learning spanish

[nightcrawler13]

i want to learn japanese, but thats far too hard, so i've decided to start with an easier (and much more useful) language

what experiences do people have with learning a language?

what works for you, what doesnt?

should i be listening to tapes in my sleep or studing flash cards?!?!

[dakyras]

Japanese isn't hard. I'd say it's easier than spanish. No verb conjugations. I/You/He/She/It/They/We all use the same verb form. Piece of piss.

Konnichiwa. Hajimemashite. Watashi wa Dakyras desu; gakusei desu; Igirisu-jin desu.

The best way to learn a language is spend a month in that country with no English speaking people, on your own. I'm currently in Shanghai learning Mandarin and I think I've come on pretty well.

Edited April 16, 2009 by dakyras

[Peevis]

Tengo los huevos que muy grande, Senorita!

[Millsy2008]

Tengo los huevos que muy grande, Senorita!

[Halcyon]

I did Spanish at GCSE level, and hated every moment of it. Really didn't apply myself to it, did just enough to scrape a B in the exam, and never looked back once I was able to ditch the subject.

Then, once I got out in the real world I realised that learning a second language is very important, and that I wasted the very good opportunity my school was offering me. When I went out to Spain last summer, I could just about get by speaking to people with what I could remember (I even managed to have a conversation with some old guy as we walked back from a bar in the middle of the night (we were in Valencia and he was complaining about how noisy the formula 1 race the week before had been))... but it made me realise how ignorant we (as a nation) are of other languages in general.

In general, Spanish is pretty straight forward to learn. Once you get the grammar down (3 different forms of verb conjugation), there aren't really that many special verb cases - certainly not as many as English. Also, the whole language is spelt the way its said (so you can pronounce words phonetically and it'll be correct 9 times out of 10).

In terms of where to start... can't hurt looking through any of the "teach yourself Spanish" or "Spanish for Dummies" type books, but at the end of the day you'll only get better at speaking a language by actually speaking it. Tapes and cds aren't really going to help as they just teach you set phrases and not how to construct sentences. Night classes might be expensive, but I dare say they will be your best bet - short of actually moving to Spain and picking up the language by osmosis, lol.

[Purple Monkey]

Go to Spain. Barcelona is a really good place to experience both Spanish and Catalan dialects, and it's an amazing place, where the women are beautiful and the buildings stunning, you may actually not want to come back.

Edited April 16, 2009 by Purple Monkey

[jonbob]

Try a Michel Thomas course. The guy is fantastic. I'm learning Russian just now. ochin harasho!

http://www.michelthomas.co.uk/

The BBC made a documentary about him years ago where he taught schoolkids French in 4 days.

[Halcyon]

Go to Spain. Barcelona is a really good place to experience both Spanish and Catalan dialects, and it's an amazing place, where the women are beautiful and the buildings stunning, you may actually not want to come back.

Edited April 16, 2009 by Halcyon

[hombrederayo]

agree with Halcyon.

I lived in barcelona and after a while I could understand catalan but not really speak it.

as you can tell from my username, I speak spanish. I did it at school, and my degree is in it too

use it all day everyday at work, so Im pretty much fluent, although whenever I go back to spain I realise that Im not as good as I used to be. I do love the language and the place though, and at some point I do want to move back there again.

From scratch as an adult, if you want to just get by when on hols then a self learning course, with books etc will be fine, but if you want to know it better than that, then Id seriously recommend a college course.

Also, knowing that you are in Manc nightcrawler13, go to the Uni and ask the language assistants there if they would help you out.

Is the Instituto cervantes still in manchester? they'll be able to help too I should think.

[Purple Monkey]

It is indeed a great city isn't it? The Palace up on the hill is awesome, and the way the Olympic village has been integrated into the estate is a wonder to behold. Las Ramblas is always alive with people and things to see, and the port area is great for restaurants and shops and stuff. The area around Camp Nou is a bit of a dive, but the stadium itself is epic. Killer underground system in the city as well - really shows how terribly inadequate the London tube system is, and how much it needs to be improved before 2012.

Lots of other places in Spain though, it always distresses me that tourists visit Barcelona and think they've seen 'Spain'. It's like visiting London and thinking that the rest of Britain is like that. Madrid is epic for it's historical buildings and the Bernabeu; and Bilbao and Zaragoza are worth visiting too. But it's Valencia that is the jewel in the Spanish crown for me... such a great city with the medieval quarter, the port and the beach, the modern shopping region, the park running through the middle of the city, and the astonishing modern architecture in the arts sector. I can't recommend it enough, and fully intend on returning for the F1 race again next year.

