Adventures in French and Spanish

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PeterMollenburg
Black Belt - 3rd Dan
Posts: 3229
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:54 am
Location: Australia
Languages: English (N), French (B2-certified), Dutch (High A2?), Spanish (~A1), German (long-forgotten 99%), Norwegian (false starts in 2020 & 2021)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=18080
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Re: Mohave's Adventures in French and Spanish

Postby PeterMollenburg » Sun Feb 18, 2018 9:51 pm

Welcome back Mohave!

It’s really nice to see an old friend return to the forum and to language learning... and with a goal to improve your French.

Well done on finishing your first book!

On the topic of La Mante, I started watching this series and although it seemed intriguing to a certain extent, I’ve been spoiled and I distracted myself with other series, including one in German on Netflix called “Dark”. I watched it in French (audio dub). Wow, fantastic series. Any German learners out there looking for something decent to watch, watch it! Any French learners that can handle a dubbed series, watch it! If you can’t handle dubbing, watch it anyway! Great series. As for La Mante, i’m interested to see how you find it Mohave, as I may return to it at a later date.

For now, good luck with your French learning Mohave and it’s great to have you back!
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Mohave
Orange Belt
Posts: 198
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:38 pm
Location: Florida, USA
Languages: English (Native),
French (enjoying and still learning the language)
Spanish (Beginner)
Language Log: http://how-to-learn-any-language.org/vi ... f=15&t=766
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Re: Mohave's Adventures in French and Spanish

Postby Mohave » Sun May 20, 2018 8:18 pm

French Update I signed up for the Super Challenge in French. Reading French literature in college was one of my favorite courses, and wanting to be able to read in French again, was the reason I started this journey again as an older adult. I'm currently reading La Premiere Gorgée de Biere et Autres Plaisirs Miniscules by Philippe Delerm - the first that I've read by this author. It's an easy and enjoyable read. For now, I'm keeping Super Challenge info in my log, and will update the TwitterBot later. I've watched:

1) "Station Horizon" on Netflix US Catalog - highly recommend, but sadly only one season.


2) Visage Villages - a French documentary which was an Academy Award Nominee. I surprisingly found this gem in my small-town library. 89 minutes



Spanish
I really wanted to focusing on re-strengthening my French, but we are planning a trip to Costa Rica in December. I grew up on the US/Mexico border, so I have enough Spanish to travel easily. But I am tired of not being able to have a conversation. So I am re-staring Pimsleur 1 in Spanish. Ugh!
1 x
Spanish Motivation: Dec 2018 - Costa Rica
Spanish Pimsleur 3: 6 / 30 Assimil: 56 / 100
Spanish Super Challenge Books: 2 / 50 Movies: 0 / 100
French Super Challenge Books: 24 / 100 Movies: 22 / 100

My Goodreads

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Mohave
Orange Belt
Posts: 198
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:38 pm
Location: Florida, USA
Languages: English (Native),
French (enjoying and still learning the language)
Spanish (Beginner)
Language Log: http://how-to-learn-any-language.org/vi ... f=15&t=766
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Re: Mohave's Adventures in French and Spanish

Postby Mohave » Sun Jun 03, 2018 5:16 pm

Spanish Update
Well, I'm excited. We booked our vacation to Costa Rica in December!! I keep waiting to "perfect" my French, before really focusing on Spanish, and I'm tired of my tourist-level Spanish level learned in elementary school (and growing up on the US/Mexico border) when we travel. I can "get-by", but I'm unable to have a meaningful conversation. My goals:
1) Complete Pimsleur Levels 1-3 before the trip. Stretch goal: Pimsleur Level 4 (I own all of these). I've done the first three lessons (again), and find it painfully slow, because it is all things that I know,
2) Complete Assimil Spanish with Ease by December. My library has a copy that I can borrow. I plan to start this after a few weeks of focusing on Pimsleur.
3) Spanish for Reading - I own this resource and plan to work through it, as I found my reading skills in French were invaluable when traveling in France and Belgium.
4) Essential Spanish Grammar by Seymour Rosnick - read through to help the LARGE holes in my grasp of Spanish grammar
5) DuoLingo - I never used DuoLingo for learning French, but I did start playing with this last week, and finds it's a fun way to get quick lessons in.
5) I was surprised to learn that my small-town library cooperative has a fairly good selection of Spanish-language children's book.

