language & learning spanish

Chileans speak Spanish with a strong accent but the language is basically the same with some different uses of words, as in English and American.

Anyone who has the opportunity to learn a learning Spanish before visiting will benefit greatly from the effort and work put in. Many Chileans speak a little English, but it is rarer in the countryside or among the local people who work as guides for horse riding. Their skills lie elsewhere, but they are mostly good at non-verbal communication, coming from a background where reading and writing fluently is not the norm. So, while it is not necessary to speak Spanish to be able to enjoy our horse riding day tours and our overnight camping expeditions on horseback, a few phrases do help.

Basic phrases and words for horse riding. Some of these are not grammatically perfect, simplified a little but the guides will understand

Horse= el caballo

Reins= las riendas

stirrups=los estribios

saddle=la montura

Short (as in my stirrups are too short, or shorten your reins)=Corto/corta

Shorten your reins= corta las riendas

Loosen your reins= suelta las riendas

Shorter stirrups= Estribios mas cortos

My stirrups are too short (long)= Mis estribios son demasiado cortos (largos)

Longer stirrups=Estribios mas largos

Comfortable?=Comodo? (uncomfortable = incomodo)

up=subir, as in subir a caballo (mount) and subir la montana(go up)

down=Bajar, as in bajar del caballo (dismount) or bajar la montana(go down)

Don’t get off your horse without help=No baja de tu caballo sin ayuda

I have dropped my camera, glasses, hat!=  Me callo mi camera, lentes, sombrero

left=izquierda

right=derecha

Stop! = para!  or just Stop!

I am thirsty= tengo sed

Is there any water= hay agua?

Don’t let our horse eat=No deja tu cabllo comer

Some free lessons can be found on the internet. For instance here: http://www.spanishprograms.com/

Also the online Spanish dictionary has help with grammar and verbs among other things: http://www.spanishdict.com/learn

(We have no contact with this site and merely found it, as an example, when searching in Google)