Gave up on learning Spanish

[Anonymous]

My recommendation is lots of comprehensible input. The person who recommended children’s programming is right. There’s also a site called Dreaming Spanish that I’ve heard good things about.

[Anonymous]

Try Dreaming French website. You can use the free videos to get started. If you decide to pay for premium, it’s just $8/month.

They do also offer Spanish. Are you sure it’s the language versus the method of language acquisition?

Comprehensible input is the best way to learn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't try French if you can't do Spanish. How about Mandarin? Arabic? Ebonics? Russian?

Mandarin does not require the one million verb conjugations required in Spanish!

[Anonymous]

My mother was a polyglot and taught various languages and held an MA in literary translation.

She said that French is harder for most people to learn than Spanish because of all the different conjugations and the m/f endings / changes. She said that Spanish had a lot more words, but if you could remember those words you were fine, because it was far less complicated structurally.

And I believe this to be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Depends on how you interpret languages. Spanish is phonetic, but the preterite and how fast people speak it can get to some learners. French is less phonetic, letters that are silent, but I find the grammar easier. Brushing up on it now.

Spanish is phonetic that’s why it’s relatively easy to read once you know how the vowels are pronounced and other small tricks to learn. I can’t translate Spanish in my head fast enough and it’s frustrating. Plus the US is full of Spanish speakers with different accents and wording. Puerto Ricans are fast and don’t follow the rules of the language. People from Peru speak slower and more grammatically correct.
Spanish speakers learning English have the same difficulties as English speakers learning Spanish. They can understand someone speaking the language but can’t always find the words to reply. It’s a skill some are gifted with more so than the average person.

[Anonymous]

I know some intermediate ish level of Spanish, but I am starting to get the hang of some slang now. Most of my help is from Peruvians but their slang is really bizarre. No idea why so many of the Peruvians call their friends or relatives “negrito” and I have no clue what it means.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on how you interpret languages. Spanish is phonetic, but the preterite and how fast people speak it can get to some learners. French is less phonetic, letters that are silent, but I find the grammar easier. Brushing up on it now.

Spanish is phonetic that’s why it’s relatively easy to read once you know how the vowels are pronounced and other small tricks to learn. I can’t translate Spanish in my head fast enough and it’s frustrating. Plus the US is full of Spanish speakers with different accents and wording. Puerto Ricans are fast and don’t follow the rules of the language. People from Peru speak slower and more grammatically correct.
Spanish speakers learning English have the same difficulties as English speakers learning Spanish. They can understand someone speaking the language but can’t always find the words to reply. It’s a skill some are gifted with more so than the average person.

You really shouldn't translate in your head. That extra step slows you down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is best program for learning Spanish at home?

Paying a tutor from Argentina.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is best program for learning Spanish at home?

Paying a tutor from Argentina.

Pay Lionel Messi?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depends on how you interpret languages. Spanish is phonetic, but the preterite and how fast people speak it can get to some learners. French is less phonetic, letters that are silent, but I find the grammar easier. Brushing up on it now.

Spanish is phonetic that’s why it’s relatively easy to read once you know how the vowels are pronounced and other small tricks to learn. I can’t translate Spanish in my head fast enough and it’s frustrating. Plus the US is full of Spanish speakers with different accents and wording. Puerto Ricans are fast and don’t follow the rules of the language. People from Peru speak slower and more grammatically correct.
Spanish speakers learning English have the same difficulties as English speakers learning Spanish. They can understand someone speaking the language but can’t always find the words to reply. It’s a skill some are gifted with more so than the average person.

Most Peruvians don't speak Spanish the same way as other Hispanic countries. Thats because of their Quechua ancestry. Besides, Peru does not really have the friendliest community here.

[Anonymous]

Try French or Dutch honestly. I had a way easier time learning French than Spanish while I was in high school and college. Spanish felt way too awkward and weird and I didn’t feel like I was connected to the language and culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you found Spanish difficult then maybe you should try English.

Nah, try Minioneese!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is best program for learning Spanish at home?

Kids cartoons and telenovelas (soap operas in spanish) ... they all speak slowly, deliberately and repeat the same things over and over

There are whole generations of people around the world who actually learned English largely just through the syndication of "Friends"

I learned Spanish from translating American rap songs from the 90s and it never felt so much easier.