No es exactamente una pregunta
Se dice que requiere entre 500 y 600 horas para aprender español. He pasado mucho más de 1.000 horas y me parece que he gastado mi tiempo. No sé más de un pocísimo y no entiende nada (absolutamente nada) cuando escucho hablar españoles. Si supiera que sería así, no habría empezado....... No soy joven, quizás es un factor. Quizás estoy estupido.
Quería decirlo, nada más
6 Answers
Muchos de nosotros hemos tenido esta experiencia. ¿Somos estúpidos? No, creo que lo que es estúpida es la afirmación de que en 500 a 600 horas, se puede aprender español.
Advertising gimmick to sell you a Spanish course.
Mojac:
Please read my blog in Spanish (6 entries) or English (4 entries) at
http://puedohablaringles.blogspot.com/2010/12/bienvenidos-mi-blog.html
or
http://learnspanish-english.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2011-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2012-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=1
Please read all of them, especially the most recent one. Once you do this, I will be able and willing to help you to understand better, if you want so.
My help is for free. Why? Because I want to help people that want to help themselves. I am old already and I want to help as many people as I can to help themselves. The rest? They can continue paying someone to take 10 or more years to get the language. 
In any event, I am not running a business of any kind. I don't charge anything. I write this because apparently many a student in this site seems to believe so. No, no business at all.
Simple.
If you want to talk with me, send contact info on Skype to chileno74, please explain who you are and where did you hear from me.
Regards.
Por favor lee mi blog en Castellano (6 entradas) o en Inglés (4 entradas) en:
http://puedohablaringles.blogspot.com/2010/12/bienvenidos-mi-blog.html
o
http://learnspanish-english.blogspot.com/search?updatedmin=2011-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updatedmax=2012-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=1
Por favor léelos todos, especialmente el más reciente. Una vez que hagas esto, estaré feliz y seré capaz de ayudarte a entender esto mejor, si quieres, por supuesto.
Mi ayuda es gratis. ¿Por qué? Porque me gusta ayudar a las personas que se ayudan a sí mismas. Ya soy viejo y quiero ayudar a tantas personas como sea posible a ayudarse a sí mismas. El resto? Pueden seguir pagando a alguien para obtener el idioma en 10 o más años.
En todo caso no tengo negocio de nada. No cobro nada. Escribo esto porque al parecer un montón de estudiantes de idiomas en este sitio lo creen. No, no tengo nada de eso.
Simple.
Si quieres hablar conmigo, por favor manda mensaje en Skype a chileno74 y dime quien eres y en que sitio de Internet supiste de mí.
Saludos.
As Annie says we take a lot of time to acquire our first language. A baby spends 100's of hours just listening then giggling and grunting before they utter their first word - Dada. Then people speak to them loads pointing out things usually using simple constructions - look at the car, look at Daddy's car - look at Daddy's new car. Their first responses are about their needs Me want cake etc.
I see you are able to spend time in Spain so listen read and talk. I think it is worth having some lessons so you learn some grammar.
I stopped learning French a very long time ago - if I had to talk French I would struggle as I have forgotten a lot of the vocabulary and verb endings but if I hear French for example on the news before they fade it out it amazes me how much I still know.
Find things you like doing eg music or reading and do it in Spanish.
Improve your vocabulary by reading a news item that interests you in 2 or 3 papers. Write down the words you don't know including the sentence then find a related short video on rtve or 20 minutes. Listen to it several times. The more you read and listen the better you will get. Speak to people even if you are worried they may not understand you.
I have mentioned several times I like Mi Vida Loca on the BBC and the free podcasts from Notes in Spanish.
It does get harder to remember when you are older but it is not impossible.
You will enjoy new music, new books, a different take on the world and new friends.
Many Spanish people are very keen to learn English so have an intercambio 30 minutes in each language or if you are busy or struggling 15 minutes.
It is a good idea to learn new vocabulary as a sentence or phrase. I find despite loving the internet that my brain responds well to the action of physically writing the word. Then read it every day for a week and challenge yourself to use it either in an email to someone or speaking.
Can a baby learn to speak in 500 hours? 10 hours a day for 50 weeks? One year say, and that's doing little else but intensive immersion with the brain at this stage very open and adapted for language learning.. Well, no wonder the rest of us can't do it.. Don't worry. Or give up. Most of us peg on as best we can and be assured that we all have very bad moments.
If you really lack confidence these phrases could help
