I'm Hispanic. I was born in Texas but my dad was from Mexico. All my friends spoke nothing but English. My dad didn't permit English in our house so we didn't speak around him. I failed Spanish 1 in Junior High and Spanish 2 in High School. I left the border region for 10 years and spoke nothing but English. I couldn't speak it, but I understood basics. One day a friend from Nicaragua started taking me across the border and introducing me to Mexicans that spoke nothing but Spanish. I was embarrased, but this time, I was motivated to learn. So I did a total immersion, TV & movies in Spanish with English subtitles, reading in spanish and looking up words in the dictionary, etc. What helped me learn Spanish the FASTEST, and I learned it in 3 months, was singing in Spanish. I started liking Spanish rock & pop and so I printed out the words, bought Spanish music kareoke and started singing in Spanish. Next thing you know, I was having full conversations with my Mexican friends. They were in shock how fast I picked it up. So in shock that some of them knew English but were afraid to speak it in front of me because I was able to speak Spanish like a born and raised Mexican after 6 months... their slang and everything. That was another big one. I bought a book of Mexican slang. If you learn Mexican slang, oh man, you are accepted like their family. That's what took me to a level that will blow their minds. Even though I have an English accent, when i use their slang, they freak out. They don't know what to think of me, other than I become their best gringo or pocho (spanglish) friend they know.
The book called “Magdrigals Magic Guide to Spanish” goes over this and you instantly realize how similar a lot of words in Spanish and English. It covers what he’s talking about and is very helpful just like this video. I’m still reading the book and I highly recommend it Edit: I’d recommend it if you are new to Spanish (A1-A2). If you’re an intermediate Spanish speaker, then I wouldn’t recommend it for you
I ordered Madrigals book and sent it back. I’m an intermediate speaker B2 level and didn’t find it relevant to understanding the conjugations of verbs and when to use each tense of the verb.
I used to joke with my Mexican partner that Spanish was easy. All you have to do is add an -a or an -o to any English word. She was not amused. On a hike one day I pointed to a boulder. I asked her how to say rock in Spanish. She said "roca". And she never heard the end of that from me.
Still pathetic at Spanish after two years now. You're approach is refreshing and encouraging. I'm hopeful that I can now maybe get to intermediate before I leave this planet! Many thanks.
Something that isn't often pointed out by tutors of other languages, is that modern English bears far less resemblance to its archaic methods of phrasing than romance languages. For example, in this video, Paul used "En lugar de" to translate "Instead of". In times past, Instead was two words: "In" and "Stead". Today, we've condensed it into one word that is parsed in our head in a slightly abstracted way, and only in very formal or intentionally archaic writing do we separate these words anymore (much like the word "anymore"). Virtually no one casually says things like "In another's stead" these days, but languages like Spanish do. It can help a lot to listen to 'ye olde timey' English to wrap your head around how people phrase things in other languages related to English.
I took three years of Spanish in high school. My teacher fled Cuba during the revolution so she was a native speaker. I’ve learned so much more Spanish and understand the principles much better just from watching your channel than I ever did in high school. And…I really did want to learn Spanish way back then. Have you ever thought of writing a book yourself? It’s very difficult for people like me who are trying to jump to the intermediate level. I just wasted $21 on an audiobook that is supposed to bridge that gap, but it falls way short. I would buy your book! You’re a great teacher! Also, while studying Spanish in high school, “the subjunctive” was never mentioned once! Thank you for making these videos. I appreciate them very much!
Hello, I have this own method. It was thought and implemented by myself. I'm also learning a second, even third language. Yeah, right upon the beginning of this was very hard to me, but all of a sudden, this idea came out like that."Marc, learning english like whether it were a kinda spanish very weird". And since then all became easier for me. For instan: I am cold, yo estoy frío means tengo frío, another I just saw Marc driving his New car at the colombia street would be recién vi a Marc manejando...español raro ahora mi cerebro lo cambia a acabo de ver a Marc manejando... so on I hope this help you out. Buen día Chao!
The best way to become fluent in a language is to go back in time and tell your parents to take you to Spain or some other Hispanic country before the age of 13 (and be exposed to Spanish at 3 years old at least). Of course, you can't do that, so the best way to become fluent that actually works is this one. 1. Full immersion. Listen to and speak as much Spanish as possible. 2. Think like a Spanish speaker, Mexican, Colombian, whatever. Study the words by their intrinsic meaning and use and not their translation into English. 3. Be intuitive. Find root words, study the prefixes, use what you know and write down what you don't. 4. Move to a Spanish speaking country with at least an intermediate level, and make some bilingual friends. 5. Focus on vocabulary that you're interested in learning. I'm a native Spanish speaker myself and I barely know the parts of a car (yesterday I learned the word guantera, the chest thing where you store CDs and documents right in front of the copilot seat).
@@QrooSpanish just keep doing these videos. They are excellent. Your accent is fabuloso and you speak and teach at a very nice pace. I use to live and work in Puerto Rico but that was 30 year's ago and I want to get back my fluency. I find my comprehension is way below my ability to speak.