But back on topic though, a two week holiday to Spain isn't going to teach you the language... but once you've learnt the basics, a trip there really will help enormously. The trick is using the language, speak to people, listen to what they say back. The Spanish, in general, are a helpful and happy people (any nation where the people sleep for half the day is always going to be easy going), so if you try and use the language, they'll help you out and be grateful that you're trying.

If anything, Barcelona isn't a good place to try and improve your Spanish because of the Catalan language factor. Catalan and Spanish language are similar, but different enough to really confuse things. It's almost like modern english and Chaucer 'ye olde englishe'.... they have similar words, and you can get by, but there is enough difference for it to be considered a different language. You wouldn't want to start confusing your Spanish with your Catalan in other parts of Span.

Edited April 16, 2009 by Purple Monkey

[Glitter+Vodka]

I've wanted to learn a language for years, and so I bought a book off Amazon when I lived with 2 Mexican girls in America and intended to learn Spanish, called "Everything Learning Spanish", however I gave up after about a week, and loaned the book to my dad, who says its really good. We also have a second home in a little Spanish village so my dad gets the chance to use his Spanish a lot, so like other have said, getting the chance to actually listen to the language and speak it will help loads. I really could have made the most of living with Mexicans however I decided that playing beer pong and quarters with them was more fun

[sifi]

To speak Spanish, I speak Italian and shove in arbitrary Spanish pronunciation.

It works.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

I know a smattering of a few languages, and all from been in the country. I can order up to 5 beers in 7 languges Unforunately I know the Arabic for "No, I would not like to be buggered".

I had been learing a language at night class, but found it dull, and I would like to know of a "fun" way to learn

[dakyras]

I know a smattering of a few languages, and all from been in the country. I can order up to 5 beers in 7 languges Unforunately I know the Arabic for "No, I would not like to be buggered".

I had been learing a language at night class, but found it dull, and I would like to know of a "fun" way to learn

[Rufus Gwertigan]

Buy a phrase book, move to a foreign country for at least a month and jump in at the deep end.

I can count to 10, say my Ps and Qs and introduce myself in 6 languages not including English (French, German, Spanish, Gaelic, Mandarin, Japanese) and can order food and have at least a basic conversation in all of those apart from Gaelic and German. I attribute being able to speak fluent French and intermediate Spanish and Mandarin to living in France for 2 years and staying in Central America and China for at least a month. Going to teach English in Japan for a year in 2010. Considering going to stay with relatives in the Gaeltacht in Donegal for a bit. There really isn't a substitute.

*feels smug*

[Purple Monkey]

To speak Spanish, I speak Italian and shove in arbitrary Spanish pronunciation.

It works.

[Katster]

The best way to learn a language is spend a month in that country with no English speaking people, on your own.

[Rufus Gwertigan]

I did get a few online Italian contacts....but they were only interested in one thing, and it wasn't in helping me to learn the language

[nightcrawler13]

got paid my bonus and was about to buy that Michael Thomas spanish set...

then i realised his name is actually MICHEL Thomas

so i searched for it again on ISOhunt, and found EVERYTHING he has every made, so now i have the at my disposal the ability to learnnnnnn

Spanish

French

German

Portugese

Madarin Chinese

Japanese

Italian

Greek Polish

and Russian!

so my plan is to put this on before i go to be every night, and be able to speak a bit of something other then english!

[Katster]

To speak Spanish, I speak Italian and shove in arbitrary Spanish pronunciation.

It works.

[themuel]

got paid my bonus and was about to buy that Michael Thomas spanish set...

then i realised his name is actually MICHEL Thomas

so i searched for it again on ISOhunt, and found EVERYTHING he has every made, so now i have the at my disposal the ability to learnnnnnn

Spanish

French

German

Portugese

Madarin Chinese

Japanese

Italian

Greek Polish

and Russian!

so my plan is to put this on before i go to be every night, and be able to speak a bit of something other then english!

[Donkey]

I have just acquired his complete Spanish course. I hope I can stick at it, am embarrassed at my ignorance when travelling :-/

Has anyone on here got any recent experience with Michel Thomas' stuff? Good/bad reviews? I have heard very good things.