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ESL Classes- What Aspects of Learning English as a Second Language You Should Consider to Take Full Advantage of the Experience.

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:20:08 +0000

Article by English LCI

Studying English as a second language can serve different purposes. It is certainly true that people use English for different things. While some consider it is essential to learn to read and write because communication through e-mail is important to them, others will state that speaking definitely comes first in their use of English. So what is more important? Where should emphasis be placed? To answer that, here are three recommendations on what to focus on when taking ESL classes.

1. What is it hardest for you to do? When functioning in English there are things that are harder to do than others. For instance, some can understand when English is spoken to them without much trouble and yet go through an emotional ordeal when having to speak themselves. In order to fully develop language skills, it is of paramount importance to spot these difficulties and work consistently through them during the learning process. By doing this you gain the confidence you need to better perform in the target language.2. Identify and keep in mind why you are learning English in the first place. As we have stated before, there are countless reasons why people learn English. In addition to identifying difficulties, it it crucial to keep in mind what you need to develop in relation to specific language needs you have. For example, if you need English for work and writing reports and e-mail is important, make sure the program includes enough writing. If travelling is the reason, well then developing listening and speaking skills supported by reading and writing are important. Though learning all skills is necessary, it is recommendable to prioritize one or two according to your needs. 3. Constant exposure to English. I’m sure you have heard the phrase “if you don’t use it, you lose it”. We can apply this concept where learning languages is concerned, too. During and especially after the learning process, constant exposure to the target language is also a must. There are theories that demonstrate that people learn best by doing. The best way to achieve this with languages is by using them as much as possible. Do things like read articles and other material in English; watch TV programs or movies with subtitles in English. Also, engage in conversations with English speakers whenever possible and chat with them on the Internet to improve writing.

Understanding what you need can help determine what you need to do to achieve your language goals successfully. That way it can become a real means of interaction and sharing, and the experience can be highly motivating to students of all ages and backgrounds. Learning effective communication skills is the key, because after all, why do languages exist if not for communication.

Mariano DescalziS. Oneida St. – Suite 390 – Denver – Coloradowww.englishlci.commarianodescalzi1@gmail.com(001) 303-756-0760

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6 Keys to Help You Learn Spanish Online

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:18:13 +0000

Article by Samuel de Sousa Santos

Six Keys to Help You Learn Spanish Online

This article consists of six tips to helpyou learn Spanish online. If you follow thesesix tips, you can be sure that you will learn to speak Spanish online much easier.

Key Numero Uno to Learn Spanish Online:

“Stay motivated”

I think everyone that studiesa foreign language will experiencea time when they are becoming less and lessmotivated. You may feel that you are losing your desire to learn Spanish online around the same time that you have reached a plateau.

If you feel that you are losing your desireto learn to speak Spanish online,try planning a trip to a Spanish speaking country.Since you will want to get the most out of your trip, this should motivate you to study.

Here’s another tip to help you stay motivated andto make you want to learn to speak Spanish online.Find a native speaker that you are romantically interestedin. Since you will probably want to impress him orher with your Spanish, this should motivate youto keep studying and make you want to learn Spanish online. You will also notice that youare making progress quicker by practicing yourSpanish with a native speaker and that should alsomotivate you to keep studying and practicing Spanish.

Of course, this tip only applies to single peopleor other people without a significant other.

Key Numero Dos to Learn to speak Spanish Online:”Don’t Be Afraid of Making Mistakes”

Make lots of mistakes. And then after you have madelots of mistakes go make some more mistakes. And thengo make some more mistakes.

Many people are afraid of making mistakeswhen learning Spanish online. If you reallywant to learn to speak Spanish online, then youhave to accept the fact that makingmistakes is part of the learning process.The more mistakes you make, the quicker you learn to speak Spanish online.

If you are not making mistakes, that’s probablyan indication that you are not makingthe effort to learn Spanish online.

Some people will try to learn to speak Spanishonline by ONLY listening. Their reasoning is that once they learn enough Spanish that’s when they will begin trying to speak Spanish online. But I can I assure you that it doesn’t work that way. It works in reverse.

That is, once you start trying to speak Spanishand making mistakes that’s when you will begin to learn to speak Spanish online. Not the other way around.

So go ahead and make mistakes. The mistakesaren’t there to embarrass you. The mistakesare there to help you master Spanish.

