The basis of social protocol in the Hispanic culture is acknowledging the presence of another person when you enter or leave their space.  This is usually done with a:
1.   a greeting
2.   a farewell
3.   a request for space or attention
4.    a blessing on their meal
It is considered rude and reflects badly on your mother (who gave you a poor education) if you don’t use appropriate protocol.
1. The greetings are cheerfully said to everyone you pass, especially to all with whom you make eye contact. 

     BUENOS DÍAS = “Good morning,” used from daylight until noon.
     BUENAS TARDES = “Good afternoon,” used from noon until 7 P.M. or dark.
     BUENAS NOCHES = Good evening from 7 P.M. or dark. Sometimes it may get dark before 7 P.M.
     ADIÓS can be said to a person in passing. For example anytime you pass someone on the street and you make eye contact, it is good to say adiós.
    Adiós literally means “to God” and is considered a high greeting, not just good-bye.
     HOLA = “Hi.” It  is an informal greeting which can be used with children or good friends. Otherwise, it is usually combined with a formal greeting like this:
    HOLA, BUENOS DÍAS = “Hi, good morning.”

2. Farewells are usually said with:

   ADIÓS.  HASTA LUEGO. =
“Goodbye, until later.”
   or
ADIÓS. BUENAS NOCHES. =
“Goodbye, good night.”
It is common at a party to go around and
say good night to everyone present before one leaves. This is called a despedida.

3. Request for space or attention is very important.
In Mexico, people have a different level of spatial comfort than in the U.S. or Canada, where people may feel uncomfortable when someone is closer than arm’s length.
In Mexico people are comfortable at elbow’s length. As a result it is common for people to seem to be crowding, or to be “balled up.”

If you need space to pass by, simply say:

CON PERMISO, POR FAVOR = “With your permisson, please.”
This request will quickly be answered by people moving and sometimes saying:
PROPIO = “It’s yours.”
As you pass through, you can say:
GRACIAS, ADIÓS = “Thank you, goodbye.”

Con permiso is also used to request attention. In hispanic cultures the attendents in a retail store will usually not wait on you until you request help unless you are in a tourist area.
So in most cases they will linger back attentively until you ask for help. Raising your hand and saying con permiso, por favor  will get you service. And don’t forget to smile!
Waiters will not bring you the check at a restaurant until you ask for it. It is considered rude and is like asking you to leave if they bring you the check without your request. When you are ready for the check, simply call the waiter or waitress with a raising of the hand and say:

LA CUENTA, POR FAVOR. = “The check, please.”
Joven, senorita (to get the attention of a waiter/waitress … if the waiter is older, you can say señor or señora) – it’s considered rude to call a working person by their occupation, e.g. mesero or mesera.
When you leave don’t forget to say:
MUCHAS GRACIAS and smile!
    It is good to be generous with tips.

When you enter the space where someone is eating, it is courteous to say:

BUEN PROVECHO.
This translates as “I hope you get the most from your meal.” It is a blessing on their meal. People will always look up, smile, and say GRACIAS.
It is common in a restaurant to say buen provecho as you pass a table of people eating, whether you make eye-contact or not.  People really appreciate this gesture and it is a sign of good breeding.

Using these four areas of social protocol has many benefits.
1. It connects you with other people and helps you to overcome your psychological fears about using Spanish.  When you do this and people respond, there is a little voice in the back of your mind that say, “Yes, this language is real and it works!” This connection is very empowering.
2. It shows respect for the hispanic people and lets them know that you are indeed “educated” and know the social niceties of their culture.
This is important because hispanics usually perceive Americans as cold or even rude because we don’t commonly greet each other in our culture.
Use the social protocol every day, everywhere. It is important. Es muy importante.

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Spanish has two you’s, just like in English where we have the
“you” =  you formal
and
“thou” =  you informal.

In English the “thou” form has become obsolete in daily life. However, in Spanish, both formal and personal forms are used. It is important to use them appropriately.

You usually won’t offend people if you use the wrong “you.” Spanish-speakers are very forgiving and usually appreciate the fact that you are trying to speak their language. If you don’t know a person, it is usually better to use the “you formal”  to show respect.

Women should use caution not to use the personal you (tú), with a man until she develops confidence in him. A man may misinterpret the use of the personal you as an invitation to intimacy. If a man is using the personal you (tú) with a woman inappropriately, she can simply say, Usted, por favor, and he will get the idea.

You probably won’t be on first-name basis with most people, so the formal you will be more appropriate most of the time.

OK, HERE IS A BASIC LIST OF RULES;

YOU formal (Usted) vs. You personal (tú)
The formal you (USTED) is used with:
1.    people whom you don’t know or whom you don’t call by their first name.
2.    people who are in authority over you, or to whom you wish to show respect.
3.    people who are older than you.
4.    people with whom you have no level of intimacy or confidence.
The Personal You (TÚ) is used with:
1.    people with whom you are on a first-name basis.
2.    people with whom you are on equal terms.
3.    people who are younger than you.
4.    people with whom you have a level of intimacy or confidence.

