[Designate]

Any recommendations on Spanish news websites, blogs, etc. to regularly read?

I recently substituted my regular English sports websites with Spanish versions like ESPN Deportes, I actually prefer this to the main American version since I like soccer and it cuts out a lot of the TMZ-type bullshit they post on there.

[lavidaloca]

I began learning Spanish about 7 years ago while I was still a University student. I'll explain the process from start to finish.

1) I had a spanish girlfriend (this was brief and hardly beneficial due to the length of time) but it motivated me to learn spanish.

2) I bought a bunch of books from Chapters. Most of which I never read except one with greetings. (Relatively useless)

3) I download a free government program they use to teach government workers. I printed the text and went along with the audio. I never completed the course as it was incredibly boring. (http://fsi-languages.yojik.eu/) They have a bunch of language classes available for just about any language you'd want to learn.

4) I began to take spanish classes (2 years in university) - This is where I saw my first big jump in improvement. I participated more than anyone, I didn't care if I seemed like a nerd. I wanted to learn. The book we used was I believe called "Imagenes." It was readable and definately more enjoyable than the fsi government language course.

5) Before embarking on my first extended vacation in Cuba I downloaded a program by Words Galore. It may look lousy but it's fantastic. Around 10,000 spanish-english flash cards with voice. You can mark the cards you know, do tests, change number of repetitions, speed etc. I STRONGLY recommend this program. "http://wordsgalore.com/"

5) I got a dose of reality. I arrived to Cuba with my A+ spanish skills for my first extended vacation in 2011. I went for 2 months. I could say a lot of things but I had 0 group comprehension skills. It's one thing to listen to other gringos saying spanish words another thing to be in a group of native spanish speakers. I was a completely bozo in group conversation, many times to the point where I'd just tone out. During this time I had 2 girlfriends who I spent about a month each with. They were at the time the 2 best looking girls I'd ever been with. By the end of this trip I had some limited comprehension skill but was far from perfect. It was a combination of the girls but also the music that got me even more focused. On one of my last nights there I had the opportunity to see Gente de Zona in concert, it was by complete accident, but the vibe at the concert was absolutely unbelievable. Here's one of their big songs at the time... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2fJf5ZQvWQ

6) I continued talking on the phone daily with the girl I was dating when I left. (This was expensive) but long run it was well worth it as I kept my spanish exposure high. I also almost exclusively began listening to spanish music (mostly reggaeton). Now I don't know about you but even people who think they speak decent spanish can hardly understand what's actually being said in Cuban Reggaeton. But it forced me to really listen.

7) I continued to take frequent trips but the next big one was in 2012. I went to Havana and Holguin for 2 months each in the Summer. I briefly studied spanish at the university of Havana but I found it detracted from my social life as at the time I enjoyed going out 5 or 6 times a week and with early morning classes Monday to Friday after falling ill in the bathroom the 2nd week in, I decided to ditch the classes. I made tons of friends during this time, partied way too much but more importantly I was constantly exposed to group type atmospheres. I went to dozens of concerts as well. All the time I was in spanish speaking mode. By the end of this trip my comprehension was very good but still my ability to understand spanish reggaeton was limited. I loved the beat of it but understanding the lyrics was tough. Again the quality of chicks I was with was increasing.

8) I took another big 4 month trip in 2013. I spent much of this trip in Havana about 3 months as opposed to 1 month in Holguin. The first month was truthfully a struggle. I was spending more money than I wanted to and wasn't getting the results I'd like. I had a lot of people visit me during this trip. There was a ton of partying in the first month or two but really not very tangible results. My spanish was getting increasingly better though. At the start of the 3rd month I pulled the two best looking girls I'd ever pulled at that time. One I dated short term whereas the other I ended up in a LTR meanwhile during all of this I had a couple year relationship with another Cuban girl. I was constantly exposed to spanish during this time and became exposed to a side of Cuba most don't get to see.

9) I took several more long trips and honestly after a while you are just used to talking and thinking in Spanish. I wouldn't say I have a great use of abstract tenses as in every day speech people don't use about 95% of what you learn, but I'm able to communicate quickly, confidently and understand just about anything. As my spanish has improved, the quality of girls has without a doubt substantially improved. I was in my worst shape during my 2013, 4 month trip. To be frank I was completely out of shape yet was getting the best girls I'd ever had in my life. I think spanish was the main reason for this. With that said while spanish may have allowed me to date a couple points up there were a couple other factors that I also believe helped...

