Clara's Spanish Log

Continue or start your personal language log here, including logs for challenge participants
clara
Yellow Belt
Posts: 96
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2020 4:46 am
Languages: English (N), Spanish (intermediate)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... hp?t=16333
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Re: Clara's Spanish Log

Postby clara » Sat May 01, 2021 5:22 pm

I haven’t updated my log in a while. I ended up needing surgery in March and spent most of April recovering. Most of my goals went out the window, and I’m ok with that. I spent a lot of down time watching series and have had a hard time focusing on reading, but I’m getting back into the swing of things.

Fitness Challenge: This one totally went out the window. I am on medication that is giving me terrible food cravings, and my diet has deteriorated horribly. I’m just glad to be mostly recovered.

365 Day Challenge: Thanks to Anki, binge watching series, online lessons, and my daily conjugation app, I kept up with this and still haven’t missed a day.

Super Challenge / Reading / Listening: I haven’t read any books since my last post, so no progress there, but I did binge watch a lot of Netflix. Over 100 hours in March and 65 hours in April for a total of over 350 hours watched so far. I’ve kept up with reading news articles, but I just haven’t been able to focus on anything longer. Given that I’ve hit 2x the target on the watching portion of the Super Challenge but not even 1x of the reading, I should read more in May.

Anki: Except for one day when I just plain forgot, I have maintained my daily Anki streak. I hit my goal of 10k words (active cards) back in March. I haven’t added any new words since then, and am now spending 20-25 minutes a day compared to 50-55 before. My next goal is 10k mature cards by my one year Anki anniversary in early July. If my calculations are correct, I should learn 20 words per day to reach 10k mature cards by July.

Grammar: I binged Kwiziq and went from 70% to >90% in A2 and B1, and from <40% to >90% in B2 in one weekend. As I suspected, it felt a lot easier this time around, given that I’ve consumed so much more native input. That said, C1 does feel pretty tough, and I think it’d be better to practice some of the concepts I solidified instead of piling on more grammar right away.

Online lessons: I’ve maintained 4-5 hours of conversation practice per week. I’d like to try some new instructors on italki, but I’ll probably hold off. Thanks to my Kwiziq binge, my use of subjunctive has improved noticeably.

It may not sound like it, but I know I've been in a rut. The series I watched were mostly dubs, and I need to take the leap to native shows. The grammar binge was a good step to finally review some points I keep missing, but I know there is a lot of low hanging fruit still. Anki and conversation practice have been on coast mode. I really need to read and write which I've been neglecting. I've been putting in a lot of time, especially watching series, but it hasn't been very efficient or effective for improving my level. I am having fun though.
9 x
Spanish Goals
22/23 SC Films: 438 / 18000 438 / 18000 minutes
22/23 SC Books: 6454 / 10000 6454 / 10000 pages
2022 Reading: 8061 / 8000 8061 / 10000 8000 pages

Cavesa
Black Belt - 4th Dan
Posts: 4960
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 9:46 am
Languages: Czech (N), French (C2) English (C1), Italian (C1), Spanish, German (C1)
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Re: Clara's Spanish Log

Postby Cavesa » Sat May 01, 2021 5:39 pm

Great to hear from you! I hope your recovery goes well. It's surely not easy, especially in these times.
And you've done a lot of good Spanish work in spite of the obstacles.

Have you watched anything especially good that you'd recommend?
1 x

clara
Yellow Belt
Posts: 96
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2020 4:46 am
Languages: English (N), Spanish (intermediate)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... hp?t=16333
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Re: Clara's Spanish Log

Postby clara » Sun May 09, 2021 5:35 pm

Cavesa wrote:Great to hear from you! I hope your recovery goes well. It's surely not easy, especially in these times.
And you've done a lot of good Spanish work in spite of the obstacles.

Have you watched anything especially good that you'd recommend?


Thank you! Most of what I watched were dubs, and I try to watch mediocre shows for dubs, otherwise I get too interested and switch to English. I liked The Travelers (Viajeros), The Flash (Flash), and Russian Doll (Muñeca Rusa? -- not sure) which all have elements of time travel. As for native content, 7 años was a surprisingly accessible and enjoyable film, even if the ending was predictable. The entire plot takes place with 5 characters having a focused discussion in one room.
1 x
Spanish Goals
22/23 SC Films: 438 / 18000 438 / 18000 minutes
22/23 SC Books: 6454 / 10000 6454 / 10000 pages
2022 Reading: 8061 / 8000 8061 / 10000 8000 pages

clara
Yellow Belt
Posts: 96
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2020 4:46 am
Languages: English (N), Spanish (intermediate)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... hp?t=16333
x 457

Re: Clara's Spanish Log

Postby clara » Sun May 09, 2021 6:10 pm

Week ending 5/8/2021

Grammar Binge: I binged Kwiziq for the first half of the week and am now at 100% in A0, A1, A2, and B1, and still 90% in B2. Getting that last 5% in a level is maddening, every typo or stupid mistake costs a lot. I'm posting a picture because these precious diamonds took a lot of work, and I need to show off the bling!

