ShawnP's Spanish Adventure

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ShawnP
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Re: ShawnP's Spanish Adventure

Postby ShawnP » Mon Oct 01, 2018 1:39 pm

Wow, over a year since my last post. Lots of good changes this past year. Unfortunately I didn't move to Germany as planned but I did move to Colorado for a new job so that's not too bad. I've jumped back on my Spanish bandwagon recently although I haven't posted anything. Considering today is 1 October, I figured it was a good day to get back to the task at hand. I've been using Anki the past three weeks only and very little else. I've got my plan in place just time to execute.
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: 21 / 100 Assimil German
: 03 / 100 100 Hours Visual - YouTube videos/TV

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ShawnP
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Re: ShawnP's Spanish Adventure

Postby ShawnP » Sat Oct 20, 2018 3:30 pm

The last two weeks have been pretty good with getting back in the swing of things. For my out-loud speaking, I've been using sentences from Glossika and FSI Programmatic Volume 1. I'll work on Programmatic Volume II this week and try and pull lots of good sentences out of the PDF for my practice.

I've been reading a fairly simple book, but after I read a paragraph I highlight it and listen to it in spanish thanks to the bing translator. Its fairly slowgoing that way and the voice is in the computer voice, but I figured it can't hurt as it can reinforce the new words I'm seeing.

I got back to watching Yago on Netflix but I'm still not comfortable with the speed at which they speak nor the subtitles used. I think I'll try and find something a little easier.

My listening has been good as I've logged no less than an hour each day. I'd like to do more but unfortunately trying to get everything accomplished after work is not too easy.
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: 21 / 100 Assimil German
: 03 / 100 100 Hours Visual - YouTube videos/TV

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Jaleel10
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Re: ShawnP's Spanish Adventure

Postby Jaleel10 » Sun Oct 21, 2018 7:27 am

ShawnP wrote:The last two weeks have been pretty good with getting back in the swing of things. For my out-loud speaking, I've been using sentences from Glossika and FSI Programmatic Volume 1. I'll work on Programmatic Volume II this week and try and pull lots of good sentences out of the PDF for my practice.


How are you using both of them? I always thought Programmatic was for A0/A1 students.

I got back to watching Yago on Netflix but I'm still not comfortable with the speed at which they speak nor the subtitles used. I think I'll try and find something a little easier.


I think Estoy Vivo on RTVE (short series - 17 eps) or Dueños del paraíso (longer one - 71) should be ok. Both have accurate subtitlesbut, yeah, the speed can be a problem at times.

I've been reading a fairly simple book, but after I read a paragraph I highlight it and listen to it in spanish thanks to the bing translator. Its fairly slowgoing that way and the voice is in the computer voice, but I figured it can't hurt as it can reinforce the new words I'm seeing.


I have dozens of A2 - B2 graded readers, a lot of them with accomponying audio. Feel free to PM me and I'll gladly share them with you.....if you have flexible morals :?

Good luck with your studies, Shawn!
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ShawnP
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Re: ShawnP's Spanish Adventure

Postby ShawnP » Sun Oct 21, 2018 2:27 pm

Jaleel,

Since my goal is to read speak more, I'm just speaking out loud the Glossika and Programmatic sentences. I pulled about 800 or so from Programmatic Volume 1. Once I get volume 2 done, I'm thinking another 800 or so, that'll put me just under 6k sentences to practice with. Plenty.

I wouldn't say at all they are for a1-a2 students. There are real value in them. In fact, I like them much more than the Glossika sentences as they seem better translated as Glossika ones. I just don't have any audio like with Glossika.

The way I see it, I'd rather be able to say a lot of smaller things rapidly and more eloquent than longer things with a lot of stuttering n stammering.

