanish/English dictionary. It will save you a lot of time and work by getting a good one as you start to learn.

The next step is to increase your vocabulary. Start with your nouns. Learn what the things around you are called in Spanish. Remember, you can't start putting together sentences without a vocabulary! You can start with they category that you feel you'll use the most. For example, if you hire a he keeper that speaks Spanish, obviously your vocabulary should focus on household words. Likewise, if you work with Spanish speaking construction workers, use the nouns from work as your vocabulary.

As your third step, you can start learning verbs, the words that make things happen in any language. Don't worry about conjugating the verbs just yet. Make a list of the most common verbs in your chosen category. For example, to speak to your house keeper, you'll need verbs like clean, wash, sweep, etc. On the construction site you'll need verbs like move, lift, measure, cut, etc.

The fourth step is just to practice what you have learned already. Stay comfortable and encouraged with what you are learning. Keep reviewing and using what you know.

Now you can start conjugating your verbs. Start with present tense and forget everything else for now. It will all come in time, all you really need now is to get the point across. If you want a simple way to express future tense for your verbs, you can use the phrase "Voy a..." and then add your verb. It simply means "I am going to..." And you are now speaking in present and future tense!

I hope these few little tricks help you, but its really just the tip of the ice berg! If you want to learn conversation Spanish, there are many other tools available to help you do just that.

If you want to get more tools to help you learn conversational Spanish check us out!

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Economic Benefits of Learning Spanish

There is a probability that you come across someone who speaks Spanish in your daily life, maybe it's a colleague, or a neighbor. The number of Hispanics in the US is increasing so quickly that it has become the 4th largest Spanish speaking country. There are over 40 million Hispanics living here and there number is expected to increase in the future.

Learning Spanish in this scenario is extremely important. If you happen to live in California or Texas, then it is a must. Half of the Spanish people live in these two states so the need for studying Spanish is higher here. However, the hassle which is a part of learning a new language detracts people from doing so.

Considering the benefits which you can avail if you study Spanish, it sounds like a good deal. Here are some economic benefits of learning Spanish.

Employment

Believe it or not, but knowing Spanish in the US can help you obtain a better job. Employers consider it well of you to be able to speak up a whole language. Hence, you can spice up your resume by studying Spanish. Learning multiple languages is an 'in' thing when it comes to gaining good employment. There are many Spanish based companies operating here who require their employees to be fluent in English as well as Spanish. Therefore, you can open your doors to better employment by learning Spanish.

Raise

You can even obtain a raise in your existing job by learning Spanish. Companies are willing to provide incentives to employees who can speak Spanish. There is a scope for learning Spanish to improve your current employment regardless of where you are working.

Expand

In case you want to expand the consumer base of your business, learn Spanish and open up to the Hispanic population. They will feel much valued if you are going to communicate with them in Spanish instead of English. Expatriates long for acceptance and what better way to use it for your benefit than by learning their language.

Save Money

Yes, you can actually save money by learning Spanish. Spanish shop owners tend to treat all the people who don't speak Spanish as tourists and charge higher prices than they normally do. If you know Spanish, you can communicate and get through to them. They will bring down the price to where it usually is. Guides, especially those who speak English, charge good money. You don't need them when you know how to communicate with everyone you meet in the native language. You also eliminate the need for translators, who are equally expensive, by learning Spanish yourself. Imagine, you can order for yourself in a traditional Mexican restaurant!

These were some reasons why learning Spanish can be economically beneficial for a US citizen. If you want to study Spanish quickly and without hassle, Spanish Learning Factory is the best option for you. They offer private lessons as well as books and CDs so you have the option to choose a resource according to your budget.

