Need to go from A0-->B1 Spanish in a few weeks

[Le Baron]

That's a bizarre reply. 85% of it is a default to the story of your personal dissatisfaction and view that you've been cheated, by dint of being born in central Europe, of getting what all other people supposedly have dished up for free and don't have to make any effort for. I've heard it and I'm bored of hearing how everyone is privileged if they don't agree with certain views predicated upon a desire to achieve an outcome.

We all face barriers, I come from a dirt poor family who had no carpets, no fridge, no car, no money for shoes, less to eat than we should have, and dole money outlay under Thatcher of £11.50 a week. And I wasn't alone. So knock this off please. You have a medical degree, which is a lot more than lots of other equally talented people are able to garner in their lifetimes. I was blocked in my path too. Many are.

A0 to A2 is pretty far away from B1. I have not followed that progress, so I can't accurately comment upon it. Is it a self-assessed CEFR level or an exam? Is it in all four areas?

[Cavesa]

That's a bizarre reply. 85% of it is a default to the story of your personal dissatisfaction and view that you've been cheated, by dint of being born in central Europe, of getting what all other people supposedly have dished up for free and don't have to make any effort for. I've heard it and I'm bored of hearing how everyone is privileged if they don't agree with certain views predicated upon a desire to achieve an outcome. We all face barriers, I come from a dirt poor family who had no carpets, no fridge, no car, no money for shoes, less to eat than we should have, and dole money outlay under Thatcher of £11.50 a week. And I wasn't alone. So knock this off please. You have a medical degree, which is a lot more than lots of other talented people are able to garner in their lifetimes. I was blocked in my path too. Many are.

A0 to A2 is pretty far away from B1. I have not followed that progress, so I can't accurately comment upon it. Is it a self-assessed CEFR level or an exam? Is in all four areas?

There is nothing bizzarre about it, it's just an example of a situation, that pushes people to learn very quickly. I am not unique by far.

I made such a progress before on other occassions too. From A1 to B1/B2 Spanish in less than 2 months, that was in 2014 (no certificat, but a month long real life "test" just in Spanish). From A1ish English to B1/B2 over the summer in 2004 or 2005. This time, my sister had to pass a rather harsh school exam at A2 (when I looked at the sample Goethe Zertifikat B1 videos, I think the least good passing candidates were at approximately the same level, but of course the really good ones were much better and she definitely wouldn't pass writing).

I have a medical degree, that is worthless without a career abroad. I was born to a shitty country, where a doctor earns less than a supermarket cashier and has much less freedom and much less respect. But it's not just the doctors, who struggle, many people are in a similar situation. Stop invalidating the most common motivation of serious learners: improving one's quality of life. If you are tired of hearing how privileged you are, then perhaps you need to hear it some more, to really learn your lesson.

You were poor, that was a barrier, that's a barrier anywhere. But your nationality has never made you target of discrimination and prejudice, you had access to universities with international reputation (there is not a single one in my country), you had all the opportunities so easily accessible to the native English speakers. So, that's why your logic is flawed, you mistake not having had one kind of privilege for not having had any privilege.

That's why you clearly struggle to understand why many people need to learn languages fast. Your language and nationality has never damaged you, and you lack empathy.

Really, I think it is much more valuable to discuss how to make fast progress, to serve the learners really in need of this. There is no use in pretending everyone needs such fast progress, or can do it. But generalising and pretending it is just foolish and bound to failure, that is useless and arrogant.

[Le Baron]

You were poor, that was a barrier, that's a barrier anywhere. But your nationality has never made you target of discrimination and prejudice, you had access to universities with international reputation (there is not a single one in my country), you had all the opportunities so easily accessible to the native English speakers. So, that's why your logic is flawed, you mistake not having had one kind of privilege for not having had any privilege.

That's why you clearly struggle to understand why many people need to learn languages fast. Your language and nationality has never damaged you, and you lack empathy.

My nationality? Do you think this overrides e.g. class prejudice? Ability to pay in a monetary economy? Which I know well. Or position? Do you really think just because a university with an international reputation exists, that I have 'access' to it? These places are exclusive to all kinds. I can assure you that all English native speakers are not running about reaping benefits because of it. In fact many, being monolingual are handicapped in all kinds of jobs and opportunities. Which is why this line of argument is not only tiresome, but so gravely invalid. You've just met the few.
Do you think e.g. some African kid who has scraped an education, but speaks English natively for ex-colonial reasons, has an advantage over you?

My nationality is damaging me right now under Brexit, where I'm now limited by legal decree to one country where I don't even have voting rights. Are you suffering that? My great privilege. Speaking English confers no special benefits in daily life to me here.

Please don't tell me I 'lack empathy' because I reject a personally-motivated argument. It's disingenuous.

[AllSubNoDub]

That's a bizarre reply. 85% of it is a default to the story of your personal dissatisfaction and view that you've been cheated, by dint of being born in central Europe, of getting what all other people supposedly have dished up for free and don't have to make any effort for. I've heard it and I'm bored of hearing how everyone is privileged if they don't agree with certain views predicated upon a desire to achieve an outcome. We all face barriers, I come from a dirt poor family who had no carpets, no fridge, no car, no money for shoes, less to eat than we should have, and dole money outlay under Thatcher of £11.50 a week. And I wasn't alone. So knock this off please. You have a medical degree, which is a lot more than lots of other talented people are able to garner in their lifetimes. I was blocked in my path too. Many are.

