Question about listening

Question

Does it help to listen to Spanish audio even if you don't know what on earth is being said?

And if so, do you have to pay attention to it for it to be beneficial? Could it simply be background sound?

for it to be beneficial :) - FELIZ77, Sep 4, 2011

Thank you :) - Felixlynx, Sep 5, 2011

Answer 1

I remember that long time ago, a friend of mine began to go out with a group of Swedes, and I spent several weeks just listening but not being able to understand a thing... initially. After a month or so, I was getting the gist of the conversation, understanding maybe 20% with context (and much less without it). Eventually, I had a fair idea of what they were talking about. I am sure it works, but it is very tiring, and you have to be eager to understand.

Regarding having the sound on the background, I have tried, and it didn't work for me at all, and apparently, some studies suggests that children do not learn like that either, unless it is real human speech that responds to interactions between the children and the speakers (normally the parents).

However, when it comes to fine tuning your hearing to foreign sounds, there are other studies that suggest that if you work hard and consciously on your listening for a while, and then you relax but leave the same sort of sounds on the background, your brain continues to effectively focus on the "problem" and learn... for a while. Obviously, it won't continue working on the background sound for hours, but potentially for up to, say, 20 minutes or so. This is only about sounds, not meaning.

Thank you Lazarus. I really respect your opinion, and at the moment this question is central to my decisions about how, and what, to tackle next. - territurtle, Sep 4, 2011

Answer 2

If I keep listening to something that I don't understand at all, what's the possibility that I might get used to not understanding it?

It depends on how you are listening to it. If you are making a serious effort to understand, and you try to memorize parts of what it is said, sooner or later you will begin to see patterns, and the brain is very good at finding patterns... when it is not distracted by worrisome thoughts, like fear to failure, lack of confidence... If you just listen passively, there is a good chance you will learn close to nothing, but if you really try, if you really really try, you can learn a lot more than you think.

No, I meant to say listening to Spanish or rather keeping it as background while working, working out or browsing the net. - SpanishPal, Sep 4, 2011

Thank you, Laz - SpanishPal, Sep 4, 2011

Answer 3

I was wondering about that too. If I keep listening to something that I don't understand at all, what's the possibility that I might get used to not understanding it?

Love it. Like you learn to "tune out" that special someone. - 0074b507, Sep 4, 2011

Ha ha, I do that all the time.. I mean with Spanish. "Rebecca, que piensas?" "de que?" - rabbitwho, Sep 4, 2011

Lol @ Rebecca - SpanishPal, Sep 4, 2011

Answer 4

I would say almost definitely. Listening is always good because you develop an ear for speech patterns. Eventually if you keep listening you will be able to recognize a lot more. I would recommend trying to listen attentively as much as possible, but I think listening at all is very beneficiary.