by Darhlene

Created on: September 16, 2008

Of all the barriers of grasping a language like Spanish, practicing and complete communication are the two main challenges. Having learned Spanish myself, twice: once in Puerto Rico when I was 13, and later again in the United States at 47; I learned that grammar is the least important aspect of learning Spanish.

From the point of view of prioritizing language-learning, keep in mind that it is less important to communicate tense than it is to communicate intent. For example, telling someone in Spanish that you went to a doctor yesterday does not lose meaning if you say it in the present tense. "I go to a doctor yesterday" is just as easily understood. It sounds funny, to be sure, but it is understood.

The most important aspect of learning verbs is the learning of the verbs themselves, not their too often confusing lists of conjugations. Leave grammar and tense where it belongs among the less important aspects of learning Spanish. And, keep in mind, again: Without complete communication, tense is meaningless.

Instead of wasting time learning tense, concentrate on what you enjoy. When you do that, you learn the skill of effective practicing, which will eventually lead to learning the art of complete communication.

If, let's say, you have a dog. Learn the word "perro." If you cook, learn "concinar." By associating your learning with activities and items you enjoy in your everyday life, you bolster your ability to practice on the fly.

Talk to your paintings, "pinturas," and to your garden, "jardin." And stop and talk to your dog, "Hola, perro." Or cat, "gato." Or fish, "pesco." Or stuff you see on the way to work: the traffic, "trafico" or a light, "luz."

Learn to sing a Spanish song or subscribe to Spanish-channel cable and find a show you enjoy. Listen to the audio it for keys on pronunciation and slang. Notice the number of Spanish words said in English, what many Hispanics call Spanglish.

Notice those Anglicized Spanish words. Think about words like "guineo," for instance, that are no longer known, even by Hispanics, in their original form. Today, a guineo in Puerto Rico is a "banana." That's Spanish. Spanish today.

Most important: If you learn to practice casually throughout your day, even if it means talking to something that doesn't talk back, practicing leads to understanding. With understanding, one begins to put together the basic pieces for complete communication in Spanish.

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