#Spanish syntax explained

[theenglishnook]

The Importance of Parts of Speech in Learning Spanish

Mastering Spanish parts of speech—nouns, verbs, adjectives, and more—is key to creating grammatically correct and natural sentences. This foundation helps avoid mistakes and improves your ability to communicate effectively.

Introduction Learning a new language can seem like an overwhelming task, especially when it comes to a language as rich and complex as Spanish. One of the first steps to understanding and mastering Spanish is to know and comprehend the parts of speech, also known as grammatical categories. These are the fundamental tools that allow us to construct coherent sentences and express ourselves…

[indigostudies]

Hi! I've never really heard of comprehensible input as a term before, would you mind explaining it a bit? I'm curious if it's just something I've never heard of, or if it's something I've done before but just never known it by that term.

yeah of course! the framework is outlined in a website for learning spanish, Dreaming Spanish. essentially, the idea is that you work your way up from very basic input (reading or listening), which matches the level you’re at and includes enough context so you can understand what’s being said (or at least, the general gist of it). it’s essentially gradually increasing immersion—for example, the thai CI series i started recently starts off by naming colours, then moves on to describing the type of item (shirt, pants, shoes) as well as the colour, then moves on to describing the gender of the person wearing the items of clothing and their colours, then describing the action of removing/putting on the items…etc, etc. i’ve found that it’s useful to help cement the vocabulary and the “way” sentences are formed, but for a tonal language like thai specifically, i personally think i still need a more “formal” approach as a supplement, just because i need to be able to see the tones written out since i’m not familiar enough to be able to pick them out accurately 100% of the time. also, as the DS page states, the stated eventual result of doing CI is that you’ll “know” the language in a way a speaker who speaks it natively would—but that doesn’t nearly mean you’ll know why the language works the way it does (grammar, syntax, morphology, etc), so if you’re planning on using it for things like translation, that still requires extra, formal training.

[earthslibrary]

Anthropology for Starters

If  you are like me, you’ve heard people use the term “anthropology,” and like many people, not fully understood what the word meant. All of the “ology”-s seem very intimidating when looked at from the outside, but anthropology, when explained, is one of the easiest to understand. Dictionary.com defines anthropology as “the science of humans and their works.” Anthropology looks at the history of all humans through a microscope and identifies their lives. You are most likely a human, and you most likely live life on a day-to-day basis. This is anthropology at its core. Who you are, what you are doing, and how you are doing it. The study of anthropology is divided into four subcategories: archaeology, biology, linguistics, and sociology. These four studies help modern humans understand what human life has looked like from the time it started, to the time you are reading this.

We begin with archaeological anthropology. The term “archaeology” is defined as “the scientific study of historic or prehistoric peoples and their cultures by analysis of their artifacts, inscriptions, monuments, and other such remains, especially those that have been excavated.” (Dictionary.com, 2025) As time passes the remains of civilizations become covered –  by dirt, water, snow, mountains, etc – archaeologists and anthropologists search out locations that may have once harboured civilizations, and they dig. What they find, if they find anything, tells the secrets of whoever once lived there; their architecture, language, tools, clothing, and everyday belongings. Anthropologists use the remains to piece together the day-to-day life of these historic peoples.

Next is biological anthropology. Biology itself is “the science of life or living matter in all its forms and phenomena, especially with reference to origin, growth, reproduction, structure, and behavior.” (Dictionary.com, 2025) In the context of anthropology, biology is studied slightly differently. Biological anthropology looks at human characteristics specifically. Anthropologists use current information about human anatomy to analyze skeletons found along with archaeological remains. This information can help determine if a skeleton belonged to a human, or any pre-evolution variants of humans. When a found skeleton has similar characteristics to those of modern humans, radiocarbon dating is used to determine the time period that the skeleton is from. Carbon dating helps in piecing together a timeline of biological human evolution.

Linguistic anthropology is the study of the evolution of human language. Linguistics is defined as “the science of language, including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and historical linguistics.” (Dictionary.com, 2025) Anthropologists analyze the languages spoken today and compare them to languages spoken in similar areas in the past. We know that the romance languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian) all directly stem from the Latin language. An anthropologist would use this information to compare the usage of similar words in the romance languages to their original Latin words. Most words that we use today have changed meaning over time. For example, the word “language” originally stems from the Latin word “lingua” meaning “tongue.” This meaning shifted over time as “tongue” began to mean the way someone spoke. It then was passed to Vulgar Latin where it was turned into “liguaticum” which translates to “manner of speaking,” then to Old French “langage,” and finally as we know it in English today, “language.” All of these words have similar meanings, but the pronunciation changed slightly over time, possibly due to mispronunciations being taught to new speakers, or to the juxtaposition of multiple languages. Language is a big part of culture, and where you are in the world affects how you will speak, and the words you use will impact how you perceive society.

That brings us to our final subcategory, sociological anthropology. Sociology and culture work hand in hand and Dictionary.com defines both of them as, “the science or study of the origin, development, organization, and functioning of human society” and “the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular group of people, as a social, ethnic, professional, or age group,” respectively. In anthropology we look at how the cultures of different peoples have developed over time. Archaeological discoveries help us analyze the art, religions, customs, technology, clothing, housing, and architecture of certain time periods to derive a solid culture for these retired societies. Most ancient societies viewed the world in very similar ways, with comparable religions and customs; and most of these religious ideologies have stayed strong and carried themselves into the modern world. Like, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism. The mythological religions on the other hand: like Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Norse, did not carry into the modern world. These religions can sometimes be viewed as silly, but historic people who believed in these myths saw them as the truth. They did not know much about the world and they let their imaginations come up with supernatural explanations for everything. Studying these ancient cultures allows for us to see how societies have developed and crumbled and to compare them to modern culture. 

All subcategories of anthropology work together and allow us to understand the history of humans. It is important to see how we have changed and grown as a species because we are constantly changing and growing. Our lives will one day be studied by anthropologists of the future; and our discoveries of ancient societies will be used by them to continue piecing together the timeline of human existence. 

[jor-elsemissary]

President Kent

.......okay but Liam picking up Scottish sayings he learned from Lionel accidentally.

Lionel: Liam you're teacher called and said you told a classmate some insults nobody knew what you were saying.

Liam: Because he was being a bloody Eejit!

Lionel:

Lionel: Oh no I poisoned my child.

Smallville Elementary was as he had expected it to be. Colorful corridors expressing the interests of the students attending or the activities that were available to them. The only upside is that he didn’t have to deal with a wandering child as they were all in their respective classrooms and not trying to skip like teenage high schoolers tended to do.

The only child he had to deal with was his own grandson.

He eyed the Principal’s office, a stereotypical wooden door with a glass pane and the man’s name plaquered across it. Mister Alan Wilson. His attention was drawn to the young woman who had brought him to the office, “Mister Wilson will see you now,” she tells him before opening the door and letting him in.

“Grandpapa!” Liam called out and Lionel gave him a stern look to settle down. The boy seemed to catch on that his grandfather was not happy having been called here and quickly quelled and sat back down in the chair in front of the principal’s desk.

“Mister Luthor,” the man greeted politely, a hand held out which he took firmly, perhaps a little too firmly. Wilson did his best not to wince and sat back down in his chair while waving for Lionel to take a seat. “First off, I would like to apologize for calling you in on this matter. We tried to get ahold of the boy’s parents but have been unable to. His records indicate that you and President Martha Kent are also on his contact list.”

