A language learners’ forum

iguanamon wrote:Sam, you're probably tired of my unsolicited advice

Are you joking? Unsolicited advice from advanced polyglots such as yourself is one of the major advantages of keeping a log here. Keep it coming!

iguanamon wrote:I think you are ready to read the book "Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish" by Joseph J. Keenan.

Thanks, I'll take a look.

iguanamon wrote:In addition, even though you are probably tired of courses, it could be a good idea to go through the FSI Spanish Basic Course. FSI Spanish Basic is not as the name would imply- a simple course. Many people here have used the course after reaching low intermediate level.

I hadn't realised that FSI was at an appropriate level, so that's useful, thanks.

iguanamon wrote:Or there's also Gramática de uso del Español. B1-B2: Teoría y práctica con solucionario which is a great aid in mastering Spanish grammar principles.

I have this but haven't yet got stuck into it. I'll put it next on my queue. Thanks. Do you recommend just working through it, or did you use the exercises to make SRS cards, etc.?

El Forastero wrote:

samfrances wrote:
But what about ¿Crees que ...?

Is it indicative because its "crees que" or subjunctive because, as a question, it is expressing doubt?

Both are right, but they are subtle differences:

"¿Crees que el asesino sea el mayordomo?": I'm asking if you suppose the butler can be the murderer, if you have that hypothesis, or even if this hypothesis could be plausible
"¿Crees que el asesino es el mayordomo?": I'm asking if you have already concluded that the butler is the murderer. In my question, I think you are pretty sure and I want to confirm it.

So, if you have only 30% of certainty, in the first question you answer "yes, he could be", and in the second question you answer "no, but he could be"

Thanks El Forastero. That is extremely helpful.

Sam, at this point in your learning FSI will consolidate what you have learned and make it automatic. That's what drills do. You don't have to go over what you have already mastered. Jump in where you feel you need to be.

As to "Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish", I cannot recomend it highly enough. It is not a course, but more like his observations about Spanish. It's quite like a conversation with a friend who learned Spanish to a high level and is sharing his tips with you. It's a heck of a bargain at 5 quid used on Abe Books.

Finally finished making "Fluent Forever" style grammar cards from Schaum's Outline of Spanish Grammar! Not sure if it helped, but its done.

I have decided to start doing "sprints" of three weeks to a month, as otherwise I get bored of learning in the same way every day.

I recently had a level assessment with a teacher with a view to doing the B2 DELE at some point, and he identified various weak points in my grammar. Therefore the four weeks starting today will be a GRAMMAR SPRINT, focusing on the subjunctive.

To that end I'm going to:

• Work through The Spanish Subjunctive Up Close
• Work through USO Del Indicativo y Del Subjuntivo
• Read Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish
• Work through Olly Richards "input" based Grammar Hero course

I'll make anki cards from these where useful.

Should be enough to be getting on with for the time being. We'll see where I am after that. I'm keeping Gramática de uso del Español. B1-B2 and FSI Basic in the back pocket for now.

Turns out my plan for my subjunctive sprint was wildly over-ambitious. Basically, I got through half of the Vogt textbook, and that was it. Partly that's because I have vastly more time for listening (which I can do while exercising, doing simple chores, etc.) than I do for textbook style study.

For my next sprint I'm going to do two weeks of getting through some "learning method" books and courses that I've had lying around for a while. Things like:

• Breaking out of Beginner's Spanish by Joseph J. Keenan
• Michel Thomas: The Learning Revolution by Jonathan Solity
• How to Speak Any Language Fluently by Alex Rawlings
• Your Solid Vocab Memory by Kerstin Cable
• Fluency Made Achievable by Kerstin Hammes

Any other recommendations welcome.

My few weeks of method reading turned into more of a "method month". In the end, I got through:

• a course called The Language toolkit, which was genuinely very helpful, and which I have incorporated into how I do things.
• "The Learning Revolution" by Jonathan Solity - a book examining the basis of the Michel Thomas method. This was very interesting, but there were far more takeaways for teachers than for autodidacts.

My next challenge, until the end of December, is to do some work on my accent. I'm having some 1:1 tuition for this, and also using Pimsleur, which for some reason I find improves my accent when I do it.

samfrances wrote:My few weeks of method reading turned into more of a "method month". In the end, I got through:

• a course called The Language toolkit, which was genuinely very helpful, and which I have incorporated into how I do things.
• "The Learning Revolution" by Jonathan Solity - a book examining the basis of the Michel Thomas method. This was very interesting, but there were far more takeaways for teachers than for autodidacts.

My next challenge, until the end of December, is to do some work on my accent. I'm having some 1:1 tuition for this, and also using Pimsleur, which for some reason I find improves my accent when I do it.

Hi Sam

Where are you with your Spanish and your work on the use of the Subjunctive? Have you sat the Dele B2 yet?