Attempting Español

Don't know what to give to your family or friends?

2009-11-26T18:57:00.003-03:00

This sounds like a good deal!

People at the Gerenal Linguictics office are having a Thanksgiving sale!
Check it out here: Bueno, entonces... Learn Spanish Thanksgiving Sale!

This is a clip of one of the classes where they teach some descriptions:

La frontera final!!

2009-09-29T15:02:00.003-03:00

So 5 weeks of learning Spanish comes to a close with Bueno, enotnces and like all good stories we are left with an open ending! This class, as ever for the weekly review, was conducted over the telephone between David and Jimena, but was far less of a review than previous ones and more of a friendly conversation which went a little something like this:

David, our student, whilst attending a family party via Skype, was at home awaiting the arrival of his vecinita for a night of fun and romance, whilst Jimena, who also at home, was being consolled by her family following the breakup of her relationship.....does it get anymore soap operaesque!! Anyway the conversation continued with discussions about their future trips to Bolivia and Bariloche and it became apparent that la vecinita was not to show. Therefore, and with a good deal of hints from Jimena, the fairly obvious, although unthinkable at the beginning of Bueno, entonces occured.....the arrangement of a date between our hapless lovestarved duo!! But wait.....just as they were eagerly preparing to leave, there was a knock at the door......for me to find out who I guess I'll have to go ahead with the next level of Bueno, entonces and continue to learn Spanish.....and for you to know whose door the knock was at, then you'll have to get off your arse and purchase this entertaining course!!

So what of my own progress?? Through this course I am happy to say that my Spanish has improved and I've been able to grasp the concepts of many grammatical functions. Some aspects are still rather confusing and I would like to have had some extra activities to accompany the classes and perhaps a little more interaction. However, I have been entertained and learnt a good deal of vocabulary and slang particularly focused at living in Argentina. I am by no means fluent, and one will not become so through Bueno, entonces alone, so naturally I, like all us gringos, need to get out there and practice as much as possible with the those close to me and the ever so friendly locals!!

Hasta la proxima y espero que haya disfrutado su estadia!!

Hanging by a moment at number 29!!

2009-09-28T12:52:00.002-03:00

Tomorrows review aside this was the last of the Bueno, entonces telenovela/Spanish learning program and like all good soap operas, not that I can lay claim to watching too many, there was drama, sadness and a little bit of hope and expectation.....although I can't really say I was too surprised!! The lesson began with our profesora, Jimena, revealing that her novio had packed his bags, much to the delight, however not without compassion, of David.....the drama and sadness!! And of course the class terminated with a cliffhanger situation.....the expectation of possible future happenings between the 2!!

Being the final official class it was far more relaxed and free than those preceeding it, with the majority of the time spent discussing Argentina and all its glory. In terms of an advertising campaign Bueno, entonces did a fine job in promoting this incredible country, and I think anyone learning Spanish with this course around the world would for sure be tempted to make their way to this end of the world and enjoy!! They class covered the diverse regions of the country, activities, sights and, of great importance and which there is an abundance, el carne!!

Beside the relaxed atmosphere of today David seemed a touch frustrated in that Jimena refused to go into, and teach, el pasado (the past).....a very important verb tense......although there were mentions of the "next level", which suggests that there could be more to come from this team! I know from my experience of attempting to learn Spanish away from Bueno, entonces that el pasado is a tricky tense to get the head around and so maybe was deemed to much for this installment! Would be interesting to find at what stage the likes of Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone introduce this topic to its users.....but I'm not willing to fork out the money to find out!! Bueno, entonces still appears to be the cheapest on the market, as you can see here on this funky comparison chart.

All there is to do now is wait for tomorrows review to discover whether David and Jimena will be dancing un baile de apareamiento!!

New light and revelations!!

2009-09-27T11:42:00.002-03:00

Well following today's class it seems that the tables have turned in the lives of the Bueno, entonces student and profesora. David was rather content with goings on, due to his parents reconciliation and him reclaiming his freedom at home, whereas Jimena appeared slightly flustered with her situation and went on a good 3 minute rant about her cooking ability and novio.....much to the delight of the student.....por supuesto!! The class today even finished with an incling of celos (jealousy) in the voice of Jimena......as the 2 were playing a role play game to practice today's topics and vocabulary she seemed a little lost for words with the mention of David's vecinita Mariana!! We are drawing to a close in this Spanish learning program so I guess its only right that there will be a grand finale!!

Most of this lesson drifted by as a general conversation, what with the latest revelations in their lives, however there was still time to focus on some topics, the bulk of which being the types of, and vocabulary relating to alojamientos (lodgings).....hotels, hostels, camping etc!! This information is paramount to anyone learning Spanish in order to avoid any complications whilst travelling, as there can be nothing worse than to arrive in a new city thinking you have somewhere to stay when in fact you booked the share of a toilet for the previous week.

Another useful grammar point from todays lesson was that in Spanish adjectives can be turned into nouns by adding IDAD.....with responsable becoming responsabilidad, creatvia becoming creatividad and feliz becoming felizidad to name but a few!

We now await the outcome of the Bueno, entonces saga!!

When the hangover strikes!!

2009-09-25T15:03:00.005-03:00

Apologies Bueno, entonces but this class, the 27th, was almost switched off 10 minutes prior to its finish due to boredom, but fortunately there was a dramatic return for MC Grammar, who therefore saved the day!! Apparently David was struggling with a resaca (hangover) following the arrival of his father and over investment into the local alcoholic beverage industry and so didn't appear to be in the mood for conversing in Spanish. I myself can relate to both situations as also find it quite challenging to speak and learn Spanish when after a night on the tiles!!