“Is this an emergency?” Lionel interrupted and Wilson shook his head in reply. “What could possibly be so important that you call me out of a meeting at LuthorCorp that couldn’t possibly wait until his parents came to pick him up?”

“I told him not to call you,” Liam interjected a little smugly which Lionel easily silenced with a simple glance from him again. The boy hung his head dejectedly. He was instantly reminded of the way Lex would do that whenever he had been called in for his son’s misbehavior at Excelsior.

He turned his attention back to the Principal, deciding he’ll deal with his grandson’s timidness later, “Well?”

“A fifth grade teacher caught him swearing an explicative at another student in between classes. When asked what he was doing, he had thrown another one at the teacher,” Principal Wilson explained with folded hands in front of him. “I understand that children are fully expected to repeat what they hear from adults, not that I am saying any of your family is responsible, but Liam here is fully aware that what he said was inappropriate and not expected of a nine year old boy.”

“What did he say?” Lionel questioned and wondered which of Clark’s friends, or perhaps, Lois had swore in front of his grandson.

“I cannot repeat it.”

“That bad?”

Wilson shook his head, “I’m not entirely sure since it isn’t in English or even Spanish for that matter.” Lionel frowned at the answer and wondered then what his grandson was repeating. He glanced at the boy and studied him for a moment. He could see a slight smirk at the corners of his mouth. He was going to have to have a long conversation about showing one’s emotions when dealing with the public.

“What did you say?” he asked of the boy and Liam looked up at his grandfather.

“I said he was stupid and ate cow pies for breakfast.” It took Lionel a moment to comprehend what he said, forgetting that his son was being raised on a farm and by a farmer’s family.

“It wasn’t in English,” Wilson reminded him.

“William.”

The boy winced at the use of his full name, “I said it in Gaelic.”

Lionel quickly frowned and he wondered where he was learning Gaelic from. “Repeat it.”

“Tha thu gòrach agus ag ithe cac mart!”* He was impressed. The boy’s Gaelic wasn’t that bad even if the syntax was a little off. His accent was very much Kansasian and it was atrocious to hear his family’s language in it. He would have to take Liam to Scotland some time and let him hear it in person so he could get it right.

“Well, the boy you said that to must be then,” Lionel smiled gently and Liam returned it happily. “If he couldn’t understand a word you said. Though, next time, say it like its a compliment and not an insult and you won’t get into trouble.”

“Mister Luthor!” the principal protested at the older man’s encouragement. “He’s a child and shouldn’t be saying these things to other children or the adults even.”

Lionel gave the man a glare, “He is my grandson who has apparently taken an interest in my family’s heritage. Scottish Gaelic is a dying language, Mister Wilson. If Liam wants to insult a bully too stupid to learn the language himself, then he will be allowed to do so.”

“Then he can do so at home and not while at school, sir,” Wilson stood his ground.

“Hmm,” Lionel tutted quietly, his glare still on the man. “That is what the British told the Scots and here we are,” he spread his hands out in front of him. “My grandson speaking in a dying language and being reprimanded for using his heritage. Chan innis thu dha mo ogha dè as urrainn agus nach urrainn dha a dhèanamh leis an dualchas sin. Feuch agus cuiridh mi suas thu ann an achadh arbhair.”**

“I…” Wilson tried to say something but Lionel stood up and held out a hand to his son. “Sir?”

“I will be taking Liam for the remainder of the day. Forward any missed schoolwork to the Kent email address on file.” Without another word, he walked out with Liam in hand, the boy grinning ear to ear no doubt because he was getting out of school early and he knew what threat his grandfather just gave.

Once they were in the limousine a few minutes later and Liam was buckled in place, his grandfather finally spoke, “Where did you learn Gaelic?”

“Am I in trouble?” the boy tentatively asked upon hearing his grandfather’s serious tone.

“No,” the man replied and relaxed back in his seat with a sly smile on his lips. “I’m impressed, actually.”

Liam returned his grandfather’s grin and started to bounce his legs gently against his seat, “I heard you speak a few words last Christmas and wanted to know what they were. Uncle Lex wouldn’t translate but told me if I learned the language, I’d know myself.”

Lionel raised an eyebrow, “And you just decided to learn it by yourself?”

The boy sheepishly looked down. “I only know a few phrases and words. The syntax is… hard. Google helps a little,” he confessed. “But I caught enough of what you said to Mister Wilson. Are you really going to make him into a scarecrow?”

He knew Liam was smart but hadn’t realized how smart. He wondered if he had proper tutelage, how quickly he would pick up the language? Would he have his talent for foreign tongues, the ability to learn and absorb a language like he had grown up with it all his life?

He decided he would teach him if the boy was truly interested.

“Only if he tells you to speak exclusively in English,” he tells his son and he can see the boy already scheming to set the man up. He was very much his flesh and blood, and he should have been worried. “And so long as you’re not purposely entrapping him.”

“What does entrapping mean?” Liam asked in confusion.

“Setting him up to do something wrong.”

“Oh.”

Lionel leaned forward, “Now… do you want to actually learn Gaelic?”

“Yeah!” Liam couldn’t help himself and was already bouncing in his seat.

Lionel grinned and gestured at his son, “First, calm yourself. Then we’ll start with the letters. Some of your pronunciation was off.”

“Sorry,” Liam sheepishly said.

“Shush, Luthors do not apologize,” he unknowingly tells his son and he receives a confused look from the boy.

“I’m not a Luthor.”

Lionel inwardly grimaced at his own mistake and the reminder that his son does not know the truth, “By extension through marriage, you are. Now, listen closely…” Liam listened as his father slowly spoke each letter and by the time they drove back to Metropolis, he was already pronouncing his letters better.

————-

* You are stupid and eat cow shit

** You don't tell my grandson what he can and can't do with that heritage. Try and I'll put you up in a cornfield.

[gaydivorcetual]

i hope this isn't rude, but what is a creole? Ive only heard of louisiana creole people, and that doesnt seem like what ur talking about

Not rude at all !! Ive had that confusion a few times lol

To put it rlly simply its a language that develops when two or more groups speaking different languaves interact for long periods of time, and a new language arises.

When I refer to "pastex creole", it's a creole I made up for my OC world with a base in spanish (Creoles often have one language that most of the vocabulary and writing system derives from) and influences from mandarin, english, portuguese, and a tonnnn of others.

For a longer explanation I gotta explain what a pidgin is

A pidgin is a rudimentry "language" used when groups need to communicate but dont speak the same language. You'll often see this in military bases (ex. bamboo english- altho thats not actually a full fledged pidgin), occupation of land or slave trade (ex. native american pidgin english), and trading or business (ex. chinese pidgin english). Those are the main ones but it can arise in other ways too !!

"Mourn! Isn't that exactly what you said a creole was?" YES ! but I was lying a little in that explanation of a creole.

I put "language" in quotations for the pidgin because it isnt. actually a language. A pidgin often fails to have consistent grammer or a larve vocabulary- usually only the bare necessities for communication. Most notably also is that no one speaks it natively- by the definition it has to be constructed by people alreadg speaking a different language.

A creole is developed when a pidgin is spoken somewhere for SO LONG that children start being born there and they grow up hearing the pidgin. Our brains, as it develops leaenjng our first language, instictively learn grammer and syntax. When we learn something without that- like a pidgin- it just fills it in. So these kids will end up developing the pidgin into an actual language, one with proper rules and a larger vocabulary.

