Spanish For Dummies!
I just got back from a great class - we have to take a certain number of classes per year to keep our license current - and I wanted to recommend this guy if you're in the market for a "quick and dirty" Spanish lesson! He has two books out at present:
Spanish for Rednecks and Spanish Translator for Pharmacy Professionals
His name is Samuel H. Lowe, and here's why he's the funniest Spanish teacher I've ever had!
We started the day by learning a little about him. He was born in Spain, to a Spanish mother and a South Carolinian military father. Thus, Sam says, he is a Hick-spanic. He spoke only Spanish until he was 15, when his family moved to SC (and he met his Aunt Frances, who taught him to speak Southern).
Sam explained a little about the Hispanic culture for us, so we could get a better idea of where our customers are "coming from." Seems the HIspanics like their soap operas as much as the rest of us - he says his mother has a Hispanic Attack if anyone turns off the telenovela! We then began our lesson by creating our own little telenovela, in which Alejandro learns that Isabella is pregnant and tries to determine the father of the baby! This was acted out, complete with sombrero, serape, and fake mustache for Alejandro, and shawl and flower barrette for Isabella - don't tell Sam's mom about the shawl - he said she doesn't know it's gone yet!
As we worked our way from pronouncing letters to counting and naming colors, Sam made everything easy to remember. We sang Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and La Cucharacha (with new words to help us remember what things meant). We drew pictures linking words and ideas. We made rhymes and jokes (A Canadian rabbi is shipwrecked on a desert island. His only companion is a pig. He looks up at God and says, "Why Pork,eh?" In Spanish, "why" is "por que").
We also learned a lot about Sam and his family. Evidently, Sam was quite the mischievous child - each day, when he came home from Catholic school, his mother would ask him how many times that day the nuns had told him he was going to Hell! Once, he overheard two nuns talking about him - one said that he was the son of the devil! This hurt his feelings, but as he was hidden in one of the confessionals snacking on (unconsecrated) communion wafers at the time, his mother had no sympathy.
We then progressed to simple phrases, and again, Sam illustrated these with stories from his childhood. His Aunt Frances was as southern as grits. "It's a wonder I learned English at all!" Sam told us. "It's hard enough learning a new language without an aunt who can make a one syllable word come out with three!" He illustrated in his best Southern drawl: DAY-umn-uh!
His father wasn't much help - Dad was of the "just learn it" school of education. Little Sam asked him once why all the adjectives were backwards in English (in Spanish, the noun comes before the adjective, which does make more sense). Dad replied, "Because that's the way they are! Do you have any more questions?" Sam thought about it. "Why doesn't Donald Duck wear pants?"
The Spanish Sam teaches is geared for our job, too. As a medical profession, I really don't need to be able to tell my HIspanic customers that I'm going to the store, or driving to Texas. I do need to be able to ask them for their symptoms, find out personal information, and explain how they are to take their medication. Sam's book gives exactly that information in a concise, easy to understand style.
One of the things he stressed is to speak clearly and plainly when you have a customer who doesn't speak very good English. Leave off the slang and thick accents. He told us about the time he asked his father what "Habba Habba" meant, and his father was dumfounded. "Where did you hear someone say that?" "That guy was singing it," Sam explained, "Habba Habba Blue Christmas!" "Oh, that's Elvis," Dad said. "Elvis may speak English, but he sings in Elvis."
That must be what they mean by "The King's English," Sam mused.
You also need to remember your intonations. "In Southern, everything sounds like a question!" Sam explained. If you've ever heard a really Country Southerner, you know what he's talking about -- whenever they end a sentence, their voice goes up. Sam says it took him months to realize that Aunt Frances wasn't asking if this was her house - she was telling them it was!
My favorite story of the day was used to illustrate "va a" (basically, "going to," as in future tense of something). Young Sam (angel that he was) was informed that he was going to appear in the Christmas play. This was OK with him, as he thought he was going to be the Little Drummer Boy. His mother told him he was going to be a sheep. She also refused to listen to any of his excuses reasons for not being a sheep.
Poor Sam was stuffed into a costume ("a onesie with a sheep's nose, eyes, and ears sewn on top, and a place cut out for my face, right below the sheep's nose!") and was horrified. "I don't look like a sheep!" he exclaimed. "I look like a little boy being eaten by a sheep!"
Mother informed him he was going to wear the costume and appear in the play, "por que si" (because I said so)! We learned a lot of extra words that weren't in the textbook, too.
Cut to the night of the play, Little Sam stood in line with the other animals in the barn, but when it was their turn to make the appropriate animal noises, he snuck off stage. Soon it was the sheep's turn to say "VA A!" (see how clever Sam is?) - and here came the sheep, full speed ahead, sliding across the stage on his knees. "Help!" he yelled, "I'm the Little Drummer Boy and I'm being eaten by a sheep!"
Pah rum pa pum pum.
Sam Lowe does a great job of teaching exactly the Spanish that is needed to accomplish our jobs in the medical field. After this class, I feel that I understand my Hispanic customers a lot better, and I know that I am going to be able to communicate much more effectively with them. This is essential when dealing with potentially dangerous medications, and Sam really helps you to learn what you need to say in any situation which may come up.
