Learning Spanish
May I ask a question of Natasha, James, Lazarus and Eddy? How long diid it take you to be able to speak spanish fluently? And then actually understand what another person is saying? I was told that you have to learn Spanish in 3 steps....First, learn, Second speak it, and Third, understand what another spanish speaking person is saying. What do you all say'
17 Answers
Unless you're working for the CIA and are about to be faced with some sort of "do or die" situation, don't worry about the question of fluency. The major enjoyment in learning a new language is the feeling of "empowerment"; that you now understand (or can express) more that you once could. The "I'm a better/more powerful/knowledgeable person than I once was" feeling is what it's really about.
I am glad I am not alone in feeling like I am never going to get this. But I have found a lot of joy in the learning process, so I won't give up. I have only been at this a few months, so I can expect to take a long time. My friend gave me audio books that are in Spanish and told me to listen to them everyday. She that will help immensely. I so appreciate the help from all of you and I enjoy reading your comments. I won't give up, because this is what I want more than anything. Spanish, to me, is the most beautiful language I have ever heard. So thank you to all of you for your help and patience with those of us who are beginners.
CalvoViejo said:
Back in 1970, there were times when I wondered if I would ever learn the language--I wanted to give up. I'm glad I didn't. When I came back to Colombia a few months ago, I wondered if I had gotten in over my head with an assignment to train auditors. I was over my head for a month or so, but now I feel pretty comfortable in the language. I still miss some words, and I sometimes have to ask people to repeat themselves. Usually when that happens, they think I don't understand much Spanish. Actually, about 3/4 of the time it's because of my poor hearing.Anyway, I'm very happy to back in Colombia. This is a beautiful country with some of the kindest, gentelest people you could ever hope to find (I haven't encountered any FARC, but they're a long way from the main cities). My wife and I have discussed retiring here. Believe me, the rewards of learning Spanish far outweigh the difficulties.CalvoViejo
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Abuelita wants me to post our blog site. She tries to keep the blog up to date with our travels, etc., but there's always something new to write about. The site is:
darvicmission.blogspot.com
CV
We live in the financial district in Bogotá. It's obvious to everyone who sees us that we're Anglos. We have never felt threatened in any way. Of course, we don't do anything foolish. In my opinion, Colombia no longer deserves the reputation it has in the United States. The national government has a good relation with the US. When we're getting ready to travel to some of the outlying cities, we check with the US embassy. Recently, we turned down a trip to a city in the Caribbean area (not actually on the coast), because the embassy recommended against it. We would have had to travel through FARC area to get there.
The day the hostages were rescued and for the next few days, we were approached several times by people letting us know how happy they were the the "Americans" had been released. As I said, these are wonderful, kind people.
The embassy now tells us we need to be especially careful because FARC wants to replace their hostages. We would hardly be high profile hostages like Betancourt, but we are Gringos. We haven't had to change our day-to-day activities because of all this. FARC basically remains in the jungles and rural areas. They don't usually try to get into the cities.
As far as tourists are concerned, I wouldn't have any trouble recommending Colombia. Bogotá is at about 8800 feet, so the weather is moderate year round. The mountains east of the city are beautiful and always green. I could tell you about some of the attractions in Bogotá and other areas, but I'm not a tourist agent, even if I sound like one. If you're familiar with the Juan Valdez adverts, you would be interested to know there are Juan Valdez cafes all over the place here. There's a Hard Rock Cafe about three blocks from our apartment. About 80% of the roses sold in the US come from Colombia. I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
The folks we work with are like mother hens. They are over-protective, in my opinion, but they know their culture and the politics, so we don't argue with them. They don't let us travel to Venezuela or Bolivia. Ecuador and Perú are okay, though.
After we finish our assignment in 2010, we may ask for another assignment here after a brief visit with the nietos. Abuelita and I can't get along without a without a hug from each of the grandkids from time to time. We Skype our kids every couple of weeks, so we always feel in contact.
Come on over. We'll show you a great time.
James Santiago said:
Anyway, I'm very happy to back in Colombia.
CV, thanks for the nice post. I'm glad you rang that chime.
Colombia is one of the South American countries I haven't visited. When I was in SA, I decided not to go there because I was a bit afraid. As a white guy who is 193 cm tall, I stand out in Latin America, and I have heard chilling stories about Colombia. A friend of a friend went there on business back in the 1970's and was never seen again.
Is my fear totally unwarranted? I know there is crime everywhere in the world, but do you feel that tourists are relatively safe walking around in Colombia?
I know this post isn't related to grammar, but I think many on this forum might be interested in your perspective.
If we're going to hijack the thread . . .
I read about the clandestine operation whereby FARC recently lost several of their prized hostages. Has this made any practical difference to the political situation in Columbia? In your opinion, of course.
Anyway, I'm very happy to back in Colombia.
CV, thanks for the nice post. I'm glad you rang that chime.
Colombia is one of the South American countries I haven't visited. When I was in SA, I decided not to go there because I was a bit afraid. As a white guy who is 193 cm tall, I stand out in Latin America, and I have heard chilling stories about Colombia. A friend of a friend went there on business back in the 1970's and was never seen again.
Is my fear totally unwarranted? I know there is crime everywhere in the world, but do you feel that tourists are relatively safe walking around in Colombia?
I know this post isn't related to grammar, but I think many on this forum might be interested in your perspective.
I know I wasn't asked, but I think I'll chime in. You can just ignore this comment if you wish.
There are several differnt definitions of fluent. According to my wife's Spanish teacher, once you can use all the different verb tenses, you are fluent. I guess according to that definition, I'm fluent in Spanish, but certainly not without mistakes.
