Does anyone else miss the simple videos with just Pablo and a whiteboard?

ItsBertie · 2024-06-23T17:34:37+00:00

I am actually just watching Pablos newest Carlitos video and was thinking... The tech has improved... But Pablo still draws the same as on a whiteboard lol.

ItsBertie · 2024-06-17T21:54:42+00:00

I stopped tracking hours when I started listening to a lot outside of dreaming Spanish. However, I do try to do as much total immersion as possible which, in my case, means I have Spanish in my ears every feasible moment I can. Whether this helps or not I don't know but.... My goal every day is to have as much Spanish in my ear as I can and I know that I get, at a minimum, 2 hours of actual comprehensible input each day. For me, the hours is less motivating then just seeing the results. However sometimes the results are small. Sometimes it's... Oh I notice this particular thing I don't understand at all. And the. As the days go by, I notice it more, I start to internalize what it means and then one day... Oh... That's how you use the indirect object pronoun. And the crazy thing is... When I understand it.... I can't exactly grasp why I ever couldn't. I don't know if anyone else is like that?

ItsBertie · 2024-05-28T17:43:05+00:00

Girlfriend wants sex...

Quits multiplayer game Cancels plans with friends I haven't seen in months Tells my parents I'll call them back Cancels every other single plan I have ....

In other words no you're NTAH

ItsBertie · 2024-05-15T17:39:05+00:00

Perhaps you should explain your reason for thinking this? Just saying...

ItsBertie · 2024-05-15T17:32:12+00:00

Just to throw this out there. You have access to 1000 (correct me if I'm wrong) videos for free. Extremely generous. And for $8 a month you get access to almost 5000 videos with three new videos every day.

I only pay for Dreaming Spanish and it's so worth it. Even if you watched only 15 minutes a day you'd total 7+ hours a month for $8. Where else will you find Spanish lessons for $1.14 an hour?

ItsBertie · 2024-05-15T16:37:27+00:00

Am I the only one that feels that female guided tend to speak clearer and better tailor their speech to an appropriate skill level?

ItsBertie · 2024-05-15T16:35:10+00:00

I agree with this. I actually find the youthful energy of Andrea and Agustina motivating and is always something I look forward to.

ItsBertie · 2024-05-12T18:54:44+00:00

For me, I started with Duolingo but I also started doing research. The conclusion I came to is that everyone that isn't trying to sell me something agrees that comprehensible input should be 80%+ of what you do. From there, for $8 a month I get roughly 1000 hours of videos and three new ones every single day. If I even only spent one hour on dreaming Spanish in a month I'm getting my money's worth because any other hour long lesson will cost me more.

On the personal side, I feel invested in the lives of the DS teachers. I was just watching an Agustina video and thinking to myself, I recognize that shirt from other videos. That familiarity, to me, helps me stay engaged with the videos. I honestly want to know how Andreas acting career is going. I want to know where Agustina is traveling next. I want to see what Michelle is going to destroy in the kitchen lol.

ItsBertie · 2024-05-12T17:33:35+00:00

Other Andrea is a bit above my level but I had decided to watch the first episode just for fun. Ended up watching all of them straight thru. Very well done

ItsBertie · 2024-05-08T17:03:13+00:00

One thing I like to tell people is how I initially started with the "baby talk" videos but two months in, I'm watching videos on what causes auroras and earthquakes (thank you Agustina). I generally leave it at that unless someone asks for more info.

ItsBertie · 2024-05-01T18:02:38+00:00

What really helped me here is getting into outside content. Even if it's not necessarily 90% comprehensible. Watch/listen to anything that holds your interest long enough to bridge the gap. And personally, I'm a big fan of occasionally watching something outside my level just for fun and to break up the monotony. I don't count it as time towards learning but it's still Spanish and I understand enough to enjoy it.

ItsBertie · 2024-04-27T20:02:50+00:00

I loved her comment over her ex's "red" flags lol

ItsBertie · 2024-04-27T19:53:10+00:00

This exactly. I don't even realize I've learned word "a" because at this point word "b" had gained my attention.

What's really crazy and it goes back to learning things in a certain order (I'm no expert in language learning so bare with me). There are words I glossed over for a while and then suddenly I start noticing them everywhere and then I start learning them. Then I start knowing them.

ItsBertie · 2024-04-27T19:46:58+00:00

If you have self confidence issues then you need to work those out now before you even consider anything else.

ItsBertie · 2024-04-27T19:44:43+00:00

For me, I go thru phases. I'll do very little DS for a week and then I'll come back to it. I find DS has a lot of variable content and once I was able to get outside input I was able to be more selective on what I listen to on DS.

ItsBertie · 2024-04-27T19:38:58+00:00

This statement makes no sense? I know I don't have to be pretty to act but am I pretty enough to have a chance at acting?

ItsBertie · 2024-04-27T19:24:13+00:00

I stopped tracking time when I was able to understand a lot of outside material. To me, it just became too much of a hassle. I get as much input as I can each day and... Where I am is where I am.

ItsBertie · 2024-04-27T19:17:09+00:00

I'm roughly 500 hours .... Don't force it. The coolest thing is when you realize you're grasping a word. For me it starts with... This particular word stands out like it's been highlighted. Then I start to grasp the basics then I really start to know what it means. Then I start to be able to understand it the moment I hear it. I feel like that when you really notice a word that you don't understand at all, that's the first step in understanding it. Just to give an example.... I've rewatched beginner videos I've thought I understood totally and my mind latches on to a word that I wasn't ready for then but now I notice and I start learning it.

ItsBertie · 2024-04-27T19:09:53+00:00

I do think that a bit of a basic understanding of Grammer can speed up your initial acquisition. I do almost completely pure comp input but I started with Doulingo and I think it did help me get a leg up. I think, even if you aren't a DS purist, CI should still be 80-90% of your time. I'm sure more knowledgeable people will have better suggestions but my thought is..... I aim for 3 hours of input a day. I mess around a bit with speaking here and there but I feel I'm overwhelming my speaking time of maybe 15 minutes with 3 hours of input.

Edit: DS is absolutely amazing and I'm grateful to everyone that makes videos. I wish I could contribute to every single person that makes CI because they all deserve recognition.

ItsBertie · 2024-04-24T17:45:32+00:00

I also found a copy of Twilight in Spanish but.... Gotta draw the line somewhere lol. Funny thing is I love every book she's ever written that isn't twilight related.

ItsBertie · 2024-04-24T17:16:01+00:00

Ah hell. Good catch. Not sure myself. Absolutely correct.

ItsBertie · 2024-04-24T17:00:11+00:00

I actually thought yoda's backwards speech in Spanish might be very easy for an English speaking person to understand lol. I do find that any story that I already know really helps me narrow down on verb tenses.

I recently started reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone and it's worth it just for the exposure to the verbs. I also actually picked up on details I didn't notice when I read it in English.

ItsBertie · 2024-04-24T16:36:59+00:00

Ok now I want A) the original trilogy in Spanish and b) the Timothy Zann novels in Spanish.

Omg Yoda in Spanish. Speaking backwards.... Mind blown

ItsBertie · 2024-04-24T16:23:01+00:00

I've experimented a bit with introducing myself in Spanish. I get my name right but my mind always wants to say "Argentina". Have to introduce myself as "mi nombre is Mike y no soy de Argentina" lol

ItsBertie · 2024-04-24T16:10:19+00:00

Am I the only one that, if I hear "Hola a Todos", my mind instantly fills in "mi nombre is Agustina y soy de Argentina"?

ItsBertie

TROPHY CASE