Taking the next step, beginner to intermediate

[SteveB]

Hi all, not sure if this is the right place to put this but here goes.

I have been learning for about 9 months now and feel im not getting any further. If i use beginner books and cd's i go over and over the same thing

Tener, querer, hola, adios etc etc

So when i try intermediate it seems way out of my league. Its almost like it skips a whole section each time.

For example, i listen to 'coffee break spanish' podcast, which is great. I was learning alot from them and each time they start a podcast they say something like
" estoy lista Cara? , Sí, estoy lista para aprender español con coffee break spanish!"

Which i understand, then in a few episodes they throw in , ya, se, le que, lo and dont explain it, or how to use it. I look these things up but they totally throw me!

Can anyone recommend how to take a step up? Or any beginner/intermediate books or podcasts?

[pjt33]

I expect an admin will move this to "La enseñanza y el aprendizaje" forum.

Language learning levels have been standardised within the EU. There are two beginner levels (A1 and A2), two intermediate levels (B1 and B2), and two advanced levels (C1 and C2). You might be skipping from A1 to B1. Check whether your books state their level.

Also bear in mind that most of these books are designed for use in the context of a course with a teacher (who will have additional materials).

[SteveB]

Thats really helpful, thanks. Im gonna start looking to see if i can find some A2 material.

The textbooks are really helpful and they would complement a class really well but i cant get to one at the moment.

[Psychosid]

Steve,

If i may give you some advice/tips, i have been learning for about 5 years more or less, and like you i began with coffee break spanish, i would advise you to stick with them because in general terms they are a very good resource for learning and explaining the spanish language, i actually found it quite difficult to find begginer/intermediate/advanced spanish podcasts with english explanations of the grammar.

Try not to "jump ahead", i made the mistake of being too keen, and moving on to another grammatical point before i had fully understood the last.

One of my best moves was to seek out "intercambios" (language exchanges) believe me you will have no problem finding spanish speakers that want to exchange with english, keep at it and dont be afraid to make mistakes.

If you are able get used to watching spanish tv, films etc, again another good move on my part was to install free to air channel satellite tv, a one off payment, about 200 quid i think (sounds expensive but i have had it for 3 years now and watch it most days) there are so many spanish speaking channels and it really helps to watch and listen.

I decided to visit madrid for a short break alone, i could barely say "hola", but took the plunge, and hey: i survived! and i distinctly remember after 3 or 4 days waking up in the hotel and realising that i had been dreaming in spanish!

it will all start to come together so dont worry, i have found that you make progress then level out for a while then more progress etc etc, i recently realised that one day i suddenly was able to put sentences together and converse reasonably fluently (albeit with mistakes), a nice rewarding feeling, and i also realised that it was unlikely i would ever "speak like a native" so adjusted my goal slightly and made my exopectations more manageable and realistic. anyway.good luck!.

[Liquinn3]

Well, what I do is learn things bit by bit. So you might want to learn the por idioms and something else in the language (perhaps the subjunctive or other tenses and other vocal). I have a list of all the Spanish prepositions in various sentences. Before you know it everything in the language more or less adds up.

So perhaps study:

Por idioms
Most of the prepositions

In great detail/depth, then move onto something else and gradually put it into conversation.

[Villa]

El siguiente paso es tomar una clase de español donde el maestro/a habla el idioma español solamente.
Nada de ingles.
El siguiente paso es conseguir una novia/o hispana/o que solo te habla en el español.
El siguiente paso es de dejar de escribir aqui en ingles y sola escribir en el español

También pensa fuera de la caja. Sal de la caja por completo. Escucha el español diario, todos los dias.
Y dejate de decir que no te gustan las telenovelas en español o otras cosas en español.
El siguiente paso si realmente quieres aprender el español es mirar las novelas en la television.

[Char2ie]

Psychosid, I'd be interested to know which free to air channels you have access to and which satellite system you are using? Thanks

[Psychosid]

Well i cant remember the name of the model, but i remember it cost me about £200 quid a few years ago and it picked up various channels which i wanted, (it also picked up thousand of others from across the globe) they are all free to air channels, no subscription required.

But by coincidence, this week i bought a "Smart box" this basically converts the tv in to a web browser, and i view the channels that i want (the satellite system gradually began to lose the channels) i also use it for browsing you tube spanish lessons etc, and it has been an absolute bargain (only £80) and already i have had my moneys worth. hope this helps a little.