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best way to learn Spanish?
#26

best way to learn Spanish?

Quote: (10-21-2011 10:48 PM)manilaguy Wrote:  

I've taught myself Spanish into a professional level, meaning that now my Spanish level is good enough that I now use it for work (in a Spanish centric business) on a daily basis. My native tongue is actually English and Tagalog.

My best advise for anyone who wants to be proficient at Spanish is to understand the requirements of learning a language. We should separate a learner according to beginners, intermediate, and advanced. Just like game, it is a matter of desire and interest that determines your level. I would say 95% of Spanish students are confined to mediocre Spanish and could hardly speak the language. The top 5%, like me, not to sound egoistical, are those who have incorporate Spanish into our lifestyle and have invested huge amount of time into language acquisitions trying which works and which doesn't.

There is not single program that will teach you to speak Spanish in 6 months. At most your level will be confined to speaking to Spanish school teachers or other Spanish students, and will not be at a level to chat a local off the street and engage them in a meaningful conversation.

You can learn the first 50% quickly, then the next 50% will require much from you at an exponentially increasing level. Meaning going from 50% to 80% will require less than say going from 95% to 97%. I believe this has to do with language decay, which is that if you don't use it, you lose it, and that the decay gets more prevalent the higher your level so much more is required of you to maintain it. You need to constantly learn and relearn, memorize as much as you can.

The only real way to learn Spanish, IMO, is to use it as much as you can and surround yourself with the language to the point that you forget your mother tongue at times. Most important if living in US or non Spanish speaking country, is to SURROUND (I cant emphasize enough) with the language.

If you have time to get immersion in a latin American country, best prepare before hand. I learned this the hard way. If you prepare before your immersion trip, meaning you study, your rate of Spanish acquisition will be so much higher than those who are beginning at 0.

There are four areas of languages: writing, speaking, listening, culture. They are equally important to a student. The writing forces your grammar, your listening tunes you in to regionalism, speaking forces you to be in an active state, and culture is the semantics -- the meaning behind the words in a cultural context giving it varying depths of meaning.

What I am now currently learning in my Spanish journey is that it is getting harder because of regionalism -- meaning that part that school does not teach you -- that Spanish is spoken differently in different regions, effectively making a finite set of Spanish dialects which in its own become mini-languages. Have you tried talking to a Dominican? Way different than talking a Spaniard.

Lastly, PM me if you have more questions. I leave with the thought that learning a language requires a HUGE commitment for the student, especially if you want to pass mundane conversations and into something like the professional world or talking to a local with zero English and no common ground. It aint easy.. but actually.. it pays monetarily and is worldly.. and is just fun to learn a language. Vale la pena.


This is priceless:
"hablas bien espanol"
"aaah.. gracias!"

very true

I will say that if you have a decent base of Spanish and then do 6 months of 1 on 1 study 6 hours a day in a spanish speaking country and don't speak English you can speak advanced level spanish. I did it and could have any conversation with someone off the street the no problems. Group conversations and following eveything on tv i couldn't do at a high level.

But you forget a language twice as fast as you learn it, so i am back to intermediate. Like manilaguy said it has to become a lifestyle to properly speak it.
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#27

best way to learn Spanish?

Quote: (10-20-2011 10:09 PM)Dash Global Wrote:  

Fred,

I learned most of the slang (the small amount I know) from chatting with girls on facebook. I swear hardly no one uses proper spanish. Sometimes it is hard to understand what they said when I can't use the translator because of them using slang and improper spanish.

Yeah, as somebody else pointed as well, people change letters from words, not to mention they never use vocal punctuation or "tilde", so it makes it hard for a person in the learning stage, and a bad practice.
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#28

best way to learn Spanish?

Good links Dash. Thanks for posting them.

I've been with a Colombian girl since 2006 and my spanish is worse now than before I met her. Had to make sure she developed her english... plus I had no interest in spending time truly learning spanish. Going to start taking it serious next year.
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#29

best way to learn Spanish?

find an online friend who speaks spanish =)
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#30

best way to learn Spanish?

A nice site that has interactive flash cards with audio!

If you know the 1000 most common used spanish words than your in good shape.

Go over the flash cards and write down the ones you dont know.

