Isn't it Romantic? SCMT learns Spanish and French

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SCMT
Orange Belt
Posts: 245
Joined: Thu May 30, 2019 6:32 pm
Languages: Engilsh (N)
Spanish (Learning)
French (Beginning)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=10551
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Re: 40something Spanish Log

Postby SCMT » Fri Jun 07, 2019 3:02 pm

Thank you, everyone, for the input and even a few likes. This is a very supportive place, which I really appreciate!

It probably would be better to post this later today, but I'm traveling this weekend and don't know when I'll have time. But I will finish Pimsleur levels I-V this afternoon. Hurray!

I'm up to leccion 45 in Assimil Spanish with Ease, so right on the cusp of the active wave.

I am still reading daily.

I have found a couple of italki tutors with whom I will schedule trial lessons next week.

I'm still doing scriptorum with earlier assimil lessons sporadically. It has helped me pay closer attention to accent marks, and I've gotten pretty good at drawing upside down question marks, but other than that, I'm not sure how much of the language I am absorbing from the method. When I go back through the lessons actively, I will evaluate again. I think it's probably time to learn to type Spanish accent marks, now that I think of it.

I've begun Gold Listing vocab I have to look up from my reading, plus various random vocab lists that seem to fill gaps (today's list involved things around the house like la acera and el sotano.) I got to the two week mark a couple of days ago, so I've just started distillation. I don't know if it's working, either--I had a hard time eliminating 1/3 known words from the first lists--but at the very least I should have some good vocab lists to study from other methods if I need them later.

I will update again after italki lessons.

EDIT: I almost forgot! I did get a copy of Grammatica de Uso, although I haven't started it yet. I plan on making the exercises a regular part of my routine as well. Thanks to all again for the suggestions.
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SCMT
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Languages: Engilsh (N)
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Re: 40something Spanish Log

Postby SCMT » Fri Jun 14, 2019 7:39 pm

So this week I had my first itallki sessions, 3 trial lessons with 3 different tutors trying to find the right fit. I liked all three very much and would be happy continuing with any of them; I did, after all, spend a couple of hours obsessively reading resumes and watching videos to try to weed them out of the 1,032 Latin American Professional Spanish Tutors that also speak English. That being said, I think I will go ahead and schedule lessons with two of them. They were stronger personalities, which I think I may need, and their schedules are less restrictive than #3. I plan to book packages of 30 minute lessons with both to be scheduled over the coming weeks; I found the half hour trial lessons, conducted almost entirely in Spanish, to be taxing to the point where I do not feel I am ready for one hour. I will see how using two different tutors works for me, but I think the sessions will be very helpful and very enjoyable.

I'm still reading every day. I'm a little surprised at the difference in difficulty of different newspaper articles. An article on art was very challenging, while astrophysics was not--lots of common verbs and spanish technical words that are similar to English. An article on golf was very tough, but Gwynneth Paltrow's Secret to a Happy Marriage (No vive con su esposo!) was almost effortless. Keep in mind these are all from the same paper! Anyway, variety is the spice of life, I guess.

Since finishing Pimsleur, I've slacked off on my course study--I'm not sure if I've done any new Assimil lessons for the last week, and I still haven't cracked Uso de Grammatica. I need to dig back into this, and it would be nice to locate some audio for commutes. I have SpanishPod101 free version, but it would be nice to locate other sources of comprehensible listening material.
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Bex
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Languages: English (N), Spanish (A2)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 77#p157977
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Re: 40something Spanish Log

Postby Bex » Fri Jun 14, 2019 8:31 pm

1 x
Kwiziq
A0: 100 / 100
A1: 100 / 100
A2: 100 / 100
B1: 91 / 100
B2: 53 / 100

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SCMT
Orange Belt
Posts: 245
Joined: Thu May 30, 2019 6:32 pm
Languages: Engilsh (N)
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Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=10551
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Re: 40something Spanish Log

Postby SCMT » Fri Jun 14, 2019 9:34 pm

Bex wrote:Lots of Spanish podcast ideas here:

https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =19&t=8984


Thanks!
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SCMT
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Re: 40something Spanish Log

Postby SCMT » Thu Jun 20, 2019 9:16 pm

I finished my 5th online tutoring session today, including trials, and I like it. I've settled on one tutor I like (and whose available schedule I like,) and today was my 3rd session with her. She sent me an A1-A2 placement test after the trial lesson, which I passed A2 without much trouble, so I guess that's some feel for where I am in the learning process. The last two lessons have been reviews of reflexive verbs and poder, tener, querer, etc, which I know, but I still find myself having to think or making mistakes in conversation. Anyway, I think the reviews have been worthwhile, but I'm ready to move on. Thirty minute lessons, which seemed tiring and long just a few days ago, seem much shorter and faster now, so that's something. I may consider lengthening them, and i am going to sprinkle in some conversation partners between the structured lessons, which I plan on taking twice weekly.

I returned to Assimil and reached the infamous active stage. There wasn't much to translating Lession 1 into Spanish, but I know the difficulty ramps up quickly. I read a bunch of threads on how to do it and came away thinking that I'll just figure it out how to do it as I go.

I'm still reading daily. I'm still goldlisting vocab from reading, lists I look up, and now any unknown words from tutoring sessions. I'm still not sure of the effectiveness, and now I'm having a little trouble finding 25 unknown "important" words each day to make a new headlist; there aren't that many from reading or tutoring, and I've gone through most of the elementary vocab lists that pertain to family, animals, household, etc. I guess that's a good problem to have.