Any other suggestions? My immediate focus is to prepare for the trip in late December, but with an eye toward building my level to B2 -- and possibly a Super Challenge in Spanish. Is there a Spanish equivalent of RFI Français Facile? Just a short 10 min Spanish-language news podcast?

French Update
I continue to meet with my long-term Skype pen pal weekly. For the Super Challenge, I'm currently reading "Le Rouge et Le Noir by Stendhal". I'm only 60 pages in, and I don't know that I find it riveting yet.....I found a cute series on Netflix (US catalog) called Dix Pour Cent (Call My Agent). I've watched four episodes so far.



Happy Language Learning!
3 x
Spanish Motivation: Dec 2018 - Costa Rica
Spanish Pimsleur 3: 6 / 30 Assimil: 56 / 100
Spanish Super Challenge Books: 2 / 50 Movies: 0 / 100
French Super Challenge Books: 24 / 100 Movies: 22 / 100

My Goodreads

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Mohave
Orange Belt
Posts: 198
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:38 pm
Location: Florida, USA
Languages: English (Native),
French (enjoying and still learning the language)
Spanish (Beginner)
Language Log: http://how-to-learn-any-language.org/vi ... f=15&t=766
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Re: Mohave's Adventures in French and Spanish

Postby Mohave » Sat Jun 09, 2018 2:18 pm

Wow - I haven't had such a great language learning week in a long time!! I think finally starting Spanish (after years of holding off in order to "perfect my French") - and seeing the immediate payback/improvements that one has when starting a new language has been a lot of fun! This enthusiasm for language learning also crossed over into my French usage also. I now wish I would have started learning Spanish sooner! So my advice, if you are wanting to start another language, but are waiting to perfect another, go ahead. I may feel different in a few months, but for now, this was the kick in the pants I needed for language learning.

Spanish Week in Review
- Completed Pimsleur I Lessons 4- 16 (2x/day)
- Assimil Spanish with Ease first Wave - lessons 1-7
- Spanish for Reading - Chapter 2 In progress
- Listened to approx 10 minutes of VOA podcast most days. While my comprehension is still low, at this point in my Spanish adventure, my comprehension is far better than it was in French
- YouTube/Spotify Music
- Flashcard Deluxe Review most days

French Week in Review
- Super Challenge Reading: Le Rouge et Le Noir by Stendhal - page 170.
- Super Challenge Listening:
- Dix Pour Cent (Call My Agent) S1E5
- Les Témoins (Witnesses) Season 2, E 1-3
- Au Coeur de l'histoire - 1) La Bataille de Normandie - 40 min, 2) Le récit - L'echec de Caën - 20 min
- Monumental - My Son Vietnam - 56 minutes
- RFI Français en Facile most days
- Skype Language Exchange with long-term pen pal
- Flashcard Deluxe Review most days

I am having out of town guests arriving later today (everyone wants to go to the beach in the summer!), so I know my next update will be nothing close to this week's achievements. My goal is to be able to do something each day in both French and Spanish.

Happy Language Learning!
6 x
Spanish Motivation: Dec 2018 - Costa Rica
Spanish Pimsleur 3: 6 / 30 Assimil: 56 / 100
Spanish Super Challenge Books: 2 / 50 Movies: 0 / 100
French Super Challenge Books: 24 / 100 Movies: 22 / 100

My Goodreads

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Mohave
Orange Belt
Posts: 198
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:38 pm
Location: Florida, USA
Languages: English (Native),
French (enjoying and still learning the language)
Spanish (Beginner)
Language Log: http://how-to-learn-any-language.org/vi ... f=15&t=766
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Re: Mohave's Adventures in French and Spanish

