# Any advice to a Canadian wanting to move to Spain? Language issues



## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Hi there. I'm living in Canada and have my sights on moving to Spain. I was born a Spaniard, but came to Canada at one year old, and my parents gave up my Spanish citizenship when I became a Canadian citizen. It will be about a year before my Spanish citizenship is reinstated. So this year I'm devoting time to setting up the big move to Spain. 

My biggest concern right now is that I know enough Spanish to get around, but definitely not enough to live in Spain or work in Spain. So that's my big question right now. Does anyone know of an online course that is either free or really inexpensive? Of course there are lots of Latin Spanish courses, but I obviously need to know Castilian Spanish. The Spanish I do know is Castilian Spanish.

I have family there in Spain who I met back in the 70s, and I'm trying to find them with the help of a neighbour here who has family in Spain. But until I find them, hopefully I can get some guidance from people on this forum? Is there any general advice for a Canadian moving to Spain?


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Work? You know how bad the economy is?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

AllHeart said:


> Hi there. I'm living in Canada and have my sights on moving to Spain. I was born a Spaniard, but came to Canada at one year old, and my parents gave up my Spanish citizenship when I became a Canadian citizen. It will be about a year before my Spanish citizenship is reinstated. So this year I'm devoting time to setting up the big move to Spain.
> 
> My biggest concern right now is that I know enough Spanish to get around, but definitely not enough to live in Spain or work in Spain. So that's my big question right now. Does anyone know of an online course that is either free or really inexpensive? Of course there are lots of Latin Spanish courses, but I obviously need to know Castilian Spanish. The Spanish I do know is Castilian Spanish.
> 
> I have family there in Spain who I met back in the 70s, and I'm trying to find them with the help of a neighbour here who has family in Spain. But until I find them, hopefully I can get some guidance from people on this forum? Is there any general advice for a Canadian moving to Spain?


:welcome:

I wouldn't worry _too _much about what kind of Spanish you learn - the structure of the language is essentially the same - just some of the vocabulary is different - in the same was that British/Canadian/American/Australian English is essentially the same - we can all understand each other!!


As Nick says - if you'll be needing to work, I'd be more worried about that


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

You know it might be easier to find a local Spanish speakers group rather than be left to your own devices.
What I'm finding is you can spend a lot of time learning all the many, many nuances of the language and it really doesn't sink in. The only time I feel like I'm achieving anything is when I actually try and use it in person, usually it ends in "Hablo Ingles?" anyway but each time progress is being made I guess.
We've actually discussed trying to find a group that meets at a pub or something to try and improve our speaking, the reading is coming along but that is so far detached from what a English speaker interprets it to what the language actually sounds like.


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

Where are you BTW?

It's likely all the universities and colleges have Spanish clubs. Almost certainly they'll have language classes. I know tution fees have gone up but you might be able to audit the class for no credit. 

Large lecture halls are easiest to unoffically audit if the school doesn't allow this.

If you're in the GTA you've got three universities and a large number of colleges. Call the department offices and ask.

The other thought is to contact the consulate. I assume Spain has one in Toronto. They might have leads on language classes.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

*Thank you.*

Thanks for your replies. I'm in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, about an hour outside of Toronto. There are two universities here and I looked at the Spanish courses. There's a 3-three part course that costs about $200 per course. Yikes! Right now I'm doing a free online course called "Mi Vida Loca," which is offered by the BBC.

I never thought of asking the Consulate of Spain. I'm heading into Toronto today and will be going there, so I'll ask them about that. Great suggestion. 

There are a lot of Hispanics in my building, and I'm practicing with them, just in brief conversations, which is really helping. I'm just afraid that I will be frowned upon by not speaking Castilian Spanish. I've looked for Spanish groups in my area, and haven't found any yet.

Yes, immersion is the best. This is how I learned the Spanish that I know - by going to Spain in my teens for 10 weeks as immersion, living with my family. 

Yes, I know the work opportunities are brutal now in Spain with about a 25% unemployment rate. It may be that I can live there without working. I'm also looking into what kind of work I can do there if I need to work. Employment is one of the other things I'm looking into over this year. 

Thank you all for your replies and advice.


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

So the three part course is either UWO or Laurier then? Have you checked the colleges? IIRC there are a few in your area. College courses are often quite a bit cheaper.

