Spanish Super Challenge and starting Swedish

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James.A.
White Belt
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2018 10:01 pm
Languages: Greek (N), English (C1), French (C1), Russian (A2), Spanish (intermediate), Swedish (beginner), German (beginner-intermediate)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=14273
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Spanish Super Challenge and starting Swedish

Postby James.A. » Fri May 01, 2020 11:37 am

Hello everyone!

It's been a long time since I last wrote here, but my life changed drastically these last months. I now live and work in London and it took a lot of adjusting for me since the life here is much different than in Greece. But now I'm ok and ready to continue my language learning adventures.

Things that you missed (or maybe I wrote about them in a previous post) is that I took the TCF and apparently my level of French is C1. It's been a long time since I took it, so it's not really news, but it helps demonstrate the worth that Super Challenge can have, since I consider it to be almost the sole reason I managed a score that high (and of course my wonderful language partener who I now consider a dear friend). So the next language is Spanish.

I had an on and off relationship with Spanish for at least 2 years. We started studing it with my girlfriend and it was quite fun. But it really wasn't anything serious. We reached lesson 50 in assimil and then we were too busy to continue with phase two. We started studing again some months later, but again we didn't get too far. So I was stuck in that beginner's pergatory for a long time (well, not exactly begginer, since nobody that can confidently speak French can consider himself a real beginner in Spanish). So, I decided to take the Super Challenge for Spanish since before I finished my previous French Challenge. I started studing again on February in preparation to the challenge and now I think I am ready. I mainly focused in the vocabulary and the verbs and I read some children's books and later some short stories, finding writing down words I didn't know. I believe I am now ready to graduate to my first "real" book: Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone (what else could it be? :D ). I started it last night at midnight to commemorate the begining of May and Super Challenge and I found it quite easy. I continued it this morning and I am planing to read the whole day, like a 24 hours challenge, and I hope to finish it by midnight. a strong begining for a wonderful new Super Challenge! ;)

I completed the last super challenge in less than a year (I started it around November I think and I finished last October) so maybe I will have the time to do another half challenge in either Russian (my level in Russian is fairly good now) or German (a beginner really, but who knows what will happen in a year's time?).

The language that I will actively study for now is Swedish. I started with it about a month ago so for now my arbritary goal is to finish the "Teach yourself complete Swedish". I started it last week and it seems ok. I am currently in page 32. That's it for now! I will inform you of how it went with Harry Potter when I finish it.

Have a wonderful spring everyone! And good luck to everyone that is doing a Super Challenge!
8 x
Super Challenge: Spanish
9000 minutes (films/audiobooks) : 9000 / 9000 (100/100)
5000 pages (books) : 5000 / 5000 (100/100)

User avatar
James.A.
White Belt
Posts: 45
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2018 10:01 pm
Languages: Greek (N), English (C1), French (C1), Russian (A2), Spanish (intermediate), Swedish (beginner), German (beginner-intermediate)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=14273
x 111

Re: Spanish Super Challenge and starting Swedish

Postby James.A. » Sat May 02, 2020 10:20 am

Hello!

Just finished the first Harry Potter! I believe I learnt a lot of new words! (and a wonderful book too! I love it so so much, even though I have read it a lot of times in many languages.) I'm reading too slowly in Spanish at the moment, but I hope it will get better as I read more and more.

Next book will be the spanish edition of "Old Magic" by Marianne Curley. The title is translated as "El círculo del fuego". It's much better than the greek translation which literally translates to 'The bridges of time'. It is a book that I read when I was very young and I don't remember a lot of things. And it is written for an audience slightly older than the first Harry Potter. I remember that I quite liked it, the love story aspect of it in particular. I bought a wonderful hardcover edition from ebay for a rediculously low price. It came some days ago and I can't wait to start reading it. Of course it will take much more than a day to finish it!

Yesterday I took a Spanish assessment test in a site called lengalia.com. It contained reading, listening, vocabulary and grammar parts. It placed me at C1, which honestly I believe is an exageration. Anyone knows the site or took the test?

So, 245 pages done, 4754 to go! :D

See you!
4 x
Super Challenge: Spanish
9000 minutes (films/audiobooks) : 9000 / 9000 (100/100)
5000 pages (books) : 5000 / 5000 (100/100)


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