How do can i understand spoken spanish if the language is backwards?
do you have any gimmicks on how to understand spanish when it is spoken? I find it difficult considering the fact that the language is backwards.
8 Answers
What exactly do you mean by backwards?
Do you mean, like this:
"I have it" ----> "Lo tengo". Because, in Spanish, the "it" comes before the verb?
If that's what you mean, then the simple solution is practice, practice, practice.
Once you begin speaking, reading, and writing in Spanish, you won't think of it as backwards...you'll just think of it as normal Spanish.
Spanish-speakers learning English could call English backwards because sentence structure differs between the two languages. But native English speakers, don't think of English as backwards at all!
I think the first gimmick to understanding "backwards Spanish" is...don't look at it as backwards. Just think of it as a new language with new rules.
Everyone here at SpanishDict is learning a new language, so we understand why you might feel a little confused or frustrated. But...don't! Just look at learning Spanish as a new challenge. If you ever need any help, please ask on the forum, because we will be very happy to help you 
¡Buena suerte!
P.S: As Lovely said, please fill out your language information. To learn how, click here.
It really is English that is backwards. While speaking in English you may mention a black cat. In Spanish this is " un gato negro". The important part of the sentance is the noun, the cat. The fact that it is black, the adjective is secondary so why put the adjective first? OK, so it takes a little getting used to but the language is far more logical than English with much fewer exceptions to the rules. Please stick with it - It will get easier as you progress.
Backwards???
Do you mean like pig latin?
Hi bria,
You need to fill your profile information what is your native language?
I'm asking because some languages are read from the right to left like: Arabic, and others are read from left to right like: English & Spanish 
Please, complete your profile information ^_^
I can't add anything to Sonrisa's words, but all you have to do is to Practice 
When i was a child (5 years old) i thought... Why do they speak english?, if the spanish is very very easy!...
bria3293, Now, you follow the same logical argument. 
Cuando yo era un niño (5 años) pensaba... ¿Por qué ellos hablan ingles?, si el español es muy muy facil!!
bria3293, En este minuto estás siguiendo el mismo razonamiento lógico.
The sentence structure in Spanish is actually more common so perhaps it is English that is backwards? If you think about it logically it makes sense to put the thing you are talking about before what is happening to it, or a description of it.
It is not that English is backwards. It is that English does not concern itself with the order of the words in the way that Romance languages do. In most cases it is fairly easy to construct an English sentence more inline with a Spanish one. The only real problems are when you deal with things that must logically come after an action or some other descriptor despite what the grammar dictates for the word order.
<br/><br/>
I'm just starting out with Spanish myself and the whole backwards vs forwards thing is the least of the annoyances I have found. The seeming lack of a distinct word for "If" and what strikes me as an overuse of accents to differentiate words. I know eventually I will figure it all out but these issues kind of put a damper on the idea that Spanish is "easy" or significantly easier than English.
<br/><br/>
Ironically even though I am a beginner in Spanish I find it easier to write it, than to speak it. Most of my coworkers are native Spanish speakers and I have had one say that she prefers to write in English. She thought I was weird for preferring written Spanish over spoken Spanish.
I don't quite understand the question...But I would suggest trail and error. You can only learn by trying, and if you supliment it with learning proper grammer and lots of vocab that should help. In a lot of ways the backwardness of spanish is what makes it a easier language to learn then english...the fact that what you are talking about comes before trying to to discribe what its like is a learners friend (you just have to learn your vocab so you know what that thing is that is being talked about before they tell about what it is like) Hopefully this didn`t confuse you more.
