The basics of speaking Spanish in Cancun (Part 1)
If you’re planning a trip South then it’s time to learn some Spanish basics. It will make your life easier and trip much more enjoyable. When traveling to any foreign country it’s important to immerse yourself in the culture as much as possible. This means, learning the language.
A few tips for the Spanish learners:
Sentence Structure
In English the adverb comes before the noun, whereas in Spanish it comes after the noun.
The black cat
El gato negro
Pronounciation
Spanish words are pronounced as they are written with only one exception, the letter H. This letter is always silent. In English it gets a bit confusing, because there are multiple sounds for each vowel. There are 12 vowel sounds in total but only 5 letters. You have to consider long and short sounds.
Conjugate
Verb endings change in Spanish depending on the person, and tense, therefore, you need to go through the whole conjugating process.
I have – Yo tengo
You have – Tu tienes
She has – El/Ella tiene
We have – Nos tenemos
Masculine and feminine
Ah yes, this confused me in French as well. El, un are masculine and la, una are feminine. This will change the pronunciation of the word as well… for the most part (with a few exceptions I will not bother to get into now) masculine words end in –o and feminine end in –a.
Auxiliary Words
Often you will hear a Spanish speaker say something along the lines of “There is only simple present in Spanish. I see you later when they should say I will see you later. Auxiliary words (will, shall, can, could, may, might, must, ought, should, would) are not used in Spanish. You will also come across verbs used as auxiliary: be, do and have
More and Less
English speakers can simply add –er to the end of words: taller, shorter, happier when speaking in comparisons. In Spanish you use the words mas (more), and menos (less).
I am taller than my brother
Soy mas alto que mi hermano.
I’ll get int o the comparison structures another time.
Looking to rent an apartment, condo or vacation rental in Cancun Mexico? Visit Cheap Cancun Rentals for hundreds of affordable properties to rent.
Enjoyed this Post? Share it!
Share on Facebook Tweet This!