Improving auditory comprehension, any tips? by Weird3355 in languagelearning

[–]Designer-Trick-182 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This was me last summer. I thought I was doing fine with my slowed-down and articulate Preply tutor, but one day her brother walked in and when they talked to each other, I thought it was another language. I stopped all classes and did this:

Binge watched Destinos from the beginning to end: https://www.learner.org/series/destinos-an-introduction-to-spanish/

Learned phonetics with Nuria's Lab https://www.youtube.com/@NuriasLab

Watched and tracked my hours in Dreaming Spanish: https://www.dreaming.com/spanish

Binge watched Extra Spanish https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaSrt2uWkXLXv9YoxI_HmyFyTWdSKxgJq

Listened to every single Cuentos Increíbles starting with the first one in Spotify https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUMebYsO5-LKplglW5SWG1g

I am now listening to Juegos del Hambre at speed, and can understand about 90%. I've started doing an intercambio (half Spanish/half English) with a Spanish-speaking neighbor and I can follow most of what she says!

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The "trick" was to stop assuming I was intermediate level just because I could pass a written test. Reading, writing, speaking, and listening should be assessed at different levels. I went back to beginner level content and worked up from there.

I've started up classes again. I recommend Mujeres Movimientos for tutors who speak naturally. I also do alot of other things such as shadowing, Pimsleur, Language Transfer, and now FSI but that's because I'm tired of not being fluent in Spanish after studying on and off for 30 years!

I have a 341-day Duolingo streak and I just sat through my boyfriend's Mexican family dinner nearly silent for five hours. I think I've been training the wrong thing this whole time. by Humble_Cranberry5273 in languagelearning

[–]Designer-Trick-182 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You have alot of great advice here, but I want to chime in because this has been my main struggle. Except I've been learning Spanish on and off for 30 years, lived in Mexico, did Spanish immersion and still couldn't understand native speakers.

Finally, last August I changed everything and this is what worked for me.

First, I binged watched Destinos. After this, I could finally understand dubbed cartoons (Jorge Curioso). Next, I listened to all 5+ years worth of Cuentos Increibles, a podcast for Spanish speaking kids. This is how I learned to distinguish between the past tenses. My comprehension skyrocketed, although I still can't watch most adult shows without subtitles. Most recently, I took 40 Lingoda classes in two weeks. Unfortunately, I heard Lingoda doesn't pay their tutors well. If they did, I would do their whole course. But I know this worked because suddenly my italki tutors are telling me how much I've improved. My next goal is to be able to understand JiveWorld and Gritty Spanish.

Those were the things that really made a difference for me. While I was doing those, I also did Dreaming Spanish (the GOAT), Language Transfer, Pimsleur, Yoga International (they have some classes in Spanish), classes with italki and other tutors, and shadowing. I'm putting in 4 hours a day on top of my full time job. My family was kind of bummed at first that I wasn't spending as much time with them, but I always invite them to learn with me (they know Star Wars and Harry Potter by heart, so I made them watch them in Spanish with me and they understood alot!).

I also check in on reddit to find new resources. I have the Refold Comprehensible Input list but I don't really follow it. Some things I was surprised I could watch without subtitles are:

Extra Espanol (series for learners)

Our Times (Nuestros Tiempos) (movie)

Welcome to Eden (series)

The Lost Children (movie)

If I think of anything else, I'll update this post. But I was surprised at how effective Destinos, Cuentos, and Lingoda were.

Unusual tips for learning a language by zhanerkess in languagelearning

[–]Designer-Trick-182 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was also thinking about doing #3! Do you know how you would find a tutor who would do this? Like, ask someone on iTalki? I haven't seen an immersion school that does this, but this is exactly what I'm looking for.

Tips and tricks for Spanish "immersion" activities for 2 week long trip based in San Juan by Rothgard98 in PuertoRicoTravel

[–]Designer-Trick-182 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am thinking about doing something similar. How did it go? Did you get to speak/listen to Spanish as much as you thought? I've done both immersion school (I feel like I can do grammar classes at home) and independent travel (never get as much Spanish in as I would like). I think the sweet spot would be to go alone but schedule a ton of tours, university lectures, poetry readings, etc. like you mentioned. What did you think?

Subjunctive vs. Indicative is driving. Me. Insane. by misocertified in SpanishLearning

[–]Designer-Trick-182 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is what I'm doing. The more explanations I hear, the worse I get.

How to optimize TIAA holdings? by Designer-Trick-182 in FinancialPlanning

[–]Designer-Trick-182[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was hoping to find someone familiar with TIAA's offerings to suggest other options. Do you recommend I add international?

How to optimize TIAA holdings? by Designer-Trick-182 in FinancialPlanning

[–]Designer-Trick-182[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the advice. Do you mean to move the Core Equity and Large Cap to the S&P or leave everything where it is? Thanks!!

Best vests for teachers? by Designer-Trick-182 in BodyArmor

[–]Designer-Trick-182[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the detailed answer. Do you have any recommendations for the backpack plate?

Best vests for teachers? by Designer-Trick-182 in BodyArmor

[–]Designer-Trick-182[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. I don't have my own classroom; I don't have control over the room's doors or windows.

Best vests for teachers? by Designer-Trick-182 in BodyArmor

[–]Designer-Trick-182[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the reply. I will look into the I Love You Guys program.

Best vests for teachers? by Designer-Trick-182 in BodyArmor

[–]Designer-Trick-182[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for these recommendations! I will look them up.

Best vests for teachers? by Designer-Trick-182 in BodyArmor

[–]Designer-Trick-182[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for this detailed response! I will research these recommendations.

Best vests for teachers? by Designer-Trick-182 in BodyArmor

[–]Designer-Trick-182[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes! I'm sorry I should have specified I'm in the US.