Not yet started to learn Spanish but want to ?

Do you have a query about moving to Andalucia and buying property in Andalucia. Find out by posting questions and reading about other peoples experiences.
flyeogh
Resident
Posts: 287
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2007 9:07 pm
Location: Puerto de Santa Maria (and Asturias)
Contact:

Re: Not yet started to learn Spanish but want to ?

Postby flyeogh » Tue Aug 16, 2016 3:41 pm

Lavanda for me you offer lots of good stuff and I went your route I'm glad to say but sadly for some they cannot follow your advice. To timid, too scared of being wrong, too reserved, not good listeners, ....... I think it might help some to team up. Two brits together, someone you barely know, certainly not hubby and wife :crazy:, and go hit the town and be determined to have a good time and use several prepared phrases and learn several words each. Push one another to go and ask the lady on the corner where you can buy a corkscrew (even though you already know :wink: ). Sometimes the one not talking will pick up the reply much better. And somehow being part of a team really helps. You get prepared for the next adventure because you cannot let your buddie down.

But some great advice above I think. Could have done with it 30 years ago when my spanish journey began.

ps: As my spanish sister-in-law says to her husband "he is English, not deaf" :lolno: although I am getting a bit de................... :mrgreen:







.
El raton de watford

truebrit
Resident
Posts: 432
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2015 5:25 pm
Location: La Cala

Re: Not yet started to learn Spanish but want to ?

Postby truebrit » Tue Aug 16, 2016 4:58 pm

I sometimes wish that I wasn't a linguist. Not always a bonus, because it made my hubby lazy. Because from Day 1 I spoke and understood the language although he took lessons he knew he could rely on me. I have found that a lot amongst couples.

pthomas
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 27
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2016 3:32 pm
Location: Rincon

Re: Not yet started to learn Spanish but want to ?

Postby pthomas » Wed Aug 24, 2016 4:35 pm

Day 1?? :lol: Get real, it took me at least six months to get a very basic level of conversation.

Lavanda
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 6191
Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2004 1:42 pm
Location: Cáceres Province, Extremadura

Re: Not yet started to learn Spanish but want to ?

Postby Lavanda » Wed Aug 24, 2016 4:54 pm

I understood "Day 1" to mean in the Biblical sense, you know, God made the world in seven days ...

Well, I'm not a linguist and I still am not 100% fluent (I never will be) after nine years but every day I learn something new and I like that. My latest word is "paulatinamente' and I think it's brilliant. Not the same as 'lentemente' at all.

pthomas
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 27
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2016 3:32 pm
Location: Rincon

Re: Not yet started to learn Spanish but want to ?

Postby pthomas » Wed Aug 24, 2016 5:07 pm

Lavanda wrote:I understood "Day 1" to mean in the Biblical sense, you know, God made the world in seven days ...
.
Sorry but God and religion really never entered my thoughts when I read "Day 1" maybe if the poster had written "and on the first day I spoke and understood the language" maybe so!! Leaves another 6 to become fully fluent :D .....but I think God had a few other things going on to worry about learning Spanish on his First Day of Creating Stuff

Lavanda
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 6191
Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2004 1:42 pm
Location: Cáceres Province, Extremadura

Re: Not yet started to learn Spanish but want to ?

Postby Lavanda » Wed Aug 24, 2016 5:53 pm

No. No. I meant a day meaning a period of time but not, obviously, a day.

pthomas
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 27
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2016 3:32 pm
Location: Rincon

Re: Not yet started to learn Spanish but want to ?

Postby pthomas » Wed Aug 24, 2016 6:07 pm

Yes Yes....
A day is a 24-hour period, or the length of time it takes the Earth to rotate fully on its axis.

maureenscot
Resident
Posts: 666
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2016 5:37 pm

Re: Not yet started to learn Spanish but want to ?

Postby maureenscot » Wed Aug 24, 2016 6:39 pm

oh dear...

flyeogh
Resident
Posts: 287
Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2007 9:07 pm
Location: Puerto de Santa Maria (and Asturias)
Contact:

Re: Not yet started to learn Spanish but want to ?

Postby flyeogh » Wed Aug 24, 2016 9:21 pm

And to try and get us back to topic and sanity:

Just had dinner with my Spanish niece who is a teacher (profi for those who mix with younger spaniards):

profi : Que te gusta? (what do you like?)
little girl: me gusta arroz amarillo ( I like yellow rice)
profi : Asi te gusta paella? (so you like paella?)
little girl: No, pa' mi!!!

[paella --- pa' ella --- para ella]

Well made me laugh. But shows how tough Spanish can be even for Spaniards :D
Last edited by flyeogh on Thu Aug 25, 2016 8:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
El raton de watford

Lavanda
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 6191
Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2004 1:42 pm
Location: Cáceres Province, Extremadura

Re: Not yet started to learn Spanish but want to ?