Key Numero Tres to Learn Spanish Online:

“Focus on how to speak Spanish” Don’t focus on “why Spanish is Spokenthe way it is”

Many people have sent me emails with questionssuch as why is it “me gusta” (I like) insteadof “me gusto” or why is it “me toma” insteadof “me tomo”

Of course, I could easily answer these questions.(And I do) But the objective is not to try equate everythingin Spanish with English or your native language.

Accept the fact that Spanish grammar is differentfrom English grammar. And focus on the objectiveof any language — which is to communicate effectively.

And in order to communicate effectively, you onlyneed to understand and be understood. It is not necessary that you understand each and every grammatical facet.

Trying to do so will only hinder your learning and makeit difficult to learn Spanish online.Imagine trying to teach a 4 yr old the definitionof a direct pronoun vs. an indirect pronoun.We would never attempt such a thing. But the4yr old child is still fluent in his or hernative language.

So make your goal to understand and be understood.Focus on “how to speak Spanish” Don’t focus on “why Spanish is Spokenthe way it is.”

Key Numero Cuatro to Learn to Speak Spanish Online:

“Master the Fundamentals”

Many people spend their time learninga bunch of Spanish vocabulary that they couldgo a life time and never use. That’s because the words are hardly usedin normal everyday conversation.

If you want to learn to speak Spanish online withoutWasting anytime, I advise you to masterthe fundamentals. When I say the”fundamentals” I am referring tothe basic vocabulary and basic grammar.

I know adults that have studied Spanishfor a few years and they know thousandsof words in Spanish. Although they maybe proficient in Spanish, I would not consider them fluent. On the other hand,a three or four year old native Spanish-speakingchild can speak Spanish fluently. It is not because the child knows thousand of words in Spanish.The child may only know about a thousand wordsor less in Spanish. But the child has mastered the fundamentals.

Mastery of the fundamentals is what separatesthe proficient from the fluent.

If you really want to learn to speak Spanish onlinemake it a priority to master the fundamentals.

Key Numero Cinco to Learn Spanish Online:

“Take Advantage of downtime”

Finding time to study can be a challenge.Many people just don’t have the time to sit down and study. But who said thatyou have to be sitting down? If you arewaiting in line at the bank or waiting at the doctor’s office, turn on your mp3 playeror ipod and listen to an audio Spanish lesson.

If you drive to work everyday, that’san excellent opportunity to practice your favoriteaudio Spanish course. If you like to jog or exercise on a stairmaster or treadmill, bring your mp3 player or ipod with youand listen to your favorite audio Spanish course

Instead of watching the 10′ clock News. Watch”Las Noticias” Instead of watching a movieon HBO, watch a movie on HBO Latino.

So to those that say “I justdon’t have the time to learn Spanish online.” My response is that you can make excuses or you can learn to speak Spanish online.But you can’t do both. The choiceis yours.

Key Numero Seis to Learn to speak Spanish Online:

“Become an Imitator”

Some Spanish courses do not put much emphasison pronunciation. I think that is a big mistake.

If you really want to be understood, you must try to mimic native speakers.

Have you every experienced someone thatasked you for directions or some other questionand you were unable to assist the person because you didn’tspeak her language. And then you suddenly realized that the person was actually speakingEnglish but her accent was so thick that you thought the person was speaking another language.

The same thing happens to Spanish ears. Ifyou do not develop good pronunciation, you willnot be understand.

If you say the word “dad” in Spanish and you donot stress the appropriate syllable, a native Spanish speaker may think that you aretalking about “french fries.” To English earsthe difference may be very subtle. But to theLatin American its the difference between “dad” and “potatoes”.

So focus on mimicking native Spanish speakers.

I hope that you enjoyed these 6 Tips to Help You Learn Spanish Online and that they truly helpyou in your journey to learn to speak Spanish online.

If you are Brazilian, go to my website: Curso de espanhol

My websites:Curso de Ingl

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The Best Way To Learning Spanish Fast

