Hola!
Can anybody tell me what the accent on the northern coast line of Colombia is like because i want to take some lessons there for two weeks to practice the subjunctive and general conversation? If anybody can recommend a school in or around Santa Marta too that would be smashing....
Cheers
Patrick
Come on guys, somebody must know what the accent is like i.e. fast, slow, clear, strong etc?
I used to go to a coffeeshop in NY whose manager was from there. (The lamented Sucelt on 14th St.) I would describe her accent as "Spanish."
I don't know if there is anything specific to the north coast, but in general the Colombian accent is considered one of the nicest Latin American accents. From what I have heard, just a slight difference in pronunciation of the double l compared with Ecuador. Easy to understand.
I have never been to Colombia, but I mentioned in another thread that when I tutored English I had some Colombian students whose English was almost unintelligible at times. They had a tendency to swallow consonants when speaking Spanish, and they carried that over to English.
Imagine hearing someone say SAW-tie. In the context of the sentence you may+ be able to determine that the person said +sometimes, but I would bet that you would not. I told the student that he had to sound both m's and the final s in order for native speakers of English to have a chance at understanding him.
You may hear "pa" for para, what sounds like "leeto" for listo. I don't think that the habit extends throughout Colombia, because I also had a few Colombian students whose Spanish and English were easier to understand. My guess is that anyone you encounter who is teaching the language will speak it clearly enough for you to learn it. In any case, you will become accustomed to the accent soon enough, whatever form it takes.
¡Suerte! Good luck!
The accent in the northern cost of Colombia is different from the famous "clean" Colombian accent you hear in Bogota or Medellin. In the coast the accent is not unlike those found in other regions of the Caribbean (although not as thick as Dominican or Eastern Cuban).
maybe u should listen to shakira..... :)
the accent is very clear, to be honest. I love the accent... you may have to open your mouth quite wide but!! they tend to really clearly, and have alot of vocab from spain..... it wont be hard to understand, it would be the better of the south american accent!
i was not joking about shakira... youtube any interviews from her and you will be able to hear for yourself the accent
I have traveled many times to the northern coast of Colombia (especially B'quilla). I learned Spanish as an adult and as a second language--English being my first......I never, ever had any problem understanding the accent, apart from some regional slang, and a few chopped-off words that are generally found at the end of a sentence. It's fun to figure out !!