Whether you are familiar, fluent, or anywhere in between; knowing a foreign language can greatly enhance your travel experience abroad. But in an increasingly global society, knowing a second language can also give you a valuable boost both in everyday life. This is especially true for Spanish. Now more than ever, Spanish language skills are considered to be significantly valuable in the United States and abroad. Students who experience cultural and language immersion in Spanish speaking countries are able to substantially enrich their Spanish speaking skills.
Spanish Language Facts and Statistics
- Today over 320 million people speak Spanish and it is a prominent language in many parts of the United States.
- Out of all the Romance languages, Spanish is the most widely spoken.
- Spanish is the official language of all South American countries except Brazil and Guyana.
Spanish Language History
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- The modern-day Spanish language is derived from a dialect of Latin that evolved in the Iberian Peninsula after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.
- Spanish became a written language in Toledo, Spain between the 13th and 16th centuries.
- When the Spaniards colonized the Americas, the Spanish language was still undergoing change, and as a result, two forms of the language began to emerge – European Spanish and Latin American Spanish.
Useful Spanish Language Immersion Phrases:
|
Spanish |
Phonetic Spelling |
English |
| Hola | Oh-la | Hello |
| Gracias | Gra-see-as | Thank you |
| Por favor | Poor fah-voor | Please |
| ¿Habla inglés? | Ah-blah in-glehs? | Do you speak English? |
| ¿De dónde eres? | Deh done-deh eh-res | Where are you from? |
| Adiós | Ah-dee-os | Goodbye |
| No entiendo | No en-tien-dough | I don’t understand |
| ¿Cuánto cuesta? | Cuan-toh cues-tah | How much is it? |
| ¿Dónde está el baño? | Done-deh es-tah elle bah-nee-oh | Where is the bathroom |
| Estoy buscando…. | Es-toy booze-can-dough | I am looking for… |
| Estoy perdida | Es-toy per-dee-dah | I am lost |
| Yo soy de… | Yo soy deh | I am from… |
| Me puede llevar a…. | Meh poo-eh-deh jev-are ah | Can you take me to… |
| Yo quiero… | Yo kieh-roh | I want… |
Try out some Spanish slang!
|
Spanish |
Phonetic Spelling |
English |
| Mala Pata | Mah-lah pah-tah | Bad luck |
| Esta como una cabra | Es-tah co-moh un-ah cah-bra | To be absolutely crazy |
| Tener buen rollo | The-ner boo-en roj-oh | To have good vibes |
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