How to Think in Spanish

[Chris]

Originally Posted by chileno

Close but not cigar.

But it's interesting what you brought up. I had just noticed a day or so ago translating something from Spanish to English. The word was tiempo and the sentence in English didn't make sense with time, but temperature made a lot of sense.

If I might ask, how long did it take you to get fluent using the method that you made up? You seem to have a very good grasp of the English language. Can you effortlessly post these messages or do they take a bit of time? For me it takes ages to type out a post in Spanish for having to look up words, read them again to make sure everything is in agreement.

[Feliz]

Originally Posted by chileno

Close but not cigar.

Read and translate novels (books) as movies are meant to be watched and heard.

By watching and listening movies, even though what you listen to does not mean anything, eventually you'll "hear" and "understand" more by the fact that you have been reading and translating novels.

And you are welcome.

Are you saying to also read as though I am watching and listening to a movie? And to do this by using my imagination? I do that now with verbs. They're like little action movies sometimes. Other times they are like snapshots in a photo album. Sometimes a mnemonic device appears out of nowhere. I guess that it helps to know what the word "translation" means in the first place. Then I would know better how to stop it.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Chris

But it's interesting what you brought up. I had just noticed a day or so ago translating something from Spanish to English. The word was tiempo and the sentence in English didn't make sense with time, but temperature made a lot of sense.

If I might ask, how long did it take you to get fluent using the method that you made up? You seem to have a very good grasp of the English language. Can you effortlessly post these messages or do they take a bit of time? For me it takes ages to type out a post in Spanish for having to look up words, read them again to make sure everything is in agreement.

Thank you for correcting me. Although I know, my fingers fly the "other" way.

It took me about a year to become functional in English. What I mean by that is: In you language, when a new words comes up, you look it up in the dictionary and "acquire" a new word, right?

Not in Spanish, not at least at the present. You read a new word, look it up and then you have to try to "exercise" it so you don't forget what it means, which most likely it will happen if you don't use it daily.

That's what I mean by "functional"

All in all, it took me about two or three years, difficult to assess, to get to my present state, although I have been in the country for 30 years now, and I would be lying if I said that I have not learned through all these years.

Originally Posted by Feliz

Are you saying to also read as though I am watching and listening to a movie? And to do this by using my imagination? I do that now with verbs. They're like little action movies sometimes. Other times they are like snapshots in a photo album. Sometimes a mnemonic device appears out of nowhere. I guess that it helps to know what the word "translation" means in the first place. Then I would know better how to stop it.

There you have it. (+ or -)

[laepelba]

The other thing I do to pick up new vocabulary in Spanish ... when I have time, and I try to only do this a few times a week (as opposed to many words in one day) ... I receive a "word of the day" e-mail ... and when it is a word that I am not already familiar with, I make sure I understand the sample sentences that come in the e-mail along with the definition, then I go to the RAE dictionary and make sure that I understand all of the definitions, and often I also check it against a bilingual dictionary and even try to find some of the collocations (unique ways of using the word in phrases). If I have time, I'll even do a search on Tomisimo and WordReference forums to read discussions about the word to see if there are any unique things like regionalisms or idioms related to the word or find the etymology ... by the time I'm done reading all of those things, I pretty much know the word.

[JPablo]

Lou, I think that is an excellent method to acquire vocabulaire. One thing I would add is to make-up sentences 'of your own', (up until 20 or more if needed) so you really make that word totally "yours".

And the other thing (if not covered already) is to get the derivation of the word, so you see from were it comes.

(Checking and getting familiar with idioms and synonym studies would be the last actions... but by then, you are so familiar with the word you could write a short story about it...)

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by JPablo

Lou, I think that is an excellent method to acquire vocabulaire. One thing I would add is to make-up sentences 'of your own', (up until 20 or more if needed) so you really make that word totally "yours".

And the other thing (if not covered already) is to get the derivation of the word, so you see from were it comes.

(Checking and getting familiar with idioms and synonym studies would be the last actions... but by then, you are so familiar with the word you could write a short story about it...)

Yes, Malila has been on me to write example sentences for my grammar learning. I really ought to be doing the same for vocabulary. Derivations and parts of speech would also be helpful ... and any possible irregular conjugations for verbs ... and I LOVE the wealth of synonyms in Spanish ... yes, if I was truly thorough I could definitely write short stories about each vocabulary word...........

[JPablo]

[Feliz]

Originally Posted by JPablo

Lou, I think that is an excellent method to acquire vocabulaire. One thing I would add is to make-up sentences 'of your own', (up until 20 or more if needed) so you really make that word totally "yours".

Yes, I agree about making up relevant sentences of one's own. I try to create ones that I will actually use with my family, friends, at the doctor's offices, at the stores I shop at, and especially with my neighbors. I have never had to repeat myself once, so far, they always have understood me the first time and that has really made it all worthwhile. Something that I wasn't expecting, really!

[JPablo]

¡Muy bien, Feliz!
Aprender para comunicar.
Y comunicar para aprender.

[kenkiwi90]

I just try to immerse myself as much as possible by watching Spanish Tv, listening to Spanish radio and much more! The more you get into Spanish, the more natural you will start to think in Spanish!