Help me get better at Spanish?
Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 5:22 am
Hi! I've been studying Spanish for a while, mostly flashcards and Duolingo but also some spanishpod101.com . I don't know how to measure my skills effectively, but when reading most texts I only need to stop for vocabulary or particularly tricky idiomatic phrases; I typically look something up every 3-4 sentences (again, mostly vocab). Good enough to start reading some books maybe, but:
My verbal comprehension is *terrible*. I basically can't understand anything being said when native speakers are talking; I get maybe 1 word in 8. My speaking ability is also not great. I'd really like to get better with those. Unfortunately, I have surprisingly few chances to practice with Spanish speakers, despite living in California.
I would especially like ways to practice these things purely auditorily, like when doing the dishes or whatever.
I grabbed Pimsleur, and I find level 4 comfortable, but I've seen that at least some people here say not to do Pimsleur past about level 2. I really enjoy the format, though; I'm very very much an auditory learner.
I've been trying to watch TV in Spanish, mostly translated stuff but some native, and it's really hard; I mostly just can't follow what's being said at the rate people are speaking, even if I could understand it written.
I guess my questions are as follows:
1. Should I be using a commercial language learning program, or is it time to just dive into Spanish media? If a commercial program is appropriate, what would people suggest?
2. Given how hard verbal Spanish is for me, should I be trying to consume TV I mostly can't understand? If so, should I be doing it with captions or just trying to understand the speech by itself?
I'll accept any other tips, of course.
Thank you!
My verbal comprehension is *terrible*. I basically can't understand anything being said when native speakers are talking; I get maybe 1 word in 8. My speaking ability is also not great. I'd really like to get better with those. Unfortunately, I have surprisingly few chances to practice with Spanish speakers, despite living in California.
I would especially like ways to practice these things purely auditorily, like when doing the dishes or whatever.
I grabbed Pimsleur, and I find level 4 comfortable, but I've seen that at least some people here say not to do Pimsleur past about level 2. I really enjoy the format, though; I'm very very much an auditory learner.
I've been trying to watch TV in Spanish, mostly translated stuff but some native, and it's really hard; I mostly just can't follow what's being said at the rate people are speaking, even if I could understand it written.
I guess my questions are as follows:
1. Should I be using a commercial language learning program, or is it time to just dive into Spanish media? If a commercial program is appropriate, what would people suggest?
2. Given how hard verbal Spanish is for me, should I be trying to consume TV I mostly can't understand? If so, should I be doing it with captions or just trying to understand the speech by itself?
I'll accept any other tips, of course.
Thank you!