# Learning Spanish



## FogCityNative (Dec 23, 2009)

I am moving soon to Barcelona.

My Spanish is limited to what I learned in High School in the 1960's.

I can sort of read it to get the gist of it, but that really only gives me the subject based upon recognizing some of the vocabulary words I recognize. Often times I get the whole context wrong.

I cannot understand or speak Spanish when spoken.

I am looking for recommendations on the best way to learn Spanish once I get there. Language Schools? Private Tutors? Exchange helping a native with English for help with Spanish?

If you went to Spain not knowing the language and now are fluent, what worked for you and how long did it take?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

FogCityNative said:


> I am moving soon to Barcelona.
> 
> My Spanish is limited to what I learned in High School in the 1960's.
> 
> ...


 
I think if you can still remember smth you studied in the 1960's and haven't used since you're doing pretty well!!

Look at this thread which, in turn, recommends other threads talking about learning Spanish

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/sp...living-spain/41470-dialectos-del-espa-ol.html


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

FogCityNative said:


> I am moving soon to Barcelona.
> 
> My Spanish is limited to what I learned in High School in the 1960's.
> 
> ...


I've been here just over 6 years & knew nothing when I came over here.

I wouldn't say I'm fluent - there are still a few tenses (the subjunctive ones) that I'm struggling with - but I can chat happily & I even teach 'survival' Spanish!

Where I live it is perfectly possible to get by without any Spanish at all - if I was in a less touristy/international area I would be better - but I'm not sure you can ever be completely fluent learning as an adult. 

_*What do you think PW? You've been here much longer than I have.*_

For the first year I took conversation-based lessons in a group with a language school - 4.5 hours a week + at least that of private study.

I stopped lessons for quite a while after that & just spent as much time as I could chatting to Spanish neighbours ( a sort of free Intercambio!) & studying alone. Eventually I again took some private lessons to help me sort the tenses out.

The real breakthrough for me was joining the parent's association at my kids' school & getting a job teaching English in an Academy. In both situations I was forced to speak Spanish all the time!

So for me, a combination of things. And I'm still studying, and probably always will be.

TBH I could have stopped after that first year & known enough to get by & chat to the neighbours well enough to be understood.

I'm sure watching Spanish TV & listening to Spanish music has also helped a huge amount.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> I've been here just over 6 years & knew nothing when I came over here.
> 
> I wouldn't say I'm fluent - there are still a few tenses (the subjunctive ones) that I'm struggling with - but I can chat happily & I even teach 'survival' Spanish!
> 
> ...


What do I think about being completely fluent as an adult you mean??
Well, to start with I seem to find myself having less and less firm opinions as time goes by, and the answer to everything seems to have become “it depends” and that’s certainly true of language learning.
I would say it’s difficult to become bilingual as an adult, but I do know a few bilingual people and certainly some who have an excellent level in another language, and have no trouble communicating. I myself wouldn’t say I was bilingual in the strict sense of the word, but I had to start using this definition for work and I found that people did consider me bilingual even though I do make mistakes. I would call this fluent.
Going back to what you asked me, most of the people that I know who come in to that high level category have like yourself, 


Really worked at it
Have a genuine interest in language (not necessarily scholars, but like a language, enjoy the challenge, like learning the shades of meaning in a vocabulary item, the ins and outs of grammar…)
Continue to learn. They know that you can never stop learning a language.
I also think that once you get to a high level you can get obsessed about being *bilingual* and I think it’s perhaps unnecessary to set yourself such an unobtainable goal, but this is where “it depends” comes in. Some people need to set themselves goals.


As for how to study, guess what, “it depends”! But some general rules are

Anything is better than nothing.
Keep at it
Revise, go over and do it again


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> What do I think about being completely fluent as an adult you mean??
> Well, to start with I seem to find myself having less and less firm opinions as time goes by, and the answer to everything seems to have become “it depends” and that’s certainly true of language learning.
> I would say it’s difficult to become bilingual as an adult, but I do know a few bilingual people and certainly some who have an excellent level in another language, and have no trouble communicating. I myself wouldn’t say I was bilingual in the strict sense of the word, but I had to start using this definition for work and I found that people did consider me bilingual even though I do make mistakes. I would call this fluent.
> Going back to what you asked me, most of the people that I know who come in to that high level category have like yourself,
> ...


yes, that's what I meant PW

& I agree - it depends - both on what you mean by 'fluent' & 'bilingual'

I manage in most situations but would never claim to be 'fluent' or 'bilingual'- I might be asked how to say something in Spanish & have no idea - but the chances are it's something I wouldn't say often in English either!