1) Cultural awareness
2) Ability to relate

10) The ability to relate theme is something that is incredibly hard to fake. I have to be honest and say if I went to Thailand or Phillipines I probably wouldn't relate one bit to the girls. I have 0 interest in their television, their music, their food. But I became enamored with those things in Cuba.

11) I have continued practicing my spanish during frequent trips as well as well as by emailing and calling friends. One of the keys to maintain your ability is to keep using it in day to day life. I also still listen almost exclusively to spanish music though I no longer listen to exclusively reggaeton and enjoy casino, merengue, pop, romantic etc.

Because this is game related forum I'll list the things I think are highly important in order of importance.

1) Language
2) Ability to relate
3) Cultural Understanding
4) Game - I think this is a marginal advantage. You just need reasonable amounts. The marginal advantage past a certain point is pretty limited and the 3 above factors are much more important if you want to access top tier non pro or gringo hunter chicks.
5) Appearance (This can slide up and down the scale but assuming you are better than 2/3 men in America you should be fine. Aka, be a reasonable weight, dress reasonably well and groom yourself. Age also falls here.)

[Tytalus]

Hey guys, I made a synergy spanish torrent - I personally have found this program to be very helpful in getting started with Spanish after getting frustrated by stupid duolingo shit.

https://kickass.to/synergy-spanish-t10489530.html

If you download, please seed as I don't have piles of bandwidth. thx!

[redbeard]

(01-31-2015 07:08 PM)Americas Wrote:  

So I made a torrent for this thread/board.

There are a bunch of Spanish goodies on it.

There are about 1000 ebooks in the readings section. Some of these are more advanced books, while others are more graded readers. Some of them also have audio files with them so you can follow along with a narrator. The more advanced books are epubs, so you will need to download an application that is compatible with those files. The rest are standard pdf.

There are a few movies on there, some with subtitles and I think a couple without. I recommend watching them with VLC player, but any other type of video player will do. There is also the whole season of Destinos on there.

There are about 20 grammar books on there. I highly recommend the 'Practice Makes Perfect' Series (there are 3 of them that I put in the torrent - although there are more on the market).

There is also the full set of Pimsleur and Michel Thomas.

If you download it, please seed because I am the only one currently seeding it right now.

If you don't know how to download torrents PM me.

Can somebody help me get this torrent file?

I am familiar with torrents and am downloading Tytalus' pack now, but Americas' torrent is taking forever because no one is seeding. Do I just leave it open? Can someone email the zip to me or something? I'm not sure if there are any alternatives.

EDIT: There has to be a better way to do this. The ETA for both of these is about 12 hours. Maybe my computer just sucks.

[THE STRONGEST]

12 hours for a 17GB file isn't bad at all.


Thanks for all the useful info guys.

[redbeard]

Yea - I've never downloaded huge files unless they have a million seeds. I thought my computer would shut off for sure but it stayed on.

I got the synergy pack - looks good and I might do this one. I'm on lesson 25 of pimsleur so I might skip around some.

Americas' pack - stalled at 13% and hasn't downloaded any more. Download ETA is infinity. This is why I wanted to see if someone could help me out. I really want to do Michael Thomas but can't find the files.

[Rang off the Pipe]

I just want to say that Duolingo for Spanish is just not as good as Duolingo for French in terms of exercises. I certainly felt more lacking in vocabulary and tense practice after going through it. As I have more and more opportunities to ameliorate my conversation, I've been moving away from it more and fervently searching out more sources from which I can learn. I'll probably pick up a Spanish grammar book this week from one of the libraries in my county.

[Rang off the Pipe]

I recently found a great webpage for those trying to internalize when to use subjunctive mood. It basically explains any instances where you should use a subjunctive conjugation instead of something else.


The use of the subjunctive in Spanish: A brief review

[Designate]

Does anyone have any Spanish textbook recommendations?

I'm looking for something comprehensive at the intermediate level.

