My Spanish Goals

The previous post on this blog was about measuring progress and learning from mistakes. I mentioned that I noticed some mistakes I was making in speech while we were in Panama, and that I plan on making a study plan to address those mistakes.  This post is that plan and the specific subjects I will address to improve in those areas.  

One of the first problems I noticed was making mistakes with the subjunctive tenses.  I plan on addressing this through reading and doing the exercises in the book The Spanish Subjunctive Up Close  by Eric Vogt.  I’ve read through this book before, but could certainly use a review, and doing the exercises may help train my brain to pick the proper tenses.   I will also try to incorporate the subjunctive into my speech with my wife more, and she is definitely not shy about letting me know when I’m wrong.      

Another issue that I feel I could use some reinforcement on is choosing the proper pronoun.  Most of the time I feel confident with pronouns, but I get confused sometimes with when to use “la” or “le”.  I plan on addressing these issues by reading and doing the exercises in the book Spanish Pronouns and Prepositions by Dorothy Richmond.  I don't feel this problem was quite as extensive as my problem with the subjunctive, so I think a little review will be all it takes to clear it up.       

One final issue I’d like to address with my Spanish is to add more natural transitions in speech.  This one is harder to quantify, but I want to utilize phrases like “a proposito” and “por cierto” more.  Even transition words like “bueno”, “pues”, and “así que”  will make my speech pattern more natural and closer to sounding like a native speaker.   This is just something  I will have to be mindful of when speaking, as I don’t have  books or exercises to do.   I also plan on writing a blog post about colloquial expressions in the near future, so I will observe natural  speech  more so than usual.   Compiling that info should be a great help to me, and hopefully to you all.      

I’m sure after I improve on these areas, new problems will creep up.  Learning a second language as an adult is a lifelong venture.  I’m just glad that it is something I enjoy, and it is truly the journey and not the destination that is the best part.    My Spanish has helped me make new friends, and develop better relationships with my family.  That makes all of it so worthwhile.   I hope your Spanish journey is as enjoyable for you as mine is for me!  

Progress

Progress and measurement

Sometimes progress feels hard to come by for foreign language learners, especially those who do not live in a country where their target language is spoken.  I have been fortunate to have an annual event to measure my Spanish progress, our yearly trip to visit my in-laws in Panama.  Thinking back on these trips gives me gratitude for my in-laws, who have been tremendously supportive of me in my Spanish learning, and grateful for the opportunity to travel and be immersed in the language and culture, which of course is very helpful!

When I think back to our first trip to Panama in 2007, I had just 2 semesters of college Spanish and some solo study under my belt.  With the in-laws I could greet and ask some basic questions, but I mostly relied on my wife for translation.  This was of course very tiring for her, and luckily through subsequent trips I have managed to attain fluency and no longer require someone to translate. 

The bulk of my learning happened at home: listening to Spanish podcasts, reading grammar and vocabulary books, enjoying Spanish media, and jumping on every opportunity to practice speaking.  I also had the incredible fortune of a mother in law who visited for 3 months after the births of our 2 daughters, and during these visits did not use her English.  Progress was hard for me to measure day by day, but our yearly trips created a great yardstick for comparison.  

This year, I received many compliments on my Spanish from our relatives in Panama.  I also felt that I incorporated natural and colloquial expressions into my speech.  I understood nearly everything and, with very few exceptions, almost never had to ask a speaker to repeat.   I also managed to note a lot of mistakes in my speech, most notably a lot of problems with subjunctive tenses.  I love mistakes, especially when I notice them, because that means I know what I need to work on, I’m already aware of a problem, and I know what resources I can turn to for improvement in that area (Book: Spanish Subjunctive Up Close).  

Now I know not every reader has the good fortune of being able to travel to Latin America frequently, but there are other annual events that could be used as a measuring stick for your Spanish learning.  A local Latin American festival is a great place to mingle and converse (If you are in Pittsburgh that could be the Latin American and Caribbean Festival at Pitt).  Many cities have Spanish language groups on Meetup.com.   Even a bi-monthly trip to your favorite Mexican restaurant or grocery store can be used to measure your progress, you might even get the confidence boost of a compliment from your waiter!  You’ll also notice the places you lack in your conversational skills, and will be able to make a study plan based on what you find.  Buena Suerte!         

Talking to strangers in a crowded elevator

Airport gates are not usually the place for lots of strangers jovially sharing stories, laughing out loud, and meeting new people. That's what I thought, anyway. Yet, I was surrounded by this scene, people seemed like they were in a bar, or at a party, and certainly not at an airport. Yes, I was at Miami international, in the United States waiting for my first flight to Latin America, but, No, these were not your usual business travellers. In our destination, at my inlaws' home, a friend from the USA’s father came to pick up some photos. After some chatting, he ended up staying for lunch. These interactions show how Latin American is more social and outgoing than the USA. For Spanish learners, this is great news! Many of the people who speak the language you wish to learn are social, outgoing, and used to chatting it up with strangers!

