wannalurnspanish

Boring as it may sound, I do well with lists and flashcards. I have a book that has a good variety of words, broken up into different categories and I've tried to start learning one category at a time. It's called, "Mastering Spanish Vocabulary: A Thematic Approach." I think if I could learn all the words in this book I'd be doing a pretty good job of boosting my Spanish vocabulary.

(It's probably not perfect.) Me odio los autobuses porque ellos están sucios y polvorientos. The ghost floated through the graveyard.

Poor cat. Yeah, it's a pretty interesting method. I actually took a CD out of the library for my son to listen to that used this method. I played it in the car for him, and they used things like, "arroz" - picture an arrow landing in your plate of rice. I know it works, because when my son saw the word elsewhere he knew what it meant and even mentioned that specific visual he learned to help with learning it. I don't know how creative I could actually be to learn all new words this way, though.

I haven't had a lot of luck learning this way because I always wuss out and turn on the subtitles. I can read the language way better than I speak and hear it, so I really should just be listening to it, but if the Spanish is "fuzzy" (not really clear) I'll just go and turn them on. For some reason I can't really remember any of the new words I do see on the screen when I'm reading subtitles, or that's when the words spoken don't match up with the words written, and I can't guess the meaning,

I just came across a good Youtube video on someone who insists listening (tv/radio/etc.) is the way to go when learning a foreign language. You then add the grammar aspects later on. http://youtu.be/eFpzeGoP-Kg

After hearing about the polyglot video, I've been scouring Youtube and came across this guy who has a site http://www.lingq.com and wondered if anybody has used it and had any luck with it. They have a free version, I guess, but they also have monthly fees you can pay for extra features. It'd be nice to hear if anyone has used it successfully or not. If you haven't used it and just followed my link, what are your opinions on it if you looked into it?

Twenty hours a week? Guess I'm out. I was kind of wandering elsewhere on the Internet while I had it playing on my tv. They don't actually say what his learning method is do they? I know they showed him sitting at the desk listening to something online and writing something down, but that could be basically anything. Any ideas on the site it was?

We used Visual Link for my son for awhile. It seemed to be really helpful. You can try out their lessons for free, and the cost of the actual software isn't bad, compared to some. I only had him quit with it because I found out he had figured out a way to "cheat" and I couldn't be sitting there with him for 40 minutes straight while he did the lessons. http://www.spanishprograms.com/

Wow, no no no! This tends to be the American mindset and why we are horribly deficient in foreign languages here in the United States. Recently though, some of the public schools here now have bilingual immersion programs, starting in kindergarten. I think that this is an awesome idea.

Earlier is definitely better. You should read my post here in this thread http://linguaholic.com/spanish-language-general-discussion-thread/do-you-find-that-learning-spanish-has-hindered-your-french-%28or-vice-versa%29/ - the last couple of paragraphs, I believe - on the family that had children that knew three languages because of how they chose to have their children learn them. We have homeschooled my son since first grade, and I have had him doing Spanish since then. Obviously because I'm not fluent it's difficult, but I feel exposure to the language much earlier is better than none at all. He tends to be a bit resistant, but I feel he will definitely appreciate it when he's older.

Wow, interesting and fun game, but I didn't do very well. I got a 300. Some of the languages that were an option I have never even heard of before. I could kind of guess others, based on where in the world I thought the languages came from. For example, if it sounded somewhat Chinese or Japanese, I could see what other options were similar that I could choose from.

I really don't think I agree with your comment. I mean, yes, it is college, and one should be able to take what they want, BUT, sometimes people don't know they need something until it is forced upon them. Having a second language is really a good skill to have, and if one goes for a major in something like business, for example, the importance of the global economy is something really stressed in an area like that, and it would probably be required as part of the major anyway. Here in the US, foreign languages are often frowned upon, and a lot of people feel there's no reason at all to need to take another language, more-or-less be required to do so. I feel our country is too lax about language-learning and really needs step it up. Other countries easily have people who are bi- and trilingual. Here, not so much, unless people grew up with other languages in their home or family. It's sad really. Also, because of the negative view of other languages here in the US, most probably wouldn't decide to take it if given the choice. By being required to take a second language, though, many have found out that they really love that language and would like to become fluent in that and/or other languages as well.

In college I majored in Spanish for one semester in my junior year. (I switched the following semester for various reasons - I regret doing that.) Anyway, I needed an extra class, because I switched majors and dropped various others classes, so still had a few more credits to be considered full-time. It was late in the registration process and few class spots were open so I decided to take a French class at my advisor's suggestion. I actually found French fairly easy vocabulary-wise. A lot of it is very different but for some reason it really clicked. The problem I have now is, acquiring the French accent totally has ruined my Spanish accent. When I speak Spanish, I totally realize I've slipped into a French accent. I think -ion words are the worst. I'm not quite sure how to fix it, other than maybe to spend more time listening to native Spanish speakers. I totally envied that professor's children though. The guy was Syrian, I believe, and his native language was Arabic. I guess they all learn English in school over there, so he knew English too. He decided to study French so went to France to do so, and there met the woman who would become his wife. She was American, there studying French. Anyway, eventually they moved to the US. Now, here comes the cool part. Once they had kids, they decided that, when she was alone with her kids, she would speak English to them. When he was alone with the kids he would speak his native language. When they were all together as a family, they spoke French to their children. So their children grew up knowing three languages. That's pretty awesome in my book! Sorry, totally went off on a tangent there, but had to share. The French thing reminded me of that.