[Sidney Crosby]

I've heard these books are good, the "Practice makes perfect" series, although I've never actually used one myself. Plan on buying them in the future though.

http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Perfect-S...0071639306

[Chevalier De Seingalt]

(12-21-2015 06:37 PM)Sidney Crosby Wrote:  

I've heard these books are good, the "Practice makes perfect" series, although I've never actually used one myself. Plan on buying them in the future though.

http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Perfect-S...0071639306

I used the Practice Makes Perfect "Complete Spanish Grammar" and thought it was quite good. It is pretty dense though and can quickly rush through important parts of the grammar, so it requires careful and methodical reading to ensure you're absorbing every sentence, particularly if you've never studied another language before.

I was coming at it from the perspective of having already studied similar languages, so its denseness was actually perfect for me, but if it was someone's first language and the finer points of grammar don't easily "click" it might be hard.

Overall would heartily recommend it.

[BrewDog]

I have a hard time with Spanish. I know it's supposed to be an easy language and all, but some people have an easier time with language than others. I took one semester of Russian in college and this one jackass, after ONE semester when the rest of us were still trying to learn the damn alphabet, was having conversations in Russian with the professor. This same guy was in my Spanish 202 class and was very fluent. Some people can do that. I can't.

I've had 4 years of high school and college Spanish, I've been all over Central America and spent 6 months in South America, and I still struggle with Spanish. They understand me very well. I speak it properly and they comment on how eloquent my Spanish is. But I can't hear it for shit. This seems backwards to many people, but if I'm speaking Spanish and don't know how to say something, then I just say it in a different way I know how. But when they're speaking to me, I can't control what they're telling me, especially considering all the different country slang words that seem normal to them but is not what you learned in school.

But I stopped feeling bad about it. Many times, when I talk to an Englishman or Aussie or Jamaican, I can't even understand what the hell they're saying. So if English is my native language and I have trouble decifering other English speakers, then it's only natural that in my second language I'm going to have trouble. For example, the Ecuadorans speak very properly, like you'd learn in Spanish class. I understand them very well. But when I crossed into Colombia, I suddenly couldn't understand anything they were saying. They speak so very quickly and run words together. Plus, every Latin country has their own words for things. Sort of like we do in English. If an Englishman tells you to look for something in the "boot" do you know where to look? In Colombia a guy asked me "Estas Guayabo?" But he said it all run together like he had marbles in his mouth. I had no idea what he was asking. He explained and said, "We were drinking last night and your eyes are red and you look like shit this morning." So I was like "Oh! You mean I'm hung over! Resaca?" He said, yeah everyone knows the word resaca but that's not what we say here.

And every time you cross a border, it's the same. They have so many different ways of saying things. In the States, we have lots of Mexicans, so I know lots of Mexican Spanish. In South America, they have no idea what many of those words mean unless they've heard it in a Mexican rap song or movie. So, what I'm saying is... don't get down on yourself for having trouble speaking Spanish. Latinos are cool as shit with you if you're trying to learn and will treat you great just from the respect you're showing their culture by trying to learn and use their language. They will help you as much as possible for just trying. Sort of not like here in the States where people just say, "Speak Merican damnit!"

I found Rosetta Stone to be a very good tool, yet it's expensive and isn't worth the high cost. If you get to a level that is mediocre, find a smallish town in Latin America where no one knows English and plop your ass there for a month. You'll hang out with them and you'll HAVE to use Spanish to get by. That's total immersion, and it works better than anything else. And you'll also have the time of your life and hang out with great people.

[Rang off the Pipe]

I would suggest listening to radio stations or television audio if you want to work on comprehension, but it's tricky since they tend to speak a bit more formally. Even so, you shouldn't listen to translate, but rather listen to gain recognition so that it's easier to speak with other people, if that makes any sense.

One other thing I would also suggest is to find a Meetup group that focuses on the practice of Spanish conversation--preferably one without much of a social event component to it (those are fine with higher comprehension but not with the situation you describe). Of course, that's contingent on where you live since some places may not have much of a foreign language learning culture or the ethnic diversity.

And Spanish isn't really that easy (a dangerous, subjective word), even if it's closer to English compared to a language like Arabic. I find the consonants to be annoying and the language to get harder as you go along. This is quite a different experience to my French studies, which started out tricky and got significantly easier as I went along. It's definitely taking me more time to absorb Spanish, although I don't have as much time as I used to for studying a foreign language.