Cultural differences between the United States and Latin America are definitely present and knowledge of these differences can help you communicate better in Spanish. In Latin America people are approachable and responsive. Rest assured knowing that in Latin America you can say hello to strangers, it is even acceptable in a crowded elevator!      

Common Sense

Do what you do, but in Spanish!


The title pretty much says it all, and it may be obvious, but some people don’t think about these things. Many of the students I work with in the library lack practice partners and perceive this as a barricade to learning . Pittsburgh has a growing but very small Latino population. Even without native speakers you can learn and progress or maintain your Spanish. Just do what you usually do, but do it in Spanish (for intermediate learners)!

Reading is a great way to do this. I’ve always loved reading the news, but if I switch to reading the news in Spanish, I’m killing two birds with one stone. This may be laborious for the novice, who should probably read short articles with a dictionary handy. If you are not interested in the news there are Spanish websites about everything. Whether you like movies, gossip, sports, or business you can find reading material. (I’ll list some websites at the bottom of this post). Even children’s books are a great way to practice. Check to see if your local library has the Diario de Greg series (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) for some laughs!

Watching TV, like reading, builds language muscles. In my opinion watching tv may be even more valuable than reading. You can tune your ear to the language and become accustomed to different voices and accents. If you like soap operas you’ll love Spanish tv. If you don’t there are plenty of other options. Sabado Gigante is a variety show on Saturday nights that has segments ranging from singing contests, to comedy, and everything in between. Sports programming is something on almost all Spanish networks, so if you love sports you can learn some great sports vocabulary watching futbol or boxeo in Spanish. Often you can watch american programs in Spanish by going to the SAP option in your tv settings. Media isn’t the only way to practice, and you can actually practice with nothing but yourself and your own thoughts.

Thinking in Spanish is a great way to keep Spanish at the forefront of your mind. I know that noone is there to correct you and you very well may make errors, but that is okay. The benefit of keeping your vocabulary cycling through your thoughts is much more important than thinking perfectly correct grammar. Don’t commit to thinking in Spanish all of the time, that would be overwhelming! Just try to run through some things: Translating recent conversations you’ve had, recite what you’ll talk to your Spanish speaking friend at work about, even run through your imaginary grammy acceptance speech!

Our success in learning Spanish will be the direct result of our learning habits. For those of us who are past the beginner level, doing some of our regular activity in Spanish can help our Spanish progress or keep us from forgetting. Try out some of these approaches to see if any will fit your life! Feel free to share any Spanish websites you like to read!

Good Spanish Websites:

www.bbcmundo.com The BBC’s Spanish language site. Great coverage of Latin America and the world.
www.univision.com - Great news from Latin America and news relevant to Latinos in the United States, plus lots of great entertainment and music news.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Portada Wipedia’s web portal, if you want to learn about something you might as well do it in Spanish.

http://latino.msn.com/ - msn’s spanish content

Spanish learning product reviews

There are many products making claims that they can teach you a new language. Some are better than others. These are my thoughts on the pros and cons of several of the products I've had experience with:


Michel Thomas CD’s:

Pros: All audio, very natural teaching/learning style, learn very rapidly, learn grammar in a way that does not seem like learning grammar, courses go from beginner through to very advanced, focuses on correct structure, interactive, uses many mnemonics

Cons: Leaves out certain things like days of the week, numbers, and other vocabulary in favor of correct structure, you only hear one person speaking Spanish so you will not hear a variety of accents or regional differences




Pimsleur

Pros: All audio, drills material meticulously, teaches structure without grammar terms, interactive, learn basic and useful phrases fast, uses principle of ‘graduated interval recall’ to help brain remember more effectively

Cons: Very robotic speech that sometimes doesn’t follow the way people actually speak (ex. the Spanish course uses “Castellano” instead of “Español”), even the more advanced levels are not very advanced, focuses on most common vocabulary with lots of drilling so vocabulary building takes a long time. 





Mango Languages


Pros: Audio/Visual, mobile app, voice comparison, focus on core vocabulary, repetitive drills

Cons: Must be used with a device, progress is relatively slow, advanced levels are not very advanced.





Spanishpod.com

Pros: Very entertaining and knowledgeable hosts, covers every level from beginner to very advanced, multimedia content (mp3s, videos, and more), cultural content is covered very well, hosts and guests from all over the Spanish speaking world.

Cons: Not making new content, while the grammar explanations are good there is no real sense of progression.

Note: I have not checked out any other Spanish podcasts but do intend to give them a shot in the near future.

These are just my thoughts, and other folks may have different findings than me.  Please feel free to share any reviews or any products I should look into! 

