LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

  In medieval Spain, where three distinct cultures coexisted in relative harmony, Castilian-speaking Spaniards coined the phrase "hablar en cristiano," meaning in a comprehensible language for them. Hebrew and Arabic were alien languages to those who spoke only Spanish. Old idiomatic expressions die hard, and "hablar en cristiano" is still used today to mean speaking in plain and simple language. "Por favor, hábleme en cristiano para que le entienda" could be translated as "Please, speak in plain language so that I can understand you." I have gathered a few citations: — “¡Hablar en cristiano!, la única lengua que se puede entender…” Jesús Alviz Arroyo, Un solo son en la danza , 1982. Esp. || “Habla en cristiano, quieres, Víctor.” Santiago Moncada, Caprichos , 1992. Esp. || “O dicho en cristiano, para que ustedes lo entiendan…” El País, 31/08/1977. Esp.

Many in the US take up Spanish at universities because they believe it is "easy", whatever that may mean. Easy to get a good grade, I suppose. Those who seek an excellent grade effortlessly are in for a surprise at the end of the course. In reality, the word "easy" applied to languages doesn´t make any sense, and least of all to Spanish, which poses problems galore to the foreign learner. Spanish is difficult to pronounce and has complicated grammar and arbitrary syntax. The fact that it is spoken in 23 countries, with regional varieties within, doesn´t help. But do not be discouraged, there is no language in the world that doesn´t have complexities and oddities. Also, there is no language invented by man that cannot be learnt by man. So,  give it it try.