OT - anyone learn a new language on their own? | Arthritis Information

 

I going to try to learn Spanish.  So far, I've got some Spanish lesson CD's that I listen to in the car going to and from work, I have a Berlitz Spanish program installed on my computer (haven't really done much with it yet) and I've picked up a couple of beginning Spanish workbook/study books.

I live in a community with a large Spanish-speaking population, so I suspect that as I begin to learn some Spanish, I will be able to practice out in the "real world" around town.

Has anyone here learned a language on your own?  What methods did you use?  How long did it take before you could understand simple conversations?  Before you could participate in simple conversations?
No, but I always think it's something that I'm going to do one day.  I want to learn German, I'd love to go there someday.  Let me know how it's going, k?  Maybe your success will give me a push.  Good luck! Linncn2008-06-08 19:32:25I always wanted to learn to speak spanish. My sister's in-laws speak it and some can't speak english very well. I do know some words but when everyone is conversing, I get lost and don't know what they are saying. It's weird and sometimes I get paranoid. LOL

Gracias! I have a friend who's husband is Mexican, grew up in Mexico and obviously speaks Spanish fluently.  Now he never speaks it, their kids don't speak it either.  The only one that tries is my friend.  I did take a semester of spanish and a semester of french in high school but I can't remember much. I also got the languages messed up.  I also know some cuzz words in a few different languages. LOL [QUOTE=Linncn]I have a friend who's husband is Mexican, grew up in Mexico and obviously speaks Spanish fluently.  Now he never speaks it, their kids don't speak it either.  The only one that tries is my friend.  [/QUOTE]

I see both extremes in town.  Some immigrants insist their kids speak nothing but English; others demand that the district keep the kids in bilingual (translation: monolingual Spanish) classes far longer than needed.  We have children who were born here, but are still in the  "bilingual" education program when they get to high school.

Luckily most families find a happy middle ground. I can say "How are you?" in french and then answer "Fine, and you?" in french. I can also say hi in several languages and yes too.

Hi Jas, We've just picked up some Spanish tapes.  We've been learning Spanish for the last couple of years (no jokes about slow learners [QUOTE=Linncn]When my parents were going to Mexico on vacation several years ago, they bought an English to Spanish dictionary with alot of phrases the authors thought would come in handy.  We cracked up at one of them...."help, I'm being molested on the promenade" Jasmine- teach me to say I want vodka in Russian-please

T - anyone learn a new language on their own?  qouty jasmin

hgfnjj   xdjjgfd    vfmnvd tddruv gjuytterw   Hi,

 

I learned to speak Spanish from the Cubans who settled in my neighborhood following the Mariel fiasco back in the 80's.  I had almost constant interaction with them on a daily basis so it only took me about a year to learn to speak passable (i.e. they understand me and I them) Spanish.  The one thing that helped me the most was learning and memorizing the verb tenses. Took me a  long time but its key to learning any language.  Other things I had to learn were that the slang words and terms vary greatly from one Spanish speaking country to another as does the rapidity and clarity of the speech.  For example:  Spanish speakers from Mexico tend to speak more slowly and clearly (despacio y claro), whereas, those from Cuba & Puerto Rico speak very quickly (rapido) so I have to really concentrate when speaking with the latter or they sometimes leave me in the dust.   You will be surprized at how many root words are the same in both languages with just a simple inflection change here and there.

 My family hosted some of our Italian relatives for a week last summer and I speak almost no proper Italian but attempted to communicate with them in Spanish and was very surprised that they understood about 75% of what I was saying even though I only understood about 25% of what they were saying.  It was quite interesting.  I am now trying to memorize Italian verb tenses.

Bueno suerte con su Espanol. (Good luck with your Spanish).

 

K.

 

 

For the first month or two of living in South Korea, I was getting private lessons in Korean.  1 1/2 hours twice a week.  I burned out and was so stressed that I quit.  I know what I need to know to get around: Hello, Thank you, I don't know (I use this a lot), how much is this...

 

I know how to count to 10 thanks to yoga class and I hang out with only Koreans.  It's so different than English.

 

 

Becky

Jas I could have used a bit of spanish today as I took care of a woman from puerto rico today and i had a difficult time understanding her. Montana has very few other languages spoke so I really would have to use it to keep up with it. [QUOTE=lorster]Jas I could have used a bit of spanish today as I took care of a woman from puerto rico today and i had a difficult time understanding her. Montana has very few other languages spoke so I really would have to use it to keep up with it. [/QUOTE]

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