In this post (below the form), I’ll share a little about my proven teaching methods. During 20 years of language instruction, I’ve learned to quickly assess a student’s level and learning style. This post goes into detail on how I do it. When you’re ready, fill out the form below or call to schedule your first lesson. You can pay as you go one lesson at a time or save some money with a 10-class package. Details are below.

(346) 202-5001

Online Spanish Lessons with Joseph Gonzales

I’m the Director of Prime Instruction & Language, an Austin-based language school which focuses on adult learning. In addition to my class-coordinating duties for the school, I also teach a number of students as my schedule permits.

I thoroughly enjoy the language-learning process. To me, it’s so satisfying to guide others through it. I got started as a teacher with a loaded schedule…one class after another all day long. I maintained that routine for many years. These days, I have several other responsibilities with the school, but I still keep a few slots open so I can continue teaching. I never want to lose that firsthand experience with our students.

How to Learn Spanish

One thing I learned a long time ago is that the language must become second-nature to the student. The right combination of words needs to come out of their mouths without them having to think about it. It has to become automatic. And the only way this happens is if they’re repeatedly uttering these words and phrases…not only during their brief lessons with me…but during their daily routine. I train my students to make Spanish a part of their daily lives.

I adapt my approach to the learning styles of my students. Whether they’re visual, auditory, analytical or conversational learners, I figure out their learning style and I take advantage of it. I lean into their strengths so they can quickly absorb as much information as possible in a short period of time.

There’s nothing new or special in this first phase of teaching and learning. This is the time-tested method of presenting new words and phrases to the student…and then helping them to pronounce them and use them in sentences. My method of reinforcing the language, however, is the key factor in how I get my students to retain what they learn…to the point where they can use those words and phrases in conversational situations.

Another post you may like…

How to Learn a Language Fast through Daily Application

A New Way of Learning

Languages must be learned with an approach that is entirely different than any other academic subject. Whereas one can learn algebra, chemistry or history with a passive approach of listening, taking notes and reviewing those notes, this approach does not help students to learn foreign languages. It certainly does help them to pass exams. And it definitely gives them a theoretical understanding of how the language works. But it does little to prepare them for conversations.

I’m never surprised when new students attempt the passive approach during our lessons. They quietly listen and take notes. They write everything down and try to understand what they hear before they’ll repeat it. This makes sense because the passive approach worked for them the last time they had to study a subject.

It doesn’t take long, however, for me to steer them towards a more aggressive, vocal approach. I wrote all about this approach in another post, 5 Steps to Learning a Language. Our goal in these online Spanish lessons to not to pass a test. Our goal is to converse…specifically, to help you understand what you hear and accurately speak the sentences you wish to express.

Aggressive, Purposeful Learning

Instead of the passive approach, I strongly push an aggressive strategy with my students. It’s not a “natural” approach. It’s not strictly conversational. On the contrary, it’s an ongoing effort to bring up the most common contexts of the language. And then…after hearing, learning and repeating those phrases during our lessons, we put together several lists of sentences which you will simply read and speak on a daily basis. This out-of-class repetition is the key to reinforce your in-class learning.

Book Your Online Spanish Lessons Today

The big emphasis these days is online learning. It’s a little ironic. The primary goal of language learning is to converse with others in social or business settings. But these types of face-to-face interactions are quite limited these days due to COVID fears and restrictions. On the other hand, prolonged periods of staying home is one of the driving factors that’s causing people to seek to learn Spanish online. In any case, online Spanish lessons are in-demand like never before. Hopefully we’ll soon be able to resume the social interactions we took for granted before.

Regardless of your Spanish-learning goals, I’m here to help. I’ll work with you on a lesson schedule that works with your schedule. I’ll train you to implement our online lessons during your daily routine.

Of course, we also offer face-to-face Spanish lessons in Austin and Houston. Don’t hesitate to call or email us with your questions and inquiries.

(346) 202-5001

The post Professional Online Spanish Lessons with Joseph Gonzales appeared first on Prime Instruction & Language | Austin's Premier Language School.

When to Use ESTAR

• to express the location of people, places and things
• to express the temporary status or condition (including feelings and positions) of people and things
• in progressive (action) sentences in which something “is happening” or someone “is doing” something

When to Use SER

• expressing characteristics of people, places and things that are not likely to change
• stating someone’s nationality, ethnicity, religion, occupation or identity
• stating the origin, material, quality or natural color of something
• expressing possession
• telling time or dates.

In English, we use the infinitive to be and its conjugations (am, are, is) for all of the situations listed above. In Spanish, however, that work is divided between ser and estar. While ser handles the more permanent situations, estar covers the more temporary situations.

