How are you feeling?

Spanish
Tengo calor. = I'm hot.
Tengo frío. = I'm cold.
Tengo hambre. = I'm hungry.
Tengo sed. = I'm thirsty.
Tengo dolor de cabeza.

Note:
Hace calor. = It is hot.
Hace frío. = It is cold.

French
J'ai chaud. = I'm hot.
J'ai froid. = I'm cold.
J'ai faim. = I'm hungry.
J'ai soif. = I'm thirsty.
J'ai mal à la tête. = I have a headache.

Note:
Il fait chaud. = It is hot.
Il fait froid. = It is cold.
 
Italian
Ho caldo. = I'm hot.
Ho freddo. = I'm cold.
Ho fame. = I'm hungry.
Ho sete. = I'm thirsty.
Ho mal di testa. = I have a headache.

Note:
Fa caldo. = It is hot.
Fa freddo. = It is cold.

Just to help make connections, here are our keywords together, with memory tips.

English / Spanish / French / Italian
hot / calor / chaud / caldo - from Latin calor (like calorie), all starting with "c"
cold / frío / froid / freddo - from Latin frigidus (like frigid/refrigerator), all starting "fr"
hungry / hambre / faim / fame - from Latin fames (like famine)*
thirsty / sed / soif / sete - from Latin sitis, all start with "s," no good cognates
sickness or pain / dolor (condolences are offered to the suffering) / mal / mal - Latin malus, bad (like malevolent) = bad
of / de / de / di
head / cabeza (Latin caput, like "cap"; a captain heads a team) / tête / testa - Latin testa (shell, used by analogy for cranium or skull)

*If you haven't, see the articles on sound correspondences.  Words beginning with "f" in French and Italian often begin with "h" in Spanish.

Feelings of Romance

Feelings

Spanish
Estoy contento/a. = I'm happy.
Estoy triste. = I'm sad.
Estoy cansado/a. = I'm tired.
Estoy enojado/a. = I'm mad.
Estoy bien. = I'm well.

French
Je suis content(e). = I'm happy.
Je suis triste. = I'm sad.
Je suis fatigué(e). = I'm tired.
Je suis en colère. = I'm mad.
Je vais bien. = I'm good.

Italian
Sono felice. = I'm happy.
Sono triste. = I'm sad.
Sono stanco/a. = I'm tired.
Sono arrabbiato/a. = I'm mad.
Sto bene. = I'm good.

Note:
In Italian and Spanish, if the masculine form of the adjective ends in "o", the feminine form ends in "a".  If it ends in "e" there is no change.
 
In French, if the masculine form of the adjective ends in "e" without an accent, the feminine form is the same.  Otherwise, you add an "e" for the feminine form.

A man would say:  Estoy cansado / Je suis fatigué / Sono stanco.
A woman would say:  Estoy cansada / Je suis fatiguée / Sono stanca.
But both a man and a women would say:  Estoy triste / Je suis triste / Sono triste.

Polyglot Resources for the Student of Romance Languages

Quality polyglot resources are few and far between. It is particularly hard to find resources that bring multiple languages together and introduce them in relation to one another. Still, there are a few items worth having on the bookshelf if you're truly interested in becoming a polyglot in the Romance languages.

The Loom of Language is the inspiration for this website. It gives hints on grammar and vocabulary for the Romance and Germanic languages, and much much more. Bodmer's aim was to create a polyglot class that would bridge cultural gaps and bring a war-torn Europe together. Be forwarned: Bodmer was a very smart man with wide ranging interests and the reading is not always easy-going. But if you stick it out you'll learn a tremendous amount about the Romance and Germanic languages and about language and communication in general. Also included, outdated but still useful vocabulary lists in the back.

Buck's Dictionary of Indo-European synomyms covers the Romance, Germanic, Slavic and Celtic families thoroughly with less copious examples from the Indo-Aryan and other subfamilies. It's by now quite outdated, but the scholarship will give a thorough understanding of such vocabulary as remains up to do. This is not a good book for pulling wordlists from, but if you're trying to figure out where a word came from or how to make a connection with it this is an invaluable resource.

DK's Five Language Visual Dictionary is divided into numerous themes, illustrated by pictures that have been thoroughly labeled in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian. There is an index by language in the back. If you're trying to pick up the vocabulary for a particular topic, especially if it concerns concrete, real-world topics, this book can't be beat.

