I wish I had been born in the US (Miami: live in, place)

[Loggerhead Shrike]

The media likes to make the Southern accent equivalent to ignorant but I think it is the coolest American accent! Love it

[johnny0881]

Southern accents are cool, I guess. In New York they are very rare but we do have a few Southerners living up here. The accent from North Carolina on females is the sexiest American accent in my opinion.

Dinero, it's funny you mentioned you want to learn Italian because I think after I'm done with Portuguese, i'm going to jump right into Italian. Learning a language that no one in your vicinity uses can, at times, be discouraging. It has happened with me and Portuguese. Despite the decent amount of Brazilians in NYC, none of them are my friend nor do I encounter any Portuguese speakers on my day-to-day so I have close to zero opportunities to practice it. I'm iffy about using Skype and social media with complete strangers and sometimes I'm shy about striking up conversations with strangers. I try to learn on my own and practice it when I encounter Brazilian people at bars. I seem to become semi-fluent with the language when I have a few beers on me LOL. I also keep myself motivated by constantly watching TV shows, comedy skits and news from Brazilian TV and YouTube videos. I would love to learn French as well. I heard it can be a very challenging language. So basically Portuguese, then Italian, then French. That's the order I want to learn my target languages in. From easiest to hardest.

[Dinero]

Originally Posted by johnny0881

Southern accents are cool, I guess. In New York they are very rare but we do have a few Southerners living up here. The accent from North Carolina on females is the sexiest American accent in my opinion.

Dinero, it's funny you mentioned you want to learn Italian because I think after I'm done with Portuguese, i'm going to jump right into Italian. Learning a language that no one in your vicinity uses can, at times, be discouraging. It has happened with me and Portuguese. Despite the decent amount of Brazilians in NYC, none of them are my friend nor do I encounter any Portuguese speakers on my day-to-day so I have close to zero opportunities to practice it. I'm iffy about using Skype and social media with complete strangers and sometimes I'm shy about striking up conversations with strangers. I try to learn on my own and practice it when I encounter Brazilian people at bars. I seem to become semi-fluent with the language when I have a few beers on me LOL. I also keep myself motivated by constantly watching TV shows, comedy skits and news from Brazilian TV and YouTube videos. I would love to learn French as well. I heard it can be a very challenging language. So basically Portuguese, then Italian, then French. That's the order I want to learn my target languages in. From easiest to hardest.

Portuguese is the easiest language to learn for a Spanish speaker. I like Italian better, though. It makes for me to continue with Italian rather than starting another language because I already know the basics. I can read and understand plenty of words and sentences.

[johnny0881]

Originally Posted by jwolfer

I used to work with a girl from Peru, her family ended up in Jacksonville when she was 15. So finding kids who spoke only English was much easier. She said like you she lost her accent by mimicking TV. She is 30 now and sounds like a native of the US, but it took work.

Another thing that the OP has going for you... He actually learned Spanish. There are many Hispanics who learn Spanish at home, and it is their first language but they are for all intents and purposes illiterate in Spanish. They can not write a formal business letter in Spanish and have not read literature in Spanish. I learned Spanish in high school and actually ended with a BA ins Spanish. I have come across numerous Spanish speakers who don't really know grammar etc. One of my professors in college shared an article with us in class, for the benefit of the non-native speakers and to give us encouragement..( I searched it but could not find it online.) It described how companies set up Latin American operations in Miami and there were cases where they lost business based on the poorly written letters to potential clients in Buenos Aires etc

I agree about the fact that many Hispanics in the US do not know how to properly write Spanish. Most of them can get by speaking it, understanding it and making themselves understood with common Spanish. Once they step it up a notch into business Spanish, the language becomes as foreign as Italian or French. They have no clue how to write it properly or how to write their concepts and thoughts in proper Spanish grammar. Written Spanish is more difficult than many people imagine. I have even tested myself with Spanish and English online proficiency tests and I ALWAYS score considerably higher with English than I do with Spanish despite Spanish being my first and native tongue and the only language I spoke for the first 12-13 years of my life.

[johnny0881]

Originally Posted by Dinero

Portuguese is the easiest language to learn for a Spanish speaker. I like Italian better, though. It makes for me to continue with Italian rather than starting another language because I already know the basics. I can read and understand plenty of words and sentences.