I think it _might_ be possible to become so as an adult if you were in a remote area & were forced to speak the foreign language all day every day - but then if you were picked up & put down in a city your vocab might be lacking for that situation...............

I was talking to friend the other day about this same thing - she has been here for something like 30 years & was married to a Spaniard - she says people say she's fluent but she says she knows she isn't - she thinks I'm more fluent than her because I often join in a conversation in Spanish more easily than she does. It's all about perception - I reckon she is more fluent than I am.


I think true bilingualism is an equal level in the two languages.

However I don't think that's really important - the important thing is to try to communicate, again & again & again


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

xabiachica said:


> I think true bilingualism is an equal level in the two languages.
> 
> However I don't think that's really important - the important thing is to try to communicate, again & again & again



I agree. I also think that to be truly bilingual you really need to have started young - not because of the way our brains work, but simply because it takes time to accumulate and evolve enough words, vocabulary, phrases, dialect etc and you need to build it all from scratch - with "kiddie speak", teenage stuff...... As adults we can get pretty close (well I cant, but... lol), but our "mother tongue" is always gonna win. I have friends here who's kids are what I consider totally bilingual. They arrived here when the were 5, 6 and are now in their teens and are proably better at Spanish than english. But everyday they are using both languages - english at home and spanish with their friends and at school and they are growing up with it. Learning new words and ways in both languages

Nonetheless, I try everyday, I try to chat to the checkout operators at Mercadona, to the petrol pump attendant, shop assistants, the man up the road (he's drunk most of the time, but he seems to understand me just fine lol??)

Jo xxx


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## nigele2 (Dec 25, 2009)

jojo said:


> (he's drunk most of the time, but he seems to understand me just fine lol??)
> 
> Jo xxx


I think there is something very important here (and I'm not referring to why Jojo chats up drunks  ). Last night I was in the local with my wife Pilar. Jake the large black doggy sat waiting for a tit bit. Pilar said 'dame tu patita' and Jake obliged. Pilar was surprised. Is Jake bilingual, hungry, or within his field of interest a good communicater? [ I expect doggy will be along any minute with a graphic to represent the scene  ]

What I guess I'm trying to say is communication is so much more than words and grammar. That is why I think when I assess my level of Spanish in my opinion my level is much worse than perceived by others, similar to Xabia's point I think. 

The second observation is that people assume they are fluent in their first language. But people's use of their own language is sometimes very poor. Full of bad grammar and slang, and often of limited volcabulary. 

I recently went to Newcastle (football with my beloved Watford). I stayed two days but when chatting to the locals I had real problems understanding them. My english or theirs I'm not sure. I find it easier with Sporting fans in Gijon 

ps That was my first time in Geordie land and IMHO you couldn't meet nicer friendlier people. Luv em to bits even if they don't speak the Queen's English


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I agree, communication is far more than just talking. But even when the grammar is bad we tend to know whats being said if its in our native tongue (geordies aside lol!!). Its ingrained in us I suppose, and thats what I meant by gorwing up with a language. When I worked in the Geriatric unit in the UK, I used to see alot of very kind and attentive foreign nurses trying to communicate with some rather elderly and awkward patients - it was frustrating for both parties. The nurses who couldnt make themselves understood and the patients because their funny little expressions and mannerisms couldnt be conveyed

My husband, when he comes over is actually really frightened of our lack of Spanish. Many a time I'll suggest we need to do something and he'll say "how can we? we dont speak Spanish". But I force the issue and somehow, with my pathetic attempts at speaking and a few hand gestures we get there. But I always try, I always apologise for my bad Spanish and I always smile alot so that they know I'm being nice (!!???). I even forced a smile at the rather belligerent hospital receptionist who wouldnt book my son in for an appointment!!!! 

