Spanish For Gringos: An Excellent Spanish Language Learning Tool

I'm sure I don't have William Harvey's technique down completely, but if you spend a little time using his materials, Spanish for Gringos, and Spanish for Gringos II, you can pick up some relevant Spanish vocabulary and usage rather easily.

While attitudes and opinions run hot regarding languages spoken in the United States, we often overlook the many reasons, other than immigration issues, to learn foreign languages. Further, we may find ourselves rejecting the idea of learning a second language because we did poorly in a school class, or because we consider ourselves too old to succeed. I've seen this disproved, and realize that having a teachable attitude is the beginning to successful language learning. Set your mind to trying, and you really can accomplish more than you imagine.

In this article, I give an overview of the way academic Spanish language learning compares/contrasts with immersion learning. My experience was purely academic, and it took many months of immersion for me to feel comfortable in my conversational skills. Meanwhile, my husband's intro, in the workplace, was limited to words. In an early married instance, he expected me to translate on demand what a co-worker communicated, and I did terribly. However, years later, after he learned to speak fluently through immersion, he was able to carry on his own conversations, at length and in Spanish, with that same individual. Mr. Harvey's Spanish for Gringos was his beginning leap into formal Spanish speaking, and really helped him to have a positive, learning mindset.

Spanish for Gringos includes a text, and listening materials.  My husband listened on long drives.  Harvey introduces Spanish vocabulary in the context of English sentences.  Because the listener/reader understands the context, he is able to guess at the meaning of the word, and begins to store that vocabulary, mentally.  For example, if I want you to learn a particular word, I might say, "I am going to the tienda, to buy milk, flour and eggs."  By the context, you can guess the meaning of tienda, right?  Store!  Simple.  Later, as that word becomes a part of your understanding, you may encounter sentences with additional foreign words.  There is a sense of building on what is familiar.

Examining how my children learned Spanish, in context, much of it took place in playtime with friends.  The older kids acquired the ability to speak Spanish within six months.  For my husband, most of his learning took place in the context of work, and relevant vocabulary built gradually, each bit balancing on what he had previously learned.  Spanish for Gringos was instrumental in helping him to approach his Spanish language learning with a "can do" attitude, and with confidence.  Within a couple of years, he was fluent, and able to conduct business in his new language; bilingual skills have been a huge asset in the workplace.

Whether you are just mildly interested in language learning, or whether you desire to make yourself more marketable in the workplace as a bilingual employee, it's good to begin by getting your feet wet with a program such as Spanish for Gringos. From there, you can make plans for further study, or development of your language skills.