# Marcus santamaria spanish course?



## sarakas

Hello!! 


Just wondering if anyone has taken this course? And how they got along with it? 

Many thanks x


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## XTreme

sarakas said:


> Hello!!
> 
> 
> Just wondering if anyone has taken this course? And how they got along with it?
> 
> Many thanks x


I looked at it briefly years ago.....but it's pretty much 100% Latino Spanish.

So yes it will help you to a degree....but it will actually create more complication further down the line where you have to modify your pronunciation.

Apart from that, you will sound a bit odd here speaking like a Mexican road sweeper.


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## baldilocks

XTreme said:


> I looked at it briefly years ago.....but it's pretty much 100% Latino Spanish.
> 
> So yes it will help you to a degree....but it will actually create more complication further down the line where you have to modify your pronunciation.
> 
> Apart from that, you will sound a bit odd here speaking like a Mexican road sweeper.


I have to trim my Colombian Spanish so that some Spaniards understand me.


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## sarakas

Thanks, my boyfriend is spanish ( madrid ) he said he would be happy if I could learn any type, obviously " true " Spanish- so is the difference between Latino and true spanish like " true " English and American English? 
My personal opinion is..... If someone was learning English for the first time, it's not really important if its English from England or from America etc... Just to be understood?! 
I have subscribed to Marcus's emails and it makes a lot of sense but I want to spend my money wisely- lots of courses start with verbs etc, I don't even know what most of them are in English!!! Haha

Any advice and help is much appreciated


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## XTreme

I think you'll end up with taking what you get there.....then relearning the pronunciation in a Spanish way.

Problem is, a lot of these courses are geared towards Latino Spanish......so it's not straightforward.

My advice would be go for Michel Thomas as theory along with lots of real life practice.


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## sarakas

Or..... MAKE everyone speak Sarah language!!! To be honest, my boyfriends family and friends have been fantastic!!! They speak no English and I speak no Spanish!! The perfect " inlaw" family?! It's great fun learning from each other, I was just looking for a simple and quick way I guess so I don't feel so useless when I'm there!! 
Hey ho- I am fluent when the wine is flowing!!! Lol


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## Navas

sarakas said:


> Or..... MAKE everyone speak Sarah language!!! To be honest, my boyfriends family and friends have been fantastic!!! They speak no English and I speak no Spanish!! The perfect " inlaw" family?! It's great fun learning from each other, I was just looking for a simple and quick way I guess so I don't feel so useless when I'm there!!
> Hey ho- I am fluent when the wine is flowing!!! Lol


My partner has used http://www.notesinspanish.com/ which we both rate quite highly. You can download free podcasts and pay to use the worksheets.


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## Pesky Wesky

sarakas said:


> I want to spend my money wisely- lots of courses start with verbs etc, I don't even know what most of them are in English!!! Haha
> 
> Any advice and help is much appreciated


Why spend money?
There are many free online courses and exercises. A lot are pretty crappy admittedly, but there are also very good ones.
Try the BBC Mi Vida Loca, Spanish steps and others.
Search learning Spanish/ Spanish etc on here for more links and suggestions.


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## sarakas

Hey pesky! 


I have found a few online that are free but after a certain amount of time or if you have completed the " first " step, then it's time to pay up- completely understandable! 
I guess my problem is, I don't really understand verbs etc.... In English! So to start off in this way in a new language is a bit hard. I'm not stupid or anything, just didn't pay much attention at school about the English language and how it works- it seems I need to do that first, so I can understand the teaching methods for learning spanish?!

I hope that makes sense?! 😁🇬🇧🇪🇸


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## Pesky Wesky

sarakas said:


> Hey pesky!
> 
> 
> I have found a few online that are free but after a certain amount of time or if you have completed the " first " step, then it's time to pay up- completely understandable!
> I guess my problem is, I don't really understand verbs etc.... In English! So to start off in this way in a new language is a bit hard. I'm not stupid or anything, just didn't pay much attention at school about the English language and how it works- it seems I need to do that first, so I can understand the teaching methods for learning spanish?!
> 
> I hope that makes sense?! 😁🇬🇧🇪🇸


Yes, it makes a lot of sense. Spanish people study a lot of (very unecessary imo) grammar at school for example but that's not the way in Brit land. That's why I suggested Mi Vida Loca because it doesn't seem to follow that approach, although I must admit I haven't used it myself, just looked through it.


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## sarakas

Great, thank you


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## JaneyO

sarakas said:


> Hello!!
> 
> 
> Just wondering if anyone has taken this course? And how they got along with it?
> 
> Many thanks x


Yes I have done several of these and found them really useful because they get you speaking fluently in sentences really quickly without getting bogged down in too much grammar. I'd learned loads of different stuff but found it hard to actually put it all together and speak until I did this course. Never had any problems with the pronunciation being SA mind you they all speak Catalan here so probably don't notice my Castellano is a bit odd! I learned more, and more quickly, from these courses than classes or private lessons or other free internet courses. Didn't think the price was bad either you get a lot of free stuff as well. I enjoyed it and would recommend it. Still don't speak brlliant Spanish mind but that's my fault for not practicing enough. Guess your inlaws will correct your pronunciation anyway- good luck!


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## sarakas

Brilliant, thanks janey! Inlaws will either correct me or laugh at me! Lol


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## goingtobcn

Navas said:


> My partner has used Notes in Spanish - Learn Spanish with Podcast Audio Conversation from Spain. | Learn Spanish with Spanish podcast audio. This is real, exciting conversation from Spain. which we both rate quite highly. You can download free podcasts and pay to use the worksheets.


I was also going to recommend this  The intermediate ones were really helpful for me before we moved out here to refresh and OH used the beginner ones. He also paid for the worksheets to get the transcripts.

I did listen to a couple of advanced ones when we'd been here a little while, but at this stage would rather listen to TV/radio etc. Long way before I understand everything, but I'm getting there! OH has also made excellent progress given that he couldn't speak a word when we moved here (he works in English though of course practises with Spanish colleagues)


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