About

Feliz año nuevo 2011

To start the new year I’ve decided to make an effort to improve my Spanish by undertaking a 30-Day Learn Spanish Challenge. I invite you to undertake this challenge too! You can read my Spanish language notes and Spanish vocabulary (although I recommend customizing it to your own needs).

About Speak Spanish Like a Gringo

Outside the 'Palacio de Gobierno' in Quito, Ecuador. The guard was kind enough to have his photo taken with me.

The title of this site is a humourous acknowledgement that Spanish learners (until they reach near-native levels) only have to open their mouths and the locals know they’re a ‘gringo’ (extranjero) whose native language is English. This site covers some of the difficulties English speakers may encounter while learning Español, as the actual aim of learning Spanish is to avoid speaking spanish like a gringo. The various notes on Spanish language and usage function as free Spanish lessons, albeit informal. I highly recommend that you invest in a good Spanish language learning package such as Rocket Spanish. You can’t go past learning Spanish from a native speaker. If you have the opportunity to study abroad (Spain or Latin America), then I suggest that is your number one option. The next best option is to learn from someone living in your own country, or by attending a Spanish language class at a local University or language school.

About Graeme

Despite her claims, 'she' is not my wife... Roaming entertainment while at a restaurant in Salinas, Ecuador.

I have travelled to Ecuador twice, and particularly the second visit, where I had the opporunity to practice my Spanish while travelling around the country. I learnt to ask for directions while driving between towns and cities, and to make basic transactions at shops and with market vendors in Otavalo. Although I was in Ecuador for only nine weeks, my comprehension and vocabulary skyrocketed due to being totally immersed in Spanish language and culture. Television, movies, and radio are predominantly broadcast in Spanish. Newspapers, street signs, and books are printed in Spanish. Most people I met spoke no English or very limited English.

As well as this Spanish language site, I have a site dedicated to learning English, and offering ESL lesson resources: English Language Help.

With an indigenous woman who was selling Tigua paintings. Otavalo, Ecuador