Jo xxx


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

I have a whole website dedicated to learning Spanish but in the immortal words of Woody Allen "90% of success is just turning up" Whatever works for you, works for you. 

For my part, I would read ANYTHING (back of *** packets, bus timetables, funeral announcements ANYTHING) I devour anything on subjects I enjoy - football and politics and I would/will speak to anybody who will listen. Abuelos are always good - especially if you start with, "I guess you have seen a few changes over the past 20 years" (Don't say 80!!) Have the radio on in the car - even in the background. 

It worked for me but for others that would be hell. 

ENJOY!


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## Keidik (Nov 26, 2008)

Hiya,

Personally I found the Michel Thomas CDs very useful... Hope this helps.




FogCityNative said:


> I am moving soon to Barcelona.
> 
> My Spanish is limited to what I learned in High School in the 1960's.
> 
> ...


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Personally, I hate them ..................
People focus on the nunbnuts' mistakes IMHO 

BUT as it worked for Keidi it was a great idea for her. JUST what I was saying

Great to see you here Keidi.


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## anles (Feb 11, 2009)

SteveHall said:


> Personally, I hate them ..................
> People focus on the nunbnuts' mistakes IMHO
> 
> BUT as it worked for Keidi it was a great idea for her. JUST what I was saying
> ...


I agree totally. Some friends of mine lent me them so I could listen to them and give them my opinion, which is only that, if they work for some people that's fine. But how can you hope to even get anywhere near the correct pronunciation when the "models" aren't even Spanish. I have worked with many English courses in centres where I have taught, but have never tried to work with one where the people speaking weren't native English speakers.


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## RagsToRich (Feb 9, 2010)

anles said:


> I agree totally. Some friends of mine lent me them so I could listen to them and give them my opinion, which is only that, if they work for some people that's fine. But how can you hope to even get anywhere near the correct pronunciation when the "models" aren't even Spanish. I have worked with many English courses in centres where I have taught, but have never tried to work with one where the people speaking weren't native English speakers.


I listened to a sample of the micheal tomas stuff and it sounded awful - the guy sounds pompous as hell.


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## stew (Nov 17, 2009)

Perhaps in my naievity I thought the BBC site (also free) was good, is this generally accepted?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

stew said:


> Perhaps in my naievity I thought the BBC site (also free) was good, is this generally accepted?


It seems like there are a few. I've looked at "La vida Loca" and "Spanish Steps" and both look really good. Were those the ones you were thinking of?


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## stew (Nov 17, 2009)

Yes that's it, heres the link:

BBC - Languages - Spanish


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

stew said:


> Yes that's it, heres the link:
> 
> BBC - Languages - Spanish


An excellent page!


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## stew (Nov 17, 2009)

Are there any webcam chat sites in Spanish?


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## RagsToRich (Feb 9, 2010)

stew said:


> Are there any webcam chat sites in Spanish?


Yes I found a GREAT one but I don't have it book marked at work.

I'll post the link when i get home, if I forget PM me.


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## RagsToRich (Feb 9, 2010)

RagsToRich said:


> Yes I found a GREAT one but I don't have it book marked at work.
> 
> I'll post the link when i get home, if I forget PM me.


Practice Spanish Online

Got it - this site is great. I haven't webcammed with anyone yet because haven't had time but seems to be buzzing with activity.


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## stew (Nov 17, 2009)

Do you think it would be best to contact a Spanish speaker learning English and agree to speak Spanish for a set time and then English for the same time?


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## nigele2 (Dec 25, 2009)

stew said:


> Do you think it would be best to contact a Spanish speaker learning English and agree to speak Spanish for a set time and then English for the same time?


Stew be very careful - I met my wife that way 

At first we used text. We always found it best to use your own language most of the time. It was easier to have a meaningful conversation. It was correct (well moderately) and with the online dictionery open in another browser you can always throw any unknown in that to get a quick understanding.

When we moved on to voice we still typed as well until we improved. That worked a treat.

Great fun providing you have tons of patience, somethings in common, and a great sense of humour.

