How long will it take me to become fluent in Spanish?

How long will it take me to become fluent in Spanish?

 

Not a week goes by when someone doesn’t ask me “How long will it take me to become fluent in Spanish?” or “How long will it take me to move into the next level?”

This is such a difficult question to answer, as there are numerous factors to consider. For example:

  • What is your experience & current level of Spanish?
  • Is Spanish a 2nd language for you or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc.?
  • How much time do you have to dedicate to learning Spanish?
  • Will you be able to be consistent with your language learning or will you be taking breaks often?
  • How motivated are you to learn to speak Spanish?
  • What do you consider to be a fluent Spanish speaker?
  • What is your natural ability for languages?

 

I have a lot to say on this subject, so this will be a 2 part series.

 

Let’s consider the above:

  • If you’re starting from scratch, it will obviously take you a bit longer than someone who has a foundation in Spanish. I think that’s pretty obvious.

 

  • If you have already learned more than one language, picking up a 3rd or 4th will be easier than learning a 2nd language. Why? For one, you have more to pull from. Most languages have cognates in common with several other languages, making it easier to recognize words. For example, everyone thinks that Spanish & Italian have a lot in common, but may be surprised to hear that Italian & English also share many cognates (such as concert/concerto; fork/forchetta; democrazia/democracy). Another factor is if you learned a previous language as an adult (or older child/teenager), you already know what is involved with language learning, and what exactly works best for you.

 

  • Motivation plays a key role in learning a language. If you’re doing this because you feel like you should, your lack of enthusiasm will be present more often that you may think. If you’re excited about learning the language, every time you see a street sign in Spanish or an audio version of something in Spanish, you will be tempted to look up the word or listen to the audio, thus spending more time on the language which will ultimately help you reach your goal much faster.

 

  • Whether we like to admit it or not, natural ability plays a part in language learning. Some of us are better at sports, some of us are better at building things. Some of us are better at math, some of us are better at languages. This however does NOT mean that you can’t learn to play sports or to build things; it simply means that for some of us it will be naturally easier to learn a language than for others. It is what it is…just like with everything else in life.

 

Ok chicos, that concludes part 1. This will give you a bit to think about, and next week we will move on to part 2.

 

Besos,
Caro

La tarea opcional para el 27 al 31 de agosto + el 8 y el 10 de septiembre del 2018

La tarea opcional de la semana es buscar memes divertidos y traer 5 a clase que te hayan gustado. Un buen lugar para encontrar memes chistosos es en Pinterest.

Para los que les interese hacer más tarea, sigan con el capítulo 19 “Personal Pronouns” en “Complete Spanish Grammar” de McGraw Hill, de la serie Practice Makes Perfect. Por favor, lean las páginas 240 a 242 y hagan los ejercicios 19.5 a 19.6.

Weekly Tip: Help! My partner feels like a Spanish widow/er! Part 2

Weekly Tip: Help! My partner feels like a Spanish widow/er! Part 2

 

Last week we talked about how some of our partners feel left out and almost abandoned by our dedication to learning Spanish. We also spoke about one student in particular. Here is a recap:

I spoke to a student this week who has a Spanish immersion trip coming up. She told me that she was excited about improving her Spanish, but not looking forward to the trip as much as she would like. When I asked why, she said it was because her husband was not taking it very well that she would be gone for three weeks without him, as they usually do everything together. Since she wanted her entire focus to be on Spanish, she prefers to do this trip on her own.

 

I asked you all for suggestions, and you came through (in both languages I might add)! Here is what everyone said:

 

