Are you learning Spanish for "Ecuadorian reasons"?
Let me tell you a short story:
Some years ago, one of my uncles moved to Spain.
He was looking for a new country to live and work in, and Spain was the perfect option, considering he only speaks Spanish.
One day, some Spanish friends invited him to their apartment.
Their actual words, according to my uncle, were “te invitamos a una merienda”.
(They were inviting him to eat something in their apartment at night.)
He said yes, of course.
He told me he didn’t eat lunch that day. He “wanted to be hungry” when he got to his friend’s place, so he could eat everything they had prepared.
He finished work and went to see his new friends.
They greeted each other, sat down in the living room, and somebody brought out coffee and crackers for everyone. Then, they just talked.
My uncle drank the coffee and ate the crackers, thinking it was only an appetizer.
Spoiler: It wasn’t. That was the whole meal.
After a couple of hours the meeting was over and he left, STARVING.
That day he learned something interesting:
The word “merienda” means something different in Ecuador and Spain.
You see, here in Ecuador merienda is the last meal of the day. Merienda is what we call dinner, and we usually eat a lot.
That’s why my uncle wanted to be hungry by that time.
But in Spain “merienda” is just a snack you have before the actual dinner.
Hence the confusion.
The thing is,
Spanish is spoken in more than 20 countries, but each country has its own “style.”
If you are learning Spanish because you want to go to Mexico, you better learn the language with a Mexican teacher.
If you want to learn the language because you want to go to Argentina, you better learn the language with an Argentinian teacher.
But if you want to learn Spanish because you are planning to come to Ecuador, learning with an Ecuadorian teacher might be a good idea. Well, unless you want to end up having coffee and crackers thinking you are going to be eating a bigger meal instead.
Here’s an example of what you can learn from an Ecuadorian teacher that other teachers won’t be able to teach you.
10 PHRASES TO SOUND LIKE AN ECUADORIAN (even if you are a beginner)
I will also send you an email every day with a short story. Getting the emails is free too, and at the end of each one I offer my services as a Spanish teacher.
Some things you should know about me as a teacher:
My name is Andrés. I’m Ecuadorian and I teach Spanish to students who are learning the language for one of these three reasons:
1) They are dating or married to an Ecuadorian,
and want to talk to their loved one in their native language.
2) They have Ecuadorian relatives,
and they want to be able to talk to their family in their native language.
3) They want to visit or move to Ecuador,
and they want to talk to local people in their native language.
Just to make it clear: I teach Spanish to students who want to talk to Ecuadorians in their native language, in the Ecuadorian version of the language.
If you want to learn Spanish because you want to go on vacation to Costa Rica, sorry; I can’t help you.
If you want to learn Spanish because you want to pass an exam, sorry; that’s not my area of focus.
But if you want to learn Spanish because your boyfriend or girlfriend, or husband or wife, is Ecuadorian, and you are planning to come to Ecuador to see their family, I’ll be glad to help you.
(Same if you are just planning to come and spend some time in the country by yourself.)
To start, I have this guide for you:
10 PHRASES TO SOUND LIKE AN ECUADORIAN (even if you are a beginner)
I will also send you an email every day with a short story. Getting the emails is free too, and at the end of each one I offer my services as a Spanish teacher.