The other thing check if there is some sort of night school program run by the city. No idea if Waterloo has something like this but it can't hurt to ask.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Yes, college is cheaper by a bit. The University of Waterloo offers the course for $190 and Conestoga College offers the course for $170. They are both the same course, with Ed2Go (online). I've done the Ed2Go courses before and they're really good. 

Night school courses through the city is something I've done before too, but I never checked into that for Spanish courses. My appointment in Toronto today was just cancelled, so today I'll look into that. Great idea. Thanks.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

I forgot to address the audit suggestion... It costs the same to audit a course as it does to enroll in a course.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

My Spanish, such as it is, was based on Colombian Spanish and I don't have a problem. The secret is to get the pronunciation and accent right, that way, even if your sentence structure and/or your grammar are a bit off, at least the other person will have a better chance of understanding what you are trying to say. For the most part, where I am, I have found there is less formality than in Colombia and I have only encountered one person (92 year old lady) who uses Vd or Vds. 

Once you are making the right sounds, there is nothing whatever to stop you teaching yourself provided you have the aptitude which is essential if you are taking courses/classes anyway.

As to the Spanish you will need here, much depends on where you are planning to live, since there are various dialects, mostly based on Castellano (where I am it is mostly Andalu' but with local variations such as Castillero) but you could be running up against Valenciano, Catalan, Galego or... Then of course there is Basque!


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Thanks for your input, Baldilocks. My understanding is that pronunciation is in fact the very difference between Hispanic and Castilian Spanish. I understand there are different dialects in Spain, such as it is in many countries, including Canada. Someone from Northern Ontario sounds a lot different than someone from Southern Ontario. The biggest difference is people from East Coast of Canada, most different being those from Newfoundland. So that's why I'm trying to focus on learning the right pronunciation. It's hard to unlearn something. But I hear what you're saying - that there are various pronunciations within Spain and even learning with the Hispanic accent will suffice. And, yes, I can make the Spanish sounds well - if I may say so myself, and I just did. 

As to your question of where I'm thinking of living... When I stayed in Spain in the 70s, I stayed in Benagalbon and Victoria de la Rincon. My family had summer houses there, but I don't know if they're still there. So that's where I'd like to go again if my family is there.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

AllHeart said:


> Thanks for your input, Baldilocks. My understanding is that pronunciation is in fact the very difference between Hispanic and Castilian Spanish. I understand there are different dialects in Spain, such as it is in many countries, including Canada. Someone from Northern Ontario sounds a lot different than someone from Southern Ontario. The biggest difference is people from East Coast of Canada, most different being those from Newfoundland. So that's why I'm trying to focus on learning the right pronunciation. It's hard to unlearn something. But I hear what you're saying - that there are various pronunciations within Spain and even learning with the Hispanic accent will suffice. And, yes, I can make the Spanish sounds well - if I may say so myself, and I just did.
> 
> As to your question of where I'm thinking of living... When I stayed in Spain in the 70s, I stayed in Benagalbon and Victoria de la Rincon. My family had summer houses there, but I don't know if they're still there. So that's where I'd like to go again if my family is there.


You should have absolutely no problem, then. Watch Spanish movies (with or without subs) try to understand what is being said without the subs then try with to see how you got on. Then try Spanish TV RTV.ES | Radio and TV


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## nivaagg (Nov 8, 2013)

I´m spanish.If you want I help you to practice. I live in Navarra.
bye.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Most of my neighbours are from South America, they don't sound much different to the native, Canary Islanders. In fact I was chatting to a guy from Argentina this morning, I didn't realise he was Argentinian until he told me so.

I have travelled on the Iberian part of Spain, the difference in the language is minimal and I had few problems, I think you are making mountains out of molehills.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

I majored in Spanish at a university in New Brunswick. When I got to Spain I found that I didn't understand much since my Spanish was definitely not Castillian and, where I live, they speak verrrrry quickly. 

HOWEVER, my degree gave me an excellent base and it too me MUCH less time to be able to understand everything than my peers who hadn't even studied with Central/South American teachers. Whatever you can do would be awesome!

Suerte!


