Ask a Question

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


Trying to learn how to understand Spanish

 

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


Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old November 21, 2017, 07:02 PM
jramsay jramsay is offline
Opal
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 2
jramsay is on a distinguished road
Trying to learn how to understand Spanish

Well I am trying to be able to hear spoken spanish and understand what is being said? In addition, to understand how to respond in Spanish. One of my biggest problems is that I might know what individual words would mean, but then when put together with something else it means something totally different. For example, I am listening to a song Igual Que Ayer and there is this phrase: "Extraño Tanto". When I look up the phrase I believe it means I will miss you very much. Then when I look up the words individually Extraño means weird/odd, then Tanto means so/so much. I just don't get the connection between the meaning of the phrase verses the individual word meanings. Another thing is being able to listening to someone talking in spanish and actually hear and understand what they are saying. I might catch one or two words there, but I don't understand what they are trying to see. Lastly, is trying to respond to them, where I have a bad habit of thinking about it in english then trying to say it in Spanish. There are several times I would think about something and then say it, but the whole meaning gets skewed in translation. An example of this is when I was trying to find out if a young lady was single. I asked if she was a Senora or Senorita, which when I told my friend he laughed and told me never say that again to a woman. After he explained to me why, I never knew that is how it would be taken. So need some help
   
Get rid of these ads by registering for a free Tomísimo account.
  #2  
Old November 21, 2017, 07:36 PM
AngelicaDeAlquezar's Avatar
AngelicaDeAlquezar AngelicaDeAlquezar is online now
Obsidiana
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Mexico City
Posts: 9,038
Native Language: Mexican Spanish
AngelicaDeAlquezar is on a distinguished road
You have to take into account the nature of the words and the fact that very rarely a literal translation will give you the actual meaning of a sentence or expression.
If you're trying to learn with a dictionary, you need a very good one that will give you all the meanings of a word, just keep in mind that no dictionary will give you conjugations. For that, you'll need a conjugation manual. (My recommendation is Larousse's Conjugación Lengua Española.)

So, if you're trying to make sense of "Te extraño tanto", you'll have to know that the word "extraño", can be a conjugated verb (I miss), a noun (a stranger) or an adjective (strange/weird). So, when you check the word in a dictionary, you will find these two last meanings, but not the first one, so you'll need to learn how conjugations work. And I'm not counting the "te", which may be a confusing pronoun, as it's used in many different grammatical cases.

As for how to understand Spanish speakers, well, it's just a matter of practice and increasing your vocabulary. You may read blogs, books, magazines, etc.; listen to songs; watch videos; talk to people... It's all a matter of systematic dedication and lots of patience.
And in my experience, never expect to understand each and every word said all the time. Grasping general ideas of what is being said depends on how much you actually have learnt, so don't despair, it will come with time. That's the same about cultural features and ways in which some words or expressions may be interpreted. It's only through interacting with the native speakers that you'll learn when and how to use certain pieces of language.

My only advice is don't try to translate anything. Learn expressions in context and take them as they are (like "me llamo..." for "my name is...", which are different ways to say the same in both languages); take one piece of language at a time and practice in different sentences and situations, until you feel confident that you know its meaning and usage, then it will be easier to move on to different ones.

Don't worry, it's not easy, but never impossible.
__________________
Ain't it wonderful to be alive when the Rock'n'Roll plays...
  #3  
Old November 22, 2017, 06:29 AM
jramsay jramsay is offline
Opal
 
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 2
jramsay is on a distinguished road
Thanks for the response and advice.
Closed Thread

 

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
For those who are struggling to understand spoken spanish... lordhelmit Teaching and Learning Techniques 3 July 07, 2017 12:06 AM
If I learn Spanish well, will I be able to understand Italian? Valeria Other Languages 10 June 14, 2015 02:30 PM
Sentence in Spanish that I don't understand from Destinos Valeria Translations 5 January 13, 2015 12:11 PM
[Italian] You missed the boat if you didn't learn Spanish if you're trying to learn Italian Villa Other Languages 58 September 09, 2010 05:39 PM
Easy-to-understand Spanish Movies / Music FrannyCakes Culture 5 September 21, 2009 09:58 AM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:40 PM.

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

X