The mental images in the acquisition of the second language grammar: the case of 'ser' and 'estar' in Spanish

Abstract

American university students of Spanish are exposed to mental image associations to differentiate the uses of the verbs ‘ser’ and ‘estar’. The uses of these verbs present special challenges to English speakers for whom the verb ‘to be’ is generally used for both ‘ser’ and ‘estar’. This study demonstrates that students with only brief exposure to visual images associated with the uses of ‘ser’ and ‘estar’ show a greater improvement in their ability to distinguish the correct use of each verb over students without such exposure. The study results point out the value of even a short exposure to mental images and visual associations to increase the learning capacity of students for especially difficult points of grammar in a second language. The study can be replicated and applied to other grammatical difficulties in the learning of Spanish and other second languages.