Learn why you should learn Spanish
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| Hi! |
| Welcome to Introduction to Spanish. |
| My name is Alisha and I'm joined by... |
| Hi everyone. |
| I'm Lia! |
| In this series, you'll learn everything you need to know to get started learning Spanish. |
| That's right! |
| And we're here to help guide you through your journey. |
| In this lesson, you'll learn the reasons why you should start learning Spanish, about the different types of Spanish dialects, and how to get started. |
| Why learn Spanish? |
| There are many reasons you should start learning Spanish. Did you know? Spanish is the second most spoken language in the entire world. There are even more native speakers of Spanish than there are native speakers of English! Knowing Spanish allows you to communicate with more people. |
| Second most spoken language in the world (native) |
| And Spanish isn't just a language, but a culture and a way of living. |
| When you learn Spanish, you learn much more than just the language. Many cultural experiences, modes of thinking and ways of living, can only truly be understood by speakers of a given language. |
| Spanish is a way of living. |
| When we're thinking, we use our native language to do so. But if you learn another language and become multi-lingual, you can actually choose to think in another language! Just imagine what it'd be like just thinking to yourself in Spanish! |
| Allows you to think in another language |
| Things that are inherent in language, such as degrees of politeness or gender classes in everyday nouns, impact the way people in that culture interact with one another. Thinking in another language allows you to see why people in that culture do things the way that they do. Learning a new language, then, provides a new way for you to see life, and this ultimately helps you to grow as a person. |
| A new way for you to see life. |
| If you like to travel, then you must know how important language is. This is particularly true for Spanish-speaking countries. |
| Unlike many other countries around the world, the majority of people in most Spanish-speaking countries have a very poor ability to speak English. If you hope to interact with locals in most Spanish-speaking countries, it's crucial that you learn how to communicate in Spanish. |
| Communicate with locals in Spanish. |
| And considering that Spanish is the second most spoken language in the world, you're missing out on a lot of what Spanish culture has to offer, if you don't know how to speak Spanish. |
| If you're eager to travel and see the world, learning Spanish may be the catalyst you need to kickstart your journey, and perhaps one day, make that dream a reality. |
| Spanish Languages |
| Did you know? The Spanish spoken in Mexico isn't exactly the same as the Spanish spoken in Spain? Spanish is a super language that spans multiple continents. There are officially 5 distinctions of Spanish in Spain alone! |
| Spanish is a Super Language. |
| 5 distinctions: |
| - Castilian |
| - Catalan |
| - Galician |
| - Basque |
| - Occitan |
| There are some differences in the language based on region, but these differences will only reveal themselves to you once you start learning Spanish! The beauty of it, is that once you learn "standard Spanish", you'll be able to understand any Spanish-speaking person, regardless of where they are from. |
| Standard Spanish |
| Some dialects and accents, however, can be more easily understood than others. |
| Mexican Spanish, Argentinian, and Spanish from Chile for example, are generally easier to understand because they're spoken slower, and words are pronounced more clearly. |
| Interestingly, Argentinian Spanish has a big Italian influence, so there are many uses of Italian words in the language itself. This makes it easier for people who know Italian to learn and understand Argentinian. |
| In this series, we'll teach you the most universal form called "standard Spanish", and this will ensure that you'll be able to communicate with Spanish speakers from all over the world. |
| How to get started. |
| Learning a new language is just a matter of having a good learning method, practise, and time. |
| Good learning method |
| Practise |
| Time |
| Let's begin by teaching your first few words in Spanish. |
| In reality though, you most likely know some Spanish already! Everybody knows patio ("patio"), hola ("hello") and fiesta ("party") |
| Let's teach you something that you might not know, but which is very useful: |
| Muchas gracias |
| It means 'Thank you very much'. |
| Muchas gracias |
| This is perhaps the most useful phrase to learn since it's used a lot in Spanish. |
| Always answer "Muchas gracias" to show your appreciation. |
| Muchas gracias |
| Now you try! |
| Muchas gracias |
| "Muchas" means many, and "gracias" means thanks. So the phrase Muchas gracias literally means "many thanks" |
| Muchas gracias. |
| Repeat after Lia. |
| Muchas gracias |
| Keep repeating until you get it. |
| Muchas gracias |
| OK. One last time. |
| Muchas gracias |
| Well done. Now you know how to say "thank you" in Spanish! |
| We've covered a lot of things already, so why don't we wrap up the first lesson and recap what we've learned. |
| In this lesson, you learned the benefits of studying Spanish, the different dialects in Spanish, and how to say "thank you" in Spanish... |
| Muchas gracias! |
| In the next lesson, we'll dive into Spanish pronunciation by taking a look at the sounds of Spanish, so be sure to watch the next video. |
| See you in the next lesson. Bye! |
| Bye~! |
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