Learning Spanish from telenovelas
My journey in learning Spanish started almost 10 years ago when I started watching telenovelas almost every day before bedtime. It started as a curiosity and it ended up as a passion for learning more and more.
Every time I watched the telenovelas I could not miss the resemblance between my native language, Romanian and Spanish. Some words are so similar in both languages and although they may have a different spelling they have the same meaning.
Spanish and Rumanian are two languages that are not so different from each other; it may be because both are originally Latin languages. It was easy for me to catch up with the language and, in a short period of time, I could understand what they were talking about in the telenovelas without needing to read the subtitles.
Learning Spanish with a school friend
I used to learn Spanish at home with the help of my best friend, who had Spanish students in her class. She was on a language profile and Spanish was one of the languages she had to study in her course.
I use to read all her notes and do all the exercises that she had to do for school, so I could learn as well and develop my knowledge.
For me, learning Spanish was like reading a book, something easy and enjoyable, a hobby, and a way to relax in my free time. I find that for Romanian people in general, learning Spanish is easy because of the similarities between the two languages.
Sometimes, when I hear something in Spanish it is easy to translate because it is familiar to my language and maybe I do not know all the words but I guess them through association to my language.
Learning Spanish at university
Having learned Spanish from telenovelas opened many doors for me. I started learning Spanish at high school and now I continue to learn Spanish at university. I absolutely love Spanish, I discovered a new world!
Image by Fobos92, from Wikipedia
Why learn Spanish
Learning Spanish makes you more employable. Spanish is one of the six official languages of the United Nations, and the third most-used language in the media.
The importance of Spanish as a business language is hard to dispute. Learning Spanish increases your confidence, and can lead to a higher salary.
If you gain your language proficiency by studying abroad, you will also come equipped with loads of soft skills: the people and management skills that employers look for, no matter the country or the industry you are working in.
Alexandra Sivriu
Spanish Express Blogger
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