Speaking Spanish - Alma Dorndorf

Well, it's true - you can manage to live in Spain without speaking more than a very few words of the language. But my advice to you is to at least learn the basics because then you'll find the whole experience of living in Spain so much more rewarding - also, some mastery of the language could save you a lot of time, money and frustration on many occasions!

You don't have to be fluent - you'll find that a little goes a long way. In my experience, the Spanish are endlessly patient with foreigners who are prepared to have a bash at communicating in their own language (even if the results are fairly horrendous!).

It is often said that we English are notoriously bad about making any effort to speak any language other than our own. But nothing is guaranteed to make you more unpopular with the local community than speaking very loudly in English to a Spanish person who can hardly understand a word of what you're saying. I've never understood why a fair number of us assume that sheer volume will act as an aid to comprehension!

So take some lessons, carry your phrase book around with you and at least try to communicate in the language of the country in which you've decided to make your home. The Spanish really will appreciate your efforts and will generally bend over backwards to be helpful to you.  On a purely practical note, if you can deal directly with Spanish workmen, the Ayuntamiento and Telefonica, you'll be able to get things done more quickly and more cost-effectively than if you have to use an interpreter.

Of course the older you are, generally speaking, the more difficult it is to learn a new skill. But I've witnessed many pensioners getting on famously with their Spanish neighbours, relying on just a few Spanish words backed up by much gesticulating and back-slapping.

The difficulties of understanding  spoken Spanish

It is true that understanding the spoken word is, for most adults, the most challenging aspect of language learning. However, a large part of the problem is rooted in our false expectations of what we should be able to understand. Children seem to understand more quickly because they are more willing to pick up the occasional word and guess the rest. This is a phenomenon that has been observed in the case of children learning both their mother tongue and foreign or second languages. Also, if you think about how we understand English, we often don't hear every single word in a sentence, but in fact hear just enough to make sense of what is being said. We also pick up people's tone of voice, which helps us to interpret their message.

The problem is that when we are confronted with a foreign language, we feel we have to understand absolutely every word in a sentence. If we don't we panic and block our minds to the message. As a teacher I have observed this many many times. I play a tape of spoken language, and within 5 seconds everyone says: I can't understand a word! I tell them to calm down, not to panic, to listen again quietly and to see if they can work out what is being said from the odd words which they do understand. And I guarantee there will always be some of those! When the students do this, nine times out of ten they get it right.

Having said all that, the other side to the question is the need to listen to as much spoken Spanish as possible. Listening to chat shows on the radio as you drive around, or as you are pottering in the house or garden is a good idea to see if you can pick up the gist of what they're talking about without worrying about all the details. Also, listening to slow songs is a good way of getting the feel of a language, especially if you can read the words first on the CD cover I can recommend Alejandro Sanz, one of the most popular and attractive singers of the moment).

Yes, I know understanding spoken Spanish is difficult, but a lot can be done if you relax, focus on what you do understand, and do a lot of guesswork! Which is exactly what children do!

Spanglish

Did you know that Spanglish is becoming officially recognised as a language of its own?! It's true. So many Spanish speakers live in the United States and mix up their native Spanish with the American English that surrounds them, that some people now only speak Spanglish instead of Spanish or English. A special Spanglish dictionary has even been published, and some official instructions, such as how to use a public phone booth, are actually written in Spanglish! If you listen to American rap music which might creep up on you unawares some time you will hear a strange mingling of Spanish and English vocabulary. There is also a big surge in popularity of Latin American pop music in the United States and in Europe, with singers like Ricky Marte­n, for example, singing Living la vida loca in Spanglish!

The English speaking residents of the Costa Blanca have developed their very own form of Spanglish! This is basically a mishmash of half-learned expressions that seem to work when you say them but worse still some of the local Spanish people have starting using the same phrases when speaking to English people here, because it seems to them that this is the Spanglish which we understand! This is an entirely unofficial language of course, and one which I personally find most disagreeable! It is wrong to allow the beautiful Spanish language to be hacked about in this way, however innocently and well-intentioned this might be.

Learning Spanish will open doors and opportunities for you and most importantly, it will also open minds and hearts. So don't be nervous this could be one of the best things you have ever done in your life!