Best way to learn Spanish by far. Better than all the books and apps and other RU-vid resources I’ve been using. Writing a book would make you millions!
This makes 100% sense to me. I was a failed French student, but once I lived in France, it became all about learning quick and easy phrases, using building block language techniques, until I started composing sentences with set phrases instead of just words. I was looking to do the exact same thing now with Spanish and I believe I have found my home.
Being half Mexican myself, and trying to become more fluent around my Spanish speaking coworkers, you did more in 15 min than the past month of trying to get help from then at work. Keep up the good work and I'll keep watching and learning.
Just discovered this channel, what I find challenging in Spanish is two fold. First the high context, second the many different dialects. Also living in the US it has beneficial to be bi lingual. Even up in New England. Well done with this video, it helped.
Your lessons are so helpful. I am using your lessons to help me communicate with my Spanish speaking students and I am improving every day. Thank you so much.
Nice video Paul. Very useful! Once I understood “helper” verbs like querer, tener que, etc., and that they could be followed by infinitives, my Spanish really took off. Prepositions like antes de, después de and para, followed by infinitives add to my being able to construct more intelligent Spanish sentences. Thanks for reinforcing these concepts! These patterns are common and useful to know.
I've had a playlist of your other videos starting with the cognate tricks and have been listening to them as I have time, but I really LOVE this one, because it condenses a lot of that info into a shorter concise format. I'd rather have three videos that I can watch part of, pause, repeat, and move on, than a playlist of 177 different videos. Maybe I'm strange, but that's me. I DO definitely LOVE the way you approach these learning videos though! Best I've seen! Love y'all's other main channel too!
En lugar de confirmar la información, quiero ir a la playa! I just want to say thank you very much for these videos and they are greatly appreciated by all. I am an intermediate beginner and the way you break down your concepts are very helpful. This allows me to take words I am familiar with and understand how they really work when group together. Muchas gracias Qroo Paul!!
Great tips! Patterns are definitely a great way to speed up the learning process. It may take some getting use to, but with consistent practice it becomes a natural part of you.
I have been trying to learn Spanish since moving here five years ago. I have found it almost impossible to learn anything other than basic greetings and ordering in restaurants. At last I think I will learn how to have a conversation. That would be so liberating. Thank you.
A million "thank yous!" I usually struggle with SPN help vids. I was prepared to once again be lost & disappointed in my inability to understand the concepts. Your method resonates & I appreciate how you teach. Subbing & binge watching. Thanks again.
I have just returned from Madrid and had a fabulous time. I really tried with my basic Spanish and the Spanish people responded really positively as I was trying to communicate. This video however has been amazing. It instills both knowledge and confidence. I liked and subscribed straight away. Thank you so much and I wish you well,
By 0330 at night I coincidentally came across your video. As an upper intermediate in English and an intermediate in French, believe me before 10 mins I would just say "Hablo un poco de espanol" but after the patterns shown in this video, now I say I have begun to speak Spanish tonight. In one hand thanks God I met you tonight, on the other hand my regrets for not having started to learn spanish before, because I already had hundreds of vocabulary in english&french that are quite similar to the ones in spanish. And thanks to you now I have the formula to speak it in a better way hopefully. Thanks a lot. Merci mille fois. Gracias mil veces.
After viewing a ton of channels, I do believe I’ve finally found the channel for me. This was very informative and greatly appreciated. Buying my book right now. 🎉
I like your information already. I been trying to learn Spanish forever but even tho you make it easier for me, I still need to try to remember and that's my real problem.
I started learning Spanish almost a couple of months ago , I've had some issues concerning the resources . Yet this is the best teacher I've ever seen so far!
Thank you Qroo, I was living and working in Hermosillo when I first ran across your RU-vid. Very glad to see you are back! I am working in San Antonio now and surprise the locals I can speak Spanish ( a Greengo / German-Irish American) I than you for the GREAT presentations on learning Spanish.
Hi Paul. I’ve been gone for a while. My mom is 89 and had surgery. She lives in Idaho Falls,Idaho. So I’ve been there. She’s doing well but in rehab. I didn’t know en lugar de but now I do. Thanks. Rick from Salt Lake
Paul, you have the best RU-vid channel that I have encountered for learning Spanish. I always pick up something from your videos and the tips are very easy to use. Thanks for making these!
I’ve known words in Spanish seems like my whole life 60 years but can listen to Spanish and totally understand conversations because I know palavdas lol but learning this opening the door best instruction I’ve ever heard… greatly appreciated
Grateful to have found you at the beginning of my journey into Spanish here Paul. Really appreciating your style of teaching.. a great balance between depth and ease. Gracias!
really good Qroo. I can also listen while I walk. Many language courses cannot be used on your phone only while walking. I have some beginning Spanish so your lessons are perfect
Thank you sir. I am not only learning Spanish with Your lessons, but improving my English as well. As an emigrant to Canada my English still needs improvement and Your way of speaking it helps me a lot!! Thank you so much.
I love your approach! Thank you. I am re-learning my Spanish, following you intelligent advice. What a pleasure XXX Best wishes from a Serbian Capetonian (South Africa)on her way to Madrid!
