Learning Spanish
 

Hi

I have recently moved to near Fuengirola and want to learn Spanish. Can anyone recommend a good tutor. I would prefer a private tutor as opposed to group lessons. I have a car and can travel if necessary. Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Bonanova were excellent when I was a beginner. You can get individual lessons if you prefer. They are located just off the main square, if they still exist...

With great respect to lynxxa, if you want to get any good, get taught by a Spaniard or Latin American who is a qualified teacher! Group lessons are also best

I once had a lesson with an English woman in Fuengirola who said she had students who had been learning Spanish for 15 years who werent at my level (I had started learning one month previously). And I am not a language genius. The problem was this woman was very nice and would not correct anything her students said. Enough said, I didnt go back

If you dont want to get particularly good then go with who you feel most comfortable with, but beware, getting good at a language is all about being comfortable with being out of your comfort zone!

Re: Learning Spanish
 

The dowside of this is if the native can't speak good enough English to explain things to you. I have had both and preferred the English lady.
I had an horrific time trying to understand a Spaniard explain the countless uses of the subjunctive.

One idea for the OP may be to advertise for a 'language buddy' a lot more social but it may not meet their needs.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

And/Or get a skype buddy, it's free, you don't have to travel anywhere. ;)I've had an excellent English Spanish teacher, and a couple of native Spanish speakers, and for me although the English guy was extremely good, a native speaker every time. All too often though some Spanish see it as an easy way to make a few bob and don't know a verb from an adverb (well not quite that bad!) and they certainly aren't teachers.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

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 Spanish
 

A Spanish teacher shouldnt be speaking any English at all :thumbdown:

No course I have ever been on has even one word of English been spoken. Learning that way is a fast track to nowhere

And if you were being talk the subjunctive when you were a beginner then the teacher was useless. No need to even touch that until you can at least understand the teacher! Maybe you misunderstood :)

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Bollox

Re: Learning Spanish
 

My wife sells language courses, to Spaniards. Not one of these courses advertises that the teacher can speak Spanish

You think the English teachers to all the Chinese students in London can speak a word of Chinese?

There is no need to speak the native language of the student, it just gets in the way. None of the courses I've been on has the teacher spoken a word of English, even though they could. I knew zero Spanish at my first course and got along fine

Re: Learning Spanish
 

I would bet that my level of Engish is higher than any other posters level of Spanish, and I had to learn quickly.

So I do know what I am talking about.

I could not take 15 years doing one hour a day.

The only way to achieve this in a short time is to have lessons where things are explained in your own language, ie ING = ANDO/IENDO.

If the teacher cannot explain grammar rules in your own language, then you spend ages on the "my name is and how are you" bits, that are learnt parrot fashion, which does nobody any good at all.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

I agree about doing it intensively, but in Spanish

You need to learn some basic vocab before you do grammar rules anyway.

Thats the way language teaching is done the world over, only speaking the language being taught

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Bollox

Ain't it just! He should concentrate on mastering English first!

Re: Learning Spanish
 

I agree for beginners classes being in both languages, as you progress a bit, then of course the classes can be held in your target language. I had a few weeks in Spain in language schools, but at the level they put us in we needed to be reasonably comfortable with Spanish and all classes were Spanish only. I've no idea if the complete beginners are done in Spanish only.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

You know that for a fact do you?

Well I can assure you that I know people who are learning English right now, and the teacher explains things in Spanish and not in the finger pointing "Me Tarzan/ You Jane" method.

Also while we are on the subject of language teachers, very often they really have no interest in teaching in the most efficient manner, as the longer the pupil goes to their classes, the more spondulicks are earned every month.

So many pupils take so long to get to the "KAY TAL?" stage as they see their class as a social group and an outing.

Quite often the classes give a taster of Local food, this is mainly to slow the learning process down, and keep them coming.

Totally different when learning language is a must and needs to be done in a reasonable amount of time, unlike a lot of expats who come to Spain and they can spend the rest of their lives learning a few basics.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

a few basics ?...you mean there are more spanish words than grande and cerveza ? eeek!

Re: Learning Spanish
 

There's something to be said for non-native teachers.

An English teacher of Spanish knows where the common pitfalls and misunderstandings are and at least can make explanations clear to you. I'm sure that the very early stages, the getting started part, MUST be quicker with a teacher you can understand.....