Here’s another lesson you may find helpful. It’s an in-depth study of SER and ESTAR with examples and quizzes;

The Difference Between SER and ESTAR

ESTAR Conjugation Chart

(mobile users, view in landscape mode to view the whole chart)

Not as Simple as Temporary vs Permanent

Teachers often answer the when to use estar question by saying that it’s for temporary situations. This is generally true. This quick answer, however, can be a little misleading. There are plenty of times when you’ll use estar for situations that are pretty permanent.

Paris está en Francia.

Is Paris in France only temporarily? Certainly not! It’s always been in France and always will be. This example perfectly underscores the importance of relying on the contexts of estar instead of considering the permanence of the situation.

The very first context we listed above is that estar is for when you’re expressing location. That location may be temporary (I am in France / Yo estoy en Francia) or it may be permanent (Paris is in France / Paris está en Francia). In both cases, however, you are expressing location. Therefore, estar is the correct verb to use…not ser. Let’s make that point very clear;

Use ESTAR to express the location of a person, place or thing…even if that location is permanent.

Florida está en el sureste de los estado unidos (Florida is in the southeast of the United States)

Know the Adjectives Frequently Used with ESTAR

The second context we listed above is when you’re expressing the temporary status or condition (including feelings and positions) of people and things. These sentences are going to include an estar + adjective combination, which is very common.

Again, however, thinking in terms of temporary vs permanent can lead to confusion. If you want to say that someone is crazy (loco) or married (casado) or alive (vivo) or dead (muerto), you might spend too much time wondering whether or not these are temporary conditions (in which you should use estar) or permanent conditions (in which you should use ser).

Hmm…I’m married…but am I temporarily married or permanently married??

The answer to this question is this; you’re thinking too much!

The key to preventing all these questions and all the confusion is to simply know which verbs go with estar and which ones go with ser. Click here to view a separate post which includes a long list of estar adjectives.

Just so you know, all the adjectives listed above (loco, casado, vivo, muerto) go with estar, not ser.

Why? Well honestly…it doesn’t matter why. That’s just the way it is. I think that being dead is a pretty permanent condition. Nonetheless, if you want to say that “Charlie is dead,” you say “Charlie está muerto” and that’s all there is to it. Don’t overthink it.

Roberto y Angela ahora están casados (Roberto and Angela are now married).

The Progressive Tenses

Progressive sentences are action sentences in which something “is happening” or that someone “is doing” something. If it’s happening now or if the person is doing it now, that’s the present progressive tense. If it was happening or if someone was doing it in the past, that’s the past progressive tense. And if it will be happening or if someone will be doing it in the future, that’s the future progressive tense.

Regardless of whether it’s past, present or future, the sentence will have an estar + gerund combination.

In English, a gerund is the form of a verb that ends with “ing.”

In Spanish, the gerund form of verbs usually ends with either “ando” or “iendo”. Let’s look at a few examples. “AR verbs” like explicar, prestar and trabajar will end with “ando.”

Yo estoy explicando los usos de estar.
(I am explaining the uses of estar.)

Tú estás prestando atención.
(You are paying attention.)

José no está trabajando.
(José is not working.)

ER and IR verbs like aprender, correr and describir will end with “iendo” in most cases;

Nosotros estamos aprendiendo algo nuevo.
(We are learning something new.)

Ustedes están corriendo muy rápido.
(Y’all are running very fast.)

Carlos y Anita están describiendo el problema.
(Carlos and Anita are describing the problem.)

Do you want to give it a try? Here’s a 10-question quiz in which you’ll need to fill in the blank with the correct gerund form;

I just completed an exercise in which I learned the three contexts in which to use the verb ESTAR. | LESSON: When to Use ESTAR
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The post When to Use ESTAR appeared first on Prime Instruction & Language | Austin's Premier Language School.

(346) 202-5001

Spanish Classes in Pearland

Some students prefer a formal, structured type of class where the teacher explains the grammar and sentence structure. These students typically don’t like hearing sentences they don’t understand. Nor do they like to speak a sentence unless they know it’s correct.

Other students prefer a more fluid, conversational approach to the language which involves more dialogue. They’re perfectly fine with not understanding every word of a conversation. They’re also quite willing to speak with errors.

Over the years, I’ve taught hundreds of students from both sides of this spectrum and many students in between. While my students learn the language, I “learn the students.” I discover and take advantage of their learning styles to maximize the effectiveness of my lessons. I highly encourage my students to speak during our lessons because it builds their confidence.

I’ve taught employees and executives of big and small companies all over Houston, including Halliburton, Houston Chronicle, Oxy and Gulf States Toyota.

Small-Group Lessons

Create your own small-group Spanish class with friends, family members or colleagues. We’ll go and teach your group at your location. This is a fun, affordable way of approaching your lessons. Using a new language, after all, is a social experience. Why not form a group so you can learn and practice together?

We occasionally form our own groups with individuals who wish to be part of a group. If that’s what you’re looking for, give us a call or send us a message to let us know what you have in mind for your learning goals.