Image

I didn't feel ready to tackle the last 10% of B2 or to start C1, and instead I ordered the McGraw Hill Spanish Grammar books. Based on screenshots, I thought McGraw Hill and Gramática de uso books were the same, but the GdU books are entirely in Spanish whereas the MGH has some explanations in English for the beginner and intermediate levels. Otherwise, the layout and exercises are exactly the same, and the MGH books are significantly cheaper in the US.

I started the Intermediate book (B level), and I like it much more than the Practice Makes Perfect books. The layout is better with more questions to thoroughly cover a topic. PMP spreads questions out between grammar explanations where MGH/GdU always has explanations on the left and loads of questions on the right pages. Because of how PMP is laid out, I always felt like I was just plugging in answers that were right above the questions. The questions in MGH/GdU are also better designed.

I might be a weirdo here, but I actually hate physical books. I hate flipping back and forth, needing to weigh down pages to keep the book open while I write down answers, etc. I want to cut all the pages out of the binding, but I'm worried that will create more problems than it will solve.

Online lessons / conversation practice: The other notable thing this week is I recorded an online lesson and was shocked to discover that I talk significantly less than I thought. I start out strong, but I slowly peter out, speaking less and making lots of very basic errors by the end. I'm not sure what to do with this information, but I do think the recording is useful. I hope to see progression over time. I should join an output challenge. That might give me the push I need to start writing.

Everything else: I read a bunch of news articles and listened to podcasts and various Youtube videos, but nothing I would count for the Super Challenge. MIT Technology Review in Spanish is back online after their data center fire. I've also started reading National Geographic too. Every time I think I should finally pay for a subscription to El País, I find more free sources. After almost 2 months of no new cards, I started adding 25 words per day to Anki.

Plan for this coming week: My usual tutor is taking a little time off, and I'm going to use this opportunity to try some other tutors on Italki.
8 x
Spanish Goals
22/23 SC Films: 438 / 18000 438 / 18000 minutes
22/23 SC Books: 6454 / 10000 6454 / 10000 pages
2022 Reading: 8061 / 8000 8061 / 10000 8000 pages

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Araminta
White Belt
Posts: 44
Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2021 5:45 pm
Location: California, Estados Unidos
Languages: English (N) Español (intermediate)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 2ec7b88c80
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Re: Clara's Spanish Log

Postby Araminta » Sun May 09, 2021 11:40 pm

clara wrote:Most of what I watched were dubs, and I try to watch mediocre shows for dubs, otherwise I get too interested and switch to English. I liked The Travelers (Viajeros), The Flash (Flash), and Russian Doll (Muñeca Rusa? -- not sure) which all have elements of time travel. As for native content, 7 años was a surprisingly accessible and enjoyable film, even if the ending was predictable. The entire plot takes place with 5 characters having a focused discussion in one room.


Hi Clara, I was wondering where you find your dubbed content? Netflix? Prime Video? HBO? I've been looking for the original Law and Order series somewhere, but it's not streaming anywhere in the US as far as I can tell. :( And also, congrats on grammar-ing up a storm!
1 x

clara
Yellow Belt
Posts: 96
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2020 4:46 am
Languages: English (N), Spanish (intermediate)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... hp?t=16333
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Re: Clara's Spanish Log

Postby clara » Mon May 10, 2021 3:51 am

Araminta wrote:Hi Clara, I was wondering where you find your dubbed content? Netflix? Prime Video? HBO? I've been looking for the original Law and Order series somewhere, but it's not streaming anywhere in the US as far as I can tell. :( And also, congrats on grammar-ing up a storm!


99% of what I watch is on Netflix. I've tried a little on Prime Video, but I find the interface just isn't as good for toggling back and forth between languages or for rewinding if I miss a phrase or word. It's funny that you mention Law & Order because it was the first series that came to mind for the Super Challenge. I love the original series and have probably seen every episode multiple times. I did a bit of digging, and only the first 2 and last 2 seasons are available as paid content on Prime Video, and I'm not sure if it includes Spanish audio. I love L&O, but I'm not paying $20+ per season! As far as I can tell, Amazon generally has less content dubbed than Netflix, and it's harder to find. Netflix makes it easy to search by language. I think NBC's streaming service has more (all?) seasons of Law & Order, but I couldn't tell if Spanish dubs are available or not. I assume not, but I'm not 100% sure.