I know various words and phrases. I was using a book to learn, and the way it does it makes it pretty easy to remember the words because you practice them in sentences. Unfortunately, after I had learned what I had learned, I went on Amazon to get a review of the book (after watching Switched at Birth) and found the reviews to be dismal. Why? I figured that ASL was basically just English spoken through signs. You know, everything you say you sign word for word - which it would make it pretty easy once you learn the signs. Unfortunately I found out that it's not like that. They have a special way of doing the word order, or so I read, that doesn't quite match up with typical verbal English. Crumbs! None of the languages are easy! The book was a good way to remember the signs though - I think anyway. Since you learn signs in sentences I think it just makes it easier. If I had time to learn the word order, or the rules or whatever behind it I would. It really is fascinating to watch. I enjoy watching Switched at Birth, and have always loved watching Mr. Holland's Opus. The movie always makes me want to spend some more time working on it.

Are you in the United States? If so, try your local library. Ours have the different versions (levels and different languages) of Rosetta Stone. With your library card, they also have free online access to a couple of different language learning programs on their website. Maybe yours would be similar and have various resources to offer for no cost.

In my part of the country, if I were fluent it would definitely help. There are many hispanics (read Mexicans) in my area, and being bilingual with Spanish as that second language would definitely boost any job prospects one may have. NOT knowing it also could prevent you from getting certain jobs here, so it really is a great skill to have. If you wanted it could also help at stores and restaurants, but usually the people they have working the counters are bilingual, and it's not an issue if you don't speak Spanish in everyday situations like that.

Speaking and listening are definitely the hardest things for me. Reading seems to be a breeze, even if I don't know half the words. I get this magazine in the mail sometimes, I'm not even sure WHY or what I ordered to start receiving it in the first place, but there's always one or two articles right in the middle that are fully in Spanish. I enjoy getting to read those. I can usually understand them fairly well, and it makes me feel like I know more of the language than I do. It's somewhat of an ego boost, I suppose, even if it's just fooling myself that I have semi-fluency for a few minutes.

Well, at least I'm not the only one who has this problem, I guess. The practicing in numbers thing isn't a bad idea, but I don't really have a lot of friends and my husband isn't learning Spanish, so the only one I could really recruit would be my son when we go out to stores and restaurants and things like that. As social as he is though, he has that language "freeze-up" thing as well, and won't even try with kids his age he hears speaking it. It's funny though, because people will forget they're speaking Spanish, and often I'll answer them back in English. Then I think, "That was my chance," and by then it's too late, and they never even realize they forgot to speak English because I answered them anyway.

I love using songs to help me learn. I just mentioned last night in a post somewhere around here about downloading hymns and Christian worship songs in Spanish (they sang one in church in Spanish and it was like an epiphany - oh, I can do THAT!) I have to admit to using a lot of the "kiddie" type songs though more, because I found them while looking for Spanish resources for my son. He thinks they're too babyish now, but I enjoy the Whistlefritz songs, and there are a few random ones out there I like. Can I link? The song starts about halfway through for the first one. http://youtu.be/LJjGpU5-Af4 http://youtu.be/DL2ChPOH-lg See? I'm pathetic. Haha! I like typical Spanish songs too, but I can understand the ones for kids better.

are afraid to actually use it in real situations? As my username obviously states, I want to become fluent in Spanish, and am in an area where I could use it on a fairly regular basis here in the US, but if the opportunity presents itself, I DON'T. I get language shy! I think I'm just afraid of sounding like an idiot, or appearing like a show-off or something because I can attempt to speak it. Does anyone else have this problem, or has anyone had this problem and overcome it? Any advice would be great.

I guess where you have a life where you aren't fully tied down (spouse and kids) you can do that kind of travel. I'm somewhat envious of those who seem to pick up languages so easily though. I'm going to have to spend time on all these sites everyone is posting, but I know I'll easily get sucked in! As in, I'll go on to look at a couple things and then I'll look up and find I've wasted several hours there.

I homeschool my son and am doing my best to teach him basic Spanish (Hahaha! The blind leading the blind!) along with his other subjects, so with his programs I'm learning new vocabulary and alternate words for words I already know. I also have a good vocabulary book that breaks down various categories for words in Spanish, and I just picked one and am going to try to learn the categories one-by-one. Tonight, I'm actually spending time looking for hymns and Christian songs that I already know in English to help me learn the words in Spanish. I plan to buy the mp3s so I can listen to them in the car, and my son will benefit from this also. One set I've found seems to be pretty good, because they want to preserve the message behind the songs as much as possible, so the translation is pretty close to the English, unlike general Spanish-translated songs I've heard. There are so many different options and resources available now, it's just a matter of figuring out what I like and what works best for me - and then having the time, of course, to spend on it.

I was taught that "lo siento" is "I'm sorry" so that's what I always tend to use in the same way I'd use it in any English context, though I'm not sure that's 100% right. I took a semester of French in college as a filler class and it totally killed my Spanish accent - half of what I say in Spanish now sounds French - and "perdon" is one of those words where it seems to stick, so I try to avoid using that anyway.

I started learning Spanish in 8th grade, when it was required for school. I originally wanted to take French, by my mom convinced me Spanish was easier, so I went with that. I'm glad I did. I love the language, and took it all the way up through high school. Now it's just a matter of finding time to learn. 5+ years and I'm still not fluent. That's pretty sad.