OP
That is really cool. Especially for little kids that can pick this stuff up so quickly.
-edit: and now he's speaking 3 languages I imagine. That's big brain.
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Language learning website
- Thread starter Shady Grady
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-edit: and now he's speaking 3 languages I imagine. That's big brain.
I will also watch Butterfly Spanish on youtube sometimes.
I have a few childrens books that are in both english and spanish.
I work with a diverse crowd...... Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Mexicans, Columbians, Salvadorians, Hondurans, Guatamalans, and I pick up on anything they will help me with. My biggest problem is my listening skills. When they speak slowly, good pronunciation, I do OK..... but when the start speaking normal speed, sometimes I only pick up on the first and last words. Recently I got some slow blues music in Spanish (Mexican), I wrote the lyrics down in spanish and translated them. (Only 2 songs at the moment). When Im commuting I will listen to the songs and sing along, just to help me get familiar sounds and a more normal speaking tone.
OP
I believe I may have said it up-thread but 101.1FM and 98.3FM are able to be picked up at least around Greensboro. Two Spanish stations.
I read this can help to ''tune'' your ear to the sounds.
When I was studying Morse code, which is really like learning a language in that you’re training yourself to hear phonetic sounds and translate them into a mental concept, I found that just by giving it time even away from practice my skil improved. It takes time to form the neural pathways, and make the, speedy enough for rapid recognition. I find with Spanish, I have no trouble listening to lessons I’m familiar with, but newer ones I need to slow down. No doubt this sort of same process is in action.
As a child, you became fluent over many years. You’re not going to do so with a second language in any less time even if you have the advantage of being able to cogitate on some of the constructs. It still needs to become a fluid thing. Like my coworker Nikki says, verbal comes last. You’ll be able to read it before you can hear it. I’m already starting to become comfortable with some of the grammatical constructs that are foreign to English, e.g. A mi, me gusta beber cerveza. ... Literally, to me, it is pleasing to (me to) drink beer, but to translate it says I like drinking beer.
As a child, you became fluent over many years. You’re not going to do so with a second language in any less time even if you have the advantage of being able to cogitate on some of the constructs. It still needs to become a fluid thing. Like my coworker Nikki says, verbal comes last. You’ll be able to read it before you can hear it. I’m already starting to become comfortable with some of the grammatical constructs that are foreign to English, e.g. A mi, me gusta beber cerveza. ... Literally, to me, it is pleasing to (me to) drink beer, but to translate it says I like drinking beer.
Sometimes having an incomplete understanding of a language can give you a chuckle. This morning I was driving through Pittsboro and saw some signs that said, "Prueba Covid 19", Prueba being the third person form form of the verb probar - as I have seen it used, meaning "to try". Spanishdict indicates that it is also used to mean "test", which is what I assumed, but I had an amusing thought of thinking the sign was saying something more like, "(hey buddy,) wanna try some Covid 19?"
OP
200 consecutive days learning Spanish!
For me, it's roughly an hour a day between two apps and researching my mistakes. So much more to learn but I feel great about the progress made!
For me, it's roughly an hour a day between two apps and researching my mistakes. So much more to learn but I feel great about the progress made!
Estudiar español es muy divertido.
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@Shady Grady so today, I tried one of the duo lingo features called classes. I paid, literally $1 to attend a live zoom meeting with a host from Nicaragua that was about adverbs and adjetives. Basically, take an adjective word, rápido eg fast / eg quick convert it to the feminine form and add mente to it, e.g rapidamente. Good discussion, we’ll worth $1, I got more than $1 worth out of it. At the end, she called on each of us to use an example, speaking in the lesson. Consider for $1 it was live interaction with a native language speaker.
Understanding that gramatitcal construct, greatly impmoves ones abilty to understand the language.
Understanding that gramatitcal construct, greatly impmoves ones abilty to understand the language.
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OP
You pay through duo or a third party?
Duo. If you sign up in advance, you can cancel up to 48 hours before the scheduled event and get a refund.
I signed up to take her adjectives lesson today at noon, for $2. Not sure why this one is $2 and the other one was $1. I think they get to set the price they want. Another girl was offering lessons for $5 but nobody had signed up yet.