Yes, Portuguese is the easiest language for us Spanish speakers. The grammar is extremely similar to Spanish but sound-wise, it's way harder than Italian. There are those who think Italian actually is the easiest but I disagree. Italian grammar is very different from Spanish and the intelligibility level is considerably lower without knowing the language. You should definitely continue with Italian, then perhaps move to Portuguese. Your third romance language will become much easier if you have two in your pocket already. I had an uncle who spoke Spanish natively and fluent Italian and he understood Brazilian Portuguese very easily, much easier than your average Spanish speaker does.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by Dinero

I guess I can only dream. I know very well is never going to happen. I have met people who have been living here for decades, and even though they speak English with better fluency than I do, they still have an accent and make some mistakes. I speak Spanish perfectly, but I don't give a crap about it. I avoid speaking it unless is really necessary when someone doesn't speak any English. All hope is lost, such is life, ladies and gentlemen.

If this is a serious post, then your problem isn't your accent. First you need to change your attitude. If you wake up and think "I have no hope. I'll never be successful," that's the first big obstacle to overcome. I understand what it feels like to give up hope. I was born in the U.S., but I had a very difficult family life and poor health, so I battled depression and low self-esteem. You have your whole life ahead of you and the way you feel inside is what you will attract on the outside.

[Sugah Ray]

Yeah if I had been born in the US, if my parents were as beautiful as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. If my grandfather was Bill Gates or Warren Buffett.

If only...

Language acquisition is a very complex process that even scientists don't understand very well. Some studies have even shown that if your mother is not a native speaker you might have a more difficult time discriminating some sounds when you hear them.

http://cogprints.org/743/5/plast.pdf

[mechgator]

Originally Posted by johnny0881

Yes, Portuguese is the easiest language for us Spanish speakers. The grammar is extremely similar to Spanish but sound-wise, it's way harder than Italian. There are those who think Italian actually is the easiest but I disagree. Italian grammar is very different from Spanish and the intelligibility level is considerably lower without knowing the language. You should definitely continue with Italian, then perhaps move to Portuguese. Your third romance language will become much easier if you have two in your pocket already. I had an uncle who spoke Spanish natively and fluent Italian and he understood Brazilian Portuguese very easily, much easier than your average Spanish speaker does.

^^^
Agree. The thing about Portuguese, is that in addition to having the European and Brazilian variety, within Brazil you have various different accents that make it hard to even native speakers from other regions to pick up.

Thus for any one who is already a Spanish speaker and interested in learning Portuguese, I would recommend that one concentrate on pronunciation and on getting used to the sounds that native speakers make when talking. Portuguese sounds real different from Spanish when being spoken by native speakers!

For those of you who speak Spanish, there is a video on Youtube, 'O mundo segundo os brasileiros - Miami', watch it and try to see how much of what is being said you can pick up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLOJx4K5YlU

[jwolfer]

Originally Posted by mechgator

^^^
Agree. The thing about Portuguese, is that in addition to having the European and Brazilian variety, within Brazil you have various different accents that make it hard to even native speakers from other regions to pick up.

Thus for any one who is already a Spanish speaker and interested in learning Portuguese, I would recommend that one concentrate on pronunciation and on getting used to the sounds that native speakers make when talking. Portuguese sounds real different from Spanish when being spoken by native speakers!

For those of you who speak Spanish, there is a video on Youtube, 'O mundo segundo os brasileiros - Miami', watch it and try to see how much of what is being said you can pick up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLOJx4K5YlU

I have no problem at all reading Portuguese. The lexicon is about 85% the same as Spanish but it sounds so different! Portuguese has ~13 vowel sounds and Spanish has ~5. Good thing for native English speakers, Portuguese has sounds that are common with English but not in Spanish, for example the "j" in Portuguese is like English and French.

There are some good Brazilian movies to watch to hear some Portuguese

City of God/ Cidade de deus
Seashore/Beira-mar
Central station/Central do Brasil

[tinytrump]

stop beating self up! get a grip -put on the pantalones and stop looking at the negatives- none perfect- attitude will make you prosperous- change the stinking thinking and give it all you got! I am a female- beat OUT 300 applicants in a male environment and left them behind when I got the promotion- I NEVER think I wont make it- nor I can't and taught my sons same- My youngest got a GED as he quit school-- this year made $96K no kidding--- just made boss- in the cable trade-- he uses a phone app to talk to Spanish speakers- find a way type of guy-- but has the work ethics that I taught him- took him HIGH up the ladder -you need a life coach or something-