So MC Grammar was back and on hand to share his knowledge of the verb tener que (to have to/must) and provide some useful examples of when to use this verb....and with only 3 more lessons lets hope this is not the last time we meet. The remainder of the lesson tried to focus on how to make suggestions and offers of invitation and also on how to turn a verb into a noun, which goes a little something like this: verb + miento, i.e. casar (to marry) - casamiento (marriage) or mover (to move) - movimiento (movement).

Probably the most useful part of the class, especially for a tourist in Argentina, was the brief history lesson on Jose de San Martin, who, along with Simon Bolivar, was the prime leader of southern South Americas battle for independence from the Spain. Known here as padre de la patria (father of the homeland) he was responsible for the liberation of the Argentines, Chileans and Peruvians.....good man!!

On another cultural note, this evening I am going to see Piaf at el Teatro Liceo. Of course this will be in Spanish, with a little French for the singer one imagines, so a fine opportunity to test my skills and assess my development!!

Dónde está the profesor MC Grammar??

2009-09-24T13:28:00.002-03:00

I am becoming slightly concerned with the absence of the profesor from the Bueno, entonces classes and with today's class being reasonably full with grammatical points it would have been a perfect opportunity for him to showcase his talents as the alter ego MC Grammar. For those readers who are yet to come across this fine teacher, here is a brief clip of him at work expalining his Pizarra Mágica. My liking of this character, as I've mentioned previously, stems from his resemblance to Wordy the Wizard, a man of equal intelligence and help during my school days.....bring him, or them both for that matter, back!!

As I said there was good deal of grammar expalined in this class beginning with definite and indefinite articles, with definite articles, el, la, los and las, used for specific objects and indefinite, un, una, unos and unas, for non-specifics. Then there were Spanish contractions, e.g. a + el becomes al (vamos al (not a el) supermercado) and de + el becomes del (can't think of an example right now). Finally we were treated to some adverbs of place, although I thought that they were actually prepositions. Anyway, according to Bueno, entonces the following are adverbs of place: al lado (next to), enfrente (in front of), debajo (below), encima (above), en (in), and entre (between). You can decide for yourselves!

The story, although entertaining, seemed to be going off at a tangent today with David and Jimena having enrolled in Karmasutra and cooking courses respectively, which lead to some bizarre conversations. If want my opinion then yo creo que les faltan algunos jugadores!!

Una nueva y la ultima semana!!

2009-09-23T12:11:00.005-03:00

How quickly time passes, as I am now into the final weeks classes of the Bueno, entonces program and my attempts at learning Spanish in this way are drawing to an end.....obviously I shall continue to practice and learn the language in other forms!! I must admit that, and in the light of being critical of some classes, today was rather entertaining with the continuing stories of David and Jimena and their decisions to reconquistar their partners.....or hopeful partners in the case of the student. This is value for money entertainment which I am confident can not be matched in either Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur Spanish or other similar such courses and in case you haven't stumbled upon it before, here is a little comparison chart of Bueno, entonces and its rivals!!

Ok, so on with the lesson. Having laid their claims to reconquistar, the lesson provided a substantial amount of useful phrases for romance and romantic situations. These I have mastered to an art and are of particularly notable importance seeing as I am in a relationship with a porteña. Any gringo on the look out for some Latin American love would be foolish to overlook such useful Spanish phrases!!

Naturally the class included the standard confusing topic, with today being that in Spanish a number of femine nouns carry masculine articles.....el agua, el azúcar (sugar) and el alma (the soul) to name a few! Of course such confusion is a pain in the arse, however no hay que darse por vencido!!

An enjoyable and fun class to begin the final week, heres hoping it continues!

Gracias por el repaso clase 24!!

2009-09-22T16:00:00.005-03:00

As today's title states I am most thankful to the Bueno, entonces team for the review lessons included in this Spanish learning program, as due to having a few days away from learning Spanish I had almost forgotten what topics had been covered this past week. I'd be interested to know whether other courses, Rosetta Stone for example, provide reviews as they are extremely helpful, especially when, like me, the course and classes are taken on an as and when basis.

This review, like those before, covered the main topics which had been taught through a series of games played between David and Jimena, with today's focus being on descriptions using ser, estar and tener, comparisons, and the differences between por and para!! The remainder of this class jumped back and forth between the issues currently held by our student and profesora. David it seems is developing some stalker habits having followed his mother to Mendoza and Jimena appears to have her own personal problems, although it could just be that her culinary skills are horrendous!!

Apparently the next class is to be jam-packed with an abundance of verbs and so alongside the usual classroom issues should provide for a final week of entertainment.....esperamos y vemos!!

Playing catch-up with number 23!!

2009-09-22T15:02:00.007-03:00

So there have been a few lazy, none Bueno, entonces, days in my world, due mostly to pure laziness and late/early morning Argentine, Quilmes induced, nights out. Today, however, the brain is fully functioning and back on track with the learning of Spanish.

Before going into todays class I would like to mention how I've been noticing a recurring theme in my attempts at speaking in this wonderful language. It appears I have some difficulty in remembering when to use perdon (sorry) and permiso (excuse me) and have even began to realise that on occasion I actually combine the 2 and say something similar to permon......I just hope I'm not the only one to ever experience this.

