There are about 40 million folks of Hispanic origin in the US, and the US is rapidly overtaking Argentina and Spain for second place as the country with the most Spanish speakers. Only Mexico will have more Spanish speakers thant the US in a few more years.

And, our country is next door to the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world. Further south is an entire Continent (South America) and subcontinent (Central America) of Spanish-speaking coutries. Besides, lots of native speakers of Spanish from this hemisphere live in the US.

Spanish is easier for Americans to speak than French because it is a more phonetic language than either French or English. Correct Spanish pronunciation also is less difficult than correct French pronunciation.

You can find Spanish speakers in most urban areas of the US, and Spanish language radio and television is also avaiable in major US cities.

Then there are the countless Internet Spanish resources.

The problem with learning Spanish is the problem with learning any new language…you have to devote time and effort to the task each day.

The easy, effortless learning of language by toddlers is a myth. We send children to school for 12 or more years because their language learning is incomplete.

Children learn how to pronounce words correctly (mostly, except for some regional quirks), but they do not learn concept vocabulary, spottless grammar and academic conventions.

But, after attending school, you have these mental infrastructure tools to learn a new language.

Of course, there are other learning tasks.

You have to learn to think in the new language because translation is too slow and translating between personal interchanges produces awkward (rapport-less) communication.

You also have to retrain your mouth and tongue (and maybe some other body parts) to make the distinctive sounds of the new language.

Although the sounds may be similar, it takes practice to produce the exact sounds that a native speaker makes. This difference is called, “Accent.” But at first, do not fixate on the accent, just focus upon communicating well enough (Note: If you would have used the word “good” here, this proves that you needed those 12 years of school, or maybe proves that you weren’t paying attention) to make your messages understood.

So, Spanish is a top choice as a new language for you to study.

Practice every day, and when you look back over several months of study, you will be amazed at how much you will have learned.

P.S. Don’t try to say this last sentence in Spanish until you become a fluent, advanced speaker.

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