Private Lessons

While it’s certainly a rewarding experience to learn with others, a group class may not move along as quickly as you need. For those who need a class that is more focused on their individual level and needs, a private class is usually a good option. In a one on one class, the instructor is able to concentrate the lesson plan on the student’s specific needs. The accelerated progress will justify the extra cost of a private course.

All classes are held at the Pearland Library at 3522 Liberty Dr. (directions).

Spanish Tutoring in Pearland

Another service we offer is Spanish tutoring grade-school kids. Some kids simply need help with testing. Others truly wish to learn and speak the language. In either case, I can help. I go to the homes of students or to whichever location is convenient for the family. I help kids to focus and enjoy the studying process. Call me or fill out the message form down below. I look forward to hearing from you and helping your little ones to make progress in Spanish! Lastly, here are some of the details of our classes.

The post Professional Spanish Classes in Pearland appeared first on Prime Instruction & Language | Austin's Premier Language School.

ESTAR Adjectives that Describe People

The post Adjectives Frequently Used with <em>ESTAR</em> appeared first on Prime Instruction & Language | Austin's Premier Language School.

In this lesson, we’ll cover the difference between ser and estar. We’ll learn the conjugations of estar and the contexts in which to use them. This lesson also includes a ser and estar quiz to assist your comprehension of these two fundamental verbs of the Spanish language.

am, are and is are the conjugations of the verb to be. It’s the most important, most-commonly used verb in all of English. It’s challenging to learn because am, are and is don’t look or sound anything like each other. Nor do they look or sound like to be. In Spanish, the complexity of this verb is not due to its conjugations, but rather, the fact that it’s expressed by two different verbs; ser and estar.

The Difference Between ser and estar

ser is the most commonly-spoken verb in the Spanish language. ser implies being in a permanent sense to express things that are not likely to change. Our identity, origin and characteristics all fall under this category;

I am Joseph

You are tall

She is from Texas

On the other hand, estar expresses temporary situations such as how a person feels at a given moment or where something or someone is located. Unlike ser, estar expresses conditions that *are* likely to change.

I am tired

You are at work.

Contexts of estar

• To express the location and/or position of people, places and things.
• To express the temporary conditions (states, feelings, moods) of people, places and things.

Let’s focus first on estar. We’ll cover ser down below.

Conjugations of estar

The form of estar you use will depend on the subject of your sentence. In the same way that am follows I, are follows you and is follows he, estar has a corresponding conjugation for all of the subject pronouns. Here they are:

Keep in mind that the subject of a sentence is not necessarily the person who’s talking. But rather, it’s the person(s) or thing(s) they are talking about. For example:

I may be the one speaking the above sentences. But only in the first example am *I* the subject. The other sentences are about someone or something else. Therefore, I must use the corresponding conjugation for those different subjects.

ESTAR conjugation quiz

Choose the correct form of estar for the following sentences.

Adjectives Frequently-Used with ESTAR

Since estar is generally used to express temporary locations and conditions, the adjectives that are commonly used with estar often describe a person’s feelings or momentary status. The following list includes several of these adjectives. Notice that adjectives like “tall,” “short,” “smart” and “funny” are not on this list. That’s because those adjectives are more descriptive of a person’s characteristics or permanent qualities. Therefore, these “more-permanent” adjectives are commonly expressed with ser.

Also, notice that most of the adjectives have a masculine form (ending in “o”) and a feminine form (ending in “a”). The form of the adjective you use will depend on the gender of whomever you’re describing. Only a few of the adjectives like bien, disponible and triste are “gender neutral.”

Think about it…any person can experience any one of the above conditions in a given day. We all get tired, busy and sick sometimes, regardless of what kind of person we are. That’s why these adjectives are usually expressed with estar, the more temporary way to express to be in Spanish.

Opposite Adjectives Frequently-Used with ESTAR

Again, here’s another round of common adjectives that are usually expressed with estar. Most of these words describe things more often than they describe people. Nonetheless, the gender of the adjective should be the same as the gender of the thing it describes. An open book (libro m.), for example, is abierto. An open door (puerta f.), on the other hand, is abierta.

The post The Difference Between SER and ESTAR appeared first on Prime Instruction & Language | Austin's Premier Language School.

Assumption #1; you desire to communicate with people who speak that language.

Like I said, it seems obvious. But let me clarify what it means. To have a “desire” to do something implies that it’s stronger than a wish. And the manifestation of that desire will be some apparent effort on your part to fulfill this desire in spite of your limited ability to do it successfully. Practically speaking, as it pertains to learning a language, someone who desires to learn another language is already trying to have conversations with people in that language…even if they’re not very good at it.

20 years ago, I knew nothing about woodworking. I’d never built anything before. But that didn’t stop me from collecting a few basic tools and attempting to build a few things. My work was shoddy and imprecise. I hurt myself a few times…nothing serious. And I often had to scrap the whole project because it was just so terrible. I encountered many obstacles, but my desire to do that work powered me through the failures. I didn’t wait for a class. Even to this day, I’ve never had any training in woodworking. It wasn’t merely a wish, but rather, a real desire.

