Visual Link Spanish(TM) Newsletter - Volume 6 Issue 34

Current # of Subscribers: 192,158

This issue:
1. NEW - Cultural Spanish Recipes
2. Testimonial
3. Weekly Spanish Lesson - “Grammar”
4. Words of the Week
5. Ask Dave Section - “More on Ser and Estar with Examples”
6. Culture Lesson - “The Truth about Latinos Learning English”
7. Responses to Past Newsletters

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NEW! - Cultural Spanish Recipes
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We are excited to implement a cultural Spanish recipe section to our
newsletter. We welcome your tasty Spanish recipes including the
originating countries (if available), accompanying pictures where
possible without copyrights and any interesting notes or comments
about the recipe.

We appreciate this important cultural connection around the globe
celebrating the all-important food traditions of the Spanish-speaking
people.

Please email recipes and pictures to: mercedes@learnspanishtoday.com

Salsa Recipe

This is a simple recipe a mexican friend taught me.

8 or 9 roma tomatoes
2 jalapeno peppers (use one if you don’t like it spicy, you can also
use serrano peppers
salt to taste
1 clove of garlic (chopped) optional

In a frying pan place the tomatoes on their tops (where they were
once connected to the vine) cook on medium heat until they are nice
and black (about 5-6 min), then turn them on their sides and blacken
the sides. Add the pepper(s) (I add them when I turn the tomatoes on
their sides.) Turn tomatoes and peppers until all sides are
blackened. Put tomatoes and peppers in a blender or food processor.
If you want to use the garlic add it now. Blend really well. (You may
have to turn the blender off a couple times and shake the contents
until a few of the tomatoes get chopped and the juice comes out. Add
a little salt, taste the salsa, add more salt until it suits your
taste.

Use on tostados, tacos . . . well just about anything.

Buen provecho

Sara Castellano

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Visual Link Spanish(TM) Testimonial –
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Muchas gracias!!!!

The case arrived today in perfect condition!!! Hooray!!!!

You cannot imagine how thrilled I am with this verb module.

Currently am watching Que Dice La Gente and Vida Salvaje on the
Spanish channels.

Am finally starting to understand some of the spoken words. Hope to
enlarge my vocabulary greatly by the end of this verb module.

Again, muchisimas gracias!!!!!!!

P.S. I tell a lot of people about this program.

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Weekly Spanish Lesson—Grammar
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For this week’s lesson, click below to learn some basics in Spanish
grammar. You’ll hear María from Mexico and learn with a fun,
interactive format.

To check it out, click here:
http://www.spanishprograms.com/learn/grammar.htm

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Words of the Week
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Taken from our complete CD-ROM course —–

Monday / I can (I am able to) / Yo puedo
Tuesday / He can (He is able to) / El puede
Wednesday / She can (She is able to) / Ella puede
Thursday / to read / leer
Friday / to send / mandar
Saturday / an e-mail / un e-mail
Sunday / a document / un documento

Click Here to login and access your free membership and lessons.
http://www.spanishprograms.com/login.phtml

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The Official “Ask Dave” Section —–
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Question

Hey Dave,

Could you please explain the use of the word eres, as in “Tu eres.” I
understand that it means you (familiar) are, but is this the SER or
ESTAR form? And if it’s the SER form, what is the ESTAR form? (Or
vice-versa.) I’m puzzled on this one!

Thanks!

Drew

Answer

Hola Drew,

Good question.

The phrase “tú eres” means “you are” if you are talking about
permanent characteristics (see examples below):

You are tall - (Tú) eres alto/a
You are smart - (Tú) eres inteligente
You are strong - (Tú) eres fuerte
(The “tú” is optional).

“Eres” is a conjugation of the verb “ser”.

The “tú” form of “estar” is “estás”. This means “you are” when
talking about temporary characteristics. Just remember, the “t” in
“estás” stands for “temporary”. Here are a few examples using
“estás”.

