How long did it take you to learn Spanish without being submerged in it?
Ryan asked:
How long did it take you to learn Spanish without living in a Spanish speaking country? And any tips for me on how to learn, memorization, etc.?
Dr Blairs Express Lane Spanish on audio
How long did it take you to learn Spanish without living in a Spanish speaking country? And any tips for me on how to learn, memorization, etc.?
Dr Blairs Express Lane Spanish on audio
October 25th, 2008 at 10:10 am
It didn’t take me nothing of time. I am latina that means I was born here and my parents were Born in Mexico.
October 28th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Most of it depends on whether a person is really motivated to learn. And speaking it every day with others who speak Spanish. If you have radio and TV in Spanish, listen, listen, listen to it until you’re able to distinguish word from word.
October 29th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
it took me about 2 months of being around people who spoke it 24/7
November 1st, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I must say that it has taken me fifty six years, because everyday I learn something new.
About how to learn, study and practice, study and practice, study and practice. That’s the ticket, laddie
November 3rd, 2008 at 11:28 am
Like most of the other people answered practice is key. I’m not fully comfortable speaking in Spanish yet, but I’m trying. I’m trying Pimsleurs Speak and Read essentials which is giving me some good practice.
I’ve had five years of Spanish in school on a high school level and college level. If you really want to learn you just have to keep yourself exposed to the language whenever you can. I have slacked off and gone over a year without regular practice but occassionally I would find myself recalling some of the Spanish I learned just to try to keep it fresh in my mind and not lose it. Now I’m back to practicing again and I hope I keep on it until I’m comfortable speaking the language - it would come in handy at work.
November 4th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Well, I took about 7 years of classes before I immersed myself in a Spanish speaking country. I guess I spoke Spanish alright before my immersion, I could communicate more or less and had a good knowledge. I don’t know quite when I hit that point, though. Nothing can replace an immersion experience, but if you can’t do that, try to find people to regularly speak Spanish with (preferably natives so you know you’re learning correctly) and practice A LOT, don’t allow yourself to speak English with them. I know someone who became pretty fluent pretty quickly (3 or 4 months) that way. Listen to music in Spanish, read novels in Spanish, watch movies in Spanish (actually, I found watching things in English while reading the Spanish subtitles was really helpful because it helped me see how to translate things), and most importantly…practice. You can’t learn without practice. In the end, it feels so good to have put that work in and finally have a good grip on the language!