How can I learn Real Latin American Spanish.?

Question

Right now I am learning German which will take me about 1.5 years to understand a lot.

I want to learn Real Latin American Spanish and not that spain ****. I live in NYC and would love to be able to converse in Spanish that most latinos understand.

Don't say Pimsleur as I have taken a few lessons of Pimsleur Spanish and was not impressed, unlike my Pimsleur German which I was impressed with.

Answer 1

Lots of community centers and cultural centers (like Puerto Rican, Mexican, Dominican and Cuban) will often offer Spanish classes which focus on their dialect. The only caveat I give, having lived and worked in Chicago with its Caribbean melting pot, is that Mexicans and Puerto Ricans can't agree on much when it comes to their supposedly common language. They even argue over the right word for a pencil. If you can find a Columbian Cultural Center, that's the best dialect to learn. They're in the middle and both the PRs and Mexicans can understand them. Cubans and Puerto Ricans also speak much too fast for a learner to comprehend all the nuances. It took me several months to catch up to their rapid-fire Spanish.

Answer 2

Well, I don't think there's a "real" Latin American Spanish. There are differences, but the grammar is exactly the same in Spain and in Latin America. The Royal Academy makes sure that happens. As for the accent, every country has its own accent and even inside the countries there different accents, as it happens with any other language. The main difference is the vocabulary, there are lots of words that are different, but as it happens with the accent, each country has its own words and slang and even those who speak the language do not understand some of the vocabulary used in other countries. -

Answer 3

I just asked a similar question because I need to know how to learn Spanish from South America. I got a great response from Bob H, who sent me to a great site where I've signed up. Can't wait to get started! Check it out.

http://www.mopalonline.com/crazyspanish.html

Answer 4

There is nothing wrong with Spanish from Spain.I was born in Argentina and I can understand it perfectly!
Maybe you could go to some language academies and ask what kind of Spanish they teach. Or you could go on vacations to a spanish speaking country (that's the best option when you want to learn a language)
Anyways, if all of this does not work, maybe you should give spanish from Spain a shot. It's not that bad after all and all latinos understand it unless they are trying to give YOU a hard time.

Answer 5

Hugo in 3months.. this is a CD-ROM / book set that teaches Romance languages... they have one set for each of the following... German, French, Italian, Spanish, AND.. LATIN-AMERICAN Spanish! Exactly what you are looking for.. I use these book and in any amount of time that you are willing to put forth you can learn a lot of the language in.

But really.. Practice is the best way to learn.. Im not sure where you live but any Mexican or South American community has someone that would love to practice once you know basic grammar and vocabulary.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

Watching Latin-American movies and "telenovelas" in Original Version could be a big help.

Answer 7

mylanguageexchange.com