Ask a Question

(Create a thread)
Go Back   Spanish language learning forums > Teaching & Learning > Teaching and Learning Techniques


A veces, me siento como un fracaso

 

Teaching methodology, learning techniques, linguistics-- any of the various aspect of learning or teaching a foreign language.


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old December 12, 2013, 06:18 AM
elektronj elektronj is offline
Opal
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: United States
Posts: 9
Native Language: English
elektronj is on a distinguished road
Unhappy A veces, me siento como un fracaso

Voy a escribir en inglés porque lo puedo explicar mejor.

Ok, so I would consider myself an advanced-level Spanish learner. I know all the tenses and several hundreds/thousands of words. I am best at reading and writing in Spanish, followed closely by speaking. Unfortunately, I live in an area where there are very few Hispanics (in public, in the workplace, everywhere). I don't get to practice my Spanish speaking/listening skills as much, and I think this hurts me.

To combat this, I try to listen to Spanish music every day as well as podcasts (News in Slow Spanish Latino). If I have alot of time on my hands, I may watch a Spanish show on Hulu. To be honest, sometimes I think I understand a lot, but some other times I simply feel just down-right discouraged because I understand nothing. Sure, I know what the music/podcast is talking ABOUT but I don't necessarily know what they say from sentence to sentence. And this really bothers me.

My Spanish teacher tells me to not "think in English" or translate inside my head. She says to simply listen and hear in Spanish. This is where I get discouraged. Pretend for a second that the following is my brain understanding Spanish sentences spoken to me. This is what happens...

Yup--I understand--Yeah--Ok--What was that word?--What is that word?--Oh no, what are they saying now?--I'm totally lost!!

I understand many of the words they say in sentences, but there's always one word that I don't know that just seems to derail my whole experience. So maybe I need some advice or maybe I need some encouragement. Sometimes I feel like I'm pretty good at Spanish. Other days I just feel like a failure
Reply With Quote
   
Get rid of these ads by registering for a free Tomísimo account.
  #2  
Old December 12, 2013, 08:59 PM
AngelicaDeAlquezar's Avatar
AngelicaDeAlquezar AngelicaDeAlquezar is offline
Obsidiana
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Mexico City
Posts: 9,038
Native Language: Mexican Spanish
AngelicaDeAlquezar is on a distinguished road
Try to listen for general ideas. If you try to understand word for word, frustration will always be present. Try listening to the same podcasts as many times as you need to be sure that you understand what they are about, but do not try to discern each and every word in each and every sentence. Relax and let it flow.

Personally, to me it's certainly kind of frustrating not being able to understand every joke in a British comedy program or specific parts of a debate between two American politicians, but it's not really a tragedy if I can't discern all the words in a speech. Normally, I can follow general ideas most of the time I listen to the same content repeatedly or I try to focus on the rest of the content.
I've also had to ask native English speakers to repeat what they'd said; much to my discomfort, this has happened many times, and sometimes with the same person. Getting used to an accent also helps to understand better.

It's just a matter of being aware that one has limitations and that one can overcome such limitations by relaxing and enjoying what one already knows and what one keeps learning.
__________________
Ain't it wonderful to be alive when the Rock'n'Roll plays...
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old December 12, 2013, 09:28 PM
wrholt's Avatar
wrholt wrholt is offline
Sapphire
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Posts: 1,401
Native Language: US English
wrholt is on a distinguished road
What you describe sounds like a normal and typical stage of learning to understand speech outside of a classroom setting.

Different speakers speak different regional varieties, come from different social classes, have different amounts of formal education, and speak in contexts that vary from the most formal possible to the most casual possible that have corresponding differences in typical word choices and sometimes non-standard grammar and syntax.

It takes time and practice to improve one's capacity to understand speech regardless of the differences among speakers and among different contexts; it also takes time and practice to make the transition from listening/speaking by conciously translating into and out of English to listening/speaking in Spanish. One way to practice is to let words you don't recognize go by, and see if you can guess at what that word might mean based on the context, or even ask the speaker about that word when it's your turn to speak.

Listening to recorded material can help, but real-time conversations are more effective, in part because if you're having trouble understanding someone you can ask them to say it again, or to say it more slowly, or to define a word you don't recognize. Speaking can be harder; it takes a while to develop the ability to choose your words in the moment rather than stopping to think for a second or two after every 3 or 4 words. However, you do get to entertain your native-speaker listeners, especially when you make some mistake that seems funny/strange to whoever is listening.

Last edited by wrholt; December 12, 2013 at 10:22 PM.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old December 12, 2013, 10:09 PM
chileno's Avatar
chileno chileno is offline
Diamond
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Las Vegas, USA
Posts: 7,863
Native Language: Castellano
chileno is on a distinguished road
It is normal to feel like that. It is part of the process.

Last edited by AngelicaDeAlquezar; December 13, 2013 at 11:44 AM. Reason: Removed information that should be sent through a private message.
Reply With Quote
Reply

 

Link to this thread
URL: 
HTML Link: 
BB Code: 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Site Rules

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Le vi muy pocas veces enfadado. Caramelita Grammar 5 April 29, 2013 12:29 PM
Más veces ROBINDESBOIS Vocabulary 1 June 02, 2012 05:50 AM
Lo siento laepelba Grammar 14 December 04, 2010 11:24 AM
Estar condenados al fracaso ROBINDESBOIS Idioms & Sayings 4 July 30, 2010 11:13 PM
Pareja condenada al fracaso ROBINDESBOIS Vocabulary 3 December 31, 2009 09:25 AM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:32 AM.

Forum powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

X