Do you want to learn a foreign language like Spanish? Are you thinking of a holiday abroad, maybe in Spain, Mexico or even Argentina? Have you ever looked in a Spanish dictionary and thought “I’ll never know enough for conversational Spanish”?

If you are like me, you will have tried a number of Spanish immersion programs, CDs/CD-roms and DVD Spanish courses . If you are like me, then you too would have struggled. This site is dedicated to helping you find a solution that will work for you.

Learning a new language can open up your life to an exciting new culture, in a fantastic new country. Travel around the Spanish speaking world, book accommodation, eat out at restaurants and interact with native speakers in their own country. The effort is worth it, and your life will be richer for the experiences that open up to you.

Home Study Courses

The beauty of Home Study Courses is that you can work at your own pace from the comfort of your own home. The downside is that you really need to practice your new language skills as you learn them, so any course would have to include an interactive element to help learn and practice words, phrases, verbs, grammar and vocabulary .

You will also need to stay motivated, so the home study Spanish course must be fun, engaging, and provide you with enough positive feedback to motivate you in your studies.

Rocket Spanish Ticked All of My Boxes

Rocket Spanish is a fun, interactive course for beginners (there is also an intermediate course available) that will actually make you feel excited at the prospect of studying. It’s practical too, teaching you exactly what to say in virtually all situations.

Here are some of the features or Rocket Spanish:

• includes more than three hundred pages of grammar for beginning and advanced students.
• includes interactive games to make things more fun and easy to follow.
• contains over 12 hours of interactive lessons
• a conversation course book
• beginner and advanced grammar books that include over 500 pages, 414 exercises
• fun software learning games.

Rocket Spanish is a downloadable Spanish Language course that will:

• Give you confidence around Spanish speaking people.
• Understand written Spanish on web site, books and magazines.
• Allow you to enjoy Spanish Language movies.
• Write in Spanish. Hey, how about a Spanish Pen pal?.

The entire Rocket Spanish course is available via instant download. That means no shipping or handling costs, no waiting for delivery, no risk of loss or damage in the post.

Do you want a Free Six Day Spanish Course?

Mauricio Evlampieff, the face and voice behind Rocket Spanish, has put together a free 6 day Spanish language course, that teaches you to take part in a real conversation. You’ll learn some of the basics like introducing yourself, ordering a coffee, and asking for help, plus more.

To sign up for the free Spanish Language course, visit the Rocket Spanish homepage.

This 6 day free course will wet your appetite for what is to come in the complete Rocket Spanish Language course.

Read more details about Rocket Spanish Language Course

Find out how you can learn Spanish in 3 months or less.

Examples;

• Todos deberian tener un pasaporte (masc’) = everyone should have a passport.
• Por aquí hay sola una habitación libra = there is only one room vacant here.

Note, that Spanish does not use the equivalent of English ‘a’ when you indicate your occupation;

Examples;

• soy periodista = I am a journalist.
• soy enfermera =  I am a nurse.

The Spanish personal ‘a’.

Verbs such as conocer (to know), mirar (to look at), ver (to see), visitar (to visit), etc. must be followed by the preposition ‘a’ when the object which follows
is a person or the name of a person.

Compare;

1. conoces el centro de esa ciudad?  = do you know the centre of that city?
2. ¿conoces a Mario? = do you know Mario?
3. miro el quadro = I’m looking at the painting.
4. miro a Carlos = I’m looking at Carlos.
5. vio el tren = I see thew train.
6. vio a Juan = I see Juan.
7. visito Barcelona = I visit Barcelona.
8. visito a Pedro = I visit Pedro.

You must also use the personal ‘a’ when using a noun which refers to a person;

1. conosco a su amigo = I know your friend,
2. miro a tu madre = I know your mother.
3. vio a mi tio = I see my uncle.
4. visito la abuela de Vicente = I visit Vicente’s grandmother.
5. Note; visito ‘al’ abuelo de Vicente = I visit Vicente’s grandfather.

More Learning Spanish…

• Spanish Gender
• Spanish Adjectives (regular in location)
• Spanish Prepositions ‘a’ and ‘de’
• Ayer & Mañana
• Spanish Adjectives (exceptions in location)

The difference is that;

• ‘por’ looks back to the origins of, or the root causes of  the circumstances;
• ‘para’ looks forward to the result, aim or destination of the  the circumstances.

