Bex's Spanish log 2016/17

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Bex
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Re: Bex's Spanish log 2016

Postby Bex » Wed Oct 05, 2016 9:25 am

Finally feel like I am getting somewhere today with Assimil after more than two weeks of trudging through lessons....

I have been bumbling through each lesson with no real plan and yesterday was a very bad day for me both on the passive and active lessons; I didn't understand much of either and gave up after about 45 mins of reading through texts and listening to audio; however much I studied the book I still didn't seem to be able to follow the audio :cry:

So I sat down afterwards and decided to think about what it is I am really trying to achieve from each lesson and my main aim (at the moment) is to understand/follow the audio on the passive wave and be able to produce (mostly) the sentences on the passive wave - not too much to ask is it?

So today I tried something different........I was determined to understand the audio.......

Passive Wave
1) I put the audio for lesson 62 on repeat on my PC.
2) I read through the Spanish text and jotted down anything I didn't understand. I then used a mixture of dictionary, google and the Assimil English text (mostly dictionary) to decipher/translate any bits I didn't understand and I made notes. Turned out to be a whole page of A4 notes :oops:
3) I then listened actively whilst glancing at my notes/translations so I could follow the audio. After listening actively just a few times i was able to follow most of the audio well and I finally understood it!

Active Wave
1) I put the audio for lesson 13 on repeat and listened over and over until I could pretty much understand it all.
2) Any audio I couldn't understand i glanced at the notes and then re-listened to make sure I had got it.
3) Once at 100% comprehension I turned the audio off and spoke the sentences.
4) I then wrote down the sentences so i could check them - i suppose i could record myself at step 3 and then i wouldn't need step 4.

Only took about 35 mins in total today and my comprehension of the audio at the end was much, much higher than it has been for any of the previous weeks lessons and a huge improvement on the day before. Having a sense of comprehension at the end of the lessons instead of a sense of frustration made it so much more enjoyable - now there's a surprise!

Seems the Assimil notes on their own were just not enough for me but Assimil and my notes - now there is a winning combo! Or maybe I was just being too lazy and relying on the Assimil English translation for comprehension way too much?

All in all I have learnt far more today than before, and as a bonus, if i wish to review any of my previous lessons (from now on) I will have my notes to use and so I can listen to the audio at any time and understand it :)

I have finally achieved a good level of comprehensible input with the passive and active waves - shame it took me 62 lessons to work it out!
Note to self: If you don't get it, don't just ignore it and move on :roll:

edited: spelling!
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Kwiziq
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Bex
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Re: Bex's Spanish log 2016

Postby Bex » Fri Oct 07, 2016 9:52 am

Friday update.....

Assimil lessons: 60 - 64 completed (passive wave) and 11-15 completed (active wave).
Glossika GMS: Catching up on GSR!
Glossika GSR: 56 - 61
Language Transfer: 60 - 65
Watching Spanish TV: 4 evenings this week.

Assimil is much more enjoyable since I adapted my method a couple of days ago and I managed 5 lessons passive and active again this week. Thats 3 weeks @ 5 lessons and no missed days; so I am very happy with that....will see how Assimil goes next week though as I have parents coming to stay and that always lessens my study time immensely.

I have decided to dedicate my time to just GSR at the moment as I have finished the GMS Fluency level 1 and the GSR is something I can do relatively quickly and easily whilst guests are here. Also so that I don't just do nothing (which is my usual trick when hosting)!

I may just continue with the GSR for level 2 and use the GMS as a review tool alongside - will mull this over during the next week.

Anyway my aim next week is to keep going and do some studying of Spanish whilst guests are here....
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Kwiziq
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Bex
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Re: Bex's Spanish log 2016

Postby Bex » Tue Oct 18, 2016 11:09 am

Well I was rubbish as expected.... haven't done much since the 11th October!

Assimil lessons: 65 - 66 completed (passive wave) and 16-17 completed (active wave).
Glossika GMS: Zero
Glossika GSR: 62-64
Language Transfer: zero
Watching Spanish TV: 2 evenings of 30mins - 1 hour ish.