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

I think that for expats living in Spain, all Spanish, south, north, mexican or whatever might sound the same, but I am Spanish myself and I can categorically say, it is not the same at all and they don't sound the same either. I have real problems to understand people from latin-american countries, like Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, etc. Whenever I am on the phone to Movistar/Orange, etc, I despair as I haven't got a clue what they are telling me. 

My best friend is Mexican and most of the times, I make him repeat things and I not just talking about different words or dialects, but pronunciation and accent are very different.

When I first moved to the UK, I always thought everybody was English as they spoke English and since my English wasn't very good, I thought all sounded the same, in fact, there were from very different nationalities. 

I think it is best if you do a Spanish course (castellano puro). My partner wen to University in the UK (for two years) to study Spanish before we moved down here and the teacher was argentinian and she made a mess with his spanish, teaching them words that are not spanish and never heard of here in Spain.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

Lolito said:


> I think that for expats living in Spain, all Spanish, south, north, mexican or whatever might sound the same, but I am Spanish myself and I can categorically say, it is not the same at all and they don't sound the same either. I have real problems to understand people from latin-american countries, like Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, etc. Whenever I am on the phone to Movistar/Orange, etc, I despair as I haven't got a clue what they are telling me.
> 
> My best friend is Mexican and most of the times, I make him repeat things and I not just talking about different words or dialects, but pronunciation and accent are very different.
> 
> ...


With all due respect, I don't agree. (Especially the part about expats finding all Spanish the same. ¡Madre mía! You take me off the Cantabrian coast and it gets much harder to understand people!) I think it's going to be tough, where the OP is, to find a "proper" Castillian Spanish course. 

OP, you could check out the closest Cervantes Institute or look for things on this site: 'SPAIN arts & culture': the official website for Spanish arts and culture in Canada There are also classes available online. Here are some resources from the Canadian Agregaduria de Educación: 
Canadá




PS - Lolito, tour English is awesome. :high5:


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

I agree. The way words are used and pronounced varies greatly from country to country. Just the "ll" varies between Spain Colombia and Argentina - in Spain it is like a '_y_', in Colombia it is like a '_ly_', in Argentina it is more a '_zh_' sound like the 'su' in pleasure (similar to the French 'je') so that "Calle" sounds like 'ka-ye' in Spain, 'kal-ye' in Colombia and 'ka-zhe' in Argentina


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> I agree. The way words are used and pronounced varies greatly from country to country. Just the "ll" varies between Spain Colombia and Argentina - in Spain it is like a '_y_', in Colombia it is like a '_ly_', in Argentina it is more a '_zh_' sound like the 'su' in pleasure (similar to the French 'je') so that "Calle" sounds like 'ka-ye' in Spain, 'kal-ye' in Colombia and 'ka-zhe' in Argentina


I used to teach English to a lovely Argentinian lady - in a group with another from Colombia & Spanish Spaniards from various parts of the country

by far the hardest to understand was the Argentinian pronunciation - it took me quite a few lessons before I 'tuned my ear in' to the 'zhe' sound she made for the _ll _when speaking Spanish

I'm used to it now - my younger daughter watches teen programmes on Disney which are made in Argentina - I'm used to it - but it still sounds very 'alien' to me


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

elenetxu said:


> With all due respect, I don't agree. (Especially the part about expats finding all Spanish the same. ¡Madre mía! You take me off the Cantabrian coast and it gets much harder to understand people!) I think it's going to be tough, where the OP is, to find a "proper" Castillian Spanish course.
> 
> OP, you could check out the closest Cervantes Institute or look for things on this site: 'SPAIN arts & culture': the official website for Spanish arts and culture in Canada There are also classes available online. Here are some resources from the Canadian Agregaduria de Educación:
> Canadá
> ...



EDIT: I don't agree because I think that OP is going to have a hard time finding a Castillian Spanish course where he/she is and that I think any base is a good base. 

Imagine that you, as a BrE speaker, are teaching a Spanish student who will be moving to the US soon. Should that student find a (hard to find in Spain) AmE teacher or are you confident that the base you give your student will give them what they need to get on their feet when they move?


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

I suppose, any base, not matter what, would be better than nothing, just be careful, you don't want to arrive to Spain saying 'boludo', 'bombachas', 'la concha de la lora', 'quilombo', 'chingar', and things like that, no-one will understand you! 

lol!


