Have you improved your Spanish? Give us an example;)
I was just thinking last night, at 4 AM...omg, jeje, when we were still on the chat, how much a lot of people have improved since they joined us
One of the superstars was Sakis, he joined our community in September 2010.
I have noticed that lately he has jumped a big step forward and his pronunciation in my opinion is actually better in Spanish than in English, language he is almost fluent in.
So I looked for an old post
This was posted in October :
¡Mi madre ha abandonado el lavado de manos.!
My mom has given up the hand washing.!
It should read: Mi madre ha dejado de lavar a mano. What he said was: My mother does not wash her hands any more
In those days, as you can see, I was trying to do the corrections, but I could not keep up with it, so I can only repeat day after day after day...how lucky we are to have cogumela on board now
22 Answers
It's hard to find any specific examples, because I have corrected them as suggested, but several months ago when answering the Picture of the Day or the Word of the Day, it took me 20 minutes to look things up, use the translator to check my answer, and so on.
Now, it takes me longer to think up a funny caption than it does to translate it to Spanish....and even though I do still have corrections to make, usually it is not the entire sentence that is messed up, just usually a word here or there....
So I feel that I have came a long way - I use several different sources to study with, but I think that SpanishDict has been the most helpful, from the exercises posted, to the word of the day and picture of the day and evaluating the corrections...
My pronunciation still leaves a lot to be desired... 
Cuando estaba en la primaria, mi profesora siempre nos preguntaba : ¿Cual ¿Qué es más pesado : una tonelada de algodón o una tonelada de hierro? No pude encontrar supe la respuesta hasta que me haya graduado. gradué.
Answered Nov 14, 2010
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Ojalá pudiera leer ese letrero vertical... ¡Ah! Si giro la cabeza un poco.... ¡Ya está!
Answered Feb 28, 2011
Y ayer me di cuenta de algo... 
Pues, yo pensaba que el verbo "distinguir" fuera "distingüir" O sea, lo pronunciaba así. Pero creo que no lo he usado en público. Es decir nadie me ha escuchado leerlo así. Jejejeje 
Last week my spanish teacher mentioned that she noticed I was talking more in class than before and had improved generally. I am certain it is because I spend time on SD every day.
I know I have improved because I used to get extreme panic attacks when I tried to speak in Spanish 
(which was inexplicable as I never do when speaking in English)..I do have a lot of trouble with pronunciation even with some English words ( my wife always laughs when I try to say the word ventriloquist.)
I think being able to hear how the word is pronounced on the SD dictionary has been very helpful even more so now with the recent improvements.
I am now trying to build up my courage to sign up to Skype and join the chat on Saturdays (I nearly did yesterday)
Somedays it doesn't seem like it 
However, when I first started trying to talk to natives, I had a huge tendency to use infinitives because I couldn't think of the correct verb and conjugate it fast enough to keep up a conversation. I can think of the correct word much more rapidly now and have time to focus on pronunciation, which still gives me a lot of problems--it is hard to overcome 50 years of talking with your tongue in the wrong part of your mouth.
I came to Spain about 3 years ago to live with my boyfriend. He's a native but can speak english perfectly. All I knew as far as spanish went was "hola". I was like a baby learning a new language and now just look at me... 
I've definitely come a long way. This forum really helps.
Me llamo Sakis and I am a SpanishDictolic! 
Heidi was kind enough to unveil my ignorance at my infant steps in the Spanish language..
As I recall those days so long ago ( ? 5 months ) I can only smile at my mistakes.
When I joined SpanisDict in September 18 ( I have said it elsewhere ) I only knew two words:
“muchas gracias”.
But I love this country, it’s people, their language and their temperament so much that I managed to learn a few more words and some grammar. And the story continues..
When I decided to study Spanish, being a teacher myself ( electronics & physics ),
I knew I would have to gather enough material to fulfill my goal.
These books are now in my library collecting dust, for I have not opened any of them yet!
SpanishDict with all the resources available is more than enough for me to come to this point. But the people in SpanishDict is what makes the difference.
It is their kindness, friendliness and patience that make me say this now:
I love this neighborhood!
P.S. English is not my native language, so forgive my errors and only for this post
don’t bother to correct them as long as this post conveys my feelings and thoughts!
( I am enjoying this, so don't take it too seriously! )
Hmmmm.. Looking at my questions on SpanishDict is depressing because I had forgotten the answers to the questions I asked!
I really need to take notes and revise more instead of just ploughing through everything.
But I just listened to an old recording I did in a speaking exercise for LiveMocha and I remember how many times I had to re-record it and how carefully I had to listen to the examples and what agony it was to try to copy the sounds. I still struggle a lot with pronunciation and being understood but at least it's not so painfully difficult anymore.
It was last February that I started learning Spanish. I feel like I've made some progress, but not as much as I could have because I've become demotivated and given up so many times.
It's nice when you first start learning a language because every day you can see some change and every new word you've learned is an exponential improvement. I know that the higher you get the less you feel like you're progressing, especially since you start learning low-frequency words and there's no guarantee when you learn one you're going to hear it again in the next few months. Probably for that reason every language I've ever learned I've gotten stuck at B1 level. But I really want to make it all the way with Spanish!
Here's a specific example of something I wrote last February:
La mujes esta en el sofa. No esta en la silla. El hombre es en el automovil. No es sombre el automovil.
6 months ago:
Tengo que comprar los celos. Necesito va a correos mañana con mi madre. Tengo que comprar comer. Va a ir con mi padre del supermercado.
