# How did you do it ?



## Townfanjon (Jan 2, 2016)

Hi peeps , how did you learn spanish, lessons, apps, one to one etc etc .

At the moment I am using the duolingo app , but I seem to have hit a brick wall with it and dont feel its "going in" anymore ( probably my age lol ) 

Thank you in advance


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Townfanjon said:


> Hi peeps , how did you learn spanish, lessons, apps, one to one etc etc .
> 
> At the moment I am using the duolingo app , but I seem to have hit a brick wall with it and dont feel its "going in" anymore ( probably my age lol )
> 
> Thank you in advance


Night out with the non English speaking locals, adequate beverages and lots of laughter.. UTT !!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

yes, immersion!! I tried to learn before we went to Spain, but - it didnt really happen. But once in Spain and having to understand and have a go, I learnt. The one thing I found is that you do have to force yourself to have a go - its no good being shy. you have to make mistakes and accept that they may not understand you or you them, but its all a learning curve and it does get easier once you "tune in" Hand gestures are a good first step.

Jo xxx


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Townfanjon said:


> Hi peeps , how did you learn spanish,


By working at it. 
An app can be really helpful for revision or teaching you some words or phrases, maybe it will give a quick practice of a grammar point or a little reminder of something you did a while ago, but I'd be surprised if people _learnt_ languages from apps.
You need to spend time on learning a new language, you need to be consistent and you need to be serious. That doesn't mean to say you have spend hours and hours on it every day, and it doesn't mean it can't be fun.
Here are some ideas I've posted on other threads

Of course, there's no Best Way, just as there's no Quickest Way.
There's: here's an idea that might help you on your way, and this worked for me in the beginning, and if you're in the country why don't you try...
But everybody has to pick through what's around and find which approach suits them and what interests them.
A basic, which a lot of people do not realise that is essential to all methods though, is reuse, revise, recycle - and then do it again. Go over and over vocabulary, phrases and grammar points until you notice that you use it naturally without thinking.
...

IME people who learn to speak another language fluently


Really work 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.
...

The key could be finding something that works for you, tv, internet, intercambio, an hour a day for a year, private classes...
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 trendy, cutting edge technology or a notebook and a pencil - repetition helps you learn.

Here's a web to get you started
BBC - Learn Spanish with free online lessons


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## soja (Apr 10, 2016)

Townfanjon said:


> Hi peeps , how did you learn spanish, lessons, apps, one to one etc etc .
> 
> At the moment I am using the duolingo app , but I seem to have hit a brick wall with it and dont feel its "going in" anymore ( probably my age lol )
> 
> Thank you in advance


I used Rosetta Stone, it's pricey but worth it, it has 5 levels and total immersion, no English translations at all. Duolingo is good too but I have no idea how high the levels are.

Buy a grammar book, I recommend ones by "Practice Makes Perfect", one of the bestselling, they have them on Amazon and they have very clear explanations.

If you want to look up words I personally recommend Spanishdict.com for nouns and verbs but for expressions and colloquial terms then I recommend wordreference.com 

Both of these sites also have forums so if you want to ask a question about an aspect of the language you don't understand then ask away. (I'm not affiliated with these sites, I just know how useful and popular they are) 

There's also an app called HiNative which is like Yahoo Answers but for languages, not just Spanish.

Watch Spanish movies with Spanish subtitles. Go to language exchanges if possible, read Spanish news websites, talk to yourself to put words together, learn the grammar and verb tenses, it all comes together eventually. And also, don't compare Spanish to English, don't translate word for word, understand how the language flows without comparing how things are said in English etc

Learning Spanish isn't easy, my biggest tip is don't be hard on yourself when you don't understand something, we've all gotten frustrated learning Spanish, everyone does when they learn a language. Take a break if you have to and know that when you learn a language you can only go forward or stay where you are but never backwards. Learning Spanish is so rewarding.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

I got a Spanish partner... mother in law was the main reason for learning! Then, working in a Spanish company really helped... 

Just immerse yourself with the locals .. don't spend half your life with brits.. try to go to spanish bars, meet the local people and dont be afraid to make a fool of yourself.. 

My biggest tip though is Spanish TV, particularly the news... they speak well and with the stories and pictures you get the idea of what they are talking about and then really listen close to learn more.. I made sure to watch the news as much as I could and Spanish TV in general.. although avoid telecinco (except the news) as most of the programming there is depressing... salvame.. i say no more!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Ahh, I forgot to mention the love aspect. If you could possibly fall in love in Spanish, that would be a great help!