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You will need these simple phrases to defend yourself. (As they say in Spanish):
    No Entiendo = I don’t understand.

    Repita por favor = Repeat please.

    Despacio por favor = Slowly please.

    No hablo español muy bién =
I don’t speak Spanish very well.

    Necesito practicar mi español =
I need to practice my Spanish.

Gracias por su paciencia =
Thank you for your patience.

Remember to smile and be kind, even though you might feel frustrated.  People want to help but sometimes patience is required.  Leave on a happy note, you never know if you will be standing in front of the same person asking for help again five minutes later.

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The Total Immersion Myth

You’ve heard it a hundred times: "If you really want to learn a foreign language, you have to start with a total immersion course in the target language’s country." And every time you heard it, it was wrong.

In a total immersion Spanish class, the only language spoken is Spanish. No other language is allowed. All teaching and explanations are in Spanish.

Now imagine the scene. You don’t speak a word of Spanish, but you’ve been told to start with a Total Immersion program in Mexico. By living in the culture, immersing yourself in the language all day, you’re sure you’ll go home in a few weeks speaking fluent Spanish.

At the school, they give you a placement test and tell you you’re a beginner. (Well, you knew that.) Your new teacher greets you. Or you assume that’s what it was but since it was in Spanish, you’re not sure. You smile back. Then he starts talking at you in Spanish and you have no idea what he’s saying. He talks louder, gestures, holds up objects and points, pouring this stream of foreign sounds over you.

It’s only the first day and already you’re lost.

If you’ve studied any foreign language in a classroom anywhere, you know how difficult it can be to grasp critical concepts even when the explanation is in your own language. Now imagine trying to do all that when it’s delivered in a language you don’t understand. When you think it through, it’s a crazy idea.

But there is a place for total immersion in language learning and I want to explain where it fits into the way adults learn.

What Comes First?

Research has taught us that adults are left-brain dominant learners. We like to know how to put sentences together structurally before we start speaking them. The problem with total immersion teaching for adults has always been the critical question: How do you clearly explain grammar and language constructs and develop fluent speaking skills at the same time.

My life’s work has been to develop a method that does just that. It’s based on the premise that you have to begin at the beginning and build in a logical pattern. My foundation course teaches the tenses and grammar of Spanish by using a paired learning method. Students work with partners in timed exercises called games while being facilitated by native Spanish speakers. They use flashcards and workbooks to interact in Spanish while learning correct sentence structure. This "cross-training" teaches language structure and develops speaking skills at the same time.

And it’s fun. You understand what you’re doing. Everyone has a chance to develop. And no one ever has to "perform" for the class.

After you’ve gone through all four levels of the Foundation Course (96 hours), you’ve learned all the tenses of Spanish and developed an ability to use them. And that’s when your speaking skills will advance at lightning speed by interacting with native speakers.

After each level of the Foundation Course there is a Skill Development Course using the structure you just learned. In Warren Hardy’s conversation classes you practice Spanish in specific contexts with native speakers in class and in the streets of San Miguel. Because you have a solid foundation in the language, you know how to self-correct and understand when corrected. Progress is smooth and fun. There are four levels of Intermediate Conversation Spanish at Warren Hardy which coincide with the Foundation Courses.

After this Intermediate Conversation level, you’re ready for advanced training. This is called total immersion! This experience takes you into Spanish mind. You move from Spanish Learner to Spanish Practitioner. You speak and hear Spanish only for days at a time. This is when you break through and become fluid in Spanish.

Many Warren Hardy students graduate to total immersion schools. When they report back they all say the same thing. “I am by far the oldest person in my class, but I’m the only one who knows what’s going on. Everyone comes to me for help.” 

You see, there is a place in adult language learning for total immersion. The myth is that immersion is the place to start.

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A MARGARITA ON THE ROCKS WITH SALT, PLEASE.

I have been an aficionado of tequila and margaritas for years. I have certainly enjoyed my quota of both.
El tequila is a powerful drink and must be used with caution, so I have a couple of suggestions:

Drink only the best tequila. Any tequila that is 100% agave will do. The white tequilas are the most pure and are less likely to give a hangover.
However, for flavor, I like the reposados, the darker tequilas that have been aged in oak barrels usually for 18 months. My favorite tequila is Don Julio Reposado and it has been very generous to me over the years.

Treat tequila like a fine cognac. It is made for sipping not for shooting (unless you are 20 years old and are in Carlos and Charlies. Been there, done that. YUK…glad I survived.) Now a days, I enjoy sipping and enjoying my tequila poco a poco. I don’t use limes or sangrita, just a nice sip every few minutes. Just enough to enjoy the flavor. Sometimes I like to drink my tequila with a beer and that is refreshing. Also, they mix well in the belly.