I also like to put it in a sentence using google translate just to get a better understanding.

http://quizlet.com/50590/1000-top-used-s...ash-cards/

edit: def double check with google, some words dont seem right to me like acudir they have as meaning to go / to come, but to come is venir and to go is ir.... strange
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#31

best way to learn Spanish?

i yanked the rosetta stone from my ex gf an have been using it... im not super impressed.. i have been listeing to these Pimsleur cds on road trips an they seem to work pretty well... i will be in South American in about 2 months an my espanol is suspect

Bruising cervix since 96
#TeamBeard
"I just want to live out my days drinking virgin margaritas and banging virgin señoritas" - Uncle Cr33pin
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#32

best way to learn Spanish?

A girlfriend who speaks Spanish. Worked for me [Image: smile.gif]
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#33

best way to learn Spanish?

Quote: (10-18-2011 11:13 PM)Dash Global Wrote:  

best way imo is learning all the basic words that form a sentence. ie adverbs

then learn the top / most used verbs (top 100)

then focus on conjugation and formation.

I have been at it for the past 1.5 years and have come along way with minimal effort.

also get some spanish friends on facebook and chat with them.

Most common words Adverbs http://spanish.speak7.com/spanish_adverbs.htm

Most common Verbs http://www.linguasorb.com/learnspanish/m...verbs.aspx

that's a great straight forward, simple, practical gameplan dash thanks.

I have rosetta stone cracked on my mac, plus fsi and a couple recommended workbooks.

Aliblahba: I have girls on Badoo hitting me up too. Never thought to use them to learn even if they are pros/full of shit. Great idea!
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#34

best way to learn Spanish?

Found a great free app for the iPhone called Conjuverb.

http://conjuverb.com/

No ads, no up-sells, and really well put together.
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#35

best way to learn Spanish?

Ice,

No problem man! The way they teach Spanish in schools is garbage imo. One thing I dont like about Rosetta Stone is it starts you out learning some pretty random shit.

I have come a long way with MINIMAL studying. (bout to really crack down on this with my move to Colombia swiftly approaching)

Daily review of these sites will carry you a long way imo

http://spanish.speak7.com/index.htm

http://www.linguasorb.com/learnspanish/m...verbs.aspx

http://quizlet.com/50590/1000-top-used-s...ash-cards/
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#36

best way to learn Spanish?

Quote: (12-13-2011 05:08 PM)Dash Global Wrote:  

One thing I dont like about Rosetta Stone is it starts you out learning some pretty random shit.

Exactly, theres words that would make much more sense to learn at first then some of the ones they teach

Bruising cervix since 96
#TeamBeard
"I just want to live out my days drinking virgin margaritas and banging virgin señoritas" - Uncle Cr33pin
Reply
#37

best way to learn Spanish?

Quote: (12-13-2011 03:58 PM)Dash Global Wrote:  

A nice site that has interactive flash cards with audio!

If you know the 1000 most common used spanish words than your in good shape.

Go over the flash cards and write down the ones you dont know.

I also like to put it in a sentence using google translate just to get a better understanding.

http://quizlet.com/50590/1000-top-used-s...ash-cards/

edit: def double check with google, some words dont seem right to me like acudir they have as meaning to go / to come, but to come is venir and to go is ir.... strange

That's a good one, I've found this free program that also uses flashcards but tracks your progress at the same time so you will review the words you find difficult more often:

http://ankisrs.net/
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#38

best way to learn Spanish?

Quote: (10-21-2011 10:48 PM)manilaguy Wrote:  

I've taught myself Spanish into a professional level, meaning that now my Spanish level is good enough that I now use it for work (in a Spanish centric business) on a daily basis. My native tongue is actually English and Tagalog.

My best advise for anyone who wants to be proficient at Spanish is to understand the requirements of learning a language. We should separate a learner according to beginners, intermediate, and advanced. Just like game, it is a matter of desire and interest that determines your level. I would say 95% of Spanish students are confined to mediocre Spanish and could hardly speak the language. The top 5%, like me, not to sound egoistical, are those who have incorporate Spanish into our lifestyle and have invested huge amount of time into language acquisitions trying which works and which doesn't.

There is not single program that will teach you to speak Spanish in 6 months. At most your level will be confined to speaking to Spanish school teachers or other Spanish students, and will not be at a level to chat a local off the street and engage them in a meaningful conversation.

You can learn the first 50% quickly, then the next 50% will require much from you at an exponentially increasing level. Meaning going from 50% to 80% will require less than say going from 95% to 97%. I believe this has to do with language decay, which is that if you don't use it, you lose it, and that the decay gets more prevalent the higher your level so much more is required of you to maintain it. You need to constantly learn and relearn, memorize as much as you can.

