how to type spanish letters

When I type spanish letters in the Write part of the testing, it doesn't seem to think I've typed them correctly.

Are you able to type letters with accent marks? My keyboard doesn't have them so it tells me I wrote them wrong. If you type everything else right, you probably won't have too much of a problem.

Finally figured it out using this site: http://www.studyspanish.com/accents/typing.htm . For the mac it is basically typing option-e then the letter for the accent mark; for en-nay, option-n then n, and for the question mark option-shift-question mark .

Thanks for the info. I have been procrastinating this issue ever since I bought my mac a couple weeks ago. :)

marietr - Thanks for that info. It's been making me crazy.

On a Mac you can also go to System Preferences>Language and Text>Input Sources, uncheck whatever is checked, then check US International PC. After making this change you can type accented characters by first typing ' followed by the vowel. It seems to be a bit more efficient than the Option e vowel sequence. I have been using this method for several months and can now type accented vowels without stopping or looking at the keyboard. There is no similar shortcut for ñ, you still have to hold Option, type n, then type n again.

Dan H24 - that's a great tip. I have it working perfectly now. One question: How do I type the inverted question mark and exclamation point? Haven't figured that one out yet.

Gary: To get ¡ type Option+!. To get ¿ type Option+Shift+?.

¡Gracias!

I can type the inverted ? by typing ....click alt, hold and type 0191. It works with my computer.

Not sure about mac, but on windows you can enable an alternate keyboard language and then switch between languages using alt+shift. This puts upside down punctuation marks ¡ and ¿ as a single key stroke. ñ-en'yeh is a single key stroke. Vowels with accents are 2 key strokes. When done typing in Spanish simply hit alt+shift and you are back to English or whatever your native keyboard language is.

i don't think it is a big matter here if u did not type it if everything else is good. however, i like to write the words once i learn it in a scratch paper by pen so i can learn it for longer.

For me anyway, it is important that when I write I put the accents in. It helps train your eye to see the differences between words such as está, ésta, and esta. When I first started I didn't pay much attention to them. Now I see how important they are. And I find that I look for them to make sure I am pronouncing words right. Developing good habits from the start is important, I think.

Hola, Estoy de acuerdo. Como Dan ha dicho, para mí eso es importante también. Saludos, Ricardo

Keeping in mind too that sometimes these accents depend on the broader context, meaning that you could include or not the accent but it will change what you are trying to say.

It's great to see comments in this forum again. I'm taking a bit of a break from RS but will be back to it again shortly. I've been doing a lot of book work in the Spanish learning arena and I see that Spanish grammar is an area that one shouldn't disregard (my poor English grammar is even improving!). I agree totally with Dan. It is so important to train the eye to "see" the differences. Reading and writing have been a big part of my learning Spanish and I'm so glad that I've spent a lot of time reading and writing. We have labeled people that grow up speaking English but can't read or write it "illiterate". For a well-rounded understanding of English kids are taught to read, write and the "why's" (grammar) of English. I've committed myself to well-rounded understanding of Spanish. A novel in Spanish would take on a whole different meaning, or no meaning at all without the ' in está, esté, ésto . . . . . Take the time to learn to key the proper accents into your computer, especially if you are using a program such as RS to learn Spanish and if you are communicating with others in a forum such as this. It's not only important for our understanding but for yourself. Down the road of "learning Spanish" you will be glad that you did. :)

Diana! I have been wondering where you were. I agree with your comment that learning Spanish improves English grammar. My tutor gave me some good advice the other day on deciding how to say things in Spanish: think of a formal way of saying it in English and it will probably translate pretty well into Spanish. Even before she said that I noticed that my way of thinking how to say things in English is becoming a bit more formal. And that is not to mention plain vanilla grammar. It has been many many years since I studied English grammar in school. Studying Spanish grammar has reminded me of things like what an adverb is, how to recognize it, and what its function is. I also agree with your last comment. In fact, it reminds me of some frustration that I had when I started RS. At some point I noticed that some words like está sometimes had the accent, other times not. At first I thought it was a typo, then finally stumbled into the realization that it was a completely different word. I am sure that the course designers were worried about dumping too much information on a new student too soon, but a hint about this would have saved me a lot of backtracking and research. On the other hand, those lessons were hard won and made me acutely aware of the importance of accent marks.

Hey Dan, I'm officially back to RS and it feels great! I've actually had an informal tutor once a week for the last 4 or 5 weeks. You are really lucky to have a tutor. I can tell that it makes a big difference. This woman is not a tutor per say but is a native Mexican, came to the states not knowing any English, married a gringo and has a 9 year old son that she wants to teach Spanish to. So she really understands what it's like to learn a language and how to come across very patiently and SLOW. :) We are headed for warmer weather next week. I wish I could take her with us. Any travel plans to Cuba in you near future?

Diane: Me alegro a ver ti otra vez. Sí, Es muy importante para practicar hablando con una persona. Voy a Cuba en diciembre. !Estoy muy emocionado! Saludos, Dan