Dropped parents back at airport this morning and am now desperate to get some Spanish back into my life after a week of almost nothing!

I could really do with a way of making my guests fend for themselves more, they always seem to want entertaining and then I don't get to spend any time with my Spanish :lol:
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Kwiziq
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Re: Bex's Spanish log 2016

Postby PeterMollenburg » Wed Oct 19, 2016 7:37 am

Bex wrote:Well I was rubbish as expected.... haven't done much since the 11th October!

Assimil lessons: 65 - 66 completed (passive wave) and 16-17 completed (active wave).
Glossika GMS: Zero
Glossika GSR: 62-64
Language Transfer: zero
Watching Spanish TV: 2 evenings of 30mins - 1 hour ish.

Dropped parents back at airport this morning and am now desperate to get some Spanish back into my life after a week of almost nothing!

I could really do with a way of making my guests fend for themselves more, they always seem to want entertaining and then I don't get to spend any time with my Spanish :lol:


Good luck getting back on track with your Spanish. It sounds like you're really keen. Get stuck into it!

As for guests that require entertainment. I'd suggest next time you tell them up front (ie beforehand) how it is- that you have certain activities that you value in your day to day life that you want to dedicate a certain amount of time to. I know of some people who find they are always entertaining particular visitors too, but the issue is they allow themselves of falling into that trap every time. It exhausts them. Be up front and honest about it is my advice, if they can't handle it, then they're far too needy and manipulative, or selfishly lack understanding. Perhaps though, they're kind but haven't realised they were imposing, so give them that chance next time is my suggestion.
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Bex
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Re: Bex's Spanish log 2016

Postby Bex » Fri Oct 21, 2016 8:29 am

Well that was a rubbish end to a rubbish couple of weeks....guests left and then I got ill!

Not much to report on the studying front, I managed 1 Assimil lesson and did a couple of review Glossika GSR lessons but I couldn't repeat the sentences because I had such a sore throat and none of it was going in my flu filled head...I lost my voice at one point; much to the amusement of my children. Funny how they just expect you to just carry on when you're ill, actually I'm not sure 'funny' is the right word?

I fell asleep whilst trying to listen to Glossika GMS with my headphones on and the audio on repeat, this caused me to have interesting dreams of a strangely Spanish nature!

In the end I gave up trying to study...I watched Pocoyo and other kids cartoons (in Spanish at least), did a few pages of my Practice Makes Perfect Spanish Verb Tenses book, played on Duolingo a bit (now all gold again :lol: ), listened to some more Language Transfer lessons and generally felt sorry for myself!

Interestingly both my solitary Assimil lesson this week & the Language Transfer lessons both started on the dreaded subjunctive, but I'm not sure I'm ready for it yet, I'm still struggling with the past tenses and I'm definitely not ready to face it feeling as ill as I do at the moment :cry:

I am never sure if I should just plough on through lessons and then go back and revise if necessary or if I should really nail things before I move on to the next.....I do have a tendency to just plough on and seem to have an overwhelming urge to learn new stuff all the time but then feel a bit like I'm drowning and it becomes too much/difficult and have to go back and review before I can continue (hence why I never finish anything). It's a system but I'm not sure I like it?

Anyway back to lots of rest & liquids, feeling sorry for myself and Spanish cartoons...............
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Kwiziq
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Bex
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Re: Bex's Spanish log 2016

Postby Bex » Wed Oct 26, 2016 10:44 am

Feeling better at last....managed to do some more Duolingo and have started to read a book (or two) on Readlang. I have to say that Readlang is much more enjoyable than Assimil. I am happy that I have managed to do a little of something in Spanish each day whilst being too ill to actually do any actual studying/coursework :D
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Bex
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Re: Bex's Spanish log 2016

Postby Bex » Fri Oct 28, 2016 10:06 am

Back to Friday updates.....

Assimil lessons: 68 - 70 completed (passive wave) and 18-20 completed (active wave).
Glossika GMS: Zero
Glossika GSR: Zero - oops!
Language Transfer: zero
Watching Spanish TV: 4 evenings of 30 mins - so at least 2 hours.

