So how long have you been studying your "new" language?

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by laepelba

No quiero lo que es más fácil. Quiero lo que me hará aprender más español.

También aprenderás. Y después al revés, del inglés al español

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Lou Ann: I think you shouldn't translate at all. Each language has its own structures and you can't have standard ways to pass from one to the other. The best thing is to learn how things are in your foreign language and try to start thinking in that language. (That's why I recommended you used only the Spanish-Spanish dictionary)

Btw... "estoy curiosa" sounds strange... I'd rather say "me da curiosidad".
"Ser curiosa" would mean you want to know about anything.

[irmamar]

I'd say "tengo curiosidad"

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by AngelicaDeAlquezar

@Lou Ann: I think you shouldn't translate at all. Each language has its own structures and you can't have standard ways to pass from one to the other. The best thing is to learn how things are in your foreign language and try to start thinking in that language. (That's why I recommended you used only the Spanish-Spanish dictionary)

Btw... "estoy curiosa" sounds strange... I'd rather say "me da curiosidad".
"Ser curiosa" would mean you want to know about anything.

Okay - that makes sense (sorry, Hernán....) ... but I'm looking for a "task" to complete, or some concrete activity that I'm working on that will give me a goal to shoot for. Can you help me think of something? I'm reading a book in Spanish and trying to read some Latin American news in Spanish ... and am going through my old Spanish textbook. But I want a "task". Your thoughts?

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

If you're reading the news, try reading them without a dictionary or looking for the words in the Spanish one. Then make a short paragraph about what the news is about and what you think of it. How about that?

[laepelba]

Sounds good. I'll try it.

[irmamar]

My teachers force me to translate from Spanish into English. Depending on my mistakes, I must study some grammar lesson. I think that it's a good method.

[laepelba]

Irmamar - Hernan, Malila and I have had an ongoing discussion about MY learning ... and the fact that I want to avoid mental translations of everything that I'm doing. Hernan does not agree with this, but I want to be able to think it in Spanish and say it in Spanish or to hear it in Spanish and know what it means without going through the English translation/equivalent. It's not that learning to translate (like you're doing) is bad ... it just doesn't match up with what I'm trying to do for my own learning right now. Your English is MUCH better than my Spanish, so it's appropriate for you to do that now.

[irmamar]

I didn't start learning English with translations, I'm doing it now. And I don't translate a short sentence, but long and complex ones. So, you must know how to divide a long sentence into shorter ones, to avoid confusion; and you must know as well the English construction sentences, to make a paragraph good enough in another language (English in my case).

But well, there are many ways of learning a language. I'm not saying that translation is the best way to learn it (in my opinion a good grammar basis is the best option), just a help to know your mistakes. A lot of exercises of different kind are necessary (in my opinion)

Y todo esto, con mi inglés "de andar por casa".

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by irmamar

I didn't start learning English with translations, I'm doing it now. And I don't translate a short sentence, but long and complex ones. So, you must know how to divide a long sentence into shorter ones, to avoid confusion; and you must know as well the English construction sentences, to make a paragraph good enough in another language (English in my case).

But well, there are many ways of learning a language. I'm not saying that translation is the best way to learn it (in my opinion a good grammar basis is the best option), just a help to know your mistakes. A lot of exercises of different kind are necessary (in my opinion)

Y todo esto, con mi inglés "de andar por casa".

Y mi español también.

Si - hay muchas maneras para aprender una otra idioma. Ya sabes que yo leo libros en español, escribo en los foros, leo comicos en español, hablo con mis estudiantes y algunas amigas en español, escucho a las noticias en español, y algunas otras maneras. Pero de ninguna manera tengo un objectivo firme. Busco a tarea con un objectivo firme.....

[pjt33]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Ya sabes que yo leo libros en español

¿Por qué no intentas organizar (o encontrar) un club de lectura en español? Parece que hay hispanohablantes en tu ciudad. Si lo consigues, primero te das una tarea de comprensión (no basta con leer el libro, sino tienes que poder hablar de ello), y segundo te expones a literatura distinta de la que habrías escogido tú (porque para los gustos, colores).

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by pjt33

¿Por qué no intentas organizar (o encontrar) un club de lectura en español? Parece que hay hispanohablantes en tu ciudad. Si lo consigues, primero te das una tarea de comprensión (no basta con leer el libro, sino tienes que poder hablar de ello), y segundo te expones a literatura distinta de la que habrías escogido tú (porque para los gustos, colores).

Mi español aún no es lo suficientemente bueno para eso. Los libros que leo son libros de los niños o sobre acontecimientos de actualidad. (Por ejemplo "Harry Potter" y "Tierra de Todos".) No estoy lista para "literatura" todavía. Tal vez algun día.....

