# Hows your Spanish?



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

We always say on here that people need to speak and write Spanish, pretty much fluently to stand any chance of getting a decent job here and its true!! 

Anyway, I've always thought myself fairly good at languages, I picked up french easily as a kid, went to france a lot, got the necessary A-level etc and I can speak a bit of german. But Spanish has been a mystery to me. I think I know why, I dont use it enough. I have lessons every now and again, I chat as often as I can in shops, bars etc, but its not enough and I find I forget what I've learnt very quickly. I should be out there practicing everyday to really get it going.

They say that kids learn easier and better. My son, altho is at an international school is very good and understands most things and can answer and hold a limited good conversation. My daughter who goes to state school says she hates "the stupid language" and refuses to learn it - altho this morning we were listening to the radio in the car and I grasped they were talking about dangerous dogs on the streets. I asked my daughter what were they saying and she reeled it off and understood the whole conversation fully - so, as I suspected she knows more than she lets on. She also "chats" on facebook/msn in Spanish!!!!????

So there you go, how is everyone else doing???

Jo xxx


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## Tallulah (Feb 16, 2009)

jojo said:


> We always say on here that people need to speak and write Spanish, pretty much fluently to stand any chance of getting a decent job here and its true!!
> 
> Anyway, I've always thought myself fairly good at languages, I picked up french easily as a kid, went to france a lot, got the necessary A-level etc and I can speak a bit of german. But Spanish has been a mystery to me. I think I know why, I dont use it enough. I have lessons every now and again, I chat as often as I can in shops, bars etc, but its not enough and I find I forget what I've learnt very quickly. I should be out there practicing everyday to really get it going.
> 
> ...


Well like you Jo, I studied languages and my previous job was split between the UK and France - but obviously due to circumstances Spanish over took that pretty quickly!!! I believe it's not just a case of learning by rote all the correct grammar, etc - it really is a case of being here and listening to how people converse, then finding the confidence to just jump in, no matter how awful you think you sound!!  When we moved out here 5 years ago, the kids really didn't speak any Spanish at all - but that quickly changed. Although it's a bit of a struggle now keeping them up to speed with their English, I've noticed a huge change in them when they are in Spanish mode. They gesticulate more, become louder (!), swear quite a bit (seems to be the norm!) and the speed with which they talk and their accents are completely indistinguishable from the other Spanish around here. It's just so "natural" for them and they can make that switch between the three languages so easily (English/Castellano/Gallego). I've had to keep on top of the Spanish cos of everything we deal with on a daily basis - schools, official stuff, OH's family and of course where we're located - and I find now that I switch really easily between the languages - in fact quite a few phrases of Spanish regularly creep in to our conversations in English and sometimes I find myself automatically coming out with Spanish even when I talk to my parents on the phone - it just seems to come out first I guess and then I hunt around for the word in English!!

That's great news about Ruby though - little madam!!! I always thought she knew more than she let on lol!!

xxxx


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## Guest (May 20, 2010)

I majored in Hispanic Studies at a Canadian University. I graduated thinking I spoke Spanish - boy, was I wrong. When I got here last year, I had a tough time finding my feet. But, I got by. After that Christmas, I started dating one of my coworkers (uh oh) who speaks, oh, three words of English. So, our entire relationship has been in my second language. Absolutely no one in his family speaks English, and I've had a "trial by fire" leaning method. It's worked! No amount of class time can ever compare to an experience in which you've got to speak the language to survive. You can tune out in class, but it's not as easy to do at the dinner table surrounded by your in-laws and their extended family!!!

Today and tomorrow I'm doing the C2 level DELE exam to see if I can get a certificate that says that I speako bueno espanol.


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## lynn (Sep 25, 2008)

It's the end of the Spanish lessons this week, and our teacher decided to 'test' us. I felt confident that I would be appalling, and was therefore not disappointed! I have still got a certificate though, and I'm very proud of it! I will be enrolling for the intermediate classes next October and will struggle on with it. If nothing else, it gives me an excuse for a coffee and a chat after class which I always enjoy!


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## gerrit (Jul 15, 2008)

I only speak "muy poco" and that is while, without realising, probably mixing up Spanish words with Catalan words. I still find it hard to notice the difference between both.

Thing is: at work I serve customers per phone and internet in the languages I speak (4 languages, but not including Spanish) and with superiors communication is in English. At home, my neighbour is fluent in English and helps me translating whenever a letter arrives. Most of my friends speak English relatively well, even though I sometimes wish I were more forced to speak Spanish and exercise, but usually whenever I start a sentence and struggle to get it finished my friends swap to English immediately.


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## donz (May 5, 2010)

my Spanish is virtually non-existant as I am a beginner. My OH's mum was Spanish and dad is English. being the baby of the family he refused to speak any Spanish so his 2 sisters & brother all speak fluent where as he can just about grasp what is going on.

I am starting lessons in a couple of weeks though with my sis-in-law & I do practice my basics (numbers colours etc lol!!!) at least I'm trying!