As for todays lesson, David, the student seemed quite disturbed by the fact that his mother had decided to galavant off to Mendoza with her Tango teaching toyboy.....pobre David eh!! Fortunately this paved the way for Jimena to provide some insightful information on expressions and vocabulary to be used when ordering travel tickets.....a must for any tourist or expat.

Also covered today were the uses in Spanish between the verbs venir (to come) and ir (to go), and how their significance differs to that of the English counterparts, and the verbs traer (to bring) and llevar (to take). These second 2 verbs can be a little confusing as traer relates to the transportation of things in the direction of the person that speaks, and llevar to the transportation of things in a different direction! I know that is exactly what you were thinking, no??

Best I get on with the review of this last group of Bueno, entonces lessons and in turn back on schedule!!

Transvestite anti climax!!!

2009-09-18T16:42:00.004-03:00

There I was expecting some outrageous Bueno, entonces story about a transvestite or multiple for that matter but all that occurred was a brief altercation in the bank. Must admit that I had hoped for some sort of late night comical case of mistaken identity, but probably for the best, especially for David. However should one be interested, or find yourself strolling or driving through Palermo Woods, then such ladies of the night can be quite openly found anytime after sunset, and am sure will be more than happy to assist in the your efforts to learn Spanish and converse with them.

The rest of this class, numero veintidos (22), went by far too quickly for me, and although I managed to get the gist of all things covered, feel that for some the pace may be too fast, particularly if you are also trying to read the translations provided. Nevertheless the content was again useful with some new verbs learnt/taught like; pagar (to pay) and cobrar (to receive), ahorrar (to save) and gastar (to spend). These are especially useful when you are having to run tramites (errands), most commonly in the banks, cambio and supermarkets.

The present progressive tense was also brought up today and fortunately it’s another simple one to master. Whereas in English we take the verb and add ing, the Spanish version takes the verb and adds either ando (AR verbs) and iendo (IR/ER verbs). There are of course exceptions with irregular verbs which have to be learnt, but its only a matter of practice.....and with a little extra study on top of Bueno, entonces, and not Rosetta Stone as far too expensive, you’ll learn Spanish in no time.....he says!!!

Un Telo buenisimo.....o mala leche??

2009-09-17T15:47:00.004-03:00

Well, a class with an abundance of information and a little sad, but comical, story to go with it and thus provide some much needed entertainment when learning Spanish or any other language. Apparently the hapless student had a torrid time at the Telo the previous evening along with his vecinita Mariana, with the room being a disaster leading to a fairly unsuccessful night.....for sure he could have benefited from the abundance of vocabulary featured in this class.....or are the Bueno, entonces team feeding us a barrel full of chamuyo and none of these events ever happened……keeps the mind curious I suppose!!

Covered in today’s lesson were house and home descriptions, objects and adjectives to go with them, kitchen and bathroom vocabulary, comparisons and superlatives. Is always good when you stumble across something so simple as superlatives when attempting to learn a language.....all you are required to do is take the adjetivo and add isimo, e.g. guapo - guapisimo and bueno - buenisimo!!! Another worthy topic discussed today were comparisons, also for me an easy function to remember. There are too structures for these with one being mas/menos + adjetivo + que (more/less.....than) and the other tan/no es tan + adjetivo + como (as/not as.....as).

In all a good class with plenty of learning points, which for me is far better than prolonged no destination conversations. And to finish there was a mention of transvestites for tomorrow, could prove to be interesting as I see plenty on my home from work most days!

Numero 20.....quizas vos puedas ayudarme???

2009-09-16T10:15:00.004-03:00

Well here was a topic of conversation which perhaps I was not prepared for, especially as I was watching the class first thing this morning. The Bueno, entonces team, or maybe the student, David, went way out leftfield on this one and a topic for sure the likes of Rosetta Stone would not cover.

The class began in the usual jovial form however began to turn sour as David requested the use of Jimena’s, the profesora, apartment for one night in order to have his wicked way with Mariana, la vecinita. The outcome, unsurprisingly was one of disappointment for David as his request was ever so politely refused. However from this Jimena was kind enough to explain to us all that here in Argentina it is not uncommon for people to visit a Telo (Love Hotel) when they are in need of some sexual satisfaction. Now to many a prude Brit the idea of this, at first sounds rather sleazy and would only be for truckers and executives away on business meetings. However due to the fact that the Argies tend to stay in their family homes for longer, such Telos come in quite handy for young courting couples…….and who can blame them, especially with their open displays of affection such a regular sight in the streets and parks!!

The topic of sex did not stop here during the class as Bueno, entonces kindly pointed out the necessity to use with care the verb acabar! When used in its most common form “acaber de + infinitive verb” it means “to have just done something” (in the recent past) as in acabo de leer el libro (I have just read the book), but when used alone acabar in Argentina means to orgasm!! You have been warned!!

Was nice to see the Profesor today, as he seems to have not been around for a few lesson, and he laid down the rules for the uses of por and para, 2 Spanish words meaning for. Like ser and estar I am still unaware of the exact pattern to follow so just go with chance for the majority of the time. I’ll get there eventually.

Female profanities!!!

