luke wrote:s_allard wrote:I believe in quality rather than quantity. Reading one 400-page book in Spanish about twice, including reading entire pages aloud to on-line tutors, did it for me. That one book contained nearly all the Spanish grammar and a huge chunk of the vocabulary that I ever needed. All the reading afterwards gave me more vocabulary.
Similarly, one telenovela that I studied in detail took my oral comprehension to another level. And then of course working with a tutor or conversation partner took my speaking skills over the top.
Very curious what that book or two you used for Spanish were.
And which telenovela?
I understand the specifics aren't going to be applicable to everyone, but knowing the specific book and telenovela do give some clues as to what worked for you. Obviously your genius and the tutor helped, but so did the book and telenovela.
Care to share?
Of course.The book was El seductor de la patria by Enriqiue Serra. It's actually 520 pages long and I have read it at least twice. It relates the life of Antonio López de Santa Anna, on and off president of Mexico, known for having signed away half of Mexico"s territory. Great writing. The telenovela that I enjoyed very much was Amar en tiempos revueltos.
https://www.rtve.es/television/amarentiemposrevueltos/videos-exclusivos/
I watched only the Séptima Temporada but word by word.