This blog post is actually a re-post of an email that I sent to my customers back in 2007. Before I moved to Medellin, Colombia, and when I still lived in Barranquilla on the Atlantic coast of Colombia.
Here it is . . .
I am emailing you to tell you about an interesting experience I had while in Colombia while at a “centro comercial” (shopping mall) overhearing a conversation between a native Spanish speaker and a gringa who spoke Spanish fluently.
I didn’t want the two of them to notice that I was listening to their conversation but I couldn’t help admire how well the American woman pronounced her Spanish words as she clearly pronounced each and every word that she spoke.
But as I paid closer attention, I noticed that the native Spanish speaker did something the American woman did not do.
Let me explain by example.
The American woman said: “La abuela hace esas cosas.” The grandmother makes those things.
And when she said that sentence it actually sounded like she said “La abuela hace esas cosas.
”
But when the native Spanish speaker said “La abuela hace esas cosas,” it sounded more like:
Labuelacesas cosas.
Let me correct that. It didn’t just sound as if the native Spanish speaker had said “labuelacesas cosas” the native Spanish speaker had, in fact, said “labuelacesas cosas.”
I wasn’t hearing things. Or to be more precise, I was NOT NOT hearing things.
The Spanish speaker spoke very quickly and had taken 4 of the 5 words and ran them together to create one separate word — for a total of two words:
Labuelacesas cosas.
But when the American woman spoke, she said five distinct words:
La abuela hace esas cosas.
I have a friend in Barranquilla, Colombia that teaches both Spanish and English at the university. He has a background in linguistics, especially phonetics. And he explained to me that there is actually a name for what I heard the Spanish speaker do.
It is called “word linking.” Word linking occurs when a speaker takes two or more words and connects them or runs them together.
Word linking can occur in several different ways in Spanish. But one of the most frequent occurrences of word linking takes place when the last letter of a word is the same as the first letter of the following word. When this happens, the two words are pronounced as a single word.
So “la abuela” becomes “labuela” and “hace esas” becomes “hacesas.”
And “labuela” and “hacesas” becomes “labuelacesas.”
How To Sound More Like a Native Spanish Speaker
If you can master Word Linking, you will sound more like a native Spanish speaker. And if you can master word linking, you will also be able to understand native Spanish speakers better. And when they speak naturally, it will not sound like rapid fire from a “metralleta” (machine gun) to you.
This is one of the main reasons why I have always insisted that Learning Spanish Like Crazy only uses native Spanish speakers and native Spanish instructors.
I want to be not only sure that you learn how to speak real Latin American Spanish, I want to be sure that you understand it when you hear it spoken naturally.
From listening to native Spanish speakers, I have picked up a few habits to make my pronunciation mimic theirs.
When I say “Nací en Nueva York” (I was born in New York), I actually say “Nacíenueva York” or “Nacíen-ueva York”
And if I were to say “blusa nueva” (new blouse), I would say “blusanueva” or “blusan-ueva”
UID_50841476###
Mainkan slot online gacor di Agentotoplay dan nikmati peluang Maxwin terbaik!
UID_44053434###
test morning
UID_83203765###
Dunia Film Gratis! 🍿🎥 Tonton Film Gratis di LK21 dan Raih Kesempatan Menang Besar yang Tak Terduga! 💸🔥 🎬
UID_63505214###
Sensasi Hiburan Tanpa Batas! 🎬🔥 Nikmati Sensasi Hiburan Tanpa Batas di LK21 dan Peluang Menang yang Menanti! 💥 🎉
UID_73229804###
yg kygini buat indexing mayan
UID_71145013###
Ini dia! 📢🎉 Fenerbahce Dekati 16 Besar Liga Europa dengan kemenangan spektakuler! 🏆⚽️
UID_33318432###
Ini yang di ganti >>> 😱🚨 Kejadian Gila! Pria Hancurkan Fasilitas Taman di Malang! 🚧🏃♂️.