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

There are far too many differences between latinoamerican spanish and the Castellano, just have a look at this link and you'll see. Considering that most latinamerican countries have their 'own' language.... it can be a messy thing. 

The example below is just Mexican... I know most expressions because when living in London, I used to socialize a lot with Mexicans and Argentinian people. 

One thing I can categorically say is that whenever Eduardo and Javier (both mexicans) opened their mouths to tak amongst themselves I felt left out as I couldn't really understand half of what they were saying.

Mexican Spanish vocabulary


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Lolito said:


> I suppose, any base, not matter what, would be better than nothing, just be careful, you don't want to arrive to Spain saying 'boludo', 'bombachas', 'la concha de la lora', 'quilombo', 'chingar', and things like that, no-one will understand you!
> 
> lol!


Hmmm, they might be understood here………………..

I believe that we are still part of Spain, aren't we?


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Hepa said:


> Hmmm, they might be understood here………………..
> 
> I believe that we are still part of Spain, aren't we?


Well you are part way to being in Latino-America


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## Lolito (Aug 25, 2012)

The Canary Island spoken spanish is very similar to latinoamerican people, including the accent. Might be because most people in the island came from there years ago... I lived with 3 brothers from Tenerife and it felt like I was living in Venezuela instead. I will never forget the 'vos' and 'usted' they used to talk to me. Weird.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Lolito said:


> The Canary Island spoken spanish is very similar to latinoamerican people, including the accent. Might be because most people in the island came from there years ago... I lived with 3 brothers from Tenerife and it felt like I was living in Venezuela instead. I will never forget the 'vos' and 'usted' they used to talk to me. Weird.


On the contrary many South American people's origins are in Andalucía although there were a fair number who came from Galicia. Some, of course, were shipwrecked and ended up in the Atlantic islands. Likewise with the Portuguese.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Lolito said:


> The Canary Island spoken spanish is very similar to latinoamerican people, including the accent. Might be because most people in the island came from there years ago... I lived with 3 brothers from Tenerife and it felt like I was living in Venezuela instead. I will never forget the 'vos' and 'usted' they used to talk to me. Weird.


Those subject pronouns are hardly used now, especially the "vos," Ustedes has to be used though. Usted gets used by the old men, but only when playing dominos

I have travelled to Venzeuela, many times, also Argentina, to me there is little difference from those here, however I can now pick out easily the person from northern Spain and of course those from the south when they drop the last letter in a word.

I have been told many times by various local people, that the Spanish spoken here, El Hierro, is more correct than any other place in the world, but I don't believe that statement.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

I wasn't notified by email of replies, and just came back here to check what had already been said. So thank you for your replies. Great advice.

I took a course in Spanish in university and I spoke for a few years in my teens with my dad in Spanish. So I do have a memory bank to draw on, but it's really rusty and I never really got very good at Spanish. 

New Brunswick is a long way from Spain! 

I have trouble understanding Hispanic Spanish. It doesn't have the bounce or the strong sounds of the Spanish I know. It just seems to be a long, monotonous slur of words. LOL! I hope not to offend anyone by saying that. I agree that it's better to know Hispanic Spanish than no Spanish. However, I also know it's hard to unlearn something that has been learned. I'm thinking it may be better to know a little good Spanish, rather than a lot of incorrect Spanish. If I was moving to a Hispanic country, of course Hispanic would be the correct language to know. I can see where the debate is here, though. Perhaps it's just a personal choice.

Thanks for the link for the Spain arts & culture in Canada. Very awesome. Perhaps I can catch a show in Toronto. I'm absolutely enthralled by the flamenco, and they have some shows coming up. 

I looked at the Cervantes Institute, and they do indeed offer an online course for Spanish, for only $25 a month. Here is what they say about what kind of Spanish they teach:

_*The users of the Hola, ¿qu� tal? Spanish course are taught a standard model of a neutral and pan-Hispanic nature in terms of the features that are exclusive or specific to the different versions of the Spanish language. As part of the sought-after unity of the model set out for the purposes of learning, a plural sample of the linguistic peculiarities of Spanish from around the world is progressively included. These peculiarities are included in a meaningful order in accordance with the contents of the course and levels of command of the language.*_

Any input on that?