Spanish ‘Por’ is used to express, or used with;

• Cause, reason, motive (usually to say why something has happened),
  lo hizo por amor = I did it for love.
  vamos a brindar por el éxito del disco = lets toast to the success of the C.|D.
  lo han despedido del trabajo por vago =  they have given him the sack for laziness.
• The place where the action takes place,
  pasean por la calle = they walk in the street.
  el ladrón debió de entrar por la ventana = the burglar must have entered by the window.
  por aquí no hay salida = there is no exit here.
  ¿te gusta pasear por el campo? =  do you like to walk in the countyside?
• The means,
  lo enviaron por avión =  they send it by aeroplane.
• The agent of the passive voice,
  la llave fue encontrada por el portero = the key was found by the doorman.
• Substitution, equivalence,
  aquí comes por mi ocho euros = here you can eat for eight euros.
• Distribution, proportion,
  cinco por ciento = five per cent.
• Multiplication and measurements,
  cinco por dos son diez.
• “In search of” with a verbs of movement (’ir’, to go, ‘venir’, to come, etc),
  voy por pan = I go for bread.
• With price, (precio);
  puedo comprar tres camisas por 10 euros = I can buy three shirts for 10 euros.

Spanish ‘Para’ is used to express, or used with;

• Finality, destiny (often in the future),
  es para tu padre = it is for your father,
  compra pescado para la cena =  he is buying fish for the evening meal.
  este trasto no sirve para nada, eatá estropeado -  this piece of junk is useless, it’s broken.
  para ser ingeniero hay que estudiar mucho = to be an engineer you have to study a lot.
• Direction of movement, (i.e. towards),
  salen para Valencia = the leave for Valencia.
  ya que vas al la cocina, llévate esto para allá = as you are going to the kitchen, take this there.
• Deadlines,
  lo quiro para mañana = I want it for tomorrow.
• Comparison,
  para saber hay que estudiar = to know you have to study.
• Convenience,
  no es bueno para los pies =  it’s not good for the feet.

More Learning Spanish…

• Present tense Spanish
• Spanish Prepositions ‘a’ and ‘de’
• Spanish Preposition ‘desde’, ‘con’, ‘en’, ‘hacia’ & ‘hasta’
• Spanish Adjectives (exceptions in location)
• Ayer & Mañana

When these Spanish prepositions come before the masculine (el), ( singular), there is a contraction and fusion of these two.

Therefore; (a + el)  =  al, and (de + el)  =  del.

Single, masculine examples are;

1. El cine (the cinema),
   Voy al cine =  I’m going to the cinema. —- (a+el=al).
2. El bosque (the forest),
   Las fruitas del bosque =  The fruits of the forest. —-(de+el=del).

The plural of the masculine combination of (de) and (los) does not have this fusion, so:

1. Voy a los cines  =  I’m going to the cinemas.
2. Las frutas de los bosques = the fruits of the forests.

When these Spanish prepositions, ‘a’ (to), and ‘de’ (of) come before the Spanish feminine (la) - there are no radical changes.

i.e. there are no such changes, or fusion in the feminine forms.

Singular, feminine examples are;

1. La ciudad (the city),
   El centro (de la ciudad) =  The centre of the city.
2. La calle (the street),
   El nombre de la calle =  The name of the street.

The plural of the feminine combination of (de) and (las) has no fusion:

1. El centro de las ciudades =  The centre of the cities.
2. El nombre de las calles =  The name of the streets.

The Spanish preposition (’a'),  can be used also to express;

• Destination, la (destinación);  este tren no va a Sevilla = this train does not go to Seville.
• The time, (la hora);  llega a las 10 = it arrives at 10.
• The objective, (objetivo);  voy a ver el partido de tenis = I’m going to see the game of tennis.
• The price, date, distance, temperature; ( el precio, la fecha, la distancia, la temperatura)
  —¿cuánto cuesta las naranjas? = how much do the oranges cost.
  — hoy estamos a 23 de septiembre = today is the 23 of September.
  — Barcelona astá a 650 km. de Madrid. = Barcelona is 650 km. from Madrid.
  — Que calor!, estamos a 40 grados, mas o menos = I’ts hot, it’s 40 degrees, more or less.
• With the possession of, (posesión ‘de’);
  – de quién es este libro? =  who’s is this book?
  –de Beatriz = it’s Beatriz’s.
• With materials, (materiales);
  – ella esta comprando muebles de caoba auténtica = she is buying real mahogany furniture.
• With time and duration, (tiempo y duración);
  –llegué ayer de Cádiz = he arrived from  Cádiz yesterday.
• To say the time of day, (momento del día al decir las horas).
  –salimos a las seis de la tarde = we leave at six in the evening.
• For details of a description, (datos de una descripción);
  –es una mujer de ojas claros, de estatura media y de pelo rízado.