Please feel free to share your thoughts on these products or any Spanish learning products you have used. I definitely plan on reviewing more products!

to....for....para.....por

Por and para are hard words to use correctly in Spanish. I think that using one in place of the other is one of the mistakes I make most frequently. Usually people understand when I make this mistake and sometimes they even correct me, like if I say “gracias para la ayuda (thanks for the help)” they’ll let me know the correct way to say it is “gracias por la ayuda”. Both words can mean “for” “to” and several other English words. So, is there any general, easy to learn rule for when to use which word? Not really, but there is a way of thinking about these words that can make it a little easier to choose the correct word!

“Para” can be thought of as an arrow pointing towards space, time, or a goal.“Por” can be thought of as the arrow moving through or alongside space, time, or a goal.

Para




If you say “vamos para el parque” you are saying “we are going to the park”, you can picture an arrow pointing towards the park. If you inserted “por” in this sentence, instead of “para”, it would mean we are going through the park “vamos por el parque”. This time you could imagine the arrow going through or around the park. “Por” can also mean your mode of travel, such as “vamos por carro” (we are going by car). If you said “vamos para el carro” it would mean “we are going to the car”. “Para” is also used for the final destination or recipient of an object. “tengo un regalo para ti” means “I have a gift for you”.



por







Using “para” in regards to time usually refers to deadlines or target dates. We can imagine an arrow pointing towards the date/time. “Tiene que prepararlo para el viernes” means “you need to prepare it by friday”. “Por” in regards to time can be thought of as during, or the arrow going through the time. “Trabajaban en ello por 4 días” could be thought of as “they worked on it for 4 days”. “Por” in regards to time is very similar to “durante” (during). “Trabajo por la tarde” would actually carry the same meaning as “trabajo durante la tarde” or “I work during the afternoon”.

This analogy does not work with all of the uses of these prepositions. “Por” can be used for referring to exchange “I’ll give you this apple for that orange” is “Le doy esta manzana por esa naranja”. “Por” is the “per” in “percent” and also used in multiplication 2 x2 is said “dos por dos”. Division is said “cuatro dividido por 2” (4 /2). “Para” is used when expressing a purpose. “ para ir a la playa necesita bloqueador” (for going to the beach you need sunblock).


In asking questions it can be difficult to know when to use para qué or por qué. If you want to know someone’s goal for being in a certain place you would say “para qué está aquí”. The answer could be “estoy aquí para visitar a un amigo” (I’m here to visit a friend). If you saw someone you knew in a hospital that was dressed in normal clothes and did not look like a patient you could ask them this. “Por qué” seeks the cause, so you may ask a sick person in a hospital “por qué está aquí”, which would be asking why the person is there as in what injury/illness is the cause.

These are just some of the uses of “por” and “para”. If anyone else has different ways of thinking about these concepts please feel free to share them.

ejemplos de “por” y “para”

gracias por el regalo (thanks for the gift)

le doy esta manzana por esa naranja (I’ll give you this apple for that orange)

tiene que tenerlo para el jueves (he has to have it by Thursday)

la comida es para ti (the food is for you)

gracias por la bebida (thanks for the drink)

How do you think about "por" and "para"?

Book: Alpha Teach Yourself Spanish in 24 Hours

Although I don’t think books are the best way for a beginner to start learning a language, Alpha Teach Yourself Spanish in 24 Hours is an easy to use guide to the basic concepts of Spanish grammar, pronunciation, usage, and overall language. Author Clark Zlotchew puts together a lot of information in his hour long lessons, complete with practice exercises in clear and easy to understand language with a lot of examples.

Zlotchew starts out, as one might expect, with the alphabet and Spanish pronunciation. He does a great job of explaining the sounds of Spanish vowels and consonants and the rules of accents and stress. He breaks down stress into 3 rules: If a words ends with a vowel, an s or a n then the stress is on the penultimate syllable (next to last). If a word ends with any consonant other than s or n the stress is on the last syllable. The last rule is that exceptions will carry a written accent mark. The language he uses to describe these rules is clear and simple and plenty of examples are provided.

The author spends a few chapters mixing indicative verbs with other topics, all the while intertwining vocabulary. I like his approach to mixing the vocabulary instruction with the grammar. Every indicative tense is covered ( preterite, imperfect, progressive, present, future, conditional). The next section does a fantastic job of covering the complicated Spanish subjunctive. Once again I must commend this book for taking a complex subject and breaking it down into simple language. This book helped me with my personal understanding of the subjunctive. Different units include cultural tips to help you betterunderstand the language and communicate. He also explains some vocabulary differences between Spain and Latin America, such as regional words for foods (ex. gambas in Spain and camarones in Latin America for shrimp).

While I’m not a fan of books for the beginning language learners, this book could certainly help someone who has basic pronunciation down. There is much to be gained, especially from the simple to understand grammar explanations.