╰☆╮Bienvenido Isla de ánimo. A place to unwind.╰☆╮
¡Bienvenidos a todos! You have safely arrived on a brand new piece of real estate called Isla de ánimo. This is much the same, but not to be confused with a similar place called "Island of Encouragement". We had a lot of fun there and I would love to continue the work we started. However, after speaking to a wise Koala 
who has faithfully remained....waiting for guests to return, we decided to relocate to a new and hopefully improved island.
This is a place to share the joys and triumphs of language learning (Spanish/English), along with the trials and tribulations that come along with this challenge. It is also a place to offer advice, share learning tips and resources and generally encourage each other on this up and down journey of language acquisition.
You may write in English, Spanish or both. Please do your best to use correct spelling and grammar. That being said, this is a place of retreat and refreshment so mistakes will not be mentioned. This is also the place to share something that may be frustrating you. So scream if you must, but please do so without profanity or insulting language. Someone will be there to offer a hug and words of encouragement.
So, I think that is it. I hope this will be a thriving island where people come daily to share and encourage each other. Now I am off to see if there are any trees suitable for our beloved Koala to hang out in! See you on the island!!!
16 Answers
Como les he dicho, muchas veces, estoy en España, mi primera visita a un país hispanohablante. Es verdad, tener la oportunidad para hablar español todo el día ayuda mucho en aprender. Ya tengo más confianza, puedo tener una conversación sencilla en una tienda o un café. Empiezo "Perdone, no hablo español muy bien. Quiero comprar una manzana ( o cualqier cosa)". La gente está amable. Siempre me pregunta "De dónde eres?" "Australia " "O muy lejos!!"
Además, por esta semana asisto una clase de conversación en la escuela Don Quijote, en donde discutimos asuntos más complicados. Esta es muy útil también para desarollar más fluidez.
As I have told you, many times, I am in Spain, my first visit to a Spanish-speaking country. It's true, having the opportunity to speak Spanish all day helps a lot with learning. Already I have more confidence, I can have a conversation in a shop or café. I start " Excuse me, I don't speak Spanish very well. I want to buy an apple (or whatever). " People are friendly. They always ask me "Where are you from?" "Australia " "Oh, very far!!"
As well, this week I am attending a conversation class at the Don Quijote school where we discuss more complicated issues. This is very useful too in developing more fluency.
1: http://eee.cervantes.es/Administrador/centros/docs/1286/School entrance.jpg
Travel to wherever Spanish is spoken, and chances are you"ll meet people you"ve never seen before. You need not be tongue-tied as you introduce yourself.
To say hello, merely say "Hola" or "oh-la" (rhymes with "Lola";
note that the letter H is silent in Spanish).
To intoduce yourself, merely say "Me llamo" (may YAHM-oh) followed
by your name. For example, "Hola, me llamo Chris" ("OH-la, may YAHM-oh Chris")
means "Hi, I'm Chris."
- To ask someone's name in a formal setting, say "¿Cómo se llama usted?"
or "KOH-moh say YAHM-ah oo-STED." (The "oo" rhymes with "moo."
This means, "What is your name?"
In an informal setting, or if speaking to a child, say "¿Cómo te llamas?"
or "KOH-mo tay YAHM-ahss." That also means, "What is your name?"
After the person responds, you may say, "Mucho gusto" or
"MOOCH-oh GOOSE-toe." The phrase means "much pleasure" or, less literally
, "pleased to meet you."
Tips.
To sound better with these phrases, learn how the Spanish letters are pronounced.
- Don't be afraid to sound silly. In nearly any Spanish-speaking area,
even the feeblest attempts to speak Spanish will be honored.
To sound better with these phrases, learn how the Spanish letters are pronounced.
- Don't be afraid to sound silly. In nearly any Spanish-speaking area,
even the feeblest attempts to speak Spanish will be honored.
I am glad to see this new island. Hello to all who visit here. Some of us don't get to practice speaking Spanish very much and when we do we sometimes don't know what to say.
That's perfectly normal.
When all else fails, this is always a good icebreaker.
If anyone is planning a trip to a Spanish speaking country this summer, let us know. We would love to encourage you and offer tips, especially for those traveling to a Spanish speaking country for the first time!
One of my first tips is to be serious about language learning, but don't take yourself too seriously. - Learn to laugh at your mistakes and feel free to share some here!!