There's some great advice here and also in other threads if you look up Spanish, learning Spanish, the lingo etc. Also look up The Rosetta Stone and Michel Thomas as they've had quite a lot written about them and opinions differ a lot!

Oh, and "How did you do it?" asks the OP. Well, quite a lot of English speakers just don't do it for one reason or another, so it's great that you're trying and don't give up, it's just not easy!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Lessons to start with, in a group.

Then really just practice practice practice. 

Apps & computer based systems can be useful for back-up - but nothing replaces practice with real live people.

That's how I did it, anyway. I never used apps (they weren't around then) & there wasn't much online - & I didn't like Rosetta Stone nor Michel Thomas

You can take classes, use apps, even read in Spanish for years - but until you get out _on the street_ & use it, you'll never really be able to 'speak' Spanish.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

I tried teaching myself from CDs (Michel Thomas, BBC World Spanish) and books before moving here, but didn't do very well. After we arrived I did a 4 week course at a private language school (2 hour lesson each day from Mon-Fri) to kickstart the process, then carried on with a 2 hour group lesson once a week. The teacher moved me up to new groups when she thought I was ready, and because the new group would have covered things which I hadn't done, I booked a few one to one lessons at those times to make sure I was up to speed. The teacher always set us lots of homework to be done in our own time. After about 18 months I did an intercambio with one of the school's Spanish students who was learning English, we met for an hour twice a week and spoke for half the time in Spanish and half in English. That was invaluable for improving conversational skills. 

I got to C1 level but gave up after that as I hit the classic plateau, where I could cope pretty well in most situations and I didn't feel I was learning much more in lessons which would be useful to me.

It's very hard work, there's no denying that, but also very rewarding and makes a huge difference to your life in Spain if you can communicate effectively with people around you, so do stick at it. It also required quite a significant financial investment, but an investment is what I saw it as.


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## Townfanjon (Jan 2, 2016)

If only they all knew the significance of UTT lol


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## Townfanjon (Jan 2, 2016)

Hepa said:


> Night out with the non English speaking locals, adequate beverages and lots of laughter.. UTT !!


If only the rest of the forum knew the significance of the letters UTT lol lol


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## Townfanjon (Jan 2, 2016)

Thanks to all for your replys, I dont post much on here, to those of you who dont know we are looking for a holiday home in spain and possibly to move over permanently. I just feel we should have the basic language skills before we get there. 
We just returned from our first visit/reckie last week, covered a lot and basically, went south from Allicante to Cartenega , Loved it but nothing realy grabbed us , so we are hopefully back in Sept , maybe Cartenega southwards or possibly north . Watch this space lol lol


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## PNE Matt (Feb 28, 2016)

UTT- Could be UP THE TOWN !
I presume your are a Udders fan


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## Townfanjon (Jan 2, 2016)

Lol , well done pal , correct , how you doing with are old manager ?


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## PNE Matt (Feb 28, 2016)

Townfanjon said:


> Lol , well done pal , correct , how you doing with are old manager ?[/QUOT
> 
> Very well indeed. Bit defensive but he has spent very little.
> He is linked to the Villa job at the moment


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## PNE Matt (Feb 28, 2016)

Back on track.
I attended adult courses on Saturday mornings and used the bbc website, again talking to people is the best way.
I am in a similar situation to you, looking for a Holiday home with future plans to relocate.


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## Milanesa (Jun 1, 2014)

Mondly app is good, and immersion, just keep practising, listening and speaking. And maybe some conversational group classes?


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## Maureen47 (Mar 27, 2014)

I went to night classes in the UK for 12 months before we moved , it helped with basics but wasn't great. I think I have every set of CD'S from Michel Thomas to Rosetta Stone and have learned a lot from them. I also use fun apps and online free stuff. I did a 10 week online course with the University of Salamanca and that was helpful too. Since in Spain from last Nov , I attend classes for 2 hours twice a week and 2 intercambio sessions. I am more comfortable now having a go at speaking. I read and write Spanish far better than I speak it and I am currently reading a John Grisham novel in Spanish , I also have a Spanish magazine each week and a newspaper. I do at least 3-4 hours at home every week. Its coming on and I am really enjoying it but it sure is harder as you get older. I always enjoyed languages and did Latin at school which has helped as has being TEFL qualified for understanding the grammar requirements. A bit of advice I was given was to read, speak etc about something you really enjoy doing , perhaps a hobby or a skill and it will help to improve your Spanish , I do this with gymnastics and reading and it does help , Good Luck and stick with it !


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## Townfanjon (Jan 2, 2016)

maureen47 said:


> but it sure is harder as you get older. !


Maureen , many thanks .......... You have hit the nail on the head lol


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