Learnng a foreign langauge

[notorious]

I am seeking input on what would be the best way to learn a foreign language, in my case Spanish.

I listen to the radio all day while working, and I figure I might as well make that time productive in another way.

I would also love an interactive app or entire program that will work over an Ipad, computer, etc.

In addition, I plan to attend local classes for direct interaction.


Any input is welcome. Gracias.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Those French have a different word for EVERYTHING!

They do?

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by MahiMike

I took a 6 week course on German before moving to Austria. Tapes and workbook were good. Nothing beats actually living there though.

I used some tapes for German and Italian before I went to Europe. I found I could say a few things, but when the natives talked it was still impossible to understand. Natives speak so fast. I had that trouble with in France too. But I learned how to ask for a cigarette in German from some old WWII movie.

[BigRichard]

Rosetta Stone.

[ModSocks]

I've been with a hispanic woman for 10 years and I still don't speak it. /shrug

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by BigRichard

Rosetta Stone.

I tried for 4 years to study French/Spanish/Latin and none of it ever took. I remember saying "i can map a sentence, I can graph verbs and nouns and adverbs but I just want you to tell me how THEY lay it out. In what order do they do what we do."

"Just memorize the vocabulary."

[scho63]

Originally Posted by notorious

I am seeking input on what would be the best way to learn a foreign language, in my case Spanish.

I listen to the radio all day while working, and I figure I might as well make that time productive in another way.

I would also love an interactive app or entire program that will work over an Ipad, computer, etc.

In addition, I plan to attend local classes for direct interaction.


Any input is welcome. Gracias.

I took 6 years of Spanish in school and now need to relearn as my new company has most of the staff in Argentina.

I learned Mandarin Chinese beginning in 1995 with a private tutor. This was by far the best way to go and was not as expensive as you would think. This is my recommendation.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by scho63

I took 6 years of Spanish in school and now need to relearn as my new company has most of the staff in Argentina.

I learned Mandarin Chinese beginning in 1995 with a private tutor. This was by far the best way to go and was not as expensive as you would think. This is my recommendation.

I wonder what a private tutor would cost these days?

[TLO]

Originally Posted by TLO

I wonder what a private tutor would cost these days?

Also- how long did it take you to get a solid grasp on the language?

[PunkinDrublic]

Originally Posted by scho63

I took 6 years of Spanish in school and now need to relearn as my new company has most of the staff in Argentina.

I learned Mandarin Chinese beginning in 1995 with a private tutor. This was by far the best way to go and was not as expensive as you would think. This is my recommendation.

I'm in Shenzhen, China taking a sabbatical for a year and teaching English. Chiefsplanet, totally comes in uncensored btw. I started taking Mandarin lessons recently. It's frustrating as hell trying to learn.

[TimeForWasp]

Chinga to Madre pinche gringo

[notorious]

Rosetta Stone is kicking ass right now. It cost 250 for 2 years including computer and tablet apps. The iPad app is sweet. It even listens through the microphone to make sure I am pronouncing words correctly!

[TLO]

Originally Posted by notorious

Rosetta Stone is kicking ass right now. It cost 250 for 2 years including computer and tablet apps. The iPad app is sweet. It even listens through the microphone to make sure I am pronouncing words correctly!

My fear on dropping that kind of money is that I'll use it for 2 weeks, get bored of it, then never use it again.

[Eureka]

Originally Posted by PunkinDrublic

I'm in Shenzhen, China taking a sabbatical for a year and teaching English. Chiefsplanet, totally comes in uncensored btw. I started taking Mandarin lessons recently. It's frustrating as hell trying to learn.

My girlfriend speaks Cantonese and she is trying to teach me a few things. That is one tough language to learn. One slight off pronunciation and it means something totally different. Good luck!

[Randallflagg]

When I was in the Army, they gave several of us "language tests" and three of us scored like in the upper 5 percentile. They sent us to the "Defense Language Institute" out in California.

I learned (basic) Russian, German and Polish (I was going to Germany after all..)

I recall the course being EXTREMELY intense, but you learned in a hurry. Hell, when I got to Mannheim (Germany) I could almost converse fluently in German. By the time I had been there 6 months, I WAS fluent. The folks there couldn't tell the difference between a "citizen" and me.

By the time I was stationed at the Embassy in Russia, I had nearly forgotten all the Russian I had learned - but it came back quickly.

[kccrow]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

I started French at age 7 in Catholic School but it was mainly conversational expressions and some prayers. Had it 4 years of high-school and was my second major first two years of college at a Catholic College. When you can start thinking in the language without translating in your mind, that's when you're fluent. When I got drunk at parties, I would only speak French too. I could read novels and write it. Actually I read it better than I spoke it, as I found when in France. Did not know how to ask where the bathroom was. Had a French boyfriend while there who spoke no English. That helped too.

Never used it once I came home from Europe. So I have forgotten most of it.

I've noticed it is kind of a dead language in the US but I live really close to Canada and we get quite a few travelers through from Quebec. I also have several friends that live in or near Montreal and while they speak English well enough for us to communicate well, I'd really like to learn much more. I'm also primarily French (about 85%), so it's a heritage thing as well that I'd love to be able to get my children interested in. My grandparents spoke it fluently on my dad's side but both died while I was quite young.