Learning new languages?

_the_shape_ · 2017-12-03T22:47:17+00:00

My homebase is Miami. Move there and you'll be able to easily write your very own Spanish novela in roughly six months.

Partly joking, but it helps a great deal to be compelled to understand it and to speak it. You'll essentially be 'quizzed' every time you speak and/or hear it.

If that's not exactly an option, gobble up as much media (ex. Youtube, movies) as you can in Spanish. Use subtitles as necessary.

This book is fantastic too. Verb conjugation is crucial.

GreenPiller · 2017-12-03T23:23:40+00:00

It's simple, take anything you enjoy and watch in that language. You like Dragon Ball Z? Watch it in Spanish. You like music? Listen to Despacito. You like redpill literature? Read "Mi ex novia" by Fabio Fusaro

sd4c · 2017-12-03T22:44:05+00:00

I had tremendous success with audiobooks, followed by kid's shows and telenovelas.

Don't crack open one book, or try any apps or programs like Rosetta $tone, until you can already had a polite conversation in small talk.

IDGAFMentality · 2017-12-03T23:36:17+00:00

Quizlet is also a fun way to test yourself and improve. I used it almost every day when I took Chinese in high school, and as a non native speaker it was exceedingly helpful in learning vocabulary. There are a myriad of different games, including a Flashcard game to learn shit, a game that auto generates a test for you, a matching game which is my personal favorite, and a few more. There was a plethora of quizlets made for Chinese, so I can't even imagine how many there must be for Spanish. Best of luck on learning Spanish and your journey brother. Learning a language opens up so many doors most people will never walk through in their lifetime.

SirKolbath · 2017-12-04T01:00:44+00:00

I now read Spanish on about a fourth grade level. I use the app Duolingo, which is in the Android market and iPhone store. It's free, with ads. I have a streak of 640 days of practice. Every so often I check out a couple kids books from the library to practice reading.

There is also a website called "Spanish in 30 days." Eventually I plan to use that to learn the conversational portions.

AlphaGrad · 2017-12-04T01:27:13+00:00

Over the last 6 years, I have taught myself to read, speak and write in Japanese, French, Italian and Russian. The resources I used, I borrowed them from a certain bay on the internet. I'd recommend starting with Pimsleur and after you are done with the standard 90 or 150-day lessons, you should move on to Michel Thomas. Lastly, The Teaching Company's (TTC) courses on each language were very helpful. There are loads of e-books on writing available on that bay. From what I hear, many apps are now available to learn a new language.

BewareTheOldMan · 2017-12-04T01:47:46+00:00

Everyone already covered a few great principal sources, so I will just add that a (two-page notebook format) *SparkCharts is a great quick reference and very handy guide. It's about $5 (US) and a useful reminder for parts of speech, verb conjugation, punctuation, and forming sentences.

My conversational Spanish is better than my grammar. I'm semi-fluent. I accomplished this with a live tutor and regular conversation with native speakers. On line tutoring works fine if there are no native speakers available.

I estimate my written grammar at six/seventh grade level, however I can read at higher levels. College and advanced level reading becomes difficult. Most non-natives are usually stronger in one area versus the other…for example, my conversational Spanish is much better that my advanced reading capabilities. It’s very useful when I travel. I have little trouble interacting in an immersed environment.

OrgasmicKitkat · 2017-12-04T03:09:08+00:00

I did the opposite of what you want to do, I learned English from Spanish.

1) Go to class and go consistently. It's like going to the gym but for your brain.

2) Play video games in your target language. Most of my English I learned from playing Pokémon Diamond and using English to communicate with other kids in an online chat to get the mons I still needed for my team.

I also tried Fallout when learning French and it helped too since it's as if you were interacting with the other characters and there's audio.

3) Spanish has many variants. You probably want to speak to people from Central America for the most part but bear in mind that Spanish, though easily understandable throughout the Americas and Spain, does vary noticeably from country to country. Check videos from Mexico, Spain and Argentina to get a sense of this.

4) Focus on your pronunciation. A lot. English native speakers usually have a hard time with that and it sort of sounds goofy. Just a heads-up.

5) Relocate when ready and if possible. I've lived a total 1 year and a half of my life in English speaking countries and I'm 22. Did the same with French.

6) If you can't relocate, at least travel. I'm not sure Mexico is that safe, but do your own research. If you can spend more money visit South America. It's beautiful, so are the women and if you look American you're likely to get attention from the girls.

Buena suerte.

throwikdsf3 · 2017-12-04T08:23:08+00:00

I moved to Japan... Kinda forces you to learn it huh

anal_coke · 2017-12-03T21:34:28+00:00

I took classes at a community college at 15.

Used thousands of flash cards, listened to Spanish club music and learned the lyrics in English and Spanish. I read childrens books (that I read as a kid) in Spanish, and practiced on every little Spanish kid I knew (because they don't judge, as opposed to adults).

It was pretty strange but I speak it fluently so it worked out.

SpeedShadow18_R · 2017-12-03T21:49:56+00:00

Try Latin first. Anything Latin in origin will come naturally after

johnhancock789 · 2017-12-04T05:08:31+00:00

Wow, long journey. Props to you man. How often do you study?

Icanus · 2017-12-04T06:41:40+00:00

I love the Pimsleur audio lessons

2deep2quick · 2017-12-04T16:48:58+00:00

Everyone has made some great suggestions. On top of those, maybe look around your area for a language partner or language group. Check out meetup.com. Having someone to practice actually speaking with is key. It will boost your ability to learn way beyond learning by yourself and simply consuming information. Language production, actually using your brain and mouth to form words and sentences, is key.

Also checkout italki. They have lots of tutors across a range of prices for lots of different languages, Spanish included.

krefnasterploc · 2017-12-03T23:29:41+00:00

Use the app ‘Duolingo’. It’s good

Title	Learning new languages?
Author	johnhancock789
Upvotes	4
Comments	19
Date	December 3, 2017 9:23 PM UTC (8 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/7hchm6/learning_new_languages/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/learning-new-languages.119405 https://theredarchive.com/post/119405

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