@Shady Grady as an FYI - I took the adjectives lesson. It too was worth the small amount of money. We went over the rules about plurality and gender, as well as possessive adjectives (my, his, her, their, your). For example, most adjectives go after the noun, e.g. "el pelota verde" but the possessive ones go before the noun e.g. "mi pelota verde", which uses both forms. Also, it is common to avoid the possessive adjectives (they're not pronouns) when talking about body parts. E.g. "no puedo mover las piernas" meaning "I can't move my legs" instead of "mis piernas". Note one of the things about Spanish is the use of the article (the / las) in ways that would be weird in English. It is a topic I am starting to grasp, but the rule about it still eludes me a bit, as there is something about if the reference is specific or general.
She also has some general "let's chat" lessons, which I think would be good and go a long way towards filling the biggest gap that trying to learn a language with a program like Duolingo.
She also has some general "let's chat" lessons, which I think would be good and go a long way towards filling the biggest gap that trying to learn a language with a program like Duolingo.
@Shady Grady im working my way through module 3. I do most of my studying on my android phone with swipe function; run your finger over the keys and it selects the word. I would get dinged if I wasn’t careful as it would change the e and a ending on verbs and I assumed it was a word, but didn’t understand the difference. Until recently. Another oddity of the language is how the verb ending changes when you give a command. In the familiar (tú) case, you drop the s. In the formal (usted) case an a becomes an e and vice versa. So to say “drink this glass of water” instead of saying “you are drinking this glass of water”, it becomes (familiar) “Bebe este vaso de agua” or ( formal) “Beba este vaso de agua”. My wife says it’s confusing. One thing to note, is that when it wants a command response leave out the you (tú/usted) or else it’s wrong. This makes sense as if you put the él in front of “Bebe este vaso de agua” you are saying he is drinking this glass of water, where the rest of the sentence is identical except for the he part.
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OP
I read a little about this after encountering the command to enjoy something (disfruta) and wondering why disfrutas wasn't used. It was even more confusing from being an -ar verb.
After researching it briefly I learned it was due to being one of 3 moods but quickly realized it wasn't something I could tackle yet. This webpage looked to be very well laid out.
https://www.spanishdict.com/guide/spanish-imperative-mood
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OP
¡Today I celebrate studying Spanish for 365 days straight!
Memrise, Duolingo, and Spanishdict.com have been my primary learning materials. On radio 101.1 and 98.3 are Spanish radio stations offered in the Triad. Pluto has free TV programs in español.
All of these I believe have provided some benefit.
I also took a Spanish night class. This was disappointing for me. The approach was more lackadaisical than I would have liked. More than likely a class in the regular educational curriculum is next on the horizon.
Some things I have found:
1. I shouldn't have goofed off in English classes. Knowing more on a grammatical level would have made learning Spanish easier.
2. Put yourself out there and try to talk to people using what you have learned. Adrenaline is a great teacher.
3. Older Hispanic people are likely happy to talk some Spanish with you but with younger people it is more hit or miss.
4. Be ready to laugh at yourself, a lot.
5. Learning language has to be approached as a lifelong endeavor.
¡Adiós y hasta luego!
Memrise, Duolingo, and Spanishdict.com have been my primary learning materials. On radio 101.1 and 98.3 are Spanish radio stations offered in the Triad. Pluto has free TV programs in español.
All of these I believe have provided some benefit.
I also took a Spanish night class. This was disappointing for me. The approach was more lackadaisical than I would have liked. More than likely a class in the regular educational curriculum is next on the horizon.
Some things I have found:
1. I shouldn't have goofed off in English classes. Knowing more on a grammatical level would have made learning Spanish easier.
2. Put yourself out there and try to talk to people using what you have learned. Adrenaline is a great teacher.
3. Older Hispanic people are likely happy to talk some Spanish with you but with younger people it is more hit or miss.
4. Be ready to laugh at yourself, a lot.
5. Learning language has to be approached as a lifelong endeavor.
¡Adiós y hasta luego!
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I saw that in my Duolingo feed this morning. Congrats.
Been using the same tools. I am finding that when I listen to 101.1 that more and more words are 'popping' and I am starting to understand phrases and sometimes able to get the gist of things. For example, they were talking about some event and I caught 'es divertido para la familia" or it's fun for the family.
Agree. Speaking of Duolingo, I read this morning that on Nov 1, they are changing the user interface to make it spread the skills out more to make you spend time on more skills simultaneously rather than completing one lesson to the mastery level before going on to the next one (like I do). I have also been going back and restoring the broken ones. I find two things interesting about this. One, I know some of those lessons were difficult when I did them, but now, I can usually get them right with a perfect score, or usually so. Two, the AI seems to be pretty good at reviewing words that you haven't used in a while.
