Learn To Speak Spanish Advice?

For my own part, I worked with locals very early on. They were very helpful and helped me improve very quickly. Purely through interaction I find works best for me. My grammar is?nt very good and I usually say most things in the present tense, but people I work with and neighbours usually correct me and help me along. hey appreciate the fact that I make the effort and want to learn more.

My parents and my wife have lessons with a Spanish teacher in a nearby town. They?re learning proper Castellano from scratch, whereas what I?ve learned is the local Andaluz dialect, where words are shortened and they don?t pronounce "s" much. For example, Adios is normally pronounced Adio.

My wife can understand most of what the locals are saying to her, but lacks the confidence to speak back out of the fear of making a mistake. Her confidence is growing more since she started having lessons though. It might seem daft but I don?t care if I make mistakes as I learn from them, especially when I have a laugh with the locals having mis-pronounced a word and saying something that has a completely different meaning!

I think the best way is to see how you get on when you?re here. See which way suits you best. Learning from interaction with the locals or by having lessons with a good Spanish teacher.

There's no easy way, you just have to put the time in. Attending classes, learning on-line and working from self-teaching material all have advantages and disadvantages - it's probably best to try a few different things. Personally I learned most of the grammar and a lot of vocabulary on my own, but when I finally joined a class - a weekly two hour evening class at my local university - it all came together much better in my head and I was able to start using the language properly. In Spain I picked up lots of stuff about things that concern me in Spain - namely building, banking, law, driving, food, animals etc - because in the Alpujarra nobody knows English (except the ex-pats). It's true that you will learn quicker when you're emersed in the country and culture, but you have to sit down and learn verb endings and stuff at some point anyway, so the sooner you start, the better. Try www.studyspanish.com for free tutorials and the excellent http://www.notesfromspain.com/ for podcasts and other stuff. I think that like anything else that requires practice, you should do a little often. Ten minutes of grammar three times a day won't kill you. Read lots (on-line if you don't have access to Spanish publications) and write down new words and learn them. Also rent Spanish language movies on DVD - sofacinema and amazon are good - and listen to radio from the Spanish-speaking world on-line (the BBC have a podcast called Mundo Hoy - google for that).

Hi Natalie,
We've covered this rather extensively too. See our pages on the best ways to learn Spanish (http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/information/the_best_way_to_learn_spanish/) and important lessons for expats learning Spanish (http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/information/learning_spanish_important_lessons_for_expats/). Did you check those out yet?

Martcross' suggestion of studyspanish.com is good too, in fact that's the site that got me through the first six months.

All time best way to learn Spanish though? Live with them.

http://www.notesfromspain.com/ for podcasts and other stuff very good site say hello to ben are hola

Get a rooftop analogue arial (If you don't already have one) and tune into Spanish TV - Watching when you know the context ie Game shows/Quiz shows, children's programmes, sports commentary and news reports are all (I find) very useful when learning.

That is assuming that you are already living in Spain of course. If not, watching films with Spanish subtitles is great for improving reading and comprehension.

> Get a rooftop analogue arial (If you don?t already have one) and tune into Spanish TV - Watching when you know the context ie Game shows/Quiz shows, children?s programmes, sports commentary and news reports are all (I find) very useful when learning.


A very good suggestion. I think the more you listen to the language, the more sinks in. It's certainly far easier "watching" a person speak. Hardest thing I found was telephone conversations. I find Spaniards to be very "visual" in facial and body movements, which also helped me to understand a little more easily.

Also, you can buy free-to-view digi-boxes for about ?30 in most supermarkets and electrical shops. The additional benefit of digital Spanish tv is you can change the broadcast language from Spanish to English on some chanels, along with subtitle settings. I also found buying a DVD film here, and selecting English audio with Spanish subtitles, then Spanish audio with English subtitles helped a little too.

As for interaction with locals... jump streight in if possible. Build up your confidence, don't be afraid of mistakes. The locals where I live have helped me no end. They laugh with me, not at me when I make mistakes, help correct me and teach me new words and phrases. Above all, I think that the locals appreciate my willingness to learn.

I often find there's more and more Spaniards who are learning and speak a decent level of English, even inland where I am, but I prefer to have conversations totally in Spanish if I can. Funny part of that is, when I visit the vet, he speaks English to me and I reply in Spanish, as he wants to learn from me and vice-versa.

Everyone is different as to their language capabilities. I had been here 3 years in 1983 and met a dutch man called Odd '!', he toured round europe learning languages! anyway, he had been in Spain 3 weeks and had an amazing grasp on the language, much more than I had after my 3 years, some people are gifted I guess.

