Learning the language?
 

Hi everyone, I've just joined and apologize if this is in the wrong place-
My husband and I have long term plans- I'm talking no less than 5 years away- We would love to live in Spain for 5-10 years (or longer if everything works out)-
My question is about learning the language- we holiday in Spain and know a handful of words but I have a feeling we need to be fluent in order to converse with lawyers, doctors, estate agents etc
I have looked into evening classes that would hopefully start at the end of this year-
How have others got on? Do you agree it's essential to be fluent or can you wing it? I feel out of respect for the Spanish I would like to be able to talk to locals in their own language but it is worrying me all the same- I wasn't good at languages at school and generally worried I will never get to grips with Spanish.
Would love to know your thoughts and thanks for reading
Claire
:)

Re: Learning the language?
 

Hola

Try many methods - the reason that there are many methods is that everyone is different. I used a "Linguaphone" type course until I arrived here and then took formal grammar lessons.

Whilst it suited me - definitely not everyone´s cup of tea

Davexf

Re: Learning the language?
 

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Re: Learning the language?
 

Thank you so much :)

Re: Learning the language?
 

I expect the vast majority of people who move to Spain have pretty poor Spanish to begin with, and many of those who stay in predominantly expat areas never get anywhere near fluency. So it is not essential. However you'll find the experience much more fulfilling if you do take an interest in the language, and a good way of progressing is doing intensive courses ta Spanish language schools. Most courses run for a week or more and you spend the morning in the classroom, and have the rest of the day to yourself. It's an excellent way of learning about the local culture as well.

Re: Learning the language?
 

I love that idea- I could meet others!
I've just been checking out the Michel Thomas method as a couple of friends had recommended on Facebook- if I do that, along with night classes then a week intensive would be good- a few weeks probably.

Re: Learning the language?
 

Hi there,

I too will be making the effort to speak Spanish. Having lived in one non-English speaking country (The Netherlands) and not bothering with the language i noticed the difference when i made the effort. The locals appreciate that you have tried.

You don't need to be fluent straight away, so don't feel pressured. Take it as it comes with what ever method you decide, after a while you will get more confident. The best thing for me excluding meeting locals was watching UK/USA TV with Dutch subtitles.

Good luck.

Re: Learning the language?
 

it's really down to:-

Do you want to and will you put the effort in??

:)

Re: Learning the language?
 

No if's no butt's do it.
I never wanted to in Spain or Portugal ... I was only passsing trade.

Re: Learning the language?
 

Agree, many start, only to give up after a short while. Traditionally, evening classes used to start Sept/Oct time, and the drop out rate after the first term was always high. I think just about every potential expat that comes here say that they want to learn the lingo, but IMHO very few do, at least not getting past ordering a beer etc. You need to want to do it and be prepared to put a lot of hours into it, it isn't easy.

Re: Learning the language?
 

A few months of intensive courses would be more realistic

The trouble a lot of British people have is they underestimate how much work is needed to become fluent in a language. It requires a big commitment, but is extremely rewarding

Re: Learning the language?
 

I'm definitely prepared to put the effort in :)
It's good for my brain and will be handy on holiday to be able to do more than just hello, please and thank you- although they count for a lot!

Re: Learning the language?
 

When I started with Spanish (13 years ago) I tried evening classes but got nowhere. The main problem was that the class went at different speeds and the teacher had to keep covering the same material again and again because some people either forgot it or, more commonly, some people had missed the class the first time round. After a few weeks I did a 2 week intensive course in Granada and that allowed me to step up to a more advanced evening class group when I returned. If I had carried on with evening classes then that would have been a good tactic I think - using intensive courses to keep stepping up a level and then changing to a more advanced group when you get back. If you stick to your original beginners group you'll get nowehere.

As c-man says - don't underestimate what learning a language is about. It's not a case of simply understanding how the language works and what the words mean, and then applying it all. To become fluent you need to engage with the language and culture in a more direct way, and that's difficult and frustrating. You put a lot of effort in and you feel like you are getting nowhere. It takes years, and even then you have to accept that you'll never speak it as naturally as you speak your mother tongue. So make sure you enjoy the experience of learning rather than seeing it as a means to an end, because you'll never get to the end.

Re: Learning the language?
 

Friends of ours moved out quite a few years ago now, initially only the wife spoke any Spanish, now the three of them all speak very good Spanish, the son, perfect. It's great to see that they have totally embraced the whole Spanish thing, and without doubt, the biggest factor is having surrounded themselves with Spanish rather than Brits. ;)

Re: Learning the language?
 

Good post, I'm sure we've all been through the "I'm not getting anywhere with this" and the temptation is to give up. And many do, but despite what the adverts will tell you(Speak Spanish in a month!) it's not easy. Evening classes help, but you can only go as fast as the slowest person, and like you say, the students often have different levels and different attitudes to learning. Once you get to a reasonable level, I'm a big fan of skype, find yourself a skype buddy and get chatting, it's free.