2009-09-15T10:36:00.005-03:00

I consider myself to be a well travelled man and during my travels have always picked up on the use of foul language by the natives of whichever country I may be in, and I am now willing to make claim that the Argentines are second to known on this planet when it comes to swearing, cursing and general profane conduct of language. This revelation occurred to me following my visit to El Monumental, the home stadium of River Plate FC, on Sunday, where I not only witnessed a rather boring game of football, but also heard the most hideous things coming from the mouths of many a young lady in the crowd.......many of which are far to shocking to put into words here. But this it seems is the norm wherever you go, as you wander the streets or board a collectivo one can hear such profanities being aired from school kids to a group of 60 year old women discussing their days to one another. However the language does not seem to have the swearing harshness of English and so nobody appears ever to be insult of disturbed, which is how it should be I guess!! Returning to the football, here is clip for anyone interested of the River Plate fans.....look closely you might see me!!!

Anyway, back to Bueno, entonces after a 3 day rest and plenty of practice of course, mainly with the in-laws and attempting to understand the songs at the football. Today’s lesson, once we had bypassed David’s ever so troublesome story, which Jimena showed no sympathy towards, of visiting the wrong town, La Plata instead of Mar del Plata, for the weekend, was rather brief but informative. Once again another element of confusion for the foreigner when learning Spanish, and today's little gem focused mainly on the that there are 2 forms of the verb "to be", Ser and Estar, with ser being predominantly for permanent situations and estar for temporary, however of course this is not a full proof explanation and unfortunately I am not in the position to put it into words myself.......so you'll have to begin studying Spanish yourself with Bueno, entonces or just give up and forget about it altogether.

This took up the majority of the lesson although there was a good amount of vocabulary relating to towns and cities and apparently the word manzana, which up until now I had been lead to believe solely meant apple, also means block.....interesting!

La tercera semana repaso!

2009-09-11T14:02:00.003-03:00

Seeing as class 17 was a short one and the fact that these days I am anti work and study at the weekend, I went ahead with the Bueno, entonces weekly review lesson. As all good reviews should be Jimena briefly covered all of the topics which she had attempted to teach to David during the past week......with such topics being, personal descriptions, ropa, colores, adjetivos, meses, estaciones del año, la clima y el verbo gustar! And as appears to be the norm with these reviews the topics were reviewed through the format of games, which make the process of learning Spanish less intense and often somewhat more enjoyable.

Also learnt today, which can be confusing to the learner, that it is the norm to here people referring to the language of Spanish as both Espanol and Castellano, and I was once told by a former student of mine about Castilian language.....however like David on many occasions in today’s class, my mind wandered and I still have no idea of the differences and reasons.....for that I will stand by the simpler Espanol!

In general a good weeks review even though both the student and profesora seemed a little absent minded, perhaps due to Jimena conducting the class from the comfort of her jacuzzi, and should this situation contain any element of truth then I fully understand David's waywardness. In my eyes the weekend begins Viernes por la tarde so three full days of practising possibilities before restarting on Lunes with the fourth week of Bueno, entonces.

Enjoy.

Everywhere you go, you always take the weather...

2009-09-11T11:55:00.008-03:00

In all honesty I do not have a lot to say about today's class (17) as it was the shortest of them all so far in the Bueno, en notnces course, which wasn't such a bad thing. The focus for today was the weather, a topic that is of high importance in any language or culture. Wherever you are and whoever you are with, one can always open a conversation, make small talk or fill an uncomfortable pause with a discussion of the current weather, or clima, conditions......whether the weather is good or bad people the world over love to complain, and none better than those of my home nation, although I did notice a certain amount of angst here, in Buenos Aires, last summer from the locals, but then again when its 42C and you have to squeeze onto the Subte at 2pm it is not a lot of fun for anybody!

Other than the weather and seasons there was a little input from the Profesor about Dependent Prepostions and something else on Dipthongs, but I'll have to watch those parts again as I switched off after the horrendous translation of the hideous Madonna song Like a Virgin!

Regarding the story of the student, David and the Profesora, Jimena, they seem to be appealing more to each other although David is perhaps not doing himself any favours with repeated reamarks about his vecinita linda.....but then again I'm not bothered either way!

Nos vemos.

Vamos al shopping?...no, no quiero!!

2009-09-10T11:01:00.004-03:00

Today I awoke with the good intention of loading up my Ipod with the Bueno, entonces class and having a relaxing morning sat in the nearby park, however it is fairly f*$&ing cold this morning so I remained inside. It is still pleasing to know that I have the chance to take the full video classes on the road with me when the time comes, an option unique to Bueno, entonces and unavailable to Rosetta Stone users. And while we are on the subject, I came across an offer to buy Rosetta Stone cheap, although was still more expensive than the $147 price for the downloadable Bueno, entonces package. In case you haven't seen it already check out this little comparison chart!

So lesson 16 today, already the second half of the Spanish learning program, the time has passed fairly quickly, and today I was treated to a lesson on shopping. To be honest this one is more for the ladies as we all know that the female race are more inclined to increase excitement levels when out in the abundance of shopping malls and stores aligning the streets of Palermo Hollywood! However the lesson was not without its use as I now feel well equipped to provide convincing replies when my girlfriend returns from a shopping spree (which is fortunately not too often) and asks me questions about the camisas, vestidos, zapatos and other such things, like my favourite clothing word bombachas (knickers). There were also a lot of colours discussed today and the fact that in Spanish, some colours agree in gender and number with the noun, some only in number and some not at all.....confusing I know.....even more so when you are unable to distinguish between each colour on the screen.....looked like a kaleidoscope of rainbows to me.....lucky that Bueno, entonces are smart enough to include the colour-blind friendly English translations at the bottom of the screen!