[CallSignBigRed]

Bump,

I been getting that itch that I really should be tackling Spanish. My recent trip to Colombia has opened my eyes to latin women. My text game is good because its easy for me for some reason but my speaking/listening is weak. I been reading up on the threads that Ecuador, Guatemala and Nicaragua is the cheapest for lessons. I plan on doing at least 8 weeks of Spanish. Right now the ranking order of what Ill most likely choose is #1 Antigua, Guatemala, #2 Nica, #3 Ecuador just because what I read on women, quality of life and the cost of lessons. If anyone has recent experience in these countries comments would be appreciated. Thanks

[Sidney Crosby]

Ecuador has cheap lessons, $6-8 USD for private lessons but the living expenses are a bit higher than other Latin American countries if you plan on staying in Quito.

I'm not sure if you plan on doing group lessons,private or both but I'd highly recommend paying extra and just getting private lessons.

[CallSignBigRed]

(04-18-2016 12:27 AM)Sidney Crosby Wrote:  

Ecuador has cheap lessons, $6-8 USD for private lessons but the living expenses are a bit higher than other Latin American countries if you plan on staying in Quito.

I'm not sure if you plan on doing group lessons,private or both but I'd highly recommend paying extra and just getting private lessons.

Thanks for the reply, I will be doing private lessons for 8 weeks. Hopefully by then I can have more than a 5 minute conversation in Spanish lol.

[redbeard]

I finally bit the bullet and bought the Michel Thomas Total Spanish CD set to listen to in my piece of shit car (no AUX cord).

Highly recommend

I had a few issues with Pimsleur that made me stop practicing. First is that I would lose track of the lesson and get left behind. You can't really split the lessons up because you need to get all of the material in order to answer the questions. Since I listen in my car, I found myself unable to listen to 10 minutes, get out of my car, do something, come back to the lesson. On top of that, I would lose concentration and the tape is not good to listen to in the background. The speakers sound like robots.

Michel Thomas is the exact opposite. If you haven't listened to the tapes before, it is a candid recording of (what seems like) real lessons with two students. Michel himself has a nice relaxing voice and accent, kind of like an old grandpa teaching you a lesson. The two students are OK, the girl sounds like a WB but the dude sounds like an idiot. Besides that Michel is relaxing and funny and I enjoy listening to his talking while driving.

Michel will explain a rule, terminology, etc, and then he will go and ask the students. It is natural and flowing, and if you miss some of the context, it's easy to rewind 5 minutes to the beginning of the track and relearn.

My technique has been to listen to a whole CD all the way through, and repeat it until I have it down pat. It is working well and I recommend it.

[Macallan]

I live in a place where Spanish is spoken but I feel like I've reached a plateau in the past couple years where I'm comfortable communicating at the level of a mildly intelligent 11-year-old native speaker. I'm looking to finally move beyond that this year, which means expanding my vocabulary and hammering down grammar concepts that I often neglect. I'm also looking to improve my writing skills, and I figure reading real (fiction or non-fiction, not language learning) books is the best way to work on both of those things.

So, anyone have any favorite Spanish literature? Don't really care what its about, as long as its a good read and has a substantial amount of dialogue. I was recommended to read some Garcia Marquez, can anyone give me a recommendation of a good book of his to start with?

Also, TV shows? I've watched Narcos, Club de Cuervos, and Patron del Mal (long as hell) recently, and liked all of them, but now I need something new.

[HOD]

(06-08-2016 09:07 PM)redbeard Wrote:  

I finally bit the bullet and bought the Michel Thomas Total Spanish CD set to listen to in my piece of shit car (no AUX cord).

Highly recommend

I had a few issues with Pimsleur that made me stop practicing. First is that I would lose track of the lesson and get left behind. You can't really split the lessons up because you need to get all of the material in order to answer the questions. Since I listen in my car, I found myself unable to listen to 10 minutes, get out of my car, do something, come back to the lesson. On top of that, I would lose concentration and the tape is not good to listen to in the background. The speakers sound like robots.

Michel Thomas is the exact opposite. If you haven't listened to the tapes before, it is a candid recording of (what seems like) real lessons with two students. Michel himself has a nice relaxing voice and accent, kind of like an old grandpa teaching you a lesson. The two students are OK, the girl sounds like a WB but the dude sounds like an idiot. Besides that Michel is relaxing and funny and I enjoy listening to his talking while driving.

Michel will explain a rule, terminology, etc, and then he will go and ask the students. It is natural and flowing, and if you miss some of the context, it's easy to rewind 5 minutes to the beginning of the track and relearn.

