Learning Spanish in Costa Rica

[kimyoa650]

Just wondering what everyone’s experience is with the learning curve of how to speak spanish. Kindly chime in your experience, how long it took you to be fluent, or maybe not become fluent at all. What did you do to learn faster, what was most effective? Which learning classes, or programs did you take, which one’s would you recommend?

I’m just trying to get a feel of what I am going to have to deal with. My wife is especially scared of this language barrier and she feels that she will feel isolated if she does not learn the language.

Thanks.

kimyoa

[GringoTico]

I would recommend Spanish Conversation classes. Conversa and Intensa are the two oldest companies offering this to foreigners. Conversation classes get you up to speed faster without getting bogged down in grammar.

You don’t want to know how long it took me to become “fluent”. There is no doubt, however, that total immersion is the best way to go. Since you’re there with your wife & kid, that’s impossible because you’ll always be speaking English with them. Classes are the best way for you to go. Also, they say soap operas are good for learning, because you know what back-stabbing phrases they’re using anyway…

You should understand that learning another language is not just an intellectual exercise. The different sounds require different movements of the mouth and tongue muscles, which can be a workout. If your mouth isn’t tired by the end of the day, you’re not speaking enough.

Pura Vida!

[guru]

I have not yet had much success in learning Spanish. I am one of those with very broad English and a brain formatted for it so I know it will be difficult. Even in computer languages I am much more fluent in BASIC which is based on English syntax rather than others which are not.

I purchased the PBS video tape series “Destinos” and although I enjoyed it I did not learn much from it. Each lesson (4 on a tape) is punctuated very loudly by the ENGLISH introductions and credits. I think that without these interuptions that it might be more useful.

In the past year I have picked up some Spanish by going to a local Mexican resturant. They have the Spanish cable TV package and something from the Spanish networks runs constantly on the TV. I try to order in as much Spanish as a can and have “dos aguas” and “pollo (poi’yo)” down pat. . It would help if I expand my diet.

Listening to Spanish helps. We are discussing getting cable with the Spanish package but it appears you cannot get both the standard and Spanish package. . or at least I cannot get an answer. While watching the TV in the resturant I figured out what “flaca” meant from the title of a show called “El Gordo en Flaca”. . “The Fat and the Skinny”. I knew gordo because that is me. . . and flaca is related to and spelled near to flacid.

I listen to Spanish stations on the radio when I can find them. Most of their music sounds like Polkas but the better singers are clear and slow and the announcers speak good clear Spanish. . ocassionaly I get the drift of something. But as important, I get the feel for the flow and sound of the language. It was interesting hearing North Carolina said as carolEE’na del norte (hard Spanish i).

A book that comes highly reccomended is “Madrigals Key to Spanish”. It is available in major book stores. A fellow from Chile that taught a local Spanish/English class used it for his text book and a frined of mine that had been struggling with Spanish said she made great improvements with it.

I think the emmersion method is the most fool proof. . .

Hope this helps.

[editer]

I am not fluent in Spanish by any stretch of the imagination. I have taken some basic conversational courses and have a very rudimentary grasp of the language. Here are some of the ways that I have been trying to improve my understanding.

I bought a few Peanuts books written in Spanish in the foreign language section of my local bookstore. I am already pretty familiar with most of the Peanuts strips and between the pictures in the panels and my basic Spanish (and a Spanish/English dictionary), I am able to remember what each strip is about. Reading Spanish is much easier than listening to it. They all talk so fast! I read aloud the strips in order to improve my pronunciation. I have a pretty good ear, but my vocabulary and grammar are lacking.

I also use the caption function on my TV. The dialog is printed at the bottom of the screen and makes it easier to understand what is being said. This would probably work well with watching soap operas which sounds like an excellent idea. I use it with one program on a local Hispanic channel called Que Dice la Gente? which is like Family Feud. It helps when you know basically what the conversation is about. I also use captioning to watch kids’ shows in Spanish. They talk a little more slowly and use basic language.

There is an excellent instructional program called Destinos on PBS stations. It is like a soap opera, but the actors talk distinctly and slowly (but not unnaturally so). Captioning that program has helped me considerably. The plot is believable and the characters are interesting. The entire series is for sale on DVD. You can google to find it. It’s a bit more than I want to spend, but it does include workbooks which you don’t get with the free broadcasts. And you don’t have to worry about missing an episode.

Nothing beats immersion, though. Fortunately, in America, there are plenty of opportunities to speak Spanish. There are plenty of restaurants serving Hispanic fare. Screw up your courage and try to speak with your server in Spanish. I haven’t been laughed at yet for trying. At least not in my face.

Buena Suerte,

Frank

[editer]

Interesting. The one or two minute ENGLISH introduction and the thirty second written credits at the end of Destinos don’t seem like too many interruptions to me. I’d say that each lesson is at least ninety percent Spanish. Anyhow, try to find this program for free on a PBS station and see what you think, kimyoa. What doesn’t work for some people often works for others.

Frank

[wmaes47]

Try online learning with a few of these websites. There are a lot of free lessons to see if you can grasp the concept. I have found them very helpful, before taking classes.
http://www.learnspanish.com/

This one has a lot of links
http://www.uni.edu/becker/Spanish3.html

Try the numbers, with the speakers on:
http://www.learn4good.com/languages/spanish_lessons/zflash/znumbers.htm

There are a lot of programs you can purchase on E-Bay, also.

All of these links I have enjoyed and learned from in the past.

Pura Vida
Bill Maes

[rf2cr]

Kimyoa

I had to learn Spanish when we moved to ranches in the outback of Paraguay and I found the best learning tools were 1) post-it-notes on EVERYTHING from doors and windows to household supplies etc. 2) Listen to the radio or watch tv in spanish even when you don’t understand a word; it will help to tune your ears to the language and before long you will begin to recognise a word here and there and then whole sentences. 3) Read in Spanish use a dictionary, like the listening, you will begin to recognise words, don’t even try to understand the jist of the article to start. 4) Talk to people, be willing to be wrong, ask them to correct you, don’t be embarrassed most people will appreciate your attempts and be willing to help. The most important phrases you need to know are “Como se dice?” (How do you say?) and “Que es eso?” (What is this?).

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