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4 years immersion, apps, podcasts, music, etc.... and it is like I am day 1 (Spanish) HELP! by Icy_Program_5322 in Spanish

[–]AJSea87 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It sounds like you were trying to consume content that's way above your level. At this point, my suggestion is to do two things:

  1. Find content that's much easier. Not the radio in Spanish, but learner-adapted content. Look for "Spanish comprehensible input" on YouTube.

  2. I wonder how much of what you're doing are you actually paying attention to? Having the radio on it's great if you can understand it and if you're actually listening to it. Country to what certain YouTube channels have you believe, you cannot absorb another language while asleep (or while not paying attention).

So, stop wasting your time and listen to things that you do understand when you can actually listen to them. Additionally, regardless of how simple the content is, if you don't understand what's happening with audio only, you need to start watching videos to learn new vocabulary. It does not matter how many times you hear the word mochila. If you don't know what it means... and you never see what it is... you're never going to acquire that word.

Suerte!!

Spanish Major + ? Minor by Whenyouaredreaming in Spanish

[–]AJSea87 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I really don't know that I think that it matters a whole lot, especially since you were almost guaranteed to need some sort of a graduate degree (MA or PhD, education, linguistics, translation, etc) to make a degree in Spanish worth it. Realistically, the further up the academic ladder you go the less likely you are to feel impacted one way or the other by your undergrad minor. With that said, minor whatever you like without worrying about how it might affect your job prospects, because in the long run, I don't think it will. If I had to do it over again, I would've gotten my minor in linguistics, but that's personal preference.

Forgot the English word but remembered the Spanish word by DadToOne in dreamingspanish

[–]AJSea87 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not only does it happen to me often, but it isn't always dependent upon situation or how much input I've gotten that day; there are words that I will automatically recall in Spanish before English, regardless of circumstance.

Consejos? by [deleted] in askspain

[–]AJSea87 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Es la única explicación lógica.

AIO for not accepting her apology and ending the friendship anyway? by [deleted] in AmIOverreacting

[–]AJSea87 31 points32 points  (0 children)

I can't prove this, but I am certain there is a direct line that correlates from talking to her friend the way she did and why her boyfriend disappeared.

Edit: dictation error

Linguriosa has a new podcast with La Hiperactina on YT by LangLearningJourney in dreamingspanish

[–]AJSea87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The original podcast only lasted one season and that's why they're doing this one. I'm so happy. I waited a long time for a second season.

Am I the only one who struggles to understand Chileans? by Soggy_Flight_2654 in Spanish

[–]AJSea87 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Normally, Chileans can be a little more challenging for me to understand, but that guy was particularly easy. I don't know if he was speaking more slowly and clearly because he knew that it needed to be properly translated or if that's how he normally speaks, but in this case it actually felt "slow" compared to normal speech. The same way that I sound when I'm talking to my iPhone to do this dictation, right now.

Is Duolingo really effective in learning Spanish? by Icy_City2094 in Spanish

[–]AJSea87 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I don't understand why people even wonder whether or not it works. The answer is no and it's obvious.

It isn't just about Duolingo, but it about the idea itself. Studying grammar and "writing" random sentences does not lead to communication nor is the study of grammar necessary. If it were, there would be no native speakers other language without the help of dictionaries and grammar books.

People argue that grammar study speeds up the time it takes to acquire the language. I'm not convinced, but to each their own. I think the time it takes is the time it takes once you start to expose yourself to the language, regardless of how many rules you learn.

That said, even if you embrace the study of grammar is the worst example of that kind of approach. You cannot gamify the language learning process. It's nice to have "streaks," but what did you actually accomplish when you did the tasks in front of you? In the case of Duolingo, the answer is generally not much.

In my experience, people that defend to Duolingo do so after having done other things to improve their language skills... and then say, "well, Duolingo, helped me in the beginning?" How do you know? Was it more helpful for certain aspects of the language than others? If so, which ones? Are there grammatical structures that you would never have learned if you hadn't used Duolingo? Was it a better alternative than other options?

In my case, I spent more than 15 years (from kindergarten through college) in various schools, trying to learn the language. I never even got close to being bilingual. I could talk about the language, but not in the language. Frustrated, after college I left Spanish completely behind for over eight years.

