Whatever perspective you’ll look at it, the Spanish language is a very powerful one. You see and hear Spanish-language newscasts, television shows, music, and movies, apart from the Spanish-language newspapers and books (especially those by Paulo Coelho and Gabriel Garcia Marquez) you read. Even the elements of the Spanish number system alone should be enough to point out how alive and colorful the Romance language is.
Numbers Booboos
Unfortunately, some people have taken it upon themselves to desecrate Spanish. Any Spanish number is now fair prey to men who have no business displaying wrong interpretations of the said numbers. Spanish, and any language for that matter, certainly deserve a better treatment.
Take for instance, Chad Johnson of the National Football League. His jersey, with the number 85, spells out “ocho cinco.” Anyone familiar with numbers would know that the accurate translation for 85 is “ochenta y cinco.” It is of the opinion that he changes his number or he changes his name.
Another usual mistake is in writing the dates in Spanish-language letters. For starters, US dates are expressed in month/date/year while Spanish dates are written in date/month/year – this is particularly true for dates are written only in numbers. On the other hand, if the dates are expressed as a combination of words and numbers, the proper way of writing them in Spanish is 14 de augusto 2008; notice that the said language does not call for the capitalization of the first letter of the month.
Avoiding Number Blunders
Because practice makes perfect, it is best that you test your knowledge on the Spanish number system. If you have already memorized them, you’ll have no problems in reciting them in proper order.
Advantages of Sufficient Spanish Number System Knowledge
Spanish-speaking companies are prevalent and this shall give you enough reason to be familiar with the correct formatting of Spanish numbers. If you work in a multi-national company, you’ll agree that often, you’ll find some Spanish details in certain documents such as shipping and emails. You don’t wish to have communication gaps so you better master the Spanish number system by heart.
It is also to your advantage when ordering out. In the US, Mexican food is famous and the fact is, many diners that offer this kind of food speak very little or no English at all. You don’t like to end up ordering more or paying more just because of your incorrect Spanish numbers. In this scenario, it is definitely more manageable to learn how to count from one to one hundred (in Spanish, that is) than to pay one hundred dollars more.
If you happen to live in Miami or Los Angeles, definitely you must have come across Spanish-speaking individuals whose English needs a little work. Or, if they happen to speak English, they would still prefer to use their mother tongue. If you do know how to speak Spanish, you will have no issues getting around town.
Lastly, being knowledgeable with Spanish numbers also means more understanding of the Spanish language. Later in your Spanish lessons, you’ll learn that these numbers also function as pronouns. Therefore, master these Spanish numbers now and you will truly appreciate the language even more.
Así pues, ahora comience sus lecciones españolas y aumente su número de amigos y de negocio.
The Spanish number can do a number on you when you least expect it. Learn your numbers, Spanish lessons being the most effective. Learn faster at LearnSpanishReviews.com and get the Free 3 eBooks MiniCourse to Learn Spanish. In no time at all, “numbers spanish” is as easy as uno, dos, tres. Visit http://www.LearnSpanishReviews.com now!
Posted on August 22nd, 2008 | Filed under Speak Spanish | No Comments »