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Learning Spanish

  • 24-05-2020 10:01pm
    #1
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,397 ✭✭✭


    Anyone know the best resources out there online to do this or how to chip away at it everyday?

    I downloaded the Rosetta Stone app on my iPhone but it was expensive enough I think (or maybe I just wasn’t bothered and deleted it).

    I do a lot of walking everyday now and listen to podcasts.

    Please don’t say YouTube videos. Something about the YouTube platform I really dislike.


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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 11,185 ✭✭✭✭Father Hernandez


    Duo Lingo. It's free but you can pay €10 monthly for no ads and the ability to learn all the time. If you're paying too, you could be more inclined to do it more often.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,397 ✭✭✭CBear1993


    Thanks a mill. Have they an app or online resources ?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,731 ✭✭✭accensi0n


    There are some really good channels on youtube though, Lightspeed Spanish for example.
    If you view youtube in a brower on your phone with 'desktop view' selected then you can keep the videos playing even with the screen locked while you're out walking.

    Preply.com is good for when you want to practice talking with others.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,328 ✭✭✭Upforthematch


    Are you learning South American or European Spanish?

    +1 for lightspeed if its European you're learning


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,016 ✭✭✭Ultrflat


    you can learn it on spotify, Spanish is interesting tho, when you go down south the dialect changes rapidly.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 9,910 ✭✭✭normanoffside


    Are you learning South American or European Spanish?

    +1 for lightspeed if its European you're learning

    There's no such thing.
    The Spanish you learn in Argentina for example is much closer to Northern Spain than it is to Mexico.

    Better to just learn 'Castilian Spanish' and adapt from there as necessary.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,397 ✭✭✭CBear1993


    Have heard a lot about this before actually on the South American /Latin vs actual Spanish.

    I’m not sure, whichever is going to be carried better around the world I suppose! I would holiday in America a good bit and Europe.

    What’s the thoughts on the difference between both?


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,328 ✭✭✭Upforthematch


    There's no such thing.
    The Spanish you learn in Argentina for example is much closer to Northern Spain than it is to Mexico.

    Better to just learn 'Castilian Spanish' and adapt from there as necessary.

    I'm aware of the differences.

    If the Op wants to go to Mexico though it's wasting their time learning Castilian.

    There's a lot of American based resources depending on what the Op's choice of dialect.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,910 ✭✭✭normanoffside


    I'm aware of the differences.

    If the Op wants to go to Mexico though it's wasting their time learning Castilian.

    There's a lot of American based resources depending on what the Op's choice of dialect.

    Mexico is not in South America though.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,038 ✭✭✭rapul


    Just get better at Irish your ****ing Irish!


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  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,397 ✭✭✭CBear1993


    rapul wrote: »
    Just get better at Irish your ****ing Irish!

    :rolleyes:


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 4,950 ✭✭✭ChikiChiki


    rapul wrote: »
    Just get better at Irish your ****ing Irish!

    Whilst its great to know our national language, in reality what use is Irish. At least with learning Spanish it can open up a massive part of the world for new opportunities.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,328 ✭✭✭Upforthematch


    Mexico is not in South America though.

    I didn't say it was?

    The point is tailor your resources to the type of Spanish you want to learn.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,125 ✭✭✭mistersifter


    Not true that its a waste of time learning one form over the other.

    Every region has its own peculiarities when it vomss to accents, pronunciation, slang, etc. But They can all understand each other.

    Even within countries there are differences between one place and another..

    Argentinians use the word vos instead of tu, which has implications for verbs forms. Its distinctive but certainly not incomprehensible to people from other countries.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,038 ✭✭✭rapul


    ChikiChiki wrote: »
    Whilst its great to know our national language, in reality what use is Irish. At least with learning Spanish it can open up a massive part of the world for new opportunities.

    Well he or she posted in after hours and yeah we're Irish so freshen it up to be ****ed!


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,910 ✭✭✭normanoffside


    I didn't say it was?

    The point is tailor your resources to the type of Spanish you want to learn.

    There's only one Type of Spanish tough. If you learn the basics you can adapt to slang/dialects,


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,125 ✭✭✭mistersifter


    Rosetta stone and such things will definitely help get you started but you really need someone to converse with in the language. And preferably this person should be able to explain grammar to you in English.


    There are exams called DELE exams which you can work towards go get an official qualification.

    Grinds are your best bet. And also make friends with Spanish speakers and do conversation exchanges with them


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,328 ✭✭✭Upforthematch


    There's only one Type of Spanish tough. If you learn the basics you can adapt to slang/dialects,

    Im not getting into an argument about semantics or dialects here.

    I suppose everyone learns differently but if you are serious about learning a language, the sounds are critical and the resources used vary. It is important to consider this.

    Getting the correct resources at the start is important. A blanket "just learn castelian spanish" could be bad advice if the op has certain goals in mind.


  • Registered Users Posts: 404 ✭✭Unregistered39


    Duolingo at first to give you a feel for it. StudySpanish.com is great at explaining stuff, and has lots of mini quizzes etc. Michel Thomas is well worth a go, I think the first three lessons are free.