One other thing I have been trying to do is think of something that is of current interest, even if it is mundane like making breakfast and handing my wife a plate, is think of how I would say something in Spanish and then verify it using Google translate. A recent example, I said to my wife: "cepillarse los dientes en la mañana me hago mal " and yes, doing so early in the day makes me hack and gag.
That's too bad.
Yes, I too wish i had a better understanding on the english grammar even the terms. While I think the approach taken in school to teach language (French in my case) where they want you to conjugate verbs and build sentences from grammatical structure doesn't work, being able to better understand the logic would make learning Spanish easier, especially with some of the odd (for an English speaker) constructs.
Interesting that the older people are the ones that are happy to talk, wouldn't have guessed that.
@Shady Grady have you converted to the new path?
I came across this site while discussing a language concept with my wife. I found in informative. It’s a structure that is unnatural for us English speakers.
www.wyzant.com
I came across this site while discussing a language concept with my wife. I found in informative. It’s a structure that is unnatural for us English speakers.
Más...que vs. tan...como & tanto como | Wyzant Ask An Expert
Más...que vs. tan...como & tanto como
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OP
Yes,
I am trying to appreciate the new format.
Thank you for the link. Those constructs I imagine come up often in common discourse among fluent speakers. Did you encounter them on Duo or were you wondering how to say something?
I am trying to appreciate the new format.
Thank you for the link. Those constructs I imagine come up often in common discourse among fluent speakers. Did you encounter them on Duo or were you wondering how to say something?
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Same here. I actually kind of like it, at least more than I expected to. What type of device are you using? It’s been rolled out on this iPad and the PC, but not my android phone. I did find a bug in it, though. I’m about 1/3rd the way through module 3 aka unit 36, and I went back up to unit 1 and did the speed drill twice and it let me skip the rest of the module I wa doing in unit 36. Oops.
I imagine they are quite common. I encountered them in Duo. When I listen to Spanish, I still only hear words pop, but it’s more and more words. I have noticed these constructs and that partially got me thinking of it. The other thing was noting that words like que and como are used in a lot of different ways and this indicates there isn’t a direct translation.
One thing I have noticed is that you reach points where a small increase in your understanding of the grammar opens up whole new levels of comprehension. For example possessive (?) pronouns. Example, “I like that hat and I want it” … Note the IT. Would translate to “me gusta ese sombrero y lo quiero.” Note the lo which goes before the verb. .. literally, “I am pleased by that hat and it I want.” The gramatical structure is just odd for an English speaker.
OP
@Shady Grady hows your study coming along? I’m in module 37 or 38 on Duolingo, as well as using Mondly and Memrise. The latter two seem to help increase the vocabulary more than anything and focus on “chunks” or memorized phrases that make sense after you get enough understanding of the grammar structure. One tip I came across was to read Spanish periodicals, like this one https://www.abc.es/ it’s a right leaning news outlet in Spain. If you read current events stuff you’ll likely have enough context to help understanding. I tried it this morning and was reading about an apparent attack by the Ukes in Donetsk that killed something like 60 Russian soldiers and could get the gist of the thing.
Another thing that I found fun was to take a CEFR placement test. I scored A2 pre-intermediate. I could understand and read a lot of the vocabulary in the statements, but the verb conjugations are where I don’t have understanding yet. I also took one for English and scored C2 and a lot of those questions were based upon non direct translation and colloquialisms.
Another thing that I found fun was to take a CEFR placement test. I scored A2 pre-intermediate. I could understand and read a lot of the vocabulary in the statements, but the verb conjugations are where I don’t have understanding yet. I also took one for English and scored C2 and a lot of those questions were based upon non direct translation and colloquialisms.
One thing I think would be helpful is simply being able to have conversations. The best would be immersion into a country where it’s the language, but that’s not likely to happen.
Had a coworker that lived in Madrid for about a month. She said while driving she learned to swear like a Spaniard.
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OP
That is entirely the reason that I am taking classes. It feels very much like one way conversations with native speakers when I force the issue at local restaurants and shops. They understand what I'm saying but often respond in English.
I imagine for them it is like talking to a five year old.
I haven't tried it yet, but i know enough to be able to order in a restaurant, ask for a clean fork, etc. It's a bit too intimidating. I would like to take some classes on it for that reason too. If one could even find some local talk groups, that would be helpful.
This is where they have an advantage when they come here: forced immersion. Yes, it probably is Luke talking to a five year old. They may also misunderstand and simply that you're being an a-hole.
