English Speaking people learning spanish.

Antimooner K. T.   Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:35 pm GMT
Mjdt,

I don't know your language background. Is it Portuguese? I guess I thought you knew some Spanish.
Here's what I noticed about David B's Spanish:

a. He is understandable.
b. He has more of a European Spanish accent. (Naturally)
c. He mixes words from different languages.
d. It is very simple language.
hijo de la luna   Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:50 pm GMT
Yes, spoken Spanish is very difficult to understand compared to other languages, especially the Madrid dialect. I've been learning Polish for half the time as Spanish but I can understand it twice as well.
inflected boy   Sun Nov 29, 2009 1:00 am GMT
<< <<English has genitive case and inflected adjectives >>

1) I think the 's "genitive case" is usually considered an enclitic possessive marker these days, and not a true case. Are there any irregular possessive nouns in English (like the irregular plurals).

2) The inflected adjectives in English seem to be going away. Nowadays, you often hear things like "more clear" or "more long" in place of "clearer" or "longer". Soon, the inflected adjectives in English may be a thing of the past. >>


English has the -less ending which makes it more inflected than Spanish: careless vs sin cuidado .
Harman   Sun Nov 29, 2009 8:18 am GMT
I'm from spain daveyboy (not madrid).

By the way there is spanish subtitle for deaf people in spanish tv so you can use them, look for them in 'teletexto' page option, your spanish girlfriend can help you. You can mix teletexto page with video and read and listen spanish at the same time. I think it is 888 page but i'm not sure.

And don't worry, spanish is easier than you think, in short time you will get use of it and you will be bilingual. Spanish phonetics is easier than english one but not its grammar.

One they you will wake up and you will be amazing about your spanish, sure.

Have a good time Dave
daveyboy   Sun Nov 29, 2009 11:07 am GMT
Cheers guys,

Yeah Harmen, i was thinking of buying/renting some movies to watch [ just the spanish audio films ] i am not really fussed on which ones just as long as i can hear the audio and use the subtitles. I read somewhere a tip from a guy saying that its best to just listen, and watch the movie without the subtitles, because as your reading them it takes your mind off the listening part, what do you think..? does the audio automatically enter the subconscious part of the brain or what..? maybe mix it around a little ? english subs/spanish subs/ no subs..? how many hours of listening/watching did you take each day Harmen ? how many do you recommend por favor..

Thanks

p.s mjtd.. I am english my friend, northern england [ yorkshire]
Harman   Sun Nov 29, 2009 2:21 pm GMT
It's ok to mix subtitles with audio, you will get used of.
But of course if you want to improve your listening you have to use full spanish, subtitle and audio.

If you wanna learn grammar or vocabulary you have to mix languages.

Well i've been learning english since childhood at school but of course english tought at school is not real english which people talk, and of course i was lost in listening as you are now.
I think there are spaniard english philologicals that they can't comunicate (audio) in english with a texas guy, they know everything about Beowulf, Shakespeare and son on but they can't audio comunicate, because they have never been out of spain and inet and tdt was not avaliabe at their time.

I can't recommend hours it depends on your skills and level. But you will learn faster than me because you live in spain and you are surrounded by spanish. Ask your girlfriend to speak only in spanish with you.
Anyway, more hours, faster you learn. Continuity also is more important than a lot of hours one day and nothing the rest of week.

Well now i use to listen stream radio about 3 hours per day (fox, kabc, cbs, cbc, etc...all talk&news) while i work with my computer, i set tdt audio to original language, i download films and tv shows in english, i watch english stream tv and so on i chose american english because it is more international. (My old english teachers hated wanna, gonna, gotta, he, he, he)
I try to be surrounded by english living in spain as you can see.