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

AllHeart said:


> I wasn't notified by email of replies, and just came back here to check what had already been said. So thank you for your replies. Great advice.
> 
> I took a course in Spanish in university and I spoke for a few years in my teens with my dad in Spanish. So I do have a memory bank to draw on, but it's really rusty and I never really got very good at Spanish.
> 
> ...


I hope their Spanish is better than their English


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Lol!


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## mickbcn (Feb 4, 2013)

Let me tell you that in many areas of Spain we still using Vd. and Vdes. I dont know in Andalucia, even in catalan we use this treatment.
Let me tell you too that the dialects here in Spain are the andaluz, extemeño,murciano etc etc. the another languages like catalan ,and galego are not based on the castilian ,they are languages based in latin, like the spanish and catalan, valenciano is a dialect of the catalan, (take a look in wikipedia or google)basque is totally different language with unknown roots.not based in latin.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Holy Jesus that complicated!  So what I garner from your response is that I'm not even necessarily looking for Castilian Spanish? I see courses differentiated as "Spanish: Hispanic" and "Spanish: Spain." So what's the actual term that's used to name the Spanish from Spain?


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## mickbcn (Feb 4, 2013)

AllHeart said:


> Holy Jesus that complicated!  So what I garner from your response is that I'm not even necessarily looking for Castilian Spanish? I see courses differentiated as "Spanish: Hispanic" and "Spanish: Spain." So what's the actual term that's used to name the Spanish from Spain?


Castellano.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

I thought Castellano and Castilian were the same. These are just the things I can learn over the year before my move to Spain.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Does this sound about right? I found this on Spanish.about.com...

*Question: Why is Spanish sometimes referred to as Castilian or castellano? *

*Answer: *

_An answer to that question requires a brief look at how the Spanish language developed to its current form. What we know as Spanish is primarily a derivative of Latin, which arrived on the Iberian Peninsula (the peninsula that includes Spain and Portugal) around 2,000 years ago. On the peninsula, Latin adopted some of the vocabulary of indigenous languages, becoming Vulgar Latin. The peninsula's variety of Latin became quite well entrenched, and with various changes (including the addition of thousands of Arabic words), it survived well into the second millennium. 

For reasons more political than linguistic, the dialect of Vulgar Latin that was common in what is now the north-central portion of Spain, which includes Castile, spread throughout the region. In the 13th century, King Alfonso supported efforts such as the translation of historic documents that helped the dialect, known as Castilian, become the standard for educated use of the language. He also made that dialect the official language for government administration. 

As later rulers pushed the Moors out of Spain, they continued to use Castilian as the official tongue. Further strengthening Castilian's use as a language for educated people was Arte de la lengua castellana by Antonio de Nebrija, what might be called the first Spanish-language textbook and one of the first books to systematically define the grammar of a European language. 

Although Castilian became the primary language of the area now known as Spain, its use didn't eliminate the other Latin-based languages in the region. Galician (which has similarities to Portuguese) and Catalan (one of the major languages of Europe with similarities to Spanish and French) continue to be used in large numbers today. A non-Latin-based language, Euskara or Basque, is also spoken by a minority. 

In a sense, then, these other languages — Galician, Catalan and Euskara — are Spanish languages and even have official status in their regions, so the term Castilian (and more often its Spanish equivalent, castellano) has sometimes been used to differentiate that language from the other languages of Spain. 

Today, the term "Castilian" is used in other ways too. Sometimes it is used to distinguish the north-central standard of Spanish from regional variations such as Andalusian (used in southern Spain). Sometimes it is used, not altogether accurately, to distinguish the Spanish of Spain from that of Latin America. And sometimes it is used simply as a synonym for Spanish, especially when referring to the "pure" Spanish promulgated by the Royal Spanish Academy (which itself preferred the term castellano in its dictionaries until the 1920s). 

In Spain, a person's choice of terms to refer to the language — castellano or español — sometimes can have political implications. In many parts of Latin America, the Spanish language is known routinely as castellano rather than español. _


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

AllHeart said:


> I thought Castellano and Castilian were the same. These are just the things I can learn over the year before my move to Spain.


they are the same - just the Spanish word & the English version


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

That's a ton I didn't know, especially that there are actually different languages in Spain. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, Mcbcn. 