Something to note is that creoles are DIFFERENT from hybrid/mixed languages- those occur when both groups speak BOTH languages, and speak them both interchangably.

[etoastie]

a thorough response was not necessarily requested, but a friend sent this to me at 5 am and i was compelled to reply

a) speaking will slow down to compensate, more or less. Spanish is not very "syllable-efficient" but spoken very fast. Mandarin is syllable efficient but spoken very slow.

b) define "efficiency"? sure you can just take short words with English grammar but that's a boring definition for a creole. many languages don't need you to specify tense and aspect information that's mandatory in English. Korean requires you specify your relationship with other people using short suffixes. What's more efficient? In general attempts at analyzing this run very quickly into the problem that languages don't have a good information-theoretic quality that you can measure in bits. consider a scenario like: a professor asks another "What's good about this student?" and the other says "She has good handwriting." What is being communicated? How efficiently?

c) just reduce English? introduce a sharp S like what german has and say this's as one syllable (thiß) lol

d) related to the above 2: the most efficient way to say words is not to say them. for example, most non-PIE/sinitic languages don't even have a word for "is". Just say "this hot." perfectly understandable with exactly the vocabulary you know. But why even say that much? In Japanese you'd just say "hot," formally spoken with 3 mora but possibly reduced to 1 syllable. most languages don't have words for "the" or "a(n)". the above exchange's reply could just as easily be replaced with "nothing," or in turn "naught" (in the style of german "nix").

e) re: the above, while you're at it, define "word"? There's a fun paper titled "The indeterminacy of word segmentation and the nature of morphology and syntax" by Martin Hapselmath that essentially goes through every commonly-used linguistic definition for "word" and explains how they're broken. In the post itself you use an example that's 2 words and just gets reduced (see (c) again), but on the other side, what about agglutinative languages that express a large amount of grammatical information with affixes?

f) what are all the words btw? do we want to find the most syllable-efficient equivalent to schadenfreude cross-linguistically? do you think there's any single-syllable equivalent word for "window" which means both "an opening for light and air" and "a period of time"? in the general case, words aren't easily translatable. that's why most words have several entries in any bilingual dictionary. on a whim I tried "trivial" and got back 17 applicable german words, the syllable-shortest of which is "seicht", which in turn can singlehandedly "replace" 9 polysyllabic English words.

g) synonyms exist

h) ithkuil exists

noticing as I learn different languages I tend to think using the shortest word from any of those languages, so for example instead of "this is" or "dette er", I'll just automatically think "c'est"

So my proposal is a creole of every language in which we find the shortest syllabic way to say every single word and speak at maximum efficiency

[glaxitsoftwareagency]

DeepSeek vs ChatGPT Accuracy Test: Who Wins in Coding, Writing & Translation?

AI tools have changed the way people work, learn, and communicate. Today, two names often come up when we talk about advanced language models: DeepSeek and ChatGPT. Both AI platforms are known for solving complex problems, but which one performs better? This blog explains a clear DeepSeek vs ChatGPT Accuracy Test in three areas: coding, writing, and translation. Let’s break it down in simple terms and see who wins the race.

Understanding the Tools

ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is a popular conversational AI model. It is widely used for writing, content generation, customer support, and code assistance. It has helped millions of users worldwide. In contrast, DeepSeek is a newer AI model trained with large datasets. It mainly focuses on improving deep search results and offering smart replies, especially in coding and translation tasks.

Both models rely on machine learning and natural language processing. However, their performance still varies depending on the task. To figure out which one is better, we conducted a DeepSeek vs ChatGPT Accuracy Test by comparing how well they perform in different real-life scenarios.

Coding: Who Writes Better Code?

We started with coding tasks. We gave both AI models the same programming problems in languages like Python, JavaScript, and C#. These problems require logic, clean syntax, and correct output.

ChatGPT produces accurate and readable code. It can also explain the logic step by step. That makes it very helpful for beginners. It often uses clean formatting and gives alternate solutions too. On the other hand, DeepSeek performs better in code suggestions and bug fixing. It finds out errors quickly and recommends simple fixes. It works well with structured code and adds in useful comments.

Fact: In a test of 100 coding tasks, ChatGPT scored 89% accuracy, while DeepSeek was slightly behind with 85%. Both performed well, but ChatGPT was more reliable for complete code generation.

So, for coding, ChatGPT wins due to its clarity, extra support, and easy-to-understand explanations.

Writing: Which AI Writes Better?

Writing tasks include article writing, email creation, and blog post development. We tested both models by giving them simple writing topics. The goal was to check sentence structure, grammar, creativity, and readability.

ChatGPT creates engaging and clear content. It uses everyday vocabulary and correct grammar. It doesn’t forget to maintain flow and tone, which is important for blog writing. DeepSeek, however, focuses more on keyword usage and short formats. It may miss emotional tone or storytelling elements.

We also noticed that ChatGPT follows through on long instructions better than DeepSeek. For example, when asked to write a 700-word blog post with headings and subheadings, ChatGPT delivers it smoothly. DeepSeek sometimes leaves out essential parts or jumps over details.

In short, for blog writing, reports, or professional emails, ChatGPT again takes the lead.

Translation: Who Understands Languages Better?

The next stage of the DeepSeek vs ChatGPT Accuracy Test focused on translation. We tested their ability to translate from English to Spanish, French, Chinese, and Urdu. The translations had to be accurate and culturally relevant.

ChatGPT translates well but sometimes misses out on cultural meanings or slang. Still, it manages to keep the sentence structure correct. On the flip side, DeepSeek is better at technical translations and sticks to the original meaning. It performs well in short and formal texts.

However, both models face issues with informal or poetic language. Neither is 100% perfect in this area.

Fact: In side-by-side tests, DeepSeek achieved 88% accuracy in technical translation, while ChatGPT scored 85%, but did better in informal or conversational tone.

So, DeepSeek slightly leads in translation accuracy when it comes to technical material, but ChatGPT handles casual tone better.

Performance, Speed & User Experience

Both tools respond fast, but ChatGPT usually loads up responses quicker. It also offers a more user-friendly interface. DeepSeek sometimes takes longer, especially during complex searches.

As for ease of use, ChatGPT’s chatbot interface is more interactive. Users can ask follow-up questions, and the model keeps up with context. DeepSeek, while effective, often requires more specific inputs.

Final Verdict: Which One Wins?

After running the DeepSeek vs ChatGPT Accuracy Test, here’s what we observed:

Coding: ChatGPT is more versatile, but DeepSeek helps more with bug fixes.

Writing: ChatGPT leads with high-quality, user-friendly content.

Translation: DeepSeek is slightly better for technical accuracy, but ChatGPT handles tone better.

Speed & UX: ChatGPT is faster and easier to use.

So, who wins overall? Based on the results, ChatGPT wins in most categories. It delivers accurate, clean, and friendly outputs across tasks. DeepSeek is still powerful, especially in technical areas, but it may fall short in user experience and writing creativity.

Conclusion

AI tools are growing smarter every day. ChatGPT is currently the top choice if you want a reliable, all-in-one AI assistant. However, if your work involves technical tasks like translation or code debugging, DeepSeek can come in handy too.

The best way to decide is to try them out based on your needs. The DeepSeek vs ChatGPT Accuracy Test helps you understand the strengths of both platforms. With time, both tools will improve, and users will benefit from their unique features. Remember, using the right AI tool can save time, reduce errors, and boost productivity. Choose wisely based on what you need the most!

