Free Spanish Lesson #3 – ¿Habla español?

There is a common mistake I’ve heard misused so many times that I wanted let you know about it so you can say it correctly.

Many times a native Spanish speaker will start speaking with an English speaker in Spanish.

The English speaker will say, trying to sound intelligent and knowledgeable in Spanish, “No habla español”. What the English speaker is trying to say is, “I don’t speak Spanish”, but what is actually said is, “You don’t speak Spanish”. There is a big difference between these two phrases.

Here’s how to say it correctly. The next time a native Spanish speaker starts speaking Spanish, you should say, “No hablo español”. This means “I don’t speak Spanish” and is pronounced [No aw-blow es-pan-yowl].

There is only one letter difference between the two phrases, but it completely changes the meaning. The word “habla” (with an “a” on the end) means “you speak” and the word “hablo” (with an “o” on the end) means “I speak”. Remember, “I don’t speak Spanish” is “No hablo español”.

Now, let’s change the situation a little. Let’s say a native Spanish speaker directly asks you if you speak Spanish — “¿Habla español?”. Here is a simple but effective answer for them. You can say “Hablo un poquito” which means “I speak a little” and is pronounced [Aw-blow oon poh-key-tow].

¡Buena suerte! (Good luck!)

[custom_script adID=97]

Written by Dave Clark with Try a Free Spanish Lessons

Copyright © 1999-2005 US Institute of Languages All rights reserved.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.