Learning the language stories...

torreylee

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Who moved to the DR without being fluent in Spanish?? How long did it take for you to become fluent?? What did you say to get laughed at by the homeland folks? What did it mean?? HOW DID BEING IMMERSED IN THE CULTURE AND LANGUAGE HELP OR HURT YOU???


(throw me a couple reputation points if you like these questions :squareeye)
 
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Hillbilly

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Total immersion is one way to learn a language quick. Not necessarily the best or the easiest, but certainly the fastest. Learn or go hungry.
However, here in the DR, there is such a cosmopolitan crowd that there is usually someone with whom to talk in your native language in order not to go nuts.
yOU DO go through culture shock. You are physically tired each night and you really work at trying to understand what is going on..

Not easy, by doable...

HB
 

pedrochemical

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The wife pronounces huevo, guebo - the colmado people laughed.
She can't pronounce parsley either.

I know, I should grow up!

If you cannot rrrroll your rrr's then buy a cat and try practicing purrrring at it.
 
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Matilda

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Sep 13, 2006
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I moved here as a diving instructor with no spanish. I made a list of the 6 basic verbs like to do, to be, to have, to come, to go and the dominicans I worked with taught me those. Then in exchange for cooking dinner for a colombian divemaster, she would do basic conversation with me. The key thing then was to try it out on Dominicans without being scared or self conscious. If I wanted to use the past tense or the future tense I just used the present tense and said pasado or futuro!! Then I met the man who I eventually married who spoke no English so I had to learn more quickly. His kids stuck post it notes with the spanish word over everything in the apartment!!

The main problem I had was knowing what things meant - donde tu ta meant where are you but I could not find the words in the dictionary!!! La pita meant the highway!!
It took me quite a while to work that one out!!

Mistakes with the language??? Too many to mention here!!!

Matilda
 

torreylee

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Lol, I have studied Portuguese for a year and a half 3 years ago and now I am feverishly studying my Spanish an hour and a half a day with the same program(pimsleurs), the Portuguese language is similar to Spanish and I feel pretty good about my studies so far. I look forward to the immersion though, when I went to Brazil the immersion was a HUGE help...
 

torreylee

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Total immersion is one way to learn a language quick. Not necessarily the best or the easiest, but certainly the fastest. Learn or go hungry.
However, here in the DR, there is such a cosmopolitan crowd that there is usually someone with whom to talk in your native language in order not to go nuts.
yOU DO go through culture shock. You are physically tired each night and you really work at trying to understand what is going on..

Not easy, by doable...

HB

That is quite the incentive HB!
 

MaineGirl

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I learned by total immersion but I was a youngster and it came quickly to me, and yet I still cannot do much math....I'd say seven months in my case, but again I was very young and like a sponge.

I am consistently amazed by Dominicans who speak English well and when I ask how,the answer is "tv".

Don't understestimate the power of tv....start watching Spanish tv asap. I remember hours of telenovelas on long hot lazy afternoons in Venezuela. Who knew they were helping me so much??? :)

As HB said it is VERY tiring even AFTER you learn, if you don't keep it fresh, every re-entry is taxing....
 

jrhartley

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Sep 10, 2008
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nothing will work for some people - I can testify to that. I have learnt some Spanish in theory but it still doesnt help me understand what anyone is saying at normal speed and sometimes I have no clue what any word is that some people say, you would think you could at least pick out one lol
I am resigned to not having a clue most of the time
 

LaTeacher

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May 2, 2008
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when i moved here, i worked in a church where nobody spoke english. i mean, the priest tried. but it was bad. i had one student who spoke english, but he was 10! i had studied latin for three years and speak french fluently, so i guess that helped. i was mute for like 2 months and then it just came to me.
you gotta immerse yourself. if you just hang out with people who speak english all the time you're not going to learn anything!
 
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Some of the stories sound a lot like what I went through, but in reverse, when I first came to the US, with an English vocabulary of about 20 to 30 words.

I absolutely agree with the theory that being younger makes it easier to learn a new language, and that immersion is probably the best method for doing so, as an individual is really not afforded the luxury of a fall back option. Like HB wrote, it's either learn or go hungry.

Personally, the most difficult part for me was the pronunciation of words that sounded similar; at least to me, at that time. Aunt - ant; walk - work.
 

torreylee

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I learned by total immersion but I was a youngster and it came quickly to me, and yet I still cannot do much math....I'd say seven months in my case, but again I was very young and like a sponge.

