[slipnslide]

Hey Drix, cool thread man. Very helpful for us newbies to Spanish.

What's your opinion on gringos approaching Peruana chicks in English vs. Spanish? There seem to be different schools of thought on this. When I was in Mexico I had to stumble with my bad Spanish because almost no chicks spoke ingles. But some guys say Peruanas like to practice or even show off their English.

What's your concept on this?

[zanetti]

Awesome thread Drix - very helpful.

I'm working on taking my Spanish to the advanced level. Not that easy to do if you don't live in the Spanish-speaking world and there aren't many mamacitas around.

Can anyone recommend a good (free) website where you can watch telenovelas? Youtube, anywhere else??

Gracias!

[Drix]

Thanks Slipnslide. In Lima, most of girls speak decent english and yeah they love to practice it with gringos. I have met some members who were doing well here without spanish, but as i see that you want to explore places outside Lima, Spanish is a Must.

Outside Lima, the english levels are low. If you don't want to blame in the future,I recommend you to improve my language. About your question in the another thread,you should try the jungle, Arequipa and Cusco for sure, just don't expect too much of Cusqueñas(girls from Cusco).

Contribuite with a Mexico Datasheet, saludos.

[Turnus]

Thanks for doing this. Took a few years of Spanish in college but haven't used it in years. Starting to take some Duolingo courses to hopefully get back up to speed. Will be checking into this thread.

[Prince Charming]

Great thread!

Im looking for Colombian slang translations for these english phrases. Any one know what works best in Medellin?

Lets chill
Lets hangout
Come meet me at
I like your vibe

[crispytaco]

(01-06-2017 01:02 AM)Prince Charming Wrote:  

Great thread!

Im looking for Colombian slang translations for these english phrases. Any one know what works best in Medellin?

Lets chill
Lets hangout
Come meet me at
I like your vibe

Not sure about slang there, but come meet me at ..., can be translated as : "veamonos en..:

In some countries "I like your vibe" translates to "Me gusta tu vibra" but in Costa Rica for example sounds weird.

[scotian]

When translating verbs try to avoid the use of slang altogether or wait until you reach a level of fluency at which you can understand the nuances of the word and avoid a possible gaffe. I'm not quite at that level yet, I'll throw in the odd local word (chimba, parcero, guayabo) but for the most part I keep it simple. Not all words translate well, so whenever you're looking to express an idea, try to use a simple, common word to avoid confusion. In the case of "I like your vibe", I would go with "I like your personality" (me gusta tu personalidad). Dictionaries are basic, they may not translate the word to the meaning that you're looking for. Another one is to watch out for "false friends" words that seem to translate from English to Spanish but have a entirely different meaning, I learned that the hard way when I told a girl I was exitado (sexually aroused)to see her when I should have used the word emocionado (excited).

[Moma]

Scotian, how does your French rate to your Spanish? I believe you are completely fluent in French, es verdad? Donde tu estas en relacion a tu Espanol?

[scotian]

(01-06-2017 07:29 PM)Moma Wrote:  

Scotian, how does your French rate to your Spanish? I believe you are completely fluent in French, es verdad? Donde tu estas en relacion a tu Espanol?

My French is still better than my Spanish, my French was near native level of fluency before I moved out west and stopped speaking it. My Spanish is decent, I'd say intermediate, I don't have much trouble carrying on a conversation or joking around but I'm limited by the fact that I haven't progressed too far with complex grammar. I reached a point where I can express myself as well as I need to and I haven't had the drive to keep progressing, studying grammar sucks!

[Irenicus]

Hello Spanish speakers!

I need some help translating the quoted text to Spanish. My Spanish is not at college level (I left Spain when I was 11), so I can't do it alone.

It is about a transaction on Ebay. So far, so good (he accepted my request to send his item to me, who lives outside Spain). We had no communication problems (I kept it nice an simple)!


Here is the text (quoted):

Quote:

Hello. I tried to pay, but Ebay does not let me. It is not a first time. This is what we need to do:


(1)I will cancel a purchase. Do the same. Do not worry, EBay will not take anything

(2) Re-list your item. Offer international shipping (we agreed on 25 EUR). Put a big price (1000 EUR), and allow offers.

(3) I will send my winning bid. Accept it, and send my item to my Paypal address.


That is all!

Thanks guys. Hopefully we will learn something!

[raynman]

How long do you think it would take an English speaker to become conversational in Spanish?