Then of course, once you have the basics, by all means go for a native teacher to improve fluency and vocabulary.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Well thats it, expats will come back if they are comfortable and seen to be "doing their best" or at least making a token effort.

My experience is in internsive language courses that people spend 1000s (or 10,000s) of euros on to get to a decent level to allow them to study or work in that langauge. These courses really work, but require time and effort. And the teachers only ever speak at the language they are teaching.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

I went to full time college when i first moved to spain to learn spanish. Our class of 30 had russians, english, austrian, germans, koreans and checoslovakian mainly.
Some did not speak english but the majority did.
Our profesor only spoke spanish - he knew the odd word of english if we were really stuck but would describe something over and over in many different ways until we got it and if we didnt then there would be someone in the class would could give an example in our own language.
For an hour prior to my lesson I would meet with a spanish person and chat in spanish and english, to practice. After our lesson, the whole class and the profesor would go and have a coffee where we could only speak spanish.
Since then I have had other teachers to brush up, but they would be english or english speaking. This way I would 'cheat' and slip into english at every opportunity and end up helping them with their englsh rather than brushing up with my spanish.
Personally I would recommend being taught by a native spanish speaker who didnt speak much english.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

I'll add to the BOLLOX theme also....

My brother-in-law owns and runs a language school in France.
The school teaches English to high powered businessmen and women, they are spoken to in their own language as well as in English, it's the only way to fully understand what you are being taught.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Perhaps we are not all as smart as you? Some of us slightly older folk need a different learning style and don't have the benefit of a native partner to help us.

You are or appear to be so well integrated into Spanish life/culture it amazes that you even bother with BritishExpats.

Maybe on the sly you really need your fix of Englishness (is that a word?) or are you on a mission to educate us all?

|You can take the boy out of X but you can't take X out of the boy.

I bet you wolf down your migas and then head straight out the door loooking for a chippy or kebab shop.

Your pretentious comments fool no-one.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

As far as I can see it is the only way to teach.

After getting over the "me Tarzan" (with the obligatory chest beating) and the the "you Jane" bit with the finger pointing gesture, it beats me what would be the very next step in learning, if only the target language can be used in class.

And from what I can remember of my classes, one of the most important and useful "tools" in the whole process, was when the teacher asked me to explain what I had just learnt in my own .

That way they will know if you have really understood the lesson or not.

If there happened to be a dog turd on your seat, and the teacher pointed to it and said "stink" how would you know if she meant, shit, stink or brown, if she did not explain it in your own language.:rofl::confused::rofl:

Maybe we need a bit of input from the "docentes" amongst us, I only have experience of being "teached".

Innit?

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Thank you for this information, very helpful!

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Thank you all for the input

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Actually CM has a point, in that the preferred way of teaching a language is with a native speaking teacher, who conducts the whole class in that language. Of course it doesn't always work out that way, and on the other hand I believe the vast majority of language classes in Spanish schools are held by Spanish teachers who have passed the necessary oposiciones. Interestingly it's argued as one of the reasons given why the Spanish didn't learn English so well in the past, although that is now changing. Certainly, if you're teaching in a summer school in the UK, and the class is composed of people from Belarus, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Italy, then there isn't an option!
In reality of course, people learn better under different methods. A lot of people swear by Michel Thomas's tapes, and he uses English as well as the target language. But in a class setting it does make for more rapid progress if the whole class is held in the target language - that includes crucially the interactions between students. Again the preferred object is to have 60%-70% pupil talking time, with the teacher guiding and correcting when necessary. It doesn't always work out that way though.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

My learning experience was quite similar to yours in that my teacher (native Spanish) spoke very little English and conducted classes in Spanish only. Our class size was very small, however, never more than 8 people and often less. Once I had got to the stage of being able to hold a conversation, I too did an intercambio twice a week with one of the language school's Spanish students who was learning English, for practice, and I found that extremely useful. Our class never went out for meals, occasionally we would go out for a coffee and a couple of times a year the school would organise a social evening where Spanish students learning English and English students learning Spanish could meet and chat with each other. We had a couple of Scandinavian students in some of the groups I learned with, but mainly British.