The only real way to learn Spanish, IMO, is to use it as much as you can and surround yourself with the language to the point that you forget your mother tongue at times. Most important if living in US or non Spanish speaking country, is to SURROUND (I cant emphasize enough) with the language.

If you have time to get immersion in a latin American country, best prepare before hand. I learned this the hard way. If you prepare before your immersion trip, meaning you study, your rate of Spanish acquisition will be so much higher than those who are beginning at 0.

There are four areas of languages: writing, speaking, listening, culture. They are equally important to a student. The writing forces your grammar, your listening tunes you in to regionalism, speaking forces you to be in an active state, and culture is the semantics -- the meaning behind the words in a cultural context giving it varying depths of meaning.

What I am now currently learning in my Spanish journey is that it is getting harder because of regionalism -- meaning that part that school does not teach you -- that Spanish is spoken differently in different regions, effectively making a finite set of Spanish dialects which in its own become mini-languages. Have you tried talking to a Dominican? Way different than talking a Spaniard.

Lastly, PM me if you have more questions. I leave with the thought that learning a language requires a HUGE commitment for the student, especially if you want to pass mundane conversations and into something like the professional world or talking to a local with zero English and no common ground. It aint easy.. but actually.. it pays monetarily and is worldly.. and is just fun to learn a language. Vale la pena.


This is priceless:
"hablas bien espanol"
"aaah.. gracias!"
THIS. The best advice there is to immerse yourself. Find someone to talk to who speaks the language (Spanish in this case). Change your facebook or this site to spanish, read news from a spanish news source, watch spanish television, if you write a blog/journal write it in spanish, write your grocery list in spanish, think in spanish.

I've heard good things about this site too http://www.sharedtalk.com/
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#39

best way to learn Spanish?

Quote: (12-13-2011 05:22 PM)Cr33pin Wrote:  

Quote: (12-13-2011 05:08 PM)Dash Global Wrote:  

One thing I dont like about Rosetta Stone is it starts you out learning some pretty random shit.

Exactly, theres words that would make much more sense to learn at first then some of the ones they teach

Come on, you can't tell me that learning how to talk about a horse jumping over a picnic table isn't important lol.

Some good tips for people who took Spanish in high school.
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/200...arly-show/

Ferriss also recommends these which look good: http://vis-ed.com/
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#40

best way to learn Spanish?

edit
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#41

best way to learn Spanish?

The only way for me is to have one on one interactions, being in the country, or talking to someone on line. Obviously you need to know a little to start this way. For me I could never just read out of a book or a website. I'm sure it depends what type of learner you are though.
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#42

best way to learn Spanish?

I just started on making flash cards of the top 1000 used words that I dont know.

Ill carry them bitches around with me and have that shit down in no time.
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#43

best way to learn Spanish?

Quote: (12-13-2011 04:33 PM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  

A girlfriend who speaks Spanish. Worked for me [Image: smile.gif]

I think having a native speaking girlfriend is the best way to learn any language. Especially if you can discipline yourself to communicate in her language 95% of the time or if you are simply forced to cause she doesn't speak english.

"I'm not afraid of dying, I'm afraid of not trying. Everyday hit every wave, like I'm Hawaiian"
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#44

best way to learn Spanish?

Quote: (12-15-2011 12:17 AM)azulsombra Wrote:  

Quote: (12-13-2011 04:33 PM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  

A girlfriend who speaks Spanish. Worked for me [Image: smile.gif]

I think having a native speaking girlfriend is the best way to learn any language. Especially if you can discipline yourself to communicate in her language 95% of the time or if you are simply forced to cause she doesn't speak english.

For me it only works if the girl didn't speak english or my spanish was better than her English, which with Spanish speaking girls that's never been the case for me.
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#45

best way to learn Spanish?

I am gonna get myself some spanish learning books from library and see how far i can get to teach myself.
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#46

best way to learn Spanish?

Quote: (12-15-2011 09:08 AM)darren1michaels Wrote:  

I am gonna get myself some spanish learning books from library and see how far i can get to teach myself.

Nothing wrong with the books as they will help you to read and write in the language. However, if you really want to learn to talk and understand what people are saying to you, you've got to hear the language spoken.

Develop an ear for the language (so to speak).
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#47

best way to learn Spanish?

Studying the the top 100 verbs, nouns and adjectives... then

putting yourself in a small city where the only obstacle to you getting laid is your Spanish skills.
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