I've only just started my duolingo Spanish program and I think I'm being over eager as I've gone on almost 2hour duolingo Spanish binges 3 days in a row now XD

[ElFlaco]

(05-10-2017 05:07 PM)raynman Wrote:  

How long do you think it would take an English speaker to become conversational in Spanish?

Forever, if Duolingo is your primary tool. Take a class. Then start using your Spanish for real communication as soon as possible. Get a beginner textbook. Read/review it occasionally.

[Drix]

Spanish speaker here, this can be a translation

Hola, intenté pagar, pero Ebay no me permite. No es la primera vez, esto es lo que tenemos que hacer:

1. Cancelaré la compra, haz lo mismo. No te preocupes, Ebay no tomará nada.
2. Reelige tu item, ofrece un envío internacional(acordamos en 25 euros). Pon un precio alto(1000 euros) y permite las ofertas.
3. Mandaré mi oferta ganadora. Acéptala, y envía mi item a mi dirección de PayPal.

Eso es todo.

(05-10-2017 05:07 PM)raynman Wrote:  

How long do you think it would take an English speaker to become conversational in Spanish?

I've only just started my duolingo Spanish program and I think I'm being over eager as I've gone on almost 2hour duolingo Spanish binges 3 days in a row now XD

Depends of your language abilities, I have met foteigners who could keep decent Spanish conversations after 3 or 4 months, but they were living in a spanish speaking country, going to courses and practicing a lot. PM If you want more info.

[scrambled]

Classes are inefficient in acquiring a secondary language; my favorite summary of the best understanding of the subject:

http://www.antimoon.com/ (designed for learners of English but applicable to anyone)

Theoretical backing:

http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/krashen.htm

Avoid non-native speakers (i.e. classrooms) like the plague; concentrate on 'inputs' and deep memorization instead of grammar.

[ElFlaco]

(05-11-2017 08:24 AM)scrambled Wrote:  

http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/krashen.htm

Avoid non-native speakers (i.e. classrooms) like the plague; concentrate on 'inputs' and deep memorization instead of grammar.

Krashen's ideas were appealing in the 1980s but not all of them haven't stood the test of time. Communicative Language Teaching produced generations of students with horrible Me-Tarzan-You-Jane accuracy.

For beginners, I recommend classes because they give needed structure, guidance and opportunities for practice with feedback that self-study can't provide. I've seen the results of people who try to skip this step; unless they're experienced language learners, this doesn't given them a good base for progressing beyond this level. They end up with fossilized errors, nearly impossible to fix once they're ingrained. Perfection is never the goal here, but there is a limit to what you can accomplish with the language without reasonably accurate forms. A good classroom has a mix of focus on fluency and accuracy.

For intermediate and advanced students, I'm a big proponent of getting (mostly) out of classroom and trying to get as much authentic input as possible, as you say. But there is certain type of student/personality who doesn't want to leave the comfort of being taught and they psychologically resist taking this next step. They want to be spoon-fed indefinitely. No amount of coaxing can convince them otherwise. They fail to see language competency as a skill rather than as a domain of knowledge.

Anyway, back to Spanish. One common beginner mistakes I see: people saying 'no problema' (or worse: no problemo) for English's "no problem". There's no surer way to sound like a newbie. In Spanish, it's always said with 'hay'. I've often recommended here the book "Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish". It's a good resource for anyone who can already hold down a conversation (more or less) and who wants to understand how the language is really used outside the classroom.

Quote:

http://www.antimoon.com/ (designed for learners of English but applicable to anyone)

I also love antimoon. They have great ideas, although they work best for intermediate/advanced learners, not beginners. (English is far more ubiquitous than Spanish, which is another reason why making progress on your own in English is a different case than in other languages.)

[scrambled]

In my own life the results don't lie: My classroom learning in a secondary language was a total waste of time. My use of the more Krashen based methods is working.

The "nooo pro-blem-oo" bad accent/grammar is made worse by being in classes with morons (bell curve people, the type of make up a majority of any class).

http://www.antimoon.com/other/englishclass.htm

Quote:

what you can do at an English class:

Listen to some bad English. The pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary of other students (and sometimes the teacher, too) will be bad. Sometimes as bad as this, or worse. Surely listening to these people will not make your English better.

Say five sentences in English. There are usually 10-20 students in the class, so there is little time for you to speak English. Normal English classes are very poor speaking practice. (Conversation classes are better.)

