How to say "I'm learning Spanish. Please talk to me, I need the practice."?

Question

This probably sounds silly, but I want to make a t-shirt that says something like: "I'm learning Spanish. Please talk to me, I need the practice."

I don't know exactly how to say it, but this is what I've come up with so far:

Aprendo español, habla conmigo por favor. Necesito practicar.

1) Would estudiar/estudio sound better than using aprender?

2) From what I understand I should use the first person present indicative rather than the gerund for the first word, is that right?

3) I used the imperative of hablar, but wasn't sure if that was right either.

I can't believe how uncertain I am about how to write something so simple! Any suggestions of how to say this better are welcome!

Thanks!

Answer 1

I get good results with:

Estoy aprendiendo español. Puedo practicar con usted?

Answer 2

I thought that the gerund was only supposed to be used if you were actually doing the thing the verb is about at that moment, rather than for an ongoing activity?

I believe that both the progressive and the present tense are used to express that you are currently involved in an activity (as opposed to having done it in the past or will do it in the future)..

The progressive is just a mechanism for going farther and being able to stress that you are doing something at the exact moment in time. That doesn't mean that you can't use it if you don't want to emphasize the right now, but just "presently".

I'd go with the present tense here as there is no emphasis on the right now, but the progressive is not going to be unacceptable as you are presently still studying Spanish at this moment in time.

Answer 3

HI trisha, I think that is an excellent option

Aprendo español, habla conmigo por favor. Necesito practicar.

We could say: Estoy aprendiendo español....but that might be too long? If not, it would be more colloquial.

I can't believe how uncertain I am about how to write something so simple!

WEll, the try was perfect

Answer 4

Hello dear

My name is queen(single). I was impressed when i saw your profile today at and i will like to establish a long lasting relationship with you. In addition,i will like you to reply me through this my private e-mail box([e-mail]) Thanks waiting to hear from you soon. queen I will send to you my pictures in my next mail through this my mail box

[e-mail]

Answer 5

Thanks Heidita! I have a hard time remembering mal/malo, etc. I guess if I wrote it wrong it would make the point even more strongly!

I'm pretty good with photoshop, I think I can do it in a way that will still look ok and be readable. I'll play around with it later today and see how it works.

Answer 6

Trisha:

Estoy aprendiendo español, habla conmigo por favor. Necesito practicar.

Mi español es muy malo.

You missed out the o at the end.

I agree with Marianne, probably a lot to put on a tshirt.

Answer 7

Fui al clasa de español y todo recibo que esta camisa feo.

I don't quite follow what you said. The shirt hasn't been made yet so how could anyone know if it is ugly or not? - trisha2766, AGO 26, 2009

Jason, your answer is not only a bad joke but also wrong grammatically. - 00494d19, AGO 26, 2009

Answer 8

Ok, I think that I might eventually make more than one version, but just try out one for now and see how it prints out, how easy it is to read, that kind of stuff.

I'll probably try:

Estoy aprendiendo español, habla conmigo por favor. Necesito practicar.

with a 'mi español es muy mal!' added at the end to kind of soften the tone.

Wow..that's quite a lot to put on a t-shirt! - --Mariana--, AGO 26, 2009

Answer 9

Actually, with a shirt I was thinking more about just starting a short conversation. A funny shirt would be great, but I think a funny one would make people think I might actually be fluent in Spanish and talk way over my head!

I was planning to have it made at Cafepress, I already have an account there and they have a shopkeepers sale this week. So I need to work fast to be able to buy it for less. I still need to think of some of design to go with it too. Lots to do!

Answer 10

trisha2766 -

the shirt i get the most responds says this: (its slightly vulgar btw)

+++++ eres un pendejo (you're my friend) +++++

Its suppose to be funny, i do get alot of people thinking that the translation is correct, (which makes it funny to me), but i am surprised how many english only speakers around my area actually know what it means. Anyways, even though its just a phrase t-shirt, I get alot of people reading it and start talking to me in spanish, mostly just because of the comedic value though I think.

I'm not sure if this would quite work out for you, because I think you want something more along the lines of having a shirt that will help find people to practice with you for more extended periods of time, rather than a short conversation like i get at the bar with it.

Let us know what you choose and if you end up making a shirt like at cafepress or whatever, i might be interested in getting one too! ... buena suerte

Answer 11

elresidente - that would be great, but I don't think there are any spanish stores near here.

Answer 12

ptero2 - did you mean 'tratando'? Tratar may be a better word for me to use, since 'trying' to learn Spanish is certainly more accurate!

Would 'Podría practicar conmigo?' sound like I'm expecting someone to spend more time talking/practicing with me? Rather than just a short exchange? Of course if someone wanted to talk longer, that would be ok, I just wouldn't want to make it sound like I'm expecting something more long term.

cheeseisyumm - what do your shirts say? I've been having a difficult time finding people that live around here to talk to, even though I know there has to be more Spanish speakers around here. I thought a shirt like this might be kind of fun and give me a chance to practice a little here and there.

Answer 13

You gotta remember since this is for a t-shirt you have limited space, and most people dont wanna read a book on a tshirt, so keep it simple and short and curiosity grabbing almost...

in other words, hablame on a t-shirt wouldn't be too rude in my opinion, i mean, its a tshirt its not like its that 'formal' anyways...

BTW, this is an ingenious idea, I have a couple spanish phrases t-shirts and have people stop and talk to me all the time...

Answer 14

"Hablame" sounds a bit strong to me when asking for a favor since it is a command. A little softer approach would probably be better. Ditto for the command form "digame."

Here's another option:

Estoy traitando apprender espanol. Podría practicar conmigo?

(I'm trying to learn Spanish. Would you practice with me?)

Answer 15

Hmmm... It can still be difficult sometimes to figure out how say something even after asking.

I do appreciate all your suggestions though!

So no one saw anything wrong with using 'habla', the imperative of hablar? I thought that maybe it sounded too strong or demanding.

ptero2 - I never thought of saying it that way. DR1960 - I've never heard anyone use "hablame" before, although I have heard 'digame'.

Maybe I should have also said that I am in the U.S. - would one way of wording it or another make more sense to spanish speakers here?