SpanishLearningFactory provides online Spanish courses and online Spanish classes. for more details visit Website. SpanishLearningFactory.com

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What to Consider When Choosing Sites to Learn Chinese Online

The development of Pinyin Romanization has made it easier for Westerners to study Chinese online through a widely accepted and easy-to-learn system of transcribing Mandarin sounds using the Roman alphabet. Most importantly, Pinyin includes tone marks or numbers to indicate the four different Mandarin tones and clarify the meaning of transcribed words. The main disadvantage of Pinyin is that its sounds are different from English, which may lead those who are unfamiliar with the system to mispronounce them. This minor drawback has not hindered the wide adoption of Pinyin; it has become the official Romanization system of China and Singapore, as well as the US Library of Congress.

Because of Pinyin, there is now an extensive range of options for learning Chinese online using a variety of modalities ranging from videos to one-on-one online tutoring. However, because of the sheer number of choices available, it can be difficult to find the site that best suits your particular needs. The first step in deciding which site to use is to browse their different lesson offerings to see if they have a package that is most suitable for your requirements. For example, if you are learning Chinese because you are planning to visit China or other Chinese-speaking country, do they have a simple course that will teach you to quickly converse in Mandarin? If you are planning to apply for college in China, do they have a learning package that will help you build your vocabulary and Chinese-reading and -writing skills?

The next step is to look at the learning tools that they offer on the site. The wider the selection of tools available the better, since every person has a different way of learning. For example, some people might prefer to learn on their own using self-guided audio lessons with occasional supervision from a tutor while others might feel more comfortable being taught live by a teacher through Skype or Adobe Connect - an advance e-education software used in the universities and professional bodies for interactive online classes. The best sites may even offer assistance in preparing you for Chinese language proficiency exams that are a requirement before you are allowed to study or work in China.

Price, of course, is an important consideration. The best sites for learning Chinese online will offer a selection of pricing options, ranging from monthly subscriptions for unlimited lessons to one-time fees for particular lesson packages. In addition, they may even offer you free trial periods or sample lessons that you should take advantage of, as this will give you the flavor of how the site teaches Chinese so that you can decide if you feel comfortable with their approach. And of course, a good site always guarantees the satisfaction of its users by offering a money-back warranty if you're unsatisfied with their services.

Finally, the best sites have responsive customer service and technical support in case you encounter any problems accessing their lessons. You can even test how good their customer service is by asking to speak to a customer representative or e-mailing them, just to see how fast they get back to you to address your concerns.

If you are seriously considering learning Chinese online, the above mentioned pointers are worth a second look. Learn Chinese Online is one program you must see before making any final decision because the programs offered met most the featured mentioned in this article. Without further delay, hop over to http://chineseonline.sg/ for more information.

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ESL Teaching Strategy: Information, Instruction, Inspiration, Intuition

What is the difference between a good teacher and a master teacher? We probably have all endured teachers where we felt their calling was anything other than teaching. Other teachers could at least keep our attention, and make the class exciting and fun. But on occasion, there would be that master teacher that could somehow make us feel like we were the only one in the classroom, and we felt as if our brains had been opened as he poured a cup of knowledge into our souls. It might have been an elementary teacher, a coach, or, for a lucky few, a mom or a dad. Let's look at the main ingredients of a master teacher.

1. Information. Information makes up 40% of teaching. It is the sole reason for our role as a teacher. Take away our substance, and we will also lose our occupation. Yet, the fault in many teachers is in their resistance to remain a student. It can be easy to dust off the old lesson plans from year to year, and deliver the same information that was given 10 years ago - rusted and outdated.

I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. ~Abraham Lincoln

The best remedy for an old lesson plan is a learning teacher. Let's make sure as teachers that our information - that 40% of teaching - is 100% of what it should be.

2. Instruction. Instruction makes up 30% of teaching. Imagine a road system that had no rules. Drivers could go as fast as they want, drive in any lane, never stop for a traffic light, and there were no guidelines for accidents. Yes, people could get to their destination, but it would be accompanied by chaos and confusion. As teachers, we not only need to impart information, but also give it with good instruction. As a student I enjoyed the classes where it was obvious that the teacher had good procedures in the classroom. He knew the most efficient way to pass out papers, collect papers, explain the rules of an activity, give tests, schedule a research paper with good deadlines, and keep the class as fair as possible. It was always a privilege to be in a class where I felt the teacher ensured that every little detail was accounted for.

