Learning Spanish
 

I would just like to ask how other people on here have learnt to speak Spanish.

Just to give you some details of ourselves.
We are living permanently in Port Alcudia, Mallorca and have been since July.
Our business deals mainly with English speaking people but now the season is over we have a few quiet months and would like to spend some time learning the language.
The local college do Spanish lessons but we found them a bit full on and you needed some basic Spanish to get the best from them.

Any hints and tips would be greatly appreciated.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

This is Free.... https://drive.google.com/folderview?...&usp=drive_web

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Muchas gracias ;)

Re: Learning Spanish
 

I have tried and am using both the Fluenz and the Rosetta stone courses. I think the Fluenz is best for adults and the Rosetta stone my grandchildren get on well with. Neither are cheap and you have to make the effort and try and do half an hour a day. The best way though is just to start speaking and not be afraid of making mistakes. I communicate via text only in spanish now with my pool and garden guy and he tells me I am improving all the time.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Re: Learning Spanish
 

I've been using Duolingo.com Very good and free

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Yes it is quite good but Latin American Spanish some differences

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Thanks for all the feedback, much appriciated

Re: Learning Spanish
 

ive just got the duolingo app on my phone... it supports learning a few other languages too, as well as spanish

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Buy an easy crossword puzzle book from the newsagent (Cheaper than RS)

I have found it quite a good way of learning vocab and you can do it for a few minutes now and then when you have a bit of spare time.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

If you have either an Android tablet or phone have a look on playstore there are a few decent apps but as always some are Latin Spanish. There is one that isn't bad 100% free called vocabulary trainer.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

My wife and have used Light speed spanish, ( Gordon native English and Cynthia native Spanish) they have lots of pod casts at various levels and all free to download. Also notes in Spanish ( Ben native English and Marina nativeSpanish same with lots of free downloadable material at all levels,You can listen to them whenever you wish, and all at MP3 MP4 format. You can also interract on twitter. Of course if you are starting from scratch is good old Michelle Thomas most people start there. We have free Spanish lessons once or twice a week, Where are you in Andalucia? you should be able to access free lessons somewhere near you.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Thanks again for all the feedback.
Im actually in Port Alcudia, which is Mallorca.
We have tried the free Spanish lessons as I put in my opening post,
The local college do Spanish lessons but we found them a bit full on and you needed some basic Spanish to get the best from them.

Re: Learning Spanish
 

The problem with all these courses etc are that they are academia based. Why for example would you need to learn the Spanish used in a supermarket or at an airport which is often what they teach? Far more useful to be able to go into a shop and ask if something is on a different colour or longer or wider etc etc. What you probably need to learn is conversational Spanish? The best way to do this is with a native speaker. Try MyLanguageExchange.com - there are many Spanish speakers who are desperate to learn English and would happily help you with your Spanish - you'll probably find one of your level as well. Skype's a great tool and you learn more about the people of the country too!

Re: Learning Spanish
 

Are you serious?

Learning a language is an academic task. Personally I read a book on Spanish grammar one summer, did a 1 month intensive course and then have just spoken Spanish every since, gradually getting better over the years

I have a simple rule. When in Spain I speak Spanish. The only exception is at home, I can speak English there

If you want to be fluent in Spanish, you have to speak Spanish lots and lots. Practice is the only way. Ban speaking English in the street and you will soon start learning ;)