language troubles... your experiences?
 

hello to all after a while away from here.... :D

well so we decided a few months back that we are moving back to spain... so got some books and started teaching my OH spanish properly (well or so i thought :p)
but its just NOT happening, he is just not learning anything, forgets everything pretty much straigh away, and cant even read spanish as he cant even get past that i is not e (due to pronuntiation) etc. :huh:

so i was wondering.. am i doing something wrong? :confused:
i also speak to him in spanish at home, so its not all by the book.
or do some ppl simply have an inability to learn languages?

any experiences welcome.....
from a frustrated wanna be teacher! :p
xxx

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

Yes people do have difficulties, like me :( However, my wife speaks 5 languages so I don't care :p

In all seriousness, it can be a struggle for a long time and then something just clicks into place, I still have difficulties on the phone, in groups or when they speak Valencian, but one to one I'm doing fine now

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

hi mike, thanks for your message,
so did you struggle lots at the beginning?!
i mean... there is hope?! :blink:

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

Yes, it has something to do with my brain, things that aren't logical (like languages, and women) I find very difficult to understand.

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

cheeky :rofl:

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

My OH and I find learning Spanish very difficult but are persevering. What is your OH's preferred learning style when he is learning other things. Some people need masses of repetition, some need visual aids, some find that making things funny helps, and some find learning the very basics from childrens books sets them up.

I have found that all of the Osbourne books called 'First 1000 words' children's dictiuonaries extremely useful to learn nouns. Verbs have me really floundering and the older I get the harder I find it to remember things so this is an added hinderance.

I think that finding a style that suits his learning methods will be the real answer for you. So does he learn best visually or orally? Does he need a limited amount of words repeated until he has absorbed them before going on to the next batch? Sticking post-its on items around the house may help him with item names.

You say that you speak to him in Spanish but I wonder if you are speaking too fast and using advanced language instead of speaking slower and using simple enough language. I was once told that if you want someone to understand a concept it should be written down or spoken about in such a way that an 8 year old could understand it.

Come and teach me and my OH and you will find teaching your OH easy in comparison.

Best of Luck

Rosemary

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

Its our age Rosemary, the older you get the more difficult iot is to make it stick :D

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

Most adult courses don't start with the reading, and focus on the conversation, introducing the reading slowly as the sounds sink in.

However, our 6 year old has a great phonics book - with all the pronunciations that you have to learn - 'La Cartilla' Primaria 1 (Santillana). You start with the simplest combinations to make up words, e.g. on page one:

pa pi pu pe po
Leading to: Pepa pio pua Pepe, etc

Every 2 pages there is another combination of letters and new words / sentences that can now be spoken. It soon builds up... These are just two of the sentences my daughter read to me tonight out of the book, sentences that I would never have attempted myself a few months ago!

César está haciendo una tarta. Le pone ciruelas, nuesces y manzanas.

Mercedes se calzó sus zapatos, se puso un lazo de terciopelo y se fue al zoo.

It's been a really useful book - it's helping us read Spanish a lot better, and our daughter can read Spanish surprisingly quickly, even when she doesn't understand all the words she sounds like a Spaniard!!! :eek:

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

hi guys,
thanks again for your messages!

Rosemary i think you may be right, i do talk to him normally,as i would talk to a spanish person- is that wrong?
i mean, if i did it v simplified, as in for example, using the verbs in infinitive or maybe even just conjugated in present, wouldnt he learn the language wrong?

i think what the main problem is that he wants to run before he can walk (is that the right expression lol!) and he gets so easily frustrated!! :(
i have explained to him like, for example, it took me quite a while to be fluent in english, and that he needs to be brave and speak to spanish ppl when we are at home, but i think he worries ppl will laugh at him!

I have been laughed at so many times but hey its part of the proccess!!