3. Inspiration. Inspiration makes up 20% of teaching. Inspiration comes from success. The more successful a student is at something, the more they will want to excel in that area. I was watching my son play a skateboarding game on our Wii. As a six year old, he just could not figure out how to make that virtual skateboard do what he wanted it to do. However, I noticed that level 1 was super easy. It was easy enough to grant my son a small measure of success. He could not do level 2, but I simply had to encourage him to do better on level 1, and he soon was able to beat level 2. That measure of success was enough to keep him interested. In our classes, our students don't want to fail. However, if they fail many times then failure becomes the only thing they are actually successful at. Have you ever had a student that wanted to excel at failure? Instead, we need to keep our students tasting the wonderful joy of success.

4. Intuition. Intuition is that 10% of teaching that I believe separates the good teachers from the master teachers. Intuition is that ability to look into the eyes of a student and know whether or not he is learning. It's the ability to draw out of the student the knowledge that the teacher has given to him. It is that unique touch on the heart of a student that lets him know that you really care. Students have the distinctive ability to know whether or not the teacher is teaching for money or for the student. Teachers will never be able to fool a student in this area. For the master teacher, intuition goes both ways. The master teacher is able to know if the student is truly learning and what to do about it, and the student is able to sense the level of compassion that the master teacher has for the student.

What an awesome privilege to have to opportunity to help mold the early impressions of a student. Let's increase our relevant information, make clear our instructions, inspire through success, and captivate with our intuition.

For great ESL resources for both the student and the teacher go to http://www.ilesi.com/. ILESI stands for International Languages Educational Services Inc., and has established English training centers all over the world.

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Chinese Language Learning Strategies For Interpersonal Learners

As outlined by Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences, there are 7 distinct kinds of learners, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, musical, visual-spatial, intrapersonal, linguistic, and logical-mathematical. As a pupil of the Chinese language, you will discover that, while you are able to use approaches from all 7 of the individual learning models, you will be more at ease with some than with others. Pay attention to your inner thoughts, and gravitate towards the exercises you feel most comfortable carrying out. This particular report will present Chinese language learning strategies for people who are intepersonal learners.

What is an Interpersonal Learner?

An interpersonal learner is somebody who loves interacting with other people. These people are usually particularly understanding, and they normally show empathy for other people. They generally have a lot of acquaintances and possess superior street smarts. If you're one of these styles of learners you will excel whenever taking part in group exercises, seminars, and by participating in dialogues, no matter how easy they may be.

Learning Strategy 1

Interpersonal learners excel in group activities, and their study techniques ought to center on interaction. Fortunately, this is often easy to do when learning another language, seeing that everybody desires partners to converse with. You ought to take an active part in setting up parties or some other social get-togethers where the chief goal is to practice talking in Chinese. For instance, you can host a dinner party where the aim is to speak about food in the Chinese language.

Learning Strategy 2

Join organizations which are organized by individuals who are native Chinese speakers. This can seem difficult at first, and it would, in fact, be extremely hard for most of us. Your high level of comfort in interpersonal situations, however, allows you to succeed in most of these circumstances. You can join almost any group. For example, it is easy to join a Chinese trekking group, or perhaps some sort of civic group that meets often.

Learning Strategy 3

Socialize with native Chinese speakers. This might seem to be a bit fake or dishonest, but it doesn't have to be. Just be genuine in the beginning and then allow your natural interpersonal skills take over from there. Take your new friend out for lunch and ask for their help. Most people love helping others, since it makes them to feel useful and significant. And, surely, since English is not their native language, you may as well help them with their studies. It's a win-win position for everybody.

Learning Strategy 4

Enroll in a Chinese language learning class. If you're an intense interpersonal learner, you will definitely get bored rather quickly learning alone. Some sort of classroom environment, on the other hand, will provide you with the social interaction you desire. Additionally, don't just be a part of a class. Also make certain that you spend as much time as you can with your teacher, as the increased individual attention will encourage you to study more.