Edit: I just checked and Law and Order is only $12.99 per season on Prime Video, but it's only in English. Boo. I'm guessing you'd need to get foreign DVDs if you wanted to watch it in Spanish, but I don't even have a DVD player anymore...
3 x
Spanish Goals
22/23 SC Films: 438 / 18000 438 / 18000 minutes
22/23 SC Books: 6454 / 10000 6454 / 10000 pages
2022 Reading: 8061 / 8000 8061 / 10000 8000 pages

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Araminta
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Joined: Sat Mar 06, 2021 5:45 pm
Location: California, Estados Unidos
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Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 2ec7b88c80
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Re: Clara's Spanish Log

Postby Araminta » Mon May 10, 2021 2:58 pm

clara wrote:99% of what I watch is on Netflix. I've tried a little on Prime Video, but I find the interface just isn't as good for toggling back and forth between languages or for rewinding if I miss a phrase or word.


I've seen a lot of original Spanish content that looks great, but I'm having a harder time finding the simple dubbed content. In particular, I'm looking for shows with lots of seasons and episodes, much like L&O. I've heard that there is a ton of dubbed material on Netflix, but when I search under Spanish audio I don't see as many shows as I expected.

clara wrote: It's funny that you mention Law & Order because it was the first series that came to mind for the Super Challenge. I love the original series and have probably seen every episode multiple times. I did a bit of digging, and only the first 2 and last 2 seasons are available as paid content on Prime Video, and I'm not sure if it includes Spanish audio. I love L&O, but I'm not paying $20+ per season!


Me either! It seems like someone should be streaming it in Spanish somewhere. Edit to add: I just read an article that L&O is a victim of it's own success. It's such a long series and therefore too expensive for many streaming services to pick up. Double BOO!

clara wrote: I think NBC's streaming service has more (all?) seasons of Law & Order, but I couldn't tell if Spanish dubs are available or not. I assume not, but I'm not 100% sure.


I'll check into this. If they have it dubbed in Spanish and it's a cheap monthly fee, I'll totally go for it. I'll let you know what I discover.
3 x

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Araminta
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Re: Clara's Spanish Log

Postby Araminta » Tue May 11, 2021 12:04 pm

I signed up for a free trial of the Peacock Channel, NBC's streaming service. They have some Spanish language content, but Netflix has more. There are some seasons of L&O, but no Spanish audio. :( So it's back to Netflix for me.
2 x

clara
Yellow Belt
Posts: 96
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2020 4:46 am
Languages: English (N), Spanish (intermediate)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... hp?t=16333
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Re: Clara's Spanish Log

Postby clara » Tue May 11, 2021 4:08 pm

Araminta wrote:I signed up for a free trial of the Peacock Channel, NBC's streaming service. They have some Spanish language content, but Netflix has more. There are some seasons of L&O, but no Spanish audio. :( So it's back to Netflix for me.


Bummer! Thanks for updating, it's good to know for sure.

Editing to add: In case you were thinking about HBO, from what I could see most of their Latin content was Brazilian. What they do have in Spanish seems to be Argentinian or Chilean which have more difficult to understand accents (at least to me), so HBO is off the table for me until I'm much more advanced.

Araminta wrote:I've seen a lot of original Spanish content that looks great, but I'm having a harder time finding the simple dubbed content. In particular, I'm looking for shows with lots of seasons and episodes, much like L&O. I've heard that there is a ton of dubbed material on Netflix, but when I search under Spanish audio I don't see as many shows as I expected.


No, you're right. For some reason the search on Netflix doesn't list all the shows with Spanish dubbing. I'm assuming you're using this page? For example How to Get Away with Murder doesn't show up through search for me even though it has Spanish dubbing. It's one of the few shows I could find with courtroom drama, but it's very different from L&O. It'll be hard to find anything as long running as L&O, since they were record-setting, weren't they?

Here are some of the longer network shows dubbed into Spanish on Netflix. They're mostly 20+ episode seasons, so there's a good chunk of material. I've listed the number of seasons on Netflix.

15* - Supernatural
8 - Vampire Diaries
8 - Arrow
7 - Blacklist
7 - Gilmore Girls
6* - The Flash
6 - Community
6 - How To Get Away With Murder

The cable/network series often have fewer episodes per season but still a good amount of material:

10 - Shameless
7 - Orange is the New Black
6 - House of Cards
5 - Breaking Bad
4* - Better Call Saul

* Series ongoing, more episodes are being made
3 x
Spanish Goals
22/23 SC Films: 438 / 18000 438 / 18000 minutes
22/23 SC Books: 6454 / 10000 6454 / 10000 pages
2022 Reading: 8061 / 8000 8061 / 10000 8000 pages

clara
Yellow Belt
Posts: 96
Joined: Fri Dec 04, 2020 4:46 am
Languages: English (N), Spanish (intermediate)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... hp?t=16333
x 457

Re: Clara's Spanish Log

Postby clara » Tue May 11, 2021 4:48 pm

Update to my Super Challange watching stats:

Image
3 x
Spanish Goals
22/23 SC Films: 438 / 18000 438 / 18000 minutes
22/23 SC Books: 6454 / 10000 6454 / 10000 pages
2022 Reading: 8061 / 8000 8061 / 10000 8000 pages


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