teaching myself spanish!! Any advice?

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Sam

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Feb 9, 2005
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I have begun teaching myself spanish and was wondering if anybody could give me some advice to help me as i am struggling!!
The material I am using:
Spanish/english Dictionary
Practical Spanish Grammar : A Self-Teaching Guide (My main source of material)
A set of 20 tapes
Spanish short stories with english translation
and the internet with websites and forums like this one.
Is this enough? Can anyone suggest anything else?
I know of no one else who speaks spanish to make sure i am pronouncing words correctly or getting the word order correct but i really dont want to give up as i am determined to learn spanish! Am i going about it the right way and how difficult is it to self teach this language? If anyone else is in or has been in my situation and/or can offer some advice i would be very grateful!
Thanks in Advance
Sam
 
May 31, 2005
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You should try www.mylanguageexchange.com You can be set up with a partner that is a native speaker of the tongue that you are trying to learn and who wants to learn a language that you speak. You can chat. Get a penpal. Have voice conversations. I am not saying that this is the best way. I'm just suggesting this to use as a supplement to whatever lessons you are taking.
 

abe

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Once again--I have to suggest

www.rosettastone.com to purchase the CD set or

use Amazon.com to find Barron's Mastering Spanish Level 1 and 2--this is the Foreign Service Institute's system for teaching language, used by the US Government to teach diplomats. Highly effective methodology for me when I was trained in French for the Peace Corps.

I am now nearing the end of Level 1 and find it highly effective--the tapes are not slowed down, watered down Spanish. They are at the speed of normal speech, so you don't waste your time learning a pace that no one uses in real life.

No emphasis on reading or writing--just constant and very well structured repetition and you can control the number of times you re-do the lessons.

Excellent. Buy a used set--mine are great quality.
 

rellosk

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Mar 18, 2002
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Dragonfly32837 said:
You should try www.mylanguageexchange.com You can be set up with a partner that is a native speaker of the tongue that you are trying to learn and who wants to learn a language that you speak. You can chat. Get a penpal. Have voice conversations. I am not saying that this is the best way. I'm just suggesting this to use as a supplement to whatever lessons you are taking.
That's a great link!
 
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lovesthebeach

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Spanish - 10 minutes a day

I picked up a book called Spanish -- 10 minutes a day.

It is great! I am sure that it is geared to a slightly younger generation than myself...but it is very easy to follow along and teaches all the important words....in your home, at the restaurant, shopping, days, numbers, how to ask questions etc...but also gives you sticky's to put up around your house to help you learn the common words as well as some flash cards.

In just a few short lessons, I am able to ask the basic questions and follow along when my friends are speaking spanish.

It also has a dictionary in the back with 200-300 common words.

Great purchase - $11.00

LTB
 

Sam

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Feb 9, 2005
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thank you dragonfly! have checked out the website and it is great!

lovesthebeach where did you buy this book from?
 

La Mariposa

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Jun 4, 2004
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Sam said:
I have begun teaching myself spanish and was wondering if anybody could give me some advice to help me as i am struggling!!
The material I am using:
Spanish/english Dictionary
Practical Spanish Grammar : A Self-Teaching Guide (My main source of material)
A set of 20 tapes
Spanish short stories with english translation
and the internet with websites and forums like this one.
Is this enough? Can anyone suggest anything else?
Sam

Read the newspaper. www.listindiario.com www.hoy.com.do
 

stewart

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Mar 1, 2004
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You need to find a way to get some immersion. Listen to natives speak and try to coy their pronounciation. if you don't you will always sound like a gringo that only know how to order beer and ask where the bathroom is.
 

hugoke01

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Dec 31, 2004
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Learn Spanish

I can only suggest how I had to learn it :

Learn every day 10 words (5 days a week ) and repeat them during the weekend - Saturday and Sunday ..learn them both ways English -Spanish and Spanish -English
When learning them write them down ..
This makes 50 words a week or 200 a month ..
At the end of the month repeat during a week the 200 words you learnt that month ... write them down as many times as you need to be sure you know them ..
After 6 months you should be able to know about 1000 words .. within a year you should know 1500 words which is the number of words one needs shoto have a knowledge of a language to be able to participate or at least understand most in any language .
Study every week also one verb .. e.g. first week only verbs terminating on "ar" e.g. hablar and only study the present tense .. then the verbs ending on "ir" only the present etc..
Repeat them at the end of the month and again at the end of two months etc.. so that you are sure you know them ..
Then you continue with the past etc..
Repeat as many times as you need to ..
After 2 to 3 months make short sentences in the present and the past with the words and the verbs you have learnt .

After three months I would suggest you to listen to the news in Spanish (Radio or TV ) you probably will not understand one word (Spanish speak quickly ) the first two to three months but it will give you the aptitude to recognize sounds ..
and try to read a good newspaper -short articles during a few months -
one article per week in the beginning - later on one per day ..or read articles in internet about topics you know ,,
As far as the newspapers are concerned read good newspapers in internet e.g.
"El Pais" or "El Mundo" (Spanish newspapers ,their Spanish is better than the Spanish of the newspapers in the Republica Dominicana ).
If you have a good memory and self discipline to work daily (1/2 hoor to one hour per day ) it should work ..
Write a lot while studying

Suerte

Sam said:
If anyone else is in or has been in my situation and/or can offer some advice i would be very grateful!
Thanks in Advance
Sam
 

Sam

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Feb 9, 2005
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stewart said:
You need to find a way to get some immersion. Listen to natives speak and try to coy their pronounciation. if you don't you will always sound like a gringo that only know how to order beer and ask where the bathroom is.

i'm hopin my trip to cuba in february will sort that out. i am friends with some cubans out there which is the main reason i want to learn this language.
 
L

lovesthebeach

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Sam said:
thank you dragonfly! have checked out the website and it is great!

lovesthebeach where did you buy this book from?


I bought the book at costco....discount wholesaler store..
You can probably get it at chapters or indigo or any major bookstore.

Hope you find it....it is great!
LTB
 

Sam

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Feb 9, 2005
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Thank you for the advice Suerte! Is it possible to listen to the news in spanish on a radio or tv in England though?? I am about to go check my cable channels!!

and thank you LTB!

Sam
 

NYC_Trini_Span

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Sep 9, 2005
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Self -teaching

I have been self-teaching myself for the last few months with an excellent program called LearningSpanishLikeCrazy. Its common spanish not the formal usted but it does teach both, just emphasizes the tu forms more. After about 13 lessons i went to DR with my bro and sis-in-law and was good. I also did the 8 compact lesson of Pimsluer before that program. It was too formal but the money transactions it teaches you are invaluable.

Buena Suerte amigo.

Proxima mes soy volviendo a la Republica Dominicana por tres meses para aprender espanol.

Hope that was correct but i been doin ok. It helps that i teach ESL and get to use what i learn with my students.
 
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