You are happy - (Tú) estás feliz
Are you ready? - ¿Estás (tú) listo/a?
You are sick - (Tú) estás enfermo/a

For more in-depth information on “ser” and “estar” and all of their
conjugations, take a look at section “9. Characteristics” in your
complete Visual Link Spanish™ course. It covers each in-depth and
gives you a full idea of how they work. It also helps you to
understand the difference between “temporary” and “permanent”
characteristics. If you don’t have the complete Visual Link Spanish™
course, click here for your current sale price!! Hopefully this
answers your question.

Gracias,

Dave

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Culture —– The Truth about Latinos Learning English
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This week’s topic is a sensitive issue for many people in the U.S.
There are people that have strong feelings on both sides of the
issue. I’m going to touch on this topic and share insights from my
own perspective. As I’ve mentioned in past newsletters, I lived in
Latin America for two years. Here in the U.S. I’ve also worked
extensively with the Latino people. I’ve provided business training
seminars for them, become friends with them, and my business has
taught hundreds of Latinos to speak English.

There is an overwhelming sentiment in the U.S. that when Latino
people come here to the U.S. they ought to learn English–end of
discussion. People argue that when many of our European ancestors
came to the U.S., they had to learn English and so should the Latino
people.

I agree with this to a point, and I believe that most Latino people
in the U.S. also agree and truly want to learn English. The challenge
is, while some Latino people that come to the U.S. are professionals,
many of them have had only a few years of elementary school; as a
result it is very difficult for them to learn English. I saw this
over and over again first hand as my company taught them English.
Some of them wanted to learn English desperately, but it just didn’t
seem to stick.

One of the challenges is that many Latino people move to sectors of
cities where there are Mexican restaurants and stores and many other
Latino people. They feel comfortable only speaking Spanish. This fact
frustrates a lot of Americans who think everyone should know English,
and they themselves don’t want to expend any effort to learn Spanish.

Now here’s the other side of the story; the part that most people
don’t realize. When Latino families come to the U.S. a high
percentage of them want their children to learn English to such a
degree that they only permit their children to speak English in the
home so they won’t have the “stereotyped stigma” of knowing Spanish.
The sad part is that many second-generation Latinos here in the U.S.
don’t speak Spanish because their parents made them speak English in
the home. If they would have learned both languages fluently, they
would have been that much farther ahead in life. Of course there are
exceptions to this and some become truly bilingual, actually
translating and interpreting for their parents. However, I have
personally known hundreds of Latinos where this is the case–they
became fluent only in English as they grow up and lose any Spanish
skills they had.

Many of us have one point of view on certain issues; we think that
people should learn our language and we shouldn’t have to learn
theirs since we are perfectly fine just knowing English. I believe
the fact that someone knows two languages should inspire respect for
their achievement instead of thinking of them as “not as smart”
because they have a foreign accent.

I hope this newsletter has inspired some thought and cultural
understanding. I realize there are many views on this topic, and I
would appreciate your thoughts on both sides of this issue. Please
e-mail them to: dave@spanishprograms.com

Sneak peek at next week: “Do Animals Speak Different in Spanish?”

¡Hasta luego! (”Until later”)

David S. Clark — President / Director
Visual Link Spanish(TM)
Fun, Interactive Spanish Courses
http://www.spanishprograms.com
dave_c@spanishprograms.com

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Responses to Past Newsletters
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Response #1

Hello Dave,

I am writing to you in regards to how personalities change while
learning a new language. Well, I started learning spanish almost 3
years ago in a chatroom. I have since met and fell in love with a
Peruvian. He and I mostly speak in english on the telephone and in
messenger. His english is broken so I have become accustomed to
speaking broken english so he can understand me. lol. It is getting
so bad that when I speak with my best friend here. She gets angry at
me for speaking to her like she doesn’t understand english. lol So my
personality has changed in a few ways. I am now engaged to a Peruano.
His documents have been submitted to INS and we are waiting. And I
speak broken english sometimes to english speaking persons. lol I
also find myself thinking in some spanish words when I am writing
english. And sometimes when I read spanish, I understand some words
so well they seem like english to me.

Have a great day.

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