Dissecting Desire

“With whom are you currently trying to speak Spanish?”

This is one of the first questions I ask of my potential Spanish students. It sometimes catches them off guard. “How can I speak Spanish with someone if I haven’t learned to speak it yet?,” they sometimes reply. The purpose of my question is to gauge their level of desire.

Of course, the fact that they contacted me in the first place indicates that they do have some level of desire. But if they’re not already trying to speak Spanish with someone, it tells me they might be expecting some magical thing to happen during our classes…something that will enable them to have conversations in Spanish that will be free of errors, confusion and miscommunication. That, however, is not how it works. No language lesson or course is going to nullify the need to get out there and imperfectly use the few words and sentences you already know.

Assumption #2; you desire the ability to think in the new language.

Again, it seems unnecessary to make this point. But your answer to this question will reveal whether or not the strategies in this post are going to work for you. Do you find yourself trying to figure out how to say a word or a phrase in your target language? Do you look up words in a language dictionary? And do you repeat and practice the phrases you’ve learned in that language?

One of the most revealing things I notice about my new students is whether or not they bring their own textbooks to our first meetings. If they do, it’s a sure sign that they will greatly benefit from our lessons. These students are like seeds that are eagerly looking for soil in which to bury themselves so they can grow and develop. If I see they have completed exercises or written their own notes, I know they’re going to learn.

I hope that none of what I’ve written here is discouraging to you. I’ve been in this business for so long that I’m now at the point where I’d rather be blunt and honest with someone who’s not serious about learning. I’d rather encourage them to save their time and money and do something else. Another post I wrote directly addresses this situation; Maybe You Shouldn’t Learn Another Language.

How to Learn a Language Fast

If, on the other hand, you unquestionably demonstrate the desire I mentioned above to learn another language, then keep reading. The simple tactics I explain here will drastically accelerate your progress.

Just so you know, this post is the continuation of another post; How to Learn a Language. You may want to read that one first. In that post, I explain the 5 stages of language learning;

1. Introduction / Exposure
2. Learning / Accepting
3. Practice / Exercise
4. Daily Application
5. Real Conversations

The key takeaway from that post is that the fourth stage, Daily Application, is where the real progress takes place. The first three stages occur in the classroom. For the student, these are passive stages. The student receives the lessons presented by the teacher. He follows the lessons, attempts to understand the concepts and participates in the exercises. These first three stages are mainly the responsibility of the teacher.

Keep in mind, however, that there are 168 hours in a week. The average student spends only 1 to 5 of these weekly hours with his language instructor. For some adult students, consistently attending one class per week is challenging. This fact alone reveals the significant limitation of instructors and their lessons.

Daily Language Application

There is only so much training we can cram into a student in such a small amount of time. More time with the teacher, however, is not a realistic solution. Nor is it necessary. The words and phrases learned during brief, occasional lessons are more than enough to equip a student to take the most important step of all; applying the language in his daily routine.

Application is without a doubt the #1 secret to learning a language fast. Ok so how do you apply a language?

“To apply a language is to proactively think and speak in that language throughout the day in order to establish and reinforce it into your consciousness.”

Right from the start, the usual objection to the thought of speaking in a foreign language throughout the day is that it’s not easy to arrange conversations with people who speak that language. Indeed, it’s not easy or convenient at all. Fortunately, however, chats like these are not what I mean by “daily application.” If you can have regular conversations with people who speak the language you want to learn, fantastic. Have those conversations as often as you can.

The problem with those chats, however, is that they’re not frequent or structured enough to help you make progress. Also, even though the people you chat with can effortlessly speak that language, they may not be able to teach or explain anything to you. That’s why you’re better off preparing for those chats on your own through daily language application.

The key dynamic of daily language application is a proactive effort to apply the pieces of the language you’re learning in your daily life. To facilitate this effort, we recommend a routine that will build upon the material you’re learning during your studies.

Exposure, Learning & Practice

We have now arrived to the nuts and bolts of how to learn a language fast. First of all, we’re assuming that the first 3 stages of language learning are already happening. Here they are again:

Introduction / Exposure
Learning / Accepting
Practice / Exercise

You’re engaged in some kind of class or self-study program which exposes you to new words and phrases (Introduction / Exposure). Some teacher, book or software is explaining these new pieces of the language to you so that they’re clear in your mind (Learning / Accepting). And then you must also complete a variety of exercises (written, verbal or both) to reinforce the new concepts and pronunciations you recently learned (Practice / Exercise).

These first three stages are crucial. However, if you’re doing nothing more than these classroom activities, your progress will be limited. You can definitely learn a language with only classroom training, but it certainly won’t happen fast. Something needs to happen between your lessons to reinforce what you learned during your lessons. Otherwise, you’ll spend the majority of each lesson relearning what you covered in previous lessons.

