Bex wrote:...What I would like to achieve next:
1. I would like to somehow transfer what I have learned so far from Assimil into actual usable Spanish for conversations.
2. I really would like to consolidate this base before moving onto more complicated grammar or usage.
My reading is pretty acceptable (to me) at the moment but my speaking ability still lags far behind. Speaking is the element I would really like to tackle next - I don't want the gap to get any bigger so I would like to transfer some of my passive knowledge into active.
Although this being the first language I've learnt, as ever I'm not really sure of the best way to go about this?
Congratulations on nearly finishing Assimil despite your misgivings! Sometimes in language-learnig you just have to suck it up and get tough. You did.
I once read somewhere that once you finish your course(s) is the time when you can now start actually learning the language. This is true. It can be a bit of a daunting task because there's nobody there to hold your hand and guide you, like your course has done. I've seen this before with learners in a similar situation. What you do after Assimil is critical for your Spanish skills. Some learners have no intention to speak but you have expressed this desire, so- yes, then you absolutely need to start speaking and/or writing. You are ready. You can seek out a language exchange for free online or in person. I assume from your English that you are in the UK or Ireland ("learnt" is a dead giveaway
). Most major cities in the UK have a resident Spanish-speaking population. It's a matter of seeking out opportunities, getting outside of your comfort zone. Have a look at garyb's log for inspiration. He lives in Scotland. You could always give yourself a reward by going to Spain for a couple of weeks (Get away from the Costa as fast as you can for the interior. There's a whole country out there to discover where they've never heard of bacon baps, sarnies or fish and chips.).
Sometimes, it is better to just pay someone. A paid tutor can be found online from Guatemala for £8 an hour via two sites
nulengua.com &
plqe.org/skype. Using a tutor for conversation practice has many benefits.
I find that for me consolidating what I have is best done through use, both "passive" and "active". Spanish needs to become part of your daily life in some way that is useful to you. For example, I get most of my US news in Spanish these days (I'm American) and regularly listen to and watch Spanish-language media. Find a Spanish-speaking person to talk with on a regular basis- either chat/skype/in-person/email/paid tutor or any combination. You don't have to speak every day but even twice weekly one hour skype sessions will do wonders for your Spanish. Reading in Spanish, whatever interests you, is also a great way to maintain, consolidate and improve. a good site that you should be ready to benefit from is
veintemundos. There are ton of articles for intermediate level with a wide range of topics from across the Spanish-speaking world. The articles can be downloaded in pdf or read online with mouse over definitions/explanations of unfamiliar text. The articles have audio in both Latin American and Iberian Spanish, also free to download. If you did this on a regular basis (maybe 3 or 4 times a week) you would learn quite a lot in a few months time.
You can write on
lang-8.com for correction. It helps not to be a "drive-by" poster (posting only and not correcting others' English) but an active member who corrects Spanish-speakers' English. You should give the kind of corrections for their English that you would like to have for your Spanish by going above and beyond the minimum of just crossing out words. Explain why you made the corrections you wrote in as much detail as you can. In this way, you will get better and more useful corrections yourself from the users you cultivate and win friends which may lead to a free language exchange. Posts are best kept short on lang-8, around a paragraph, so as not to fatigue your correctors.
In short, start actually using Spanish and make the effort to do so. ¡Suerte!
Edit: There's still more to learn and just because you use native resources and speak doesn't mean that grammar study isn't helpful. It is very helpful and useful.
FSI Spanish Basic Course for grammar and usage drills;
Centro Virtual Cervantes Aveteca has multimedia/interactive lessons and exercises from A1 through C1;
Gramatica de Uso del Español is a good way to internalize Spanish grammar and usage too.
but I have finally finished it.