Anyway.... the best way is to get out and mix with the Spanish, not English and Spanish... the Spanish. The problem if you are with English and Spanish is that there tends to be more English spoken than Spanish.

Intercambio works - there are always Spanish people that need/want to learn English and have no opportunity to speak it at all, in exchange they will speak spanish with you. Speaking really is the hardest part and this type of swap puts you all in the same boat...

I found people through a free add in a free newspaper...

In which city are you going to learn? We?ll see if there is a good school there. As RG said, intercambio may work. I learned a lot like that and it is not boring.

Immersing yourself in Spanish-speaking culture, such as television is ok, but not the best way to learn a language. It's slow because you tend to fall back on certain stock words and phrases the whole time. Over the years I've also tried books and CDs, but they don't give you the confidence or skills to interact with real Spanish people. In my experience, both as a language teacher and as a language learner, I'd say that finding a good Spanish teacher is the best bet. One-to-one teaching is ideal, but can be expensive, so small classes are also ok too.

What is good teaching I hear you say. Well, all of us who were at school more than 10 or 15 years ago probably have unpleasant memories of tedious grammar-based learning. So try to find someone who will teach a bit of useful language in each lesson, like 'how to ask for things' or 'how to say please, thank you and sorry'. But a good lesson should also try to give you a bit of grammar, so that you can create your own phrases, not just repeat phrases that you learned by heart, and so that you stand a better chance of understanding the general meaning of things people say to you in Spanish even if you're not familiar with every word and phrase they use. But above all, find someone who will inject a bit of fun into the lessons. Language learning is difficult enough without having a few laughs along the way. I once had a language teacher who got me to remember words and phrases simply by saying them in a hilariously funny voice. Genius!

A lot of companies do language teaching via the Internet these days. So you can learn from the comfort of home. Live Language Classroom (http://www.livelanguageclassroom.com (http://www.livelanguageclassroom.com)) uses teachers who are native speakers, and we have a great 'Internet Classroom' that makes learning easier because it's fun. If you miss a lesson it's recorded for you and you can view it again any time. Plus, you can get a 33% discount if you register with the promotional code SPX964062.

Hope this helps

when I lived in brasil and argentina the best way to learn is just go out there and talk to the people imo
you learn the slang and how people talk, unlike america where people insult u for trying to learn english, most countries that I have found love it when you speak to them!

I agree. English people are terrified of making fools of themselves, but they needn't be. It's great to see the relief of new learners when they realise that noone's going to laugh at them, and they will be understood. Listening to a recording of yourself speaking Spanish words with the best accent you can manage helps some people.

on another note rosetta stone online is pretty good its cheaper then the software version, if you are REALLY dedicated you can get the online version around 100$ for 3 months it helped me learn japanese.. and it even has voice activated system where you speak and it tells you if your pronuciation is wrong its awsome

Take a course. And at the same time live with people who dont speak any english. This is how I learned and went from basically zero to near fluency in about 8 months or so. It was difficult but I slogged through it.
If you want it fast, it will be painful too. There is no way around this. Its well worth it in the end though.

Steven0123, what sort of course did you find best to compliment the learning you did outside the classroom?

The learning I did outside the classroom was done with my flatmates mostly. Also with coworkers. I used to talk spanish until my throat hurt (it does hurt at first because of the new sounds and actions your vocal chords make..etc..). Then I would speak some more. I just kept going and going. It came. I used to actually stick a pencil between my teeth when I spoke to my flatmates at times as it excercises your vocal chords with the new languages (try it, you'll see what I mean). I found many english speakers I met who wanted to learn spanish were just plain lazy about it. They figured it would just come by taking a course and they wouldnt have to work. This is not the case at all. You have to work very hard if you want to obtain fluency. Just know that it can be done.
Watching TV was also very helpful. Another great way is to watch DVDs in spanish with the subtitles on in spanish as well. This works incredibly well. It expands vocabularly and verb usage immensly.

The course I did was an elementary level course because I had never studied spanish in my life. I was a bit annoyed they put me in this course as I wanted to do an intermediate course with the hopes of reaching an advanced level faster. But in the end, the elementary course was fine.

So was the course very grammar-based, r did it focus on learning language for particular situations, or a bit of both? Did the teacher only speak Spanish, and if so did that help? What's the minimum number of weekly hours that a serious learner should consider?

Sorry, lots of questions. I'm just curious about what learners like and find effective.

Oh yeah, that was another good point. The teacher spoke basically zero english. Pretty much nothing. This was tough at first but later it was realized how much of an advantage it was.
Like most courses for any language, there will be lessons on grammar, comprehension, and writing..etc. At typical course will involve everything. Ive never heard of a language course that didnt.

