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Gizzy’s Road To Spanish Fluency! 2011 | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| global_gizzy Senior Member United States maxcollege.blogspot. Joined 5694 days ago 275 posts - 310 votes  Studies: Spanish | Message 17 of 38 27 January 2010 at 2:56pm | IP Logged |
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All my technology at home is down right now. and I've been so busy I haven't dared put any time into fixing it. Yet.
I'm WAY behind schedule with Pimsleur but I'm just going to pick back up where I left off. I'm still taking Elementary Spanish II (Really, it should be called Random Spanish Grammar + Occassional Vocab Redux) at college but it teaches me little or nothing practical. I'm putting in alot more effort and getting WAY too little out of it, I hate it. I'm not sure if I will take Spanish 3 or not, it depends...Only time (and money) will tell, I suppose. My reading comprehesion goes up more and more almost without me trying but I cant speak!! Infact, my accent is worse now than when I started. And I cant figure out why? Is it possible my Japanese "accent" or whatever is taking over? I'm going to get back into Pimsleur ASAP. Probably this weekend. I need to pick up my conversational skills and I'm also reading the Spanish dialogs in this series called. Ingles Sin Barreras. Its meant to teach English to Spanish speakers, but I find it very helpful to learn more normal Spanish Dialog. So far I've only been reading the manuals to it, but I'm going to check out the CD's and Videos also, they may have spoken Spanish on them that I can work with. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| global_gizzy Senior Member United States maxcollege.blogspot. Joined 5694 days ago 275 posts - 310 votes Studies: Spanish | Message 18 of 38 10 February 2010 at 11:27pm | IP Logged |
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Slowly progressing in Class. I checked out living languages All Audio Spanish II from the
library a while ago. I think that I will go that route rather than Pimsleur for my Audio courses, its accompanied by a booklet so thats a major plus. Outside of class I barely do any Spanish work at all. Some days I cant find the time, others I dont have the will. *sigh* I dont know why I thought that this would be fun just barely 40 days ago. I feel like I'm going insane some days but mostly I'm not sure I'm making progress in the language at all. Its like my language abilities are regressing...UGH! I barely even do my Spanish homework anymore...Speaking of which, I have a ton of it due tomorrow MORNING! 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| global_gizzy Senior Member United States maxcollege.blogspot. Joined 5694 days ago 275 posts - 310 votes Studies: Spanish | Message 19 of 38 19 February 2010 at 3:22am | IP Logged |
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I've been keeping a seperate blog on my language learning dreams and aspirations, but I try not to let this log get to out of date.
I feel I've cleared a pretty prominent hurdle in school right now, hoping things can settle back down into a more manageable time frame. Anyway, about language. I've all but dropped Japanese and but lately I've been collecting all my Spanish verbs from my textbook. I'm going to make a book of Spanish based on my textbook. I'm going to do the verbs first because I need LOTS of practice. I'm learning the preterit now in class and while I understand the basic functions of verbs and know a lot of them, I am always frustrated to find the irregulars aren't sticking. I'm going to work on conjugations exercises. I'm thinking of making my own worksheet where each verb is conjugate first in the present, then in the preterite and each form of the verb is used in a sentence. Thats 6 sentences per verb! The irregulars will of course have their own section and the stem-changers (nasty buggers that they are) will be between Regulars and Irregulars because while they are regular, they are "spe-shul" in their own way. Anyway, still plugging away at Spanish and I'm hoping to make it through Spanish III also. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| global_gizzy Senior Member United States maxcollege.blogspot. Joined 5694 days ago 275 posts - 310 votes Studies: Spanish | Message 20 of 38 26 February 2010 at 2:27am | IP Logged |
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Here is a small essay type thing I wrote on the bus on the way home yesterday. I found the words flowed but I'm sure that my grammar is horrific. All feedback is appreciated:
Me llamo Asiya, soy de estadosunidos. Yo hablo inglés y estudio español un poco cada dia. Me gustaria hablar muchas idiomas un dia. Quiero hablar español perfectamente y estudiar japones y arabé despues aprendo español bien. Un dia quiero viajar en mucho del mundo para ver y conocer muchos gentes cuando voy. Yo deseo hablar dos o tres idiomas con mi esposo y niños. Tambien quiero trabajar con mi familia y empiazar un escuela para los niños. END // Terminar Anyway, its not in any way a conclusive essay. It lacks transitions, support, and expansion for the few points/statements that I make, but its in Spanish and I wrote it all by myself and even went to a website virtual keyboard to type it up. Please read and give me feedback if you can. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| global_gizzy Senior Member United States maxcollege.blogspot. Joined 5694 days ago 275 posts - 310 votes Studies: Spanish | Message 21 of 38 07 March 2010 at 1:36am | IP Logged |
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So, still pecking away at Spanish. I'll readily admit that I'm not learning much this semester, I've gotten lucky with the vocabulary from the recent chapters, while I've been doing well on the grammar I'm still not really sure what the Teacher is talking about.