Some people did seem to be taking a long time to progress beyond the beginner stage, but to be honest that was not really the fault of the teacher. People would turn up not having done the homework she had set, they never tried to practice speaking what they had learned beyond ordering a coffee or a beer as they never really came into contact with Spanish speakers except in bars, and they went back to the UK for extended periods and dropped in and out of classes as it suited them.

Strangely, I can't really remember how the teacher managed to explain things in Spanish, but it wasn't by the "me Tarzan, you Jane" finger pointing method!

Re: Learning Spanish
 

I've already agreed, but I'll agree again.:D I imagine it's possible to do it all in say Spanish, but almost impossibly difficult I'd have thought if starting from absolute scratch. Nowadays we have more a tertulia than a class,and of course it's only ever Spanish, but for first year students I can't see it working well at all. I think though that maybe we are making the mistake of forgetting that CM is on a different level to most normal human beings, it has to be made easier for us lesser mortals.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

It's part of any legitimate language training course (and another reason why the 4 week course is far superior to the cheapie weekend some take) to show how you can take beginners (although in fact most are "false beginners" as almost everyone knows some English words) and teach them the language. We had a Catalan teacher who gave us an initial lesson in Catalan without speaking English once. It sounds hard, but let's face it, we all learnt a language from dot as children. Of course, the excercise book and dictionary allows the student to consult words, phrases and explanations in their native language.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

I didnt speak a word of spanish when i arrived in Spain and was amazed to hear that they had a different alphabet (well extra letters) Like LynnR I dont remember how I managed but there was alot of repetition. I sat in the class for weeks wondering what was going on but then it seemed to click. Like LynnR alot didnt stay/manage as they didnt keep up with the work, missed classes etc. We started with 30 in the class and by the end of the year, there were only about 8 of us. It only cost us about 60 euros for the year - government course - and was the best 60 euros I spent.
Now I can read and understand. I'm shy and hold back when i have to converse but thats my problem not the teachers. I work in a predominately Brit area although the professionals I have to speak to only speak Spanish. I hate making phone calls in spanish as I like to see the person and then I can draw a picture or write something down, if I'm not sure. Numbers in canarian/spanish - 2 and 12, 6 and 7 are easy to muddle. Not a good thing if you are making an appointment!
I came not knowing anything and am so pleased that i took that year to get a grounding. I dont think I would have survived or lasted without it.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Thinking about it, those people who train to teach English as a foreign language aren't required to speak the language of those who will be learning from them, are they? If you had a well-regarded qualification such as CELTA, you could go anywhere in the world to teach, and would be teaching in English only. So why should teaching Spanish be any different?

Re: Learning Spanish
 

I think I've said it before and don't wish to sound like a parrot, but I benefitted greatly when I took the advice to leave the TV and radio on a Spanish channel all day, in the background.

I still do it now on occasions, and now understand some of it, I didn't at first.

We shopped in Mercadona earlier, and the helpful assistant told us the amount in English, 127 plus Euros. My wife has got the funny habit of translating the amount, usually from Spanish for me, because at that point she is nearer to the check-out, or she thinks I'm deaf.

Today she turned to me and said 127 in English, just like the checkout girl. I said 127 in Spanish, the girl nodded and my wife translated it back into English.

I got the giggles first, then the checkout girl, but it took a while before my wife raised a smile. One of us is going deaf, that's for sure.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

There are loads of ways to learn a language, and to do it better and in the sortest time possible, it is alway preferabel to explain the grammar rule in a way the pupil can understand better, which is usually in their own language.

Ie instead of struggling with a sentence with a few adjectives for the word box and going for hit and miss, as in red, round nice cigar wooden big

Wouldnt it be easier to tell a Spanish person, in Spanish that the rule for placing adjectives before a noun follow a set pattern.


Opinion

Size

Age

Shape

Colour

Material

Origin

Purpose

A lot easier than to learn than trial and error with black, big, old dog etc.

But then again the TEFL academies would not be able to string out learning so as to reap more and more money in from students, as for that purpose a snails pace is better.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

I think when I did my GCSE Spanish at school (long time ago!) the teacher spoke in English, at least at first. You need that sort of safety net when you are a beginner, because once you start feeling out of your depth and not knowing what's going on, it's easy to become demotivated and lose interest.

