A language learners’ forum

NoManches wrote: [...] https://www.youtube.com/user/alanxelmundo/featured

Basically, this Mexican guy named Alan travels the world and puts everything on YouTube. I just watched a clip of him in Thailand (a place I have been to before and could relate to). I'm currently watching a video he made of him in Durango, Mexico. He happens to be with Fernanda Castillo for this episode, which is awesome because I'm a huge fan of hers from El Señor de Los Cielos.

I hope you find the channel enjoyable! I find that he is very easy to understand and it is great practice for my comprehension.

After watching this, and a couple other of Alan's videos, I have the feeling that in the distant future I'll have you both to thank when trying to learn some random language I had, until then, never anticipated learning.

Thanks for Sharing!

I have another YouTube channel that I need to share. This woman (named Holly) is a gringa who basically grew up in Mexico. She speaks perfect English and PERFECT Spanish (at least to my non native ears she speaks perfect Spanish).

I'm sharing this channel because it seems like for every video she makes in English or Spanish, she makes an identical one in the other language. For those who are a beginner or intermediate I think a great way to work on listening comprehension would be to watch a video in English and then watch the Spanish equivalent right after. I did this and was able to watch the Spanish version with close to 100% accuracy after watching the English version.

A few of her videos focus on the Spanish language and her experiences growing up as a "gringa" in Mexican schools.

I recommend watching this video first (the English version): https://youtu.be/swnOlUVXytY

After, watch the Spanish version:
https://youtu.be/L98nlrGDYF0?list=PLhj8 ... dalSITbkbD


I'm not too interested in most of the things on her channel but there are about 10 videos I plan on watching. I hope others find her material interesting because I see this as an awesome way of working on your Spanish.

Hello Spanish Group!

Does anybody know of any online forums or guides for telenovelas?

I believe iguanamon (or was it somebody else) mentioned that forums/guides for telenovelas exist and can be helpful for watching Spanish television.

I'm currently watching Ingobernable and I am absolutely hooked! I'm on episode 7, have little trouble comprehending the show, and can't stop watching it! There are a few things I'm curious about and I think an episode guide or forum could help me out. Also, if a forum for El Senor de los Cielos exists that would be helpful too!

For anybody who hasn't watched this show yet, it is a "must see". I highly recommend it, especially if you use the "audio description" feature which a a few people have mentioned before.

Just a quick anecdotal comment. Upon a recommendation from an astute colleague of mine, last night I watched The Thirteenth Warrior with Antonio Banderas (dubbed poorly in Spanish of course). There is a brief scene at the beginning of the movie where Banderas learns the language of the other twelve warriors simply by listening to campfire discussions. It reminded me a little bit of the road we travel so often here on the forums. We he first spoke, he was hesitant as we might expect, but essentially nailed the grammar and pronunciation after a lot of listening. I think it was rather a flop in the theater, but that one scene was worth watching for motivational purposes.

NoManches wrote:Does anybody know of any online forums or guides for telenovelas?

I have always been a fan of general vbulletin style forums. Something like foroparalelo.com for example might be a start. I'd imagine that there are 100's of similar forums. At the risk of entering the zoo, something like taringa or reddit might have links to really good reviews.

What's the translation of the phrase "El que sabe, sabe"? At first I thought it was something like "Obviously" or "Well, duh!" but now I'm not so sure.

Hank wrote:What's the translation of the phrase "El que sabe, sabe"? At first I thought it was something like "Obviously" or "Well, duh!" but now I'm not so sure.

It's a Mexican saying, literally - "he who kows, knows." Often used as a gestural to suggest the in-group, versus the out-group. It may be a shortening from "el que sabe no habla, el que habla no sabe". Usually said in a joking tone to mean he or she knows what's up.

A resource that I have not seen mentioned is Practica Español, a collaborative effort of EFE and Cervantes Institute.
http://www.practicaespanol.com/noticias-en-practica-espanol/.

Besides the Noticias tab there is also Vocabulario, Gramática, Música, and Maestro SPOT tabs with articles.
Most articles are tagged with the level A1-C2 except the grammar section. I think most are B2, B1, A2. At the end of the article may be one or more quiz such as A1 - We Conjugate, A2 - Vocabulary, B1- listening, etc.
At the end of some articles are pdf´s of vocab. or transcriptions, etc.

See this page for intro.: http://www.practicaespanol.com/bienvenido-a-practica-espanol-2/

You may subscribe and receive a daily email with link(s) to the recent articles.

I know we have a thread dedicated to this in the Spanish sub-forum, but I feel like we need to breathe a bit of life into this study group/resource collection so I thought I would ask the question here.

What are you all reading in Spanish right now?

I am looking for something short, ligero and, if possible, amusing to read and nothing I have in my to be read pile seems to fit the bill.

Most of what I read in Spanish are novels. Right now, I'm reading La última página by Laura Martínez Belli- definitely not light and not funny. I know you've recently finished 1984 in Spanish, so I definitely get the need for something light.

I've been enjoying leisurely going through Con dos huevos, a hilariously illustrated little book about Spanish (Spain) idioms with translations in French and English. Very light and good for, as James29 describes, as a "beach book"- easy to pick up, drop and come back to when you want.

.

I've read several comics by Àlex Roca and Andrés Palomino. I really enjoyed ¿Dónde está el guionista?. It's available through Abe Books UK but, well, not cheap. Perhaps you can find it cheaper elsewhere. Lektu.com has several of Andrés Palomino's works available in e-format (pdf for tablet/phone) for very low prices. I quite liked "Soy friki y tengo novia".