[icodejr0]

What Is Coding For Kids? Benefits, Programs - Create & Learn

Coding for kids is the set of instructions we create to communicate with computers. Through coding we're able to make computers perform tasks.

Computer coding empowers kids to not only consume digital media and technology, but also to create it. Instead of simply playing a video game or using an app, they can make their own video game, or even their own website.

Just like how we can use different languages to communicate with one another - English, Spanish, Japanese - computers also have many languages they understand. For example, HTML, CSS, Javascript, Python, C++ and more. All of these are syntax-based languages, where coders manually type the script text.

For kids who are just getting started, drag-and-drop visual programming is a great way to learn the fundamental concepts of coding. Visual programming, such as Scratch and Scratcher, allows kids to connect blocks together to make programs. This empowers children to focus on understanding the underlying logic needed to make a program, without worrying about typos from writing code syntax.

What is coding used for?

Coding for Children is used to create all sorts of technology, to make jobs easier, to save lives, and to improve lives. People use coding to give computers and other machines instructions on what actions to perform. Furthermore, we use it to program the websites, apps, and other technologies we interact with every day and in a variety of job settings. From artificial intelligence predicting future cancer to making new desserts, to controlling your home thermostat, here are a few ways coding impacts the world around us.

“Creativity is the goal. Coding is just to allow that. Creativity is in the front seat; technology is in the backseat. It is sort of the blend with both of these that you can do such powerful things now.”

“People are gravitating towards these skills because these areas have less risk and are generally very popular and stable for building a long-term career, something that people are looking for after all the risk and uncertainty that has arisen in this pandemic job market. want,” said Joshua Daniel, a career coach and senior consultant at Korn Ferry. “Technology and computer skills are also a very easy differentiators on a resume.”

When children learn to code, they also get a lot of practice in communication and develop their communication skills by presenting and explaining their work to other students and teachers. And the ability to communicate effectively is one of the most important life skills that every child needs to develop.

[motorclit]

Fun fact: Back when Du0ling0 was usable, I first decided to try my hand at Spanish again (I took 2 classes of it back in high school and wanted to see if I could get the hang of it), only to find myself struggling hard as I keep getting everything backwards and many of the vocabulary wouldn't stick.

After waiting in vain for Serbian/Croatian to be on there, I decided to try my luck with Russian. My only struggle were the cases. But when it came to pronunciation, spelling, and remembering word-placement of sentences on top of vocabulary, I did WAY better than Spanish.

I keep getting shit backwards in Spanish and the bocab NEVER stuck. But when I was working on learning Russian, my only problem was remembering cases. This is from an app that doesn't do a great job explaining grammar and syntax and shit.

I can't Spanish, but я умею читать по-русский just fine because I didn't find the alphabet difficult at all. The word placement made sense, too. Hilariously, I can read most Russian out loud just fine even if I don't know what the words mean, lol.

[reyesmarconi]

Marcelo grew up in Manrique, Medellín, Colombia, until he was 12 when he moved to the United States. By then he already spoke respectable English and some Italian, courtesy of her mother, but even then he never stopped speaking his mother tongue. Now, it isn’t just any Spanish, it’s Antioquean or Paisa Spanish, and after all his time in the States he’s never gotten rid of the melodic “soft and fast” intonation that characterizes this dialect. So he does have an ever present accent; usually a mild one (especially noticeable in his s’ sounds), but it gets thicker when stressed out, or if he’s been around family recently, because they got very marked accents, and so it just sticks right back to him.

These words and expressions don’t show up much when he’s speaking English, unless you also speak Spanish/understand it, in which case he will switch between languages around you fairly fluidly. Still, they’re important to keep in mind.

Voseo: Marcelo uses vos as the informal tú, usted both informally and formally. He will use formal syntax in ordinary settings pretty casually. It’s normal.

Intense S: it’s hard to explain, but words with s will be dragged out. It’s one of the most noticeable aspects of the accent  Sí will sound like sssí, almost bordering on shí. It’s an airy, sibilant sound.

Uno (one) to speak of one’s self in third person.

Greetings: ¿Qué mas? ; ¿Bien o qué? ; ¿Qué hubo? / ¿Quíubo? all which a pues can be added to in the end.

A pues to end every other sentence, usually orders, sometimes explanations, but really anything. Examples: Dale pués! (Go ahead!), Chau pues! (See you!)

Parcero/Parce: friend, guy. More or less like homie.

“Oigan a éste”: said when you don’t believe something, or are certain the person’s lying. Could be the rough equivalent of listen to yourself.

Cruce: business, usually of the illicit sort. A regular event.

Pilas/ponerse las pilas: hop to it / get cracking / think.

Diminutives, everywhere, for everything.

Other than this, it’s to be kept in mind that Marcelo is an expressive guy. He freely and generously uses pet names (in English and Spanish) with nigh strangers and friends alike. He somehow manages to make it work, because of how unforced it is, but he’ll back off if you show a distaste for it. Common ones are: baby/babe, mi amor, bello/a, linda, belleza, corazón, tesoro, cariño. (Respectively: [my] love, beautiful, pretty, beauty, [my] heart, treasure, darling.). There’s even more. All can be modified with a diminutive if the situation merits one. Bear in mind, eight times out of ten, he’s not flirting when he does this. It’s just habit.

[girls-are-weird]

that's interesting-- i'm not sure we're talking about the same thing, though, and i just want to be certain i'm getting this right so i can correct the post. 'cause the way i'm parsing this, why would he be taught spanish if he's already proficient at it? seems a bit unfair to the other students in the class who are legit learning a new language, maybe?

i guess that's the distinction i was trying to make but am not sure if i managed to explain it correctly. i took "spanish" classes every year of my schooling from kindergarten to twelfth grade. but those classes weren't teaching me how to speak spanish; they were classes where we learned about spanish-language literature or where we were taught the rules of spanish grammar and syntax (which we already were applying because we already spoke spanish; we just weren't explicitly aware of the rules). those classes would've been fine for me to take in college, for example, if i had done a spanish language major or minor. but i wouldn't be allowed to take a class teaching me how to speak spanish because i already spoke spanish and would have an unfair advantage over the other students who were learning the language from scratch. like... the kind of thing you would learn on a duolingo spanish course. that would be pointless for me to take, because i already speak spanish. does that make sense?

so i guess the question is: what KIND of spanish classes would simon be allowed to take in high school? is it the latter or the former?

(i love this discussion btw. it's one of my favorite things about this fandom-- i learn so much!)