My technique has been to listen to a whole CD all the way through, and repeat it until I have it down pat. It is working well and I recommend it.

I believe Spanish can be learn in 2 years. The Language is 50 percent like English.

But you have to eventually, learn to write essays. I was force to do this in my second year of university Spanish. I was fluent after this.

I think a move to Columbia or Spain will solidify your skills.

[Jl65514]

If you genuinely want to become fluent in Spanish, this is how I did it. I became relatively fluent in Spanish in only 6 months around 4 years ago. My recommendation is to take a few classes at the beginner level just to get familiar with the language and then START LISTENING TO ONLY SPANISH MUSIC and singing along with it, mimicking the accent. Look up the lyrics so that you understand what they are saying. I cannot express how much this simple step helps tremendously.

Me personally, I was never much of a textbook learner... for some people it works great but I can not focus and learn in such a manner. After I took around 2 classes of Spanish in the US, I went to Spain for the summer through a "study abroad" program at my university. I had a very basic grasp of the language and basically 0 comprehension. I was signed up for a slew of classes at the University in Malaga and was struck with a realization. Why take classes when I can be out interacting with the world and learning this way. I would read up on a few phrases online and then go out and practice with store owners/security guards/people on the beach. I would ask for directions, point to an item and ask what it's called and I had no shame in asking them to repeat it very slowly. Everyone I have met abroad for the most part is super helpful in others who want to learn their language.

After doing this enough, get yourself a girlfriend who doesn't speak English. Sure it was a bit frustrating at first but I cannot even emphasize how much my listening comprehension went up in only a months time.

You have to remember that in Latin cultures and even in Spain, in general... the people are more extroverted by nature and it is very easy to make friends if you are kind and make the effort. Don't worry so much about making mistakes.

Once you get up to a decent level of comprehension/speaking. Then just continue making friends and going out with ONLY NATIVE speakers. Once you get to this level you can pick up some books and continue watching TV..which should be habits from the get-go (with Spanish subtitles if needed). Some good books that I recommend :

1)Detectives Salvajes - Bolaño
2)La Sombra del Viento - Ruiz Zafon
3) Angosta - Faciolince

Do these things in your free time but make speaking your main focus.

If you are in the USA. Go to the Latin clubs and start speaking in Spanish. You can even go to the little hispanic markets if you want, which are in every city I have been to. When I go back to the USA, currently living in Colombia, I go to the dance clubs and latin markets all the time and speak with the natives. Also, make friends online. There are a ton of people online who will help you with Spanish if you help them with English. 30 minutes in English/ 30 minutes in Spanish.


The main point I am trying to make here guys is that you need to start immersing yourself more into the culture and speaking/mimicking the accents as much as you possibly can. Whether you are in the USA or abroad, this can be done. In my personal opinion, it is not necessary to study Spanish past the beginner level. Obviously, you can review over some advanced tenses/intermediate grammar but don't start making grammar studying your main focus. Start making Spanish speaking friends and putting yourself out there!

An example convo for me learning the tenses would be this:

"Hola, una pregunta.... como se dice "yo quiero ir a la discoteca" pero en el pasado???"
Use lots of motions with your hands and really try to speak anything you know. Then once you learn it in the street, go back and review it on an online website or something. Of course there will be difficulties with the subjunctive tense and when to use it... but you will start recognizing patterns and phrases people say by speaking. Review over advanced/intermediate grammar when the time comes... but don't make it your main focus unless you are going for a PhD program or want to teach.

By the way, I am not a very extroverted person at all... I had to force myself to go out a lot with all the anxiety I encountered at the beginning and just kept at it. Do this and it will pay off grandly.

[ElFlaco]

SPANISH PRONUNCIATION DATA SHEET

The Spanish language is a popular choice on the forum, partly due to the proximity of Latin America but also because of its ease and the fact that it is often taught in school. Although it is a relatively easy language for native English speakers to pronounce and you can get by in Spanish with a "gringo" accent, you'll make a better impression and establish better relationships if you make an effort to sound as natural as possible to listeners. Here are my thoughts about how to do that. My background: Native English speaker, certified Spanish and English teacher, 10+ years living in Spanish-speaking country (currently).

VOWELS
Perfecting your Spanish vowels is largely a matter of avoiding interference from English. Here are two common problems.

