Listening

[irmamar]

Pablo, would you mind to explain to me what is "an English script and a glossary for hard"?

And I don't understand that "bugaboo" words. Is "to" a bugaboo word? ¿Una pesadilla?

Thanks.

[laepelba]

First of all, when I try to watch the Spanish version of Sesame Street ("Plaza Sesamo", for very small children, "pre-readers"), I understand almost nothing at all! But when I try to watch Spanish noticias, I understand a lot more. Go figure! It doesn't make sense to me, but it is what it is....

Anyway, if you're looking for English audio books read with a British accent, may I recommend the Harry Potter series? The reader is a British actor named Jim Dale, and he does a FABULOUS job. It's very entertaining, and I've found myself engrossed in the stories. If you don't know the stories, I will swear to you that they don't have the "feel" of children's novels, even though that is their intended audience. I don't usually like fantasy novels or children's literature, but love the Harry Potter books. See if you can't find a copy of the first one (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone).....

[JPablo]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Pablo, would you mind to explain to me what is "an English script and a glossary for hard"?

And I don't understand that "bugaboo" words. Is "to" a bugaboo word? ¿Una pesadilla?

Thanks.

Oops! Sorry for not being clear... (I should have used hyphens, or quotation marks.)

"Hard-to-find-words" = words you cannot find in common dictionaries, may be specialized for the subject you are dealing with.

Yup, you could say "pesadillas" or "palabras-coco" (que causan terror... por lo difíciles de traducir...)
I don't know "tintinabulation" or some such... (maybe that is an easy one.) (Tintinabulation means when two metal things are banging to gether. Like those wind chimes are making tintinabulation!)


@Lou Ann, I fully agree with you (re: Harry Potter) Jim Dale is just AWESOME! (I had listened the Castilian version of the first book by a Castilian actor, also very, very good... with a very polished style, doing all of the different characters just perfect (published by "Salamandra" Editions, if my memory is right). Then I listened to Jim Dale, and he is just a master. He is so good, you forget you were listening to the thing to "learn English". That is simply "a given", as you are going to practice, no doubt, but you (or at least me and Lou Ann) get engrossed into the story... no kidding!

[irmamar]

Thanks, Pablo. Although I don't understand what is "for hard" yet.

Thanks Lou Ann for your advice, but I can't put up with Harry Potter. Once I tried to read a book in Spanish and I couldn't go on after the fifth page

Lastly I've found a page, librivox, where people offer as volunteer to read a book of public domain. You can find the text anywhere, since it's public. I myself I've thought of offering to be a volunteer for Spanish books (but I don't have enough time ). The worse is that they (the readers, I mean) don't say what accent they have.

[JPablo]

Well, "for hard" it is "hard to understand... but if you try in context, and read my rough translation... that my shed some light...

having an English script and a glossary for hard-to-find words, and that helped me...

...tener un guión en inglés y un glosario para palabras difíciles de encontrar, y eso me ayudó...

(If you don't take Harry Potter... I would look for any word or symbol you misunderstood before the fifth page...) But other professionally recorded books, are highly advisable...

[irmamar]

Thanks, Pablo.

And well, I don't like that stories about wizards and such things. I prefer another themes. I find mistery stories interesting, for instance. But I can't find interesting H.P. stories (these initials remind me H. P. Lovecraft, who I like much more).

[Perikles]

Here is a nice piece of practice listening to English (I think). It is a short film about the life of the artist Paul Gauguin, and the script is extracts taken from his diary. You should maximise the picture to be able to read some text, and remember that Vincent van Gogh is the crazy painter, but Theo van Gogh is an art dealer.

The subject matter and vocabulary are not easy, but it is spoken very slowly and clearly. I shall test you all on it later.....

[irmamar]

Glupsss...

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by irmamar

Glupsss...

A little more difficult than Geronimo Stilton

[irmamar]

I agree. But let me find a video with an accent that I know and you guess...