Plan a trip to a spanish speaking country with you partner. He/she will get to enjoy the fruits of all your hard work. They can sit back and let you be the translator.
Include them in the learning process. Teach them a little here and there and maybe it will spark an interest in them to learn as well.
The partner could use that time to spend on a hobby of their own, and if it works, maybe both partners can work on their separate hobbies together, so they are still spending time with each other.
You need to talk about this in depth and hopefully with a therapist/counselor because it isn’t fair and will only build resentment over time. All spouses need to have their own hobbies, passions or separate things to do away from the marriage and their spouse. No one likes to be deprived of doing things that make them feel fulfilled. (All things within reason & things that shouldn’t jeopardize your personal relationship). I believe that it takes 2 independent people to make a good marriage.
Get a new partner (maybe a bit dramatic…)
Embrace their ‘hobby’ or passion.
My friends feel abandoned by my Spanish obsession more often than my spouse. The above comments have helped. I met with a friend and brought my flash cards and we had a blast! Now she’s considering learning Spanish. My husband gets annoyed when I speak (practice) Spanish at him. I understand, so I pick simple phrases and I translate them (notice I didn’t say I stopped doing it). The other day he sat down with me while I was watching a show in Spanish and he translated something they said! Involve your friends, family, and significant other but don’t forget they may tire of hearing about your Spanish struggles (for a while that was ALL I could talk about) so be sure to listen to what is going on with them too.
Stress the importance of how much it means to you- a partner should be supportive of your dreams, not hindering. You work on things together, you support each other’s goals (whether you agree with them or not), and grow together!
Ask them to quiz you. My husband is learning a little just from testing my vocabulary
Reserve time for you and your partner to spend with each other, like date night or movie night, especially prior to a solo trip.
Try and find a time to study that doesn’t conflict with “together” time. If you are going on a trip without your spouse plan a couple trip at a later date so you have some time to reconnect.
Sugiero que ese estudiante tratar de incluir su esposo en algunas actividades alrededor su español. Si ellos puedan hacer cosas juntas en ambos sus pasatiempos, ambos van a entender más el interés de el uno de otro. Buena suerte!
Afortunadamente mi esposo es muy comprensivo y no le molesta cuando hago cosas para practicar español. Mi esposo ha visto mi progreso en dos años y piensa que es un buen ejemplo para nuestros hijos.
Cuando empecé aprender español, mi esposo hizo bromas de mi acento (a su crédito, mi acento era muy güera) pero ahora, después de 2.5 años, pienso que se da cuenta de la mejora. Él es de apoyo de mis viajes, classes y eventos en español sin él.
Mi esposo es muy propicio y feliz a me ver aprendiendo español. Ocasionalmente me ayudo práctica. Pero, si quería ir a una largo vacaciones sin que él, you pienso que se pondrá triste y extrañar.
Personalmente, me gustan todas tus sugerencias. Como terapeuta matrimonial y familiar, si una pareja tiene problemas de codependencia, primero debe resolver los problemas. Si no resuelven sus problemas de codependencia, no serán felices, sin importar lo que hagan.
No esposo, no hijos, no problemas! Estoy bromeando. 😉 Mi consejo es reservar tiempo durante cada semana para estar con su esposo (por ejemplo una “noche de cita” los viernes). También crear un horario de estudiar y compartir con él. Si él sabe que las mañanas de martes son para estudiar y hay una clase los jueves en la tarde, ojalá él puede hacer sus propios pasatiempos durante esas horas y ya no se siente excluido.
Este problem está difícil y como gastar tiempo con su pareja está complicado a veces. Soy fortunable que mi prometida puede hablar español, pero a veces me siento mal que estoy en clase dos o más tiempos cada semana. Nosotros hubimos este preoccupacion y por nosotros la cosa más importante es que nosotros siéntenos qué hay otras cosa que pudimos compartir. Hablando honestamente es la clave.
Mi esposo es casi igual. A él no le gusta cuando yo viajo sin él . entonces trato de ir a viajes por menos tiempo, como uno o dos días solamente.
Mi esposo es muy comprensivo. El comprende lo importante a me apprender espanol.
Soy sola y no pareja. No sería una buena persona para dar consejos sobre esto. Soy muy independiente y hago lo que necesito para mi vida.
Yo opino que las parejas necesitan que apoyarte con sus metas- incluyo si no les gusta. Dile que como parejas, se apoyan, se creen y crecen uno con el otro.
Siento que es importante profundizar y averiguar cuál es la raíz de lo que está molestando a esta pareja simplemente preguntando. A continuación, averiguar qué pasos hay que tomar para aliviar los temores de este socio una ansiedad sobre el viaje. Al final esto podría convertirse en una increíble oportunidad de construir una relación.

 

There you have it! There are tons of different approaches to resolving this issue, per the responses above. I hope that one of these helps our student!

 

Have you ever experienced this with your partner? Either that he/she had an issue with your hobby or vice-versa?

 

Besos,
Caro

La tarea opcional para el 20 al 26 de agosto del 2018

La tarea opcional de la semana es escribir 5 frases que contengan ¿sabías que…?
Por ejemplo:
¿Sabías que los ratones pueden llegar a tener 105 crías al año?
¿Sabías que 150.000 cabellos están creciendo en tu cabeza en este momento?
¿Sabías que 50 de las montañas más altas de nuestro planeta se encuentran en Asia?
*Estas son de la revista National Geographic

Para los que les interese hacer más tarea, empiecen el capítulo 19 “Personal Pronouns” en “Complete Spanish Grammar” de McGraw Hill, de la serie Practice Makes Perfect. Por favor, lean las páginas 237 a 240 y hagan los ejercicios 19.1 a 19.4.

Weekly tip: Help! My partner feels like a Spanish widow/er!

Language learning weekly tip: Help! My partner feels like a Spanish widow/widower!

I spoke to a student this week who has a Spanish immersion trip coming up. She told me that she was excited about improving her Spanish, but not looking forward to the trip as much as she would like. When I asked why, she said it was because her husband was not taking it very well that she would be gone for three weeks without him, as they usually do everything together. Since she wanted her entire focus to be on Spanish, she prefers to do this trip on her own.

I decided to blog about this, not because I have all of the answers, but because this is not the first time I have heard this exact same story, and I thought that you, the readers, may have some suggestions. I don’t know how many students have told me that their partners refer to themselves as “Spanish widows/widowers” because their spouse dedicates so much time to their hobby!

I have not experienced this myself. My ex-husband had so many of his own hobbies and passions, that me having one that did not include him, was not an issue.

