How to get really good at a second language (Spanish)

[Jester]

Good to see posting, Renata.

[djfourmoney]

The best way -

1) Combine online/software based solutions with real conversations/lessons. You will find software does not nuance language correctly. What I mean is, with most people, you will get some slang in a normal conversation and software does not account for this. You can solve some of this by watching Spanish language TV which is how lots of Latins have learned to speak English by watching American TV...

2) Immersion: You pay $1,500 or so to live with a family for a month or two + take language classes. Living with a family forces you to have conversations in Spanish. Don't get any ideas though I have heard with women doing this that the Latin men have tried to put the moves on them. Here's a link to one such arrangement - http://www.sipuebla.com/

That all said, I am not sure you need to do this, unless your interested in village women. Sure basic Spanish will allow you to navigate Latin America more efficiency but that depends on your end-goals. By going upmarket you are more than likely to get a bi-lingual, college educated woman, that something to keep in-mind.

Remember even if you think you are poor, its from the perceptive of living in America. The min wage in much of Latin America is less than $5 an hour. Total family wages of $30K or less is common, meaning you working 40 hours a week at some service sector job means you make as much as a single person. In other words, I don't see much value in chasing around young, dark skin and dumb village women.

YMMV

[fightforlove]

The best way -

1) Combine online/software based solutions with real conversations/lessons. You will find software does not nuance language correctly. What I mean is, with most people, you will get some slang in a normal conversation and software does not account for this. You can solve some of this by watching Spanish language TV which is how lots of Latins have learned to speak English by watching American TV...

2) Immersion: You pay $1,500 or so to live with a family for a month or two + take language classes. Living with a family forces you to have conversations in Spanish. Don't get any ideas though I have heard with women doing this that the Latin men have tried to put the moves on them. Here's a link to one such arrangement - http://www.sipuebla.com/

That all said, I am not sure you need to do this, unless your interested in village women. Sure basic Spanish will allow you to navigate Latin America more efficiency but that depends on your end-goals. By going upmarket you are more than likely to get a bi-lingual, college educated woman, that something to keep in-mind.

Remember even if you think you are poor, its from the perceptive of living in America. The min wage in much of Latin America is less than $5 an hour. Total family wages of $30K or less is common, meaning you working 40 hours a week at some service sector job means you make as much as a single person. In other words, I don't see much value in chasing around young, dark skin and dumb village women.

YMMV

Yeah, that's the thing. Formal learning programs (textbooks, etc) don't account for the street lingo/actual way people talk in RL. I picked up several phrases and informal terms while I was in Spain last week. I'd like to just be more hard-conversational, be able to go into some deeper topics. I probably just need to work my vocabulary in those specific areas, but I also need to get a firmer grasp on the verb conjugations and knowing how to properly string sentences together while in convo with people. I like the way Rosetta Stone flows, I think I might see if I can find a discount copy.

[djfourmoney]

The best way -

1) Combine online/software based solutions with real conversations/lessons. You will find software does not nuance language correctly. What I mean is, with most people, you will get some slang in a normal conversation and software does not account for this. You can solve some of this by watching Spanish language TV which is how lots of Latins have learned to speak English by watching American TV...

2) Immersion: You pay $1,500 or so to live with a family for a month or two + take language classes. Living with a family forces you to have conversations in Spanish. Don't get any ideas though I have heard with women doing this that the Latin men have tried to put the moves on them. Here's a link to one such arrangement - http://www.sipuebla.com/

That all said, I am not sure you need to do this, unless your interested in village women. Sure basic Spanish will allow you to navigate Latin America more efficiency but that depends on your end-goals. By going upmarket you are more than likely to get a bi-lingual, college educated woman, that something to keep in-mind.

Remember even if you think you are poor, its from the perceptive of living in America. The min wage in much of Latin America is less than $5 an hour. Total family wages of $30K or less is common, meaning you working 40 hours a week at some service sector job means you make as much as a single person. In other words, I don't see much value in chasing around young, dark skin and dumb village women.

YMMV

Yeah, that's the thing. Formal learning programs (textbooks, etc) don't account for the street lingo/actual way people talk in RL. I picked up several phrases and informal terms while I was in Spain last week. I'd like to just be more hard-conversational, be able to go into some deeper topics. I probably just need to work my vocabulary in those specific areas, but I also need to get a firmer grasp on the verb conjugations and knowing how to properly string sentences together while in convo with people. I like the way Rosetta Stone flows, I think I might see if I can find a discount copy.

Regular use improves. You learned how to speak English well because your society was dominated by it... If you lived in Spain, while some people do speak English very well, the vast majority of the population doesn't speak it very well and won't try in front of a gringo out of embarrassment.

IMHO what I would do is figure out a way to say in a Spanish speaking country. Despite Spain's current economic woes, much of Latin America and Central America is vastly cheaper.