I am taking my textbook to work -- not only will I use it constantly to look up new words, but I'm going to start teaching my technicians how to speak Spanish! Maybe I'll tell them the one about the Rabbi ...
Spanish for Rednecks and Spanish Translator for Pharmacy Professionals
His name is Samuel H. Lowe, and here's why he's the funniest Spanish teacher I've ever had!
We started the day by learning a little about him. He was born in Spain, to a Spanish mother and a South Carolinian military father. Thus, Sam says, he is a Hick-spanic. He spoke only Spanish until he was 15, when his family moved to SC (and he met his Aunt Frances, who taught him to speak Southern).
Sam explained a little about the Hispanic culture for us, so we could get a better idea of where our customers are "coming from." Seems the HIspanics like their soap operas as much as the rest of us - he says his mother has a Hispanic Attack if anyone turns off the telenovela! We then began our lesson by creating our own little telenovela, in which Alejandro learns that Isabella is pregnant and tries to determine the father of the baby! This was acted out, complete with sombrero, serape, and fake mustache for Alejandro, and shawl and flower barrette for Isabella - don't tell Sam's mom about the shawl - he said she doesn't know it's gone yet!
As we worked our way from pronouncing letters to counting and naming colors, Sam made everything easy to remember. We sang Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and La Cucharacha (with new words to help us remember what things meant). We drew pictures linking words and ideas. We made rhymes and jokes (A Canadian rabbi is shipwrecked on a desert island. His only companion is a pig. He looks up at God and says, "Why Pork,eh?" In Spanish, "why" is "por que").
We also learned a lot about Sam and his family. Evidently, Sam was quite the mischievous child - each day, when he came home from Catholic school, his mother would ask him how many times that day the nuns had told him he was going to Hell! Once, he overheard two nuns talking about him - one said that he was the son of the devil! This hurt his feelings, but as he was hidden in one of the confessionals snacking on (unconsecrated) communion wafers at the time, his mother had no sympathy.
We then progressed to simple phrases, and again, Sam illustrated these with stories from his childhood. His Aunt Frances was as southern as grits. "It's a wonder I learned English at all!" Sam told us. "It's hard enough learning a new language without an aunt who can make a one syllable word come out with three!" He illustrated in his best Southern drawl: DAY-umn-uh!
His father wasn't much help - Dad was of the "just learn it" school of education. Little Sam asked him once why all the adjectives were backwards in English (in Spanish, the noun comes before the adjective, which does make more sense). Dad replied, "Because that's the way they are! Do you have any more questions?" Sam thought about it. "Why doesn't Donald Duck wear pants?"
The Spanish Sam teaches is geared for our job, too. As a medical profession, I really don't need to be able to tell my HIspanic customers that I'm going to the store, or driving to Texas. I do need to be able to ask them for their symptoms, find out personal information, and explain how they are to take their medication. Sam's book gives exactly that information in a concise, easy to understand style.
One of the things he stressed is to speak clearly and plainly when you have a customer who doesn't speak very good English. Leave off the slang and thick accents. He told us about the time he asked his father what "Habba Habba" meant, and his father was dumfounded. "Where did you hear someone say that?" "That guy was singing it," Sam explained, "Habba Habba Blue Christmas!" "Oh, that's Elvis," Dad said. "Elvis may speak English, but he sings in Elvis."
That must be what they mean by "The King's English," Sam mused.
You also need to remember your intonations. "In Southern, everything sounds like a question!" Sam explained. If you've ever heard a really Country Southerner, you know what he's talking about -- whenever they end a sentence, their voice goes up. Sam says it took him months to realize that Aunt Frances wasn't asking if this was her house - she was telling them it was!
My favorite story of the day was used to illustrate "va a" (basically, "going to," as in future tense of something). Young Sam (angel that he was) was informed that he was going to appear in the Christmas play. This was OK with him, as he thought he was going to be the Little Drummer Boy. His mother told him he was going to be a sheep. She also refused to listen to any of his excuses reasons for not being a sheep.
Poor Sam was stuffed into a costume ("a onesie with a sheep's nose, eyes, and ears sewn on top, and a place cut out for my face, right below the sheep's nose!") and was horrified. "I don't look like a sheep!" he exclaimed. "I look like a little boy being eaten by a sheep!"
Mother informed him he was going to wear the costume and appear in the play, "por que si" (because I said so)! We learned a lot of extra words that weren't in the textbook, too.
Cut to the night of the play, Little Sam stood in line with the other animals in the barn, but when it was their turn to make the appropriate animal noises, he snuck off stage. Soon it was the sheep's turn to say "VA A!" (see how clever Sam is?) - and here came the sheep, full speed ahead, sliding across the stage on his knees. "Help!" he yelled, "I'm the Little Drummer Boy and I'm being eaten by a sheep!"
Pah rum pa pum pum.
Sam Lowe does a great job of teaching exactly the Spanish that is needed to accomplish our jobs in the medical field. After this class, I feel that I understand my Hispanic customers a lot better, and I know that I am going to be able to communicate much more effectively with them. This is essential when dealing with potentially dangerous medications, and Sam really helps you to learn what you need to say in any situation which may come up.
I am taking my textbook to work -- not only will I use it constantly to look up new words, but I'm going to start teaching my technicians how to speak Spanish! Maybe I'll tell them the one about the Rabbi ...