1. In English, the vowel in GO is a diphthong, with one vowel quality moving quickly to another. You can see this by observing that your lips round increasingly and your jaw may close somewhat at the end of the word. In Spanish, the /o/ vowel has a single vowel quality, no movement. Look in the mirror when you say the Spanish word TODO to make sure you don't have this problem. Your lips and jaw should maintain a fixed position during the whole word. You can even practice saying an English word like HELLO, alternating the Spanish pronunciation with the English one, to get a feel for the difference. Again, you may need to use the mirror as well as your ears to see if you're getting it right.
2. English, unlike Spanish, is considered a syllable-timed language. This means that unstressed syllables in English are often shortened, softened and "reduced". The vowel quality changes to a sound called SCHWA /ə/, found at the beginning of the English word ABOUT. To sound natural in Spanish, you must avoid producing this sound. Say the English word MARIA and focus on the quality of the first and last vowels, spelled with 'a' in both cases. That's not the sound you want in Spanish. Now say the Spanish word MARÍA. Both of the /a/ sounds should now be the same /a/ sound made in TACO. Failure to eliminate SCHWA will make your Spanish painful for listeners.
   

CONSONANTS
In English, vowels vary more by dialect than consonants. In Spanish the opposite is true. Here are some general comments.

1. The trilled (rolled) R in Spanish can be a hard sound for some to master, but it's also important to know when to use it and when not to. Spelling is a reliable guide: an R at the beginning of words (MUY RICO) is trilled, as is a double RR (HORRIBLE). Otherwise, use the so-called flapped R, similar to the casual American pronunciation of T/D in the words WRITTEN or RIDDEN. The English R sound does not exist in Spanish and sounds comical to native speakers.
2. The /b/ consonant, spelled either 'b' or 'v', is pronounced like the English /b/ after a breath (¡VOY! = on my way) or after consonants where the lips come together, like /p/ and /m/ (UN BESO). In most other situations, bring your lips very close together but without closing them completely. You may need to use a mirror to confirm that your upper teeth are not involved. This sound does not exist in English. In Spanish: UNA VACA, TU VERGA (cock), UNA BALA (bullet). Despite what native speakers may insist, there truly is no /v/ sound in Spanish equivalent to the one in the English word OVER.
3. The /g/ consonant works like in English /g/ after a breath, but between vowels the tongue should not completely block the flow of air as it does in English. Although this sound is not generally used in English, there's a particularly casual pronunciation of SUGAR in English that may serve as a reference: Hey, sugar! ('sugah' = sweetie, dear). In Spanish: UNA GATA, HAGO, DIGO, AGUA.
4. Between vowels and in certain other situations, the /d/ consonant should be pronounced like the English 'th' of words like FATHER. In Spanish: CADA, TODO, LADO, UNA DUDA (question/doubt), LA RED (network).
5. Despite what you may have heard, there is in fact a sound in Spanish that is equivalent to the /z/ in the English word ZOO. It can only used before certain consonants. If you hear it, go ahead and use it. For example, in MISMO and DESDE. Otherwise stick to /s/ in all situations. Don't use /z/ just because a word is spelled with the letter Z. CASA and CAZA are pronounced identically in Latin American Spanish. In Spain, the letter Z is pronounced like the English 'th' of THINK or THEATER.
6. The Spanish consonant in the midle of the words AÑO and SEÑOR does not exist in English. A close approximation is the sequence in the middle of the English word CANYON.
7. The Spanish consonant at the beginning of the words GENTE and JOTA does not exist in English. It is somewhat similar to the English /h/ but with more friction produced in the rear of the mouth/throat.
8. Aspiration: in English we produce a short puff of air after /p/, /t/ and /k/ before a stressed vowel. You're almost certainly not aware of doing this, but you can prove it to yourself by pronouncing English words like PIE, TOE and CAT while holding a short strip of toilet paper in front of your lips. It will fly up after the consonant, even when you're whispering softly. The corresponding Spanish consonants are always pronounced without this puff of air. If you listen closely, you can hear this difference in the Spanish and English pronunciations of the word PESO. If your Spanish pronounciation almost sounds like an English /b/ to you -- but shorter -- you've got the right idea.
   

