LivetoErr

I've enjoyed using Duolingo, but now that I think about it, the above posts are right. There isn't much beyond translating a sentence, is there?  My area I have the most trouble with is conversational Spanish and Duolingo doesn't help much with that aspect of learning. I sure would love a good conversational Spanish course that wasn't costly.

If you are resorting to correct someone's grammar to win an argument you have simply run out of valid points pertaining to the argument.

Unless someone is ESL and have stated they wish you to correct their grammar I don't correct people.

My grammar isn't perfect, especially when I'm typing online. It's not my place to correct others.

Having said that, it's hilarious when someone mentions someone else's grammar mistake and misspells grammar.

I would much rather hear LOL out loud than the OMG that I've been hearing. Is it really that hard to say, oh my god? No it's not. Gah!

I have an accent, apparently. I am Canadian (from the west) but I have been told by many people from all over the US that I have an accent. Obviously, not as heavy as those in Eastern Canada but it's there. It's worth a mention that I do say "eh" quite often too.

I thought I was a fast reader until my boyfriend and I played, "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader," together. He was done and answering the questions before I had even begun processing what was said.

As for reading out loud, I avoid it at all costs. I get tongue tied and forget to slow down enough for people to understand me. I once read a 1:30 speech in a class in less than 30 seconds.

No. I can't stand texting acronyms. I always write out the full word and cringe when other people use them. Thankfully, my boyfriend feels the same way so we don't annoy each other. I don't know why it bothers me so much but it does.

As for when I need to say lol I type "funny." When I'm joking about something I use

Of course! I think that's a natural phenomenon of memory. I don't think I've had a relationship with anyone that I haven't heard that person say, at least once, "...what's the word I'm looking for..." Sometimes you get so caught up in the point you're trying to make that some words seem to disappear from your vocabulary, if only momentarily.

I studied one semester of Russian because my boyfriend at the time was Russian and I wanted to be able to speak with his grandparents, or at least have a clue what was being said.

I ended up changing schools so I never finished and eventually we broke up.

My current boyfriend and future husband speaks English like me so I'm ok there. I just can't speak the language of the country I live in, Mexico. Trying hard, though.

I found it HORRIBLE.

I, personally, need to know the why of things to learn it. Rosetta Stone doesn't explain grammar, tell you why the sentence was formed a particular way or anything.

I haven't used it in a long time so I might be way off but, if I recall correctly, they give you a conjugated verb and you have to pick what picture it corresponds to. I didn't find it helpful seeing that knowing the rules of conjugation make understanding the verbs a lot easier.

I get totally lost with commas and I'm a native speaker.

Can someone write a sentence where you would put a comma after and?

I have trouble with hearing the language.  I can read Spanish fairly well, write it no problem, speak it when needed but absolutely cannot hear it. When I listen to a Spanish person speak (I don't mean learning audio that's been slowed down) I am lost. By the time I figure out what the first few words being said are the speaker is done talking. I don't hear the word separation like I do when listening to English.

I'm learning on my own but I wish I had a tutor. I would like to be able to try and speak more with someone. The problem is that I live a fair distance outside the urban area. So, it wouldn't be cost effective for me to visit a tutor or have them visit me.

I use the Merriam Webster Spanish English app I have on my iPhone almost daily.

If fact, you'll often find me looking up a word or two while stopped at a traffic light because I've seen a word on the road I didn't recognize.

I really do find the app invaluable. It has helped get me get my point across many times. I actually feel lost if I don't have that or a translation program at my disposal. Kind of like a back up if I'm failing miserably at expressing what I need, like when I lost my keys in a department store. I knew the word for keys but not lost. One look at my phone and my keys were returned.

Here in Mazatlan, I've hear people say "permiso" or "pase" when they've wanted to pass by me and "disculpe" when they've accidentally bumped into me. I have heard "con permiso" a few times but "permiso" has greatly outnumbered those times.

Very interesting topic!

I've always thought luego meant "later" and never would have thought it could be interchanged with después. I'll have to listen to people speak and see if I can pick up on that.

My dad always used to joke about the only thing he ended to know when going to Mexico was "don't shoot" and that's why he never wanted to go there. Now he lives there full time. Funnily enough, I don't think he even knows how to say "don't shoot." 

Anyways, as others have said, get a basic phrase book. It will help you with the basics. If you're going to a tourist spot you will come across many English speakers so in a bind you'll be fine. It's just nice to try and speak the language as much as you can. Helps with learning, that's for sure.

Orina - urine

That's the word I learned today after having to drive a friend to the doctor for a UTI an hour before she was due to be at the airport for a flight home. She couldn't get ahold of her husband and I needed to help translate using both our broken Spanish. That's the word that stuck with me through the whole experience.

Great idea!

I'm a Canadian living in Mexico and thus trying to learn Spanish. I need to immerse myself into the language more as I'm struggling with spoken Spanish. I can read it pretty well and pick out the words I need to say to get my point across but I can't have a conversation with someone, at all.

In daily activities I come across so many Spanish speakers that are eager to practise their English on me that I forget that I need to reply in Spanish to better help myself. Speaking English is just so darn automatic. I can get by, in the sense that I can order what I want, ask for directions, understand basic requests etc. but, man, I'd really love to be able to have an actual conversation with someone.

I believe the wrong way to learn Spanish is not immersing yourself into the language.

You can read all the books you want, listen to multiple audio tapes etc. but it never really prepares you for listening to a native Spanish person actually talk. I have a fairly decent Spanish vocabulary but as soon as a native speaker starts talking I'm lost. By the time I pick out the words I understand I've lost the whole context of what's being said.

You need to talk as much as humanly possible with someone who speaks the language. This allows you to pick up a lot more useful language. After all, it is how babies learn to speak their native tongue...