UID_47000771###
Streaming lebih seru di lk 21 tanpa buffering.
UID_83731332###
Streaming film jadi lebih mudah dengan layar kaca 21.
UID_97407895###
Yuk, maraton film di layar kaca 21 sekarang!
UID_43757086###
Koleksi film terlengkap ada di indoxxi.
UID_27011249###
Jangan sampai ketinggalan film terbaru di indoxxi.
UID_87212262###
Tonton film terbaru di indoxxi dengan subtitle Indonesia.
UID_86325828###
Temukan film favoritmu di layarkaca21 dengan resolusi terbaik.
UID_88654138###
Nonton film dengan subtitle Indonesia hanya di idlix.
UID_92063078###
Mainkan slot favoritmu di Agentotoplay dan nikmati kemenangan maksimal dengan fitur free spin melimpah! 🔥🎁
UID_71804096###
Agen Toto Play menghadirkan slot online gacor dengan RTP tinggi dan peluang jackpot besar setiap hari! 🎰💰
UID_82375370###
Mainkan game favoritmu di Agen Toto Play dan raih kemenangan spektakuler dengan fitur slot gacor terbaik! 🎊🔥
UID_67604011###
Menangkan jackpot besar bersama Agentotopay, situs terpercaya dengan permainan slot gacor dan layanan terbaik! 🔥🎯
UID_39035559###
Jangan ketinggalan film terbaru hanya di lk21.
UID_49830205###
Situs terpercaya Agentotoplay siap memberikan pengalaman slot online terbaik dengan kemenangan maksimal! 💰
UID_11426154###
Bergabunglah dengan agen Toto Play untuk menikmati permainan taruhan online paling seru dan menguntungkan! 🎯
UID_61411251###
Rasakan sensasi bermain slot gacor Agentotoplay dengan RTP tinggi dan peluang jackpot besar! 🎰🔥
UID_57599291###
wasiaaaappppp
UID_83003169###
Kenalan yuk! 🤝 Dengan guru inspiratif ini, Guru Dede Sulaeman yang mengajarkan cara merapikan pakaian di kelasnya. 👕👚🎓
UID_18563832###
Ini yang di ganti >>> Yuk, ketahui lebih lanjut tentang Syarat Gabung OECD dan Pentingnya Ratifikasi Konvensi Antisuap di sini! 🕵️♀️🔎📚.
UID_95859078###
Baru-baru ini, para pemain Mahjong Wins 3 dikejutkan dengan bocoran RTP yang diklaim bisa meningkatkan peluang kemenangan secara signifikan. Banyak yang percaya bahwa informasi ini membantu mereka mendapatkan hasil yang lebih konsisten dalam permainan. Jika Anda ingin tahu lebih lanjut, cek bocoran RTP Mahjong Wins 3 hari ini dan lihat apakah strategi ini benar-benar efektif.
UID_25978847###
situs terbaik hanya di slot gacor agentotoplay
UID_74743238###
Ini dia! 🎉🎉 ASN BKN Ubah Pola Kerja yang baru dan efisien! 🎉🎉.
UID_57092237###
Berita gembira! 🎉 Pasokan Gas 3 Kg di Kramat Jati Kembali Normal 🎊 Siap-siap belanja gas, ya! 💪🔥
UID_53550706###
Berita terbaru! 🔥 Isa Rachmatarwata Ditahan Kejagung dalam kasus Jiwasraya. 🚔👮♂️
UID_72942561###
Berita Hot! 🔥🔥 Isa Rachmatarwata Tersangka Kasus Jiwasraya Buntut kerugian negara hingga 16,8 Triliun! 😲😲
UID_71301169###
cek info berita dana desa terlengkap hanya disini !
BWER is Iraq’s go-to provider for weighbridges, ensuring durability, accuracy, and cost-efficiency in all weighing solutions, backed by exceptional customer support and maintenance services.