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Old July 25, 2009, 10:21 AM
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chileno chileno is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Las Vegas, USA
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Native Language: Castellano
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chileno View Post
Of course, but how do you do that if you do not know the words in English and do not translate?

What was first the chicken or the egg?

Assuming you are not 5 years old and do not read or write...
Quote:
Originally Posted by brute View Post
I think you've drifted ito the wrong thread!
Quote:
Originally Posted by laepelba View Post
I DO think he was contemplating the wrong thread.
No, I wasn't... Re-read please...

Quote:
Originally Posted by laepelba View Post
Hernan - that is EXACTLY what I want to do. I WANT to learn like a toddler learns to speak his native language ... by seeing things and understanding words for their meaning, without using another language to "define". Starting with the most basic words, of course...... Obviously, I need to translate sometimes, but with the basic words (nouns that represent objects, action verbs, etc.), I want to have a basic mental image of what it means when I see/hear/use the word.

"Manzana" MEANS something to me ... it does not speak the word "apple" in my brain. When I see/hear/think/use the word "manzana", I see a red fruit that I enjoy eating (and using to make pies). I don't go back to the English. I want to have a comprehensive feel for at least these basic nouns and verbs that I will NOT need to translate.

It's like basic definitions in mathematics. There are certain words that you don't define (point, line, plane), and you use these terms to build definitions for all of the other terms. I want to have a basic vocabulary in Spanish that I do NOT translate into English. These words will then help me define other Spanish words......
You mean to tell me, that now that you have a structure and you want to build on top, as you should, you want to demolish everything, and start anew... as if you were a 5 years old.

What's more, you want to demolish everything and not even take advantage of the base of the building...

Nothing nor nobody can stop you, but yourself.
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