Practice Spanish ABCs, pronouncing the letters clearly and accurately, (prioritize accuracy over speed. Speed is not an issue—yet!)
Practice Spanish Numbers, 0-10, pronouncing the numbers clearly and accurately
Learn and practice introducing yourself (first and last name) and other salutations!
Read about the History of Spanish around the world, and track Spanish's growth and influences.
Names in Spanish
*Many Spanish-speaking people seem to have longer names than English-speaking people (especially in the USA)! This is because they may have their first name, then their last name will be their father's last name (if he was present at the birth), then the mother's last name.
Example: One of our instructors is named Jorge Anthony Delgado Román. His father's family name is "Delgado", and his mother's family name is "Román". At the hospital, his father was present for the birth (as was his mother [duh! :-)]. So his birth certificate says he is: Jorge Anthony Delgado Román.
But his half-brother is Salvador "Chav@" Román. [The "@" indicates -a/-o and pronounced "Chava or Chavo".] During his brother's birth, his father was not present. Therefore only his mother's name was put on the birth certificate. He is: Salvador "Chava" Román. Chava is considered a "full brother" because he was born from the same womb, not "half-brother" as US values state. And his family uses the term of endearment "Chava" as his nickname, not "Chavo".
Recite ABCs
Recite Numbers 0-10 (try 5-100 by 5s!)
Practice Sentences (Introductions, Salutations):
Hola, me llamo __________________ (first).
Me llamo ________________ (first/last).
¿Cómo te llamas?
¡Encantado/a!
Review the videos below to learn more about Spanish-speaking cultural information.
QUESTION: Where is Spanish (the language) from?
ANSWER: Spanish is a Romance Language, one of the 5 descendants from Latin--used by the Romans in Italy. (The other 4 Romance Language descendants of Latin are Romanian, French, Italian, and Portuguese.)
LANGUAGE/REGIONALISMS/ACCENTS - There are many regionalisms, accents, and vocabulary differences from one Spanish-speaking country to the next, as well as within those countries! Idiomatic expressions also differ generationally.
COLONIALISM - Spain began colonizing and conquering countries in the Americas as they explored, spreading their language, religion, culture, and cuisine!
*Spanish language mixed with local languages, which resulted in the creation of creoles, pidgins,...that eventually became the primary language in those regions. In most cases, the original cultures' languages were forgotten and lost, with only a few vocabulary words from the indigenous languages still retained by the locals. (Ex. New Orleans, Haiti, Coastal Islands off of NC/SC, some Mexican states closer to Central America, etc.)
QUESTION: Is it Latinx, Hispanx, Chicanx???
ANSWER:
Bustle "What's the difference between Hispanic, Latino, and Spanish?" - https://youtu.be/gs2tdjzla8Y [04:28]
TikToker Breaks Down Difference Between Latinx And Hispanic - https://youtu.be/GLDNlomwWg0 [03:39]