Sam's Spanish Log

Continue or start your personal language log here, including logs for challenge participants
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samfrances
Orange Belt
Posts: 201
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 2:41 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Languages: Native: British English
Learning: Spanish (B1/B2)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2967
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Re: Sam's Spanish Log

Postby samfrances » Sun Oct 11, 2020 5:01 pm

iguanamon wrote:Sam, you're probably tired of my unsolicited advice


Are you joking? Unsolicited advice from advanced polyglots such as yourself is one of the major advantages of keeping a log here. Keep it coming! :D

iguanamon wrote:I think you are ready to read the book "Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish" by Joseph J. Keenan.


Thanks, I'll take a look.

iguanamon wrote:In addition, even though you are probably tired of courses, it could be a good idea to go through the FSI Spanish Basic Course. FSI Spanish Basic is not as the name would imply- a simple course. Many people here have used the course after reaching low intermediate level.


I hadn't realised that FSI was at an appropriate level, so that's useful, thanks.

iguanamon wrote:Or there's also Gramática de uso del Español. B1-B2: Teoría y práctica con solucionario which is a great aid in mastering Spanish grammar principles.


I have this but haven't yet got stuck into it. I'll put it next on my queue. Thanks. Do you recommend just working through it, or did you use the exercises to make SRS cards, etc.?
5 x
: 156 / 156 : Schaum's grammar, Fluent Forever
: 642 / 1000 : Learn / make flashcards for 1000 most frequent Spanish words

Sam's Spanish Log
Sam's Year of Reading Only Spanish
Dipping my toe into Latin

User avatar
samfrances
Orange Belt
Posts: 201
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 2:41 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Languages: Native: British English
Learning: Spanish (B1/B2)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2967
x 311

Re: Sam's Spanish Log

Postby samfrances » Sun Oct 11, 2020 5:05 pm

El Forastero wrote:
samfrances wrote:
But what about ¿Crees que ...?

Is it indicative because its "crees que" or subjunctive because, as a question, it is expressing doubt?


Both are right, but they are subtle differences:

"¿Crees que el asesino sea el mayordomo?": I'm asking if you suppose the butler can be the murderer, if you have that hypothesis, or even if this hypothesis could be plausible
"¿Crees que el asesino es el mayordomo?": I'm asking if you have already concluded that the butler is the murderer. In my question, I think you are pretty sure and I want to confirm it.

So, if you have only 30% of certainty, in the first question you answer "yes, he could be", and in the second question you answer "no, but he could be"


Thanks El Forastero. That is extremely helpful.
1 x
: 156 / 156 : Schaum's grammar, Fluent Forever
: 642 / 1000 : Learn / make flashcards for 1000 most frequent Spanish words

Sam's Spanish Log
Sam's Year of Reading Only Spanish
Dipping my toe into Latin

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iguanamon
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2354
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 11:14 am
Location: Virgin Islands
Languages: Speaks: English (Native); Spanish (C2); Portuguese (C2); Haitian Creole (C1); Ladino/Djudeo-espanyol (C1); Lesser Antilles French Creole (B2)
Studies: Catalan
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=797
x 14194

Re: Sam's Spanish Log

Postby iguanamon » Sun Oct 11, 2020 5:13 pm

Sam, at this point in your learning FSI will consolidate what you have learned and make it automatic. That's what drills do. You don't have to go over what you have already mastered. Jump in where you feel you need to be.

As to "Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish", I cannot recomend it highly enough. It is not a course, but more like his observations about Spanish. It's quite like a conversation with a friend who learned Spanish to a high level and is sharing his tips with you. It's a heck of a bargain at 5 quid used on Abe Books.
2 x

User avatar
samfrances
Orange Belt
Posts: 201
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 2:41 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Languages: Native: British English
Learning: Spanish (B1/B2)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2967
x 311

Re: Sam's Spanish Log

Postby samfrances » Wed Oct 14, 2020 6:25 pm

Finally finished making "Fluent Forever" style grammar cards from Schaum's Outline of Spanish Grammar! Not sure if it helped, but its done.
1 x
: 156 / 156 : Schaum's grammar, Fluent Forever
: 642 / 1000 : Learn / make flashcards for 1000 most frequent Spanish words

Sam's Spanish Log
Sam's Year of Reading Only Spanish
Dipping my toe into Latin

User avatar
samfrances
Orange Belt
Posts: 201
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 2:41 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Languages: Native: British English
Learning: Spanish (B1/B2)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2967
x 311

Re: Sam's Spanish Log

Postby samfrances » Sat Oct 17, 2020 5:16 pm

I have decided to start doing "sprints" of three weeks to a month, as otherwise I get bored of learning in the same way every day.

