Learning Spanish

[Colin Decker]

I just thought I would post this for any Pilgrams that would like to learn or refresh their Spanish . The BBC posts on-line courses for several lanuages including Spanish, French, Italian, etc for free. The video lessons (Mi Vida Loca) is basic spanish, but if you go into the transcripts it can become more advanced.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/

 

[Diggeratpctcd]

Thank u for this. I have zero foreign language skills which I think might be typically american. I'd like to have a few key phrases down before I get to SJPDP

 

[Tessera]

"Mi Vida Loca" on BBC site is fun! (Only drawback: it is not viewable on my iPad.)

Older (80s hair!) but also fun is a "tele-novela" for learners of Spanish language called "Destinos," available online: http://www.learner.org/series/destinos/watch/. Both have helped me get used to listening to Spanish, and learning new phrases.

A wonderful learning program is Fluencia: Fluencia.com; it has taught me (a complete beginner in Spanish language) a lot since my January decision to walk this fall and it is fun to use. First lessons are free; I have found it very worth paying for a subscription for the months until I travel. It is a companion to an excellent online/offline Spanish-English dictionary: SpanishDict.com.

Learning to SPEAK Spanish is a bit more challenging: I'm going to try a local conversation group through Meetup to give me some practice in retrieving my new Spanish words.

 

[MartinZ]

Thank u for this. I have zero foreign language skills which I think might be typically american. I'd like to have a few key phrases down before I get to SJPDP

This remembers me of my first tour I tried to get a ticket at the Bayonne train station with "Mwa tjsoe-tjsoeee to saint-jan piet-de-port"
Knowing a few key phrases is beneficial! (Otherwise you'll be amazed at how good you can speak just using baby-noises and arms/legs)

 

[waveprof]

My wife, a spanish teacher, says the key phrases that get you through aren't always the ones you think of. Besides hello (hola), goodbye (adios), thank you (gracias), and I'm sorry (perdon or lo siento), she recommends you learn the word for this and/or that (este and/or que)--that way you can point to ANYthing you want and be understood.......as well as to count up from one to the total number of your party, so if you are traveling with three others, be able to count to four (uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez).

On Camino I'd also suggest you at least be able to say hello, goodbye, and thank you in Basque and Gallego, it will go a long way with the locals (Basque: Kaixo, Agur, and Eskerrik Asko respectively, Gallego: Ola, Adeus, and grazas respectively)

 

[scruffy1]

Enough Spanish to "get along" may be needed and is a polite way to open a conversation. There are pilrims from 70 different countries and English has become, oh dear, the Lingua Franca in many and most places along the Camino. You can fracture the Spanish language as well as you can the locals will often answer in English. Should you be really up a creek, pharacists as a whole are usually the best English speakers anywhere in Spain-if youy really are in Dire Straits, try there.

 

[LizziM]

I've been using Duolingo. (Duolingo.com) They have a website and a handy phone app that reminds you to practice every day. So far I've learned some useful phrases like, "we read newspapers", and "how many horses drink milk?"
But overall, it seems like a good way to acquire a new language as intuitively and naturally as one can with an app.

 

[MTtoCamino]

My wife, a spanish teacher, says the key phrases that get you through aren't always the ones you think of. Besides hello (hola), goodbye (adios), thank you (gracias), and I'm sorry (perdon or lo siento), she recommends you learn the word for this and/or that (este and/or que)--that way you can point to ANYthing you want and be understood.......as well as to count up from one to the total number of your party, so if you are traveling with three others, be able to count to four (uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez).

On Camino I'd also suggest you at least be able to say hello, goodbye, and thank you in Basque and Gallego, it will go a long way with the locals (Basque: Kaixo, Agur, and Eskerrik Asko respectively, Gallego: Ola, Adeus, and grazas respectively)

We're does Gallegos begin & end on the Camino Francis? Until you started posting on this I had no idea it existed. Yet I think when I was in Galicia trying to discuss farming methods thru a fellow pilgrim living in Spain. My friend said she could only understand a little. Can you give me the area this language exists?

 

[Anniesantiago]

I love Rosetta Stone.

 

[Pelegrin]

We're does Gallegos begin & end on the Camino Francis? Until you started posting on this I had no idea it existed. Yet I think when I was in Galicia trying to discuss farming methods thru a fellow pilgrim living in Spain. My friend said she could only understand a little. Can you give me the area this language exists?