YR fanfic pet peeves (and corrections): latin america edition

so. i was originally going to post this in january as a kind of "new year, new opportunity to learn about simon's hispanic heritage" kind of a thing, but life got busy, and then my computer died and i lost my original list, so i've had to reconstruct this from memory as best as i could. there may be some stuff missing, so perhaps i'll just keep adding to this post as missing/new points come to mind.

disclaimer 1: if you've included any of the points made here on any fanfic of yours, please don't take this as a call-out. this isn't intended to shame anyone, but rather as an educational opportunity. it's very rare that a latin american nationality that is not mexican or colombian or puerto rican is showcased in an international show, especially outside of the US, and it's given me such joy to have all of you lovely folks make the effort to be open to and research and understand the idiosyncrasies of simon's (and omar's) heritage because the rest of latin america tends to go overlooked in most other fandoms. so i don't intend to scold anyone with this. we can't all know everything about every other culture-- lord knows i don't know everything about sweden, but i want to be respectful to the country and its people and that is why i heavily research anything i don't know and ask people who do know when my research doesn't quite cover it and am open to corrections when even that falls short. i expect most of you come to write about simon's family background in good faith and also want to be respectful to his family's culture, and so i thought i might make things a bit easier for you all by putting the most common errors/misunderstandings i've seen in one handy post. but once again, it's not a call-out, i don't get offended by these things, and i'm in no way implying, if you've done any of these things in fic or in life, that you are a bad person. i understand people make mistakes when they don't know things.

disclaimer 2: i am not venezuelan myself. i was born and raised in the same general region of latin america, though, and i have venezuelan friends and have worked with venezuelan people and have visited venezuela. generally speaking, i feel their culture is very similar to mine (though our spanish is much closer to spanglish than theirs is, haha xD) and feel a deep kinship with them. but of course, i'm no native, and if you're venezuelan and catch anything here that you feel is incorrect, feel free to point it out and i'll add a correction in your name.

warning: this is very long. christ almighty. DX if you can't make it to the end, tl;dr-- feel free to ask if you have any questions or if anything isn't clear. my ask box/messages are always open.

1- "mijo." this is the only one that legit has caused me to click out of several fics/chapters, at least in the beginning, but i've learned to grin and bear it by now. it's not so much that it's wrong, per se, but rather it's more of a location issue. "mijo" is, to my ears, very much a mexican (or, if you stretch it, northern triangle) slang. it IS used sparingly in other countries, but rarely used unironically. instead, if you hear the term used in the caribbean region of latin america (which my country is part of, as is a large part of venezuela), it's almost always used… let's say sarcastically. for example, if your grown-ass adult friend is being a dumbass and doing something reckless, you might call out "oiga, mijo, se va a romper el cuello" ("hey, mijo, you're going to break your neck"). basically, it's a way of calling someone immature like a child. it doesn't have to be ENTIRELY unaffectionate (kinda like the way someone might call their significant other "idiot" or "dummy" but mean it endearingly. in fact, in colombia it's way more common for spouses to call each other "mijo/a" than it is for them to call their children that), but you can also use it with complete strangers-- like if someone cuts sharply into your lane while you're driving, you might yell at them "oiga, mijo, a donde le enseñaron a manejar, en un potrero?!" ("hey, mijo, where did you learn how to drive, in a horse paddock?!"). but even in these sarcastic/neggy cases, it's rare. and EVEN RARER to hear a mother call her children "mijo" or "mija" in this region. it's just not a thing. so when i read it in fanfic, it immediately takes me out of the story because it's so weird to me that linda would sound mexican-- it's a very distinctive accent, which carmen gloria 1000000% does not have. (plus, "mijo" in spanish is a type of birdseed. so it gave me a chuckle the first few times i read it in a fic because i always have that brief second of confusion where i go "why is linda calling simon birdseed?" before it clicks. xD i'm a dork.) it's much more likely that linda would just say "hijo" or "mi hijo," instead.

1b- the way you decide on whether to use "hijo" or "mi hijo" is important because "mi hijo" can sound overly formal in the modern context especially, much like it would in english. in fact, you can use the english version of it, "son" vs "my son" to guide you on which of the two to use. like for example, if linda were to say directly to simon "i love you, my son," she would sound oddly old-timey and anachronistic, so you would just use "son" ("hijo") in that case. whereas if she's talking about simon with someone else, for example saying "i told my son to be here on time," you'd be perfectly okay to use "mi hijo" in that sentence in spanish. it's very transferable in that case.

2- speaking of non-transferable, though, you can't use "cariño" in all instances you would use "sweetheart" or "sweetie." it really depends on the grammatical construction, and it can be tricky to get it right, but it depends on whether you're using it as a direct address or as an object. for example, if you're using it in place of someone's name-- say, a mother telling her child "te quiero, cariño" ("i love you, sweetheart/sweetie") is perfectly fine, because in that case, she could also say "te quiero, hijo" ("i love you, son") or "te quiero, simon" ("i love you, simon"). but if, say, simon says to wille "you're my sweetheart," you would not use "cariño" there; you'd go instead with some syrupy way to say "boyfriend," like "eres mi novio" or "eres mi enamorado" or even "eres mi amor," and if sara tells felice "you're a sweetheart," that would also not involve "cariño" at all. in addition, "cariño" is also very rarely used in plural; if linda is using a term of endearment for both her kids, or for a group of teens her kids' age, she would use a different term of endearment altogether: "hola, mis amores" ("hi, my loves"), "hola, bebés" ("hi, babies") or "hola, mis tesoros" ("hi, my treasures") among some examples. one exception is when you say "cariños míos" ("my sweethearts"), but very rarely the plural by itself. in fact, "cariño" is often slang for gift or present, especially in the diminutive-- for example, if you go to someone's celebratory party for some occassion (birthdays, graduations, baby showers, heck even christmas), you might hand them a small gift and go "te traje un cariñito" ("i brought you a small present"), and if it's more than one gift, or you're bringing gifts for several people, then you'd say "unos cariños" or "unos cariñitos" in the plural.

3- simon's skin is tan, not tanned. this… doesn't personally bug me as much because it's more of an english grammar issue, but i know people who might actually feel very offended if you get this one wrong with respect to them. "tan" is a color; a light shade of brown. "tanned" implies the original color of your skin has darkened with the sun. now, i'm sure simon can tan (lucky goat, says she whose skin burns even while indoors), but about 95% of the time "tanned" is used in YR fanfiction, it's used as a descriptor of the color of simon's skin as we see it on the show. that would imply his skin used to be lighter at some indeterminate before-time and has been darkened by the sun. this is incorrect; that is the natural color of simon's skin. so stick to "tan skin" instead (not tan PERSON, mind you. his SKIN is tan, he is not). and i would gently suggest that if you take away any single thing from this post, make it ESPECIALLY this point, as someone more sensitive than me might interpret this error as some kind of retroactive whitewashing. and i don't want anyone here to get in trouble for simply not knowing.

4- pabellón criollo is one dish, yes, but it's four different FOODS. it's not something a newbie would be able to make off of a recipe (i don't know how to make it and i've been eating it all my life), and it's not something that's likely to be taught in just one day. also, if you're bringing it to a dinner or a potluck, you're bringing four separate food containers, not just one.

4b- also, venezuelan food, for the most part, is not particularly spicy. you CAN make it spicy if you want, but traditionally, it is not. it's flavorful, maybe even saucy depending on the dish, but rarely spicy. i know the joke of white people being unable to handle spice is funny, but there's also plenty of us hispanic people who are equally terrible at it, because there's different levels of spice in the food from different regions of latin america. besides, as a friend of mine perfectly put: we are living in the 21st century now. if you can eat mild mexican food, you should be able to handle traditional venezuelan food just fine. and i'm pretty sure there's mexican food in sweden. plus, wille would probably be more used to international food-- not only does he have the means, but having traditional meals in foreign countries is kind of part of the job.

5- while i'm at it: simon is definitely half venezuelan. this is canon as of S2. there is no other place in the world where that dish is called pabellón. please keep that in mind when you're writing and researching.

