Spanish as a Second Language

I began learning spanish at age six when my family moved to the Canary Islands which are off the coast of Morocco and owned by Spain. The school I attended only allowed English to be spoken, but many of my friends spoke Spanish as their first language. I became proficient in a short time, about two to three months, just from having contact with peers who spoke mostly Spanish. When it came time to learn Spanish academically I had trouble linking up my learned language skills with grammar, and could not write very well. After two years of Spanish in middle school I got the hang of it and became fluent in the language.

Compared to English, Spanish is more straightforward with only minor inconsistencies and idiosyncrasies, where as English is almost one half irregularities when it comes to learning verb conjugations. As a native English speaker I find it easier to express emotion with less words when speaking Spanish. Communication sometimes happens at a greater pace with Spanish, with the exception of conversations that involve newer technological terms, because most of these are derived from English.

Knowing Spanish has improved my speaking and writing skills in English because it has provided me with knowledge of word roots and grammar rules.