I remember I tried it with a guy from northern spain. By the third chat he invited me to a spanish club where only men ate and drank all evening. Never did get round to getting back to him 

And then there was the peruvian young lady who on the second contact wanted to convert me to god


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## RagsToRich (Feb 9, 2010)

nigele2 said:


> I remember I tried it with a guy from northern spain. By the third chat he invited me to a spanish club where only men ate and drank all evening. Never did get round to getting back to him
> 
> And then there was the peruvian young lady who on the second contact wanted to convert me to god


:spit:

And on a seperate subject - check out Javascript Redirect - Learn Spanish online for a free online conjugation trainer. No audio - but it's still awesome for free quick drills in an environment when you can't put your full kit on (headphones - audio tapes, etc)


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

A while ago. found a site on the web "Spanih Uno" which was free to download and was quite helpful. Anyone else used it?


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## stew (Nov 17, 2009)

Spanish Uno doesn't seem to be free though.

Thanks for your link RagstoRich (another one in the pile!).


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

stew said:


> Spanish Uno doesn't seem to be free though.
> 
> Thanks for your link RagstoRich (another one in the pile!).


Spanish Uno... I downloaded it from tucows on a trial basis and then it upgraded itself to a "gold membership for life" and it was free at the time. Perhaps I just got lucky(for once) and hit an offer period


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## donqzen (Jan 24, 2010)

*this worked for me in Korea too*

I've been in Spain for five weeks now...have 10 more days b4 returning to the Corporate States of America. (But I'll be back! In fact, I'll probably be back in 8 months - to rent a place for the '10 / '11 winter) For me, learning a language starts with food because...hey - you've gotta eat, right? It seems logical to me to start learning the words and phrases that come up when I'm busy with the most-immediate tasks-at-hand. So I take a notebook, pen and a (say, Lonely Planet) Phrase Book into a cafe, sit down, open up the Phrase Book, figure out what I want to say, like, 'Could I please have a coffee with milk' (I'm addicted to the stuff now, thank you, Spain), and write it out in my notebook in which I have given over several pages to each of the letters of the alphabet...so the example above I would write out, first in English, then in Spanish under 'C' - and, believe it or don't, the next time I think to ask someone, 'Could I...', and I've forgotten the Spanish for it, I remember to look in my notebook under 'C'. Then I sit there repeating the Spanish for it over and over in my head until I feel I'm ready and I hail the wait person. (Gulp!) As I say the actual words to an actual person (and, as weird as it sounds, I feel this is important - for me), I don't shy away from LOOKING like (an idiot) a person-newly-arrived-trying-mightily-to-say-something...in fact, I lay on heavily the 'er's'..'ah's'...um's.... These signal that I'm trying... not, say, drunk/on drugs...and I find, it makes what I'm doing received a little better...most people will be extremely patient when dealing with the Village Idiot. With the coffee to sip on, I start figuring out what I might want to say/ask next; I dope it out in the Book, copy it down, and sit and practice that. 'Please give me...', 'I would like'..., 'Do you have...' under 'P', 'I', and 'D'. This continues with whatever words / phrases present themselves in the course of everyday living. The notebook starts to fill with the most needed / often-'encountered' words and phrases. Then, elsewhere in the same notebook, I start to reorganize the phrases I've already recorded and started using: many, for example, especially at first, have to do with retail (restaurants and shops), and driving (I use a rental car). So I start 'bundling' my recorded stuff in categories, like 'driving'...words for directions - east, west, north, left, right, straight ahead, Please fill the tank... ..the main goal for me here is to write out in as many different 'bundles' as I can the phrases I find myself using the most... and somehow, somewhere along the way in this repetitive process, some of it starts to sink in...I'm in a Bar and I want to say to the wait person, 'Please give me...' and quite to my surprise, because I've written it out so many times and looked up what I've written so many times in order to use some phrase yet again, into my head pops the Spanish (Italian, Korean) for 'Please give me...' Some would say, 'well, that's what a phrase book is, isn't it - just the basic stuff..so why do you need to write it out all over again? Why not just lose the notebook and pen and just carry the phrase book around - save yourself the extra weight and effort?' First, no phrase book hits it just right for me. Even though a phrase book is a practical, 'boiled-down' textbook, there is still a lot of Stuff in them that I just don't need - the 'boiled-down' version needs, for my purposes, yet more 'boiling'. And I need the copying-it-out-in-my-own-hand part; brain to pen to paper...slow the process down...soak it in letter-by-letter. It's Old School - think, read, write, repeat it over and over in my head. Rote memorization. Repetition. But it works. For me. Being a bear of very little brain, I need it chalk-on-the-sidewalk, paint-by-numbers... I'm also getting daily emails from Spanish Word A Day and Spanish for Beginners: Lesson 1 These work for me because there's an audio component w/ 'em. Someday, when I've hit the lottery, I suppose I'll give Rosetta Stone a whirl. I also like very much something I ran into here at expatf. - there's even a word for it though I can't remember right now what it is (I didn't write it down yet!)... and I'll get serious about this idea when I return to Spain - - - apparently what you do is, you look for notices posted at Bars, cafes, and such by a Spanish-speaker looking for an English-speaker with whom to meet regularly and just help each other, one-on-one with their respective second-language. This is a great idea...especially because I was an elementary teacher I suppose the idea really appeals... I'd kill to find a (beautiful young Spanish woman) Spaniard whom I could meet up with regularly at a local cafe and just teach each other.