Postby Mohave » Mon Jun 18, 2018 10:53 pm

Another good language-learning week - even with out-of-town company. I finished Part 1 (Ch 1-30) of "Le Rouge et Le Noire" by Stendhal. I have a love/hate relationship with this book, and I decided I'm going to put it down for a few months. I was excited to find the first four tomes of "Rani" (Bande Dessinée) are available on Amazon US - Kindle! Rani has an interesting history in that it was originally designed as a mini-TV series, but was delayed during reform of France's television. The authors turned it into a BD during the delay, and then ultimately filmed the mini-TV series. I watched several episodes while I was in Belgium and fell in love with it, but was never able to find the BD while there. I've started reading Chéri by Collette after MamaPata mentioned it in her log. This looked like exactly the short, light and enjoyable reading I needed after Stendhal. Starting to learn Spanish has made me appreciate how far I've come in French, but how very far I have to go in Spanish! I just want to jump to where I can start using and enjoying Spanish!

French Super Challenge Reading Update:
1) Completed Le Rouge et Le Noir de Stendhal Tome 1 (Ch 1-30) 253 pages
2) Completed Rani - Bâtarde- Tome 1 Bande Desinée
2) Started Chéri de Collette

French Watching/Listening
1) Dix Pour Cent
2) Les Temoins (Witnesses)
3) En Immersion (Deep) watched 2/3 episodes - review to come.
4) La Trêve (The Break) watched 1/10 episodes - review to come.

Spanish Update
Spanish For Reading - Finished Ch 2 Ch 3 in progress
Pimsleur Spanish Level 1 - Finished thru Lesson 25
Assimil Spanish With Ease (2014) Lessons 8-10

Spanish Reading
Vístete, Robierto Lone Morton
¡Quiero Mi Plátano! Mary Risk
5 x
Spanish Motivation: Dec 2018 - Costa Rica
Spanish Pimsleur 3: 6 / 30 Assimil: 56 / 100
Spanish Super Challenge Books: 2 / 50 Movies: 0 / 100
French Super Challenge Books: 24 / 100 Movies: 22 / 100

My Goodreads

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Mohave
Orange Belt
Posts: 198
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:38 pm
Location: Florida, USA
Languages: English (Native),
French (enjoying and still learning the language)
Spanish (Beginner)
Language Log: http://how-to-learn-any-language.org/vi ... f=15&t=766
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Re: Mohave's Adventures in French and Spanish

Postby Mohave » Mon Jun 25, 2018 10:18 pm

Some thoughts on Assimil... I used Assimil French Without Toil as a core beginner course in French followed by Assimil Using French. I am currently using Assimil Spanish With Ease (2014). I LOVED French Without Toil, the continuing story, the humor, and the songs every seven lessons. After completing 19 lessons of Spanish With Ease, I have not fallen in love with this Assimil version. I miss the charm of French Without Toil, and frankly, I was nearly overwhelmed with the extensive grammar notes in the beginning of Spanish With Ease... Having said all this, Assimil seems to be going well now.

I completed Pimsleur 1 in Spanish this week!! I had to do a few of the last lessons twice - particularly on the pronoun placement and past tense. Something I plan to follow up on in reading Essential Spanish Grammar

humerusthings wrote:Do you find it is easier to learn Spanish after French, or do the similarities make you get confused? (my greatest worry, esp since my french is really only at A1-A2 level).

So I have wondered whether Spanish would interfere with my French also. I know this question has been asked, and answered, many times on here and on HTLAL. For me, I have NOT confused them (yet). However, when I had my French Language exchange this week with my long-term pen pal, I felt horribly tongue-tied and my pronunciation felt off. It wasn't a confusion between Spanish and French words, more of getting the proper muscles engaged. Thankfully, after five minutes or so, I found my groove. I think I am going to try to read out-loud a little in French shortly before my exchange and see if that helps. On the other hand, I have upped my French listening, and when I have done that in the past, I hear just how much I do not sound like a Parisienne! Happy Language Learning!

