I Can’t Believe How Much of my Spanish Came Back This Week!
Hi Friends!
Back in high school I took two years of Spanish... but it has been over a decade since I have used it. Being in Acapulco this week, I was pleasantly surprised at how much of it came back.
Many of the people here, including those who worked at the resort, spoke only a few words of English. It’s amazing how when you are looking someone in the face and trying to communicate, how many words and phrases just came back to me that I had no idea I even remembered how to say.
It reminds me of the time that I picked up my flute for the first time in 10 years and instantly started playing complicated songs, even though I had no idea what my fingers were doing. I wouldn’t have been able to tell you what notes I was playing or even what song it was if I tried.
Being in Mexico this week has really made me want to take up learning Spanish again. Not only is it a fun language to speak, but there are so many countries around the world that speak Spanish that it would be a really helpful thing to know so I can more effectively communicate when traveling. Not to mention, it fits in with my slogan I have for myself to always be learning and improving.
I’ve heard that Rosetta Stone is the best way to learn a new language, but I’m curious if any of you have other recommendations? I’ll be doing a bit of research on different programs, but I’m excited to get started once I’m home.
They say that one of the most important factors in learning a new language is being able to actually use it and practice it. Luckily through Steem, I have many Spanish-speaking friends that I’m sure would be willing to practice with me. @anomadsoul and I chat over voice notes on Whatssap all the time for @steemonboarding stuff - so I’m sure I could rope him into practicing with me!
I’m excited for this next little adventure, and please do let me know if you have any recommendations on programs or tools I can use to learn. :-)
▶️ DTube
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Que tal aprender português pra se incherir no Rio de Janeiro?
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I'm with you on learning Spanish @coruscate, for the same reasons as you: it's a common language and I like being able to communicate with others.
My 2 cents on learning languages is that the best way for learning them is with comprehensive input, so basically live conversations, because it gives a chance to understand what is being said via context. But as I don't have anyone to chat with, I watch Spanish TV-shows. I started completely without subtitles, so I pretty much understood nothing except the few phrases I know, but the point behind it was to sensitize my ear to the language. Now I watch them with subtitles, partly because I got frustrated not understanding what's happening, but also hopefully to learn more from subtitles now that I'm better at listening.
On top of that I use Duolingo to learn words, phrases and grammar. I also try read something in Spanish every now and then, even though I understand little – it's all beneficial because the brain is unconsciously figuring the patterns in a language.
Thanks for all the good tips @celestal! Good idea to start watching TV as a way to immerse myself in the language. I've heard quite a few people mention Duolingo - so I'll definitely be checking that out!
dude, that's what we do...we own a Spanish school =) y si quieres practicar conmigo, no hay problema =) Although I'm not a teacher, I just handle the bookings lol....I'm sure there are so many people on Steem that you can practice with!
You guys own a spanish school?? That's so cool! So English, French, Spanish... what other languages can you speak? hehe Impressive!
Yeah i'm sure I can rope Eric and a few others to practice with me. Now that i'm back, I'm excited to start dabbling around with this more. I might just make it part of my daily routine to spend a little time learning and practicing.
I did spanish in school. So I am gone from school longer than I care to remember, but I can still understand a lot of spoken spanish, although I cant speak it.
That's so cool! Yeah it's amazing how much our brains can retain. :)
Yo tambien te puedo ayudar practicar el español si lo deseas. Es algo que he estado pensando ya que veo una comunidad hispana creciendo en el ecosistema!
I can help you practice some Spanish if you would like! It is something I have been thinking about as I have seen a growing Hispanic community in the ecosystem!
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oooh thanks for the offer!! I may take you up on that! I'm planning to just make learning/practicing part of my daily routine so that it doesn't become a big "task" but is just something I'm regularly building on. Maybe i'll start leaving you some comments in spanish as I progress! hehe
Arivederci! lol
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Hello @coruscate, to have contact with people who talk spanish is a good way. Travel to Spain or latin america is a wonderful experience too, because you have to talk in spanish the majority of time as you did in Mexico.
A cheaper way I recomend you is to watch tv programs in spanish, these help you to develop your listening comprenhension. It is the same recomendation that is given to us when we intent to improve our english level. A big hug.
It is amazing that you had the chance to go to Acapulco.
My self I was about to go also but going thru a financial issue I didn't have the chance to go.
I'm looking forward to watching it online, I've heard that they gonna record it so people can watch it I hope I`ll be able to find it on the web.
It was such an amazing experience! I know they were taping a lot of the talks - and so I hope you are able to find them! I'm going to be doing a video series on my page over the next week or two where I give a little recap of some of my favorite talks and then share my thoughts/open it up for discussion in the comments. It won't be the same as watching the recording of course - but if you are interested in some of the material covered at the conference, then that may be of interest to you!
Great looking forward to that! And also I have some of my favorites speakers from that meeting like Jeff Bazzil if I spell him right ;) And again I hope next year to visit one of those events.
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bueno si quieres solo escribo en espanol/ castellano. Necesito practicar también.
Hola👋🏻 Si quieren pueden practicar conmigo!😃
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I use the duolingo app on my phone. It's great, and it's free 😎
Peace.
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Thanks for the great tip @bobaphet! I've heard a few people mention the app and so I'll definitely be checking that out. :)