More Learning Spanish…

• Spanish Gender
• Spanish prepositions ‘un’ & ‘una’
• Spanish Adjectives (regular in location)
• Spanish Adjectives (exceptions in location)
• Spanish Prepositions ‘por’ and ‘para’

• With time and duration, (tiempo y duración);
  –viene en tren desde Zaragoza = he/she is coming from Zaragoza by train.
  –Este quadro está desde1800 = this painting is from the 1800’s.

The Spanish preposition ‘con’ can be used ;

• With company, (compania);
  – me quedo en casa con todos los demas – I’m staying at home with the rest.
• With instruments, (instrumentos);
  – mi marido se afeita con cuchilla = my husband shaves with a razor blade.
• With moods, (modo);
  –el ladron entró con mucho facilidad = the burglar entered with much ease.

The Spanish preposition ‘en’ can be used;

• With lugar/posición, (place) and tiempo, (time);
  –está en el dormitorio, en la cama = it’s in the bedroom, in the bed.
  –nació en 1980, en primavera = he/she was born in 1980, in the spring.
• With means of transport, (medio de transporte);
  –siempre vengo en bicicleta = I always go by bicycle.

The Spanish preposition ‘hacia’ can be used;

• With direction and place, (dirección and lugar);
  –hay un inceandio en tu barrio y los bomberos ya van hacia allí´
  – = there is a fire in your neighbourhood and the firemen are already there.
  – cuando el presidente empezó a hablar, miles de miradas se dirigieron hacia él.
  – = when the president began to speak, thousands of admirers went towards him.

The preposition ‘hasta’ can be used;

• With the termination of time and space, (término en el tiempo y en el espacio);
  – el agua no pueda llegar hasta allí = the water can not arrive up to here.
  – te puedo esparar hasta las 5 = I can wait until 5.

More Learning Spanish…

• Spanish Adjectives (exceptions in location)
• Spanish Prepositions ‘a’ and ‘de’
• Spanish Prepositions ‘por’ and ‘para’
• Spanish prepositions ‘un’ & ‘una’
• Present tense Spanish

All nouns in Spanish are either masculine or feminine.

They take the article “el” and “la” respectfully, and they are placed in front of the noun.

The Spanish don’t have neutral nouns.
–but there is a neutral form of the article. i.e. (’lo’), ( the).

It is used before an adjective to express quality.

For example;
lo malo = the worst,
lo mejor = the best,

Nouns ending in (o) are usually masculine while nouns ending in (a) are feminine.

Masculine examples are;
el numero= the number, el caballo= the horse, el burro = the donkey, el palo= the  stick.

Female examples are;
la señora = the lady, la flora= the flower, la cara= the face, la escoba= the broom.

A noun which refers to people may be used with reference to both sexes and in these cases the
masculine form is always used.

For example;
the plural of el hijo (son) is los hijos.

Los hijos may mean either sons only, or it may mean sons and daughters (i.e. together).

There may be a group of children and if this group consists of boys and girls then the
Spanish masculine form (los hijos) is used.

Further more,  even if a group consists of only one boy amongst two, or many girls, then the
Spanish masculine form (los hijos) is used.

To make the Spanish noun plural;
you add an ’s’ to the end of the word if it ends in a vowel (a,e,i,or,u), or  you add ‘es’ to the end of the word if it ends in a consonant (b,c,d,f,g,h, etc.).

The Spanish article (el) and (la) must conform and take the plural form as well.

The Spanish feminine article conforms, (la) becomes (las),

For example;
La señora  becomes  las señoras.

- but take note of  the radical change in the form of  the Spanish masculine article - (el) becomes (los).

For example;
El  nombre changes to los nombres.

Some noun endings do not conform with this and do not easily indicate their gender.

There are not too many exceptions, but some examples are;
el pasaporte  =  the passport, el nombre = the name, la mono = the hand, la moto = the motor scooter

Therefore it is advisable to learn each word with it’s own corresponding article.

We English are not used to forming sentences whilst thinking of the gender of each noun and as you have seen the article
(el, la or lo) is always before the noun. So we need to think ahead at first, to get it correct, until it becomes automatic
to us.

