Re: Learning the language?
 

Sorry, yes I had just been reading the leaflet from the church so ended up in Valenciano.

Rosemary

Re: Learning the language?
 

I started with the Open University. The first course (I think they do 3) involved 6 books with accompanying audio (CD at the time) and a weekly class on-line. The OU had its own conferencing software. You’re assigned to a class and meet weekly to do exercises to build conversational skills.

The method suited me because at the time I never knew where I would be the following week. My job involved a lot of travel and I remember doing classes from hotel rooms in the USA while away. The local college was not an option for me.

The materials are high quality and have been refined through many years of use. The fact that you know you are going to be in a conversation using certain words and phrases means you make the time to prepare. When I started I didn’t want the certificates, diplomas, etc. or the points (towards a degree) that came with them, but later they served as an extra incentive.

I approached language learning thinking it was an impossible task, partly because I took from school the view that I was simply not good at languages, and also because it just seems so difficult when you listen to sounds you can’t make. The CD would say, “now respond”, and my brain was still deciphering something said a minute ago!

The great thing about that first course was that within about 8 weeks I knew I was making progress and could do it.

I’d recommend the OU course without hesitation. Whether it would be appropriate or the best option for you depends on your circumstances. It was perfect for me, because I couldn’t attend classes regularly any other way.

On the downside, it is expensive.

Re: Learning the language?
 

And the sounds are difficult.... I still can't say "dog", I always say "but".

Re: Learning the language?
 

It's pascua.

Re: Learning the language?
 

A tip I have as mentioned above is to maintain a language is you must surround yourself with atleast one speaker of that language. My father who teaches several languages has said this time and again. I speak a bit of German as I have some German family but it gets harder when I have no one to speak the language to as its easily forgettable. Same with each language.

Re: Learning the language?
 

Really ? And you reccomend a OU course!!!

That's where the living here helps, it did not take me more than an hour to distinguish between them, for Perro you should roll the r's if you can't then you stress on them.

Just keep repeating the perros with the stress for a few minutes and you will drum it into your head, you have Pero already

Re: Learning the language?
 

Yes, really, Andy. I'm not going to dismiss an excellent course that I made a huge amount of progress with just because I'll never get as good as a native speaker at that one sound.

I do stress them because I can't roll them, but that's just not as good as that rolling sound, hence my comment.

It took me more than an hour, so congratulations with that.

I did try repeating things, learning the language involved quite a lot of that.

Did you have any advice for the OP given your experience of learning?

Re: Learning the language?
 

My advice is to the OP and the other learners is to go with the flow.

Of course try to do it 'correctly' but don't stress out if the 'RR' Sounds the same a 'R'.

The context and the situation will give the listener all the clues they need to know which word you mean.

I knew a French guy he worked as a waiter in weddings, he used to tell the ladies 'you 'ave a beautiful 'at.

Everyone knew what he was talking about, even with his lack of 'H'.

A friends hubby has taken up the piano at the age of 45, as she said, he will never become another Richard Clayderberg. I understood what she meant perfectly.:D

Re: Learning the language?
 

An Open University course nowadays with very high tuition fees can cost £10,000s

Re: Learning the language?
 

I did the level 2 OU course a few years ago - I found it quite useful in that some of the technicalities were explained from an English speaker's point of view (up until then I had mainly been taught in Spanish) and it also included a week in Santiago, which was fun as well. As ever with OU courses, I only really had the time to do enough to do the assignments and would have got a lot more out of it if I had had more time. As those courses are expensive, I would recommend just doing the level 2 course once you have already got to an intermediate level, because it's the only one that offers the residencial school.

http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergr...ourse/l204.htm

(it costs £2632.00 now though - it was a lot cheaper when I did it)

Re: Learning the language?
 

Therein lies the rub. I live in the Valencian community, luckily in the south of it where Castellano is mainly used, but as you get further north it turns into Valenciano and then into Catalan as you cross the invisible border.

Technically you would need to learn three languages to be able to converse sufficiently in this relatively small area, and the further you get into 'real' Spain, away from the coast, the less likely you are to hear much Castellano.

It took me many years to learn sufficient Castellano and a few swear words in Catalan, but I'll always speak like a guiri.

Re: Learning the language?
 

I had a quick look at the current cost out of curiosity. I paid about 400 to do the first but that was a few years ago. I guessed that inflation might have pushed it up to around the 500 mark. The current cost is 535 if you live in Scotland or Wales, and 1316 if you live England. Quite why English people suffer that price I have no idea.

Those prices rule it out, I would suspect, unless you are doing it to get a degree and need the distance learning model.

Although, if you claim benefits of any kind the OU grants all sorts of allowances. Worth a check if you're in such circumstances.

Re: Learning the language?
 

It depends how far you want to take it but generally Id go with what ME ME says, not to get frustrated and enjoy it.

I would not pay those kinds of prices now, but I think I regret maybe 7 years ago not doing a intensive course when my mind was faster and I would / should have paid, I had more time and more disposable money at that time.

Re: Learning the language?
 

Dialects can be difficult, for example just watching the sorteo for the champions league and europa semi finals, Three spokesmen were on the TV for Valencia Real Madrid At.Madrid and Sevilla, Apart from the Sevilla rep I understood all of them perfectly.

I would not mind keeping a thread like this open, we could all benefit maybe with more ideas, the internet is wonderful also for learning I find when time is available.

One of the things my Spanish teacher said is i keep throwing in English words if I don't know the translation, 'maybe' is one that I can stuck on, but you can use other words such as 'imaginable' and 'possible' or even 'depends' possibly to and so on.

I found temporary way round this, with this sheet below, The following is a PDF download of an alphabetical list of English and Spanish cognates which are pretty much the same so very very easy to learn,

http://www.colorincolorado.org/?modu...load&fileId=41

I will use these words until I have learnt substitutes or am corrected for using it wrongly but it does stop me chucking English words in when speaking.

Re: Learning the language?
 

Sorry AndyRich, but that is the most ridiculous advice I have ever heard!

I suggest you get a new Spansh teacher!

You cannot just throw in English words while speaking Spanish, you will sound like David Beckham and nobody will understand you. They will just think that you are weird