Woohoo!! Let’s talk about how to study a foreign language….. Español Señorita Hibberd y Señora Lenzmeier septiembre.2009

Be on your toes and fingers! Don't tune out! Participate as much as possible, even silently, when others are called on in class. See if your answers match those of your classmates. Ask Questions! If you don ’ t understand something, ask for help. Don ’ t be afraid to let your teacher know you don ’ t understand a topic.

Spoken Words… Pay attention to how words and phrases are pronounced. Concentrate on new and unusual sounds. Learn how these sounds are produced (differently from English): Do you round your lips? Does your voice go up or down? Does your breathing change? Repeat the words and phrases silently to yourself several times.

Written Words… Pay attention to how words are written. Unlike English, many languages are written the same way they are pronounced with few, if any, silent letters. Note spelling and accent marks as these often show a different meaning: hablo = I speak; habl ó = he spoke.

Outside of Class … Make flash cards with new vocabulary in Spanish on one side with English on the other. Be sure to include important information about each vocabulary item, such as gender (masculine? feminine?), plurals (-s? -er?), and irregularities (does the vowel change?) on the Spanish side. la manzana apple

¡Debes estudiar mucho! Study every day for short periods rather than once or twice a week for longer ones. Spend minutes a day on vocabulary: start with a review and then move on to new words and phrases. You will feel more confident when starting your homework.

El Cuaderno Keep a binder with the Spanish on one side of the page and the English equivalent on the other side. (aka 2/3 column- notes) Review by looking at the Spanish list and recalling the English translation. Then look at the English list and write out the Spanish words. Try to write out all the forms (singular/plural, different verb forms, irregulars).

Cognates and False Friends Watch for cognates, words that look the same or similar in both languages universidad ensalada televisor But watch out for "false friends," words that look alike but have different meanings simp á tico (Spanish) ≠ sympathetic simp á tico = friendly

Be the best you can be! Complete all assignments and projects. Teachers rarely assign "busy work" that leads students nowhere. Because much of a language is reinforcement, even the most repetitive exercises will be beneficial. Accept the fact that every language has exceptions and irregularities. These are usually due to historical reasons. Can you explain why "went" is the past of "go" rather than "goed"? I can't!

Push yourself to succeed! Look for opportunities to use the language. If you are studying Spanish, keep an eye and ear open for Spanish: walk around the neighborhood and guess what signs mean. Listen to Spanish radio stations or music and try to pick out a few words that you recognize. Watch Spanish TV (ads, soap operas) and see how many expressions (greetings, numbers, vocabulary) you can understand. But don't expect to understand everything, or even half of what you see or hear.

Yea! Enjoy yourself too!!! Have fun. Learning a language is hard work, but there are payoffs - friendships, self- enrichment, possibilities of using your language abilities later on when you travel.

Not so good ideas…. Don't try to translate everything word-for- word. First of all, it's slow and inefficient. More importantly, it's impossible. For example: How do you do? This phrase is used when meeting someone for the first time. The speaker is not asking how you do something!

It is okay. Take your time! Don't try to get everything right before you speak. Some students think too long and hard about how to say something and not what they are trying to say. Even saying part of a sentence is better than saying nothing. Take a chance!