What is the best way to review conversational Spanish?
June 15, 2010 12:23 PM Subscribe
What is the best way to review conversational Spanish? A website, CD, book? Recommendations?
Hi all. I took 4 years of Spanish in high school, and I was okay at it. But I have not used the language much for 12 years. Now I am planning to take a 10 day trip to rural Mexico, and I want to review. Do you have any suggestions? I see Rosetta Stone advertised all the time, but I have heard rumors that it is not the most effective option and also quite expensive. Is there a better way? Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
Hi all. I took 4 years of Spanish in high school, and I was okay at it. But I have not used the language much for 12 years. Now I am planning to take a 10 day trip to rural Mexico, and I want to review. Do you have any suggestions? I see Rosetta Stone advertised all the time, but I have heard rumors that it is not the most effective option and also quite expensive. Is there a better way? Thanks in advance for your suggestions!
Yeah, being forced to speak it is the way to go. My conversational Spanish (which is HORRID) is growing fast because I'm being made to try to talk in Spanish. I am also trying to listen to music in Spanish and watch Spanish language TV, to pick things up. Best of all: no cost! (Downside: lots of frustration and busting out laughing. And being misunderstood.)
posted by RJ Reynolds at 12:55 PM on June 15, 2010
posted by RJ Reynolds at 12:55 PM on June 15, 2010
The "best way" is to start talking to native speakers. In many cities there are groups where you can practice over lunch or in informal settings if you don't know anyone that speaks Spanish. Stop consuming English media. Many top TV shows are broadcast in Spanish on SAP. Rent movies that are dubbed in Spanish (or better yet, actually native Spanish language movies). Rosetta Stone and others will help you re-remember vocab. That's important. But so is remembering grammar and how things sound. You'll probably not need to say "the cat is on the table" much or other contrived phrases from Spanish class. I'd focus on saying things like can you speak slowly. I don't understand and sorry. Can you repeat that. My time in Mexico has taught me that even if you have a 3 year old's mastery of the language, most people will go out of their way to try to help you. Get a good mini dictionary so you can look stuff up on the fly. Don't be afraid to say something wrong (as long as you're not being offensive) since people will be able to get the gist of what you're saying.
Throw in slang and regional dialects and expect not to take in much your first few days in Mexico. But at a certain point things will click and a lot of it will come back. When you're down there, strike up conversations with people and ask them about stuff even if you know the answer. The key is practice, practice, practice.
posted by birdherder at 12:55 PM on June 15, 2010
Throw in slang and regional dialects and expect not to take in much your first few days in Mexico. But at a certain point things will click and a lot of it will come back. When you're down there, strike up conversations with people and ask them about stuff even if you know the answer. The key is practice, practice, practice.
posted by birdherder at 12:55 PM on June 15, 2010
wherever you go (if feasible), and while you're studying, have one or two beers. the light drinks will relax you and you will not only speak more quickly and confidently, you will hear/understand better. this is because of the slight lowering of inhibitions caused by alcohol.
don't have more than one or two drinks, though, and if drinking's not an option, try hard exercise, or tiring yourself out some way. it's easy to get in your own way learning a language, if you're tense and nervous.
posted by toodleydoodley at 1:33 PM on June 15, 2010
don't have more than one or two drinks, though, and if drinking's not an option, try hard exercise, or tiring yourself out some way. it's easy to get in your own way learning a language, if you're tense and nervous.
posted by toodleydoodley at 1:33 PM on June 15, 2010
Best answer: I recommend listening to the Coffee Break Spanish podcast. Each episode starts with a short conversation in Spanish which is then broken down into manageable parts and explained in English.
posted by sdinan at 2:10 PM on June 15, 2010 [4 favorites]
posted by sdinan at 2:10 PM on June 15, 2010 [4 favorites]
I highly recommend using a skype language exchange site to talk to native speakers.
The only one that I have actually used is soZiety and they are currently regrouping but there are several other sites that do the same thing and that is connect people who are trying to learn a foreign language with native speakers of that language. You will find lots of people who would like to converse with a native english speaker. I know that talking to a real person is a lot more beneficial to me than listening to a podcast.
posted by calumet43 at 4:25 PM on June 15, 2010
The only one that I have actually used is soZiety and they are currently regrouping but there are several other sites that do the same thing and that is connect people who are trying to learn a foreign language with native speakers of that language. You will find lots of people who would like to converse with a native english speaker. I know that talking to a real person is a lot more beneficial to me than listening to a podcast.
posted by calumet43 at 4:25 PM on June 15, 2010
Have you considered watching a movie in Spanish, with the Spanish subtitles on? I find this helps me get back into the zone with speaking French (only, you know, French-language movies and French subtitles). Chatting with native language speakers is the best way, but not always easy. Watching a film will help to return your brain to speaking the other language without translating.
posted by monkeymonkey at 5:25 PM on June 15, 2010
posted by monkeymonkey at 5:25 PM on June 15, 2010
Radio Lingua also has a free news podcast called News Time Spanish. Have fun!
posted by lukemeister at 6:09 PM on June 15, 2010
posted by lukemeister at 6:09 PM on June 15, 2010
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Otherwise, it sounds silly but I swear by watching Spanish language TV and listening to Spanish language radio stations. Added bonus, if you watch the noticias, telenovelas, Siempre en Domingo or Cristina, you will have some grounding in pop culture/current events that will impress the folks you meet on your travels.
posted by gov_moonbeam at 12:32 PM on June 15, 2010