However once you have learnt the basics the best way to improve quickly is "total immersion" with no English at all.

And that includes British TV!!! :scarper:

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Unless your life depends on learning the language, there is no need to be too extreme. It is meant to be a fulfilling and enjoyable experience after all.

I would not want to do without things I enjoy (TV and press included) to learn a foreign language.

Considering the length of time it take to learn, that means depriving yourself for a year or more.:confused:

I am not into this self flagellation crap.

Life goes on, you dont have to change your whole way of life to learn a new language, there is a middile ground.

We quite quickly and happily learnt English as a family without feeling the need for complete cut off from our native language, mum still listerned to her Nino Bravos or whatever when the mood took her, and we socialised as often as we could with others and spoke Spanish together.



Total astinence is for fools.:lol:

Re: Learning Spanish
 

I didn't mean forever! Just for a few months until you don't have to think about it any more.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

You can learn Spanish to a good enough standard to converse and be understood in 3 months of intensive courses

The rest you can little by little as your understanding improves (this takes longer). The key is to live in Spain i.e. be surrounded by Spaniards and talk and engage with them whenever you can

The problem with TV is it determines your entire culture. If your head is away in the clouds with the celebrities from Eastenders (or God knows what else) and you follow mainly the UK news etc then you are not culturally or mentally living in Spain and will find it harder to engage with people

Of course people dont have to do this, but if you have come to Spain to experience living within its culture, like I have, then its something to think about.

I think all TV is rubbish so it was easy for me to leave behind. In fact TV became more interesting because I could use it to learn about Spain and Spanish people e.g. watching the news or stuff like Salvados, ajuste de cuentas even Wife swap and Supernanny in Spanish. Conculsion: only stupid people go on TV! :D

Oh and TV really helped in my understanding of Spanish

Re: Learning Spanish
 

I think you take yourself and the learning of a language far too seriously.........

Re: Learning Spanish
 

No way

I am young and living in Spain. If I wasnt going to become fluent in Spanish then in my opinion I would have wasted my whole time in Spain. I didnt come here for the money or the sun!

How sad is that, a young person living in Spain who cant even speak the native language

I would have felt like a complete failure. I am not perfect now but I am happy enough

Add to that, my son is half Spanish then it would have been completely unforgivable

Btw, this is my personal opinion. If other people dont feel that way, that is up to them

Re: Learning Spanish
 

I agree with what you are saying, just that there is no need to be so extreme in rejecting even the TV progs a person enjoys from the UK, because it stops them immersing themselves in Spanish culture.:confused:

Life would be like a training camp for Chinese atletes, eat, drink, sleep and dream it, with no room for being oneself and keeping ones own culture.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Sure, sometimes it helps to be extreme so the message gets across (or maybe not). But things arent so black and white

Re: Learning Spanish
 

I've done intensive courses, in Spanish and in German, and can honestly say that I learnt more in 3 weeks (on my first Spanish course) than in over a year of night classes. Moreover, I've yet to meet people who've done an intensive course who say it's not been worthwhile. Of course, if you spend 10 years at school studying it, and receiving lessons in that language, then you'd expect to learn it well, but most of us don't have that background.
As for the cultural aspect, that is a good point and is, I fear, the reason many Brits struggle to learn a foreign language in comparison with foreigners learning English. We cling to only music or films in the English language (perhaps understandably as there is so much to choose from).

Re: Learning Spanish
 

100% target language teaching is the way it's done in all decent language schools these days. I don't know where you get this idea that it's anything like Tarzan language. A good teacher is able to explain and check that the student has understood in a variety of ways and none of them include speaking the student's native language.

I don't understand why you think the 'trial and error' method is bad or a waste of time. In my opinion, it's the best way to learn. Being forced to actively think about grammar and make the connections in your own head is much more effective than simply being told.

I've been teaching for over 5 years and have never, ever spoken a word of a student's native language in class, even when I had the ability to do so. It's just not that useful. It's much more beneficial for the students to consider the context in which the word is used and figure it out for themselves or for me to give a description in English than for me to say "Oh, apple? That's manzana." For the same reason, I discourage the use of bilingual dictionaries in class. I've never met a student who disliked this method.