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## fourgotospain (May 4, 2009)

I have had to up my spanish as we are running a business - approximately 50% of our suppliers are spanish. Some of them rattle on in Valenciano which I cannot understand at all, but most of them are pretty good. With our main supplier I have a spanglish thing going on - he will only answer if I try spanish, but then does answer in english to practise and make sure I understood! It works...

The children are a whole other deal - they have been at school all of 8 weeks (oh, 2 of those weeks were Easter hols!) and now converse in spanglish themselves, the little one - only 6 - appears to have no trace of an english accent according to a spanish friend! We also have coffee with said spanish friend who doesn't speak much english and so makes us converse in spanish to keep her in the conversation. The tenses are a mess, pronouns terrible and sentance structure appalling, but she understands - yey!!:clap2:


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## Guest (May 20, 2010)

I thought I was doing ok... until I decided to get some lessons with our neighbour today. She launched straight into teaching me the preterito indefinido and lost me within about 30 seconds. We battled on though and I'm probably still none the wiser :lol: think next week I'll get her to stick with the present and past participle that I know well so I feel like I can actually speak some Spanish!


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## nigele2 (Dec 25, 2009)

It's not always the words, the grammar and the phrases but the culture 

Just received this from my Sevillana mujer :

Si en ese largo y azaroso camino que es la vida de pareja se llegan a tener distracciones en forma de pequeñas aventuras, éstas pueden fortalecer la relación de pareja porque actúan como "refrescos", y estos descansos son los que dan la fuerza para seguir adelante. 

On the long road that is the life of a couple occur distractions in the form of small adventures; these they can strengthen the relationship acting as refreshers, and these rests give strength to carry on as a couple.

Is she trying to tell me something 

I was always told the best spanish lessons are given in bed but this is going too far


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## owdoggy (Jul 23, 2008)

We've been going to private lessons now for nearly a year and we still come out more confused than we went in.
Our teacher, a lovely lady called Vera, must have the patience of a saint to listen to us two geordies destroying her native tongue week after week

She reckons we're doing really well and it'll all click eventually but I don't plan on hearing any clickey noises anytime soon. Having said that, we're both determined to keep it going for as long as it takes......we both want it so it is what it is eh

One thing I do miss is being able to have a good old fashioned chinwag...... aye, we can talk about the weather & stuff like that but my goal is to be able to have a good old blather with the Spanish people who have been so kind to us and I would like to think are our friends ( you'd have to ask them if I'm right or not). Funnily enough, most of them are in the bars we go in........of course we only go in to improve our Spanish:becky:...... is my nose getting longer?



Doggy


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## Guest (May 20, 2010)

nigele2 said:


> It's not always the words, the grammar and the phrases but the culture
> 
> Just received this from my Sevillana mujer :
> 
> ...




Since I can't swear.... _ostras!_ (oysters)
I've made it clear to my OH that this is one area in which I am firmly and stubbornly American - no "pequeñas aventuras" billed as "refrescos." And that's the first thing my father said when I said I had a Spanish boyfriend!

But yes, that's the best way to learn!


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Very few people here speak English, so it is Spanish every day, I even converse with a German friend in Spanish. I do not have lessons because there aren't any available. I could have English lessons, German lessons but no Spanish because no one wishes to learn it, all are native speakers.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

halydia said:


> I majored in Hispanic Studies at a Canadian University. I graduated thinking I spoke Spanish - boy, was I wrong. When I got here last year, I had a tough time finding my feet. But, I got by. After that Christmas, I started dating one of my coworkers (uh oh) who speaks, oh, three words of English. So, our entire relationship has been in my second language. Absolutely no one in his family speaks English, and I've had a "trial by fire" leaning method. It's worked! No amount of class time can ever compare to an experience in which you've got to speak the language to survive. You can tune out in class, but it's not as easy to do at the dinner table surrounded by your in-laws and their extended family!!!
> 
> Today and tomorrow I'm doing the C2 level DELE exam to see if I can get a certificate that says that I speako bueno espanol.


Is that the highest level halydía?
Hope you pass. I'm sure it'll give you points when you do the oposiciones next year,
Tell me what it's like! 
I was thinking of doing that or "A" level (British school exam) but I got fed up looking for info... I'll try again before the summer


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

As I have said many a time before, if you have class once a week, or even twice, you're going to make very slow progress if you make progress at all. 
I went from teaching English the typical 1 hour Tues and Thurs or Mon and Wed, to teaching 5 week 1 hour a day intensives, and wow, what a difference! The intensive system really worked, especially as they had a little homework every day.
Now, that is probably not very realistic for many people, but why not try stepping it up for a while and doing more on your own? Try 1x45 mins 3 times a week and homework of 15 mins all the other days. Or try a one week 3 x week and the next week 2 x week plus homework (homework should be related to what you've done in class and could consist of merely rereading what you've done or reading smth out loud, or making sentences with the vocab...) Or do every day for alternate months. Everyday, or nearly every day contact is very important IMHO.
Do something!!!!!!!!


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## owdoggy (Jul 23, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Everyday, or nearly every day contact is very important IMHO.
> Do something!!!!!!!!


