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So what does an "American" Spanish accent sound like to people who are native, fluent speakers? Can you tell?
What do you mean? From Hispanics born and raised in the US with parents who speak Spanish as a native language, but the kids grew up in an English language school?
If yes, then they definitely sound very obvious to me, as there are millions of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Cubans in the Northeast US that were born and raised in PA, NJ, NY, and CT and have an American-like accent in their Spanish. To me it's day and night, plus they very frequently mix in English words, and their syntax is often wrong but still better than a "gringo" speaking Spanish.
I visited Puerto Rico and had an interesting conversation ordering breakfast. I learned my limited " espanyol-restaurante" in SE Texas from Mexicans from point of background. I order "Quisiera huevos y tocino". They answer back "eggs and what???". I'm trying to stay in espanyol as most PR'cans speak pretty good English and will try to switch to English if they suspect that you're a gringo. I'm trying to improve my Spanish so I stay in character. T-O-C-I-N-O (Mexican and I think Spain Spanish for bacon). They then say "So joo want bay-CON or joo want sausage wit da eggs?". Ooooo. Bacon. Turns out at least in that part of PR the Spanish tocino has been Americanized into bacon but with the accent changed to the second syllable.
I found that some verbs are different too including Mexicon swear words that have total different and acceptable meanings. I also had co-workers from S. America and they were different in other ways from Mexican and textbook Spain Spanish most of gringos learn. PR is great though for visitors, they really appreciate even feeble attempts at our trying to speak their national language from 1493 (Chris Columbus) to the 1898 invasion of Spanish PR by the USA. Actually it's still one of their "co"-national languages. I've visited 6 or 7 times since the 80's and I've never been in a situation somebody in the room didn't speak English, even if the person I originally needed to talk to didn't. They are very helpful generally and the fluent in English folks are quite friendly - they help translate and then tell you about the time they worked for 4 years in NYC or Miami or whatever and honed their English chops. Unlike a lot of Caribbean and other worldwide destinations you really don't need to worry about language barriers.
What do you mean? From Hispanics born and raised in the US with parents who speak Spanish as a native language, but the kids grew up in an English language school?
If yes, then they definitely sound very obvious to me, as there are millions of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Cubans in the Northeast US that were born and raised in PA, NJ, NY, and CT and have an American-like accent in their Spanish. To me it's day and night, plus they very frequently mix in English words, and their syntax is often wrong but still better than a "gringo" speaking Spanish.
I was thinking more along the lines of "gringo" Spanish. Like I'm in my twenties and I'm learning Spanish, if my grammar and conjugation was perfecto and I moved to say.... Colombia, do you feel that they would be able to tell that I wasn't from there?
I was thinking more along the lines of "gringo" Spanish. Like I'm in my twenties and I'm learning Spanish, if my grammar and conjugation was perfecto and I moved to say.... Colombia, do you feel that they would be able to tell that I wasn't from there?
You'll likely always have an accent regardless of how flawless your grammar is, especially if you learnt the language in your 20s.
Of course you will have an accent and we would be able to tell that you have learned it. We have different accents yet, we can tell who is a native speaker and who speaks it as a second language.
I was thinking more along the lines of "gringo" Spanish. Like I'm in my twenties and I'm learning Spanish, if my grammar and conjugation was perfecto and I moved to say.... Colombia, do you feel that they would be able to tell that I wasn't from there?
Yes. You will always have an accent no matter how hard you try. You will need to enlist the services of an accent coach in order to get rid of it. But, even then, your accent will slip in and out. That's my situation. I moved to the mainland US before I was 10, but a few people can still detect an accent if they listen very carefully
for the first few years in Colombia people will know straight away that you are not colombian or even a native spanish speaker. Depending on your skill with languages (for example having a musical ear helps a lot) you can develop and perfectionate the local accent to the point where you will be almost taken for a native speaker (after some good years, 10-20-30, maybe never) I have been speaking English for 20+ years and French for 10+ years and English native speakers know almost immediately that English is not my native language. It is much more difficult for them to identify that my native language is Spanish, tho, because I'm good with accents, so that's already that.
nevertheless, don't worry too much about having an accent. If you can express what you have in mind fluently and people are able to understand you, and you can understand them, that's already pretty good, there is no need to have a perfect native accent.
for the first few years in Colombia people will know straight away that you are not colombian or even a native spanish speaker. Depending on your skill with languages (for example having a musical ear helps a lot) you can develop and perfectionate the local accent to the point where you will be almost taken for a native speaker (after some good years, 10-20-30, maybe never) I have been speaking English for 20+ years and French for 10+ years and English native speakers know almost immediately that English is not my native language. It is much more difficult for them to identify that my native language is Spanish, tho, because I'm good with accents, so that's already that.
nevertheless, don't worry too much about having an accent. If you can express what you have in mind fluently and people are able to understand you, and you can understand them, that's already pretty good, there is no need to have a perfect native accent.
Yeah exactly. 99% of people appreciate that you can speak the language. Getting rid of your accent is just whipped topping on the milkshake. The milkshake still tastes good without the whipped cream
Strangely enough I only speak conversational Spanish buuut people tell me that my Spanish accent is way milder than my English accent. Like when I speak English people can tell right away that Im not from here, but when I talk Spanish most people assume Im from Argentina or Spain...
Strangely enough I only speak conversational Spanish buuut people tell me that my Spanish accent is way milder than my English accent. Like when I speak English people can tell right away that Im not from here, but when I talk Spanish most people assume Im from Argentina or Spain...
You live in NYC, how many of those people you talk to are actual native speakers and not born and raised in NYC?
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