I will try to check out listening material this weekend. I do have some commuting time that could be put to good use.
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SCMT
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Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=10551
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Re: 40something Spanish Log

Postby SCMT » Fri Jun 28, 2019 3:07 pm

It's been an active week with Skype tutors; I've had 4 sessions, plus one last Saturday. I'm taking the weekend off, but I enjoy it very much, and it is the only place I regularly get speaking practice. The general plan is to try to set two lessons with my "main" tutor weekly and then squeeze in other sessions as schedule and desire allow. So far, I don't think any totally new concepts have been introduced, but practicing what I know in speech in a tutoring environment is both difficult and helpful--it's amazing how often "ser" slips out when I know the correct verb is "estar," or "por/para," etc. So far, we have had lessons focusing on: reflective verbs, ser and estar, clothes and appearance, gustar, and prepositions.

I'm still reading ElPais daily, and I'm still listing the vocab in Gold List method. I've got a little over 600 words in the head lists now. I think I should go back and test myself on the eliminated words. I can see the strategy of reviewing the most important/still unknown words multiple times over several weeks, but I'm concerned that the words culled in each distillation aren't sticking, so it's time to check.

I've got a long list of podcasts to try. I started wtih the free versions of Spanishpod101 and SpanishObsessd, both of which have some good points, but transcripts would help a lot. I ether need to subscribe or sort through the stuff listed here for something with writing to follow the dialogue.

I've also casually looked for something to watch to improve listening skills. I saw Los Simpson recommended somewhere, which sounded like a good idea, but a quick search only turned up episodes with English subtitles, and I would like to find something subtitled in Spanish. I also know that I have a tendency to switch to "read only" mode sometimes and tune out the sound when watching with subtitles, but I'm hoping more exposure will make this problem moot. I tried Extr@ for a few episodes, but I don't think that is the answer. I may try Destinos to watch with a transcript.

I've slacked on Assimil. I think I have done two or three lessons (both active and passive) over the last week. I'm not sure if I've tired of it or if I need a more structured program, but it's been difficult to get inspired to go back to it.
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Bex
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Re: 40something Spanish Log

Postby Bex » Fri Jun 28, 2019 4:58 pm

I found Assimil really difficult to stick with, I finished the passive lessons (eventually) and never finished the active wave.

I've found the FSI course I've been doing much easier to progress with, it wasn't until I read your log that I even considered that it might be because it's a more structured course.

Maybe you might want to look at the FSI basic Spanish course, then we'll both be able to talk like American diplomats from the 60's :lol:
7 x
Kwiziq
A0: 100 / 100
A1: 100 / 100
A2: 100 / 100
B1: 91 / 100
B2: 53 / 100

User avatar
SCMT
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Posts: 245
Joined: Thu May 30, 2019 6:32 pm
Languages: Engilsh (N)
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Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=10551
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Re: 40something Spanish Log

Postby SCMT » Sat Jun 29, 2019 11:42 pm

I had a brief flirtation with fsi when I first started this endeavor. I gave it up for two main reasons:

1. I tried to listen to the audio while driving and exercising. Between the speed of speech and poor sound quality, I couldn't concentrate enough while doing anything else to follow. Furthermore, when I dug up the written material to follow, the phoenetc spellings and ancient format were difficult to follow.

2. What I did pick up was boring as hell. While I can appreciate the value of drilling something until it is second nature, the few lessons I completed we're not enjoyable where I actually do enjoy pimsleur, cyphering through news articles, italki sessions, etc.

It's possible that I tried fsi too early to appreciate it, but there is a bit of a bad taste from my first try.
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SCMT
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Re: 40something Spanish Log

Postby SCMT » Fri Jul 05, 2019 3:38 pm

I had a full week of review with tutors, going over futuro proxima, posessives, and some listening comprehension exercises that the instructors thought went better than I did. One recommended that I start La Casa de las Flores for practice, watching one episode between sessions, once with Spanish subtitles on and then again with them off. I'll give it a shot. I tried this with the first episode of Destinos but found it really slow moving.

I've continued my article per day approach to reading, and it continues to get easier. I tried to start a novel, though--a Spanish translation of El Viejo y El Mar--thinking that Hemingway's simple, direct style might be good for me, but between special vocabulary, sentence structure, and verb tenses I got bogged down very quickly. I will see if it gets easier after a few pages, but it might be ahead of my ability right now. I was really surprised at how much more difficult it was than El Pais.

I've been hit or miss in going through Assimil and some exercises in Grammatica de Uso del Espanol, and that may just be how I use them for a while. I can see how Assimil is a good source for scriptorum and shadowing, but I don't think it will ever be a core method for me, and I think the grammer is useful as an extra source of practice and short drills.

I also went through my GL notebook and made a new list of every word I had eliminated that I didn't think I fully knew. There are enough to make a couple of new headlists. I don't think that's how it is supposed to work.
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Glossy
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Posts: 84
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 11:38 pm
Location: New York
Languages: Russian (native), English (almost native), French (reading: fluent, listening: intermediate, speaking: none), Spanish (reading: fluent, listening: upper intermediate, speaking: none), Mandarin (reading characters: intermediate, actively learning, listening: intermediate, actively learning, speaking: none), German (reading: upper intermediate, listening: none, speaking: none)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=7920
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Re: 40something Spanish Log

Postby Glossy » Fri Jul 05, 2019 4:57 pm

When I was growing up in Moscow in the 1980s there was a Spanish language course on TV there. Every show started with an animated version of Picasso’s Don Quixote/Sancho Panza drawing that you set up as your profile pic. Here it is on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/BxXQO_cySiY

To this day I associate that drawing with Spanish language instruction.
2 x
Mandarin listening comprehension, hours: 1522 / 5000 (1,522/5,000)


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