 We do..... we make contact in bars......nasty job but.........



Doggy


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## Guest (May 20, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Is that the highest level halydía?
> Hope you pass. I'm sure it'll give you points when you do the oposiciones next year,
> Tell me what it's like!
> I was thinking of doing that or "A" level (British school exam) but I got fed up looking for info... I'll try again before the summer



It is. It's actually not all that hard of a test so far, the only bad part is I started talking in circles during the oral exam because I got nervous. Now I can't criticize my poor students when they do the same thing!!!

I'm not sure about oposiciones points, BUT if I pass it will mean that I don't have to take another Spanish test during the opos process. I'm going to get the C2 level for English as well, through the local EOI. That they DO give points for 

I think the next round of exams is in November. It's worth checking out! I'm sure your Spanish is exponentially better than mine, and if I find it easy...
Let me know if you're going to do it, and I can pass along some links that've helped me.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

owdoggy said:


> We do..... we make contact in bars......nasty job but.........
> 
> 
> 
> Doggy


 
....somebody's got to do it, eh!!!

Good job we got you and the missus to rely on!!


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

I had lessons when I first came for about 2 years but only 2 hrs a week . I find that I have learnt more working with the Spanish & having to speak it all the time . I am still utterly amazed that when I speak, especially on the phone, that they actually understand what I am saying. I still find the replies a bit unintelligible as we are on the border of Andalucia, & the bits missing , letters , whole words, etc., can be quite confusing. I am working with my neighbours at present , helping to build an apartment on part of their house & although I get by ok , when the discussion!!! ( arguements ) start over the plan , It's all to fast for me . :lol: I still struggle with verbs, they just won't stick.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> As I have said many a time before, if you have class once a week, or even twice, you're going to make very slow progress if you make progress at all.
> I went from teaching English the typical 1 hour Tues and Thurs or Mon and Wed, to teaching 5 week 1 hour a day intensives, and wow, what a difference! The intensive system really worked, especially as they had a little homework every day.
> Now, that is probably not very realistic for many people, but why not try stepping it up for a while and doing more on your own? Try 1x45 mins 3 times a week and homework of 15 mins all the other days. Or try a one week 3 x week and the next week 2 x week plus homework (homework should be related to what you've done in class and could consist of merely rereading what you've done or reading smth out loud, or making sentences with the vocab...) Or do every day for alternate months. Everyday, or nearly every day contact is very important IMHO.
> Do something!!!!!!!!


PS This is what I'd recommend to people who aren't working in Spanish, whose significant other isn't Spanish ...


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

jojo said:


> We always say on here that people need to speak and write Spanish, pretty much fluently to stand any chance of getting a decent job here and its true!!
> 
> Anyway, I've always thought myself fairly good at languages, I picked up french easily as a kid, went to france a lot, got the necessary A-level etc and I can speak a bit of german. But Spanish has been a mystery to me. I think I know why, I dont use it enough. I have lessons every now and again, I chat as often as I can in shops, bars etc, but its not enough and I find I forget what I've learnt very quickly. I should be out there practicing everyday to really get it going.
> 
> ...


I am quite lucky. We met a Spanish girl a few years ago who spoke good english. She now has a language school and we get free spanish lessons in return for giving them english conversation. She has also now employed a lot of the local english families, as this year spanish children are going to be staying in our houses monday to friday to learn english. We are going to give them the full english experience with food, conversation and TV. Every morning they have english lessons provided by the spanish teachers, and they take them again in the evening for other activities all of which are in english. As the children are not too far from home they can come from 8 years of age. It seems very popular with the spanish parents, as they know that their children are close by in case of any emergency.


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## scharlack (Nov 21, 2008)

jojo said:


> We always say on here that people need to speak and write Spanish, pretty much fluently to stand any chance of getting a decent job here and its true!!
> 
> Anyway, I've always thought myself fairly good at languages, I picked up french easily as a kid, went to france a lot, got the necessary A-level etc and I can speak a bit of german. But Spanish has been a mystery to me. I think I know why, I dont use it enough. I have lessons every now and again, I chat as often as I can in shops, bars etc, but its not enough and I find I forget what I've learnt very quickly. I should be out there practicing everyday to really get it going.
> 
> ...


Hey Jo!

How is life? 

I am sure you daughter understands it reasonably well by now. And it is going to get better. Wait until she introduces you to that new Spanish boyfriend of hers 

Well, my Spanish is probably going to get worse and worse from now on. I reckon I was lucky to be a native Portuguese speaker and that's an advantage when learning Spanish, even though it can be tricky at times. Nowadays I try to read El País and some articles written in Spanish... but it is not enough to keep me going. I am just trying to slow the "I can't speak it fluently anymore" process, but it will come one day as I get no practice whatsoever.

On the other hand, I am inclined towards the idea of learning French, which is offered for free by the Canadian gov't. We shall see what happens!

Hope all is well.

Cheers!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Glad you still "pop in" Sharlack!! Lifes great here. Hope all is well with you

Jo xxx


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