There are core elements to language that make them extremely similar, or extremely different to one another. French and Spanish are very similar, while English and Spanish are definitely not. Learning the differences between these languages can give perspective on how people of that language think, and perceive the world. For example, in Spanish every word has a masculine or feminine identity. "La" and "El" are words that in english mean "the", and "la" is feminine while "el" is masculine. But a word can only use "la" or "el", not both. So "la casa" could never "el casa". That's like misspelling a word. If you were to ask someone who speaks English if they feel that their house is a boy or a girl (humans have a funny habit of giving a gender identity to objects), they could respond either way. Someone who speaks spanish is more than likely to say their house is a girl just because houses are already "feminine" by how they are spelled. This is a small example of how a language can affect the way you perceive the world.
There are some aspects of the Spanish language that I am genuinely starting to appreciate! Like the fact that they have SER and ESTAR. These are spanish verbs that in english mean, "to be". While we only have one way to describe how someone or something "is", in spanish they have two ways and it makes a world of difference. The verb SER is used for a more permanent sense of "being", while ESTAR is not a permanent state of being. For example, if I were to tell someone in spanish that my car is red, I would use the verb SER to describe my car, because my car isn't going to change color. Whereas if I were to tell someone in spanish that my sister is grumpy I would use ESTAR, because that will change (hopefully). Emotions, weather, locations of people, etc all use ESTAR. While personality traits, identity, and unchanging things use SER. Initially when learning Spanish, this is a huge nuisance! Why can't I just say that my sister is grumpy, and my car is red, with the same verb (like in English). However, now that I speak the language I find that there can be some beautiful things that come from this way of thinking. When I say in Spanish "I'm sad", I am literally forced to recognize that this isn't a permanent state because of the use of ESTAR in my sentence. I'm sad, but only for now because this condition is going to change, otherwise I'd be using SER. I have to recognize that this will change and I will be happy soon. If I don't recognize that, I wouldn't use ESTAR and I wouldn't be speaking proper spanish. What a wonderful way of thinking! The language makes you recognize the things in your life that are fleeting and short-lived. Even better is SER. This verb makes you recognize the actual being. Not just a condition about a person, but who they are. If a man wanted to woo a woman he would tell her that she's beautiful, using the verb SER. Not ESTAR. If he used ESTAR it would be the equivalent of saying "You're beautiful, but this is just a condition of your person right now, not who you are." But by using SER, he's saying "You're beautiful, and that is who you are and it won't change." Yeah, which is more romantic? In english we don't get this opportunity, because we only have one verb to describe things and people, and our verb doesn't address as to whether the description is a fleeting condition, or the actual substance of the object. I would prefer to use Spanish when complimenting my family and friends, because the language would show that I am looking into their being and speaking about who they are.
One last thing that I appreciate about Spanish is there two words for "you". They have Usted and Tú. Usted is formal, therefore I would address my teachers, elders, boss, etc with Usted. Then to everyone younger than me, my peers or those I'm really close with I would use Tú, which is less formal and more personal. I have to be careful because often I get so used to talking in the Tú form that I forget to change to the Usted form when I get to classes. You have to conjugate verbs and talk different between these two forms, which is hard since in english I never have to switch mentally when trying to say "you". The beauty of these words is that you can tell what a relationship between two people is like based on their use of Usted or Tú. I am close enough to my host parents that I use Tú when I address them and it's not rude or disrespectful of me to do so. You can tell if someone is older or in a position of respect when people use Usted. Lastly, if there are two people and they are using the tú form when it appears that they should be using the Usted form, you know that they are close and have a close relationship. So you can imagine my delight when I discovered that in the mass, when we pray to God, we use the Tú form. I mean c'mon, who would be more deserving of being addressed in the Usted form than God? But instead we address each other in the Tú form, and that little, two-lettered word reminds me of how much my God loves me. Of how humble He is, and how much He wants to be close to me. Even to the point that I would be allowed to address Him like a friend instead of someone with power. He is good to me, and prayers in Spanish are more beautiful just for that little change in perspective.
Hope this was a good Spanish lesson! Don't worry I will be doing more exciting things coming up, so that will mean more pictures and less chatter :)
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