Xabiachica, that's about as succinct an explanation as one could ask for. LOL! Thank you. 

Now that I can post links, I'll give the link here for the BBC free online Spanish course, in case anyone wants to use this course. The course is named "Mi Vida Loca." Here's the link: BBC - Languages - Spanish - Mi Vida Loca 

There are videos of a Spanish guy who is the guide for this course. His Spanish pronunciation is the Spanish pronunciation that I know. Is this what Spaniards would call Castellano?


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

AllHeart, for me it all boils down to this... 
Do you understand me when I speak? Do I understand you if you say toque, servillete, chesterfield or poutine? Well, the first time I might have been tripped up by those terms but after asking I knew what they were. 

IF Castillian Spanish is not available nearby, I'd take any course (especially the Cervantes one.) Despite what some have said, Central/South American Spanish is completely valid to get you on your feet. Heck, I'm speaking from experience. Some locals complain that you "don't speak correctly" but - again - it will get you on your feet. My roommate laughed at me when I used _ahorita_ but she gently told me that in Spain they used _ahora mismo._ In the end, it's not that different.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Elenetxu, when you use that example, I get it now and I agree with you. Like I said, my Spanish isn't really good, so I mess up a lot when speaking Spanish. People are always really kind when they correct me, and they are always so pleased to see that I'm trying. So, yes, it's likely a better situation to say words wrong than to not know the words at all. This is especially important knowing now that there are actually different languages in Spain, which I didn't know before joining this forum. Great advice. Thank you.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

AllHeart said:


> Elenetxu, when you use that example, I get it now and I agree with you. Like I said, my Spanish isn't really good, so I mess up a lot when speaking Spanish. People are always really kind when they correct me, and they are always so pleased to see that I'm trying. So, yes, it's likely a better situation to say words wrong than to not know the words at all. This is especially important knowing now that there are actually different languages in Spain, which I didn't know before joining this forum. Great advice. Thank you.


Meh, don't stress about there being different languages. Unless you move to a very Basque/Catalan/Galician town, I don't think you'll have any issues. 

Trying is 3/4 of the battle.


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## Goldeneye (Nov 12, 2011)

...
*RE:* This thread being titled........*Any advice to a Canadian wanting to move to Spain?*

IMO it would be more appropriate to retitle it.. perhaps something along the lines of ...... "Language and dialects within Spain" as this thread has very little _if any_ real content or relevance with regard to 'Canadians 'moving to Spain..

There is another thread "Anyone to Spain from Canada"

I am always clicking on the wrong link, Just say'n 

....
...
..
..


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Goldeneye said:


> ...
> *RE:* This thread being titled........*Any advice to a Canadian wanting to move to Spain?*
> 
> IMO it would be more appropriate to retitle it.. perhaps something along the lines of ...... "Language and dialects within Spain" as this thread has very little _if any_ real content or relevance with regard to 'Canadians 'moving to Spain..
> ...


yes, I was thinking that myself last night when I went to bed - I've tweaked it a little... hope the OP doesn't mind....


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## Brangus (May 1, 2010)

elenetxu said:


> IF Castillian Spanish is not available nearby, I'd take any course (especially the Cervantes one.) Despite what some have said, Central/South American Spanish is completely valid to get you on your feet. Heck, I'm speaking from experience.


I agree that anything is better than nothing, but AllHeart should really seek out Castillian Spanish, as there are differences in grammar, not just vocabulary and pronuciation. My middle-aged attitude is: Why learn something twice if you don't have to?


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

I like the new thread title too. 

I'm pretty sure the BBC course "Mi Vida Loca" is Castellano Spanish, so I'll continue with that. I agree that it's better to learn only Castellano, but if I can't find any more Castellano courses, then I'll do the second pick of Hispanic Spanish. I know it's hard to unlearn something, but it would be even harder to try to live there with the little Spanish that I do know. I'll let you guys know if I find something. Thanks again for all your help.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

AllHeart said:


> I like the new thread title too.
> 
> I'm pretty sure the BBC course "Mi Vida Loca" is Castellano Spanish, so I'll continue with that. I agree that it's better to learn only Castellano, but if I can't find any more Castellano courses, then I'll do the second pick of Hispanic Spanish. I know it's hard to unlearn something, but it would be even harder to try to live there with the little Spanish that I do know. I'll let you guys know if I find something. Thanks again for all your help.


