There
are some challenging aspects in Roman languages - as
also in Spanish. One is the differentiation between
ser and estar, one is subjunctive and finally, yet importantly are the order of tenses. Nevertheless as somebody who
is just taking the task of learning a language have
a look at the bright side: If using the wrong tense
will usually not inhibit that you are understood. Same
in English: Imagine your Hispanic neighbour
who sits in his little restaurant and tells you: I was
living here since two years. Doesn't sound perfect but
you'll know what he means. Only with practice you'll
find perfectionism and at some place you'll have to
start.
In addition, it is not to forget - it's not all
the tenses are different from English, but only the
past tenses. Probably you'll wonder why the
Spanish has more past tenses than English does and what are
they good for? The different aspects how long does an
action take, is it completely finished, is it parallel
to another action and other questions play important
roles in the Spanish grammar. First let's have a look
what English offers before we start to burrow into the
Spanish labyrinth (which it actually isn't - you'll
see!).