By my own definition, I'm far short of being fluent. I still grope for words in a conversation and I miss lots of inuendos, especially in less formal settings. I have something of a specialized vocabulary. If you ask me about politics or the latest television show, I'm at a loss.
Way back in the last century (1970), I spent about 2 months in an intensive training program. For 16 - 18 hours a day I heard nothing but Spanish. I was with others in the same situation. We were expected to speak only in Spanish. We often had to have some help, but we did okay. The first week or so, we were allowed to use English when needed. By the end of the 2 months, we were able to hold a minimal conversation without too much agony.
Next, we went to South America--some of us to Venezuela, some to Colombia. We were dropped off into an immersion situation. It was either sink or swim. All of us swam, but we had no contact with each other. We were in a situation where no one around us spoke English (or only a limited amount). After a month in the country, all of us (there were 20) were able to do pretty well. Those of us in Colombia got together after 3 months to get our visas renewed. All of us were able to take care of the transactions to get flights or bus passes to get to the boarder.
After almost 2 years in Colombia, I was able to talk to anyone I met. After I got back to the US, I worked in a hospital for a while. On day a doctor told me he needed to communicate with a non-English speaking patient, and asked to me to find a Spanish speaker. I told him that I spoke the language. He looked at me and said "you don't look it." I laughed, and translated for him.
After a nearly 40 year hiatus, I am back in Colombia and improving my Spanish again. I had lost a lot, but it has come back quickly. I am again able to engage in conversations and even provide training for auditors. I did have to expand my vocabulary somewhat, but that didn't take long.
Your three steps are right, but they overlap considerably. As you start to speak, you learn more (trial and error'), then you begin to understand more of what is said to you, giving you more motive to speak more. Pretty soon you realize that you're no longer translating conversations, but rather you're thinking in Spanish.
Back in 1970, there were times when I wondered if I would ever learn the language--I wanted to give up. I'm glad I didn't. When I came back to Colombia a few months ago, I wondered if I had gotten in over my head with an assignment to train auditors. I was over my head for a month or so, but now I feel pretty comfortable in the language. I still miss some words, and I sometimes have to ask people to repeat themselves. Usually when that happens, they think I don't understand much Spanish. Actually, about 3/4 of the time it's because of my poor hearing.
Anyway, I'm very happy to back in Colombia. This is a beautiful country with some of the kindest, gentelest people you could ever hope to find (I haven't encountered any FARC, but they're a long way from the main cities). My wife and I have discussed retiring here. Believe me, the rewards of learning Spanish far outweigh the difficulties.
CalvoViejo
lazarus1907 said:
samdie said:
Actually I meant 5-10 to learn Spanish.
Learn... to what level of proficiency? Almost no language in the world -from what I know- requires as long as 10 years before natives can speak it with grammatical correction. In many languages, about 4-6 years is enough on average, but of course, they are still far from reaching their full potential in terms of vocabulary, expression, etc.
The original poster specified "fluently". I was making allowances for the possibility that you were a slow learner. jeje
samdie said:
Actually I meant 5-10 to learn Spanish.
Learn... to what level of proficiency? Almost no language in the world -from what I know- requires as long as 10 years before natives can speak it with grammatical correction. In many languages, about 4-6 years is enough on average, but of course, they are still far from reaching their full potential in terms of vocabulary, expression, etc.
Natasha said:
Personally, I would like to know how samdie learned Spanish (and so many other languages).
Two summers in Mexico, six months in Madrid and then a fair number of courses at university.
lazarus1907 said:
I was fairly fluent in English before I came to England (I haven't improved much, actually), but it didn't happen overnight, believe me: it took me many years. I watched my first movie in English (without subtitles) when I was 23, and I don't think I understood more than 5% of it, even though I could read normal novels easily and without a dictionary. It didn't take long to improve my spoken English as soon as I began to talk with foreigners while I still lived in Spain. Watching TV also helps, of course.
Actually I meant 5-10 to learn Spanish.
Personally, I would like to know how samdie learned Spanish (and so many other languages).
lazarus1907 said:
I was fluent in English before I came to England, but it didn't happen overnight, believe me. I watched my first movie in English (without subtitles) when I was 23, and I don't think I understood more than 5% of it, even though I could read normal novels easily and without a dictionary. It didn't take long to improve my spoken English as soon as I began to talk with foreigners while I still lived in Spain. Watching TV also helps, of course.
And of course we can see from your screenname the year that you were born. 
I was fairly fluent in English before I came to England (I haven't improved much, actually), but it didn't happen overnight, believe me: it took me many years. I watched my first movie in English (without subtitles) when I was 23, and I don't think I understood more than 5% of it, even though I could read normal novels easily and without a dictionary. It didn't take long to improve my spoken English as soon as I began to talk with foreigners while I still lived in Spain. Watching TV also helps, of course.
With regard to your "3 steps" and, especially, the last two (or, perhaps step # 2.5). For many people there's a period when it's easier to express yourself that to understand what others say. Mostly because, when speaking, you get to choose the vocabulary/syntax. There will be plenty of cases in which you know a (or possibly several) way to say something and that works for you but if someone uses a different expression that is unfamiliar you won't understand (if the person had chosen the expression(s) that you know, there wouldn't be a problem but .... Also there's the issue of regional variations of vocabulary/pronunciation. So the difficulty can be one of not understanding something (that you actually know) because you are thrown off by their pronunciation.
On the other hand, as is true for almost everyone, your passive vocabulary is probably much greater than your active vocabulary. As a result, there will be many times when you will hear and understand something that you would have had trouble saying yourself (because the word(s) didn't "come to mind").
P.S. It probably took Lazarus between 5 and 10 years to become fluent. jeje