Sentence Lists

Your goal during each class or study session is to create lists of sentences…lots of them. They need to be relevant and personal. If you hear or learn a sentence during your class, it needs to go on your list. You can modify it however you wish to make it more applicable to you. Perhaps someone says “John’s tractor is red.” Well, John doesn’t exist. And no one you know owns a tractor. But let’s say you have a real friend named Steve and he has a red truck. So the sentence that goes on your list is “Steve’s truck is red.”

You certainly don’t have to make each sentence so personal. The key question to ask yourself is “Is that the kind of sentence I’d like to know how to say?” Also ask yourself if you would understand that sentence if someone said it to you. In other words, if you think you’ll benefit from practicing this sentence at a later time, go ahead and write it on your list.

Tamara

I once had a student named Tamara who totally got this concept. She took full advantage of it. I remember telling her in Spanish that I was “on the other side of the table” from her. She then proceeded to say in Spanish that the door of my office was on the other side of the room. She said that her husband’s job was on the other side of the city. And then she said that California was on the other side of the country. On and on she went with similar sentences.

After that, we launched into an engaging lesson in which we covered all the phrases related to proximity; “close to,” “far from,” “next to,” “on top of,” “under,” “to the left of,” “to the right of,” etc. When I met with Tamara again the following week, she had all those phrases down cold. She had written and repeated them at home without my help.

No Memorization Required

The sentences on your list can be totally random. They don’t need to go in any particular order. They don’t need to have a common theme or subject. You do, however, need to know what they mean. If you must, write the sentences in your familiar language in addition to your target language so you’ll easily remember their meaning. If you have any trouble thinking of new sentences, simply extract them from worksheets and textbook exercises you recently completed. Make sure they’re loaded with new verbs and vocabulary words that you’re trying to learn.

Once you’ve written ten sentences on your list, start a new list. Also, number your lists: “Sentence List #1”, “Sentence List #2”, etc. It’s critical that you make at least one new list per day. After doing this for 60 days, you should have 60 lists, etc.

Scheduled Reading

As you begin to accumulate a collection of sentence lists, you should then simply read your lists out loud according to the following reading schedule. Each day, read the new list you created that day (1^st reading). Then read it again the next day (2^nd). Then wait 3 days and read it again (3^rd). Following that 3^rd reading, you’ll read the list again a full week later (4^th). Then read it again two weeks later (5^th) and then one last time three weeks later (6^th).

Over the span of 49 days, you will have read that one list of sentences six times. The purpose of this staggered schedule is to heavily establish those words and phrases early on. And then the latter readings reinforce them in your memory.

Of course, it won’t be easy to keep track of this schedule on your own. So therefore, I posted this simple schedule online to help you keep track of your reading. Click here to view the schedule. It looks like this:

No Memorization Required

Notice that I haven’t said anything about memorization as an exercise. No part of this routine requires that you force yourself to remember words or translate them in your mind. These are the typical tactics of students who merely wish to pass a test.

For a busy adult with a full schedule and many responsibilities, memorization is not the answer. In fact, it sets students up for failure. Even the most enthusiastic students won’t be able to maintain a routine of memorizing words over the long haul. It’s far more realistic and beneficial to make the routine a very simple affair that students can stick to; simple reading.

Just Read (or listen)

In the morning, at lunch or at the end of the day, just read your sentence lists. You’ll never have more than six lists to read. That’s 60 total sentences. You can do this. A couple of my students got in the habit of making audio recording of themselves reading their lists. Each of their lists is a separate recording. Throughout the day, as they drive around and do chores around the house, they listen to the audio clips they have scheduled for that day. That’s an excellent practice!

Join us for one of our group Spanish classes in Austin, Texas

The post How to Learn a Language Fast through Daily Application appeared first on Prime Instruction & Language | Austin's Premier Language School.

New Google Austin downtown building will be at the corner of W Cesar Chavez and Nueces

Google had as many as 800 employees as of the summer of 2018. That number should definitely rise dramatically as it fill 35 floors with employees. Its 790,000 square feet can occupy as many as 5,000 people. It was only last month that Apple announced its plan to build a second campus in northwest Austin. That new $1 billion campus could occupy as many as 15,000 employees.

New Google Austin Office Building Opens Spring 2022

Much like Apple’s plans, Google’s investment in the building signifies a doubling down of a major tech company of its already-existing operation in our city. Austin is already growing four times faster than most of Silicon Valley. It’s becoming harder and harder for high-taxation states to compete with states like Texas, which is one of only nine states which has no income tax. Austin, in particular, is drawing talent and startups from all over the country. The lower cost of its real estate, relative to that of other cities, is also a major factor where Austin has the advantage.

All These Extra Austinites

The big question in the mind of Austinites, however, is what we’re going to do with all these extra Austinites. The crowding of the town, plus the constraints of its highways, was already a big concern before all these tech companies started coming to town. Most of us are wondering what kind of hellish construction is coming our way in the next 10-15 years.