For a course, the minimum number of weekly hours should be about 3. However, if you want to learn quickly, you need to be speaking and practising on your own 24/7 outside of the course.

Didn't want to create a new thread and this is basically on topic anyway.

It's been suggested to me that a three-week intensive course would be helpful, but that it could be quite expensive. I'm not naive enough to believe there is a set-price as to what it may cost, but is there a rough, ballpark type figure it could potentially cost? The nearest city to me is Valencia, so if anyone has a specific place they'd recommend it would be even more helpful.

> Steven0123, what sort of course did you find best to compliment the learning you did outside the classroom?


Ahhhhh,,,, The local bar, and the village market, there aint no better place, The classroom and books are for learning, real life is how it is,,

Mike

IE if your not English (or lived there a long long tme) what does "aint " mean.

thanks i have also snagged the links for the languages... i already had the basic spaish links which is really good and free.. for me the latter bit is important as i and the kids need to learn the language cheapest way possible.. and free is good!


K x

Notes in Spanish (http://www.notesinspanish.com/) has just brought out a set of audio files and notes called "The Real Spanish Phrasebook" which is full of great everday expressions. No substitute for learning grammar but great for making you sound more convincing. You do have to pay for it, but I think it's worth it (I have no personal financial interest in this, b.t.w.!). You can get lots of free stuff at the same site if you decide to be a buitre, or a rata or something.

http://www.notesinspanish.com/ is very good place to download and listen , i have do this but with my work i end up rewright software and listening to radio all the time so has not hepped me ,
jurdy

look out for mate off my there djs ,

There is no one method fits all for learning languages the easy way.

In my case it was talking to locals and reading books in the language with just a dictionary.

I think it's more natural to learn by talking and reading since I think this is how we all learn our first language.

Going to classes is probably the hardest way I would say.

My advice is:

Make friends who only speak Spanish. Or force yourself to try to converse with people who only speak Spanish.
Watch movies in Spanish with english subtitles at first (this is an easy way).
Read books that are in Spanish. Start with simple texts but make sure you pick subjects you like!
Listen to Spanish music. You might not learn much with music but you're tuning your ears to the sounds.

Hope this helps.

Hi,
I think it is valuable to watch the Spanish TV, start with the programmes for children. Then continue with Spanish soap operas, they have a simple normal everyday language.
When you are familiar with that try to get a video with some of the "Torrente" movies (3 so far) with Santiago Segura. The best one is "Torrente, el brazo tonto de la ley". This movies is filled with all the ugly world and bad behaviours you might need to know.

Best regards from Costa del Sol,

> Get a rooftop analogue arial (If you don't already have one) and tune into Spanish TV - Watching when you know the context ie Game shows/Quiz shows, children's programmes, sports commentary and news reports are all (I find) very useful when learning.

That is assuming that you are already living in Spain of course. If not, watching films with Spanish subtitles is great for improving reading and comprehension.



I tried this and it's very effective, I also bought some dvds and even a game in Spanish and once you get used to it you pick up more and more of the language.

Great exercise for people who know a little Spanish and wish to improve it.

Spanish: Learn Before You Land go to the link


http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/forum/viewthread/2819/

Thanks for the link!

I just found this plug-in that allows you to watch TVE 24, along with regional TV channels from Extremadura and Aragon, through your computer anywhere. It's mostly news and documentaries, but it's a great help in learning the language. I try to catch a few minutes two or three times a day - which just tops-up the Spanish circuits in my head when I'm not in the country. Incidentally, there is also a Catalan channel as well as other languages, and lots of radio stations, many of them in Spanish.
http://www.octoshape.com/play/play.asp

Ive only been here 3 months, I did have a spanish teacher in the uk but she was teaching me valencian i think....luckily it was only for a week. anyway I agree that talking to people is the best route when I learned german I was getting strait Fs then I lived with a german family for 2 weeks came back and got C's! So i am slowl picking up the laungage, problem is im job hunting and staying for free with an english person until i find said work, so spanish isnt going as well as id like. I do also try to watch tv as much as possible but again my flatmate dislikes it. I hope to improve greatly once I have my own place and maybe work along side spaniards, even if i dislike the work, to me i want a bad job first to get a grip of the laungage then try and use my qualifications for better work. I also do think the spanish are very good with expats learning, Ive seen for myself in the UK so many people try so hard to talk and learn just to be shunned or beaten up, I have yet to find somone who once they relize im trying, sit with me for a good few minutes with tips and sayings.