A0 to A2 is pretty far away from B1. I have not followed that progress, so I can't accurately comment upon it. Is it a self-assessed CEFR level or an exam? Is in all four areas?

There is nothing bizzarre about it, it's just an example of a situation, that pushes people to learn very quickly. I am not unique by far.

I made such a progress before on other occassions too. From A1 to B1/B2 Spanish in less than 2 months, that was in 2014 (no certificat, but a month long real life "test" just in Spanish). From A1ish English to B1/B2 over the summer in 2004 or 2005. This time, my sister had to pass a rather harsh school exam at A2 (when I looked at the sample Goethe Zertifikat B1 videos, I think the least good passing candidates were at approximately the same level, but of course the really good ones were much better and she definitely wouldn't pass writing).

I have a medical degree, that is worthless without a career abroad. I was born to a shitty country, where a doctor earns less than a supermarket cashier and has much less freedom and much less respect. But it's not just the doctors, who struggle, many people are in a similar situation. Stop invalidating the most common motivation of serious learners: improving one's quality of life. If you are tired of hearing how privileged you are, then perhaps you need to hear it some more, to really learn your lesson.

You were poor, that was a barrier, that's a barrier anywhere. But your nationality has never made you target of discrimination and prejudice, you had access to universities with international reputation (there is not a single one in my country), you had all the opportunities so easily accessible to the native English speakers. So, that's why your logic is flawed, you mistake not having had one kind of privilege for not having had any privilege.

That's why you clearly struggle to understand why many people need to learn languages fast. Your language and nationality has never damaged you, and you lack empathy.

Really, I think it is much more valuable to discuss how to make fast progress, to serve the learners really in need of this. There is no use in pretending everyone needs such fast progress, or can do it. But generalising and pretending it is just foolish and bound to failure, that is useless and arrogant.

I have noticed in many of your posts you push the envelope in terms of civil discourse and the rules of this forum. I'm not sure why you're so angry. I hope life gets better for you. I can tell you that you have a very warped idea about the lives and tribulations that many English speakers face, especially those from immigrant families who are second class citizens.

You make it sound as though your very life is in danger. If that's the case, then you don't need to reach a B2. If that's not the case, then you don't need to do it in 2 months.

[Cavesa]

No wonder the anglophones cannot understand. While my life is not in immediate danger, my whole future is, everything I sacrificed so much for (and yes, it did put my life in danger). Just yesterday, I was again refused equal selection conditions just based on a second rate nationality, the institution doesn't even hide the discrimination. There is no point in further discussing this. And how can you even dare to complain about Brexit? The victims are the central europeans, who were both verbally and physically attacked by brits in the times around Brexit (always without punishment), or all the EU people losing their careers and plans in the UK in spite of being clearly superior to locals at their jobs (or at least more willing to work). The people staiyng in the UK are not the victims. You are a part of the problem.

Do you think e.g. some African kid who has scraped an education, but speaks English natively for ex-colonial reasons, has an advantage over you?

Such a kid gets immediately residency, appartment, and money in Belgium. I know, a friend of mine teaches them French. I am treated like shit by local institutions instead.

Just keep thinking that fast progress in langauges is not important for anybody, instead of having a useful discussion. But please, don't present your nonsense as if it was universal truth. Many people might actually believe you.

If anyone wants to discuss how to make intensive progress in languages, there are other and more useful threads (including my log actually).

[Iversen]

The tone of this thread has become more and more personal and acrimoneous. Wearing my moderator hat, I have to ask people to stop that line of discussion.

[Le Baron]

I said what needed to be said and clearly I'm not alone in that view. Since it's up there in black and white for anyone to read, any conclusion that I drove it that way is in the realm of fantasy.

[s_allard]

The tone of this thread has become more and more personal and acrimoneous. Wearing my moderator hat, I have to ask people to stop that line of discussion.

Pardon me if I chuckle a bit. As someone who has been often involved in some of these discussions that have descended into mudslinging and shouting - and often with the usual suspects - , I have to say that it is a rather unfortunate spectacle to see such nastiness in the polyglot community.

[Aloyse]

The B1 DELE exam dates are very late November, 14 weeks away.

Huh.
As a native French speaker who learnt Spanish in secondary school, I ended up with a level around B1 overall (ODA >3 in reading a few years ago even though I forgot a lot since my school years).

(Very generously) assuming 1h of homework for each hour in the classroom and a 36 week schoolyear:
4e, 3e: 2x(3h+3h)x36
2e, 1e, Tle: 3x(2h+2h)x36
1 year of prépa: 1x(1h+1h)x36
Total: 936h

That's about 13 to 14 weeks of studying 10h per day everyday.
Nowadays, with a private teacher and online media, I think it should be possible, especially if the student's native language is a Romance language.

[Le Baron]

The tone of this thread has become more and more personal and acrimoneous. Wearing my moderator hat, I have to ask people to stop that line of discussion.

Pardon me if I chuckle a bit. As someone who has been often involved in some of these discussions that have descended into mudslinging and shouting - and often with the usual suspects - , I have to say that it is a rather unfortunate spectacle to see such nastiness in the polyglot community.

I can't say I see what there is to "chuckle" about from the sidelines. A persecution/discrimination complex coupled with xenophobia and (regarding Africans in Belgium) borderline racism, is nothing to chuckle about. The polyglot element is neither here nor there.

I rather take umbrage at a moderator arriving and firing general warning shots. If no-one can see what has actually transpired here they need smelling salts. I came to this thread in good faith, I didn't ask to be assailed.