yes, the BBC course is definitely Castellano - & it's very good


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

xabiachica said:


> yes, the BBC course is definitely Castellano - & it's very good


I absolutely love it! Thanks for letting me know what I'm learning.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

baldilocks said:


> You should have absolutely no problem, then. Watch Spanish movies (with or without subs) try to understand what is being said without the subs then try with to see how you got on. Then try Spanish TV RTV.ES | Radio and TV


Baldilocks, I really like this idea. I went to the link you gave for RTV.ES | Radio and TV, but it's all just writing - no radio or TV. So I tried some other Spanish TV and radio links online, and...ummm...well...errr...a lot of porn showed up! So I'm hesitant to try any more links without guidance. Could you perhaps provide another link, please?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

AllHeart said:


> Baldilocks, I really like this idea. I went to the link you gave for RTV.ES | Radio and TV, but it's all just writing - no radio or TV. So I tried some other Spanish TV and radio links online, and...ummm...well...errr...a lot of porn showed up! So I'm hesitant to try any more links without guidance. Could you perhaps provide another link, please?


Here's a link to Radio Nacional España
Radio Nacional de España - RTVE.es
Personally I think if you're following Mi Vida Loca (which is the course I always recommend for low levels) then listening to "real" broadcasts will be too difficult for you and may be discouraging. 
Over the years there have been many threads about learning Spanish try this one, look at the bottom of the page and you'll see a lot more threads all talking about learning Spanish!
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...iving-spain/104899-learning-spanish-help.html


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Pesky Wesky, thank you so very, very much for the radio link. I'm loving it and listen to it whenver I can. I love how there is a big selection of stations, depending on my mood. My heart melts every time I listen to it. 

Thank you also for the link to the previous thread about learning Spanish. A lot has changed in my life since last posting, including that I've gone back to work, so now I might be able to afford a private tutor to teach me Castilian Spanish. I'm looking for one now.

When I visited Spain at 15 years of age, I didn't speak a word of Spanish, and I went into a 10-week immersion with my Spanish family to learn Spanish. It was absolutely frightening to be in a world where I couldn't communicate. It was like I was in solitary confinement. I never want to experience that again, so I'm doing everything I can to learn Spanish before moving to Spain. 

Thank you all again for your guidance.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

AllHeart said:


> Pesky Wesky, thank you so very, very much for the radio link. I'm loving it and listen to it whenver I can. I love how there is a big selection of stations, depending on my mood. My heart melts every time I listen to it.
> 
> Thank you also for the link to the previous thread about learning Spanish. A lot has changed in my life since last posting, including that I've gone back to work, so now I might be able to afford a private tutor to teach me Castilian Spanish. I'm looking for one now.
> 
> ...


Nice to hear from you!
Hope everything goes well, and keep on with your language learning.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

OMG I'm so pumped! I've read about Rosetta Stone Spanish for Spain here on the forum and did some other research, and the general consensus is this is the best course. It's Castilian Spanish. The problem is it's so expensive. But I figure if I get a tutor, that'll add up fast. So I contacted Rosetta Stone today, and they happen to have a huge discount on right now. Regularly the price is 335 euros, and now it's 226 euros. So I bought it. It'll get it in the mail within 8 days. Woot!!!


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## andoba (Jan 12, 2014)

*:*

Oh, Spain and our language barrier:






You'll learn a lot for sure!


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

andoba said:


> Oh, Spain and our language barrier:
> 
> NEM Solutions en Gaur Egun de ETB 2010-05-01 - YouTube
> 
> You'll learn a lot for sure!


Bai bai, oso ondo. Eskerrik asko. 



...Agur Ben Hur.


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

I had no frikkin idea what that guy is saying in Andoba's video or what language it is. I had no idea what Elenetxu wrote. So I did a little Internet research, which indicates this is Basque. Right?


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

AllHeart said:


> I had no frikkin idea what that guy is saying in Andoba's video or what language it is. I had no idea what Elenetxu wrote. So I did a little Internet research, which indicates this is Basque. Right?


Oso ondo! Good job!


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## AllHeart (Nov 22, 2013)

Thank you, thank you. Thank you very much.


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