again, sorry about the pop up...

fiesta time!

fun things to say in Spain...

before we begin, here's a quick lesson on spanish pronounciation: the most rockin' thing about learning Spanish is the fact that pronounciation is relatively simple. that means that, with five minutes of effort, you can pronounce everything on the menu at your local Mexican restaraunt like a pro. the vowels are quite simple:

* the u is pronounced silently if it is after a u and before a vowel [so "qui" would be pronounced like "key."], in any other case it sounds like what it was listed as [so "qur" would be pronounced like "koor."].

a e i o u

like the a in father like the ay in pay like the ee in tree like the o in mold like the oo in food*

the constantants are a bit trickier (hang in there!):

c -- always said like an s ch -- its own letter, said how it sounds g -- the difficult one: sounds like an h if it's before an e; sounds like a hard g in any other case h -- silent j -- like an h l -- like an l ll -- like a y ñ -- called an en-yay, sounds like "nya" q -- said like a k, though there's always a u after it* r -- an r with the flick of a tounge, but not quite rolling rr -- let it roll! v -- a kind of b/v sound. try it... nifty! I bet you didn't know you could make that noise! y -- like an i z -- a kind of z/s. once again: try it! you'll like it!

any constanants not listed (ones that you just stumble upon) are said in the principal English fashion. don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. so maybe you won't be able to say it like a NATIVE, but you'll sound alot more intelligent than that waitress who asks you if you want any "Puloh caan Jolly-penoes"!! got that? go over it a few times, practice out loud (if no one's looking, of course) and make sure you feel comfortable. then proceed!

congrats! you may now enter your first fiesta!