New to Spanish. Am I learning it right?

[Hyaline]

Hola everyone!

I started learning Spanish today. Yes, hoy. Since I'm learning it online on my own, I'd like to know if the source I'm getting information is reliable.

For example, here is a sentence from the tutorial:
"I have a dog, do you want it?" and the translation in Spanish is "Tengo un perro. Lo quieres?"

Or this one:"I have it today if you want it", the translation given in the lesson is: "Lo tengo hoy, si lo quieres."

Is this correct?

Can I trust this guy? Because right now everything seems pretty easy and I get this stuff even though I'm bad at learning languages.

Thank you for your time.

[Rusty]

¡Hola! Welcome to the forums!

Yes, all you've been taught is correctly worded.

I would just warn you that the pronunciation of the language, if not done by a native speaker, could be wrong. I've listened to some of the videos out there which are done by well-meaning anglos, and they aren't satisfactory.

To make sure you're learning the correct pronunciation, either befriend a native speaker to augment your learning experience (highly recommended) or look for a program that is taught by a native speaker.

The Spanish spoken in Spain differs from the Spanish spoken in Latin America, and there are variations from region to region. You should learn how Spanish is spoken in a country you'd like to visit.

[Hyaline]

Thank you!

I befriended a native Spanish speaker and this is why I started learning the language :) but it's a surprise for now and she doesn't know I'm learning it. I want to impress :)

Rusty, since you've seen the source, could you tell me what variation of Spanish is it (Spain/LA). And how big is the difference? The person I befriended is originally from Columbia but I want to visit Spain in the future too. What would you recommend me to learn? Can people from Columbia understand "Spanish" Spanish and people from Spain understand Columbian "Spanish"?

[Rusty]

The instructor was using British English and spoke Spanish with an English accent to some degree. His pronunciation of the 'ción' ending is common in Spain. That is not what you'd hear in Latin America. That said, both your Columbian friend and a Spaniard could understand each other. It's safe to say, however, that the differences between Mexican Spanish and Peninsular Spanish (that which is spoken in Spain) can be as pronounced as the differences between British and American English. If you hadn't heard the British accent before, and if you didn't try to learn a few of the different words they use there, you would encounter some difficulties if you were to visit. The Spanish listen to Latin American Spanish and vice versa, just like we listen to British actors, so the Spanish-speaking world isn't oblivious to the regionalisms used.

[Hyaline]

Oh, ok, thank you :) English is not my native language and I learned British English at school in my home country. After I moved to the States, I did not encounter major problems with the language. I will continue learning from the British instructor and will try to find a few other sources so I can see the difference between the LA/Peninsular Spanish.

And, of course, I will keep posting on this amazing forum. I'm loving it :)

[Rusty]

Some native speakers have recorded snippets here in our forums for your listening pleasure. Look here (http://forums.tomisimo.org/showthread.php?t=4779), for example.

[Hyaline]

Thank you, I'll take a look.

[Caballero]

Can I trust this guy? Because right now everything seems pretty easy and I get this stuff even though I'm bad at learning languages.

Yeah, I feel the same way. I was surprised at how much Spanish I can actually understand, with only about 2 months of study--it's very easy to read anything written in formal, academic Spanish. By contrast I took German for two years in Middle school, and still can barely understand anything. That's the good thing about Spanish. The hard part is speaking and writing it. I'm slowly getting better at speaking it though. Yesterday I was able to order una enchilada de queso y fajitas de pollo all in Spanish, and chat to the waiter in Spanglish. Me gusta comida mexicana.