Conclusion

Interpersonal learners need social interaction to keep encouraged and learn up to their potential. If you are secure in and quite often desire social situations, and if you have a lot of friends, you're almost certainly an interpersonal learner. If this is the case, you should design a learning approach that is based around social interaction.

Get more Learn to speak Mandarin tips by visiting my 8-article series hosted at the famous Squidoo!

Study Chinese online. It's fast. It's Fun. It's FREE!

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Count Nouns and Non-Countable (Mass) Nouns - Simple Solutions to a Major Problem for ESL Students

The concept of distinguishing between objects that can and cannot be counted does not exist in many languages and this results in severe bafflement when speakers of those languages write in English.

Examples of mass and count nouns:

Count nouns:

A pencil: three pencilsA frog: three frogsA minister: three ministers.

Mass nouns are uncomfortable with numbers:

A confusion: three confusions (No. "How much confusion")An air: three airs (No, "How much air")A misery: three miseries (No, "How much misery")A research: three researches (No, "How much research")

Many nouns can be both count and mass nouns, often with different meanings.

Paper:

How much paper? (24 reams, boxes, rolls of paper)How many papers? (He published three papers on invertebrate alcoholism last year)

Oil:

How much oil? (one quart)How many oils? (olive oil, corn oil, linseed oil - three oils.)

Mystery:

Much mystery surrounds the case of the giant rat of Sumatra.There are probably many more mysteries set in English country houses than murders in all of Yorkshire.

Thought:

Not much thought has been given to making cats amphibious.Did Rupert have any thoughts about wearing gaudy socks in the parade?

The Web Searching Solution

When in doubt about the countability of a noun, one could just compare the result count from a search for "much [noun]"to that from a search for "many [noun]s". The search, "many confusions"yielded 55,900, while "much confusion"produced 774,000. While searching "how much"with most countable nouns will reveal clearly that the noun does not function as a mass noun ("how much pencil", "how much bicycle", "how much flagpole"), this process is not always reliable because, as demonstrated above, some nouns can be both countable and non-countable. The respective counts of "many thoughts"and "much thought"do not differ greatly. In these cases, a targeted search and an examination of context is probably best.

Frequently the excerpts Google presents are perfectly adequate for understanding usage and there is no need to visit the pages found as demonstrated in the following excerpts from the first page of results of a search restricted to academic sites in the UK.

Searched: site:ac.uk/ "many thoughts are"

Within a given conceptual space, many thoughts are possible, only some of which may have been actually thought.

As many thoughts are in my mind: As wavelets o'er thee roam;: As many wounds are in my heart: As thou hast flakes of foam. But if heaven's constellations

One problem of this work is that too many thoughts are embedded in a single character-mind. It is often difficult to identify to whom each thought...

Searched: site:ac.uk/ "much thought is"

...much thought is already being given to the social and economic implications of these changes.

Much thought is given to the dating and composition of Weissenburg's cartulary, which is put in the context of Louis the German's attempts to acquire...

...But modern versions of RTM assume that much thought is not grounded in mental images. The classic contemporary treatment maintains, instead, ...

The resultant phrases reveal clearly how the word is used in context.

Remember, mass nouns do not take indefinite articles and are quantified by:

"how much [noun]"or "how little [noun]"and "more [noun] ", "less [noun], all that [noun] or the amount of [noun]"

while countable nouns use:

"how many [noun]s"or "how few [noun]s", "more [noun]s", "fewer [noun]s"or the quantity of [noun]s.

Note that the comparative form "more"is used with both countable and non-countable nouns. Purists maintain that "fewer"should always be the comparative form used with countable nouns but the use of "less"in these contexts is increasing: "Oatmeal has less calories than granola". When searched, the count was: "less calories", 491,000 and "fewer calories", 6,060,000. It will be interesting to see how these numbers change over time.

