One of the most elegant aspects of the Spanish language is the multiple choices of words available to express the same idea. Because Latin is the basis of the Spanish language, elaborate words and expressions come into daily conversation. Oftentimes, Spanish speakers, who also know other languages, come across terms that conform to their Latin roots. This is the reason Spanish is a rich and ornate language: the vocabulary allows for various options to express an opinion, thought, or idea.

For example, you may say the following expression in various manners:

Yesterday, Dave and I enjoyed the beautiful sunset at dusk.

1. David y yo disfrutamos de la hermosa puesta del sol durante el atardecer de ayer.
2. Ayer David y yo disfrutamos del bello ocaso al anochecer.
3. La hermosa puesta del sol en el anochecer de ayer David y yo la disfrutamos.
4. David y yo disfrutamos del bello atardecer de ayer.

You may also substitute the verb disfrutamos for gozamos or nos deleitamos for variation.

Likewise, there are many different ways to ask questions in Spanish. The order and choice of words is entirely up to the preference of the speaker. Let’s take a look at the following expressions:

Rita ha estado estudiando español por seis meses.
Rita estudia español desde hace seis meses.
Rita has been studying Spanish for six months. 

¿Hace cuánto tiempo que Rita estudia español?
¿Cuánto hace que Rita estudia español?
¿Desde cuándo hace que Rita estudia español?
¿Cuánto tiempo lleva Rita estudiando español?
¿Cuánto tiempo hace que Rita estudia español?
How long has Rita been studying Spanish?

 

The Spanish language will cause you to become a creative speaker. It will awaken your ability to process your thoughts in different venues. In other words, you will be an analytical thinker who is able to provide different options to convey an idea at a given moment. Not only does Spanish help you become an organized thinker, but also an effective leader by learning how to adopt and use alternate choices to accomplish the same objective.

Another consideration is the fact that there are words in one language that do not exist in an additional one. This is absolutely true in the English/Spanish scenario. Observe the term “default settings” in English, for example, any attempt to translate it literally is nearly impossible. Instead, you must research this term to find out that there are many different ways to say it in Spanish, all of which are correct:

Default settings:

Ajustes por defecto.
Configuración por defecto
Ajustes predeterminados
valores por defecto
Opciones predeterminadas
parametrizaciones estándar.

Now, attempt to find the translation for the verb sledding:

 

Sledding
Pasear en trineo

Literally to ride on a sleigh.

 

What happens to your English vocabulary once you have learned this translation in Spanish? You begin to say something like this:

“We rode on a sleigh.”
“We went sledding.”

You have begun to make different word choices in English!

 

These multiple choices of words in Spanish will cause you to think outside the box. Many times, as we tend to become stale with the same word usage, methods, etc., we also begin to shrink in our thinking. Therefore, it is beneficial to adopt a second language to cultivate our intellect. The benefits you reap from studying Spanish are far beyond vocabulary. But, you must be willing to embrace the difficulties that entail the mastery of multiple word choice. It is like the famous proverb says, “….no pain, no gain.” Without the work, the desire is useless.

On the whole, you will be a more effective speaker in your native language as well as in the Spanish language. This is because your brain is processing ideas in your native language and correlating them to your second language. As a result, your speaking ability will increase causing you to make a finer choice of words. For example, in English it is very common to employ the verb “to use”. However, Spanish speakers exchange the verb utilizar, emplear, and usar with the same frequency. As an English/Spanish bilingual speaker, you will begin to utilize these verbs in English because of your knowledge of the Spanish language.

 

Hero Image by Dennis Hill (CC by 2.0)