Learning Spanish 2
 

I hope it is ok to post this, following on from the last thread regarding learning the Spanish language I thought I would update my progress.

For the last 12 months I have been learning from the duolingo app which gave me the desire to learn, the app is ok but in my opinion is very limited in how it is structured and just how much you can actually learn.

I have also been having lessons via zoom with a Spanish lady, I am currently on the 4th course which has been good but due to been in a group of different levels can make progress slow.

Recently I discovered how to Spanish by a guy called Paul Noble on CD, I have got to say that this is the best resource I have found up to date, I started with a 2 CD “Destination Spanish” course and I was so impressed I have gone on to the 12 CD course.

Each course contains the CD’s and information book and is really well structured, definitely recommended for anyone who has tried/failed/give up/thought they just couldn’t learn.

Here’s a link to a “Spanish for kids” to give an indication how the learning is structured, also I’ve enclosed a link to the book which accompanies the “Spanish for kids” CD.

https://resources.collins.co.uk/Dict...for%20Kids.pdf

scroll down the page to access the sound clips
https://minitravellers.co.uk/paul-no...r-kids-course/

ihave links to other books which accompany other Paul Noble CD’s if anyone wants to see them.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...c1df1be41.jpeg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...d2ec47420.jpeg
Scroll down the page to access the sound clips

Re: Learning Spanish 2
 

A bit of advertising????

Re: Learning Spanish 2
 

Not at all, just a recommendation of a good product I have found which may benefit others, I could list ever single resource I have looked at over the last 12 months, sorry if it offends you but others may benefit 🤨

Re: Learning Spanish 2
 

Sorry it is just that you have just joined and have post a recommendation for a specific product including links and photos. Hard to distinguish genuine personal post from business

Re: Learning Spanish 2
 

I can see what you mean now, I joined in January but until the learning Spanish language thread a few weeks I had nothing to add or help on topics and as I myself is on the language learning journey I just thought I would share a resource which I have found a lot more useful than any of the others I have used 😊

Re: Learning Spanish 2
 

I would recommend BUSUU app - it’s crowd supported community where you have access to native users. It’s costs you nothing unless you want more details regarding grammar etc. Superb app it’s helped me more than Duolingo (quite simple and limited), Rosetta Stone (absolute money grab paywall scam), and various others.

other than living in the country and trying your best outside of your comfort zone for example shopping or at a restaurant, you’ll never truly get a real feel for it. You can also pick up corrections and other hints from native speakers !

beat of luck

Also - the pack you advertised uses CDs - so I’m super wary how outdated it is!

Re: Learning Spanish 2
 

I have used Paul Noble and agree if you stick with it then it is a good help. Much of the vocabulary is geared at tourism would be my only criricism. Similar method to Michelle Thomas but less annoying and boring.

Re: Learning Spanish 2
 

I have used the Paul noble CD's. They are ok but I can offer a far better course and best of all it's free( well they ask for a donation if you like it)

https://www.languagetransfer.org/complete-spanish

It's far better than any others I have tried and I have done them all including pimmsleur, Michel Thomas, rocket Spanish etc.
Similar format to Michel Thomas but the learner has a great accent and speaks other languages already and is very adept at learning so you don't get annoyed with her stumbling and mumbling like on Michel Thomas.

Re: Learning Spanish 2
 

If you are resident in Spain or here throughout the winter and already have a little Spanish, I recommend the free Spanish Course provided by the Ayamonte Town Hall at the Language School in Ayamonte (opposite the Health Centre). You register in June and the course starts in September. It is intensive - 4 days a week Monday to Thursday during term time; Year 1 is 2hrs:15 mins and Year 2 is 1hr:30mins. You are placed in a class depending on your existing level. We follow a course book called Español en Marcha ISDN: 978-84-9778-900-4 - Book 1 = Year 1 and Book 2 = Year 2.

Re: Learning Spanish 2
 

yes the Escuela de Idioma program is good and very cheap only problem.for many Brits is that the lowest level they start at is A2 so you do need to be at least A1

Re: Learning Spanish 2
 

You can get the Paul Noble now on a Podcast / digital learning resource now.

Re: Learning Spanish 2
 

Anyone using duolingo or something similar? Does it work?

Re: Learning Spanish 2
 

I used duolingo for 12 months but gave up on it for now, it is ok to learn some words and sentence structure but you will never be proficient using duolingo alone, it gave me an head start when I started taking Spanish lessons via zoom, incidentally it was the last online class tonight and when we start back next month it is to be conducted in an actual classroom environment 😁
There are lots of useful groups, forums etc on line but the learning could be fractured and disorganised, I only speak from experience and a beginners prospective though, some kind of learning structure is required unless of course you only want to learn holiday Spanish to ask for things but not be able to understand replies 😂

Re: Learning Spanish 2
 

Would agree with the above, and its the understanding replies thats getting me.
I watch the butterfly Spanish videos on youtube. The lady doing them is good (although some of it is not European Spanish)

I can have a basic conversation of asking how people are etc and can for the most part get the answers.
However different voice tones and accents get in the way. For example the lad who works in the local bar comes from Barcellona and he has an accent, also he says different words to those I know. The owner just laughs and said he was from a long way away.
The lady in the bank however I have no issues with as she speaks slowly and at a pitch that is easy to understand (she lapses into English when it gets difficult)

When I worked for a German firm years ago, most of the Engineers would let me speak to the English customers even though they understood and spoke good english. The reason they said was that I was English and they couldn't understand what some of the customers were saying.
Now Im a cockney with a broad accent and when I laughed they said, 'but we have been listening to you for seven years we know how you speak'.

Oh and I have slight hearing loss due to working in noisy factories for over 30 years so that don't help either.

Re: Learning Spanish 2
 

My experience when I was starting with Spanish was that I always thought it was the other persons accent or speed of delivery that was making it difficult whereas now that I speak at B2 level I realize that it was simply because my Spanish was not very good and I couldn't actually recognize and identify words. As a teacher you notice that even quite high level students cannot identify English speakers accents. An A2 speaker will not notice any difference between an Australian and English accent. However the myth persists so that students always think that if they are taught by , for example, an Irish teacher they will acquire Irish pronunciation tones etc and it is simply not the case.