I am consistently amazed by Dominicans who speak English well and when I ask how,the answer is "tv".

Don't understestimate the power of tv
....start watching Spanish tv asap. I remember hours of telenovelas on long hot lazy afternoons in Venezuela. Who knew they were helping me so much??? :)

As HB said it is VERY tiring even AFTER you learn, if you don't keep it fresh, every re-entry is taxing....

MaineGirl, I totally agree... I rent spanish movies and just sit there and soak it in. When I was in the DR last time I watched ESPN over there and started understanding a little bit of it as the spoke. I have seen first hand how immersion works though. My plan is to study as much and as hard as I can, I think my vocabulary will be up to around 80 or 90 words(atleast) and I will let nature take it's course and prepare to be laughed at A LOT, cuz I won't be shying away from conversation! :)
 

torreylee

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Total immersion is one way to learn a language quick. Not necessarily the best or the easiest, but certainly the fastest. Learn or go hungry.
However, here in the DR, there is such a cosmopolitan crowd that there is usually someone with whom to talk in your native language in order not to go nuts.
yOU DO go through culture shock. You are physically tired each night and you really work at trying to understand what is going on..

Not easy, by doable...

HB

HB, what contributes to the physical tire? and has anyone else in here used Pimsleurs language courses before? I SWEAR BY IT!!
 
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RacerX

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I learned by total immersion but I was a youngster and it came quickly to me, and yet I still cannot do much math....I'd say seven months in my case, but again I was very young and like a sponge.

I am consistently amazed by Dominicans who speak English well and when I ask how,the answer is "tv".

Don't understestimate the power of tv....start watching Spanish tv asap. I remember hours of telenovelas on long hot lazy afternoons in Venezuela. Who knew they were helping me so much??? :)

As HB said it is VERY tiring even AFTER you learn, if you don't keep it fresh, every re-entry is taxing....

tHATS how I did it. Coupled with a couple textbooks and the University fo Chicago dictionary. but in the late 90s there was venezuelan novela se llama "el pais de las mujeres" I recorded it everyday when I went to work and got the formalities of the spoken language. And then the cable tv channel CaraCol did the rest. Of course you have to do bone up your vocabulary but my written spanish is way beter than spoken part(and it would help if people here didnt consider it normal to split words like people do in English). Thats why in my opinion, Colombian spanish and then Mexican is the best way to learn and I d consider them the best speakers. Additionally to make a point on another post, I think the people here speak so fast because while Spanish is a beautiful language, it is not progressive at all, words that have 1 or 2 syllables in English have like 3, 4 or 5 in Spanish. There are ways to shorten words or make words in English or even pilfer them from other languages but Spanish doesnt give you the same leniencies. For example, semaforo vs. stoplight, area embarcamiento vs. loading zone, or I love this one CESA(Cuerpo Especialidad de Seguridad Aeropuerto) vs. Airport Police. Oh and I cant forget CORAASAN(Cooperativo de Agua y Acueductos de Santiago vs. the Water Bureau[generic] or like NYC, the DEP).
 

dv8

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almost 4 years in here and my spanish is still pretty much basic. i can read newspapers without much of a problem but god help me when i hear our maid. i understand nothing of what she says.
 

dv8

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study? as in "go to school"? no. i have a book on spanish grammar but i have opened it only a dozen times.
 

torreylee

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study? as in "go to school"? no. i have a book on spanish grammar but i have opened it only a dozen times.


Oh OK, no I didn't mean as in school per se' , but just if you had set aside time to learn it. If you are interested The Pimsleurs Method worked wonders for me in Portuguese and I'm finding the Spanish lesson to be rather helpful so far...

P.S. Thanks to whoever gave me some reputation points! You are so kind, I feel like a big-shot now! LOL...;)
 

acmike

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I know alot of Spanish words but not good enough. My new Dominican Novia asked me. Eres Casado?" I thought she was asking if I was tired, "Cansado". Needless to say I'll never forget those words again. What a difference a letter makes!
 

dv8

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Oh OK, no I didn't mean as in school per se' , but just if you had set aside time to learn it.

i have to confess i am lazy :( school would keep me motivated but to study alone... i find it very hard. maybe i should connect the TV and try telenovelas...