Plus, it doesn’t look like the influx of companies and people is slowing down anytime soon. A new tower is going up at the corner of 4th and Colorado. Also, Samsung is planning a drastic expansion of its 300-acre campus on the northeast side of town near Pflugerville.

What does all this mean for Austin? Well, it’s certainly not going to be boring or uneventful around here. It never has been. Not to mention the excitement of people from other cultures coming to town who speak foreign languages. That’s very exciting to us here at Prime Instruction & Language.

another post you may like:

Spanish Lessons in Austin – Private or Group Lessons

The post Google Plans to Occupy All 35 Floors of New Building in Downtown Austin appeared first on Prime Instruction & Language | Austin's Premier Language School.

Is Y’all Proper English?

Y’all is a subject pronoun that addresses two or more people. It’s the contraction of “you” and “all.” From Texas to Virginia to Florida, it’s usually southerners who say the word y‘all. Americans in other parts of the country generally don’t say it. They’re more likely to use an alternative to y’all such as “you all” or “you guys.” Not only do they not say it, but many American actually look down on y’all, dismissing it as “country” or “uneducated.”

Is Y’all Proper English?

I often get this question from students during English lessons at our Austin language school. Well technically, the answer is no. But that’s only because it’s been labeled as “bad” or “improper” English. Objectively speaking, there’s nothing wrong with it. As I mentioned above, it’s the perfect contraction of “you” and “all.” It even has an apostrophe in the right place.

The real reason the rest of America rejects this pronoun is because they want to avoid sounding “southern.” The thing is…some people in the south speak with a long drawl. It’s especially noticeable in a word like y’all which has no hard syllables. Simply put, most non-southerners don’t want to sound like that.

On a Stack Exchange forum about “y’all,” several commenters make their disdain for the pronoun very clear:

“we only use ‘y’all’ in a comical satirical manner.”

“y’all works great when I’m intentionally being overly-colloquial.”

In other words, they consider y’all to be beneath them, used only by hillbillies in the US South. Of course, it’s entirely possible to say the word without the long drawl. My pronunciation of y’all, for example, is no longer than the length of my other words.

Nonetheless, most people in the non-southern regions of the country simply refuse to say any version of y’all.

another post you may like:

Maybe You Shouldn’t Learn Another Language

Y’all Alternatives

The problem, however, is that no one has suggested a good alternative to y’all. That’s because there is no good alternative to y’all, in my opinion. Despite much of the country’s adamant effort to avoid saying it, no one has thought of a better way of saying it.

You Guys

Perfectly acceptable if you’re talking to two or more guys. Otherwise, if there’s at least one female in the group, you’re basically calling her a guy…not cool. Yes, you successfully avoided saying y’all and sounding southern. But as a result, you labeled this female with the wrong gender. That’s especially problematic in this gender-sensitive era. Of course, you could’ve avoided the offense and the confusion by simply saying y’all, which is gender neutral.

You All

The main problem with “you all” is that it’s really not an alternative to y’all. It’s actually just a refusal to combine you and all into a contraction. Imagine someone who insists on saying do not, will not and cannot because he refuses to say don’t, won’t and can’t. That’s just silly. Contractions make languages easier and there’s no valid reason to avoid them.

You (with a plural implication)

Again, not a valid alternative to y’all, but rather, a stubborn insistence on avoiding it. Saying “you” to two people can even create some confusing situations. Imagine a marriage counselor saying the following sentence to a couple:

“The issue here is that you are not communicating.”

The therapist means to say that both the man and the woman are not communicating. But because he simply said “you”…and was looking at the man when he said it, the man now thinks only he has the communication problem. And the therapist will then have to clarify that the wife also has a communication problem. Why? Because he refused to use the pronoun that would’ve avoided all this confusion; y’all.

Yous

Not even sure where to begin with this one. But I have heard it. It makes no sense. Never say “yous.”

“There is no good alternative to y’all.”

Your Message Is More Important Than Your Words

I’ll take it a step further. I would even recommend that you write the word y’all in your correspondence and maybe even in publications. Some grammarians would consider these suggestions to be blasphemous. And still others would say that’s it’s unwise to use a word that many people view as slang. I understand all that. The last thing I want in a conversation is for my listener to be stuck on my words rather than the point I’m trying to make. I wrote about all this in another post, When Words Get in the Way.

another post you may like: When Words Get in the Way

Distracting Vocabulary

This main point of that post is to emphasize that fancy words are not always helpful. Your rare, fancy word may technically convey the point you’re trying to make. Its definition is precise. But if that word distracts or intimidates your listener, it’s not helping you to get your message across.

Perhaps you’d like to say, for example, that a man’s motives are “antithetical” to the mission of the organization he works for. Problem is, during your next sentence, your listener may be trying to figure out what “antithetical” means. He’s no longer listening to you because he’s stuck on a word you chose to use.