French SC Reading
1) Chéri de Collette - 14 pages
2) Et Si C'était Vrai de Marc Levy - 75 pages

French SC Watching/Listening
1) Dix Pour Cent 2 episodes
2) Les Temoins (Witnesses) - 2 episodes
3) En Immersion (Deep) Completed - review to come. 135 minutes total
4) La Trêve (The Break) watched 3/10 episodes
5) Podcast: Monumental - Moscou 56 min - excellent and well worth the listen
6) Podcast RFI Français en Facile 7/7
7) Language Exchange - 1 hr

Spanish Update
Pimsleur Spanish Level 1 - Finished
Assimil Spanish With Ease (2014) Lessons 11-19
Spanish For Reading - Finished Ch 3
Notes in Spanish Beg Podcast: 1-5
Flashcards Review 7/7 days

Spanish Reading
Muerte en Buenos Aires (A1)- Paco Ardit Ch 1- 43
6 x
Spanish Motivation: Dec 2018 - Costa Rica
Spanish Pimsleur 3: 6 / 30 Assimil: 56 / 100
Spanish Super Challenge Books: 2 / 50 Movies: 0 / 100
French Super Challenge Books: 24 / 100 Movies: 22 / 100

My Goodreads

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Carmody
Black Belt - 1st Dan
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Location: NYC, NY
Languages: English (N)
French (B1)
Language Log: http://tinyurl.com/zot7wrs
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Re: Mohave's Adventures in French and Spanish

Postby Carmody » Tue Jun 26, 2018 12:32 am

Do you by any chance have a URL for Dix Pour Cent for entire episodes; all I find are small snippets of the show.
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Mohave
Orange Belt
Posts: 198
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 1:38 pm
Location: Florida, USA
Languages: English (Native),
French (enjoying and still learning the language)
Spanish (Beginner)
Language Log: http://how-to-learn-any-language.org/vi ... f=15&t=766
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Re: Mohave's Adventures in French and Spanish

Postby Mohave » Tue Jun 26, 2018 12:48 am

Carmody wrote:Do you by any chance have a URL for Dix Pour Cent for entire episodes; all I find are small snippets of the show.


Hi Carmody -
I'm sorry, but I do not have an URL for entire episodes. I am watching Dix Pour Cent (Call My Agent) on Netflix (US Catalog). Here is the Bande-Announce on YouTube.

.
1 x
Spanish Motivation: Dec 2018 - Costa Rica
Spanish Pimsleur 3: 6 / 30 Assimil: 56 / 100
Spanish Super Challenge Books: 2 / 50 Movies: 0 / 100
French Super Challenge Books: 24 / 100 Movies: 22 / 100

My Goodreads

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Carmody
Black Belt - 1st Dan
Posts: 1747
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Location: NYC, NY
Languages: English (N)
French (B1)
Language Log: http://tinyurl.com/zot7wrs
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Re: Mohave's Adventures in French and Spanish

Postby Carmody » Tue Jun 26, 2018 1:43 pm

Many thanks for your response but I don't have Netflix, so I am out of the running here.
Congratulations on your great work...
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zjones
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Languages: English (N), French (B1-certified), Spanish and Greek (abandoned)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=9860
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Re: Mohave's Adventures in French and Spanish

Postby zjones » Wed Jun 27, 2018 9:37 pm

Mohave wrote:French SC Watching/Listening
1) Dix Pour Cent 2 episodes
2) Les Temoins (Witnesses) - 2 episodes
3) En Immersion (Deep) Completed - review to come. 135 minutes total
4) La Trêve (The Break) watched 3/10 episodes
5) Podcast: Monumental - Moscou 56 min - excellent and well worth the listen
6) Podcast RFI Français en Facile 7/7
7) Language Exchange - 1 hr


Impressive list!

How do you like Les Temoins? Are you on the first season? I was very drawn to the main characters so it was easy for me to binge. I followed it up with La Trêve which I did not like as much, maybe because it felt much creepier than Les Temoins. Also, the main character in La Trêve doesn't enunciate well AT ALL. :lol:
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