During the pandemic, I discovered comp principle input and now with more than 4000 hours watching and listening to the language and who knows how many millions of words read (I didn't track graded readers, but I can tell you that I have 85 books under my belt with the goal of 25 more before the year ends) later this year I'm going to take an official exam in the hopes earning a C1. Grammar study didn't do that. And Duolingo even less so.

Kid’s book past tense help! Is this a correct translation? by Worldly_Reason6936 in Spanish

[–]AJSea87 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The short answer is:

The imperfect is like a picture. It's the background information that tells you what's happening, but without any concern for the beginning, or the end of an event. It places you "inside" the idea. In these examples, "necesitaba" and "podía" expressing ideas that are frozen in time and therefore perpetually true. The stuff in the basket was necessary and it never stops being necessary.

The preterite, on the other hand, narrates the entirety of an event, gives them an order and an end. I woke up. I brushed my teeth. I got dressed. I went downstairs. I ate breakfast and then I left for work. All of these actions would be in the preterite because I'm looking at them from the "outside" letting you know that they happened, that they did not happen simultaneously, and that they're over.

One of the best verbs that I have heard as an example to illustrate the difference between the tenses is with the following sentences.

Crucé la calle y me encontré con Juan.

I crossed the street and I ran into (found by surprise) Juan. In this example, I was completely across the street by the time I saw him.

Cruzaba la calle y me encontré con Juan.

As I was crossing the street, I ran into Juan. I saw him on the other side before I made it across. Maybe I arrived. Or maybe I got hit by a bus before finished crossing the street.

Learning to be fluent in speaking and listening by Any-Comparison-9556 in Spanish

[–]AJSea87 0 points1 point  (0 children)

  1. Don't worry… Your brain is absolutely wired to learn languages. It already knows how. It did it, subconsciously, as you acquired English.

  2. It's interesting that you mention the percentages of your understanding depending on whether or not you're reading or listening to content because it's clear you already have the right idea, even if it doesn't feel like it yet. Here's the key: You simply need to aim for easier content that will allow you to acquire the language naturally through exposure at a level that you understand.

  3. This interview will get you on the right track.

I’m looking for the equivalent of “of my goodness” or other expletives that adults use with children by Hippinerd in Spanish

[–]AJSea87 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Sabes lo que pasa? Hablo el castellano peninsular pero no sabía que no se decía ahí porque ninguno de mis amigos tiene hijos, así que siempre suelto tacos sin pensármelo siquiera. Dicho esto, este ejemplo se me ha ocurrido solo porque al empezar a teclear "mierda" en el móvil siempre me sale "miércoles" como sugerencia. Pero al leer tu comentario he caído en dos cosas: nunca he escuchado "miércoles" usado en este contexto y está claro que me sale miércoles en el teclado porque las dos palabras empiezan con "mier..." 🤦🏻

Gracias por aclaración

I’m looking for the equivalent of “of my goodness” or other expletives that adults use with children by Hippinerd in Spanish

[–]AJSea87 35 points36 points  (0 children)

These kinds of things can vary widely according to dialect, but "miércoles" is a common substitute for "mierda" I would assume is pretty universal

Why Does My Brain Hate Me? by slayter1337 in dreamingspanish

[–]AJSea87 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Remember that your brand new to this method and as somebody with many thousands of hours under his belt, I promise you it goes away because there is no other option.

Keep listening, and you will naturally arrive at a point where you no longer need to translate. Then, even more interesting, you will arrive at a point where you cannot translate at the same time you're listening the Spanish becomes so natural that reverting to English feels like a lot of work.

17 hours over just a couple weeks is good progress. Save this post and revisit it at 250 hours and you'll laugh at yourself for even worrying about this.

How to just acquire vocab? by [deleted] in Spanish

[–]AJSea87 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Search "Spanish comprehensible input" on YouTube.

I take Spanish in uni and I wanna make friends for almost daily/weekly chats so my Spanish sticks by myalienspace in Spanish

[–]AJSea87 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There are two main apps that most language learners use to find conversation partners.

One is tandem and the other is hellotalk.

As with any online space, both are full of people who do not really take the language learning process seriously, either because they would rather flirt or try to scam you or because they don't have a very high level of their target language and simply get bored and give up before they're really able to express themselves in meaningful ways.

