Tips for learning a new language ~ spanish in my case?

Question

Okay,

Well after a trip to Barcelona, ive fallen in love with spanish and decided to learn it.

I am currently using the pimsleur programme which is fantastic, however due to the fact that english currenlty is my only language my rate of picking up and understanding spanish is slow.

I would appreciate any tips, stratergies or advice for learning spanish more effectively.

and forgot to mention travelling back to spain, is not as option just yet.

Answer 1

What about a course at your local college???

Answer 2

Here are some ideas many second language learners don't normally realize.

FIRST: Completely eliminate idioms when you speak. We use a LOT of phrases that are not understood in other countries, and they use ones we don't understand. Examples: Get to first base. Flip the switch. Hitch a ride. Hit the road.
Put yourself in the place of a new learner of English and ask yourself if you would really understand the meaning of 'hit the road' when you heard it, or would you litterally try to 'hit the road'?
Even between England and North America, for example 'knock someone up'. In North America it means get someone pregnant. In England it means knock on their door. So you can see how embarrassing it might be should you stumble on an idiom that means something else.

SECOND: Realize that it is not ALWAYS a one-for-one word exchange when translating. Some languages can express an idea in as little as one word compared to a few, and vice-versa.
Hand in hand with this, understanding that the idea being expressed is what's important, not the way it's said. Just because the sentence wasn't constructed the way we would have said it doesn't make it wrong.

LAST: I cheated. I learnt the worlds easiest language first and now I find I understand English better (my native tongue) and I'm in a better position to learn more languages. I've provided a link below to better explain this.

That language was ESPERANTO. It is designed such that you MUST understand sentence structure, which helps to understand other languages. Plus you end up with a multitude of Esperanto friends; oh the burdens we bear. In your case it would be quite helpful since there are a LOT of similarities between the two languages.

Oh sorry. Not to understate it of course, but as had been said again and again, listen to and read as much as you possibly can, whenever you can. Immersion, immersion, IMMERSION!

Gxis!

Answer 3

You need to do a little and often and be persistent. Everyone learns differently so you should also experiment with learning methods.
1. Note which you enjoy most: writing, reading, listening, or speaking, and use this method to acquire new words. Meanwhile you still must get a balance between all these four disciplines. For listening use Internet radio and listen to stations like http://www.rtve.es/rne/index.htm
2. Track down native speakers for intercambios (your English for their Spanish). Speak speak speak it - and to hell with making mistakes, that doesn't matter.
3. Try to think about units of speech rather than individual words. You need to study the grammar and understand how to form questions, make positive and negative statements, express likes and dislikes. When you gain an understanding of how to 'build' sentences you'll be on your way.
4. Concentrate on getting the fundamentals under your belt before diving into more complex study. Don't get put off by reading ahead and looking at things like the subjunctive mood or compound tenses. All these things will come in good time.
5. Short study sessions daily are more effective than once a week blitzes.
'¡Que tengas suerte!'

Answer 4

Yes, the no english rule is important. i'm planning on going on a Spain trip to Ciudad Real with IU. Anyways, I had to go into a really competitive selection and to prepare myself, I watched and read a lot of spanish short story text. Also, know how to conjugate verbs freely. That could be helped by buying a spanish verb tense work book. Oh yea, when you read spanish text or stories, read aloud so you can be more use to speaking in the language freely. Going to Barcelona would help you get the Spanish accent.

Answer 5

Learning another language is just like growing up as a baby and catching on to what the sound means. So like many have previouly stated watching TV and listening to music or programs help you understand more. Catch on to some phrases and ask a spanish speaking person what it means

Answer 6

There may be a Spanish or south american community centre reasonably local to you, you may be able to volunteer there? In my experience the people who run them are very friendly and open to language learners, and who's going to turn down free help?
Also, subscribe to a Spanish Magazine / Newspaper
Also, try switching on the Spanish language option that many dvds nowadays have.
Hope that helps, and good luck

Answer 7

Watch movies in Spanish with English subtitles. You'll remember phrases, inflection, and sentence structure much easier when you see the translation in front of you while hearing it.

Speak it with your friends as much as possible, even if they don't speak it. You might look like a showoff, but who cares? You're learning something new, you should show off.

Also helps if, as you drive, cook, clean (etc) you describe what you're doing. Do it aloud, and in Spanish. If you see something you don't know the word for, write it down and look it up later. Sometimes taking the structure out of learning makes it easier to remember.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Try mylanguageexchange.com you exchange messages with people who speak Spanish that want to learn English - I've tried it and it's really good. Also you can download Before you Know it Lite for free which is a flashcard based learning system that I found really easy to use. Also, learning with someone else who wants to learn Spanish is great as it gives you more motivation to carry on with the learning.

Answer 9

Watch TV in Spanish, or Spanish-spoken movies with subtitles in English, look for some hispanic person in your neighbourhood and speak to him/her.
Enter www.parlo.com and try the free on-line course there.

Answer 10

try to find a spanish t.v station.i lived in spain and found u can learn a lot by watching.also some of their programmes r in English with spanish subtitles.bueno suerte!