Yesterday:
Cuando me vi a Viena en Austria me queda en un hostel se llama "Wombats". Estuve aquí de vacaciones para tres días porque viví en Trebic en la Republica Checa que está muy cerca de Viena. No había servicio a la habitación pero fui posible ir al bar, lo que era abajo, si quería comida o usar los computadores o el wifi.
Uffff the mistakes from yesterday are the most annoying.
All from here: http://es-mx.livemocha.com/profiles/view/3879503
In July 2009 I asked:
I looked this up in the forum, but I'm still having trouble knowing when to use the word "traigo" instead of "llevo."
Lazaruz says:
Traer = bring something to the place where the speaker is when using the verb.
Llevar = take something to any other place.*
However, if I'm the speaker I can't bring something to myself. Can anyone give me examples of when to use "traigo'"
Thanks in advance.
I still mix these verbs up on occasion, but at least I understand the reasoning behind each one.
I remember when I first decided to join a Skype chat --- I was absolutely terrified. I actually wrote down "Me llamo Mariana y soy de Boston" just in case I forgot what to say when Heidi called on me!
I think my one of my first questions was, " Why isn't May 22, vigésimo segundo de mayo? ". And my first answer for the palabra de día la caza was:
Le gustaba la emoción de la caza.
He enjoyed the thrill of the hunt.
It did not get corrected. I had been a member for a week.
april 2
I answered palabra de día convenier and just noticed that I got a ): from Heidta. for this sentence:
Mi hija y su novio necesidad para convenir a una fecha de la boda tan nosotros podemos hacer los arreglos.
My daughter and her boyfriend need to agree on a wedding date so we can make the arrangements
Wow, so sorry, Heidi.
I think I am doing a little better now.
Thank you so much for all the help!
I know I have improved ,to myself at least , in that like Yeser007 I am not
embarrassed to speak to Heidi or any of the native speakers on Skype chats
in Spanish . I find that I can make a sentence from scratch in Spanish ,
which, may not be correct but will at least make sense. And one memorable day,
for my own benefit I scribbled out a poem in Spanish . That would have been totally
impossible for me to do a few short months ago . I can, and have looked back
at some of my old posts , and cringe with the shame of it, but that is how we all
learn and grow. I am deeply indebted to all who have helped me get to this place,
and this stage in my development .Thank you Heidi and to all those caring
guiding hands who are there for us.
I like to think it is improved but I'll have to search the archves for any examples. I do know it is a lot easier trying to speak since using the Skype chats. OK so going back I can start with the simplest, at least now I know the difference between formal and imformal use.Aug27,2009
I certainly believe this site has helped me improve my Spanish immensely. I can't point to specific posts or questions, but rather so many subtle things. Seeing how native speakers express themselves in Spanish, I am always amazed at their nuanced sentence construction. Also,various regional expression were always interesting to hear.
Watching many of the "regulars, " on the site, I could see their improvement and interest, and it became contagious. Now, like many, the first thing I do in the morning is the word and photo of the day, and check the posts.
I think of SpanishDict.com as the mothership of Spanish Learning. It sends us out on expeditions to gather new knowledge and bring it back to share with others. Well, I'm off on a mssion to watch TeleMadrid and learn more about the Terremoto in Japan. I'll report back when I'm done!
Oh my, What a difference !
Because of my work in México I had accumulated a pretty substantial vocabulary, as I gained familiarity with all the things around me, from the market to the factory. I was doing all the things that we do in daily life, with only the most rudimentary ability to speak properly. Thanks to the kindness of the people of Chuhuahua, I survived, but only that. I did not write in spanish at all. As my circle of friends grew, The need to speak with them about our lives,events and opinions grew more important. Many times I sat in silence as the activity moved around me only commenting when I could.They have told me that my english speaking friends were preventing me from learning, guess what, they were right in this case. I was getting frustrated trying to work things out with reading in spanish,which I do fairly well, and the typical "learn spanish books"
My wife discovered Spanishdict. and I got to work. It was like a cool splash of water on a hot chihuahua day. Paralee's videos with the lesson materials was like an arrow pointing "this way" I still curse the recall as I type so slowly, but I am still determined to get 100% one day.
The "real trick" for me is the forum, where, when I see a question, I go off to the myriad of resources to find the answer,resources I never knew existed. In doing so, one learns other things along the way. Now after only two and a half months, I am writing in spanish,as you can all see. and I can actually assemble a decent phrase or sentence.
My friends are thrilled, as now we can chat regularly, and we can toss opinions around and I ,finally,can actually participate. Furthermore, I can even manage a phone call in spanish, almost an impossibility several months ago.
All of the members here in the forum, whether they think so or not, have been the greatest aid of all. Why? because of the research their questions and commentaries cause me to do, the corrections made to mine, and the posts of others,and also because I take that new injection of daily learning into my everyday life.
I have rambled quite enough Damas y Caballeros. The pleasure of learning, participating and getting to know you all,has been mine.
Jeje, you weren´t expecting an essay now were you!.
Con mucho gusto
Paco
I find that listening to Spanish music has been a huge help in improving my language skills.
When I listen to music, I find that now I am able to pick out and identify various tenses. I was delighted when I found that I had a brand new skill. It also helps greatly in 'seeing' when the preterite and the imperfect is used.
I have just joined SpanishDict a few days ago and hopefully it will help me get more fluent in Spanish! Although I am doing a program called Rosetta Stone, I am not getting that fluent in Spanish but hopefully SpanishDict will help me get more fluent with Spanish!
