Chile Forum

would you guys recommend this? I tried doing previous searches for this topic and came up empty, so I thought I'd ask! Currently, my husband and I, along with our 3 boys are researching everything we can about Chile'. We own a business that may require us in Chile' after May! I'm trying to be active in my research and have been looking over the posts on these boards! Anyway, what do you think of the teacher online? I can try to get someone as close to Chile' as possible. I want to know how to converse as much as possible if we do end up going down there.

My other option is contacting people I know around here (Utah) that speaks Spanish to teach me the basics? Which would you do? Thank you in advance!

Check out the Skype website. Tons of people all over the world wanting to converse with people in another language. All free. Not lessons per se unless the person on other end has experience teaching but if you already speak some Spanish it's good. Make sure and look for people in Chile as Chileans swallow letters, speak fast, have tons of chilenismos, etc. You could maybe look at exchanging an hour in English for an hour in Spanish. Other services besides Skype offer this.

And by all means if you can find CHileans near you it would be a good head start. Failing that any spanish speaking person.

Cool thing on the horizon:
http://news.discovery.com/tech/google-w ... riers.html

I didn't even think of Skype. I will pursue that ASAP and see where it leads me... though I don't know Spanish at all! I don't think Dora qualifies me I have been hearing that Chileans speak fast and swallow some letters and was looking for someone as close to Chili as possible... here in Utah I've never met anyone from Chile' I'm sure someone is here, but not in the country where I live. However, there are many Latinos that I was thinking of asking for extra help! Thank you for your quick response, and I look forward to reading more. This journey we have begun is an overwhelming thing at time,s and your opinions and advice are greatly appreciated. that Google technology looks very interesting as well... that would be a wonderful feature to use!

Actually if you do no speak Spanish at all than some basic intro spanish classes might help. From any Spanish speaker..... It helps to lear the language properly before mastering how to screw it up. I have friends who swear by rosetta Stone. I do not know anything about the product.

PenquistaDeCorazon wrote:Actually if you do no speak Spanish at all than some basic intro spanish classes might help. From any Spanish speaker..... It helps to lear the language properly before mastering how to screw it up. I have friends who swear by rosetta Stone. I do not know anything about the product.

OP can check out the generally positive reviews on Rosetta Stone Latin American Spanish on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Rosetta-Stone-Spa ... 114&sr=8-2

Re OP interest in a product that would help with uniquely chilean language features.... probably not going to find that, other than a couple of small books and some websites that list the chilenismos. Brennan's "Chilean Jungle" was a popular work on Chilean slang when it was available. The currently available "Chilenismos" book by Daniel Joelson is liked by some, arguably not as good as Brennan's book.


For woefully advanced readers beyond the 300 level there is an amusing site by a chileno whose real name I have forgotten, who I think now lives in California, having had the good sense to flee Chile. He now offers his chilean-flavoured view of the world, in Spanish, at times through invented words, such as...

eurocracia: (Del fr. Europe, Europa, y -cratie, -cracia) 1.- Organización europea regulada por normas, escritas en varios lenguajes, que establecen un orden irracional para distribuir y gestionar los asuntos que le son propios. 2.- Conjunto cacofónico de servidores públicos europeos. 3.- Influencia excesiva de los funcionarios públicos europeos. 4.- Administración europea ineficiente a causa del papeleo, la rigidez, las traducciones y las formalidades multilenguales superfluas.

and via humour reminiscent of Bierce's Devil's Dictionary:

ANARQUÍA f. No es la mejor forma de gobierno, pero desde luego es mejor que ningún gobierno.

and occasionally useful references to truly chilean items including indigenous voces that have entered the common parlance here

machi: Bruj. Médico-brujo mapuche, generalmente de sexo femenino. Tiene una relación especial con un espíritu, el cual la ayuda a mediar entre el mundo de los humanos y el de los seres extranaturales. Frente a su {casa, choza, morada, vivienda} suele encontrarse un árbol [sagrado] de canelo. Del mapudongo machi, 'curandera'. (Chi.)

merkén: Culi. Condimento muy típico de los mapuches cuyo uso se ha extendido hoy a la gastronomía chilena de clase alta. Consiste en ají seco, tostado o ahumado, molido con sal. El autóctono Puré Picante realizado con merkén queda absolutamente fatal. Del mapudongo medken, 'moler', 'desmenuzar'. (Chi.)

as well as slangish terms that may be used in Chile and other locations

matasano: Medic. Doctor. Origen obvio. (Chi., Méx. y Ven.)


Warning.... this guy's website is rated as adult-content... But for those with a decent command of the language, an appropriately open mind and extended sense of humour, and an excess of free time and intellectual bandwidth, there are some gems and grins here that can enhance one's facility with the language that Cervantes would be now ashamed to recognise.

http://www.levieuxcoq.cl/

I just noticed that you can use Google translator, type in for example "How are you?", and translate it into Spanish. You get back "¿Cómo está usted" and you can hear the pronunciation as well. This should help you get started in practicing key words and expressions.
Ciao, Bellissimi!

prettypilot2002 wrote:.... though I don't know Spanish at all! .!

I picked up the introductory Spanish 4 CD set from Pimsleur last month. Pure audio, learn by repetition and listening. Perfect for the Metro ride into town. I was going to buy the professional set for just under $400 on ebay, then walked across the street to the local library where I can sign it out for free. Downloadable to the mp3 player. 10 minutes of research saving 400, do the math.

If you purchase the intro set above, DO NOT get it through PimsleurApproach on the web until you understand that they will then charge your CC for a ton of extra money every month unless you cancel. Read the BBB report on them. Or just get it off of ebay for about 10 bucks. Great intro for those that have nada knowledge of the language.

thank you everyone... I will begin looking into each of these options... I do have a couple learn Spanish cds for the car I'm going to start ASAP. Our company just bought Rosetta and I think I will ask one of my Latino friends to help me out so I can practice conversing with others!! Nice to have a plan in place now

Prettypilot,

If you don't mind me asking, what's your company and what are you going to do in Chile?

If you do mind, well I completely understand?

we may be coming into Chile' to increase mine safety. Our company tracks miners underground and gives miners gps and cell phone capabilities

prettypilot2002 wrote:we may be coming into Chile' to increase mine safety. Our company tracks miners underground and gives miners gps and cell phone capabilities

Excellent. Previous administrations in Chile have an abysmal record of miner safety. Let's hope that your efforts are fruitful.

saludos

I second the Pimsleur option... my local (in the states.. before I moved) library had all the CD's available... I listen to them while I do dishes because (*gasp*) I don't have a dishwasher here. It is very helpful in getting you used to hearing and responding in Spanish... one thing I didn't like about it is that they don't go over much grammar. But there are books for that as well. What part of Utah are you coming from? I have family in Cache Valley.