5b- this, along with several of the points above, is important because it's a bit of diaspora trauma that whenever we venture outside of latin america and people learn we're latino, they immediately assume we're mexican, or that our culture and traditions are the same as those of mexican people. it happens often, and it's incredibly annoying. not that there's anything wrong with mexico or mexican people-- they're lovely, and their traditions and culture and food are fantastic-- but we are not them, and treating us like we are is reductive. the rest of latin america can be very different and incredibly diverse, and it can be dispiriting when people treat us like we're all the same. so that is why it is important when writing about simon, his family or his venezuelan roots, that you take care to actually research things as they are in venezuela, and not just pick the low-hanging fruit of latino facts you might've learned through pop cultural osmosis, which eight times out of ten will be mexican-only because most hispanic people in the US are mexican and the US exports its media all over the world. i've learned to just roll my eyes at it by now, but some people might actually feel offended or hurt, and i'm sure nobody here intends for that to happen.

6- although simon speaks spanish, neither he nor sara nor his mother nor any aspect of his mother's culture is spanish. "spanish" is what people from spain call themselves. people from spanish-speaking latin american countries are not spanish; we are hispanic, or latino/a/e. "latinx" is… let's call it controversial, at least outside of the US. most people born and raised in latin america don't like it; i personally don't get offended if people use it, but i don't use the term myself. also, you can say "latin food" or "latin music," but we usually don't refer to PEOPLE as latin, but rather latino/a/e. if in doubt, just use latin american or hispanic. they're also conveniently gender neutral.

6b- never use "the latino/a" on its own to refer to people. "latino/a/e" is an adjective, not a noun, so you would say "the latino boy" or "the latino man" but never just "the latino." kinda like it would be weird to point out the one japanese man in a room as "the japanese." there are some nationality/ethnic terms that just don't work as nouns in english.

7- spanish is not simon's one native language-- or at least not any more than swedish is. he grew up in a mixed-race household, speaking two different languages. it's pointless to call spanish his native language when comparing it to swedish. both are his native languages. also, while we're at this, wille is probably at least bilingual (i'm assuming he can speak at least english), although he only has one native language. it's hardly a competition between the two boys as to who's more of a polyglot.

7b- simon wouldn't take classes on the spanish language-- like to learn how to SPEAK the language-- since spanish is one of his native languages. he wouldn't take them at hillerska, nor in university, nor elsewhere. he wouldn't be allowed. you're literally not allowed to take classes on your native language, nor get credit for said classes. trust me, those would've been an easy extra 24 credits for me in college if that was a thing.

8- dear god please don't use google translate for your spanish translations. listen, i'm not judging-- i do it with other languages, too, when i'm in a pinch. but google translate is literally The Worst (tm) so i always try to either check with someone, or stick to the stuff i already know is correct. seriously, you don't want to know the kinds of crazy stuff GT can spit out that people actually put out in the real world; some of them are quite hilarious. if you're unsure, my ask box/messages are always open and i looooove helping people with this kind of thing, hispanic language and cultural stuff. i know it seems like i'm hardly around, but i do check my messages. don't be shy, even if it's something really small.

PS: while i'm talking pet peeves, malin is wille's bodyguard, not his butler. she's nice enough to attend to him at hillerska because there's no other palace staff around and she's literally stationed outside his door, but she wouldn't do that in the actual palace. there's other staff for that. she wouldn't even guard him at the palace, i don't think, because the royal palaces in sweden are guarded by the royal guard, not SÄPO. if anything, malin might spend the time while wille is in the palace grounds at a gatehouse (like in YR 2x03 and onwards) or at some kind of security office in the palace, and then get called whenever wille needs to go anywhere. she wouldn't be giving wille messages from the queen or walking guests to wille's room or anything like that. that's not her job. (sorry, i had to get that off my chest, lol.)

[foone]

Seeing that last ask actually makes me wonder.

Why'd you pick Foone? I get Turing, that's cool (and while I see why you didn't choose Alan for your middle name, FAT also just means File Allocation Table. I know, a bit silly of a reason why it'd still be cool, but it keeps with the computer theme) but what made you pick Foone?

Is it a reference to something? Is it a shorter version of a longer name?

okay so, foonelore:

I was playing a C64 game, and I lost and it asked me to enter my name. I entered "FOO", assuming it was just asking for initials. It wasn't, and would take more letters. I then tried to use the joystick to complete the name entry and restart the game, so I could play again. This instead entered "NE", turning my "FOO" into "FOONE". I liked this name, and I kept it.

As for why it entered "NE", well the C64 made an assumption that games would either use the keyboard or the joystick. So the joysticks are wired through the keyboard matrix. This was a smart trick to save on keyboard controller IO pins, but it does mean that moving the joystick will type random characters on the keyboard. Normally this isn't noticeable, as games are set up to ignore the keyboard when using the joystick, or vice versa.

And as for why "FOO", well, "FOO" has long been a nonsense word in the geek community. Basically it's used as a placeholder or metasyntactic variable, for meaning "this name doesn't mean anything", alongside BAR and BAZ and some others. Like if you were explaining how to add numbers in a programming language, you might say:

To add 1 to a variable, you type FOO += 1

The use of "foo" is to make it clear this is a replaceable placeholder, not an important part of the syntax. As for why Foo is a placeholder word... It goes back to a 1930s surrealist comic called Smokey Stover, which used it as a nonsense word. Reportedly this was because the artist saw a jade figurine with "foo" written on the bottom of it, and out of any context thought this was hilarious. It probably was there as a transliteration of the Chinese word Fú/福, meaning fortune or good luck.

So taking all these sources together, the name therefore would mean something like "contextless fortune, combined with glitchy nonsense". Which wasn't planned, but I think it fits.

It's also unrelated to the Mende man of the same name, who died in Connecticut in 1841, after being kidnapped from his home in modern day Sierra Leone by Spanish slavers. He was never a slave, even if his FUCKING GRAVESTONE GETS THIS WRONG, but never got to sail back home, as he drowned before the money could be raised to charter a ship home. Although fun fact: his gravesite is like 10 miles from where my dad grew up. Weird coincidences, eh?

Extra fun fact: that Foone drowned in the Farmington Canal, which no longer exists. It's only slightly weird that I named myself based on nonsense and it turns out to have been a name used by someone who drowned in a river that's not there anymore? just slightly.

[spanishskulduggery]

hello

i found a sentence that said "aquí te espero" which translate to "i'll wait for you here" and i wanted to know why

i read the sentence literally as "here you i wait for," so i ended up understanding the meaning eventually, but i see sentences like this a lot where the literal english translation seems to be "backwards" from the original Spanish.

what grammar rule makes it so that "aquí" and "te" are both before "espero" and when (if ever) is that rule broken, and how?

In Spanish the syntax [word order] has a lot of variability, but there are some rules at play here

I would say it's easier to think of it like this: in Spanish there's the subject and the predicate. The predicate is a whole entire bunch of words not just the verb. The subject has much more freedom, and can appear in different places. But the predicate has more specific rules.

A short example and I'll explain more below:

Hago eso. = I do that. Lo hago. = I do it. Yo lo hago. = I am the one who does that. Lo hago yo. = /I/ am the one who does that.

The yo has a lot of freedom to appear or not appear, and it can change places depending on emphasis. However, you'll notice that the lo can only appear before the hago

That's what I mean by the predicate having specific rules. Object pronouns have specific rules and can't appear just anywhere.