Now, how do I make my margarita? I usually start my margarita mixing the tequila- one portion, the controy- one portion, and the lime juice- one portion. Then I taste for flavor. This can vary depending on how tart the limes are. If the margarita is too tart, add some more controy, but be careful. Poco a poco.

Warren Hardy’s Perfect Margarita:
ONE, ONE, ONE

1 part good tequila, white tequila is preferable.
1 part lime juice, fresh squeezed limes only.
1 part Cointreau or “Controy,”

If you like Salt, run the edge of a cut lime around the rim of the glass, then dip the rim in a plate of salt.

The glass is very important. I like a stemmed glass that has a cone shape. The larger the better. Here in San Miguel they blow the large thick coned shaped glasses and they work best. The reason is that the ice melts slowly and as the ice melts and the margarita goes down, it maintains a perfect consistency of cold margarita without getting watery. That is important. Nobody likes a watery margarita. Good to the last drop is my motto.

Now, you probably wonder why we started of with UN MARGARITA. This is because tequila is a masculine word, and so is margarita. To find out why, ask Don Juan de la Boca. He will explain it all at this link.

“Tequilas & Margaritas” by Don Juan de Boca

——————————————————————–

UN MARGARITA EN LAS ROCAS CON SAL, POR FAVOR.

He sido un aficionado del tequila y margaritas por años. Ciertamente he aprovechado de mi cuota de los dos.
El tequila es una bebida poderosa y se debe usar con cuidado, de manera que tengo unas sugerencias:

Tome solamente el mejor tequila. Cualquier tequila que es 100% agave es adecuado. Los tequilas blancos son los más puros y probablemente no les dé una cruda. Sin embargo, para sabor, me gustan los reposados, los tequilas oscuros que han sido envejecidos en barriles de nogal, usualmente por 18 meses. Mi tequila favorito es Don Julio Reposado y has sido muy generoso conmigo a través de los años.

Hay que tratar el tequila como un coñac fino. Está hecho para disfrutar poco a poco, no para ¨shooting¨ (al menos que tienes 20 años y estás en Carlos y Charlies. He estado ahí y lo he hecho. Gracias a Dios, sobreviví. ) En actualidad, disfruto tomando poco a poco. No uso limones ni sangrita, solamente un poco cada rato..solamente bastante para gozar del sabor. A veces me gusta tomar mi tequila con una cerveza y esto es refrescante. También se mezclan bien en el estomago.

¿Ahora, cómo hago mi margarita? Usualmente empiezo mi margarita mezclando el tequila – una porción, controy – una porción, jugo de limón – una porción. Entonces pruebo el sabor. Esto puede ser variable dependiendo en que amargos son los limones. Si el margarita es demasiado amargo, agregue un poco más controy, pero tenga cuidado. Poco a poco.

El Margarita Perfecto de Warren Hardy
El UNO,UNO,UNO.

una porción de buen tequila, tequila blanco es preferible.
una porción de limones frescos solamente,
una porción de Controy

Si le gusta sal, ponga limón en la orilla de la copa y entonces meta la orilla en un plato de sal.

La copa es muy importante. Me gusta una copa que tiene forma de un cono. Más grande es mejor. Aquí en San Miguel hacen copas grandes y gruesos en forma de cono que funcionan mejor. La razón es que el hielo se deshace lentamente y mientras se deshace el hielo, el margarita baja lentamente y mantiene su consistencia perfecta de margarita frio sin ponerse aguado. Esto es importante. A nadie le gusta un margarita aquado. Rico hasta la última gota es mi lema.

Ahora, Ud. probablemente se pregunta porque empezamos con UN MARGARITA. Esto es porque EL tequila es una palabra masculina, y también EL margarita. Para saber porque, pregúntele a Don Juan de Boca. Él se lo explicará en este link.

“Tequilas & Margaritas” by Don Juan de la Boca

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Mi Valentín,

Te deseamos un día lleno de chocolate, champaña, flores y besos en este día tan especial, El Día de los Enamorados (The Day of Lovers).
Aquí hay unas palabras que puedes usar en este día de  amor…y todo el año.
Con mucho cariño, Warren y Tuli

Mi amor = my love
Mi querido, a = my beloved
Mi rey = my King
Mi reina = my Queen
Mi vida = my life

Te quiero = I love you
Te amo = I am in love with you
¡Bésame! = Kiss me!

Estoy enamorado, a = I am in love
Estoy enamorado contigo = I am in love with you.

Novio, novia = boyfriend, girlfriend
Novios = going steady

Amante = lover

Estoy Prometido, a = I am engaged

La boda = the wedding
Novios = at a wedding are the bride and groom.