FogCityNative said:


> I am moving soon to Barcelona.
> 
> My Spanish is limited to what I learned in High School in the 1960's.
> 
> ...


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## stew (Nov 17, 2009)

Donqzen:

I've come across "couchsurfing", this I think this is where eg a spanish speaking spaniard lodges with you in eg the usa and kind of as payment you can practice speaking some spanish (also the opposite being available of you teaching some english in spain). I can't really promote as I don't know anything much about it, but thought I should mention it for your interest.


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## JazII (Mar 11, 2010)

I think total immersion (live, sleep, breath speak in Spanish....no English spoken at all) is the best route, it maybe a brain drain but it's a sure fire way to learn fast :eyebrows:


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

donqzen said:


> It seems logical to me to start learning the words and phrases that come up when I'm busy with the most-immediate tasks-at-hand. So I take a notebook, pen and a (say, Lonely Planet) Phrase Book into a cafe, sit down, open up the Phrase Book, figure out what I want to say, like, 'Could I please have a coffee with milk' (I'm addicted to the stuff now, thank you, Spain), and write it out in my notebook
> With the coffee to sip on, I start figuring out what I might want to say/ask next;
> The notebook starts to fill with the most needed / often-'encountered' words and phrases. Then, elsewhere in the same notebook, I start to reorganize the phrases I've already recorded and started using: many, for example, especially at first, have to do with retail (restaurants and shops), and driving (I use a rental car). So I start 'bundling' my recorded stuff in categories,
> It's Old School - think, read, write, repeat it over and over in my head. Rote memorization. Repetition. But it works. For me. Being a bear of very little brain, I need it chalk-on-the-sidewalk, paint-by-numbers...
> I also like very much something I ran into here at expatf. - there's even a word for it though I can't remember right now what it is (I didn't write it down yet!)... and I'll get serious about this idea when I return to Spain - - - apparently what you do is, you look for notices posted at Bars, cafes, and such by a Spanish-speaker looking for an English-speaker with whom to meet regularly and just help each other, one-on-one with their respective second-language. This is a great idea...especially because I was an elementary teacher I suppose the idea really appeals... I'd kill to find a (beautiful young Spanish woman) Spaniard whom I could meet up with regularly at a local cafe and just teach each other.


I think a lot of what you say makes sense, but especially when you say But it works. For me. That's the key, finding something that works for you.
I would say that repetition, going over or revising to help something stick is vital in language learning. Most modern methods do it in a more fun way than just doing smth over and over again, but it boils down to the same in the end whether it be by tendy, cutting edge technology or a notebook and a pencil - repetition helps you learn.
The language exchange between English and Spanish speakers is an *intercambio* is that the word you're looking for? Write it down! Like you say you'll probably find notes up in places around the city. Good places to look are Irish bars, university campus', language schools and bookshops that have English books. A beautiful young Spanish woman cannot be guaranteed unfortunately for you...
Another thing. Don't forget to keep at your language learning when you get home. Even if you're not practicing the conversation you'll be laying a good base to work on when you come back.
Hope you saw some good weather this weekend!


