How to read Spanish
- Date: 2007-07-05 - Word Count: 403
Share This!
When you sit down with a book or article written in Spanish do you first decide what it is you want to improve? Or do you just sit down and start reading with no clear goal in mind?
While the latter approach is fine if you are reading for enjoyment and will definitely help your Spanish, there are two specific areas in which you can help improve your Spanish that demand that you go through the text in a specific way.
Reading to improve vocabulary
The first, which is probably most common is to start reading and to stop every time you find a word you don't understand and reach for the dictionary. This will improve your vocabulary as you go through the text, but if you're trying to read a book this way it can become quickly tiring and you may lose sight of the story due to the number of words you look up as you go along.
This approach really works better for news items, where you can go through a text, highlight the vocabulary you don't know and go through it in one block to find the translations. Then go through the text again to see how your comprehension improves.
Reading Spanish to increase fluency
The second approach is to simply keep reading, as close to your normal reading speed as possible without stopping, even when you haven't understood. This is closer to the way you read in English, with knowledge gaps being filled by other clues. This helps you going, even when you know you don't understand everything and helps build a coping mechanism for dealing with those information gaps.
While it is much easier to reach for the dictionary as you go along when you are reading, just imagine what happens when you are talking with someone in Spanish; you simply can't, so you need to try and get the complete information from the context, by asking questions or just waiting to see if the missing information appears at a later stage in the conversation.
By doing this with your reading you'll actually be able to enjoy the story if it is a novel that you are reading; reading the same book with a dictionary doesn't exactly make for relaxing reading and may put you off from picking up that book.
Mark Hazard has been living and working in Spain since 2001. His new website is about learning Spanish and can be found at http://www.simplylearnspanish.com/
While the latter approach is fine if you are reading for enjoyment and will definitely help your Spanish, there are two specific areas in which you can help improve your Spanish that demand that you go through the text in a specific way.
Reading to improve vocabulary
The first, which is probably most common is to start reading and to stop every time you find a word you don't understand and reach for the dictionary. This will improve your vocabulary as you go through the text, but if you're trying to read a book this way it can become quickly tiring and you may lose sight of the story due to the number of words you look up as you go along.
This approach really works better for news items, where you can go through a text, highlight the vocabulary you don't know and go through it in one block to find the translations. Then go through the text again to see how your comprehension improves.
Reading Spanish to increase fluency
The second approach is to simply keep reading, as close to your normal reading speed as possible without stopping, even when you haven't understood. This is closer to the way you read in English, with knowledge gaps being filled by other clues. This helps you going, even when you know you don't understand everything and helps build a coping mechanism for dealing with those information gaps.
While it is much easier to reach for the dictionary as you go along when you are reading, just imagine what happens when you are talking with someone in Spanish; you simply can't, so you need to try and get the complete information from the context, by asking questions or just waiting to see if the missing information appears at a later stage in the conversation.
By doing this with your reading you'll actually be able to enjoy the story if it is a novel that you are reading; reading the same book with a dictionary doesn't exactly make for relaxing reading and may put you off from picking up that book.
Mark Hazard has been living and working in Spain since 2001. His new website is about learning Spanish and can be found at http://www.simplylearnspanish.com/
Related Tags: learn spanish, spanish language, learning spanish, read spanish
Mark Hazard lives and works in Barcelona. See his website at http://www.simplylearnspanish.com. Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- How Hypnotherapy Can be Used on Children
Today Hypnosis can be termed as a branch of medicine which is quite unique, whereas in the past this - Confidence Workshops For Children
Every parent wants their children to be confident, happy, highly motivated and enthusiastic in order - Inspiring Children Using NLP
Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is one of the most successful therapies in psychology today. Init - Writing Term Papers
Students often tend to put off a written assignment, considering it to be a chore too formidable to - Naming In Term Paper
Give a descriptive name to each of your concept in the paper. Adhere using terms like "our approach" - Introduction Section of a Research Paper
Your introductions should not exceed more than two pages (typed, double spaced). See again the examp - Getting a Feedback of Your Term Paper is Important!
Get the feedback of your work! Finish your paper, having written it well in advance, so that you hav - The 1950's - Was Life Better?
Iconic TV shows like I Love Lucy, Dennis the Menace and My Three Sons seem to indicate that the 1950 - Online Classroom Systems Makes Home Schooling Even More Attractive
In the past it went without saying that you would send your kids to public schools. With public scho - 8 Helpful Tips For Surviving Military Basic Training
Getting through military basic training takes a lot perseverance. During this training it is best to
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Culinary Cooking Schools and What They Teach
Culinary cooking schools prepare you for a job in the culinary industry by providing you with the kn - How To Learn Spanish Quickly Without Moving To Spain
Learning Spanish is a popular pastime, as well as a serious goal for many individuals. Whether it's - How To Improve Your Life With An Accredited Online College Degree
With the information super highway raring full steam ahead, quality accredited online college degree - Online Bachelor Degree Programs Go Mainstream
The Internet has seen an explosion in online bachelor degree programs in the last five to ten years - Online Degree Program Just A Click Away
You want to go shopping, but your car is low on gas. You want to know your account balance, but do n - Online Paralegal Degree Will Open Doors
An online paralegal degree may offer the possibility of improving your chances in the legal professi - What West Point Military School Looks For In A Candidate
West Point is looking for well rounded young men and women who are good students, good athletes, and - The Importance of Effective Accounting Programs
In the past, small businesses like mom and pop stores were not required to maintain any sort of acco - California Schools Educators Retirement System And Lionstone Group Create Investment Fund
The California State Teachers' Retirement System (CSTRS) is the second largest public pension fund i - A Taste of China - Seattle Schools New Guest Teacher Shares Language and Culture of Her Native Hom
The Seattle schools have a new "guest" teacher. Zhu Dan arrived in the Seattle schools in January