Postby Lavanda » Thu Aug 25, 2016 7:58 am

:lol: That's nice and a good example of what can be misunderstood. The horrible thing about Grammar (which I avoid like the plague) is that the Spanish, who are taught English, know all about the most obscure of English verb tenses and how to use them correctly. They know all the words for all the bits of English language from prepositions and adverbs to conjunctions and phrasal verbs. When at Spanish classes the teacher assumes the English all have a degree in the subject and start going on about the Past Perfect Indicative, etc and ... I'm lost. :crazy:

Erika
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 50
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2015 8:56 pm

Re: Not yet started to learn Spanish but want to ?

Postby Erika » Fri Nov 25, 2016 11:19 pm

too timid, too scared of being wrong, too reserved... wow some of these comments really reverberate with me. I love the academic learning, the grammar and the fascinating similarities to English etc but when it came to actually speaking the Spanish I know the nerves used to tongue-tie me.

It's weird but even though I live in Spain fulltime I found it really hard to practise speaking Spanish. I think in part it's that living as I do on the Costa Del Sol everyone speaks such great English. I joined intercambio groups and they helped but they tend to be only a couple of hours a week at most and I find switching back to English every half hour (or more often) means I don´t really get into the swing of talking. Being shy too I have to be coaxed into speaking and retreat very quickly into the safety of my native tongue.

But recently I found a fabulous way to kick start my speaking that I think may be of interest to some of you and even more importantly met a fantastic group of Spanish friends from all over the country with whom I now communicate (in Spanish of course). It’s a total immersion experience called Pueblo Español. It´s run by a company called Diverbo who are basically a language school but Pueblo Español is not about lessons at all. it´s about spending a week on holiday somewhere gorgeous with Spanish people, for one on one conversations, meals and outings together, group activities and generally good fun but all while speaking Spanish with people who really care about helping you. All day every day for a week and I have never experienced such a genuinely supportive atmosphere. All we “Anglo” (ie non Spanish) participants were there for the same reason – to improve our Spanish conversation skills, and all the Spanish people were there solely to help us.

I absolutely loved the experience. So much so that I followed up by volunteering on their English language equivalent, Pueblo Inglés. And importantly now when I get nervous about speaking I just remember the positive experience of Pueblo Español and how I got through that whole week without a word of English and it lifts my confidence so much it´s amazing. And because of that people are commenting on how much my Spanish has improved. Of course it's that I'm actually able to vocalise what is in my head.

If I´m sounding a bit like a convert it´s because I am. Quite apart from the Spanish language part, which was incredibly helpful for me, my week at Pueblo Español was an amazing opportunity to meet people from all over the country, many of whom I have subsequently spent time with as friends. I can´t wait to go back.

Their new calendar is out for 2017. http://puebloespanol.com/program-dates/
Take a look and if you´re interested or would like to ask me about it I´d love to share more info with you. On this forum, in a private message or in person.

By the way: I do not work for Diverbo and am not related in any way to anyone who does. I was a full paying participant. I only found out about it by coincidence and I just think it was such a great experience and helped my Spanish so much that I wanted to let other people know about it who might also enjoy and take advantage of it.

User avatar
chrissiehope
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3668
Joined: Sun May 07, 2006 7:52 pm
Location: Cheshire & near Antequera

Re: Not yet started to learn Spanish but want to ?

Postby chrissiehope » Fri Nov 25, 2016 11:40 pm

That sounds great Erika - shame I'm not living in Spain, or even visiting that often now, 'cos it would have been a great experience. :-)
Alexandr for President (Squire for PM !)

Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog it's too dark to read (Groucho Marx)

Erika
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 50
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2015 8:56 pm

Re: Not yet started to learn Spanish but want to ?

Postby Erika » Sun Nov 27, 2016 8:09 pm

What a shame chrissiehope. Actually most of the people on the group were just in Spain doing it as part of their vacation although there were a few of us living here full time. A really diverse, and interesting group actually. All still in touch from all over Spain and the world thanks to the wonders of
Whatsapp too.

User avatar
chrissiehope
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3668
Joined: Sun May 07, 2006 7:52 pm
Location: Cheshire & near Antequera

Re: Not yet started to learn Spanish but want to ?

Postby chrissiehope » Sun Nov 27, 2016 11:46 pm

Maybe in the years to come, when I've a bit more time (& money ;-) ) I'll be able to give it a go - shame to waste the bit of Spanish I've managed to learn so far... :-)
Alexandr for President (Squire for PM !)

Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog it's too dark to read (Groucho Marx)


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests