Floridian learning Spanish one day at a time.

[3rdeyeguy]

Hello from Florida! I'm currently learning Spanish via Rosetta Stone and so far I'm really enjoying it. I find it fascinating how many words are similar to the English words I've been using my entire life. Languages have always been an interesting subject to me and I feel like understanding different languages give me an insight into different cultures and life perspectives. Needless to say I'm very excited to learn more and more everyday. If any users know of any good Spanish movies to refer me to I would love to begin watching them to improve my language skills.

[agentzero]

How is Rosetta Stone for Spanish? I remember think about getting it for when I wanted to learn Spanish, but I was put off by a lot of people saying that it can help you understand the language but not actually speak it. 

[XLS]

I think that conversation with someone who speaks the language that you are trying to study is crucial.  I too have heard the same thing about Rosetta Stone.    To help you learn the language I would suggest turning to your local Spanish channel such as Univision or Telemundo and watching Soap Operas (Novelas). No offense to those who watch Soap Operas but the topic is usually the same. It should be easy to follow along versus a movie.  

[3rdeyeguy]

Agentzero,

Rosetta works well for me, but as XLS stated it is also very beneficial to get additional exposure to the language by watching some Spanish television as well. Listening to Spanish music can also greatly improve your enunciation. As far as Rosetta goes, though it does focus mostly on visuals, if you have a headset with you can also get a good grasp of the speaking with their auditory play and repeat features.

[aliangel3499]

Another Floridian (:

I'm not too sure about movies, but I also think that telenovelas would be a good way to supplement your Spanish lessons. In my experiences, a telenovela is a bit shorter than the average soap opera, but could still go up to a year. I occasionally listen to Spanish music on the radio as well. Once you get to know the lyrics, it's always interesting picking out the words you know and looking up the meaning for others. Personally, I find it easier to learn new words through music because I can just sing a small portion of the song whenever I can't remember it.

[agentzero]

@3rdeyeguy I see. I actually watched a Spanish TV show for a while and it was nice to see my progress in terms of understanding them so I can say that this method works for me as well. I'm not sure I could watch telenovelas though haha. Rosetta Stone feels like they can provide a good ability to learn to speak as well and that's invaluable.