Student’s can often make mistakes regarding the correct gender, mixing (el) for (la), in even  those nouns that do conform.
Usually they realize their error immediately afterwards and  correct it straight away in their mind, or better still, repeat
it out loud.

Don’t worry too much about that.  You will be understood, as the Spanish won’t be confused by his error.

They will appreciate that you are making an effort to speak their language.

Spanish nouns ending in; — (ad, ud, ie, and ión)  are usually feminine,

some examples are;
la ciudad =  the city, la juventud = the youth, la serie =  the series,  la habitación = the room.
Spanish nouns ending in — (e, el ,il, ón, iz) are generally masculine.

Some examples are;
el timbre = the bell, el papel = the paper, el barril = the barrel, el buzón = the letter box, el lapiz = the pencil

Spanish nouns ending in; — (ista) can be either masculine or feminine.

Some examples are;
el periodista (masculine) and la periodista (feminine) = the journalist.
el dentista (masculine) or la dentista (feminine) = the dentist.

As you can see in our examples, they are quite often names of professions,   but note;
el doctor (masculine) and la doctora (feminine),
el profesor (masculine) or la profesora (feminine).

Once again, it is advisable to learn each word with it’s own corresponding article.

There are not too many exceptions of this either.

More Learning Spanish…

• Spanish Adjectives (regular in location)
• Spanish Adjectives (exceptions in location)
• Spanish -ar verbs
• Spanish prepositions ‘un’ & ‘una’
• Spanish Prepositions ‘a’ and ‘de’

In English the adjective is placed before the noun,

In Spanish, more often than not, they are placed after the noun.

Adjectives must show agreement of gender (masculine, feminine) and  number (singular or plural) with the person or thing
they describe.

Singular Spanish Adjectives
Some examples are;         

(1) la puerta verde = the green door
(2) el coche azul= the blue car.
(3) el es inglés = he is English.
(4) ella es inglesa= she is English.

Plural Spanish Adjectives   
If the noun is in the plural form the adjective must conform and by also taking the plural form.

Remember that to make a noun plural; —-

Nouns that end in a vowel, (a,e,i,e,u) ——- add an "s" to the end.
Nouns that end in a consonant, (b,c,d,f)  —- add ‘es’ to the end

The adjective follows the same rules’

Adjectives that end in a vowel,—— add an ’s to the end.
Adjectives that end in a consonant,—add ‘es’ to the end.

Examples are;  

(1) las puertas verdes = the green doors.
(2) los coches azules =  the blue cars.
(3) ellos son españoles = they are English. (masc’)
(4) ellas son españoles = they are English. (fem’)

The following always go after the noun; colours and nationalities

for example;

(1) el barco rojo  =  the red boat.
(2) la flora amarilla  =  the yellow flower.
(3) el hombre español  =  the Spanish man.
(4) la mujer inglesa  =  the English lady.

There are some adjectives that are neutral and they also go after the noun.

for example;

feliz (happy), triste (sad), elegante (elegant), facil (easy), difícil (difficult/hard).

(1) el/ella está feliz = he/she is happy, (singular).
—-ellos/ellas están felices = they are happy, (plural, note that ‘z’ changes to ‘c’).
(2) el/ella está triste = he/she is sad, (singular).
—-ellos/ellas están tristes = they are sad, (plural).
(3) el/ella está  elegante =  he/she is, (singular).
—-ellos/ellas están  elegantes = they are elegant, (plural).
(4) eso está fácil = this is easy, (singular).
—-esos están fáciles = these are easy, (plural).
(5) esta está difícil = that is difficult / hard, (singular).
—-estas están difíciles = those are difficult / hard, (plural).

More Learning Spanish…

• Spanish Adjectives (exceptions in location)
• Spanish Gender
• Ayer & Mañana
• Spanish Prepositions ‘a’ and ‘de’
• Spanish prepositions ‘un’ & ‘una’

When malo or bueno are placed before the noun they change to mal and buen.

Examples are;
(1) una pelicula mala, or, una mala pelicula. ( a  good film).
(2) un tiempo malo, or,  un mal tiempo. ( a bad time).
(3) una buena niña, or, una niña buena
(4) un niño bueno, or, un  buen niño, (a good boy)

Spanish Adjectives with double meaning

The adjective ‘grande’ (large,big), can go before the noun as well as after, but it has two distinct meanings.

After the noun it means large/big in size. This is the normal place that you would expect ‘grande’ to be.