Maybe it would’ve been better to use more common words. The man’s motives are “the opposite of” the mission of the organization, for example. If you’d said this, maybe your listener would still be following your point instead of thinking about your vocabulary.

Is Y’all Proper English?

Along those same lines, it just might be better for you to say y’all in conversations if it avoids distractions. This is especially true if your listener is using the word y’all. That person is clearly comfortable enough with y’all to say it to you. If you then go out of your way to say “you all,” they just might notice it. They might even get a little embarrassed for having said y’all now that you’ve chosen to say it “properly.”

I don’t know about you, but that’s a scenario I try to avoid. Therefore, in this kind of situation, though y’all is not proper English, I would nonetheless suggest that it’s proper for that conversation.

On the contrary, if you’re speaking to two or more people who are not likely to say y’all, then it would be best to use the pronoun they are comfortable with…perhaps you all or even you guys. Again, the point here is to avoid distractions.

As you can see, there’s a question that’s far more important than whether this word or that word is “proper English.” The better question is this; what words are best for this conversation with this person or this audience? The answer to this question will be a better indicator as to which words are proper and which words are not.

The post Is Y’all Proper English? No, But It Should Be appeared first on Prime Instruction & Language | Austin's Premier Language School.

One option is to simply say it in its common, English pronunciation, which sounds like “OS-tin.” It sounds exactly like “lost in” without the L.

The other way of saying it follows the correct phonetic pronunciation of Spanish vowel sounds. And that would be “OWS-teen.”  It sounds a lot like “jousting” without the J and the G.

another post you may like:

Google Plans to Occupy All 35 Floors of New Building in Downtown Austin

How to Say Austin in Spanish

Therefore, to ask someone if they live in Austin, you could say

Well, when is it “OS-tin” and when is it “OWS-teen?”

The first thing to consider is that Austin was originally a surname, that of Stephen Fuller Austin, the man who is generally regarded as the founder of Texas, or even the Father of Texas. He was a white, Caucasian male from Virginia who was educated in the northeast. We have every reason to believe that Mr. Austin pronounced his name the same way most Austinites refer to their city today: “OS-tin.”

Mr. Stephen Fuller Austin, the Father of Texas

“Beel Cleen-tone”

There is therefore no issue if you say Austin with its regular, English-sounding pronunciation in a Spanish conversation. After all, it’s an American city and that’s the way most people in that city pronounce it. If you were to converse in Spanish about Bill Clinton, for example, there is no need to convert his American-English name to “Beel Cleen-tone”…even though that’s exactly how his name would be pronounced with Spanish phonetics.

Por otra parte (on the other hand)…

On the other hand, there is certainly nothing wrong with pronouncing every word, in spite of its origin, with Spanish phonetics. This is especially appropriate if the person or audience you’re speaking to are native speakers who only speak Spanish. Further, if that person has already said “OWS-teen” or “Beel Cleen-tone” during the conversation, I would definitely mimic their pronunciation of those words.

This issue goes beyond the question of how to say Austin in Spanish. The more important question is how to be a good conversationalist. That’s a much bigger topic that we’ll have to address in another post. But the short answer to that question is that it’s always better to adapt your speaking to the person you’re talking to. There’s virtually no benefit in insisting on saying words “the correct way” if your “correct way” is distracting or offensive to the other person.

another post you may like: How to Learn a Language

What do you think? Feel free to comment down below. And by the way, if you’re in Austin and interested in learning Spanish, consider taking advantage of our free introductory Spanish class. Click here to learn more about it.

another post you may like:

Is Y’all Proper English? No, But It Should Be

The post How to Say Austin in Spanish appeared first on Prime Instruction & Language | Austin's Premier Language School.

English is exactly the opposite. The grammar and verb conjugations of English certainly take some time to learn. But they’re a breeze in comparison to Spanish grammar. On the other hand, English pronunciation consists of one frustrating exception after another. There is often no rhyme or reason to a word’s pronunciation. And anyone who seriously intends to learn the English language had better get used to hearing this frequent answer to their questions: “that’s just the way it is.” Post continues below ↓

another post you may like: When Words Get in the Way – why using fancy words is more distracting than helpful

Why is Spanish one of the hardest languages to learn?

Fluent communication in Spanish requires a mastery of more than a dozen verb conjugations. It has this in common with other Latin-based romance languages such as French and Italian. This vast grammatical complexity is further complicated by a dizzying set of rules and exceptions to the rules which are hard to keep straight. These daunting challenges of Spanish grammar are the primary reason why Spanish is a difficult language to learn.

Consider, for example, the verb comer (to eat). In English, there are only a few ways to talk about eating. If it’s you or me, both of us, you and someone else or two other people…the verb is consistently the same;

I eat, you eat, we eat, y’all eat or they eat

The only exception is if it was one singular person (not you or me). In that case, we say eats.