Matrimonio = marriage

Amor eterno = eternal love

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Dear friends,

As we begin this new year I am sure we all consider ourselves blessed. Tuli and I count you, our student friends, as one of the greatest blessings in our lives. You bring us so much joy and helping you to learn Spanish gives our lives meaning. I would like to begin this year with the famous Spanish toast that we all know and then add some of my own words.

SALUD, AMOR, DINERO Y EL TIEMPO PARA GOZARLOS.

Notice that the last word is gozar. The last part of this toast can be said in three ways:
1. Y el tiempo para gastarlos, which means the time to spend them.
2. Y el tiempo para disfrutarlos, which means the time to reap the fruits of them.
3. Y el tiempo para gozarlos, which means the time to enjoy them.

I like the last one the most because I like the word gozar. It is easier to say for starters and living in a state of joy is the focus of my life.The noun from this verb gozar is el gozo which means joy. Enseñar español me da gozo. Teaching Spanish gives me joy.

So here is the toast with my own blessing attached to each part. Read it out loud and let the words resonate. I hope you enjoy it and that this blessing will be a reality in your life in 2008.

SALUD
I imbue my life with good health so that I may awaken every day filled with vitality and a sense of well being.

AMOR
I imbue my life with love so that love will reign in my heart every day of my life.

DINERO
I imbue my life with prosperity so that a river of abundance will flow through me, fountain from me and shower unlimited riches all around me.

Y EL TIEMPO PARA GOZARLOS
I imbue my life with joy so that every moment of every day will be joy filled. May I live happily ever after.

Tuli and I begin this year filled with gratitude for our good lives and for your presence and support. We hope that In 2008 we can serve you better in your desires to learn Spanish and appreciate the Mexican culture.

Salud, amor, y dinero.

Warren and Tuli

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Learning Spanish is a two step process in which you move from being a Spanish learner to a Spanish speaker.

When you learn to use Power Verbs in Level 1 you develop the ability to express your needs and wants in Spanish. This gives you the confidence to move around. You are in the functional or beginner Spanish level.

Your learn Spanish process continues when you learn the simple Spanish past tense and the use of the pronouns in Level 2. Now you will know how Spanish sentences are put together and develop the skill to use the Spanish pronouns. You have the ability to speak Spanish in the most important tense and how to make sentences. You are now functional in present, past, and future time but don’t yet have the skills to really converse in Spanish.

One of the challenges here is that once you learn the Preterit (simple past), because it is such a powerful tense, students often forget the Present tense. This is why in your learn Spanish process I teach Power Verbs first and then the Preterit. I teach the Present tense in level 3.

After you know how to put sentences together, then you need to continue your learn Spanish process by learning more tenses. In level 3 you learn the seven indicative tenses. These are: I speak, I spoke, I used to speak, I will speak, I would speak, I am speaking, I have spoken.

Once you know these seven tenses you can really begin to express your thoughts accurately in Spanish. This is a key part of your learn Spanish process because this builds a lot of confidence. You are officially in conversational Spanish or the intermediate level. Now the process changes.

At this stage of your learn Spanish process the idea is to practice Spanish and enrich your Spanish vocabulary. You also should finish out your knowledge to the Spanish tenses. There are two more and they are the Subjunctive tenses; the Present and Past Subjunctive.

What is the Subjunctive, you say?

The Subjunctive portrays the other side of reality. It talks about things that are not real. It talks about things that haven’t happened, we hope will happen, that might happen or things we would have done if they had happened.

The Subjunctive mood is taught in level 4. There are two moods in Spanish: The Subjunctive mood and the Indicative mood which indicates realities. These are things that have happened, are happening, or we are sure will happen. There are seven indicative tenses and there are two subjunctive tenses. These are the Present Subjunctive which portrays present and future time and the Past Subjunctive. Thus Present, past, and future.

Once you have learned the Present and Past Subjunctive, then you have completed your Foundation Course. In your learn Spanish process you are ready to develop yourself to the advanced conversation level. You are now moving from being a Spanish Learner to a Spanish Speaker. Now the focus is on practice instead of learning. Most learning occurs with practice at this point, or at least the style of learning Spanish changes.

You need to develop conversational Spanish skills. You learn to speak Spanish by picking up vocabulary and expressions on the fly and you must read, practice and watching TV is a good thing. The idea here is to get better with practice and that takes playing with the Spanish language. I will talk about the learn Spanish at the conversational level in another blog but for now here is the two step learn Spanish process:

The learn Spanish Process includes two main steps:

1. Spanish learner. You must learn the Spanish tenses and basic grammar so that you have the tools to begin conversing. These are taught in the Warren Hardy Foundation Course.

2. Spanish speaker. You must become a Spanish speaker by playing with Spanish in conversational Spanish classes or with native Spanish speakers.

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