Omackeral wrote: » You get better at English while you’re at it. I’m learning Spanish myself the last couple of years. Duolingo is good, if formulaic, but I’d fully recommend going to actual classes if you’re serious about it. Can’t beat interacting with others and asking questions. Online stuff misses nuance. A little thing I did to build vocabulary was wrote Spanish words on post-its and stick them around the house until the word was burned into my brain. Sounds weird but it works! Best of luck.
KevRossi wrote: » I have fluent German and very good French, so I'll give you my tip on conversation practice; Practice with yourself. Start speaking to yourself in Spanish, so instead of thinking; "I'm hungry, I'll see if there's anything to eat in the fridge", just think the same to yourself in Spanish. When it does come to speaking the language you won't have to go looking for words and phrases, you'll already have a fair few of them off. The poster above who said to put Post-it notes on everything is right as well. Look for Spanish books for kids, especially those with a lot of conversation in them, it'll be easier to read and understand than books for adults. Try to find Spanish TV programmes online for kids, again the language they use will be a lot simpler. Offer free language classes to Spanish people here in return for the same. Meet up for 2 hours; one hour speaking English, one hour speaking Spanish. You can do this via Zoom as well with people in Spain. Finally, try to get a couple of weeks in Spain, do not go to a main touristed area as a good deal of people will speak English, rent a house in a smaller town and start chatting to people. Also, if in Dublin there are conversational groups in the Central Library in the ILAC centre every week, not sure when they will kick off again after COVID.
normanoffside wrote: » Lots of Italian influence too. If you have an understanding of Spanish, French and Italian you can understand a fair bit of Catalan although the same could be said for Romanian. It’s undoubtedly it’s own langauage.
FVP3 wrote: » Catalan is clearly somewhere between Spanish and French.
EagererBeaver wrote: » Part of your argument about how easily understood a Catalan conversation would be to a Spaniard was that your (non Spanish) mother told you it was all one language...
Scratches head.....shrug its all one language anyways :P
ILoveYourVibes wrote: » I know they are two different languages. Why are you making this political ? I am saying they are very very similar. Like Dutch and German etc. Like Russian and a lot of other slavic Languages etc. Yes I know my own mother is not Spanish. But she knew where we had lived which would account for my hearing catalan regularly as a kid. Anyway OP ..just do what you can each day. Then go for a holiday.
ILoveYourVibes wrote: » Scratches head.....shrug its all one language anyways :P
EagererBeaver wrote: » I've literally explained to you that I have Spanish family and friends, I work with Spaniards etc who can't understand a native catalan conversation. And why is your mom (remember your parents used you to order in restaurants, so she's not Spanish) an authority on this? You'll find very few Spaniards (except maybe Vox voters) who would try to argue that Spanish and Catalan are one language. That'd be like saying Spanish and Italian are the same language.
ILoveYourVibes wrote: » Actually scrap that i just asked my mom did we ever visit catalonia (catalan) and Andalusia. (castillian) We did. For months. Scratches head.....shrug its all one language anyways :P Sorry Eager Beaver. I've been to a lot of diff places in spain. I even went to school there for a bit. I've also lived for a while in Bilbao and madrid. Ages ago now though...years. I still feel i am right though.Maybe ask a spanish person how much catalan they can understand.
EagererBeaver wrote: » Because you're talking ****e and you can't, or alternatively, you've had exposure to the language over time and have been able to pick up a basis in it. You say your Spanish isn't particularly good, and you don't live in Catalunya. My Spanish is pretty damn good and I live in Barcelona, and have done for the last five years. I have Spanish family who have lived in Barcelona. Which of is is more qualified to comment on this?!
ILoveYourVibes wrote: » Then why can i?
EagererBeaver wrote: » Yes, it does go on and on. Spanish - ensalada Catalan - amanida Spanish - zanahoria Catalan - pastanaga Spanish - fresa, frambuesa, naranja Catalan - maduixa, gerd, taronja Spanish - desayunar Catalan - esmorzar Spanish - te quiero Catalan - t'estimo Spanish - no tenemos miedo Catalan - no tenim por Spanish - hasta maña Catalan - fins demà See, I can selectively choose arguements to suit y narrative as well. It's always helpful. Having a conversation is not the same as words in a page - it introduces pronunciation, nuance etc. A native Spanish speaker with no knowledge of catalan could not understand a conversation between two Catalans (which was my original assertion. Trust me, I live and work in Barcelona wit Spaniards, Catalans and many other nationalities. This comes up a lot.
EagererBeaver wrote: » Sorry mate, you're flat out wrong.
EagererBeaver wrote: » It's a redundant way to describe it, perhaps even offensive to some, but I'd say Catalan is about a third Spanish, a third French and a third it's own language. There is not a hope a madrileño (or any other non Catalan speaking Spaniard), with no experience or knowledge of Catalan, could follow a conversation between two native Catalans with 70% understanding. Not. A. Hope. Gallego? Yes. Catalan? Not a chance. I'll give you an example. My Basque sister-in-law (fluent Spanish, Basque and English speaker), from Donostia, did her MBA at ESADE in Barcelona. She says she could barely understand a word of it. Reading it, they could maybe get 40-50%, but a spoken conversation would be way, way lower.
ILoveYourVibes wrote: » Emmm nope. 70% at least. My spanish teacher was a native catalan speaker her husband was argentinian he could understand a huge amount of it. Not having learnt. I can get the jist of it. I am no native level speaker of spanish. A spanish speaker never living in valencia would understand most of it. If spoken slowly with no slang.
Woke Hogan wrote: » I hope you don't mind me asking but are you Spanish?
EagererBeaver wrote: » I know what you meant, I'm talking about the principle of having two languages side by side when you're trying to learn one of them. The bolded bit is patently untrue. If two Catalans are having a conversation and a madrileño is listening in on it, they might understand 10-15% of it, at best.
EagererBeaver wrote: » Of course, but it makes it that little bit harder and more confusing, albeit perhaps a bit richer and more rewarding. For example, I've been living in Barcelona the last five years and umpteen words from Catalan (which I don't speak but have merely absorbed to a limited degree) have crept into my vocab when speaking Spanish. It's ok here but when I visit my brothers and their families in Madrid and talk about pastanagas instead of zanahorias it can cause confusion.
ILoveYourVibes wrote: » I actually meant Basque/Euskara. :P Catalan is just like spanish. If you can speak spanish you can understand most of what a catalan says. They say french speakers can understand a lot too. Whereas Basque ..its nuts to me. Impenetrable.
ILoveYourVibes wrote: » Its looks like czech or something! They always have spanish too tho. Either on the same sign ..or sometimes on spanish signage the other side of the street or something.
EagererBeaver wrote: » Because of the independence question in the Basque Country and Catalunya, the "fear factor" of trying to learn Spanish there is often overplayed. Spanish is clearly the day to day language for the vast majority of Basques. Where it gets difficult for learners is that signage, labels in supermarkets etc will be primarily in Basque.