A tip: a good source for vocabulary is google translator
http://translate.google.com/#

p.s. I'm also trying to learn french with a computer program ''tell me more, french'' but i haven't much free time so i progress very slow. i don't dare to use french media yet.
And don't worry because one day, very soon, you will wake up, you will turn on tv or radio and you will discover you are 100% bilingual. Remember me that day, ok? he ,he, he. In fact your real problem in spain will be employement, big unemployement, bad salaries, bad times right now, you know. I hope you learn spanish before your girlfriend and you move back to UK to look for good jobs as some friends of mine have already do to German, Netherlands, Swiss, UK, Canada, USA, etc...

good luck
Guest   Sun Nov 29, 2009 2:23 pm GMT
<< p.s mjtd.. I am english my friend, northern england [ yorkshire]
>>

Awful English the one spoken there, my friend.
Guest   Sun Nov 29, 2009 4:29 pm GMT
Tell your girlfriend to speak to you in Spanish and not in English while you stay in Spain.
Antimooner K. T.   Sun Nov 29, 2009 10:28 pm GMT
"K.T. By 'language background', do you mean language spoken at home or studying?" Mjdt

It can mean either or both.
fraz   Mon Nov 30, 2009 9:43 am GMT
Davey, you have a native speaker in your home.....make use of that precious resource. I'm sure it's more comfortable to speak with your gf in English but you have to push the Spanish issue. You are living in a Spain and you should practise daily with her.

My wife is from Germany and she was fluent in English when we met while I had a few phrases of schoolboy German. But right from the start I pushed for some German to be spoken between us (or even just having things explained). That brought me on by leaps and bounds, although it did cause a bit of strain as we live in the UK and she would use the "we're living in an English-speaking country" argument all the time. But I firmly believe I was right, although maybe I overdid it at times.

What about your gf's parents? Do they speak English? Hopefully not because that would give you a golden opportunity to practise. My in-laws don't speak English and I was forced into using my German to make myself understood. Again, that rapidly sped up my progress.

PS - Don't be too hard on yourself. A year isn't really a long time in language learning. I genuinely believe that a lot of native English speakers have absolutely no idea about how much work is involved in learning a foreign language.
Franco   Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:08 pm GMT
<<What about your gf's parents? Do they speak English?>>


Probably not. People older than 50 were taught French only at schools and English was much less widespread than is nowadays.
daveyboy   Mon Nov 30, 2009 5:10 pm GMT
Good advice guys.

Harmen i understand what your saying about learning the languages at school, they are totaly different to what you will hear on the street in real time. I have also tried the translators, the online ones as well as some software ones, i think they are just good enough for single words, because if you put a phrase or a short verse of a story in to translate they translate in to a brind new language which only the translator knows..lol.. but there not totaly bad, depends on the phrase. I watch all the movies a get in spanish, some with subtitles and some without, i dont understand most of whats been said but i think it will come soon..!

Guest.. you said "Awful English the one spoken there, my friend" why is that then..? English is English mate, different accents yeah but its all the same to me. Are you trying to learn english guest ?

MJDT, yeah i think Mr. beckham only needed to use his spanish when maybe training or playing his football, all the other times he was probably with the mrs B talking in english . Or maybe he just did not want to learn it, he is a very very rich man and could of hired the best teacher in the hole of spain to teach him but no, he did not learn it well he lacked the desire.. ? i dont know.


Guest / Faz We do speak in spanish in the house probs 80 % . yeah i know it should be 100%. Time to change it to 100% i think..

Franco No mate my girl friends parents dont speak english, her father understands a little but cant speak it.

Thanks again for the advice guys.

If any of you learners of english need any tips or advice, i will try and help you if i can.. cheers..
just me   Mon Nov 30, 2009 5:13 pm GMT
Daveyboy you ought to go back to school, your spelling is horrible, believe me.....
Guest   Mon Nov 30, 2009 5:27 pm GMT
Dile a tu novia que te hable en espaƱol mientras le comes la chirla.
daveyboy   Mon Nov 30, 2009 6:07 pm GMT
Just me, maybe my spelling is horrible.. but i am not hear for my english or spelling, so keep your thoughts to your self..!! I am here living in spain and to learn spanish, so i am asking for tips/advice on others that have learned spanish.. If you have no good advice to give zip it.. just You....!!