Learning Spanish

[johnnywm]

Hi, was looking some help on learning the language.
Go to Tenerife twice a year, and always promise upon return, I will learn to speak Spanish.
So ahead of next year I was looking to get started now, and was wondering, aside from picking it up from living there, how best to go about this.
I would be more interested in the audio option, like repeating phrases etc, and repeating.
Any ideas ?

[macdonald5]

Hi, was looking some help on learning the language.
Go to Tenerife twice a year, and always promise upon return, I will learn to speak Spanish.
So ahead of next year I was looking to get started now, and was wondering, aside from picking it up from living there, how best to go about this.
I would be more interested in the audio option, like repeating phrases etc, and repeating.
Any ideas ?


Mi Vida Loca is a BBC interactive programme I found useful It starts with very basic words then moves on as needed
Over years I've tried books, videos, private tuition but to be honest unless you are using language often in day to day situations I find it is a challenge
And in Tenerife tourist areas ,English is spoken so no practice except with hotel cleaners etc

[Liftman]

Go and look at your local college for a evening class. They are generally quite fun, and a group setting will help with "conversations".

My parents went this route in the 80's before they moved to the Costa Blanca, and lived there happily for over twenty years, "geeting by" with limited, but sufficient language skills.

[vove]

Go and look at your local college for a evening class. They are generally quite fun, and a group setting will help with "conversations".

My parents went this route in the 80's before they moved to the Costa Blanca, and lived there happily for over twenty years, "geeting by" with limited, but sufficient language skills.

^This

You don't learn language by being in a place, you learn language by actually learning it so go to school.

[willakawill]

Good question for this forum. I like it because my wife and I are moving to Tenerife shortly and, other than ordering a decaf coffee, we are woefully lacking in local communication skills. I saw this vid sometime ago and we plan to follow their instructions by only speaking Spanish to each other and the locals for the first two months of our stay.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1RRbupCxi0

[Leam_Lin]

My OH went to the local college to learn spanish, also helped by the locals when we are in Tenerife.

[Hepa]

Here, El Hierro, English is hardly used at all, that's because there are few English speaking tourists, and fewer English residents, so Spanish it has to be, or you go hungry :)

[Liftman]

I always find the locals are very happy to help out with a word, saying or phrase. It doesn't seem to matter to them if you have pigeon "uno cafe con leche" or are pretty much fluent.

i was lucky enough to have French, Spanish and Latin from age 12 through to 18, followed by modern languages at Uni (French and Spanish) then my parents moved to Spain (many, many holidays) them I lived in Mexico City for 18 months.

I still sometimes have issues with colloquialisms or local accents, and ask for help.

[junglejim]

Futurelearn - Open Universty linked on-line free courses have just started a basic Spanish Course this week -

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/spanish-for-beginners-1

Duolingo is also free and very useful
https://www.duolingo.com/course/es/en/Learn-Spanish-Online

[clara]

I have the duolingo phone app and find it good. You can use it in any spare minutes - on the bus, in the laundrette etc.

[Alvy]

My other, almost fluent speaker learned loads using Rosseta Stone- its not free (for most), but she swears by it, as little known to me from "no entiendien" she turned withing 3 months's without me even being aware, she was studying :spin:

[mariben]

I have duolingo too and find it a great help, but not in conversaciónal spanish, thats where i need help.😀

[languagefan]

Buy the book "Spanish demystified" and by the time you finish it enjoyably you have leaned a good deal of grammar and a large vocab.
And meet with Caroline Cumming even for a one off 2 hour lesson to learn different techniques to learn Spanish: 654932541

[mariben]

thank you for the information, would I be able to get the book in Adeje as I know they Have a book shop there. And does Caroline come to your home on a one to one or does she do clases. Thanks again this will be a great help to us.

[junglejim]

thank you for the information, would I be able to get the book in Adeje as I know they Have a book shop there. And does Caroline come to your home on a one to one or does she do clases. Thanks again this will be a great help to us.
Might be better to order from Amazon as not many English books in Spanish Bookshops.

https://www.amazon.es/Spanish-DeMYSTiFieD-Second-Jenny-Petrow/dp/0071755926

[mariben]

Might be better to order from Amazon as not many English books in Spanish Bookshops.

https://www.amazon.es/Spanish-DeMYSTiFieD-Second-Jenny-Petrow/dp/0071755926
Thank you again will order book from Amazon, got to keep trying.

[languagefan]

thank you for the information, would I be able to get the book in Adeje as I know they Have a book shop there. And does Caroline come to your home on a one to one or does she do clases. Thanks again this will be a great help to us.
The book should be bought from Amazon. Caroline does both one to one and classes. Don't know about coming to your home. Better ask herself. I hear that she is a superb change maker when it comes to Spanish.
Good luck

[Hepa]

I have duolingo too and find it a great help, but not in conversaciónal spanish, thats where i need help.😀

Go into a bar and get plastered with the locals, conversational will soon cease to be a problem :cheeky:

[mariben]

The book should be bought from Amazon. Caroline does both one to one and classes. Don't know about coming to your home. Better ask herself. I hear that she is a superb change maker when it comes to Spanish.
Good luck
Had Message from Caroline Will contact her to get moré information, thanks again you Have been a great help.

[irishmusico]

The most useful phrase I have learned in Spanish is ¿Como se dice? which means,how do you say? Point to something and and say it,and you will get the translation to anything.
I can't break it down phonetically exactly but this is close enough. Como as in Perry Como the singer.........se.....as in say........dice,as in dee-say. Its close and everyone will throw all sorts of words at you with this phrase.

Then you will need to say "¿Que?" pronounced......Kay? Which means...what?The way Manuel from Fawlty Towers said it.That will be handy when you need someone to repeat something. There are more polite ways of doing it but most people will understand you are making the effort and will appreciate it.

Also if you can pick up a copy of Michel Thomas Learn Spanish it will get you going really fast. Its idiot proof. I think you can download it as an app for your phone or you can get the course as a set of CDs