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Mi español aún no es lo suficientemente bueno para eso. Los libros que leo son libros de los niños o sobre acontecimientos de actualidad. (Por ejemplo "Harry Potter" y "Tierra de Todos".) No estoy lista para "literatura" todavía. Tal vez algun día.....

Why do you not try with news and the movies without translation?

I believe that it could help you something.

I've made it and well just I have learnt a lot.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

Why do you not try with news and the movies without translation?

I believe that it could help you something.

I've made it and well just I have learnt a lot.

Right - I'm already doing that. I want something more concrete and directed ... task/goal-oriented.

[CrOtALiTo]

Yes, I think that you most to place a goal in your learning, because it's very important when you're learning something, nor a language can beat you and anything more, I think that well, you read books if you have the time of course, if you haven't time for the work or for the family, then you can continue posting here in this place, that precisely this place has helped me a lot during my learning in the English, when I arrived to this place, at most not I knew any about the language, but with the pass of the time, I have understood and learnt the correct usage of the language.

Now you can enter to places where you can get a talk with someone in the language you prefer.

Have fun.

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by laepelba

Y mi español también.

Si - hay muchas maneras para aprender una otra idioma (otro idioma: not all nouns ending in -a are feminine). Ya sabes que yo leo libros en español, escribo en los foros, leo comicos (cómics) en español, hablo con mis estudiantes y algunas amigas en español, escucho a las noticias en español, y algunas otras maneras. Pero de ninguna manera tengo un objectivo firme. Busco una tarea con un objectivo firme.....

So, studying grammar could be your objective (it's the basis). Well, it's just an opinion.

[laepelba]

Originally Posted by irmamar

So, studying grammar could be your objective (it's the basis). Well, it's just an opinion.

"otro idioma" - I knew that. Doh! Like programa, tema, mapa, etc.....

Yes, studying grammar is definitely my objective. Unfortunately, for me, not having a systematic approach to it (like I would if I were to take a course), I feel like I'm wandering aimlessly. I'll pick up little tidbits here and there, but I don't have a specific path laid out for me to traverse. To say "studying grammar" is an objective isn't concrete enough. I suppose I'm looking for specific "assignments".

Yes, yes, yes - I ought to take a course (or two or three....) ... but right now, fitting that into my schedule is difficult. But I must consider doing so.....

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by laepelba

"otro idioma" - I knew that. Doh! Like programa, tema, mapa, etc.....

Yes, studying grammar is definitely my objective. Unfortunately, for me, not having a systematic approach to it (like I would if I were to take a course), I feel like I'm wandering aimlessly. I'll pick up little tidbits here and there, but I don't have a specific path laid out for me to traverse. To say "studying grammar" is an objective isn't concrete enough. I suppose I'm looking for specific "assignments".

Yes, yes, yes - I ought to take a course (or two or three....) ... but right now, fitting that into my schedule is difficult. But I must consider doing so.....

I want to give my own opinion personal, sometimes also I'm wandering with the study in the English it's because the time sometimes doesn't enough, and well, the work the house the children are the motive of the sometimes the people doesn't complete the goal or grate that they should to have, but well just if you like the language in a little times that you can have, I think that times is enough for practice and continue with the learning of the language.

In my case, when I started the learning with my brother, already he study the languages career, he tough me the language in the basic only, later by his works, I couldn't continue keep taking the lesson with him, then I met a girl that told me about this site, and well just since I entered to this place, I have could learn a lot the language although sometimes my language is very poor or basic, I have followed the advices of severals people, and well I try to using them, but when someone is alone in the road, really it turn to be hard for the new words or the English slangs used for the people, but even so I continue with my study, I like read the post, I like that everything in my around are in English either as in the computer as in the cellphone, until the news, but well, here I continue giving headache to the people, I'm sorry for that.


Sincerely yours.

Have fun.

[danny]

i try to think in spanish but it is hard. plus i think im learning 3 different versions at once which confuses me.

but things like this is what i really want to learn.....

"estoy curiosa" sounds strange... I'd rather say "me da curiosidad".
"Ser curiosa" would mean you want to know about anything.

so i dont sound funny talking in it. i only know words really and putting the words together in a sentence sometimes makes no sense. so im told.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by danny

but things like this is what i really want to learn.....

"estoy curiosa" sounds strange... I'd rather say "me da curiosidad".

Because in English is: I am curious and in Spanish would be it "gives" me curiosity.

"Ser curiosa" would mean you want to know about anything.

Right. In English: To be curious.