There are some sticky areas however. Some count nouns, when used in plural, and particularly when large quantities are discussed, tend to be treated as mass nouns. Phrases such as "the amount of lentils"(460,000,000) tend to compete well with the more correct "the quantity of lentils"(475,000,000). With more abstract nouns, this is even more evident.

"quantity of resources" 463,000

"number of resources" 8,770,000

"amount of resources" 11,500,000

A short collection of mass nouns:

(Be sure to look up any you don't know)

acrimonyadulationadviceairaluminumapplauseapostasyapprobationavaricebadinagebeerbiologybloodboatingcacographycakecasuistryceleritycheeseclothdancingdisdaindusteconomicselectricityequipmentexperiencefatuityfealtyflourflummeryfoodfurnitureglassgraffitigrasshairharmheathistoryhockeyhomeworkhouseworkiceinformationinsoucianceknowledgeleatherlogorrhealuggagemathematicsmeatmentationmetalmilkmoneymilitancymusicoxygenphotographyplasticpoetrypollutionporcelainprobitypublicityrancorreadingresearchreticencerevulsionricerodomontaderubbishsandsedulitysmokingsoapsoccersoftwaresubserviencesteelsugarsunshinetemeritytraffictransportationtravelwaterweatherwinewoodwool

Count and Mass Noun Usage

Mass nouns can usually be made countable by adding a count noun:

Mass noun: furniture

Count noun: piece of furniture

Mass noun: paper

Count noun: sheet of paper

Mass noun: research

Count noun: research paper

The use of count nouns as mass nouns can be intended for comic effect through the incongruity of the usage:

It's 49 feet tall; how much flagpole do we really need?

A tandem? What's he doing with that much bicycle?

If one prefers to avoid this effect, reference to size or quantity solves the problem: How large a flagpole? How big a bicycle? How long a piece of construction grade gingerbread?

Use the searching technique above to determine mass or count-noun usage in the following.

Count Nouns and Mass Nouns Playsheet

Circle and fix the errors.

When dealing with a furniture of this size, Rupert had to agree that the word "manana" conveyed far too exigent a sense of urgency.There was too much barrel of fermented applesauce for Hermione to deal with but less golf balls than the minimum required for the sleepover.It wasn't me whom the assistant vice principal accused of impertinence after he saw so much of his bulletins, printed in the local newspaper with appropriate grammar corrections.Rupert saw the curate and me mixing all that anchovy into the nougat.Who do you think is responsible for putting so much toads into the library garden?Whom should we make clean up all those peanut shells, tapioca, and horse droppings in the cafeteria after the Polo Club's cavalcade of ethnic indigenous cuisines?There's too much reason for not letting Mrs. Drookle's second grade class reenact the Boston Tea Party at the Main Street fountain.There's too much puce finger paint and Brillo pads to hide convincingly behind the irregularly eructative model volcano.There's not enough volcano to hide even a small equipment.Acrimonies abound in the field. Invertebrate alcoholisms seem to inspire many rancors.

Answers

Problem: "Furniture" is a mass noun. Search "much furniture" and "many furnitures" for the count. Correction: "When dealing with a piece of furniture of this size..."Problem: barrel is a count noun. Search "much barrel" and "many barrels". Correction: the barrel contained too much fermented applesauce..." Problem: Golf ball is a count noun and "less" should be used only with mass nouns. It should be replaced with "fewer".Problem: "bulletin" is a count noun. Search "much bulletin" and "many bulletins" for the count. Correction: "so many of his bulletins".Problem: "anchovy" is a count noun. Search "much anchovy" and "many anchovies". Correction: "mixing all those anchovies" Note that the discrete fish can easily become a mass for culinary purposes and that usage may not be uncommon.Problem: "toad" is a count noun. Search "much toads" many "toads". Correction: "So many toads".Problem: "tapioca" is a mass noun listed with count nouns. Search "much tapioca" and "many tapiocas". Correction: "Whom should we make clean up all that tapioca and all those peanut shells, and horse droppings?Problem: "reason" is, in this context, a count noun. Search "many reasons" and "much reason". Correction: "There are too many reasons for...".Problem: "Brillo pads" are countable. Search "much pad" and "many pads". Correction "There's too much puce finger paint and too many Brillo pads".Problem: "volcano" is countable. Search "much volcano" and "many volcanoes". Problem: "equipment" is a mass noun: Search "much equipment" and "many equipments". Correction: "The volcano's not big enough to hide even a little equipment.Problem: "acrimony", "alcoholism" and "rancor" are mass nouns. Search them. Correction: "Acrimony abounds in the field. Invertebrate alcoholism seems to inspire much rancor."