  • Registered Users Posts: 9,910 ✭✭✭normanoffside


    Im not getting into an argument about semantics or dialects here.

    I suppose everyone learns differently but if you are serious about learning a language, the sounds are critical and the resources used vary. It is important to consider this.

    Getting the correct resources at the start is important. A blanket "just learn castelian spanish" could be bad advice if the op has certain goals in mind.

    They haven’t expressed any specific goals though other than learning Spanish.

    I understand where you are coming from but say for example someone wanted to move to Cork and had no english, the best advice would still be to learn basic English.

    Nuances can be learned later.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 411 ✭✭chosen1


    Duolingo at first to give you a feel for it. StudySpanish.com is great at explaining stuff, and has lots of mini quizzes etc. Michel Thomas is well worth a go, I think the first three lessons are free.

    Did Michel Thomas for Spanish and French and very user friendly. Very conversational and easy approach


  • Registered Users Posts: 19,145 ✭✭✭✭MrStuffins


    rapul wrote: »
    Just get better at Irish your ****ing Irish!

    Maybe you should worry about mastering English first.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,497 ✭✭✭auspicious


    Synergy Spanish. Best audio lessons I've found. Great for the commute. No long pauses and easy progression. Castilian.


  • Registered Users Posts: 32,956 ✭✭✭✭Omackeral


    rapul wrote: »
    Just get better at Irish your ****ing Irish!

    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.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,072 ✭✭✭MoyVilla9


    On top of what has been said so far (Duolingo, StudySpanish.com):

    Memrise - Flash card style app that I have personally found good.
    Drops - Similar to Memrise, with the flash cards categorised.
    HelloTalk - Message and/or speak with people from Spanish countries that are learning English. The idea is to correct/help each other. This has been the most useful resource for me.
    LightSpeedSpanish - Quick podcasts (~10 mins)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,995 ✭✭✭Ipso


    Move to Barcelona or Bilbao for a while.


  • Registered Users Posts: 8,242 ✭✭✭AllForIt


    There is loads of stuff on youtube but this channel is particularly good https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIdFcLCIJQ_YMrormG_nU8w/playlists?view=1&sort=da&flow=grid

    I think Duolingo is only good for refreshing your memory if you ever take a break from it. It's very very slow going if that's your main learning source.

    https://personal.colby.edu/~bknelson/SLC/ is one we used in class.

    https://www.spanishdict.com/conjugation is good as a conjugation reference, I'd ignore the rest. It pesters you to sign up now I notice.

    And here's one lesson, there is often confusion between the difference between te and ti (you), the difference is
    one is what an English person drinks and one is what an Irish person drinks


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,176 ✭✭✭✭ILoveYourVibes


    Are you learning South American or European Spanish?

    +1 for lightspeed if its European you're learning

    I learnt latin American specifically an argentinian accent but vocab for both latin and European....when i lived in spain for a year as a kid ....

    I was learning from my neighbors one of whom was Argentinian and the other was from Catalonia but spoke castilian!

    My parents used to use me to order in restaurants. This was very stressful for me. My brother and dad love butter. I kept saying mantequilla (which is right in spain), but the accent I was trying to do meant it should have been manteca.

    I would also mix the accents up....I would say athul /blue...manthana/apple actually no i would say manthana half way between a Z and a TH...probably athul too ...

    ...but also say grasias and sapato the argentinian way with ssss ..or i would grathias/thapato one min and then revert to the s sound.

    I must have sounded very odd. Gracias por los zapatos could come out..Grathias por los sapatos!

    :o

    I think the Spanish thought i was cute though because they kept giving me free stuff!

    My Dad wants to learn now.

    I loved the lessons though!

    Maybe I will take it up again. I think i have forgotten everything now.




    Mostly during lessons my teacher would let us dance around her house to latin american music. :) She and her Argentinian husband and kids were our neighbors. She gave me my first kitten when her cat hat a litter! :)


  • Registered Users Posts: 15,176 ✭✭✭✭ILoveYourVibes


    I'm aware of the differences.

    If the Op wants to go to Mexico though it's wasting their time learning Castilian.

    There's a lot of American based resources depending on what the Op's choice of dialect.
    Its not at all. Its probably easier. They will be able to understand him fine. They will also be able to make themselves intelligible to him. He'll get the differences in like a week.

    Of all the latin american dialects mexican is the most 'standard' if you know what i mean??

    Its also spoken at a slower pace than most parts of spain.

    If he can get Andalucian speed he will be flying in mexico.


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  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,397 ✭✭✭CBear1993


    MoyVilla9 wrote: »
    On top of what has been said so far (Duolingo, StudySpanish.com):

    Memrise - Flash card style app that I have personally found good.
    Drops - Similar to Memrise, with the flash cards categorised.
    HelloTalk - Message and/or speak with people from Spanish countries that are learning English. The idea is to correct/help each other. This has been the most useful resource for me.
    LightSpeedSpanish - Quick podcasts (~10 mins)

    Class thanks!! Would you spend much time per week / day on these?


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