Read a boring textbook…

[ElFlaco]

(05-11-2017 12:02 PM)scrambled Wrote:  

In my own life the results don't lie: My classroom learning in a secondary language was a total waste of time. My use of the more Krashen based methods is working.

I don't doubt your experience and it's valid to share here what has worked for you personally. However, I do doubt its applicability in general. Individual results may vary and have a lot to do with your talent, your prior language learning experiences and how distant the target language is.

Here's an observation: virtually everyone who reaches upper intermediate (CEFR B2) started with a solid base involving classroom study, not duolingo or 'language hacking', even when living in country. It is true that classroom study is an abysmal failure for most, but that probably has a lot to do with poor teaching, lazy students and the inherent difficulties of language learning. Classrooms don't have to suck.

Quote:

The "nooo pro-blem-oo" bad accent/grammar is made worse by being in classes with morons (bell curve people, the type of make up a majority of any class).

If you're getting feedback early on (in a classroom or elsewhere), these kinds of problems are addressable. Your 'input' in lower-level classes should not be only from your fellow classmates but also from textbooks, supplementary materials (possibly part of the course) and the teacher. Again, I'm talking here about what's good for beginners or near beginners. For most, self-study either leads to failure or an inflated idea of their competency level, not tested by actual usage. Again, people with prior successful language learning experience are a different case.

Quote:

what you can do at an English class: Listen to some bad English.

Or you could view the classroom as an imperfect tool but one that gives you an excuse, an invitation, an opportunity to communicate in your new language, get comfortable making new sounds, manage the grammar, finding the words -- all while trying to express an original idea. That's valuable experience, one that's not so easy to manufacture in other environments at the beginning levels and frequently even beyond that. There's a reason people pay for this.

Back in 2014, Roosh wrote a full-throated takedown of language hackers: Language Hackers And “Polyglots” Are Full Of Shit.

Correction to my earlier post: Krashen's ideas were appealing in the 1980s but not all of them have stood the test of time.

[zoom]

Let's say you see a girl looking at you and then she walks away. You then chase after her and say "hey you looked at me without saying hello". How do you say that in spanish? "Tu me miraste pero no me dijiste saludos?"

I can see myself using that opener often so I want a proper translation.

[Drix]

El flaco is right, It depends of every person, but I think classes are important to give you an idea or structure of the language. I have dated some foreign girls who speak a really good spanish, they were living here, going to Spanish classes and practicing full conversation with me.

Everyone knows it, but it is important to learn the connectors, Sometimes foreigners talk without it and sounds so weird

[Drix]

About Spanish Slang, if anyone have questions. PM OR POST HERE.

[Drix]

(05-12-2017 02:34 PM)Drix Wrote:  

[quote='zoom' pid='1569706' dateline='1494615150']
Let's say you see a girl looking at you and then she walks away. You then chase after her and say "hey you looked at me without saying hello". How do you say that in spanish? "Tu me miraste pero no me dijiste saludos?"

I can see myself using that opener often so I want a proper translation.

Hey Amigo. Your tranlastion is decent, but it won't sound cool. A similar line in spanish can be:

- Hola me miraste, pero no me saludaste.
-Me miraste y no me diste un Hola.
-Hey me estuviste observando, pero te faltó saludarme.

These translation are useful to catch attention of the girl, especially As a foreigner. The Third line is a variation that i would use(it has a similar meaning).Good luck gran amigo.

[Going strong]

(05-12-2017 01:52 PM)zoom Wrote:  

Let's say you see a girl looking at you and then she walks away. You then chase after her and say "hey you looked at me without saying hello". How do you say that in spanish? "Tu me miraste pero no me dijiste saludos?"

I can see myself using that opener often so I want a proper translation.

Y, guapa, me miraste pero no saludaste?

[Mekorig]

A nice option would be: Me miraste y no me dijiste ni Hola

[zoom]

Thanks guys. Drix, I think I will use either option 2 or 3.

[lonewolf1992]

(01-06-2017 01:02 AM)Prince Charming Wrote:  

Great thread!

Im looking for Colombian slang translations for these english phrases. Any one know what works best in Medellin?

Lets chill
Lets hangout
Come meet me at
I like your vibe

Vamos a relajarnos.
Vamos a salir o que
Venga y nos vemos pueeess
Me gusta su vibra

Any Rooshvfers who would like to practice their spanish with me pm me, I just ask in exchange to eventually practice my english as well and get my awkard expressions fixed. cheeers!