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Remember that they say the best way to learn Spanish is A ) be born Spanish or B ) take a Spanish lover. I tried to convince my wife that I needed more practical training but she wouldn't believe me!!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

gus-lopez said:


> Remember that they say the best way to learn Spanish is A ) be born Spanish or B ) take a Spanish lover. I tried to convince my wife that I needed more practical training but she wouldn't believe me!!


Oh absolutely, no two ways about it!


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

SteveHall said:


> Xtreme says he is just sad that Jojo is not a native madrileña. Then he start rambling about donkeys so I dropped the Skype!


I can well believe it.


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## donqzen (Jan 24, 2010)

*more good ideas*

There is a volunteer staying at this B&B as both the B&B's owner and the volunteer helper participate in the 'way cool program offered at Help Exchange... The Helper is from Malaysia, 'though most recently from a HelpX gig in Barcelona. (There was another HelpX volunteer here 5 weeks ago - great kid...from Latvia originally...learned very good English while on a 3-month HelpX gig in London...wants to learn to sail!) She speaks 5 languages. Because of this thread, and because I can use all the help I can get learning Spanish, I asked her for some language-learning tips. She rented Hollywood movies w/ subscripts and copied lines onto paper to help w/ mastering English. (Because, she says, she didn't have any English-speakers w/ whom to practice.) She also looks up children's books and comic strips in the target language, all of which have online translations to several other languages - we Searched for children's books / stories in Spanish this afternoon and found many all of which had English translations. If you find a children's story that is not translated, copy and paste the text into Google Translate (Google 'Google Translate' to get there; I know. Obvious, right?) Also, she goes to YouTube and Searches 'Spanish lessons'. Brilliant in the simplicity of her approach, no? One thing she said that struck me today - and, again, this is from a woman who has learned 4 languages beyond her native one, and doesn't count the substantial Mandarin she knows as yet another one learned (she speaks Cantonese) - is that, after one has learned two or three thousand vocabulary words in any language, you can get around and be self-sufficient with it... that struck me as meaning, stick with it, keep learning words and the process will take care of itself.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

donqzen said:


> . She rented Hollywood movies w/ subscripts and copied lines onto paper to help w/ mastering English. (Because, she says, she didn't have any English-speakers w/ whom to practice.) She also looks up children's books and comic strips in the target language, all of which have online translations to several other languages - we Searched for children's books / stories in Spanish this afternoon and found many all of which had English translations. If you find a children's story that is not translated, copy and paste the text into Google Translate (Google 'Google Translate' to get there; I know. Obvious, right?) Also, she goes to YouTube and Searches 'Spanish lessons'. .


Hmmm. I personally don't like the children's books and comics idea. Just because they're childrens books doesn't mean that they're easy vocabulary. A native childs book doesn't have scaled down vocabulary nor ideas. There may be a bit more repetition... 
As for comics, think of Tin Tin with Captain Haddock and the Thompson twins - hardly everyday language! And Google translate should never be taken seriously. It can give you an inkling and *sometimes* even a correct translation, but only sometimes.


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## RagsToRich (Feb 9, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> As for comics, think of Tin Tin with Captain Haddock and the Thompson twins - hardly everyday language! And Google translate should never be taken seriously. It can give you an inkling and *sometimes* even a correct translation, but only sometimes.


I too distrust google translate.

I have ordered two copies of a Neil Gaiman novel. One in English, one in Spanish. If that proves too challenging then I'll try Discworld.

My friend who speaks about 7 languages flutently, including Spanish and Portugese, recommend Harry Potter.

I am NOT stooping that low...


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

RagsToRich said:


> I too distrust google translate.
> 
> I have ordered two copies of a Neil Gaiman novel. One in English, one in Spanish. If that proves too challenging then I'll try Discworld.
> 
> ...