This very helpful. As an early intermediate student I find myself getting confused by the volume of language I'm trying to learn. This sort of systematization can help keep things sorted and available. Let's do more!
Amazing tutorials Paul! although I have been married to a latino for 10 years and understand a lot (just dont speak it) your approach on techniques has wowed me. i have been watching each one of your videos in between work, during my commute to and from work! I am only 14 days in to dedicate time to learning this beautiful language! using what I learned from you to practice with cousins and family members. Paul you can never stop teaching. At least not until I am confident enough (lo sufficiemente :-))
Thanks Paul. Im just a beginner to start learning Spanish language. Your pattern indeed opened my eyes to notice something to go further. Thanks a lot. 🙏
Wow..I just signed up for conversation spanish at the community college. Yesterday was my first class and I bumped into your video. what an easy way to grasp. Great job..I see another video of yours called pronunciation..let me listen to it. I have had many unsuccessful attempts but you made me take an effort in learning the language. Thank you
Serious lightbulb moments less than halfway through the video. Thanks a lot mate. Excellent teaching!! Its the stuff that I struggled to understand and none of the books I study give the answers as simply and effective as you have just done here.
Great! Greetings from Germany. Having new friends from Latin America whom I want to support in becoming more at ease in learning German. And I like the way you make it much easier to learn Spanish😉
This is the same in French. There are thousands of French words already in English as a result of the Norman conquest in 1066. Words in English that end in ‘ical’for example, in French end ique or ic ie typical = typique political = politique, Olympic = olympique. My father was raised in a Jesuit school in Dublin where’s they were taught Latin. By learning Latin he had a good grasp of French, Spanish and Italian.
I can tell you aunque is the most "different" of the group because it can use the indicative or the subjunctive. "Voy a salir después aunque llueva mucho"(I'll go out after even if it rains alot). "Aunque, París es una ciudad impresionante, prefiero Londres" Although Paris is an astonishing city, I prefer London. Both sentences are grammatically correct, the others don't really go into this territory
@johnharvey5381 the book Paul recommended that helped his spanish journey really helped me a lot with understanding the subjunctive just aside from the "when there's doubt" perspective. Obviously you have antes de que. Querer que, esperar que etc but there's also other places where you would say ir. Like if you wanted to say "we will go inside when they arrive" in spanish arrive isn't llegan it's lleguen
En lugar de ≡ en vez de ≡ Instead *Example:* Shot him in the legs instead of the hands *Spanish:* Le disparó en las piernas en vez de en las manos "Además" is a word that refers to inclusion "Y" *Example:* Tomorrow is sunday *and* I'll have a party with ny friends *Spanish:* Mañana es domingo y tendré una fiesta con mis amigos. *Or it could be:* Mañana es domingo, *además* tendré una fiesta con mis amigos
Wow. I've been watching a few different channels to see who's got the best content. You just took me from knowing a handful of Spanish words to 20x-ing my vocabulary by learning these patterns. But more importantly, learning how to put them together to form an entire sentence. Albeit a very simple one 🤪
finally a video that gave me an "ah ha" moment. perfect. been on babble a lot and watched different videos here on youtube but for the most part its all very baseline stuff and very direct but these "tricks" are very necessary for developing a deeper understanding.
Great video sir. I am currently learning Spanish and making progress. However, even realizing that patterns are involved, no one quite put it this way. I really appreciate it.
I'm a pattern learner - it's brought my Spanish up to a very good level within a year. It helps that I know 5-10 other languages at various levels of fluency. I still need to work on my conjugations, but it's coming along nicely. As well as the quirky indirect forms so common in Spanish - I normally abhor indirect language forms
On your recommendation I bought that book (A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish). Every time I read it, it becomes a "deep dive". Tremendously interesting and informative.
Why didn't I stumble on this simple pattern 5 years ago. It certainly would have saved me a lot of frustration to start speaking sooner instead of too much time on confusing grammar. Great teaching skills.
I get all of this because I know a little Spanish. I'm not sure how helpful it would be if I didn't. There is a LOT going on in your first four examples that would be hard to keep track of as a beginner. Having said that, after leaving the long-winded explanations aside, what you were teaching was very easy to grasp! I ordered the book.
That is how i speak 3 different laughter's, i speak Hmong, Mien and English. Now ill love to learn Spanish. how i learn was just by being around it and YES i speak it and hold long everyday conversation.
Thanks, Paul. I'm actually down here in Guadalajara, Mexico 🇲🇽 to learn Spanish in a school. Your videos are very helpful to me. The way you simplify and break down Spanish and its patterns is pretty cool and helpful. Gracias, amigo.
I'm engaged to a Colombiana and we currently speak through Google translate. However, she's learning English faster than I'm learning Spanish. I learned to read Greek and Latin, so I can read Spanish. But I don't speak it. So this will be very helpful. Thank you!
Muchas gracias Q Paul. Thank you for this great video because I definitely needed this one. Your the best my friend. Definitely going to check that book you recommended as well. Keep up the amazing work. 🙏🏾😊