Aps- are you offering me a private tutor job! :D

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

thanks twyntub, just looked it up and found that book online, may be worth a go!!

so can i ask you guys, what do you think is the best way to approach the language, as i guess maybe i have scared him off with my books and my teaching :p
would it be just talking at the beginning, or reading, or how, i mean, where do i start, as we have spent quite a long time doing these books and got nowhere and i dont wanna waste anymore time....
xxx

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

We did our Spanish course as an evening class - and you get given handouts but the main focus was listening and repeating. It's structured so that we began with 'personal information' - how to introduce yourselves, say where you live, etc.

At these early stages, you don't even worry about verbs or tenses - just learn the basic words and phrases.

As the course progressed, then we started to be introduced to some basic verbs - but even then, still very basic and always in relation to a particular situation, for example tener used in relation to shopping. Even then we only covered the present tense.

I would suggest focusing on the 'practical' side i.e. spoken words and phrases, then introduce the more technical side (written and verbs, etc) once your OH has built some confidence. :confused:

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

So glad that you typed stick and not thick!!!!!

Rosemary

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

Yes provided you have tons and tons of patience and do not expect any pay.

Rosemary

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

arent i the lucky one! :p

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

Dont go to KFC and ask for a grande polla :) Though its funny to wind ur non spanish speaking friends up with.

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

Hi featherbum,
As long as the dominant language at home, in the community, and in the media is english (and in that order), IMO, your OH will continue to think in english.
Talk only in spanish at home (that means YOU! And, more than "carino, carino";)), don't tell him when he makes any mistakes (bet you can understand each other anyway), and, when you return to Spain, start again.
From my own experience, if the OH at first doesn't want to speak in spanish, then relax! He might be self-conscious, or feeling shy. For certain, he'll be listening very carefully. Don't bring the shyness to his attention, or worse, to that of others in your conversation. That might lead to stubbornness and resentment.
Regards,
Carol

P.S. Here's an afterthought: Is "machismo" still alive and kicking? If the woman does all the talking, is that really ok? Possibly another thread starter...or not!:D

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

my OH is well aware of this, i made sure i taught him the difference! :p

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

Hi Carol,
thanks v much for your message, i found it v interesting!
Because i am guilty of pretty uch everything you just advised me NOT to do! :sneaky:

I do try and force him to speak, bring shyness up, correct him.... :thumbdown:
Gonna give your advice a good go, it makes sense. I guess the fact i keep correcting him must be making him feel self concious, and scared of, say, being laughed at!

As for the machismo bit, i do talk for him in shops, restaturants etc lol and didnt quite think about this fact, they must been thinking he suffers from extreme shyness lol! :D either that or that i wear the trousers haha!
But you are right the more i try to push him to talk the less he does.
So thanks again, and will give this new tactic a go! :thumbsup:

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

Hola! featherbum,
How's it going?
Have you been arguing in spanish?
Good luck!:)
Regards,
Carol

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

hi, thanks for asking!:)
its going ok sloooooooowly, i have stopped correcting him (well most of the time :lol:) and i think thats making things better so thanks again for the tip!
now i must speak to him in spanish more often as sometimes i am lazy cause its easier to be understood straigth away :thumbdown:

at least he is happy to move back, which makes me a lucky girl! ;) and hopefully he will learn faster once we are back in spain!

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

Withold conjugals until he's mastered the subjunctive! :lol:

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

THAT LONG?:ohmy::(
:lol:

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

Some guiris got to learn the hard way featherbum! :lol:

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

but...but....
what about ME?!:huh:

:rofl:

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

I'll PM you my number featherbum! :lol:

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

so you can do the subjunctive then?:p

ps- i am a nearly married woman with morals i'll have you know!!

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

Not only do you have morals I think that you have high standards too!!!!!!

Rosemary

Re: language troubles... your experiences?
 

You need to get on to the local college to put night school classes on in English, maybe get the council to change the signage to English (with Spanish sub-titles).
It's bloody inconsiderate of the bastards not to learn English properly -this is 2008 ffs they need to catch up.

In 5 or so years when I hope to be seriously looking for somewhere, if they're not at least at conversational level I'm off to Florida.