It's All In How You Say It... Or Write It?

It's amazing how the slightest variation to a word can make all the difference. Take the English word "bow" for example. It can mean someone bending at the waist. It could be a tool used to shoot an arrow across great distances. It is even referred to as a tool used to make the violin and other stringed instruments sing beautiful melodies. Three distinct meanings all with the same spelling of the word. I can go on and on with more meanings and even variations that have even more meanings like the word "bough." Pronounced the same, spelled different and has another meaning. In English, we call these words homonyms.

Spanish is loaded with homonyms. Take "amo, ama" and "amo, ama."  One means "owner, master or mistress" and the other refers to the first person "I" form and the third person "s/he, you or it" form of the verb "to love."

"Copa"and "copa"is another great example. One refers to "cup" while the other refers to the third person "s/he, you or it" form of the verb "to win."

My personal favorite is "si" (with no accent mark) which means "if" and "sí" (with an accent mark) which means "yes." It's so slight that you can miss it if you don't watch out for it. Sí, with Spanish, you have an additional layer of different word possibilities with accent marks. They can be spelled the same, sound the same, but mean something totally different with just a placement of an accent mark.

You can find a good listing of Spanish homonyms online at About.com.

The only way to know what is being talked about is the context of the conversation. It's the same as in English. One "bow" may not be another "bow," but the context of what you are talking about will help you make the right choice in its meaning. So be careful with those homonyms! ¡Hasta luego!

Answering Your Questions

Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement of this blog. It has meant a lot to me. I've gotten a number of emails over the past couple of weeks which I would like to start addressing in my blog as much as I can.

For those of you who have not written in, I want to extend this invitation right now. No question is stupid and helps thousands of people who check this blog each and every day. Simply send an email to SpanishMyWay@hotmail.com. Send me questions, comments, suggestions, or anything you wish. Maybe something you write will find its way on my blog. Above all, I am here for you to help you learn Spanish and to communicate better in Spanish. So ask away!

One question I received is from Adam who lives in Minneapolis, MN. Adam is new to Spanish and has a new Android phone. He's wondering what apps are out there which could help him with his Spanish.

There are actually quite a few out there, Adam. If you search your Android Marketplace using the word "Spanish," you will come across hundreds. You can also search the marketplace for specific types of Spanish learning tools and activities and games. I always flock to the free apps which I have some suggested ones to check out. As I go through them, I will link to where you can download them through the Android Marketplace.

Flashcards - Spanish by GreenLife Apps is a great flashcard system. It's easy to start using and does a wonderful job in testing your knowledge of vocabulary and phrases. This app is free! There may be a "Pro" version that charges money.

1001 Spanish Verbs by Andrew Lyczak has over a thousand verbs in Spanish with all of their conjugations. Never have a lapse of memory on how to conjugate a verb in Spanish again. It has many of the common every day verbs listed in alphabetical order. This app is free! There may be a "Pro" version that charges money.

Titulares by digital NOMAD is a collection of newspapers and magazines from across the Latino and Spanish regions of the world. Get wonderful practice reading and understanding Spanish from original Spanish-language resources. This app is free! There may be a "Pro" version that charges money.

I have not tried all of the various apps for Android phones nor do I know if these apps are available for iPhone users. I have used the ones mentioned above and definitely approve them for your use. Thank you Adam for such a great question.

If you have a suggestion for Adam or would like to comment on my selection above, please post your comments directly to this blog below. If you have a question for me, send your question to SpanishMyWay@hotmail.com. ¡Hasta luego!

Simple Sentences: Level II

In May, I discussed very simple sentences in Spanish. These were sentences that contained a subject and a verb which is all you need to make up a sentence. A good example of this is the sentence "I speak." Spanish would have you say "Yo hablo."

Today, I'm going to talk about making your sentences more complex by adding additional information to them. Let's take this example: I drink the water. You have a subject (I), a verb (drink) and now you have an object (the water). I am clarifying what I am drinking.

Now let's look at this same example in Spanish. Do you remember how to say "I drink"? That's right, "Yo bebo." I'm going to add "the water" right after the subject and the verb:

Yo bebo el agua.

See how easy that is?

You can do this with practically any simple sentence out there. Here's one more example:

"Tú vives en la casa." which means "You live in the house."

This will be all for now, but keep coming back when we take simple sentences one step further by making them even more complex. As always, if you have questions or need help with Spanish, please email me at SpanishMyWay@hotmail.com or post your questions to this blog. ¡Hasta luego!

Need Some Help With Spanish?

Over the past couple of months since I've started this Learn Spanish My Way blog, I've covered many different topics each week. This week, I want to open this blog up more to you, my readers and followers. I also have a special offering at the bottom for this week only! So definitely check it out.

I want to invite you to post a comment here or send me an email. Feel free to ask me what you really would like clarification about Spanish. Ask me what you are having troubles with in Spanish. Ask me anything related to Spanish. If there is something you would like to see more of or need more practice with, let me know. I may be working on something which will help you with that.

Since my degree is in Spanish, I have studied many Latino and Spanish cultures. If it's culture you want to know more about, fire away! Maybe you really are curious about something specific you've seen Latinos do or heard them say. If there is something you've been dying to know, but don't quite know who or how to ask it. This is your forum. I am at your service! This is part of the beauty of learning Spanish My Way.

In the weeks to come, I will address the many questions and topics you would like to see through your postings and emails.

The ultimate goal of this blog is to help you learn Spanish, to become more open to the culture and the people, and to help you understand and develop a viewpoint on current happenings in the Latino and Spanish regions of the world. After all, a good chunk of this world is populated by Spanish-speakers. Latinos make up the largest minority block in the U.S. You may have a neighbor, a friend, a co-worker, or someone you see every now and then who is a native Spanish-speaker. What a great way
to learn more about where they are coming from in terms of concepts and references.

¡Hasta luego!