Never Going to Learn
Right now, I'm in the process of learning Spanish in this community but I'm growing impatient. It seems like too much to learn. Will I ever get to the skill level of a native speaker?
10 Answers
Something I've learned during the process of my Spanish learning is that it's never good to get too focused on my own Spanish knowledge or the vast amounts that I don't know yet or even to focus too much on how much I do know. That, I found, caused me to become really discouraged and critical of myself and Spanish ceased to be a fun hobby and rather a prison of perfectionism that I made for myself. Focus on what you enjoy about the language and what other activities you enjoy and apply Spanish to those. For example, I like watching scientific and social documentaries, so I found those in Spanish. Maybe you enjoy music or sports or cars or anything else and could find resources at your level in Spanish that have to do with those. ¡Suerte!
Keep at it.
This is the only solution I have for anything in life that frustrates you.
Thomas Edison said that he hadn't failed, he just found 10,000 ways that didn't work.
Failure and Success are close relatives. Failure comes to those who quit. Success comes to those who never quit.
By the way, 'never' and 'always' are words I always try to remember to never use. (ha-ha)
Woody Allen said, "Never is a long time, especially that part at the end."
I think part, no, really, aLL of this is a matter of having realistic goals. if one thinks that they´ll become ¨just like a native¨ and they´re above the age of 16, or at most, 20, then theý´re very likely to be disappointed. On the other hand, if they´re able to, even if when sometimes frustrated, able to celebrate what they have learned, and how much more they can communicate now, than X-weeks or Y-months ago, then they will likely derive a great degree of satisfaction.
Set realistic goals Celebrate along the way Keep working.
Rome wasn´t built in a day, nor, did you learn your native language, in a small number of months or years.
Buena suerte.
In my opinion, unless you're an exceptionally talented linguist working for the State Dept or the CIA, you will probably never pass for a native speaker in any languages other than those you learned as a child, but that doesn't mean you won't be able to express yourself fluently, articulately, and in a literate manner.
At one time in my life I decided I wanted to read the Upanishads in the original, so I started teaching myself Sanskrit. I studied for 15 years before realizing I would never be able to understand them better than the excellent translations already available. However, Spanish is not Sanskrit. I'm 67 now, and I've been studying Spanish on this site and with Rosetta Stone for four months, and I fully expect to read Don Quixote in the original language before I die.
If you are not in a position where you can converse daily with native speakers on an immersion basis, achieving that level of fluency is not likely. But you can always improve your skills. That is my goal - simply to be "better".
"Will I ever get to the skill level of a native speaker?"
How long did it take you to become a native speaker in English.
3 years to talk like a toddler..
3 more years to talk like a child.
6 more years to talk like a teen.
6 more years to talk like an adult.
6 more years to talk like a politician.
But as an adult in a year you can exceed the skill level of a native spaeking toddler.
I have lived in Costa Rica for about 4 years without ever taking Spanish classes. I comunicate with my broken Spanish, which I am continually improving, No one here expects me to talk like a native speaker of 20 years but many complement me on my Spanish even though it is not perfect.
So don't get frustrated just realize it won't happen overnight but it will happen.
If you have a passion for it, anything is possible. Seriously, all it takes is some motivation and hard work, but if you love the language then it would not seem as a 'chore' to learn it. I'm 17, Spanish is one of my greatest passions in life, I've been learning for 2 years and in a few years time I aim to be fluent. (and as rogspax pointed out I don't believe I would become NATIVE in the language unless I lived there for a good number of years) Work hard, enjoy it and try and immerse yourself in the language as much as you can!!! Buena suerte!
Hi BrJohn,
Don't give up! I don't have to add a lot more because most of what the others said was enough to be said. If fluency is your goal, your aim is a bit too high, although I must say I admire the guts. Don't let yourself be overpowered by the feeling you can't reach perfection because that will destroy the possibility to learn. All concentration will be consumed by the fact that you made a mistake. If you don't understand something, skip it.....until later. And feel free to put in your most difficult phrases on this site at the games. But always step by step, poco a poco. Good luck with improving your learning and spanish-speakingskills
Aran
Noetol gave a very good answer . As far as becoming a "native speaker", I remember one of my Spanish teachers who was from South America who said she would always speak English with an accent and so wiould be the case for the class speaking Spanish. As Noeto said, work to improve and becomming conversant or even fluent. Enjoy the process and buena suerte.
It's very frustrating at first when there is so much to learn and everyone would like to be able to converse as quickly as possible. That is the very reason people try to learn a language.
I've learned several languages in my lifetime. They all take about 6 months to a year for me to begin speaking and understanding well. However, I could begin 'communicating' before that.
Concentrate on learning the present, past and future of the most used verbs. Learn some nouns that are important to you in your interests and daily life. By the 3rd week, I could buy vegetables and fruits at a market on my own, although I only had a few building blocks to start with. Make sure to practice everything out loud as well as in your head.
It takes patience. I began without even knowing the word 'hola' in January 2010. At this point, I still make grammar mistakes, but I am communicating well.