My old friend the Profesor MC Grammar was once again on hand to provide more insightful and invaluable knowledge with today's focus on Direct and Indirect Objects Pronouns....lo, la, los, las and so on and so forth! This is something which I find myself having frequent trouble with and any attempt usually results in me breaking out into the classic 90s reggae/dance track Sweat (A la la la la long) by Inner Circle.....but I'm all for reliving the teenage years!!

Laters.

15! La vecinita!!

2009-09-09T11:55:00.006-03:00

Ok, so yesterday I gave the Bueno, entnonces team and lesson a bit of a slating but today I am happy to report that the class was far more enjoyable and therefore given my undivided attention. As ever, to start us off, there was the usual spiel from David, with him today focusing on his, apparently, rather attractive vecina (neighbour).....for this he is most fortunate as my vecinos consist of the building portero, who could talk the hind legs off a donkey (most of which I struggle to grasp) and two 60 something sister who while away their days with either accompanying vocals to classic Argentina Tango or hurling profanities at the days live sports events.....never a dull moment however!

The focus of this lesson was people, descriptions and attributes, the use of ser and tener, eg sos muy gordo y tenes una panza de cerveza, and a large amount of relating vocabulary. David seems to have trouble in remembering when to use an O for masculine or an A for feminine words, and I can sympathise deeply as often tend use them at random and when pleases me....which, depending on the degree of ridiculousness, can be of either great amusement or frustration for my locally raised girlfriend.

Something I love about languages is directly translating words back into English, and today was not without a fine example......the Spanish word for glasses, as I have found out today, is anteojos, which in my own mother tongue would be.....before eyes.....another masterstroke of linguistic genius!

All good then.....I'm off to practice the pronunciation of my explosive B, D and G's at the beginning of words!

La telenovela continúa!!

2009-09-08T13:01:00.007-03:00

No work, the weather is fairly offish and am home alone so what else better to do with my time than another episode, numero 14, of the Spanish immersion course that is Bueno, entonces. The lesson today however did start off immensely boring with David spurting so much chamuyo that I found myself watching the grass grow in the garden for a good 5 to 10 minutes......apparently there are some issues with his mother but it is becoming some what monotonous......if you are into watching soap operas then am sure this could be for you......unfortunate as it may be, I am not!!

Once the initial rant was over and Jimena got down to business the continuation of the lesson proved to be both informative and useful, with the usual amount of language concepts discussed. Today we learnt more verb conjugations, with today's being seguir (to follow), conseguir (to obtain) and perseguir (to pursue), adverbs of frequency, very useful, such as nunca, casi nunca, de vez en cuando y siempre, and the simple fact that by taking an adjective and adding mente you give yourself an adverb!! There was also a snippet from the Profesor about double negative usage in Spanish which is against the norm for an English speaker but is just another aspect of language learning which adds character and uniqueness and makes it so interesting!!

Favourite phrase of the day, which made me chuckle for no apparent reason, although sounds debateable, was that the splits translates to abrir las piernas (to open the legs)......surely it can't be that simple and there is another funky expression for this!?

Una nueva semana y clase 13!!

2009-09-07T12:10:00.002-03:00

And once again another week begins in the fine city of Buenos Aires and so another instalment of the Buenos, entonces language classes. Today was fairly hectic and I must say that had I not had previous knowledge of the conjugation and usage of such verbs as gustar then I would definitely need to watch this episode again. In my opinion, for people using these Spanish lessons with no previous experience of the language, this class went a little too fast and at times would therefore be a little confusing for the student. As ever David and Jimena were at their best to make things as simple and easy to follow but I cant help but think that Bu eno, entonces users might benefit from some sort of "picture - text" recognition exercises, as are present in the likes of Rosetta Stone......but then of course it would not be possible to complete these via the fully portable audio Ipod option....ups and downs for every scenario!

This aside Bueno, entonces still retains its entertainment value and always comes up trumps with its decision to teach away from the norm and include topics such as slang......with today’s selection of useful phrases/words being caradura (jackass), desfachatada (jerk), cararrota (asshole or broken face for a literal translation) and sinverguenzas (shameless).....with the latter being by far the more formal of insults!!

We also, today, had a little song from Jimena attempting to teach David the different vowel pronunciations existing within the Spanish alphabet, what seemed like a ton of other verbs which follow the same format as gustar, with encantar and qedar being but a few examples and the lesson also touched on 3 verbs with similar meanings parecer (to seem), pensar (to think) and creer (to believe) which so far to me have appeared as though they can all be interchanged without causing any major issues in a conversation.....although perhaps those on the receiving end of my attempts have just been appeasing me!

A mi me gusta la comida.......homemade milanesa.....just one of many fine Argentina dishes I have come to discover!

Pobre Diego y pobre Argentina!!

2009-09-06T13:48:00.001-03:00

So it’s Sunday lunchtime and seeing how this country is one fully loaded with football lovers, one can only imagine the anguish and despair felt across the nation this morning following last nights rather humiliating 3-1 defeat at the hands of arch enemies Brazil, leaving the Argies with a small but significant mountain to climb in order to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Mr Maradona, as much as a hero on the playing field you were to the likes of myself, it seems your managerial talents have once again been measured and found wanting.....but there is still hope.....and fortunately England continued their winning streak so I am able to write this with plenty of confidence!!

Anyway on with el repaso for the second week of the Bueno, enotnces Spanish course. As in the previous week the review is conducted via a telephone call between an, it seems, rather run down David, and the ever tolerant Jimena. And again as of last week plenty of information in this quite comprehensive Spanish learning program......I wonder whether Rosetta Stone or others have weekly reviews like this? Something to investigate perhaps!!