This language is called Gallego in Spanish and Galego in Galego. It is the common language in rural Galicia but it is also wellknown in the cities despite there Spanish is more used . On the Camino Frances the Galego language exceeds the Galician border and the limit is between Ponferrada and Villafranca del Bierzo (river Cúa).
The Galego language is understandable by Spaniards from other parts of Spain depending on the context.
As you said in your post, it is especially difficult for them to understand the vocabulary related to Agriculture and nature in general, but it would be quite easy in Economy, Politics and Technology. In my case I'm bilingual Spanish/Galego but here in Madrid I only can speak Galego with my family.

 

[MTtoCamino]

This language is called Gallego in Spanish and Galego in Galego. It is the common language in rural Galicia but it is also wellknown in the cities despite there Spanish is more used . On the Camino Frances the Galego language exceeds the Galician border and the limit is between Ponferrada and Villafranca del Bierzo (river Cúa).
The Galego language is understandable by Spaniards from other parts of Spain depending on the context.
As you said in your post, it is especially difficult for them to understand the vocabulary related to Agriculture and nature in general, but it would be quite easy in Economy, Politics and Technology. In my case I'm bilingual Spanish/Galego but here in Madrid I only can speak Galego with my family.

Thank you for taking the time to explain that in English as well!

I was walking thru that area as they were putting up their hay, it has quite the milk production & I was very impressed by how they shape the hay stack. The farmer tried to explain that was the secret behind the outstanding milk. I can see why. I very much appreciate you keeping your customs, as once again that simple method of hay storage keeps the food production healthy for man & beast.
Grazas
Keith

 

[waveprof]

We're does Gallegos begin & end on the Camino Francis? Until you started posting on this I had no idea it existed. Yet I think when I was in Galicia trying to discuss farming methods thru a fellow pilgrim living in Spain. My friend said she could only understand a little. Can you give me the area this language exists?

Technically it starts in OCebreiro but youll see signs of Gaellego anytime after Astorga depending on where you look. It's more prevalent in Galicia. In some VERY rural towns Spanish/Castilian is third language to Gaellego and Portuguese. That's rare but still interesting

 

[Pelegrin]

Thank you for taking the time to explain that in English as well!

I was walking thru that area as they were putting up their hay, it has quite the milk production & I was very impressed by how they shape the hay stack. The farmer tried to explain that was the secret behind the outstanding milk. I can see why. I very much appreciate you keeping your customs, as once again that simple method of hay storage keeps the food production healthy for man & beast.
Grazas
Keith

I don´t see clearly what was the purpose for the hay stack. I mean, in the milk industry nowdays in the EU is not possible to work following traditional methods. In Galicia even following modern methods is difficult to compete in price with Germany and France. Probably the hay stack was used to feed beef cattle in small scale and the outstanding milk was for himself and his familly.

 

[Pelegrin]

Technically it starts in OCebreiro but youll see signs of Gaellego anytime after Astorga depending on where you look. It's more prevalent in Galicia. In some VERY rural towns Spanish/Castilian is third language to Gaellego and Portuguese. That's rare but still interesting

I must desagree. Unfortunatelly the Portuguese language is not spoken by most people in Galicia I mean is quite easy to understand for us but some training is needed to reach a good command in Portuguese. There are areas in Galicia, especially in Costa da Morte, where because their accent it seems that they speak Portuguese, but they speak Galego.

 

[MTtoCamino]

I don´t see clearly what was the purpose for the hay stack. I mean, in the milk industry nowdays in the EU is not possible to work following traditional methods. In Galicia even following modern methods is difficult to compete in price with Germany and France. Probably the hay stack was used to feed beef cattle in small scale and the outstanding milk was for himself and his familly.

Very interesting, yet he had at least 6 very large stacks with some good sized milking barns, he may well have been supplying just in his local area. Do you know if they sell this hay as it turns into more of a silage the longer it sits, they have perfected the mix of grasses. So I also wonder if he may have a market on just the feed. In any case the farming & storage are very remarkable. We use to feed silage but it was a mixture of complete corn plants with some grasses mixed in fattens cows quickly making darn good beef.

 

[Pelegrin]

Very interesting, yet he had at least 6 very large stacks with some good sized milking barns, he may well have been supplying just in his local area. Do you know if they sell this hay as it turns into more of a silage the longer it sits, they have perfected the mix of grasses. So I also wonder if he may have a market on just the feed. In any case the farming & storage are very remarkable. We use to feed silage but it was a mixture of complete corn plants with some grasses mixed in fattens cows quickly making darn good beef.

Well... I'm 61 and I remember perfectly the old farming methods in Galicia that were almost the same than in Roman times, but now I'm living in Madrid for a long time and I have a superficial idea of current methods, but from your more detailed description my opinion is that all, hay, green grass and corn plants were used to feed his milky cows (because you said that you saw good size milky barns).