I'll look into the Duenos. As for readers, I've go plenty but I do appreciate it
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: 21 / 100 Assimil German
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ShawnP
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Re: ShawnP's Spanish Adventure

Postby ShawnP » Mon Oct 29, 2018 5:01 pm

Another pretty good week has went by. I actually got more listening than anything done although my speaking did go up, as I did a little of both this past week. Unfortunately, my Anki numbers are no longer correct. Since I deleted one of my Anki decks, it seems that I lost my numbers of reps that are shown for that deck. Oh well, a good lesson learned. No reading nor watching any TV shows in Spanish was done. Gotta work on that.
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: 21 / 100 Assimil German
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ShawnP
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Re: ShawnP's Spanish Adventure

Postby ShawnP » Sun Sep 29, 2019 6:06 am

After a bit of a layoff, I've gotten back into the swing of things here in Turkey. This was my first week back into Spanish. I didn't try and kill myself but did a little Anki work and some listening. I attempted to jump on the first Harry Potter book in Spanish and got beat up. Had to use the "translate" way too much. Guess I'll jump back on an A2 level book or easy Spanish readers on my Kindle. Then again, maybe I'll just continue with five to ten pages a day and be done with it in a month or so. Struggling now will pay off later I'm sure.

I attempted to throw some German in and made it about four days with Pimsleur German. Although I know it helps, those 30 minute blocks just killed me. I have zero motivation to continue. I think I'll revisit German in a few months if I get orders to Germany. Until then, it is scrapped.

My plan from this point forward is to focus on Spanish.
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GERMAN GOALS


: 21 / 100 Assimil German
: 03 / 100 100 Hours Visual - YouTube videos/TV

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ShawnP
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Re: ShawnP's Spanish Adventure

Postby ShawnP » Sun Oct 06, 2019 10:24 am

A good week of Spanish has come to an end. I've enjoyed my Anki time and got in a couple hours of listening to random people speaking on all sorts of topics. I think I have about 460 30 seconds - 2 minute mp3's so I have many hours of content for listening. I do struggle with a lot of them but that's ok. I do get the jist of most. More vocabulary will help.

I started the first Harry Potter book that I've had in my Kindle. I've made it almost to the 3rd chapter. It's been tough going, especially when I have to highlight dang near every sentence. Then see how my translation was. I'm too far along now to quit and will keep going. However, I'm going to have to go back and find some easier books to read. I may have to jump over and see how James 29 started his reading. Maybe I can find some free or cheap Kindle books that are in bilingual text.

I think that once I get into a rhythm here in Turkey with work and off-duty time, I'll be able to improve more rapidly.

This coming week I'll focus on speaking sentences, listening to random mp3's of people talking, and more reading.
2 x
GERMAN GOALS


: 21 / 100 Assimil German
: 03 / 100 100 Hours Visual - YouTube videos/TV

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ShawnP
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Re: ShawnP's Spanish Adventure

Postby ShawnP » Sun Oct 13, 2019 10:40 am

Another week has ended. I didn't complete as many hours as listening as I would have liked, and only logged about three. My Anki time and reading is slow-going, but I have to just keep up with it and do better than yesterday. I haven't gotten into a groove just yet.

As for reading my first Harry Potter book in Spanish, its still quite difficult considering all the unknown words I don't know. Still, I'll start Chapter 7 tomorrow. At first I was aggravated at having to highlight so many sentences and use the translate feature, but I've been drawn into the book and don't mind it so much. I'm going to stick it out til the end then find something a little easier. Then eventually come back and give it another read before I purchase anymore of the Harry Potter series.
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: 21 / 100 Assimil German
: 03 / 100 100 Hours Visual - YouTube videos/TV

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Bex
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Re: ShawnP's Spanish Adventure

Postby Bex » Thu Oct 17, 2019 9:27 am

I've just been reading through your log and we seem to have shared quite a few resources.

I was wondering how you find FSI Basic Spanish and how far you got? I'm currently stopped at lesson 20...did you get any further than that?

Did you find FSI helpful? I'm not sure I can be bothered to return to it this year but I may do in the future.
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ShawnP
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Re: ShawnP's Spanish Adventure

Postby ShawnP » Sun Oct 20, 2019 8:32 am

Bex,

I think I made it into the 30s somewhere, but didn't drill it nearly as hard as I should have. Compared to Assimil or LL, I think its quite thorough and should take you further. I think I just got bored with it, like I do most things.

Not sure how far along or where you're at in your studies, but I find listening and reading short texts to be very helpful. SpanishListening.org has about 450 short videos with the texts to practice with. http://www.spanishlistening.org/ and https://www.laits.utexas.edu/spe/ is just as good. all free. Its definitely improved my listening, which listening and speaking are my main focus. Plus, I've used a lot of these conversations to make my own mini-assimil type study program.

I'd definitely check them out.
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: 21 / 100 Assimil German
: 03 / 100 100 Hours Visual - YouTube videos/TV


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