Thinking on giving up Spanish

[Liquinn3]

Originally Posted by Villa

Te entiendo perfectamente bien amigo mio. Lo importante es practicar.
¿Tu entiendes lo que me escribes?
Yo siempre voy por un masaje de todo el cuerpo y los pies.
Cuesta caro pero vale la pena.

Ve a los tiendas de libros usados para encontrar libros en español usados y baratos.

Practicar es muy importante; me gusta hablar español mas que escribir español xD. Buneo y fantastico, muchas gracias; creo que escribir un idioma es mas difícil. Espanol es muy difícil para mi. ¿Prefiere Inglés o español? :3 ¿Dónde vives? ¿Qué te gusta hacer? ^_^ ¿Tu entiendes lo que me escribes? Me gustan los masajes. ^_^ Hoy es mi cumpleaños. :P Un beso Me gusta su escritura español. Que tengas un buen día.

[Villa]

Originally Posted by Liquinn3

Practicar es muy importante; me gusta hablar español mas que escribir español xD. Buneo y fantastico, muchas gracias; creo que escribir un idioma es mas difícil. Espanol es muy difícil para mi. ¿Prefiere Inglés o español? :3 ¿Dónde vives? ¿Qué te gusta hacer? ^_^ ¿Tu entiendes lo que me escribes? Me gustan los masajes. ^_^ Hoy es mi cumpleaños. :P Un beso Me gusta su escritura español. Que tengas un buen día.

¿Hoy es tu cumpleaños? Me recuerdas de un dicho Mexicano.
El perico dice lo que sabe pero no sabe lo que dice.

[Liquinn3]

Originally Posted by Villa

¿Hoy es tu cumpleaños? Me recuerdas de un dicho Mexicano.
El perico dice lo que sabe pero no sabe lo que dice.

Hola, quiero ir a Mexico en vacaciones pero en abril voy a España/Barcelona con mi madre; ayer compre un libro de español xD . Como estas?

[Villa]

Originally Posted by Liquinn3

Hola, quiero ir a Mexico en vacaciones pero en abril voy a España/Barcelona con mi madre; ayer compre un libro de español xD . Como estas?

Te felicito por tu viaje en España/Barcelona. Acabo de ver una película hecho en Barcelona. Estan hablando mas catalan que español. Puedo entender mas o menos porque hablo español, italiano y tambien portuguese.

[ElPecas]

You may never "go to" the language, but the language can come to you. By knowing Spanish, you can fully enjoy television, literature, and film that is in the Spanish language.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by ElPecas

By knowing Spanish, you can fully enjoy television, literature, and film that is in the Spanish language.

True. Have you by any chance seen Spanish TV (I mean in Spain)? I try to watch, but have not found a single thing which was not total rubbish. That or badly dubbed American films. Hardly an incentive to learn Spanish.

[chileno]

Originally Posted by Perikles

True. Have you by any chance seen Spanish TV (I mean in Spain)? I try to watch, but have not found a single thing which was not total rubbish. That or badly dubbed American films. Hardly an incentive to learn Spanish.

That might be totally true, however, I have seen similar behavior from people who resist the thought of changing... call it nationalism or whatever else.

[Premium]

Originally Posted by Perikles

True. Have you by any chance seen Spanish TV (I mean in Spain)? I try to watch, but have not found a single thing which was not total rubbish. That or badly dubbed American films. Hardly an incentive to learn Spanish.

Isn't there a single TV-series that is worth watching? Not dubbed, though.

[poli]

No estoy completamente de acuerdo con Perikles en este caso. He visto varios documentales que cubren sus asuntos en detaille que casi no se ve en programas semejantes anglos.

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by Premium

Isn't there a single TV-series that is worth watching? Not dubbed, though.

I haven't found one yet, although I've been looking for years. It is complete and utter rubbish. It's made particularly bad by the insensitive timing of advertisements, very often in the middle of, say, a car chase or some more-then-romantic bedroom scene. What happens is that there are advertisements at regular intervals which last for an increasing time, and almost at the end of a programme there is such a long advertisement slot of indeterminate length, with previews of future programmes, that you never know when the programme has re-started or it's just another advert. Or back to the car chase with no warning.

It's no good changing channels either because all the advertisements are on all (most) channels simultaneously. The advertisments are all for new cars which nobody in Spain can afford, or perfume.

In fact, very often the programme is so boring that during the advertisement break I have forgotten what I was supposed to be watching. I can honestly say that I have never seen the end of any programme.

[/rant]

Edit: There may be some, as Poli claims, but no mechanism I know of for finding out what or when.

[poli]

It's exclusively TVE. They are very intelligent, intelligible and thorough. As Perikles notes, they are very sporatic, and I think there is less now than before. I assume it's because of budget cuts.

[chileno]

Wait, same thing happens in the US. Maybe the US is copying from Spain's TVE ??

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by poli

It's exclusively TVE. They are very intelligent, intelligible and thorough.

Oh, another thing. I have now and again come across these kinds of programmes. But they drive me nuts. Why? Because when there is a commentary it is always (in my experience) accompanied by vile background music which is so loud, you can't hear what is being said. I have formed the opinion that Spanish people cannot actually understand anything unless there is deafening background noise: it seems not only natural, but an actual requirement.

