Gestures and body language were used as an early form of communication. With an increase in contact, some traders, trappers, and Native Americans evolved into translators as they learned the language of one another. Another obstacle in communication was the manner in which the two groups respected others as they spoke.

How did the explorers interact with the natives?

Europeans needed workers to help build houses and clear fields. They soon realized that they could offer trade goods like tools and weapons to certain American Indian tribes that would bring them other Indians captured in tribal wars. These captured Indians were bought and sold as slaves.

How did Spanish explorers communicate with natives?

From there they developed a rudimentary form of speaking using simple vocabulary from both their languages. Other times the Europeans captured native children and taught them Spanish. They then served as interpreters between the two peoples. Fransisco Pizarro did this when he first went to Peru.