One of the things I read is that a lot of the "native" speaker aspects you learn at a very young age, while your brain is in mimic learning mode which stops at about 13 years old. Consequently you can learn the language well enough to converse or even write technical dissertations and still not speak like a native. A native speaker at the same time may have a much more limited command of the language due to a small vocabulary but will still sound native.
OP
I know exactly what you are talking about. I will just leave you with the following: the worst experience I have had attempting communication in Spanish has been indifference. The vast majority have been middle-the-road leaning towards appreciation. The other end of the spectrum have been happiness/excitement.
Think about it this way, politics aside, you are a native English speaker in a land where presumably the native language is English. You are making an effort above and beyond what is expected to communicate. One human being to another. Most people recognize and appreciate that.
What I have personally gained is that the Spanish phrases and words I have used in person have stuck with me like no other. Adrenaline and the fear response are great motivators and teachers.
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Taco truck!
@Shady Grady last week I went to a local Mexican restaurant at work. I accidentally left my wallet in the car, but thought I left it in the office. I tried explaining to the waiter what happened and he said, “I don’t speak much english” so I said, “cartera en la oficina.” He said ‘ah, ok, just come back”. I managed to get him to turn the card processing pin pad to me and entered things manually and processed the transaction.
Además, hay un restaurante salvadoreño en Siler City que quiero probar, pero el jefe quería una hamburguesa con queso esta tarde. (Minor help from google there, it substituted además for también and I don't yet know past tense conjugation quería) Still, it’s far from Juan come manzanas.
Además, hay un restaurante salvadoreño en Siler City que quiero probar, pero el jefe quería una hamburguesa con queso esta tarde. (Minor help from google there, it substituted además for también and I don't yet know past tense conjugation quería) Still, it’s far from Juan come manzanas.
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BigWaylon
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FWIW…
Rosetta Stone has a lifetime membership for 40% off right now, which includes 25 languages.
I’ve never used it, but heard an ad on the radio sometime in the last week and wanted to see what the price was (ad only mentioned the discount, not the normal or sale prices).
Rosetta Stone has a lifetime membership for 40% off right now, which includes 25 languages.
I’ve never used it, but heard an ad on the radio sometime in the last week and wanted to see what the price was (ad only mentioned the discount, not the normal or sale prices).
@Shady Grady somehow i managed to subscribe to the Spanish edition of Quora. Give it a try. I'm surprised at how much of it i can now understand and can get the gist of what is written.
Edit to add:
This was in this morning's email digest. It's a fun one:
¿De dónde viene la palabra “cagar”?
Respondido inicialmente: ¿De donde viene la palabra “cagar”?
Pues es de una raíz indoeuropea muy antigua, que tendría más de 5000 años de antigüedad. Casi todas las lenguas romances que conozco tienen una palabra cognada de cagar y todas ellas derivan del verbo latino cacāre 'defecar' derivado del sustantivo caca 'excremento'. Esa palabra no es exclusiva del latín y parece testimoniada en la mayor parte de ramas derivadas del antiguo proto-indoeuropeo.
En griego clásico encontramos κάκκη kákkē 'excremento', en antiguo irlandés tenemos cacc, en bretón kac'h y en galés cach de todas ellas podemos reconstruir el proto-céltico *kakkā. En lituano y letón tenemos kaka, y en ruso tenemos ка́ка (infinitivo: ка́кать kákatʹ). También en ramas más singulares tenemos cognadas: en armenio clásico tenemos քակոր kʿakor y en albanés moderno kakë. De todas esas formas debemos inferir que existió en proto-indoeuropeo la raíz *kak(k)- con el mismo significado [en principio esta forma debía usarse hacia el 3500 a.C.; es posible que se remonte a una forma más antigua, pero ya es difícil de rastrear].
Edit to add:
This was in this morning's email digest. It's a fun one:
¿De dónde viene la palabra “cagar”?
Respondido inicialmente: ¿De donde viene la palabra “cagar”?
Pues es de una raíz indoeuropea muy antigua, que tendría más de 5000 años de antigüedad. Casi todas las lenguas romances que conozco tienen una palabra cognada de cagar y todas ellas derivan del verbo latino cacāre 'defecar' derivado del sustantivo caca 'excremento'. Esa palabra no es exclusiva del latín y parece testimoniada en la mayor parte de ramas derivadas del antiguo proto-indoeuropeo.
