Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

Hi all, I have been promising myself for months now that I will begin to learn Spanish. The only problem being that with work commitments it would need to be some sort of off the shelf self teach system. I've had a look and there are thousands available - can anyone recommend any?

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

classes
web site - tons of em
get out and practice in the street/bars

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

p.s I was told that if I had found a Spanish girlfriend after my divorce I would be fluent by now. I am happier with less than fluency and my new Scottish wife of just over one year :thumbsup:

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

none practical

Classes - work all over Europe - never in same place
website - cannot always gurantee connection where I'll be
get out - love to and I've learnt more this way in my last 2 visits than I will by any other method - but not there enough!

Needs to be a mobile CDROM based system or similar

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

Highly recommend Synergy Spanish and Short Cut to Spanish by Marcus Santamaria. I am useless at posting links so just google and it should come up. There are loads on the market and they will all give you good lessons but we found that his method of teaching helped more than any others.

My advise would be to try several different ones to gain different teaching methods. The Usbourne First 1000 Spanish words dictionary is also a good book for giving you loads of names of items and because it is pictorial it is easier to remember.

Good Luck

Rosemary

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

thanks - will have a look at these - already have the reference book, you can't miss me I look like the sad tourist!

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

Are there loads of Spanish people living in Preston???????

Rosemary

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

I recognise the symptoms.
300+ flights some years
20+ countries some years
Dont always have lappie with me
After 11 yrs + living in Spain I am still trying to get to second base on a course I have done 3 times but was never around enough to get off first base.

I tried numerous CD and tape based "courses" and if anybody recommends one then good luck.

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

No but doesnt put Preston at top of list.

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

I loved the Ealing German course. The tapes were the only ones I have ever found in four languages that I could understand easily, and whose content was stunningly relevant.

Sadly the Spanish Ealing is long out of print.

I always advocate studying grammar, else how will you know why a word is where it is and why it looks diferent.

1,001 pitfalls in Spanish is a fascinating book, and a cracking good read once you have a bit of the language under your belt.

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

Under user name it says Location: PRESTON

Rosemary

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

Yes Rosemary 100% correct but the content of the posts tells a slightly different story. This is after all an "ex-pats" web site isnt it ? Didnt think we were responding to a "normal" UK resident in Preston who simply wanted to learn Spanish.

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

The basic problem is not learning to speak spanish (or any other language), but to learn to understand native spanish speakers. You can get a CDROM course such as the Michel Thomas set. This will help you speak spanish, but you won't understand what people are saying back to you - it's a one-way system: speaking, not listening/understanding.
For example, after 2 years of classes in england I could converse with other native brits speaking spanish - using the common vocabulary we all had learned. However when you go into a bar in andalucia and order 2 beers, the reply you get is more like "OK mate, hang on a sec, I've got to finish cleaning out the sink then I'll be with you", not the "here you are, that's 2 euros please" that you learned in the course (or from the CDs).
One system I haven';'t tried, but might look into is Rosetta Stone but you'll need a laptop to go with it. However, there's no such thing as "instant" spanish. It took you 10+ years to get a fluent, adult level of english - and that was 24*7, so expect spanish to take a similar amount of time and a similar level of commitment.

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

Now now children - you are both right. When at home I have a place in Preston. Also have a place in Spain. Not an ex-pat but would love to try and integrate more when I'm over there :thumbsup:

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

:mad:

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

:D:D:D:rofl::rofl::rofl::D:D:D

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

Spanish Ealing........... Is that Spanish with a hint of Bengali :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

nahh my Other Half had a spanish g/f for 4 years and all he could say was Benga Benga Si si Valle Valle.
So no is the answer after me well now he can have a simple conversation in Spanish and he knew more than me wwhen we got here LOL

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

Yep, you will learn alot from books and CD`s but theres no substitute for living/working amongst Spanish people ,expect at least 3 years of trying/studying to get to a reasonable conversational level ,most Brits never manage it, proberly through laziness ,Ive tried hard for the last 2 1/2 years and get by okay ,I employ none english speaking Spanish without to many issues, my grammar is pretty poor but I`m still going to colegio when time allows,
There seems to be two types of Spanish speaking expats ,one who speaks very little but very precisley and clearly and the other who speaks a lot but with bad grammer,I`m the latter,:)I also throw in some mubbleing when I`m not sure,usually works:rofl:

Rgds

Rotor

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

My first post on this site. My wife and I are moving to Spain in January and are keen to learn the language. I am using RosettaStone (online version) and my wife is using Michel Thomas on CD's in the car. Both courses are good although I feel RosettaStone will be more useful as it is highly interactive. Through the use of a headset microphone you are regularly asked to speak and it seems to do good job at correcting pronunciation. Also, every so often it asks you to read & write in Spanish - even provides an onscreen Spanish keyboard if required. At first I thought I’d never get to grips with the language however if you persevere it does seem to come in an intuitive way. I’m fairly lucky as I work in an international school in the UK where I get a limited opportunity to test what I’ve learned with Spanish children. When I tell them - in Spanish of course - that I am very much a learner they really try to help me. Using Michel Thomas I don’t think I’d be confident enough to do that however with RosettaStone I feel brave enough to have a go. I wouldn’t say it is cheap – around £75 – for a 3 month online subscription however I do think you get a lot for your money, providing you have the time to use it often. I hope this helps.

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

BBC do a lot of free courses online, you could probably burn them onto a cd and play in car or on lappie anytime.
Like Rosemary says the first 1000 words is good, I also got kids books from the boot sales in Spain. :thumbup:

Another good book is Spanish in three months by Hugo (yeah right, extend the time slightly ;-). )
It is full of easy exercises that you can do as you work through the book.

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

If you can find it, Hugo's 'Spanish verbs simplified' will show you the patterns in verb structures, which will save you learning every single step of every single verb conjugation.

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

I've used this book with the accompanying CD's and found it very helpful. I like to see a word written down as well as hearing it. It definitely takes more than 3 months though. Also very helpful are 'Teach yourself Spanish Verbs' (ISBN 0-340-86719-1) and Mastering Spanish Vocabulary (ISBN 0-8120-9110-8) which has words & phrases in 41 thematic categories.

I tried the Linguaphone 'ALL TALK' system when I was first learning. Its quite good as you can listen without needing to refer to a book at the same time. However, the level 1 course is aimed at business people and covers travelling - airports, hotels, taxis etc. Useful but not so much so if you are living here (and its expensive).

Rose

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

Hi, I would recommend a visit to www.notesinspanish.com
There is tons of audio to download, all levels. Most is free.
Barry

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

Buy an ipod and wear it when you are travelling...Earworms Rapid Spanish works on the principle that the brain absorbs music with words faster than words alone. This system uses this method to anchor and embed the language deep in the brain. Think about it...you still remember the words from songs you heard years ago but forget what was on the shopping list you wrote this morning. Maybe we need to sing our way through life...:thumbsup:

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

Here's a technique you may not have thought of to improve your listening skills:

Buy yourself some DVD of films you enjoy - preferably classics with loads of dialogue. Watch them in English first so that you know what the plot's about.
Then switch to Spanish, with English subtitles. Find a particular scene you like, again with reasonable dialogue, and watch it repeatedly. First with the English subtitles on - then switch to Spanish subtitles so you can confirm what you're hearing. Finally - switch off the subtitles altogether, and check that you know exactly what's going on before proceeding to the next scene.

Not all DVD's allow you to do this - but a lot do - particularly releases of older films.

Good luck!

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

mate off my taking 2 - 3 months off work and moving over to learn spanish so i have to fine him a flate and told him not to come nead me unless he want to chat in spanish to me , ya bit hard on him but only way hes going to learn , he just want to hang around and learn from the loacls in Elche 37 and just dose wnat to o back to skool again , he job in Ireland is very pressered so dont want the hard slog off skool again lol , what do he think he is lol , ( he wont be reading here so i can post any think about him here

so what cds/dvd/ipods think sould he get for spain ?
jurdy

only time i want to see him is in the pub buyying me beers :thumbsup:

Re: Desperately need to learn Spanish
 

I've been pushing myself to learn over the last six months or so:

Got on really well with Michel Thomas - really helped with my pronunciation and grammar. Have just finished the Beginners course and about to start the Advanced and Language Builder courses

Rosetta Stone I gave up with after about two hours, really didn't get it at all

The BBC Online beginners course was great although the accents a little strange

The Ben & Marina podcasts from www.notesinspanish.com are fabulous for teaching you more conversational stuff and you can download those to CD/iPod

My other half speaks fluently which helps and forces me to speak Spanish which otherwise I can get away with not doing. She's also organising a free Spanish meetup fortnightly to hopefully get some people along that are actually interested in speaking Spanish no matter what their level. They used to hold these language exchange style meetups in the UK and she found them extremely useful for practising what you know without the pressure of being thrown into a lions den

Quite the opposite for me! My problem isn't understanding, it's having the confidence to actually speak it