Why are you learning Spanish?

[Joseph]

The question seems simple enough, but, think about it: What's your main motivation? Let everyone know here and you'll benefit in two ways: 1) you'll meet like minded people and be able to network with others in similar situations, and 2) we will adapt our future content to meet your needs.

I originally started learning Spanish because I got really frustrated reading literature in translation. I was suspicious of translators... so suspicious that I ended up becoming one!!!

[kellysensei]

I'm learning Spanish mainly for two reasons: First, I'm an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher, and many of my students speak Spanish. It helps for me to know at least a little classroom Spanish, especially with my very beginning English students. Second, my husband and I just started sponsoring two young girls in Ecuador, and I'd like to be able to write them letters at least partially in Spanish!

[Joseph]

Kellysensei,

Thanks for sharing your motivation with us. I think our course will definitely suit your needs. What's the level of your Spanish now? I personally would be glad to help you reach your goals. Do you have a particular scenario that you'd like us to cover. There is a separate thread for Lesson Suggestions, but it's cool if you post one here as well.

Thanks for participating and let us know how we can make your learning process more effective.

Saludos,
Joseph

[gkhanson]

Why am I learning Spanish? For me, that is a very complex question. I'm a physician in my late 50's. I started the study of Spanish probably about 6 years ago. First in an adult night school (although very basic, it was good to get a thorough grounding in pronunciation). I then studied a course on CD (Platiquemos). I didn't finish, but got through preterite and subjunctive. I went to Guatemala several times, once for language study and twice to do volunteer work in the mountains doing medical work. The reason all this started is that my wife and I like to travel. Wherever we travel, we have always tried to learn a little bit of the language (Arabic, Greek, French etc). We want to travel extensively after I retire, starting off in the western Caribbean and South America. Since we want to stay for months, maybe dragging into years, we thought learning Spanish a little more deeply would be good. What I hadn't counted on was that the study of Spanish has significantly changed my life. I'm just beginning to be able to peer through a window (on my tippy toes) into another culture, into another way of thinking entirely. That is very fulfilling. I listen to Latin music a lot, listen to Spanish radio some (I still can't understand it all). Thus, the reasons I started to learn are not the reasons I continue. I still work (unfortunately) and Spanish has helped me communicate with a fair number of patients that speak only Spanish.

[cacevedo222]

gkhanson,
Welcome. Those are all very good reasons to learn Spanish. It's funny how learning another language can make you look at the world differently. I bet your patients are happy that you are speaking to them in their own language. It must be very comforting for them. I feel it's almost like joining a club. Suddenly (especially with Spanish) one is able to communicate with around 95% of the Population of the Western Hemisphere (Excluding Canada, Haiti, and Brazil ). If you are new, welcome to Spanishpod101.com!

Carlos

[Joseph]

Gkhanson,

Sounds like a lot of good reasons! Your Spanish-speaking patients... where are they from? It would be interesting to know, since our course offers a unique regional aspect that could come in handy for you.

Best,
Joseph

[bassman]

For me, it's a hobby. I don't really need it for work or anything. I just really want to learn the language. I do live in southern California, where there are lots of spanish speaking people. I'm a musician and I love listening to latin music. I've long been fascinated by people who speak multiple languages. So, a couple years ago, I made a new year's resolution to take action. I'm proud to say that I've been persistent ever since. I started with an audio program and now I spend about an hour a week speaking/studying with a young lady from Lima, Peru. I recently found my way to spanishpod101. So far being a member here has exceeded my expectations. So, I'm looking forward to getting more involved here.

P.S. If anyone has need for a bass guitarist in spanish speaking country, my passport is current and I can pack quickly

[Joseph]

Bassman,

¿Cómo te va? ¡Muy bienvenido! Great to have you with us. Thanks for sharing with us why you're learning Spanish. Music is a great way to learn about the language and culture. What kind of Latino music are you into?

Also, it's a great coincidence that you study with "una limeña", since one of our hostesses is also from Lima (Beatriz). This ought to make it easy for you to pick up on her accent and probably some of the colloquialisms we tend to use in Peru. Have you checked out the Peruvian Regional Series? I bet it'd be right up your alley.

Que te vaya bien,
Joseph

[bassman]

Muchísimas gracias Joseph,

Soy Nathan. We've chatted in the lesson comments a few times.

Studying spanish has opened my ears up to lots of music that wasn't previously on my radar, like the "regional" music of México. However, I'm more into the Salsa & Afro-Cuban styles of artists like Marc Anthony and Albita Rodriguez, or Brazilian artists like Chico Pinheiro and Simone.

With my "tutor" being from Lima, the Peruvian Regional Series is what first caught my attention. It was fun to recall some of the topics from the podcasts during our meetings. She was surprised and wondered how I knew of the peruvianisms(don't know if that's a word). I finally let her in on the secret;-) Of course, she was thrilled to talk about Peru and especially Lima.

Hasta Luego,
Nathan

[kablam53]

I just signed up for the trial to see how this all works and I think I'll be giving myself a one-year premium for Christmas! I live in Edmonton, Alberta and it is fairly difficult to find anything Spanish here. I ended up marrying a girl from El Salvador just over three years ago. Her family had fled to Canada in 1985 (I think) after things were getting heated in El Salvador. I am learning Spanish (trying) for two main reasons: One, that I may converse with my wife in her native language because I know it's embarassing to her to meet up with her family and realize she has forgotten some things. Two, I want our children to be brought up in a truly bilingual home. It is very important in this day and age to be globally-minded and it is very beneficial to have at least one other major language.

That's my story.

[Karenn]

I have multiple reasons for learning Spanish! And I've been nibbling at it for ages, on and off since taking a class in high school many decades ago!

My original reason was very shallow. I love telenovelas and wanted to understand more of what was going on. I started with Corazon Salvaje, such a good one! More recently, La Fea Mas Bella & Destilando Amor. Jaja.

These days, I teach ESL and like a previous poster, most of my students speak Spanish. I agree it really helps with the beginning-level students to be able to start them off with a little Spanish. I try to maintain an "English-only" classroom, but honestly it relaxes the beginners sooo much to be able to slip into Spanish sometimes.

I also do work with victims of domestic abuse, and we have quite a few Spanish-speakers coming in. Our bilingual worker is only part-time, so the more Spanish I can manage the better, although it is still difficult.

So, lots of reasons!

Karenn

[djthyberg]

Karenn,

That is great that you are finding some useful information on Spanishpod101 to help with your ESL teaching. I have also taught ESL in Peru, and it definitely helps to be able to explain tricky topics with little bits of Spanish. Students really need to feel comfortable, especially when they are just beginning like you said. It's the best way I have seen for Spanish speakers to start off learning English if they have no experience at all. Please pass the word along about the benefits of learning with Spanishpod101 to other ESL teachers like yourself doing such an important job helping Hispanic people learn English. Suerte! Que te vaya bien!

[Karenn]

Thanks, djthyberg. I find the most difficult thing for most beginning language learners is to actually produce sentences that are understandable and more-or-less gramatically correct. And especially to do this in a relaxed, spontaneous manner. Really hard, especially for some!

In one-on-one tutoring, I like to use a "Pimsleur-style" method... I say a sentence in Spanish, and ask them to reproduce it in English. Then we work with repetition and variation, using both full sentences and phrases. As far as I know, this element is either missing or not well developed in any "learn English" audio method I'm aware of, except Pimsleur (and that, besides being rediculously expensive, is not adequate for total learning of the language.)

My Spanish isn't good enough to do this on my own, but I can use Spanishpod101 dialogs very effectively! Plus, I'm learning more vocab and refreshing myself on grammar. So far, so good.

Karenn

[photogirl67]

I am learning Spanish because I visited Peru and started lessons in Cusco and fell in love with the language and the people. I speak a little French so found it fairly easy to pick up Spanish words and phrases.

I have taken a few local classes but time did not permit me to do that right now - so I found your podcasts and am finding them very good. I've reviewed others and they were dry to say the least. I like your native spanish speakers and the fact the founder is based in Lima.

mucho gusto! gracias

[breminator98]

Wow. Thats actually a much broader question than it sounds isn't it? Like all the people who have replied to this topic I have a few reasons. Firstly, I love to travel! I also know that being able to communicate with the locals makes travelling that much more fun and enriching. I want to travel to South America,and I feel that Spanish is the best language for that. I also want to be able to grasp another culture and its language, apparently its a great way to make sense of one's own culture. And last but not least there's a number of mountains in Patagonia that I want to climb. Those are my reasons for studying this language. I'm only on newbie lesson #4 but I'm getting there. I hope to be still studying in a number of years time, I think it will take that long to become good at it. See you all round!