Why Is Spanish......?

Question

Spoken SO RAPIDLY?? I am trying to learn Spanish but when I watch Spanish channels on tv I am amazed at how quickly they speak. Maybe it's just me.

I live very close to the Tijuana border and most of my neighbors are Spanish and I had a Latino boyfriend (we broke up, long story) and HE learned English but he said it was very difficult at first. I majored in English in college, and he kept a notebook with him and would always ask me how to phrase a sentence or spell a word. LOL yes, I watch Chesperito and ALL of the Spanish channels. I need all the help I can get! French is supposed to be so difficult. LOL I am half Scottish, and I agree with the Scottish guy. Brummies are impossible to understand. Thanks for your encouragement! I need it!

Answer 1

It's not you, that's actually the same thing I thought about English when I first heard it. I thought all the words sounded garbled and fused together when I first was learning English.It gets better after time once you have more practice.

You will get use to it over time and be able to differentiate between the words.

Just keep on practicing, and basically try not to think to hard when you hear people speak. Listen how the words flow, and try to pick up on words you already know. I think it's great that your listening to the Spanish channels.

Good luck and keep at it :D

Answer 2

First, Spanish syllables are often shorter than English syllables, so each can be pronounced in less time. Second, Spanish often uses more syllables than English to say the same thing, so the syllables are fit into less time. (Sure, there are plenty of exceptions.) Third, many Spanish speakers speak with synalepha, which means that they pronounce the vowel at the end of a word and the vowel at the beginning of the next word as a single syllable ("miamigo" instead of "mi amigo"). Fourth, English varies in speed more than Spanish does on the sentence level, so the slow words in English seem more obvious. (In the sentence "I went to the store yesterday," the first four words are spoken more rapidly than the last two.)

Fifth, and perhaps most important, it depends where the speakers are from.

Answer 3

I am Scottish and I visit my son in San Jose, my daughter in law speaks fluent Spanish and I am trying to pick up a bit myself, and at first it was far to fast for me but with a little perseverance it's getting a little better, I use a Readers Digest language course of 20 cassettes and have been playing them in the car for about 6 weeks and I am still on the first cassette, there is only one Spanish TV channel that I can get in the UK so I don't have much choice, but the more you try the better you will get....so keep at it and best wishes.

Answer 4

Haha, I agree with you. However, the more you learn it the better you will be able to understand when words start and end. I now speak Spanish and I'm moving on to learning French and I cannot believe that I'll ever understand it all! However, they probably think the same about us, when we speak English so quickly.

Answer 5

Its the same with all languages unfortunately (if you are trying to learn them!)

If you are from Scotland, the Aberdonians speak at a slow drawl, Glaswegians so fast sometimes even I have difficulty understanding them, and I am born and bred Scots.

Good luck with the learning though. I had difficulty when I studied French, but as you get better it becomes easier to pick up what is being said.

Answer 6

Yeah, I've been studying French for five years, and I still can hardly understand what they'e saying. It'll just take time and lots of practice to get the hang of it. What really helps me is listening to Americans speak French. When my French teacher speaks, I can understand every word she says. Then I turn around and listen to a movie in French and I can understand it better.

Answer 7

If you knew a Spanish speaking person, they would probably say the same thing to you about your English.

Answer 8

i'm Uruguayan and the accents and pronunciation is different between them .Argentinian and Uruguayan Spanish are very comparable yet Argentinian tone is different and a few different grammar ,i come across it okay to talk to a Mexican yet to somebody from Spain I have not any theory the thank you to understand what they say in any respect

Answer 9

It is just you. English to a non-English speaker sounds just as unintelligible as another language does to us. In time your fluency will increase. Good luck with your studies; multi linguicity (if there is such a term) must be wonderful!

Answer 10

I agree with Telf, it is the same in all languages, it is hard to understand what scotish are saying.

Be patient and practice a lot your hearing skills, good luck!!