Learning the Spanish Alphabet - Not As Hard As You May Think
Learning the Spanish Alphabet - Not As Hard As You May Think
When you undertake the process of learning the Spanish language, one of the first things you need to do is start learning the Spanish alphabet. Even though the Spanish alphabet has four more characters than the English language, it is not that difficult to learn. The main thing you need to understand is that, without learning the Spanish alphabet, it will be almost impossible to be able to read the language when it is written.
You can learn Spanish without learning the Spanish alphabet, but only spoken Spanish. Once you reach the point where you want to be able to read Spanish, learning the alphabet is the only way to do this. There are a number of ways you can make it easier on yourself to remember the Spanish alphabet, but the number one way is simply to practice, practice, practice. Get yourself a notebook and write each of the characters down several times, repeating them out loud each time.
ll, ch and More
The Spanish alphabet consists of 30 characters, only four more than our own. The four extra characters are: ‘ch', pronounced chay, which comes between ‘c' and ‘d'; ‘ll', which is pronounced ay-yay, and comes between ‘l' and ‘m' (think the word ‘tortilla'); ‘ñ', which is pronounced en-yay, and comes between ‘n' and ‘o'; and ‘rr', which comes between ‘r' and ‘s', and is pronounced err-ay, but with the sound of a purring cat. Once you can remember these four characters, the rest of learning the Spanish alphabet is easy.
The remainder of the Spanish alphabet is the same as our own, but is pronounced completely different. One of the nice things about learning the Spanish alphabet is that, once you have it down pat, you can easily pronounce anything written. The Spanish language is one of few that are actually written the way they sound. There are very few, if any, silent letter sounds in the Spanish language. This is why learning the Spanish alphabet is so vital to being able to read the language.
If you are learning the Spanish alphabet, or are trying to, and repetitive writing isn't working for you; find an elementary Spanish teacher to help you out. Although this may seem a little strange to you, an adult talking to an elementary teacher for learning purposes, it is actually a really smart idea. Just like in the English language, there are songs and other memory devices that Spanish children use to help them when they are learning the Spanish alphabet.
Regardless of whether you ask someone for help, or continue your learning efforts on your own, it is wonderful that you are learning the Spanish alphabet. This will enable you to read the Spanish language, and to enrich your life with new found knowledge.