En griego clásico encontramos κάκκη kákkē 'excremento', en antiguo irlandés tenemos cacc, en bretón kac'h y en galés cach de todas ellas podemos reconstruir el proto-céltico *kakkā. En lituano y letón tenemos kaka, y en ruso tenemos ка́ка (infinitivo: ка́кать kákatʹ). También en ramas más singulares tenemos cognadas: en armenio clásico tenemos քակոր kʿakor y en albanés moderno kakë. De todas esas formas debemos inferir que existió en proto-indoeuropeo la raíz *kak(k)- con el mismo significado [en principio esta forma debía usarse hacia el 3500 a.C.; es posible que se remonte a una forma más antigua, pero ya es difícil de rastrear].
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OP
How to say poo, let me count the ways...
@Shady Grady I found the Memrise chat function. It isn't on the iPad app, but I can get it in the web browser version.
Here is another interesting idea for you to try: https://talkai.info/es/chat/
For grins and giggles I asked it, "donde puedo aprender español" and got a rather long reply that I could read most of. It suggested online apps, websites, videos, talking to natives, travelling to Spanish speaking countries, etc." I then said, "gracias para la respuesta" and it responded with something like, "de nada estoy feliz para ayudar".
Here is another interesting idea for you to try: https://talkai.info/es/chat/
For grins and giggles I asked it, "donde puedo aprender español" and got a rather long reply that I could read most of. It suggested online apps, websites, videos, talking to natives, travelling to Spanish speaking countries, etc." I then said, "gracias para la respuesta" and it responded with something like, "de nada estoy feliz para ayudar".
@Shady Grady so I went out this evening and closed (locked) up the chicken coop. I came in and said to my wife, “Esos malditos mapaches no van a comer mis gallinas”. According to Google, I got it right. 
OP
Mapache is the general's name in The Wild Bunch. Makes it easy for me to remember.@Shady Grady so I went out this evening and closed (locked) up the chicken coop. I came in and said to my wife, “Esos malditos mapaches no van a comer mis gallinas”. According to Google, I got it right.
I have never seen maldito before. Cool.
Good word for a Monday morning.
Maldito lunes.
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OP
Ok, I'm convinced.
ChatGPT is an amazing tool available to utilize when learning a new language. You can ask it questions about your grammar, to generate content, why certain words are used instead of others, I don't even know what else at this point.
I had some experience with it via Memrise where the responses are boxed into specific scenarios but today is the first I'm going straight to the source.
It's utterly amazing.
@noway2
Tagging @Me. as well because you have much more experience using it than I do.
ChatGPT is an amazing tool available to utilize when learning a new language. You can ask it questions about your grammar, to generate content, why certain words are used instead of others, I don't even know what else at this point.
I had some experience with it via Memrise where the responses are boxed into specific scenarios but today is the first I'm going straight to the source.
It's utterly amazing.
@noway2
Tagging @Me. as well because you have much more experience using it than I do.
Thanks for posting that. I will give it a try. I too saw the dialog part I. Memrise. It does make you think on your feet in responding.
Edit to add. That’s pretty neat! Rather amazing in how it more or less converses with you, recognizes questions in Spanish and answers you in the language. I’ve been a little lax in my studies recently, and need to get back to it.
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OP
I just asked for the etymology of the Spanish word ''embargo'' and why the phrase ''sin embargo'' translates to ''however'' in English. It responded with the following:
The Spanish word "embargo" has its etymology in the Vulgar Latin term "embarricare," which meant "to bar or obstruct." It eventually evolved into the Old Spanish "embargar" with a similar meaning, referring to the act of restraining or obstructing something. Over time, its usage extended to refer to a legal or official restriction, such as the seizing or holding of property due to a legal dispute, debt, or court order.
The term "embargo" in Spanish retains this legal and restrictive sense, referring to actions like an asset freeze, confiscation, or prohibition, particularly when enforced by legal or government authorities. It is also used in a broader sense to indicate a restriction or ban on certain activities or goods.
The Spanish phrase "Sin embargo" translates to "However" in English because it is an idiomatic expression that introduces a contrast or contradiction in a similar manner to the word "however" in English.
- "Sin" means "without" or "not."
- "Embargo" means "but," "yet," or "however."
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OP
I know there was some discussion in another thread about if a potential job applicant should be passed over if they used AI to write a resume.This is a real article.
From 70 years ago. Check out the last sentence.
I'm at the point of thinking any potential applicant that doesn't utilize this should be passed over.
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