Before the noun it means large in status.
With the masculine, singular noun form,

Examples are;
(1) el es un hombre grande = he is a big or large man, (adjective after the noun), ‘grande’ is normal.
(2) el es un gran hombre = he is a great man. (adjective before the noun),’grande’ changes to ‘gran’.
In their plural forms, grande becomes ‘grandes’ and is used in both cases.
Examples are;
(3) los hombres grandes = the big or large men.
(4) los grandes hombres = the great men.
In the feminine forms, singular and plural nouns, ‘grande’ does not change its form.
Examples are;
(1) la estatua grande = the big or large statue.
(2) las estatuas grandes = the big or large statues.
(3) la grande estatua = the great statue.
(4) las grandes estatuas = the great statues.

The following always go before the Spanish noun;

(a lot) = mucho, muchos, (masculine), mucha, muchas, (feminine).
(a little) = poco, pocos, (masculine), poca, pocas, (feminine).
(other) = otro, otros,(masculine), otra, otras, (feminine).

Some examples are;
(1) el tiene mucho dinero  =  he has a lot of money.
(2) el compra muchos libros  =  he is buying a lot of books.
(3) el hace mucha sopa  =   he is making a lot of soup.
(4) el vende muchas camisas  =   he sells a lot of shirts.

Spanish Possessive Adjectives

The singular form is;
mi = my; tu = you; su = his,hers,it’s.

The plural form is;
nuestro = our; vuestro =your; su = their.

Examples are;
(1) mi habitatión es la número 20 = my room is number 20.
(2) su habitatión es la número 15 = his/her room is number 15.
(3) su pasaporte, por favor = your passport, please.
(4)  nuestro hotel = our hotel.

When the noun following the possessive adjective is in the plural,
the possessive adjective must also take the plural form.

Examples are;
(1) mis amigos = my friends.
(2) Sus pasaportes = their passports.
(3) nuestras habitaciones = our rooms.

Notice that nuestro and vuestro also change their endings,—-
depending on the gender of the noun which follows.

Examples are;
(1) nuestra habitatión ( fem’, la) = our room.
(2) nuestro amigo (masc’, el) = our friend.
(3) vuestra casa (fem’, la) = our house.
(4) vuestro coche (masc’, el) = your car.

More Learning Spanish…

• Spanish Gender
• Spanish Adjectives (regular in location)
• Spanish Prepositions ‘a’ and ‘de’
• Spanish prepositions ‘un’ & ‘una’
• Spanish -ar verbs

They are used in the verbs which describe the doing of the action to oneself,

e.g. To wash = LAVAR
To wash oneself = LAVARSE

The conjunction is;
I wash myself — me lavo
you wash yourself — te lavas
we wash ourselves — nos lavamos
you wash yourselves — os laváis
they wash themselves — se lavan

These are the basic that you need to launch yourself into learning Spanish.

To begin with you can pick up your dictionary and look up some of the items in your lounge. Make a list of them in English and Spanish and fix a label to each item in Spanish. Read the list and relevant translation as often as you can and say the word to yourself out loud. Say it out loud each time you see that article and word until you have remembered it. Having learned those expand onto more items around the house. Make another list of the items in your wardrobe, label them, learn them. Do the same in the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom etc. You’ll soon want to write more lists and enjoy learning.

THAT’S THE TRICK—— ENJOY IT . ——NEVER THINK IT’S TOO DIFFICULT or A CHORE.

Involve your partner, your children your friends. It all helps to remember your new vocabulary.
It can be a great advantage in your life to master a foreign language. MAKE IT INTO YOUR HOBBY.

Move onto studying and learning some of the most frequently used verbs. Concentrate on their construction and notice the repetition of the endings of the AR verbs, the repetition of the endings of the ER verbs and the repetition of the endings of the IR verbs.

REFERING TO KEEP THE PRONUNCIATION in the phrase book or dictionary.

Return to making your lists and labels to break up routine. Move onto new areas, at work, in the shops and in the street.

MAKING IT INTERESTING MAKES IT ALL EASIER.

More Learning Spanish…

• Spanish Gender
• Spanish Verbs
• Tips for learning Spanish
• Rocket Spanish Review
• Spanish prepositions ‘un’ & ‘una’

More Learning Spanish…

• Spanish -ar verbs
• Spanish -er verbs
• Spanish Gender
• Spanish Verbs
• Spanish Reflexive verbs