limon

Thanks, I've downloaded it to check out I don't have a problem with services that have limited versions of their paid services for free to entice customers. Quite the contrary, a good product has every right to command a solid price and allowing customers to see what they will be getting is sensible marketing tool for both parties.

I use it all the time for single word translations. It's handy for things like double checking that you're remembering the correct word, of for getting the sense of a sentence where you mostly understand but don't recognize a word or two. However it is totally lacking in nuance and context, so I'd be very wary of relying on it for anything complex and without checking other sources as well.

My boyfriend is using Duolingo and it seems to be working pretty well for him so far. The only (small) caveat is that it looks like it uses Latin American Spanish pronunciation and words rather than Castillian Spanish. Not a huge drawback, but something to keep in mind since you will run into the occasional difference (vegetales vs. verduras, lisping the 'soft c' sounds)

Well, it does... but at least when I was little "gillipollas" was more or less equivalent to "asshole" or "jerk" in English. Yeah the parts of it are a bit ruder, but then so technically is the word "dork" which is super inoffensive in its use, but is old Yiddish (?) slang for the male organ as well. Translating literal meanings vs. colloquial ones is tricky. Like just try explaining to an English speaker that "I shit on G-d" and its variations is a commonly used expression of frustration and unlikely to raise an eyebrow! It's all in the use, as it were.

I haven't read John Green yet but have had several friends recommend The Fault in Our Stars and it didn't sound feel-good at all! Maybe I shouldn't have been avoiding it

Pâtisserie! But that might be more about the contents than the word itself ;D I also rather like Étoile and Cochon.

I've lived in an English speaking country for two decades now, so I don't speak Spanish every day like I used to. So my main weakness is definitely vocabulary. There are words I've simply forgotten, and others that were not known to me when I moved as a young adult. What is the word for mortgage, spark plug, or a rotator cuff injury in Spanish? I dunno, it never came up when I was a teenager!

It is tricky, but also in English. You wouldn't add the "of" when using around, but you could add it to several similar English constructions like "in front of", "in back of", "at the side of", for example... Even "around" or "close to" could be rephrased to "in the vicinity of". Languages are ridiculous, basically

Yes, I gather it depends on the country, so check your localization to be certain. But in Spain, you would use Usted in a similar context that you would use "Mr. Smith" instead of a first name, or would add a "Sir" or "Ma'am" in English. So; formal or professional settings, older people, and anywhere respect is due or should be implied. Anyone you're not on a first name basis with basically. So, as a child in school we used Usted with all of our teachers, and likewise I would with my in-laws until given permission to do otherwise. But, I would also use it when dealing with a customer, for instance, regardless of age or position.

The thing that helped me with this was the following; It's = It is Its = (Equivalent of) His, Hers, Yours, Theirs (No apostrophes!) So when in doubt, just see which replacement would make sense.

Perhaps I'm wrong but I was always under the impression that in this context "release" just refers to the action of releasing the book/movie/whatever, whereas "launch" refers to the event or announcements for the released product. So a company might hold an all-star press event to launch a new venture that doesn't actually release until a week later. Or you might say a product line was launched with a blitz of commercials and talk show appearances?

I just started Oliver Twist a couple of days ago, and it's pretty good so far and much fresher in my mind than anything of his I read (as a teen, far too long ago to remember properly) so that gets my vote for now!

Yeah, I've had the same experience with Spanish, having moved to the US as a teen. My comprehension and readion are fluent, and I can get by in basic conversation since my overall structure and grammar are fine, but my vocabulary has taken a beating, making complex discussions much more difficult.

Immersion is always going to be better. People who are in a foreign country but don't learn the language are usually not actually immersed, they live in a subculture of some sort that speaks their own language despite their geographical location.

Depends a bit on what you plan to do. For any foreign language regular city visit I would learn the name of the area in which you are staying, the local word for transport (taxi, metro, whatever), food and drink (for general use, to find restaurants), and for airport (to get back home) and bathroom. What/when/where, most places you can join these with a noun and get meaning across. As in "Where bathroom" or "When dinner". Also "doctor/hospital", "emergency" and "police". "How much" is also a good one. Also, nowadays "Power plug" is pretty handy Google these for the specific region if possible, since there may be variations.