STRESS
Stress is fairly straightforward in Spanish and is reliably indicated in careful spelling. Keep your ears open for words that are stressed differently than their English counterparts: Spanish farMAcia = English PHARmacy; and cases where stress changes meaning: HAblo = 1st-pers sing pres, haBLÓ = 3rd-pers sing past; secreTAria = admin asst, secretaRíA = govt (head of) agency/ministry.

Another area where you can make a bad impression is by speaking too slowly, too quickly (trying to avoid anyone noticing your mistakes), too softly, too loudly or by failing to make eye contact. Or by wanting to practice your Spanish so much that you don't stop to listen and let the other person talk or respond to what they are saying. These may seem like obvious tips, but if you're focusing too much on the language, they're easy to forget.

[britchard]

Just started formally learning Spanish this week, as a native English speaker and as advanced/high intermediate in French. I'm doing the Destinos video course along with Duolingo. Duolingo is what I'm learning to bulk up my vocabulary as it covers topics such as clothes, animals, common verbs, asking questions. Then Destinos is giving me an idea of what Spanish conversation is like, and it's also a reasonably interesting series. It's always nice when you hear a word you've learnt appear in it.

I have 2 problems so far. One is that I don't have a proper grammar guide for the structures such as 'ya', 'lo que' and other things that are different to French or English. Any recommendations for a cheap (or free) one I can get online, or even just a more detailed website.

My second problem is that I fear that I will have to be in a mode of only concentrating on one of French or Spanish, as even from just doing Duolingo I can tell that although knowing French makes Spanish easier in some parts, it is more difficult in others as I get confused. Especially when the gender of the same noun is different in French than the Spanish version!


My plan is to carry on doing Duolingo and Destinos until I finish both of them. Then I will probably dabble in some more TV shows, and maybe do some formal learning with a Spanish tutor. I don't like Pimsleur as it is too slow-paced for me, and unless I can get pretty much unanimous approval from you guys that Michael Thomas is the shit, then I'm reluctant to buy it. I will also need to have about a 3 month break from Spanish in 2017 due to exams, so I want to be pretty solid by January/February.

Lastly, for English guys wanting to learn a foreign language for the first time but aren't sure which one, I'd advise you to pick Spanish. Apart from the obvious benefits with ANY woman (for most Anglo/non Hispanic women, it is 'sexy' thing to speak Spanish) and with job prospects, it is simply the easiest second language you could learn. I used to be skeptical when people said it was much easier than French, but I can see why now.

[ElFlaco]

(07-14-2016 12:53 PM)britchard Wrote:  

I have 2 problems so far. One is that I don't have a proper grammar guide for the structures such as 'ya', 'lo que' and other things that are different to French or English. Any recommendations for a cheap (or free) one I can get online, or even just a more detailed website.

I recommend the book Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish. Unlike many textbooks, this is one is written with a focus on developing conversational skills. Although you can't find it online exactly, it is available for Kindle. Here's what it has to say about YA and TODAVÍA. You will really confuse listeners if you mix these up. As the author says, YA is often used to mean NOW.



If you're liking Destinos for Spanish and you're also working on your French, check out French in Action, a similar series but for learning French. The braless Mireille has many fans. I saw five or six episodes.

[britchard]

(07-14-2016 02:12 PM)ElFlaco Wrote:  

(07-14-2016 12:53 PM)britchard Wrote:  

I have 2 problems so far. One is that I don't have a proper grammar guide for the structures such as 'ya', 'lo que' and other things that are different to French or English. Any recommendations for a cheap (or free) one I can get online, or even just a more detailed website.

I recommend the book Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish. Unlike many textbooks, this is one is written with a focus on developing conversational skills. Although you can't find it online exactly, it is available for Kindle. Here's what it has to say about YA and TODAVÍA. You will really confuse listeners if you mix these up. As the author says, YA is often used to mean NOW.



If you're liking Destinos for Spanish and you're also working on your French, check out French in Action, a similar series but for learning French. The braless Mireille has many fans. I saw five or six episodes.

Thank you for the detailed reply. I think I'm going to get a paper copy of the grammar book to easily do notes, is there any difference between the original edition and the more recent ones? The recent ones are more expensive.

[britchard]

Can anyone give me a quick rundown on the differences between European Spanish and the Spanish spoken in the rest of the world? I'd find it easier as a beginner just to use usted and ustedes and ignore 'vosotros', would this be fine even in Spain?