Spring Break starts Monday, I'm going to use this time to catch up in Algebra and to revisit all the Spanish I was supposed to have learned these first couple of months. I need to learn vocab for food, travel, holidays and pasttimes. As well as several preterite (ir+regulars) verbs, the imperfect, In/Direct object pronouns, plus a few other grammar points. I've really gotta crack the whip and for the life of me, I cant remember how to compare stuff! After the break we are supposed to be doing double object pronouns so that is going to be fun stuff! Miraculously, I have an A in the class. Anyway, I'm still liking Spanish alot. I want to do one of two things this summer. A) An intensive review of SPN101 and SPN102, B) Study Abroad in Spain and take SPN201 and SPN202 + SPN Literature and Culture Obviously, plan is the most realistic option since I'm broke, but if I were to do travel abroad I'd be able to make a 6hr dent in one of my future minors (Spanish). However at the time I think that its more important that I take Math classes so I can have a shot at Calculus next summer. P.S. Don't think I've announced this yet, but I plan to double minor in University. Spanish and Arabic, the two languages most dear to me. I'm going to be doing an intensive review of Spanish this summer probably, starting on Capitulo Ante Todo and going through to Capitulo 12, since that is where we stop for Spanish 2. I'll take Intermediate Spanish in the fall and when I finally go to university to begin work on my degree (whatever that will be) I'll be ready to take more classes for my Spanish minor and start on my other minor too! Yay!!! 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| global_gizzy Senior Member United States maxcollege.blogspot. Joined 5694 days ago 275 posts - 310 votes Studies: Spanish | Message 22 of 38 21 March 2010 at 2:03am | IP Logged |
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We have a test Monday so I'm reviewing some vocabulary and grammar points from the last two chapters we covered in class to prepare for it.
I don't know if I'm still making progress at all, and I am not 100% sure if I will take Spanish 3 in the fall. I will take the class, because its needed for my minor, but I don't know if my schedule will permit me to take it in the Fall or not. We'll have to see. I signed up, finally, for lang-8 and am going to try and keep a regular journal strictly in Spanish for a while. My spelling/writing skills still suck though my speaking is very, very, very slowly progressing. I find that I cant understand ANYTHING when I hear it spoken TO me. I've decided to hang around in the International Student office, where all the Hispanic students hang out and speak Spanish. I found that I understood a lot of Spanish passively, mostly just a word or two here and there but it was ALOT more than I understand when someone speaks to me! Anyway, I'm trying to keep my language log, study drive and passion for culture up but I feel a little...stretched, trying to maintain them all sometimes. I hate the structure of these grammar-driven classes, but I recognize them as an important step in achieving my goal. The dream, of course, being to minor in Spanish AND actually learn to speak. I'm mostly just wanting to learn the language, grammar or not, but I want "official" status in the language. To honor my mother, to reach a goal for myself. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| dantalian Diglot Senior Member Bouvet Island Joined 5673 days ago 125 posts - 156 votes Speaks: Russian*, English Studies: German | Message 23 of 38 02 April 2010 at 10:45pm | IP Logged |
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Hi global_gizzy,
Thanks for your kind words in my log! I really appreciate it! I can see you are doing very well with your Spanish project on the whole. So, you needn't be upset or "stretched" as you put it. Progress like everything else waxes and wanes. And all you need is just to keep the ball rolling! 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| global_gizzy Senior Member United States maxcollege.blogspot. Joined 5694 days ago 275 posts - 310 votes Studies: Spanish | Message 24 of 38 05 April 2010 at 4:22am | IP Logged |
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So, I've had this book for a long time. Its called "Easy Spanish Reader" by William Tardy.
Since I was 12, my mommy gave it to me :). I think I read the entire first section, but I cant remember. I've skimmed through it a lot but never read it cover to cover. As of April first, I have began to read one story from it a day. Aloud. On to tape... Yep, I call it My voice diary. Anyone brave enough to sit through my readings and offer feedback on pronunciation?.... .... .... Yeah, its okay. I'm dont like the sound of my voice on tape either! Anyway, I've been recording myself reading since April 1, (what better time to begin systematically making a fool of yourself than April Fools?--nah, I'm kidding) Also, I've been doing a minimum of one Pimsleur Spanish lesson a day, trying to train my ear to get used to hearing and comprehending spoken Spanish. Also, I am trying to train my voice to speak, I'm hoping that it will help with some of my 'blocking' problems. When I want to speak Spanish. I've already had one semester of Formal Spanish training gracias a collegio. (thanks to school) but I've been dabbling in Spanish on my own since I was 12 but it really whittled down to merely dabbling, and around 15-16 it just stopped. I picked it up again three years later at 19....anyway, now that I remembered my point, I can make it: I'm not looking to learn anything from Pimsleur Spanish (Level 1) except get some Spaced Repetion whatever its called...practice in speaking and listening. I like to do the lessons while I'm busy with something else, so I find I'm getting a good understanding of passive listening skills, but I still actively participate. I'm on lesson 8, I've yet to feel the need to slow down or go back or review ANYTHING. I'm gonna do another lesson tonight while I review my Psych notes, after I do my daily reading. EDIT: Whoops, forgot the link to the book. Edited by global_gizzy on 05 April 2010 at 4:56am 1 person has voted this message useful |
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