The only suggestions I have are the following:
  • Find a shared hobby. If you already have one, I would recommend doing it more often during the time leading up to the trip and when you return from the trip.
  • Make sure you are spending some quality time together leading up to the trip and after. Potentially take a trip together right before or after your solo trip.
  • Let him know why this is important to you, and the benefits of you going out of town for a few weeks. Maybe he has a hobby that he doesn’t dedicate as much time to as he would like? This would be an excellent opportunity for him to spend some time on it.
OK readers, please give us your suggestions on either Facebook or by taking our survey.
I will report back next week!

Besos,
Caro

La tarea opcional para el 13 al 19 de agosto del 2018

La tarea opcional de la semana es escuchar estas 4 canciones y escoger su favorita. La próxima semana vamos a votar:

Caro recomienda: La Bicicleta, de Carlos Vives y Shakira

Daniela recomienda: La que me gusta, de Los amigos invisibles

Lorena recomienda: Échame la culpa, de Luis Fonsi y Demi Lovato

Vanessa recomienda: Nuquí (Te quiero para mi), de ChocQuip Town

Para los que les interese hacer más tarea, terminen el capítulo 22 “Adverbs” en  “Complete Spanish Grammar” de McGraw Hill, de la serie Practice Makes Perfect.  Por favor, lean las páginas 289 a 291 y hagan los ejercicios 22.11 a 22.12.  

Language learning weekly tip: The Buddy System

Language learning weekly tip: The Buddy System

 

If you are an extrovert like me, you probably find doing just about anything with a buddy, more fun than without a buddy.

If you’re an obliger (Four tendencies quiz) you would probably do well having someone else holding you accountable for tasks you would like to accomplish.

If either of these sound like you, you would probably find it a lot more fun to practice Spanish with a partner than on your own.

This week why not ask someone if they would want to practice with you once a week?

Everyone is busy these days, so it’s not like it has to be a 2 hour dinner, but you could get together for a cup of coffee, or even practice on the phone or via Skype. It doesn’t have to be for an hour, it could be for 30 minutes or even 15 minutes.

It could be a classmate or maybe someone you know at work who speaks Spanish.

If it’s a significant other, start small. Don’t expect Saturday to be “let’s speak Spanish all day” day, but maybe start speaking Spanish over breakfast, or for 10 minutes when you see each other.

Life is simply more fun with a buddy. And so is learning a language :) Who will you ask?

Besos,
Caro

La tarea opcional para el 6 al 12 de agosto del 2018

La tarea opcional de la semana es usar la expresión del día de Twitter en una frase cada día de la semana, por una semana. La semana que viene les pediremos que nos cuenten cuál fue su expresión favorita.

Para los que les interese hacer más tarea, sigan con el capítulo 22 “Adverbs” en  “Complete Spanish Grammar” de McGraw Hill, de la serie Practice Makes Perfect.  Por favor, lean las páginas 287 a 289 y hagan los ejercicios 22.7 a 22.10.  

How do YOU stay motivated?

How do YOU stay motivated?

 

It’s been established that learning a language takes a tremendous amount of time and effort, just like any other big goal in life. So how do you stay motivated?

I think we can all agree that if we don’t enjoy doing something, the majority of us procrastinate or don’t do it all. I think we can also agree that we seek out things that we do enjoy, right?

Well, this theory can easily be applied to learning a language.

 

Suggestion: Make a list of 10 things you enjoy doing (they do not need to have anything to do with learning a language)

 

My list could look something like this:

1 – Spending time with friends

2 – Taking Lola (my dog) to the park or on a hike

3 – Going to restaurants

4 – Singing

5 – Listening to Podcasts

6 – Listening to Audiobooks

7 – Running

8 – Meaningful conversation

9 – Learning Italian

10 – Teaching

 

Now take this list and see what you may be able to apply to learning Spanish (in my case Italian).

 

My list could look something like this:

1 – Spending time with friends – spend more time with Brigitte, since we’re both learning Italian & practice for a few minutes each time we see each other + take conversation classes so you get to speak – check

2 – Taking Lola (my dog) to the park or on a hike – learn a new park/hike related word every time we go 

3 – Going to restaurants – go to more Italian restaurants and chat with the waiters

4 – Singing – set a few Pandora stations that will play music in Italian, write the names of some songs that I like, look up the lyrics & learn how to sing along – check

5 – Listening to Podcasts – listen to a few podcasts about Italian or in Italian – check

6 – Listening to Audiobooks – listen to short stories in Italian for beginners – check

7 – Running – listen to music in Italian while running

8 – Meaningful conversation – not there yet (my level is around A1-A2), but I could start learning how to express some meaningful phrases in Italian

9 – Learning Italian – this one speaks for itself

10 – Teaching – I am currently teaching Lola some Italian – Vieni qui Lola!

 

There is nothing fast or easy about learning a foreign language; that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be fun! Now all you need to do is figure out what that looks like for you.

Please share a few ideas you have with us!

 

I hope you have enjoyed the final of 10 tips for new language learners!

 

Besos,

Caro