Another Spanish Learning American 2023

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zjfict
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Another Spanish Learning American 2023

Postby zjfict » Sat Mar 18, 2023 6:24 pm

I have spent years enjoying intermittently learning Spanish. This board and the predecessor have been helpful.

It is my intention to finally put the bite on my lingering non-fluency and push through to something useful, something that safely allows me to say that I can speak Spanish, and put that on a CV.

Because of where i live, my Spanish does/will mostly likely sound Mexican though I am interested in the language world-wide.

These days, I am watching CSI (2000) on Hulu with 15 seasons. Currently in the 3rd season. I've also found Highlander: The Series on YouTube and have just started that. Finally, I plan on watching Lost, also on Hulu. At this pace I am going I should have them watched in a few months. After that, I plan on moving to native materials. I've already found a several series in Spanish from Spain, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina.

I've picked up my old Assimil with Ease book. I'm on lesson 48 of first wave. Doing about two lessons per day. It has been helpful despite not being American Spanish.

I also subscribe to Glossika Mexican Spanish and do about 100 reps per day.

On Sundays I take a break from above and read the Bible in Spanish and other materials according to my faith.

On the hunt for more reading "comprehensible input".

So far in the past couple months of intensive study, my comprehension has increased noticeably. My skill at being able to withstand not understanding everything has developed. That makes enjoying the process much easier.
Last edited by zjfict on Sat Apr 01, 2023 2:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
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zjfict
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Re: Another Spanish Learning American

Postby zjfict » Tue Mar 21, 2023 1:35 am

A few more details including the past few days.

I've decided to bounce between the various series instead of going straight through one at a time. I found myself kind of checking out of CSI and multitasking.

So far this year I am up to:

CSI S3E7
Lost S1E5
Highlander S1E2

I am on lesson 51 of the passive wave. I usually do at least 1 lesson per day. Sometimes more. I've done as many as three but as the second wave gets more challenging, I'll likely stick to one.

The other day at the bookstore I picked up Olly Richard's "Short Stories in Spanish - Beginner Level (A2/B1)." I've read the first four chapters without too much difficulty. I'd say 95% comprehension on the first pass.

Still plugging away at 100 Glossika reps daily, six days per week. That's about 2500 reps/month.
Last edited by zjfict on Wed Mar 29, 2023 2:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
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zjfict
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Re: Another Spanish Learning American

Postby zjfict » Thu Mar 23, 2023 2:01 am

I am still making my way through materials I've written of already in addition to an ANKI deck for lower intermediate learners.

Up to:

CSI S3E8
Lost S1E8
Highlander S1E4

There are times I can catch segments up to two minutes or so and understand everything. Only the other hand there are instances I can go the same two minutes and understand nothing.

CSI and Lost are on HULU (at least in the USA). I've already seen them both completely through in English. They were smash hit, large budget shows with high production quality. The dubbing and captions, as far as they can be, are first rate as well. Their captions match the dubbing almost exactly. I say almost because I don't always have the captions on and may have missed an instance where they didn't match.

Assimil SWE passive 53 is for tomorrow. I just completed active 3 and am enjoying check the translations and finding I am correct but different than what is there. With a long weekend coming up, I'll probably pick up an additional lesson or two.

I am rereading the first story in Richard's SSiS. When I posted last, I had thought I'd read all four chapters of the first story. Really it was only three. The fourth chapter was much more challenging. It can't hurt to camp in the first story for a while as I'm not in a hurry.
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zjfict
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Re: Another Spanish Learning American

Postby zjfict » Sat Mar 25, 2023 10:16 pm

I am enjoying Assimil with lesson 59 up next. Lesson is 56 is one of the grammatical reviews and page 189 (1987 version) has an extremely helpful passage on splitting "cual" and "que" hairs. The second wave has been illuminating, in that I can only think of one instance where I couldn't come up with a word for translating a line into Spanish. There have been some minor errors or differences like- incorrect gender, regional variation (using ustedes instead of vostros) or merely just using a different way of saying something. When I do the second wave right now, I am translating the dialogues only. I will do the exercises a couple weeks in arrears of everything else for bit more spaced repetition.

Sadly, CSI-Español will be pulled from Hulu in two weeks. All good things come to an end. I waited too long to start the series though I should at least be able to finish the third season. Maybe it will be back. There are plenty of other things out there...

So far this year, I am up to:

CSI S3E13
Lost S1E9
Highlander S1E4

I've decided to suspend my subscription to Glossika for the time being as I have found other resources I'd like to try and there is only so much time, and money for that matter. That doesn't mean I won't pick it back up.

At one time I had made it about half through Franco's and Sandberg's "Spanish for Reading." I've picked it up again.

I plan on using the GLOSS website more.

Also, I am thinking about taking on an intensive listening project with a movie or short series.