The Lonely Planet Europe Phrasebook has sections for Basque, Catalan (R), Dutch (G), French (R), German (G), Greek, Irish, Italian (R), Maltese, Portuguese (R), Scottish Gaelic, Spanish (R), Turkish and Welsh (Romance languages marked with R, Germanic languages with G). The guides are language specific and the major languages have more detail. While this is not an ideal resource, it is very handy if you are reminding yourself of the basics, like whether the word for milk or jam is the same in French as in Italian.

DK's European Phrasebook is similar to the Lonely Planet Europe Phrasebook, but offers far fewer language hints. On the other hand, it has more culture hints, particularly about hotels and eateries, and features a detailed menu reader guide for each language. It covers Czech, Danish(G), Dutch(G), Finnish, French(R), German(G), Greek, Hungarian, Italian(R), Norwegian(G), Polish, Portuguese(R), Spanish(R) and Swedish(G).

Topics Entertainment's 33 Instant Immersion Languages is a language hobbyist's dream come true. It comes with 33 CD-ROMs, one per language, to teach you around 400 words per language. The CDs will not teach you the language, whatever the box claims, but if you're working with another resource, they're great for building a small vocabulary quickly. Buy from LanguageQuest.com

The Rosetta Stone Power Pac comes as close as computer programs do to direct learning. All content is presented by pictures described in the target language. By associating words and phrases with pictures, you come to understand basic grammar and vocabulary. The method can be slow going, but it leaves a real sense of accomplishment and if you stick with it you'll find there's a lot you can say about the world. Unfortunately, it does not offer a good grounding in basic conversation, so you'll want to supplement with something like Pimsleur to get your conversations started. The Power Pac includes the first twenty lessons of the Rosetta Stone programs for Spanish(R), French(R), German(G), Italian(R), Russian, Chinese and Japanese. Lots of fun when you're looking for a new way to build your skills, but not the best place to start. Buy from LanguageQuest.com

Transparent Language offers some very good products and some not so good products. The 101 Languages of the World package is interesting, but unless you're pretty self-motivated it's not going to teach you much of any language. On the other hand, the A+ French, Spanish and Italian programs are well worth a look for students trying to get a clearer picture of what they're doing in the language they're studying. Visit Transparent Languages

Need suggestions for language learning products? E-mail us at languages-at-gbarto.com or visit LanguageQuest.com

Lonely Planet Romance Language Guides

For up to date, user friendly language phrasebooks, no one beats Lonely Planet. Their guides to everyday languages offer excellent tips for navigating most aspects of daily life. Their guides to more obscure languages claim a rightful place alongside scholarly tomes for the serious but desperate language student.

For those looking for a phrasebook/mini-dictionary, multilingua.info recommends Lonely Planet. Acceptable alternatives are Langenscheidt phrasebooks and Berlitz phrasebooks. We do not recommend Hippocrene Dictionary/Phrasebooks, Berlitz Dictionaries, or Dover See-it-and-Say-it guides unless they're the only resource available. Rick Steve's and Rough Guide, incidentally, are okay for tourists but not recommended for language students.

Michel Thomas Romance Language Course

Want to study foreign languages with a cranky Frenchman? Have we got a deal for you!

Seriously, Michel Thomas is a genuine polyglot, speaking English, French, Italian, Spanish and German. His language skills helped him survive the camps in World War II, when he spied for the French Resistance. In his courses, he teaches you to think about languages the same way he does, so that you can learn as well as he has.

In the basic lessons, Thomas leads a good student and a... not so good student... through some of the basics of the language. You follow along, an unseen third student. The good student helps you move forward, while the other student slows things down enough that you can keep up. When you're done you'll have learned to use the present tense, including many irregular verbs, with a very basic everyday vocabulary reinforced by words similar to English.

In this bigger set, you start with the first two CDs of the prior course (so don't buy them if you're planning on getting this). When you're done, you'll know most of the major tenses, moods, etc. and be able to talk about an awful lot. You won't be fluent, of course, but if you've got something to say about everyday life you'll probably be able to find the words.

Pimsleur Romance Language Programs

The Pimsleur language programs are simply the best for those who need a few phrases and have difficulties with foreign languages and accents. They introduce phrases slowly, as part of conversations, and help you get everything down pat, making sure you know how to say every last syllable. The programs are listed in order of Spanish, French then Italian (just in case the titling isn't clear).

Starter packs (4 cassettes or CDs) will teach you just enough for a few everyday tasks like introducing yourself, getting a cup of coffee and finding out where to get a taxi.

Travel packs (8 cassettes or CDs) will give you enough to do the things that tourists generally do while communicating in the local language.

The big lesson packages will leave you fairly comfortable with everyday life activities in a foreign country, and give you a sound basis for picking up more of the language on your own.