Excerpted with permission from SAT ACT TOEFL College Prep English Practice ( http://abacus-es.com/cpep/ ) by K. Titchenell. For more information on this text, use the search/look inside feature on Amazon.com ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/146108380X/ ).

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ESL Teaching Tip: How to Teach a Class With a Wide Range of English Levels

With teaching English in China for many years, I often found myself in situations where I was thrust into a classroom as the new American English teacher. Before me there would be 30 - 40 grade school students with 20 - 30 parents sitting in the back. On my left there would be a couple of 2nd graders and on my right I would find a couple of 6th graders. The whole class consisted of an incredible disparity in English ability.

If I focus on the slower students, then the more advanced students would be bored. If I focus on the more advanced students then the beginners would not be able to understand. Obviously, the best solution would be to split the class, but because of student schedules, or teacher availability it would not be an option. I get one chance to make that perfect impression, or the parents in the back will pull students out of the class. How do I make the right impression, so all of the students in the class at least feel like they are learning something?

Here are five suggestions for teaching a class with a wide range of English levels.

Follow the 10% - 50% focus rule. Typically in China, I would look at my class and mentally divide it into half based on their English level. Then I would take the lower half and come up 10%. This usually was a good focus for the material. I would try to give this 40% of the students the majority of my time and effort. For the top 50% of the students I would throw out "nuggets" of harder English to keep them interested. Then whenever we had pair work or group work, I would focus in on the lower 10% and try to give them some individual help. This way everyone feels important, and I am meeting everyone's needs.
Allow the students to be successful. Students love to have the right answer, and this will build their confidence. In order to be successful, present the information using clear instructions, and practice thoroughly. If the teacher uses clear visuals, exciting games, enjoyable activities, and great body language, the students are more likely to remember what was taught and will be more successful in class.
Bring extra materials for those that will finish their assignments quickly. It is discouraging for a teacher when an assignment is passed out and 10% of the class finishes in 10 minutes and the last 10% finish in 40 minutes. To avoid this, always put a time limit on each of your assignments, and walk around to help those that are struggling. Then have an extra fun, but educational assignment to give to those that finish early.
Allow the more advanced students to do some of the teacher's job. For example, if you are playing a reading game where students have to stand when they hear a specific type of word, have a student read instead of the teacher. This will increase the amount of time that the student speaks, and decrease the amount of time the teacher speaks. Also, if a slower student asks a question, see if the more advanced student can answer it instead of the teacher answering all of the questions. Remember, the main goal of the ESL teacher is not to teach, but to motivate, guide and clarify.
Realize the entire level of the student. John might have a better speaking ability than Mary, but Mary might have a better reading ability than John. So, not only do you look for overall English level, but also specific English level. To effectively teach an ESL class, the teacher has to very alert to pick up on the various levels of each student. Never assume that because the writing skill is good that the listening skill is also good.

Teaching ESL students is a great challenge and for me it has been more artistic in nature than scientific. Yes, there are many scientific methods to use in a classroom, but when it comes down to an individual student, develop the ability to look into the eyes of the student and see where he truly is at. The master teacher will develop a level of intuition to know whether or not his students are comprehending.

For great ESL resources for both the student and the teacher go to http://www.ilesi.com/. ILESI stands for International Languages Educational Services Inc., and has established English training centers all over the world.

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