If for one reason alone, time spent with my friend from Bogata this morning enabled me to finally solve a mystery that has been haunting me for over a year. I originally heard this expression at that time and several times since. However, every attempt at trying to figure out what it was and what it meant ended in failure. To me, the expression sounded something like "Hecha esa trampalonia" or "Echa esta trambolonia", neither of which makes sense because to my knowledge, neither "trampalonia" or "trambolonia" are in the RAE. So finally, I played a clip with said expression for my Colombian friend who wrote out the following for me.....
"échate ese trompo a la uña"
She struggled to explain in both English and Spanish, but the gist is that it has something to do with accepting a challenge. For example, if someone was asking or presenting something very difficult or nearly impossible to do, they would add the above phrase sort of as a challenge. At least that is what I got out of it. Wow, now I can sleep better tonight!
I'll be there all weekend. I can hardly wait! I hope my favorite hammock is available. 
I am so happy everyone is settling in. I want to personally comment to those who have answered but will do so later. I am meeting in a few minutes with my friend from Colombia for two hours of Spanish conversation. I will be sure to fill you in on every misstep I make. But it will be worth it!!
Wish me luck!!
Gracias a una buen amiga podemos visitar esta isla y relajarse con nuestros amigos ,
aquí no soy un mod sólo un viejo hombre beber una cerveza o tres.
Estoy aquí esperando para dar la bienvenida a nuestros primeros huéspedes.
Thanks to a dear old friend we can visit this Island and relax with our friends,
here I am not a mod only an old man drinking a beer or three.
I am here waiting to welcome our first guests.
Making a fool of oneself is an essential part of learning most things.
Learning to walk. Learning to speak. Learning to make a soufflé Learning when to keep your mouth shut.
Learning another language as an adult.
Hacer el ridículo es una parte esencial del aprendizaje de la mayoría de las cosas.
Aprender a caminar. Aprender a hablar. Aprender a hacer un suflé. Aprender cuándo mantener la boca cerrada.
Aprender otro idioma como un adulto.
In minutes, I am off for a family brunch which makes me happy. However, I am extremely excited for this get together because the guest of honor is a family member who has lived in both Panama and Ecuador for over two decades. She is now an expert in Latin cultures and speaks all over the world at the age of 81! You can be sure I am going to wring every bit of language learning wisdom out of her that I can.
But I will leave you with this one tip that she shared with me in the past. Some of you are already well aware of this, but for those who aren't I will pass it on:
When you are speaking a new language, do not interpret the language in your head first and then speak. Years ago, I would think think of what I wanted to say in English and then translate clumsily and speak my piece. That never works! It is not easy, but think Spanish and then speak it! Give it a try!!
I am tired of the quarterly health check ups , the discussions about the future ,
and trying to forget the past,
I just need a cool drink and a quiet warm place to enjoy the present.
It is good to be alone sometimes.
Es bueno estar solo e veces.
Pero entonces , una cena romántico para dos es bueno también.
But then, a romantic dinner for two is good also.
We might have to kick someone out of your hammock Rac, but it will be ready for you!
Saludos a todos mis amigos desde La Republica Dominicana. This is one of the most beautiful places on earth....mountains, palm trees and beautiful beaches everywhere. What more could you ask for? Well I would ask for the electricity and the internet to be a little less sketchy!!! It has been a long time since I have posted, but I wanted to encourage everyone here on our private little island to continue putting in the effort to learn Spanish. No matter how long it takes, all of the time you put in is well worth it. The many interesting people I have met and the conversations I have had here have made it all worth it. I will try to post more from here as I can, but just wanted to encourage those who are just starting out to stick with it!!!!
I am so, so glad you've brought back the Island, Nicole. It has always been a lovely place to relax and share our experiences with others, and who knows, we may encourage someone else along the way.
My expectations about learning another language were that I would eventually be able to speak like a native. It began to be more of a chore to learn and I thought about throwing in the towel. Instead of enjoying the journey, it became too much of a struggle. I was too focused on doing everything right and quite fearful of making too many mistakes. Once I realized this, I began to cut myself some slack. I stopped worrying about becoming fluent and making mistakes, and just began learning one new thing each day. I find that by doing that, it is not only more enjoyable, but things are progressing at a faster pace and I'm retaining more.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said that “Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.”