[Liquinn3]

Anyone watch 13tv?

[poli]

I get TVE interncacional. I think they are on their best behavior for outlanders, and sometimes there's very informative coverage without loud music. I like Saber y Ganar too. I can figure out the asweres sometimes, but I have to concentrate hard to understand.

[Villa]

Recomiendo a todos que estan tratando de aprender español para mirar la televisión en español. Si no estás mirando la televisión en español estás perdiendo el mejor y mas facil manera de aprender el idioma español.
Empecé a ver la televisión en español hace muchos años, cuando empecé a aprender español. Descubrí rápidamente que estaba aprendiendo español muchas veces más rápido con la televisión en español que solo hablar con personas en español. Con las telenovelas en español aprendiamo todas las palabras españolas que se tratan de todas las emociones humanas. También existe esa conexión cultural entre las personas que ven la misma televisión en español.

Aquí en California hay muchos canales de televisión en español. A veces vuelvo a TV in inglés durante las pausas comerical en la televisión en español. Los programas de TV in inglés se tratan mucho de asesinatos, torturas y así sucesivamente.
Tambien mira las noticias en español.

[Liquinn3]

Originally Posted by Villa

Recomiendo a todos que estan tratando de aprender español para mirar la televisión en español. Si no estás mirando la televisión en español estás perdiendo el mejor y mas facil manera de aprender el idioma español.
Empecé a ver la televisión en español hace muchos años, cuando empecé a aprender español. Descubrí rápidamente que estaba aprendiendo español muchas veces más rápido con la televisión en español que solo hablar con personas en español. Con las telenovelas en español aprendiamo todas las palabras españolas que se tratan de todas las emociones humanas. También existe esa conexión cultural entre las personas que ven la misma televisión en español.

Aquí en California hay muchos canales de televisión en español. A veces vuelvo a TV in inglés durante las pausas comerical en la televisión en español. Los programas de TV in inglés se tratan mucho de asesinatos, torturas y así sucesivamente.
Tambien mira las noticias en español.

Yup, I try and speak/listen/read and write as much as possible; how long have you been learning Spanish now? Also, your writing is much bettr than mine xD. My writing will get better in time.

[Villa]

Originally Posted by Liquinn3

Yup, I try and speak/listen/read and write as much as possible; how long have you been learning Spanish now? Also, your writing is much bettr than mine xD. My writing will get better in time.

Your writing in your second language is only as good as your writing in your first language. Also you can improve your first language writing by writing in your second language and visa versa. Does that make sense? Mark Twain or somebody said you only really learn well your own native language well when you learn a second language. Also since Spanish is a Latin language we improve our English vocabulary by studying Spanish. 60% of English vocabulary comes from the Latin language. The mayoria of high level English vocabulary comes from Latin and Greek and of course the Greek words come to us through Latin words. Remember the Romans who spoke Latin were really Greco Romanos. 12% of English words are from Greek. Greek that comes to us through Latin. So if 12% of English words are from Greek then even a higher percent of Spanish words are Greek. Greek that came through Latin once again. The Romans were in Spain for 640 years. The Spanish became Romans back then. Latin the language of the Romans was spoken in Spain for 860 years before it became Spanish.

I have been studying/speaking Spanish for a long time. Married a Spanish speaker and we only speak Spanish at home.

[Liquinn3]

Originally Posted by Villa

Your writing in your second language is only as good as your writing in your first language. Also you can improve your first language writing by writing in your second language and visa versa. Does that make sense? Mark Twain or somebody said you only really learn your own native language well when you learn a second language. Also sence Spanish is a Latin language we improve our English vocabulary by studying Spanish. 60% of English vocabulary comes from the Latin language. The mayoria of high level English vocabulary comes from Latin and Greek and of course the Greek words come to us through Latin words. Remember the Romans who spoke Latin were really Greco Romanos. 12% of English words are from Greek. Greek that comes to us through Latin. So if 12% of English words are from Greek then even a higher percent of Spanish words are Greek. Greek that came through Latin once again. The Romans were in Spain for 640 years. The Spanish became Romans back then. Latin the language of the Romans was spoken in Spain for 860 years before it became Spanish.

I have been studying/speaking Spanish for a long time. Married a Spanish speaker and we only speak Spanish at home.

I guess that shows me it's possible to be good at Spanish without moving to the country or being in the country.

For me, it's getting the chance to speak to natives; I'll be going to the cafe soon to speak it to them.

[Villa]

Originally Posted by Liquinn3

I guess that shows me it's possible to be good at Spanish without moving to the country or being in the country.

For me, it's getting the chance to speak to natives; I'll be going to the cafe soon to speak it to them.

Of course it is possible to learn another language without living in another country. Do you get Spanish TV where you live? Radio in Spanish? You live in Britain, correct? Also get Spanish writing pen pals. Make flash cards with your Spanish vocabulary. Write Spanish vocabulary words on your mirrors in your house. Use the erasable markers. Talk to anybody and everybody in Spanish.
So there are Spanish speakers at the cafe? Make friends with them. Get their e-mail addresses. Invite on the forum. Ask them how to say things in Spanish. Record them talking. My phone has a recorder. How about yours?

So you are not going to give up on Spanish anymore?