I am still rereading the first story in Richards' SSiS and will be on to second one next week.
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zjfict
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Re: Another Spanish Learning American

Postby zjfict » Tue Mar 28, 2023 2:21 am

A few things to add here.


CSI S3E15
Lost S1E9
Highlander S1E4

Up to Assimil lesson 60 on passive wave.

I picked up where I left off (Lesson 7) in FSI Spanish Basic last summer after a quick review of all of the dialogues of the first six lessons. Only a couple of sentences forced me to look at the print to understand them.

Approaching Chapter 5 in Spanish for Reading.

On Sundays I read and listen to the Bible in mainly the RV1960 and NVI translations.

I began a new story in Richards' SSiS.

Sufficed to say, even though I am doing all of this stuff, I don't feel overwhelmed. Some days I have only thirty minutes, others three hours. Usually I prioritize Assimil and some other listening. The rest is just gravy.
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zjfict
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Re: Another Spanish Learning American 2023

Postby zjfict » Sat Apr 01, 2023 12:57 am

I'm just motoring along.

Latest in series viewing:

CSI S3E20
Lost S1E12
Highlander S1E6
Star Trek (Original) S1E4

I found and watched a dubbed version of "The Terminator (1984)." That was fun.

For the GLOSS website, I just decided to start at the beginning, level 1. The first lesson was of a Spaniard being interviewed about his party habits and the second Chilean weather news anchors.

Next Assimil SWE is passive lesson 66. Much more challenging since lesson 50 or so.

I finished the second story in Richards' SSiS. Several more to go. I ordered Adrianna Ramirez's intermediate reader, "Me Perdi en Medellin" for next.

I am in chapter 6 of "Spanish for Reading."

Onward and upward...
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zjfict
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Re: Another Spanish Learning American 2023

Postby zjfict » Thu Apr 06, 2023 3:39 am

Currently, I'm in chapter seven of "Spanish for Reading", the third story in Richards' SSiS and I'm about a third of the way through "Soy Yo, La Mosca" by Adriana Ramirez. That last work is something I'm reading ahead of going through it with my daughter who is learning Spanish.

CSI - S3E23 finished third season as it is being removed from Hulu. I figured that is a good stopping point. Hopefully, it will be back again.
Lost S1E14
Highlander S1E8
Cobra Kai S1E1
Triptych S1E1

Lesson seventy of Assimil passive wave in SWE.

Still in lesson seven of FSI-Basic as I didn't do anything in it the past few days.

A long way to go but noticeable improvements in comprehension help keep up the motivation.
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zjfict
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Re: Another Spanish Learning American 2023

Postby zjfict » Tue Apr 11, 2023 1:03 am

I have been thinking about spending more time in FSI Basic after finishing SWE instead of jumping into Assimil-Using Spanish. Maybe I'll do one or two units of A-US weekly while making FSI the bulk of my coursework.

I read, in a thread somewhere a couple weeks ago, of breakthroughs in comprehension about every fifty listening hours or so. In her (?) case it I think it was French. That falls in line with what I am experiencing.

CSI- Español is remaining on HULU. I guess there was an outcry. Who knows?

So far this year:

CSI S4E4
Lost S1E14
Highlander S1E13
Cobra Kai S1E2
Triptych S1E2

Still in Chapter 7 of "Spanish for Reading"

Assimil Lesson 73 - I've slowed way down. The content is much meatier and there is no sense in rushing.

I am going to do more reading in the next week or two as I haven't much lately. I'm only another chapter along in Richard's SSiS.
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zjfict
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Re: Another Spanish Learning American 2023

Postby zjfict » Sat Apr 15, 2023 9:41 pm

TV Show update:

CSI S4E5
Lost S1E15
Highlander S1E13
Cobra Kai S1E7
Triptych S1E2

I've been listening 100 Conversations in Mexican Spanish in my Audible library that I had forgotten about.

Assimil SWE active wave lession 78.

Richards' SSiS about 1/3 through. Read just a bit this week.
Spanish for Reading up to Chapter 8.

Edit: I also watched a couple "Bourne" movies on Netflix. I think between the two movies there was only about 90 minutes of actual dialogue with the multiple 10 minute fight and car chase scenes.
Last edited by zjfict on Sat Apr 15, 2023 10:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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luke
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Re: Another Spanish Learning American 2023

Postby luke » Sat Apr 15, 2023 10:25 pm

zjfict wrote:I've been listening 100 Conversations in Mexican Spanish in my Audible library that I had forgotten about.

Richards' SSiS about 1/3 through. Read just a bit this week.

Ah, 101 Conversations in Mexican Spanish, by the same Ollie Richards. I've heard his short stories are pretty much the same in each language. Professor Arguelles might like that. (He liked that "sameness across languages" in some of the early Linguaphone courses. I wonder if the 101 conversations are also close to the same in each language.

Looks like you're liking them. Looking forward to whatever else you might say about them in the future.
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