I have finally made the decision to stop Assimil, this was mainly due to a long conversation I had yesterday evening with another Spanish learner, who is at a much higher level than me (he's been learning Spanish for over 6 years) and now works in Spain for a Spanish company.

He was very interested in what I was using to study but when he looked the Assimil lesson I had just completed (lesson 69) he advised me that if I wanted to be conversational and not just read Spanish then, in his opinion, I should stop using the Assimil material.

Interesting he said that the Spanish being taught was at a very high level, he has completed many courses; MT, PN, Pimsler, Coffee Break Spanish, the list goes on and on. Apparently he is currently listening to the Game of Thrones audio book (so jealous that he is able do that). He seemed to think that if I could understand these Assimil lessons then the course was obviously very effective and comprehensive but unless I wanted to be able to read novels then now I should use native material instead to improve my understanding of spoken Spanish.

He was surprised at how much Spanish I understood but that I can't actually speak it :oops:

Since my goal is to be able to speak/listen and not read, he recommend that I use a conversational native Spanish speakers podcast, actually he recommended podcastsinspanish.org specifically and that I start actually speaking with people too :shock:

I had been recommend this podcast before but, I had ignored the advice because I was so determined to finish the Assimil course and stopping, even now, seems like such a cop out....I hate not finishing things and it is also a very good excuse for me not to organise speaking practice because I can always say...i'll do that when I've finished x or y course.

But Assimil has given me the tools to move onto native material, it's given me a method that I like and which works for me and for all of that I shall be eternally grateful to Assimil. Now I just need to transfer that method across to the new podcasts and hopefully with native material and my methods I will continue to improve my Spanish.

So my new vague plan outline/ideas after my very revealing conversation are:
1. 1 podcast a day, just as I did Assimil. Same notes system as before and I must figure out some way to implement the active wave.
2. Get back to doing my Glossika GSR everyday.
3. Continue listening to Language Transfer.
4. Continue watching TV.
5. Continue ignoring the fact that I need to organise actual speaking in Spanish :lol:
6. Maybe start reading Diary of a wimpy kid (if I can get hold of a copy in Spanish) just because I am still enjoying using Readlang and I would like to continue reading just for fun.

It will be interesting to see how this next part of the adventure goes.....and my sense of relief after allowing myself to stop Assimil is a little unnerving...
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Kwiziq
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A2: 100 / 100
B1: 91 / 100
B2: 53 / 100

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zenmonkey
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Re: Bex's Spanish log 2016

Postby zenmonkey » Fri Oct 28, 2016 10:18 am

While I think moving to podcasts and spoken production can be useful and you've identified your weaknesses - I was posting to commend you on having found out how ASSIMIL works well for you when I saw you last post and saw you are leaving it. ;)

Personally, if you have a method and are getting value out of it, I wouldn't stop in the middle (you only have xx weeks to finish it...) because it builds a "success mindset". Particularly since the active wave is all about output.
On the other hand, if you feel relief at stopping it, then it is a good thing to drop it.

Anyway, congrats on figuring out how to work with it and whatever material you use to continue your adventure.

Buena suerte!
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Bex
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Re: Bex's Spanish log 2016

Postby Bex » Fri Oct 28, 2016 11:19 am

Zenmonkey you are right, the method is good and I was enjoying the method but the material....now that is another matter!

I intend to continue with the method but change the material, as you say having found a method (finally) that works for me it would be a shame to stop now.

Assimil is getting a little, how shall I put this, too 'literary' for my needs. I need to hear more conversational Spanish and reading poetry etc in Assimil is not what I need to be understanding at this time.

You are right though the active wave is especially useful and I only have a short way to go....oh don't do this to me...
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Kwiziq
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Re: Bex's Spanish log 2016

Postby klvik » Fri Oct 28, 2016 3:45 pm

Your choice of material and method does not have to be all or nothing. You could alternate using the podcasts and Assimil or you could switch to the podcasts for a while and then return to Assimil after a break.
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