Today then the review covered some matters which I, and I hope other Spanish learners, have a certain amount of confusion with: 1. Possessive Pronouns - in Spanish I'm told, by the Profesor, these agree in gender and number with the object being possessed and whereas in English we think of "possessing things" in Spanish it is more passive with "things being possessed!, 2. Indirect and Direct Pronouns - with these I just become more confused than a chicken in a pillow factory and am forever putting the pronouns in the wrong place or relating to the wrong person, so thanks for covering this again Buenos, entonces!, 3. E and I - once again pure confusion enters the frame and I'm forever having to go with the old school "was that E for Elephant or I for Island" when being spelt a word......I'll get there though....eventually.

Once more, as in last weeks review, I will ask the question, can I learn Spanish from these lessons?? I do feel I am improving and developing more confidence so for now I would have to say yes.....so here's hoping the next few weeks provide further improvement.

Te diste cuenta............

2009-09-04T14:19:00.001-03:00

............that there are between 18 and 54 verb tenses in this language........well at least thats what I think the Profesor has so kindly informed me this morning!! Certainly something to contemplate in my continued quest to learn Spanish.....so come on Bueno, entonces this is your chance to shine and prove to me, and the rest of the Gringos, that your classes are the best and fastest way to learn Spanish....and in turn superior to such competitors as Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur!!

Regradless of this drastic new found verb related knowledge the Profesor as ever was able to play down the difficulties and put me at ease.....and as he said, I'll just have to get used to the fact that often when I think someone is saying that they are going to call me, te llamo, in actual fact they will be asking if my brother called me yesterday, te llamó!! It's only practice afterall!

Other useful points of todays class were the conjugations of tener, poder and querrer......irregular of course giving directions with imperatives and the differences in the questionning forms: dónde hay? and dónde esta?....with the first being for general information as in: dónde hay un banco? (where is there a bank?)....and the latter for specifics: dónde está el banco HSBC? (where is the HSBC bank?)

Jimena it seemed was a little frustrated with David today, perhaps due to him claiming to be sick or that she was having to look at the horrendous shirt he was wearing.....which has done nothing to dispell my belief that far too many British people get dressed in the dark!!

Laters!

Class 10! The future is bright when the weekend is coming!

2009-09-03T13:28:00.003-03:00

So I am beginning to impress even myself with the amount of words coming out of my mouth....and some of them even in an understandable order for my girlfriend not to look so confused, and amused!! Maybe this learning Spanish idea wasn't such a bad thing and not as difficult as first believed. However I do have the radio on now and am struggling to grasp the topic of converstaion.....for every rise there is a fall......slowly but surely.....although the future is looking good!!

Many have said we should live solely for the present, nevertheless the future does also hold an amount of significance in ones lives. Fortunately the Bueno, entonces crew are on the ball and have thrown in, fairly early, a class on the future, plans and actions. And how simple it seems, as our kind Latin counterparts more often that not stick with the use of the present tense when talking about such actions.....a linguistic masterstroke.....perhaps now I can refrain from using suggestive hand signals and pointing out in front of myself!!!

A considerable amount of vocabulary also thrown in today regarding supermarket shopping, sports and visits to the doctor......all of which is invaluable......and our good friend at Bueno, entonces, the Profesor provided some insightful knowledge on Spanish/English cognates....and to be aware of the false cognates!!

Aside from the teaching I must say la profesora, Jimena, was dressed rather revealingly today, maybe the coffee date with David went well?, although she was not too keen to make plans for the coming weekend, so if you want my opinion then I'd have to say the date was chamuyo!!

Que tengas un buen dia.

Que hora son me corazon?

2009-09-02T20:33:00.001-03:00

After absorbing so much information this morning in the previous lesson and treating myself to an almuerzo of bife de lomo, papas fritas y una cerveza I took the executive decision to jump ahead and continue with lesson 9. Obviously my currently miniscule working commitments are allowing for such events to happen.

So it is time to learn to tell the time in Spanish with Bueno, entonces.....should be easy eh, after all it is only the time. To ask for the time was something easy to pick up due to a certain Manu Chao and his song Me Gustas Tu which possesses the line que hora son me corazon?.....or what time is it my love? A line I have mastered in my attempts to communicate with my Argie girlfriend in her native tongue!! Perhaps slightly inappropriate was Davids questionning technique regarding the times of Jimena's sexual activities, with both her novio and alone, however they served the purpose of indicating and asking for the time and provided a good amount of entertainment. Who's to say learning Spanish has to be by the book!

Preposition time again here! As I've mentioned before, no matter which language, this is always a tricky topic, but credit where it's due Bueno, entonces, I think you have managed to embed the theory into the brain.....for now anyway as I'm sure there is more to come!

Before I go I must share one discovery with you....the Spanish word esposas apparently means both wives and handcuffs.....I need say no more!!

Mas comida y mate!?!?!

2009-09-02T15:53:00.000-03:00

Well then this lesson, number 8, in the Bueno, entonces series was fully loaded with all sorts of interesting and informative things in learning Spanish the Argie way! We began with this Mate situation, the strangely looking herbal drink that our friends down here in Argentina, and other parts of Latin American, appear to be very fond of. I must admit I did switch of a little during this part as am not a fan of the drink, although appreciate the value of informing the listeners of local traditions and customs.....something I am confident to say which competing Spanish immersion classes as Rosetta Stone do not cover. One new phrase I did discover, and will be of great use, from this though was que asco, meaning how disgusting...and interesting, to some maybe, that a new supermarket chain will be opening in the UK in the coming months, going by the name.....Asco!!