This is the modern world guys, you can buy serious literature (versus kids') with both languages in the same book - Spanish on one page and the corresponding English on the opposite page. The idea is that you read whichever language you are learning (without cheating!) and just cross-refer to the language you know ONLY if you get stuck.

I have three here now:
* New Penguin Parallel Text - Short stories in Spanish edited by John R King ISBN 978-0-14-026541-5
* Side by Side Bilingual Books - Stories from Spain edited by Genevieve Barlow and William Stivers ISBN 978-0-8442-0499-4
* Side by Side Bilingual Books - Stories from Latin America edited by Genevieve Barlow ISBN 978-0-8442-0812-1

I am most of the way through the third of these (the first one I am reading) and it is very good. I perhaps make one or two cross referrals per page and I can understand them quite well.

P.S. I got them through Amazon


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Not often PW and I disagree but I loved reading Pippy Longstocking in Swedish when I first started. In fact 35 years later I can still recount many of the stories. 

What I am sure we will BOTH agree on is that whatever works for you works for you. My Spanish improved no end when I started reading football magazines etc 24/7 and I am sure that the only reason that Xtreme goes to bed with "Mi burrito" is his desire to perfect his Spanish. (At least I hope so!)


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## nigele2 (Dec 25, 2009)

SteveHall said:


> am sure that the only reason that Xtreme goes to bed with "Mi burrito" is his desire to perfect his Spanish. (At least I hope so!)




As Steve says what works for you, and I believe if I hadn't found what for me are enjoyable and fun methods then I would have given up long ago. 

I was never a great reader when a child so catching up on the classics (Treasure Island, War of the worlds, Robinson Crusoe) with spanish for 9 year olds was great for me. For others it might bore them to death. I did try comics but it wasn't for me. But then I didn't like them in English so I guess no surprise.

I'm now in my tenth serious year of learning spanish. For me it will never end. The concept of "learning until I'm fluent" is beyond me. Not even sure tat I've got fluent on English yet!! 

For one thing my spanish stepdaughter has gone through phases of using for example "mola this, mola that" every ten seconds and now never uses the word. It's a moving target. And now that I'm based in Asturias well that's another language entirely 

And whatever level I get to the mountain path is always wynding forever upwards. And if it wasn't fun, being a lazy b****r, I'd just sit down by the wayside. And I have the advantage of a spanish wife who speaks very little English 

Jim and Bill are fishing.

jim: "I'm going to divorce the wife".
bill: "Why Jim"
jim: "It's been really difficult lately. We haven't spoken for two months"
bill: "I'd think carefully about that Jim, women like that are hard to find."


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

nigele2 said:


> As Steve says what works for you, and I believe if I hadn't found what for me are enjoyable and fun methods then I would have given up long ago.
> 
> I was never a great reader when a child so catching up on the classics (Treasure Island, War of the worlds, Robinson Crusoe) with spanish for 9 year olds was great for me. For others it might bore them to death. I did try comics but it wasn't for me. But then I didn't like them in English so I guess no surprise.
> 
> ...



Lol I am going to steal that joke and post it in Egypt, made me laugh out loud
Maiden x


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

SteveHall said:


> Not often PW and I disagree but I loved reading Pippy Longstocking in Swedish when I first started. In fact 35 years later I can still recount many of the stories.
> 
> What I am sure we will BOTH agree on is that whatever works for you works for you. My Spanish improved no end when I started reading football magazines etc 24/7 and I am sure that the only reason that Xtreme goes to bed with "Mi burrito" is his desire to perfect his Spanish. (At least I hope so!)


Well, well, well, what is the world coming to, fancy disagreeing with PW!!

_*What I am sure we will BOTH agree on is that whatever works for you works for you*_

Of course!!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

nigele2 said:


> As Steve says what works for you, and I believe if I hadn't found what for me are enjoyable and fun methods then I would have given up long ago.
> 
> 
> I'm now in my tenth serious year of learning spanish. For me it will never end. The concept of "learning until I'm fluent" is beyond me. Not even sure tat I've got fluent on English yet!!
> ...


Agree, agree and agree


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