He eats, she eats

If any of these people are doing it now, you say they are eating.

And if any of these people did their eating in the past, regardless of who it is, you say they ate.

Lastly, if your point is that the person no longer needs to eat, you say they have eaten.

That’s it! In the entire English language, regardless of who is eating or when they’re eating, there are only 5 variations (conjugations) of the verb.

1. eat
2. eats
3. eating
4. ate
5. eaten

Conjugation Constipation

In Spanish, there are 5 variations of the verb comer (to eat) in the present tense alone!

1. yo como (I eat)
2. tú comes (you eat)
3. él / ella come (he / she eats)
4. nosotros comemos (we eat)
5. ustedes / ellos comen (y’all / they eat)

In the past tense, comer has another 5 conjugations. In the other past tense, another 5. The future, conditional, present perfect and past perfect tenses of comer each have another 5 conjugations for you to learn. And that’s not including the conjugations of the verb in the subjunctive mood, which are critical for fluent speaking.

And if that wasn’t complicated enough, the command form of the verb (imperative) will depend on whether you have a familiar or formal relationship with the person you’re commanding. What!? Now you have some idea of why the verb conjugations of Spanish makes it one of the hardest languages to learn.

another post you may like: How to Learn a Language

Why is English one of the hardest languages to learn?

To fully understand the complexity of American English, one has to consider many aspects of American culture. Compared with other countries, everything about the US is fast. We have fast freeways, fast food, fast delivery, fast internet and instant coffee. Plus, Americans work fast and hard. Everything around the workplace is designed and arranged to make workers faster, more productive and more efficient. And one of the most important tools which facilitates this quick work is the language Americans use to communicate. It’s quick, short and to the point.

As a result, the English language has been whittled down to its bare essentials in the common vernacular of American conversations. The highs, lows and pauses of a sentence are often eliminated, replaced by a quick, even utterance of only the essential sounds. Therefore, a common, everyday questions such as “What are you going to do?” sounds more like “whatcha gonna do?”. “I’m going to go over there” sounds more like “I’m gonna go o’er there.” Or even shorter: “Ima go o’er there.”

Before an English learner has any chance of understanding these abbreviated, chopped up types of sentences, they must first learn the long and correct way of saying them. That takes time. And this is one of the reasons why English is one of the hardest languages to learn.

Inconsistent Pronunciation

Another factor which makes English a difficult language to learn is the inconsistent pronunciation of its letter combinations. A student correctly pronounces the word “dove” and “above” because he already knows how to say “love.” But then he comes across the words “move” and “prove” and must accept that the “ove” in these these words is pronounced very differently that the “ove” of “dove” and “above.”

Anyhow, he accepts that there’s simply two ways of pronouncing this letter combination and continues his studies. But then he comes across the words “cove” and “wove.” They also have “ove.” But they don’t sound like “love” nor “move.” Could there possibly be three ways of pronouncing “ove?” Yes there are!

And don’t even get me started on though, through and thought. These three words have been perplexing English learners for centuries. Again, they all include the same letter combination (ough). But that combination has a different pronunciation in each of the three words. In though, it sounds like “ooo.” In through, it sounds like “oh.” And in thought, it sounds like “ah.” That’s confusing.

Each English vowel has a long and a short pronunciation. Combined with other letters, they make a variety of sounds. This is not so in Spanish. Every letter of a Spanish word gets pronounced with the same pronunciation it has in every other word. Only the letter H is silent.

Phrasal Verbs

For those who wish to learn or teach English, you’d better get used to phrasal verbs. These verb + preposition combinations are found throughout the English language. They’re yet another example of how Americans shorten and simply language to make it quicker and easier. Consider for a moment that each of the following phrasal verbs have a different meaning;

• get up
• get down
• get in
• get out
• get by
• get away
• get away with
• get through
• get on
• get off
• get after
• get across
• get around
• get at
• get between
• get into
• get under
• get over

Not only do these phrases have different meanings. But each one has multiple meanings! And this is just a simple list of the phrasal verbs that include “get.” The same thing can be done with other common verbs like run, take or come.

Most of these phrasal verbs are used in place of a specific, less common verb. To “get after” someone is to scold them. To “get across” a point to someone is to convey a point. To “get away” is to elude. But instead of learning rare words like scold, convey and elude, Americans slap a common verb and a common preposition together. And this new, resulting phrase becomes the new way of expressing that action.

If you’re interesting in learning or teaching phrasal verbs, the most important book to use and reference is Ultimate Phrasal Verbs, by Carl Hart. It is without a doubt the most comprehensive book which explains phrasal verbs. It also includes hundreds of excellent exercises. I cannot recommend it enough. It makes a difficult language like English a little easier to learn and teach.

The post Why Are English & Spanish Among the Hardest Languages to Learn? appeared first on Prime Instruction & Language | Austin's Premier Language School.