So what else was covered today? There was something about adding oso or ura to nouns, and ada or ido to verbs in order to form an adjective.....some more irregular verbs, que horrible.....and the fact that the letters C, S and Z, although having their own significance, are pronounced in the same way!!

And then more food, a topic particularly close to my own heart and especially appealing as the food here in Argentina is fantastic, with la carne (beef) being the leader of the gang! There are also many other culinary delights such as empanadas, milanesa y choripan to name but a few and seeing how this lesson contained so much information I feel my palate is now deserving of at least one of the aforementioned above.

Nos vemos en el proximo!

Fiesta en mi pancita!!

2009-09-01T12:08:00.000-03:00

Buenos dias lectores.....so here we are back and fresh from the fantastically hot weekend....the weather here never ceases to amaze me, 33C in Spring can't be bad eh!! I must admit however that although I spent the most of last week studying the local language I actually did not put all that much into practice.....probably due to the fact that I was hanging out with my closest friends here, who are made up mainly of Brits, Yanks, Aussies and Irish....you get the idea, no!!!

Well another week has started and the Bueno, entonces team have started this instalment of lessons off on the right foot by talking about food, which grasped my attention immediately. Any Spanish language course, or other language for that matter, that decides to teach the topic of food is a winner for me as its fundamental for a foreigner/expat/gringo, or whatever you like to be known as, to be capable of ordering food and drink in restaurants and bars......as this is pretty much the most of what we do!!

As ever with Spanish I have come to learn that the a wrong letter or mispronunciation can cause some havoc embarrassment when ordering. This situation I think the student, David, encountered when retelling the events of his horrendous date. For example its important to remember in a bar to "te pido una cerveza" as opposed to "te pedo una cerveza"......loosely translated as ; I ask you for a beer....and....you fart me a beer!!! Other similarities occur with torta and tarta, with one being a cake and the other a pie, but I always forget, even now after just watching the lesson.....tostado (sandwich) and tostada (toast)....and huevos revueltos (scrambled egg) is just a nightmare to say.

Here’s something entertaining which assisted, in my struggle to learn Spanish, when I first arrived in the country. One Sunday morning I awoke, switched on the TV and found this most entertaining sing-along cartoonish show about eating breakfast.....you may laugh, and I hope so, but I learnt some very useful Spanish phrases that morning!!

Overall a good lesson and great start to the week with Bueno, entonces, now however yo tengo hambre y voy a comer algo!

Fue un gusto.

Que bueno es el fin de semana!!

2009-08-29T19:17:00.000-03:00

Bueno, entonces , it is of course the weekend and naturally I had a few cervezas anoche, therefore for this reason I watched today’s instalment through my Ipod.....sat in the sunshine in a nearby park, in hope that my body would recover. Such a fantastic idea to have this interactive Spanish course available and with you at all times, making it fully portable!! Am pretty sure that this full video option is not available on other such Spanish language courses like Rosetta Stone. Anyway check out this little comparison chart and you can see for yourself the advantages which I am currently benefiting from!!

Today, as I mentioned yesterday, was a review, involving a telephone conversation between David and Jimena, and less intense than the previous 5 days of lessons, vocabulary and grammar issues. However a review is always useful as a reminder to the brain of what has been previously taught. For example, during this first week the lessons have covered greetings, giving personal information, emotional expressions, numbers and ordinal numbers, moods and the conjugation of present tense verbs like ser, estar (both verbs to be), tener (to have) and gustar (to like) to name but a few. Although this may read daunting it has not been so bad!

The underlying question after 1 week has to be, can I learn Spanish with Bueno, entonces?? These Spanish lessons so far have shown a good balance between the teaching of necessities and making the classes enjoyable, therefore maintaining mine and, I imagine, other viewers interest.....and accompanied with the additional vocabulary and grammar review written exercises the course looks set to have the tools to fully immerse the student into the process of learning Spanish!

Time to enjoy the weekend in true Argentine fashion.....carne, vino y mas cerveza!!

Clase cinco! Estoy cansado o estoy aburrido!?!?

2009-08-28T11:09:00.001-03:00

Today was the last lesson for the first week of the Bueno, entonces Spanish program, apart from tomorrow, which I believe is a review! The weather is fantastic here today in Buenos Aires so this may turn out to be a rather brief entry on what I've learnt from the lesson.

Honestly I was a little bored with today, perhaps due to the sun kindly shining through my window or just a general lack of concentration. However the content of the lesson was good, particulalry the discussions on moods; cansado (tired), aburrido (bored), enojado (angry), feliz (happy), and the differences between the use of the verbs estar (to be) and tener (to have).....although they are two of the many frustrating irregular verbs within the Spanish language. Here are few things I have come discover since trying to learn Spanish.....to be careful with the use of estar and ser when indicating your mood to someone, as for example whereas estoy aburrido would suggest you are bored, on the otherhand soy aburrido would indicate that you are boring, period!! And another fine one down here in Argentina, and perhaps other Latin American countries, is to know that when saying estoy caliente, the listener could well misenterpret you as telling them you are horny as opposed to generally being hot due to the weather....be warned!!

No major develpoments on the David, Jimena saga, just some complaints about the visit of his mother. Have to wait and see what will happen in the next batch of lessons. The weeks review is tomorrow and I'll also attempt the additional written exercises provided by the Bueno, entonces team.

