Hola amigos!

I've been learning Spanish for years but no, I'm not fluent.  To be honest, I'm espantosa at it, but I love everything about Spain and its culture. But recently, I finally accepted that I'm never going to be able to listen to Spanish tv or radio, or earwig a conversation on holiday; it just isn't happening for me.  However, on this sleety Friday afternoon, I googled "Spanish Forum" - and voila -  oops, wrong language -  here I am.

It's ages since I was invovled in a forum and I've missed logging into one and finding out what other people have to say about things.  

Hi and welcome!!!    Don't give up or modify your ambition to be fluent - just keep going.   And remember there are different levels of fluency - you don't have to be able to understand everything in order to communicate.  I promise you, you will have a better experience in Spain if you can speak the language reasonably well!!

Also, if you are in Andalucia, it is one of the most difficult regional accents to understand.  If you go to Madrid, you will hear beautiful Spanish - much easier to understand and you will feel very pleased with yourself!! 

I've lived here seven years and I still find it difficult understanding certain people and I often get lost when people are talking. It's normal here to have everyone talk over the top of others and that's when I can count myself out of any conversation.

The best thing to do is watch the news as the newsreaders are well-spoken and very clear. It's a good way to get used to listening to the Spanish language. There are a couple of soap type programmes on Antenna3 in the afternoons that are based in old times and they also speak very clear and precise. You simply start from there and it will help a lot.

As Roly2 says, Andalucian is very difficult to understand because their pronunciation of Spanish is nothing like it should be. Don't give up though, you'll get there one day, as I hope I will too.

By coincidence,   I was chatting with a Spanish friend, from Madrid,  yesterday.

She said (joke, or may be not ! ).

There was this English guy staying with a Spanish family in Andalucía to improve his Spanish.  Every day he heard the word ‘Amonos’.  Despite searching the dictionaries and online etc. he could not find the root of ‘that verb ’  until he realised they were  saying ‘Vámonos’

Andaluz !

Whilst you're here, Johnzx, I'd like to ask you something.  You will be able to answer it, having lived in Spain for years and integrated into your local community.

How is the letter 'V' spoken?  My Spanish teacher insists we say a 'B' sound (which is what I do) but almost every British person I have heard speaking Spanish says a 'V' as a 'V'.  Does it really matter or does it depend in which part of Spain one is....or is it just too difficult for us Brits to change the way we see some letters.  Many thanks for your advice in advance. I'm guessing as long as one is understood, nobody really cares!

Middlemack, as you say those who make the effort to speak any Spanish tend to pronounce the ‘V’ as in victor, but then  most almost speak Spanish with an English accent and then cannot understand why the Spanish do not understand them !

I am no expert but I am with you on that the pronunciation should be ‘almost the same ‘ as ‘B’ ball, but maybe a little ‘flatter.’  But as you say unless the word one  is using can be confused with another, as maybe in Baca de coche (roof rack) and Vaca, (a cow)  then one will probably get by.

I had a Spanish friend, who could not read or write.  He told a joke.  “Why do people in Lepe Huelva (that's where they tell 'Irish jokes' in Spain)  keep a cow on the roof of their cars?  To eat the grass’.  He explained that the spelling of the word for roof rack (baca de coche) and the word for cow (vaca) were the same.  As I said he was illiterate so to him the two words sounded exactly the same. 

PS   I have dual Irish and British nationality so I guess I can comment on 'Irish Jokes' without being Politcally incorrect !!!

Spanish is a "lazy" language, the same as most Romance ones. It depends on where your mouth is when the letter comes out. For example, bino (for vino) is easy because it doesn't mean moving the mouth too much.  However, habla (talks) is easier with the b sound as the mouth is simply closed after the a and the there is no need to move the mouth and teeth as you would have to do if you pronounced it havla.

Try it with a couple of words but keeping the mouth movement to a minimum. Ave (abe) for bird and so on. Viquini (Bikini). Buenos (as opposed to Vuenos which would put your teeth over your bottom lip).

Keep mouth movements to a minimum.

Thank you so much for the help with pronounciation, Johnzx and Mariedav.  You have confirmed all that I've been told by me Spanish teacher...who is Spanish, by the way!  Perhaps I'm being pedantic, but so often I listen to others that are learning Spanish say, 'I love the Spanish language' yet they don't make the effort to pronounce it correctly.

To get the lispy sound make sure your tongue is at the roof of your mouth.     

Can I suggest you watch some of the nature programmes, and stuff that is dubbed.  They tend to be slow and clear.  The news is good too, but they talk pretty fast.   Two 'soap' suggestions when they are on a rerun - El Barco, and Pulseras Rojas (which is Catalan so dubbed).   Try La Voz too.     Don't try sports commentary though - I still find that a challenge at times!!!

Thanks everyone for replying to my introductory post.  I don't think I have a problem with pronunciation, it's my listening that's at fault.

I'm not in Andalucia.  My heart is in Andalucia but alas, the rest of me is in Lancashire.  I've been trying to listen to Spanish tv progs for a couple of years eg. Saber y Ganar and, just recently, Espana al ras de cielo, bits of the news, bits of cookery progs, and Spanish music.  But I've got thorougly disheartened because I just CANNOT progress.  It just hasn't happened.  I seem unable to think fast enough to change what I hear into sense.  It's like someone saying to me: "while you're there place for a holiday visit ronda fantastic is malaga".  Everybody else understands " malaga is a fantastic place for a holiday, vist ronda while you're there", but my mind doesn't process it.

I'll give El Barco, Pulseras Rojas and La Voz a go.  I might as well watch a bit of Spanish telly, there's not much on our telly.

Even though I don't understand much of Espana al ras de cielo ( I think that's what it's called), I still love the ariel photography and the content of the prog.  Roman gold mines in Spain?  Who'd have thought that!