 

[Castilian]

Technically it starts in OCebreiro

I'm not fully sure what you mean by technically. Galician is spoken in the West of El Bierzo (and in other areas outside Galicia). It isn't an official language in Castile and Leon but it's protected (by Castile and Leon's law) on the areas of Castile and Leon where it's habitually/commonly/usually used and it's optionally taught at school in those areas (more than 1000 students -including school and high school ones- opt for it).

In some VERY rural towns Spanish/Castilian is third language to Gaellego and Portuguese.

Can you quote an example, please?

 

[waveprof]

I'm not fully sure what you mean by technically. Galician is spoken in the West of El Bierzo (and in other areas outside Galicia). It isn't an official language in Castile and Leon but it's protected (by Castile and Leon's law) on the areas of Castile and Leon where it's habitually/commonly/usually used and it's optionally taught at school in those areas (more than 1000 students -including school and high school ones- opt for it).



Can you quote an example, please?

For the first part, I think it was reasonably clear I was referring to the technical border of Galicia, and I also made it clear that Gallego is spoken well before one actually crosses into Galicia. My wording could have been better but you still seem to be twisting words to make it sound like I was suggesting an innacuracy---which I did not.

As for your second question, I was quoting a Portuguese professor I know who also speaks Gallego. While my instinct is to trust her, I don't really "know" which is why I didn't in any way refute the Galician poster above who stated that he didn't believe it to be true, because my instinct would be to trust him as well. Either way, it was/is a relatively minor point in relation to the original question about Gallego culture and language

 

[MTtoCamino]

For the first part, I think it was reasonably clear I was referring to the technical border of Galicia, and I also made it clear that Gallego is spoken well before one actually crosses into Galicia. My wording could have been better but you still seem to be twisting words to make it sound like I was suggesting an innacuracy---which I did not.

As for your second question, I was quoting a Portuguese professor I know who also speaks Gallego. While my instinct is to trust her, I don't really "know" which is why I didn't in any way refute the Galician poster above who stated that he didn't believe it to be true, because my instinct would be to trust him as well. Either way, it was/is a relatively minor point in relation to the original question about Gallego culture and language

This next topic I bring up has nothing to do with language but why do they call chicken "buffalo wings" I have never seen a buffalo fly. So please no one has to get too concerned about my questions. I do appreciate you having more info on a topic than I did.

 

[waveprof]

This next topic I bring up has nothing to do with language but why do they call chicken "buffalo wings" I have never seen a buffalo fly. So please no one has to get too concerned about my questions. I do appreciate you having more info on a topic than I did.

I believe, though I'd have to google it, that that preparation for chicken wings was first made famous in Buffalo NY

 

[Lachance]

This next topic I bring up has nothing to do with language but why do they call chicken "buffalo wings" I have never seen a buffalo fly. So please no one has to get too concerned about my questions. I do appreciate you having more info on a topic than I did.

Wondered the same thing. Prof Google knows. If it weren't for the ads, G's closing in on Deep Thought.

 

[waveprof]

Wondered the same thing. Prof Google knows. If it weren't for the ads, G's closing in on Deep Thought.

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/10/buffalo-wings-called/

 

[Castilian]

For the first part, I think it was reasonably clear I was referring to the technical border of Galicia,

I'm sorry but I have so clear that one thing are official (administrative) borders and another thing is(are) the area(s) where a language is spoken that I didn't think you could be talking about the official (administrative) border of the Autonomous Community of Galicia.

My wording could have been better but you still seem to be twisting words to make it sound like I was suggesting an innacuracy

No, I'm not (or, if it seems otherwise, that wasn't my aim). I never said you were wrong and/or inaccurate by saying technically. I just pointed out that I wasn't sure what you meant by technically and provided some info about Galician language that I thought might be useful for some readers and that discarded some possible interpretations of the word technically that came to my mind. Of course, technically may have more meanings/interpretations... that's why I said I wasn't sure which one you meant. I thank you for taking the time to tell us what you meant.

 

[KyleB]

Hi there! Right know I'm studying Spanish for my second Camino. When I started to studying, I want to be able to talk with other people, and because of that, I was looking for a Spain bassed academy where I can talk with Spanish people. But there is a problem, i'm from England. Searching info in some forums I discover an Spanish Online academy that could help me. They had some free courses which i could try them before paid anything. Now, after and free exam level, I started to work in the paid version that is always with my in my smartphone to study wherever I go.