Hasta luego!

Slang...we all want to know!!

2009-08-27T18:19:00.000-03:00

So here is an excellent theme that the Bueno, entonces team have decided to touch on.....the use of slang, which we all know has unquestionable value throughout our daily lives and in the case of a language course advances it from being a course of basic Spanish classes to a more comprehensive one......something that the likes of Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur spanish are perhaps unable to offer!!

The story it seems is develpoing into somewhat of a soap opera, or as they are known here; telenovellas, with David, the students mother arrriving in town for a vacation. Apparently she is a rompepelotas....but aren't they all at times?.....of course in the good sense though (just in case my own mother should ever read this). The storyline is good as it adds extra intrigue, interest and some fun to learning Spanish.

Favourite and most comical words of the day have got to be lolas and tetas, and cola and culo.....I'll let you search for the translations yourself. For sure I'll be dropping them into a conversation with the girlfriend at the earliest available moment and if they are received with a slap in the face then my obvious response will be; che, boludo, yo no tengo la culpa!!

Chau, nos vemos!

Que el silencio se convierta en carnaval!!

2009-08-26T12:30:00.001-03:00

Buenos tardes. Well last night I went to a concert here in Buenos Aires.....an Argentine Ska band by the name of Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. I'd say I understood about 25 words from around 25 songs and the phrase in the title of todays post, however, it was a great performance and with music you do not necessarily have to understand in order to feel the rhythm and enjoy! Just means I'll need to study harder for the next time!!

Anyway on with the lesson, with numbers and verbs being the main theme for today and of course an amount of questions bordering inappropriateness from our student. I wonder whether other interactive Spanish courses such as Rosetta Stone are as entertaining to the viewer??

Numbers I've found easy to learn, but of course are important and for me one of the first things that should be taught in a new language, so a good thing that Bueno, entonc e s covers them early. They are naturally especially of importance should one have the desire to order beer or eat anything whilst visitng the country choice!! And then the verbs, the bane of any foreigner in learning Spanish, so many conjugations that can turn a sentence on its head without a thought, and these just the regulars ones! Fortunately the profesor and his Pizarra Magica are not too far away in order to lend a hand. I'm becoming quite fond of this character, as a result of his likeness to my childhood favourite Wordy the Wizard.....check him out, if you like inappropriate then you'll not be disappointed!!

The sun is shining so it's now time to venture out and enjoy!

Un placer conocerlo!

The Second Coming!!

2009-08-25T12:14:00.000-03:00

Buenos dias from Buenos Aires readers, como estas?? All good I hope. Well, before starting todays lesson I thought I would check out Rosetta Stone......and the first thing that caught my eye was the US$499 price....makes Bueno, entonces a bargain at only US$147 for the download and US$199 for the 6 DVD set. The demo seemed a little old fashioned too, although maybe the lessons become more interactive as the student progresses??. Perhaps it is possible too to buy Rosetta Stone cheap elsewhere, but for now I am more than happy with this interactive Spanish course.

So today I feel I already subconsciously knew many of the points being discussed between David, the ever curious and probing student, and Jimena, our very pleasant profesora. Perhaps now I 'll have the confidence to go out and use some of this new found knowledge. A particularly important grammatical point covered today was on prepositions, as being an English teacher I have, on more than one occasion, been witness to the difficulties and frustrations faced by students when trying to fully understand the usage in a new language. Good job!! And also good to know and take note of were the "consonantes suaves" as I am often being reminded by my girlfriend of the smoothness in sound of such letters as D, P and T!!

With Bueno, entonces you as well have the option to download the lessons to your Ipod, and so being only lunchtime I think I'll head out and harrass some peers or elders in the streets with the formal greetings and useful Spanish phrases I have picked up from todays lesson.

Onwards and upwards!!

Numero 1. Under starters orders!!

2009-08-24T17:57:00.005-03:00

So here we go, I have in my possession the Bueno, entonces interactive Spanish learning program in order improve my knowledge of the language all the way down here in Buenos Aires, and you the lucky reader will be able to join me on my daily quest to master the Argentine lingo! I guess that there are many arguements and differing opinions on the best way to learn Spanish, or any other language for that matter; should I take classes? can I learn by practice alone? or are interactive Spanish courses such as Bueno, entonces and Rosetta Stone they way forward?? For now, I am to go with the interactive Spanish course and, should I build up the courage, some real life practice.

On with the first lesson then. I liked the lighthearted introductions between David, the student, and Jimena, the teacher, or should I say profesora, settling me into a relaxed mood in which to observe the two. A fine idea of the lessons is the colour coding of specific grammatical points, however being colourblind I may be a little confused with the greens, browns and reds....although am sure I'll survive. And the professor in The Pizarra Magica reminded me of Wordy the Wizard, who was an enjoyeable informative character, from my English Primary School days. Am confident the Bueno, entonces professor can provide just as much guidance.

So have I learnt anything today? Being English, as David, I can sympathise with the silent H concept, as I was forever told and retold to remember to pronounce them.....and now to learn Spanish it appears to be the opposite, just something I shall need to become familiar with. And having an Argentine girlfriend, for sure I will be asking if she wants to "hacer cucharita" (to spoon) when she returns home this evening!!

Until the next time!

By the way, I'm using Bueno, entonces... in my laptop but you can also get it for the iPhone. Check out the application here:

Best iPhone apps at AppStoreHQ