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:28:52 +0000

Article by Kung

Learning Spanish made easy. Spanish is considered as the easiest language to learn for a native English speaker. Spanish is a beautiful language because it is the second world language and around 400 million people use it as their native language. It is one of six languages of the United Nations and also used at European Unions. People around the world love to learn it. Why? 75% of the Spanish vocabulary comes from Latin and is quite similar to English’s (60% of the English language comes from Latin). In addition, to read correctly Spanish, you just need to pronounce every single letter written. Nevertheless, learning a foreign language always requires efforts and discipline, especially if you want to improve very fast. I’m going to show you effective ideas that you can use to improve your speaking skillsLearning a foreign language, like Spanish, is becoming much more of a necessity in today’s society. Learning Spanish is easier and more enjoyable than ever with audio courses, online courses, study abroad, and intensive language courses. Following are just some of the many reasons learning Spanish will benefit you and enrich your life: More than 400 million people speak Spanish worldwide — By learning Spanish, you’ll be better able to communicate with Spanish speakers who don’t speak English. Whether you travel abroad or within the United States, you’ll likely run into more than one situation that will require you to know at least basic Spanish. Spanish speaking countries include Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Uruguay and Venezuela. More than 33 million people in America speak Spanish — That makes the United States fifth on the list of countries with the most Spanish-speaking people. Spanish is also one of the most commonly spoken languages in the world, behind Chinese, English and Hindustani. Undoubtedly, at some point during your life, you’re going to find that knowing Spanish is extremely valuable. More than 1000 Spanish-speaking immigrants come to the United States every day — That means the country gains at least 365,000 new Spanish-speaking residents each year. Knowing Spanish enhances your resume — Employers love applicants that have fluency (or even moderate fluency) in a foreign language. Having the ability to speak Spanish will allow you to communicate with Spanish-speaking employees. If no one else at the company speaks Spanish, you’ll be even more valuable. If you’ve ever searched through the classifieds, you’ve likely run across an ad that states, “Must speak English and Spanish.” If you want to continue your education, you’ll need to take foreign language classes — Most colleges require that undergraduate students take at least two semesters of a foreign language. If you have your eyes on graduate school, you should know that many require students to be able to read and comprehend one, and sometimes two, foreign languages. Getting a jump-start on learning Spanish will definitely pay off later, especially if you’re continuing your education. If you love to travel, you’ll have even more fun if you go to a Spanish speaking country — Of course, you don’t need to know Spanish, or any other foreign language, for that matter, to travel overseas, but you’ll find it really enhances your experience to know the language. In fact, even if you don’t go to a Spanish speaking country, you’ll still find that knowing Spanish is an asset. Let’s say you go to Paris or Rome. More likely than not, you’ll run into Europeans who don’t speak English, but speak several other languages, and you’ll be able to use your Spanish. Learning a foreign language actually helps keep your memory sharp — As we grow older, our memory begins to fade. In fact, an article published by the (American Association of Retired People) states, “Mastering activities you’ve have not done before, such as playing the piano or learning a foreign language, stimulates neuron activity. For best results, remember this: People exposed to positive reinforcement before completing memory exercises scored well above others exposed to negative reinforcement in a study led by Thomas Hess, a North Carolina State Univ. psychologist.” These are only a few of the many reasons you’ll benefit from learning Spanish. You probably have a few of your own. Whatever the reason, you’ll find that learning Spanish is not only fun, but it enriches your experiences, whether at work or while traveling.So you want to learn Spanish quickly. If you were to enroll in a formal course to learn Spanish you would be taught probably exactly what you were expecting. You definitely would not learn Spanish quickly, however you would learn. You would learn to speak very properly.

Now think about this, do we speak proper English in the U.S.? I mean textbook English? Of course not, and unless you are expecting to become a Spanish teacher after you learn to speak Spanish, I don’t think it is necessary to learn “textbook Spanish”.

If you have had any exposure to language courses you are probably familiar with all of the vocabulary drills. Memorizing tons of words and phrases, analyzing sentence structures, conjugating verbs and so forth. What you might not know is that there is a different approach to learning the Spanish language. It is the “linguistic approach”.

The linguistic approach utilizes sounds from which words and phrases are formed, until you can eventually construct sentences with the use of these words. This approach in combination with learning tips and tricks will make learning Spanish quick and easy.

If you have ever taken any sort of licensing exam or any test that required a short amount of classroom preparation followed by a formal sit down exam, for instance a Real Estate or Life Insurance exam. Then you know that there are tips and tricks to help you associate in you mind certain terms and definitions. Why not use these methods to learn Spanish?

I as an adult do not learn the same way as I did when I was in high school or college. Who has the time to devote a whole term to learning Spanish? I will be trying the linguistic approach with the Spanish language before even thinking about a more in depth study program. After all if more than 250 million people can learn Spanish, so can I.

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I have been working with local and international humanitarian organizations for 12 year focused on community development, capacity building, project cycle management, research, human rights, democracy, education, translation, healthcare,good governance. I am now Adviser to Cambodian Cooperation Development Organization.More Detail about Learning Spanish please go to http://www.developmentstep.blogspot.com or Click Here!

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