Sherri Brownkatz

Services

 

Learn Spanish

Aprende Inglés

 

 Private  Teaching, Tutoring, Translating, Writing and Editing.

All ages,

all subjects, children

through

adults.

 

 English as a Second Language

Inglés Como el Segundo Idioma

NEWS

Next Kelly Rec Spanish Classes

I and II

Beginning

January 8, 2007

Conversational Spanish I

6 to 7 pm Monday and Thursday

 Conversational Spanish II

7 to 8 pm Monday and Thursday

For more information click here

Kelly Recreation Complex

Spanish or English Speaking Pet Sitting

Visit us

At

www.Brownkatz.com

more services

free articles

 

If you want to start exercising and getting  fit contact my terrific personal trainer husband Richard 

here

 

If you want to just read about exercising and getting fit then order a booklet by my terrific personal trainer husband Richard 

here

 

 

 

 

The ¡Hola Amigos! Newsletter

Or The Gringos Unidos Newsletter

Or News from Sherri’s Southern School of

 Spanish

Published Monthly

Volume I Number I                                                                        December 2006

¡Hola! y ¿Cómo estás? 

Let’s keep in touch! I mean all of us -all of us interested in learning and speaking Spanish. That’s the purpose of this newsletter, so we can go on learning by sharing stories, books, CD’s, places of interest, strange experiences, questions, answers, help, hope and whatever else comes to mind. 

I love to keep in touch with my students, friends and fellow questers on the road to Spanish speaking. And let me tell you we are all on the road. No one has “arrived”. Knowing Spanish is just like knowing English - we are constantly reading and listening and improving our vocabulary and skills. I hate to tell those colleges that give you a certificate, but in my eyes, anyway, we don’t graduate from learning a language. It’s a lifelong journey (and if that’s true who wants to graduate anyway?). 

So this newsletter is for helping us on that road. Each edition I will include new information to help you along, including suggestions, lessons and homework (does it ever end?). I invite you to send me your questions and I will answer them here. Even better, send me your experiences using your Spanish in real life. For example, one of my students, Jennifer, has had several interesting experiences in the quest for learning, using, speaking, practicing, inventing, etc. She's agreed to send them in and I plan to include some of these stories in subsequent newsletters.

This newsletter was sent to you as an introduction because you are or have been a student of mine, you requested this newsletter or a friend suggested you might like it. It is not my intention to spam. If you would like to continue receiving this newsletter, please click here, enter “Yes” in the subject line, and send it. Otherwise, you will receive no more of these.

Today’s lesson consists of Sherri’s Southern School of Spanish List of Rules.

Rule Number one is: You are going to make mistakes!

You are going to put your foot in your mouth, big time! Probably say nasty things you did not ever intend to utter, offend people unwittingly, tell someone dreadfully personal things about your anus (ano - pronounced "ahno") when you meant your age (año - "ahn yo"), or that you have a man (Tengo hombre - Hold your nose and say "tango ohmbray") when you’re actually only hungry (Tengo hambre - "ahmbray"), etc.

Rule Number two is: You need a sense of humor!

Laugh! It’s the only way if you intend to learn the language. If you mess up, plow ahead! Hoist the sails, man the lanyards, full steam ahead or something like that. I tell all my clients that you really have to have a sense of humor to learn a foreign language.       

Rule Number three is: Learn the niceties.

First, learn to apologize, so you’re prepared for the mistakes, and along with this memorize the following phrases:

Please                                     Por favor

Thank you                             Gracias

I’m sorry.                              Lo siento.

Forgive me.                           Perdóname.

Excuse me.                            Con permiso.

Oh, I’m so sorry!                 ¡Ay! ¡Que pena!

You’re welcome                   De nada or  No hay de que.

I’m learning Spanish.        Estoy aprendiendo español.

I’m studying Spanish.        Estoy estudiando español.

Slowly                                    Mas despacio

 Rule Number Four is: Be prepared to mime.

Are you good at charades? No? Now’s your chance to practice! Act it out. Use all kinds of gestures, arm waving, pointing, wild gesticulation, etc. to get your point across.

 Rule Number Five is: Be inventive!

If you don’t know the Spanish word or phrase you want or need, invent it! Think about the Latin roots of words, the French you took in High School, the little you know, add a Spanish accent and endings and voilá (oops, wrong language) you may have some useable Spanglish! The point is there are many ways to get the point across!

¡Gracias!

Thank you for reading my newsletter. I hope you have enjoyed it and I hope you will click here and allow me to keep sending it to you. In the eternal words of José Feliciano, "¡Feliz Navidad, próspero año, y felicidad!"

 This newsletter was sent to you as an introduction because you are or have been a student of mine, you requested this newsletter or a friend suggested you might like it. It is not my intention to spam. If you would like to continue receiving this newsletter, please click here, enter “Yes” in the subject line, and send it. Otherwise, you will receive no more of these.

The ¡Hola Amigos! Newsletter

Or The Gringos Unidos Newsletter

Or News from Sherri’s Southern School of Spanish

Sherri Brownkatz

Certified Teacher

(863) 533-9161 (home)

(813) 763-6333 (cell)

SherriBrownkatz@Verizon.net

www.Brownkatz.com