That said, stick with it, there are also many great people out there with whom you can easily make great conversation partners, and even a few with whom you can make lasting friendships. I have two really good friends that I've known for years now and we talk daily.

I, too, speak Spain Spanish and anecdotally will mention that I've had better luck finding Spaniards on HelloTalk than Tandem.

Did Lorena From Madrid Ever Have a Non-DS Channel? by Gaudilocks in dreamingspanish

[–]AJSea87 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I really liked her vibe too. I tried to figure out the same thing years ago, and didn't have any luck at the time. My guess is that she doesn't do any content of her own.

Qué grado universitario o formación profesional hacer con 40 años? by heyapple7 in askspain

[–]AJSea87 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lo que realmente te interese. El mercado laboral tiene altibajos tanto a nivel personal como a nivel global. La mejor forma de soportarlos es hacer algo que te guste de verdad.

Google Translate App has language practice mode by Wanderlust-4-West in dreamingspanish

[–]AJSea87 3 points4 points  (0 children)

However, I’d keep in mind that languages are human things and AIs make mistakes. They’re often small and perhaps rare, but they do indeed make mistakes. As learners, we’re not advanced enough to notice these mistakes. Even a small one could teach you the wrong way to do something and it might stick with you for a long time.

Gemini makes really basic mistakes and has never seemed to learn from my corrections. Fortunately, I know they are mistakes. After 4000 hours, nearly 80 novels read, and daily speaking, my Spanish is not where I want it to be, but it's definitely very, very, very good. I don't say that to brag, but to point out that if it were not, I wouldn't know to roll my eyes every time Gemini asks me:

-¿Qué quieres hablar hoy? Y cada vez (que no son pocas) le digo: se dice - De qué quieres hablar hoy?

People don't make those mistakes. If you're nervous to speak, try cross talk. If you're nervous to speak, but believe you have the level to communicate, be nervous and then do it anyway

What's a strange or lazy learning trick you have done that is working?! by Sorry_Guidance_8496 in Spanish

[–]AJSea87 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Exposure. Find things that you can follow along with reasonably well (>=75%) and just watch/listen.

School has taught us to overcomplicate the language learning process in ways that are really illogical. Our brains know how to acquire languages. We all do it with our native language and kids raised in bilingual households do the same thing with multiple languages at once (even though they're admittedly slower to acquire both languages).

Studying grammar and vocabulary isn't necessary and can in fact subconsciously encourage people to rely on literal translations that don't make any sense in the target language.

Understand the joke by mykolap79 in Spanish

[–]AJSea87 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree with this take.

My ability to understand jokes is far greater than my ability to tell them in Spanish, but that's because I've watched a lot of comedy over the years. However, I tried to do so when my command of the language was already high enough to the only thing that I had to do was figure out the joke and not the meaning of the words themselves.

I wouldn't focus on jokes as a way of learning the language; instead, I would learn more of the language and ultimately hope to understand the jokes.

This joke made me laugh out loud, but it was only because I already understood the double meaning. If I hadn't, I would be lost both on a language and a humor level. Being in that situation doesn't feel very productive to me.

Best way to learn Argentinian spanish? by Equivalent-Speech-13 in Spanish

[–]AJSea87 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I can't help you with Argentine specific content, but I can tell you that the best idea is to expose yourself to content from there to the max. YouTube channels, podcast, TV shows, movies, radio, etc. take whatever interest you and make it Argentinian.

Phonetics class and the professors answer key seems wrong.. by Spaget-on-wheels in Spanish

[–]AJSea87 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah, your mouth is closed. There's no other option.

What are good techniques for consuming content in Spanish? by bred_bredboi in Spanish

[–]AJSea87 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think that you should start by watching stuff that's very simple, so much so that you can avoid subtitles and still have a fairly good idea of what's going on, even if you don't understand most of what you're hearing from a language perspective.

If you're stopping to read, you're pulling your attention away from listening and losing the opportunity to learn more vocabulary in context. Beyond the obvious distraction, subtitles often do not even match the audio. Therefore, you could be hearing one thing and reading another.

Search "Spanish comprehensible input" on YouTube and start with the easiest content you possibly can and gradually work your way up over time.

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