> Spanish: Learn Before You Land go to the link


http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/forum/viewthread/2819/


that was my original plan, but I was offered work with a family member, who for multiple reasons couldn't have me anymore, I wasent to bothered as I was only really learning the work and it was purley english people at work. instead of going back and learning very slowly ( i always learn wuicker from conversation not tv or books) i decided to stay and find work. (although thats proving hard as i need to insure my bike and ive lost my licence :( ill fix it all though because its so worth it.

Hi all,

First post here, have been reading through this thread and agree with alot of it. I have only been here two weeks but I have been trying hard and find that I am picking it up quick and can have the most basic of conversations( a little more fluid with a few beers). I purposely avoided english speaking tourist areas and I have learned out of neccesity aswell as desire. However, I am now near the end of my honeymoon period in spain and if i want to stay here(and i do) then I need to find work now.

My dilema is, I?m not yet confident in my knowledge of the language to find work in spanish, and my most obvious options are to work somewhere tourist orientated, this would put me in a situation which is too easy not to speak spanish.

I would like to live somewhere only spanish is spoken, but what options do I have.

Any advice anyone can offer on good places to be and possibilities for work would be greatly appreciated. I?m twenty two, eperienced barman and chef, with a TEFL cert.

I?m in the south near Almer?a now and really don?t know where to go next!

I lived in Spain for three months and worked in a children's summer camp during the day and in a bar during the evening. It was the best experience to learn the langague quickly.

Recently i've found a social networking site called Ning.com. It's brilliant if you want to learn Spanish at home. There's lots of groups where you can go and speak Spanish- providing you've got a headphones and people are very patient and encouragin.

It's an option.

Ive been out here for 3 months (as I said) and did work temporialy for an office out here for about a month and a half, now Im awaiting my bike documents and other bike things to be resolved, which does make the search for work harder, I have worked in the uk at McDonald's for 6 months and spent a short time working for Systematic computer company, my Spanish is no where near fluent but with facial expressions and the Spanish I do know I can hold a conversation. My problem now is where to look for work and what sort of work, most bars want experienced people, and Fast food restaurants would probably want you to be fluent in spanish.

im 19 I have a BETEC IT Practitioner qualification from college, 2 Bs in English laungage and litriture , 2 Cs in science 1 C in graphics and a C in German as well as a C in Geography. I have a full C.V written out displaying previous work hobbies and skills as well as qualifications.

So any ideas or help on work areas or types with that info? It would be very helpful as im living with a friend and not paying rent as hes helping me out but I do need to move out soon and find work, luckily my family will fund for a small apartment near to my place of work.transport could take a while as there is alot of issues with my moped.

ANY ideas would be so so helpful as this is the quickest way for me to learn the language, and if im successful i can assist my family moving here for there retirement.(cold UK is affecting some of peoples health)

hi jimmythenoob, why not ease yourself in by working in Gibraltar - I think there are opportunities there for people with IT skills, meantime work in Gibraltar in English and live in Spain and do ur best to learn spanish - mind you the salary and opportunities you get in Gib will be much better than in that part of Spain.

Jimmy, did you see our article on the best ways to learn spanish? (http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/information/the_best_way_to_learn_spanish/)

I have been taking local authority Spanish classes for the past year (in UK) and now they have ended for the academic year, our class is still meeting up Monday evenings as a study group taking it in turns to prepare and present revision lessons. Trying to sort mine out for next week I came across some surprisingly good resources on youtube of all places - interactive lessons posted by native speakers etc, as well as lighter stuff (surely everyone's seen Spanish Mike, gives us all hope for our communication skills!)

Thanks everyone for all the other links above though I fully intend to check them out, and I am saving up for Rosetta Stone as that seems to be one of the most recommended successful systems for learning when you are not yet living/immersed in the language and culture. Just costs a fortune when you are also saving up for a big relocation..!

Cx

Hello everyone!

I'm a language student from Malaga. The best way to learn a language is practicing, isn't it? Anyone here would be interested in a language exchange with people learning English? I have a group on yahoo and its main goal is gather people in one place so we all can find someone to practice the language we're learning.
It's a great way to learn about culture too. I'll leave the group link here just in case someone is interested:

http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/language_exchange_malaga/

See you soon!!

Pilar

One of my friends has recommended Rosetta Stone's online service to me. I'm not sure how useful an online language service will be, due to the lack of human interaction, but he insists it is really good. Has anyone used it in the past?

Hi Nathalie,

It's difficult to answer your question without knowing more about your circumstances. Are you living in Spain? How long are you staying for? What level of Spanish do you need? Can you afford classes? Where in Spain are you, in Madrid?

If you are in Madrid indefinitely then I would start off by doing an intensive Spanish course in one of the well known academies such as International House and then I would make it my mission to hang out with only Spanish people in order to practice my Spanish as much as possible.

Good luck

Paloma