I recently had a level assessment with a teacher with a view to doing the B2 DELE at some point, and he identified various weak points in my grammar. Therefore the four weeks starting today will be a GRAMMAR SPRINT, focusing on the subjunctive.

To that end I'm going to:

I'll make anki cards from these where useful.

Should be enough to be getting on with for the time being. We'll see where I am after that. I'm keeping Gramática de uso del Español. B1-B2 and FSI Basic in the back pocket for now.
6 x
: 156 / 156 : Schaum's grammar, Fluent Forever
: 642 / 1000 : Learn / make flashcards for 1000 most frequent Spanish words

Sam's Spanish Log
Sam's Year of Reading Only Spanish
Dipping my toe into Latin

User avatar
samfrances
Orange Belt
Posts: 201
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 2:41 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Languages: Native: British English
Learning: Spanish (B1/B2)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2967
x 311

Re: Sam's Spanish Log

Postby samfrances » Mon Nov 16, 2020 9:37 am

Turns out my plan for my subjunctive sprint was wildly over-ambitious. Basically, I got through half of the Vogt textbook, and that was it. Partly that's because I have vastly more time for listening (which I can do while exercising, doing simple chores, etc.) than I do for textbook style study.

For my next sprint I'm going to do two weeks of getting through some "learning method" books and courses that I've had lying around for a while. Things like:

Any other recommendations welcome.
3 x
: 156 / 156 : Schaum's grammar, Fluent Forever
: 642 / 1000 : Learn / make flashcards for 1000 most frequent Spanish words

Sam's Spanish Log
Sam's Year of Reading Only Spanish
Dipping my toe into Latin

User avatar
samfrances
Orange Belt
Posts: 201
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 2:41 pm
Location: United Kingdom
Languages: Native: British English
Learning: Spanish (B1/B2)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2967
x 311

Re: Sam's Spanish Log

Postby samfrances » Fri Dec 11, 2020 6:07 pm

My few weeks of method reading turned into more of a "method month". In the end, I got through:
  • a course called The Language toolkit, which was genuinely very helpful, and which I have incorporated into how I do things.
  • "The Learning Revolution" by Jonathan Solity - a book examining the basis of the Michel Thomas method. This was very interesting, but there were far more takeaways for teachers than for autodidacts.

My next challenge, until the end of December, is to do some work on my accent. I'm having some 1:1 tuition for this, and also using Pimsleur, which for some reason I find improves my accent when I do it.
3 x
: 156 / 156 : Schaum's grammar, Fluent Forever
: 642 / 1000 : Learn / make flashcards for 1000 most frequent Spanish words

Sam's Spanish Log
Sam's Year of Reading Only Spanish
Dipping my toe into Latin

munyag
Yellow Belt
Posts: 68
Joined: Tue Jul 09, 2019 4:22 pm
Languages: Shona (N), Spanish (Beginner), French (Beginner)
x 62

Re: Sam's Spanish Log

Postby munyag » Tue Jul 26, 2022 6:07 pm

samfrances wrote:My few weeks of method reading turned into more of a "method month". In the end, I got through:
  • a course called The Language toolkit, which was genuinely very helpful, and which I have incorporated into how I do things.
  • "The Learning Revolution" by Jonathan Solity - a book examining the basis of the Michel Thomas method. This was very interesting, but there were far more takeaways for teachers than for autodidacts.

My next challenge, until the end of December, is to do some work on my accent. I'm having some 1:1 tuition for this, and also using Pimsleur, which for some reason I find improves my accent when I do it.


Hi Sam

Where are you with your Spanish and your work on the use of the Subjunctive? Have you sat the Dele B2 yet?
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