Your adverbs and the actual subjects are freer than the object pronouns; so they can be wherever for emphasis

So to answer your question:

Te espero aquí. = I'm waiting for you here. Aquí te espero. = Here is where I will wait for you.

The second one sounds a bit more emphatic or perhaps poetic to me personally, but not incorrect. It doesn't entirely sound natural for English-speakers but Spanish has a lot of freedom in its syntax.

Now the grammar...

First, the te.

The te is an object marker [I think it's a direct object pronoun if I'm not mistaken]

Without going into too much detail on the actual grammar, there are direct objects [the things that receive the action], indirect objects [to whom or for whom something is done], and the pronomials which are typically reflexive markers [a reflexive is when the subject and object are the same; like lavar el piso "to wash the floor" vs. lavarse "to wash oneself"]

Again, very quickly just for the sake of explanation:

Direct objects -> me, te, lo / la, los / las, nos, os

Indirect objects -> me, te, le, les, nos, os

Pronomials/Reflexives -> me, te, se, nos, os

According to the general rules for word order, if you have one conjugated verb, your object pronouns will ALWAYS go before the verb:

Lo quiero. = I want it. [direct object] Me gusta. = I like it. [indirect object; lit. "it pleases me"] Me siento. = I am sitting down. [reflexive, from sentarse] Me siento (bien/alegre/triste). = I am feeling (good/happy/sad). [reflexive, from sentirse; which in yo looks like sentarse but otherwise they conjugate differently]

This also applies to when you're using indirect + direct objects, and reflexive + direct objects. And that's the order they follow. I learned to memorize it by ID and R&D as a learning device:

Te mando el paquete. = I'm sending you the package. Te lo mando. = I am sending it to you. Te mando la carta. = I'm sending you the letter. Te la mando. = I am sending it to you. Me lavo las manos. = I wash my hands. Me las lavo. = I wash them. Me pongo la camisa. = I am putting on the shirt. Me la pongo. = I am putting it on. Me quito el sombrero. = I am taking off the hat. Me lo quito. = I am taking it off. [lit. me lavo las manos is "I wash myself the hands"; because if it's reflexive it can only be "my own" hands. If you washed someone else's hands that's a different construction]

*Note: In their infinitive forms [the dictionary forms; hablar, comer, vivir etc. - an unconjugated verb], the reflexive ones end in -se. This is especially true if they change meaning; levantar "to raise" or "to lift" vs. levantarse "to get up" or "to stand up"

This same order also applies to commands... for example cómpralo is "buy it" made up of attaching the lo to a conjugation of comprar "to buy". You could make it indirect for cómprale "buy it for him/her". And as a reflexive (or possibly indirect) + direct object command - cómpratelo "buy it for yourself"

...

Where you see more variation for object pronouns is when you have one conjugated verb and one unconjugated verb

You have two options: everything in front, or attach it all to the unconjugated verb:

Lo quiero comprar. = I want to buy it. Quiero comprarlo. = I want to buy it. Le voy a mandar la carta. = I am going to send him/her the letter. Voy a mandarle la carta. = I am going to send him/her the letter. No se van a acordar de eso. = They aren't going to remember that. No van a acordarse de eso. = They aren't going to remember that.

...I'm also purposefully not mentioning indirect 3rd person + indirect 3rd person because the indirect object le/les turns to se when you have lo/la used and it's annoying but if you'd like more information:

Anatomy of Spanish: Direct Objects

Anatomy of Spanish: Indirect Objects

~

Same also applies if you end up using a progressive [verbs typically ending in -ando, -iendo, or sometimes -yendo]

La estás asustando. = You're scaring her. Estás asustándola. = You're scaring her. Les sigo contando la historia. = I keep telling them the story. / I continue to tell them the story. Sigo contándoles la historia. = I keep telling them the story. / I continue to tell them the story. Se están enamorando. = They're falling in love. Están enamorándose. = They're falling in love.

You may also find multiple verbs chained together and same rule applies:

No te puedo seguir mintiendo. = I can't keep lying to you. No puedo seguir mintiéndote. = I can't keep lying to you.

...

In general I'd say whichever you choose is valid. Sometimes one is regionally preferred, though at least where I am in the US it's more common to add your object pronouns at the very end if there's multiple verbs, especially if there's a lot of them

Note: In a negative construction that the no or negation word comes before any object pronoun or verb; this is just to make it clear that the whole thing is negative

-

Second, the adverbs. Adverbs have much more changeability than object pronouns, but they generally follow patterns.

Adverbs typically come at the very beginning of the clause or at the very end of it

In this case "here" is an adverb [describing the "waiting"]

You could say either te espero aquí or aquí te espero

It's the difference between "I'll wait for you here" and "here I will wait"

The more words or adverbs or expressions you add, the more you can add variation - often with commas:

Te estaré esperando aquí mismo. = I will be waiting for you right here. Estaré esperándote aquí mismo. = I will be waiting for you right here. Te espero esta noche. = I'll wait for you tonight. Esta noche te espero. = Tonight I'll wait for you. Ya no te puedo esperar. = I can't wait for you anymore. Ya no puedo esperarte. = I can't wait for you anymore. No puedo seguir esperándote. = I can't keep waiting for you. No te puedo seguir esperando. = I can't keep waiting for you. Aquí mismo, y con muchas ganas, te espero. = Right here, with great excitement/anticipation, I'm waiting for you. Te estoy esperando aquí mismo en el jardín. = I'm waiting for you right here in the garden. Estoy esperándote, aquí y ahora, en el jardín. = I'm waiting for you, right here right now, in the garden. Aquí y ahora y con muchas ganas te espero. = Right here and now, I'm eagerly awaiting you.

I have personally found that the more verbs you add, the more you find it all attached to the verb in the end.

And so on. You get the idea. Some constructions are more popular than others, but all make sense and are considered valid in context.

The te and its placement has strict rules, but everything else is kind of loose. You'll notice that te is always attached to the verb, either right before it or right after it depending on if there are other verbs.

I find that in these kinds of expressions it's all about what you feel is right and what you feel emphasizes the right thing. Spanish is very flexible.

[tokidokitokyo]

Tips for Writing Sentences in a Foreign Language - for Beginners

Having studied 3 foreign languages at varying degrees of intensity and success - Japanese (I flatter myself to be fluent), Spanish (I can ask some simple questions and possibly crudely insult someone), French (I can say a few well-sounding phrases and then smile & nod when you respond). When beginning studies in languages, one of the most challenging things is to jump from the set beginner phrases from the textbook into creating your own sentences (gasp).

From my own language studies, plus experience TA'ing first year Japanese, I have a few tips for beginners on taking that leap into creating your own sentences. These will probably lean heavily on Japanese because that is the language I have the most experience with, but they are applicable to other languages too.

1. Just start making sentences!

It sounds simple, but it's the best way to start. Writer's block? Write about what you are doing, what you want to do, or write an introduction. Worried about speaking? Talk to yourself about what you are doing, what you want to do, or introduce yourself to yourself. You don't have to write or say anything world-shaking, but getting started is the first step. You can start by modeling sentences you've already seen. If you have an example textbook sentence, try modifying it to make your own similar sentence.

PS. Your sentences don't have to be perfect either. If you notice a mistake later, just go back and correct yourself!

2. Don't try to translate the phrase from your native language EXACTLY into your target language.

Languages don't always translate exactly, but also, sometimes your skill isn't advanced enough to say the same things you can say in your native language. If you don't yet know the appropriate grammar, vocabulary, or syntax of what you want to say, not being able to say exactly what you want can be frustrating and lead you to feel defeated (personal experience here). Instead, think of how to put the idea you have into a sentence using the knowledge you DO have.

If you have just started learning a language, it might be too much to directly translate "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily" (thanks, Ockham's Razor). Instead, why not try to translate "Simple is best"?

3. Avoid heading straight for the dictionary if possible when there is a word you don't know in your target language.

If you don't have the vocabulary word you need in a sentence, you might be tempted to go to the dictionary and look it up and throw it into your sentence. Whilst TA'ing first-year Japanese, this led to me puzzling and scratching my head over what the student was trying to say in their homework (hey, it's not my first language either!).

While using the dictionary to learn new vocabulary is obviously a must, when you are just starting out with sentence building it can also be a roadblock. When conjugating verbs is new to you, try using the verbs you do know to explain your idea. If you don't know a vocabulary word, selecting the right one for your context from a list of words with similar definitions can be difficult. If you don't quite know how to explain what you want to say, try rephrasing it until you can compose a less complicated sentence. Or break it into several sentences - you can work on complicated sentences when you're more comfortable with simpler ones!

Another bonus is that learning to explain what you want to say in your target language when you don't know the vocabulary is a helpful lifelong skill (that I still use today in Japanese). It can be frustrating to not be able to say exactly what you want to say in your target language at first, but if you just keep practicing you will get there.

4. Practice making sentences on the fly.

Writing allows you more time to think out the sentence, go back and make changes, and work things out more slowly. Speaking, on the other hand, is more challenging because you have to make your mouth form the words you are thinking, and do your best to make the sentence make sense to your listener. While writing sentences helps me to remember how to write hiragana/katakana/kanji and reinforces grammar (I learn best by writing it out!), speaking out loud helps your brain and your mouth learn to work together in your target language.

Don't have anyone to talk to? That's ok! Talk to yourself. Talk to your imaginary friends. Talk to your pet or your houseplant or your favorite figurine or stuffed animal. Just practice putting sentences together out loud, in real time. I promise you will notice improvement if you practice daily!

5. Don't be afraid of making mistakes!

But even if you do just throw in the dictionary word and your professor/study buddy/language exchange partner has to ask you what you were trying to say, that's ok! Making mistakes is ok! That's how you learn. Don't be afraid to be wrong, to be mocked and ridiculed.. ok, you most likely won't be mocked and ridiculed. (If you are, please find new language friends.)

Language learning is about making mistakes. Even now, after YEARS of studying and speaking and even doing interpretation/translation... I make mistakes (gasp). And it's ok. Ok, sometimes I think about the mistakes I have made in conversation in the middle of the night, but I'm working on that too. One day, you'll look back, and realize that agonizing over particles and which kanji to use and whether or not you would sound dumb when you were speaking to a native speaker is not the part you remember. You will remember when you could barely write your name in katakana, and realize that suddenly you can talk about your favorite hobby in exacting detail.

6. Don't practice in a vacuum.

Practicing sentences, written or spoken, on your own is fine! It's a great way to learn and improve your language skills. But I would recommend not spending all your time studying and practicing in a vacuum. There are lots of online ways to get your writing or speaking corrected (paid or not), and I would recommend taking advantage of them. I have gotten into the habit of using certain words that are too informal or that are not correct in the context I wanted to use them in, and it took a native speaker to point them out since I had become so used to using them (and so sure that I was right). So make sure to practice your language outside of your own head, and you will be able to improve even more.

So, what next?

Get out there and start making sentences! Write them, say them, and just practice. Don't stress about being perfect or making sentences that will change the course of history... instead, just start making sentences!

頑張ってね！

[dirtytransmasc]

I did explain it a bit in the reblog but since some are interested in the Siblings code/language, I thought I'd explain it a bit here.

So, grammar is pretty much nonexistent, and syntax is irrelevant.

The code is made up of 6 core languages; Klingon, Spanish, Hindi, Elvish (LOTR), Welsh, & Latin.

(I say core because frankly, the siblings would eventually pick up more languages, real or fictional, and it would end up being incorporated.)

English and Na'vi aren't used in the code since it evolved as a means for the siblings to openly communicate without being understood, and most of the adults around them know at least one of those 2 languages.

In terms of how exactly the code is structured, it'd be similar to how the Navajo code was used in WW2 but not exactly.

Words are almost never direct translations, so the word they'd use for 'water' wouldn't literally be 'water' in Klingon, Spanish, etc. The translations are parallel in a sense.

(Example: In Navajo code, they used 'Iron fish' for a submarine.)

Now, since they use at least 6 different languages in the code, there are multiple code translations for a single word, and all of them would/could be used.

The trick to understanding the code is to a) adopt an 'abandon all hope, ye who enter here' mentality and b) pay attention to what sibling is speaking and their tone/emotions.

To give you an idea of how that works, I give you context regarding each sibling.

Ro'eyk uses Klingon when referring to/talking about tech-related things, specifically objects.

Rävi favours the 'softer' or 'poetic-sounding' languages, like Latin or Elvish, when it comes to family or kinship terms and when expressing emotion.

Reyzì has a tendency to Welsh for verbs, Klingon for nouns, and Spanish for adjectives.

Spider is tricky because he, more often than not, just mimics the sibling he is talking to.

Collectively, the Siblings tend to use Hindi when talking about more 'spiritual' matters.

Additional Languages that I would see thrown in are Ancient Greek and Old English, mostly for the use of root words.

When it comes to sentence structure, it once again depends on the sibling, what they are trying to say, and the emotion behind it.

In high-stress situations, for example, they will cut out what they feel are 'unnecessary words'. Instead of saying "Spider's mask is broken" they would instead say something similar to "Spider broken [mask]"

Note: Situational context matters when it comes to what translated word is used. One translation of the word 'broken' is specific to Spider's mask and is only ever used in the context of his mask breaking or malfunctioning.

(Extra Note: The siblings have very specific words/translations that they use solely when referring to/or in context to Spider. Examples include words like 'danger' and 'protect' where a specific translation means 'danger to Spider' and 'protect Spider' respectively.)

I love the way you think so much, developing a whole coded language on a whim and hyperfixation.

[motsimages]

When the Breen get to Damar's ship, Damar can't understand them and comments that he would have his translator ready for it if he had been told in advance. Later on, he can understand the Breen as well as Weyoun but, we, the audience, can't. Does it mean that because the Federation has virtually no contact with the Breen and we, Humans, are part of the Federation, we don't have a translator ready for it?

We have seen that the translator can deduce the grammar, syntax and phonetics of a language it has never heard and it can apply what it knows about other languages to translate into, at least one Human language (I assume it's English in DS9). Why can't it translate that Breen language into English then? How weird is Breen that the Human audience of the series can't listen to the translation?

What we hear from the Breen and what Weyoun translates/explains/replies to makes it look like the Breen are concise and don't require much words. English seems to always be longer (according to the translation we hear of Vorta speech, of course). In my experience translating from French and English into Spanish, English is always shorter than Romance languages so this is an interesting change.

It also sounds mechanic, so maybe the Federation's translator is not used to these sounds and as such, it cannot pick up language from it. It gets confused and thinks it's a machine or cannot identify words. In that case, it would be the phonetic database missing data. That seems to me the easiest explanation, but if it's not it, we are in for a treat when it comes to Breen languages grammar.