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My first mini break-through | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| cgammonsjr Newbie United States Joined 5891 days ago 9 posts - 11 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish | Message 1 of 2 21 April 2010 at 7:52pm | IP Logged |
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This is a late entry of my accomplishment but I feel like I really need to focus on my advancements more then I have been. It's funny how the mind and the universe works sometimes that just leave you in awe! About a month ago I was very frustrated with the level I considered myself to be with my journey to learn L.A. Spanish. I was using Pimsleur and LSLC at the same time while reading Barron's Spanish Now Level 1 and Laugh'N'Learn Spanish ( hey I figured comics can't hurt LOL). At this point I was more then a year into my studies and I still was in Pimsleur I, I couldn't understand any music or television and was only catching 1 or 2 word while listening to native speakers talk. Needless to say that my frustration led me to think about scrapping Spanish all together and taking on a language that I felt would be more fun but less useful with less opportunities to practice like Italian or French ( I took French in high-school). So one night I was talking to my girlfriend on the phone and she had asked me how my studies were going and I proceeded to go off on this long rant about how I felt I was not advancing at all and how frustrated I was and how I might just give it up BLAH BLAH BLAH!!!!! You get the picture. Well here's the good part. I am at work THE VERY NEXT DAY working in the seafood department. A couple approaches and ask for a half pound of shrimp. I measure it up and the gentleman asks his lady friend is it enough and she replies that maybe they should get a pound and a half. So I measure that up and ask will that be all. The gentleman asks if she wants anything else and she says no. At this moment it happens as some of you might have already guessed. As this whole interactions has taken place I have just realized that this couple was speaking Spanish the entire time and I was responding back in English. I am in total shock now cause I am remembering my conversation with my girlfriend the night before. I hand the couple their order and as they leave the gentleman turns to wave goodbye, he says thank you( gracias of course) and as he leaves he says HELLO (meaning goodbye) while waving( I then realize he may know less English then I know Spanish). After this interaction I realize that not only did I understand everything that was said even though I feel they were very basic sentences but I am extremely excited at the fact that I was not translating in my head. I just listened, understood and responded naturally. I didn't know the language difference until the interactions was almost over. And since I understood the gentleman I saved him the task of trying to speak his request in English. Of course later that night I told my girlfriend and we laughed about it. I know this is a long drawn out story but I still wanted to celebrate it. I was also wondering if this is the normal first breakthrough and if so what can I expect in the future?
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| LangOfChildren Tetraglot Groupie Germany Joined 5430 days ago 82 posts - 141 votes  Speaks: German*, English, French, Swedish Studies: Mandarin, Japanese, Thai, Russian | Message 2 of 2 21 April 2010 at 9:07pm | IP Logged |
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That must have been an awesome feeling.
Congratulations on that. I think it is quite normal, actually, but that does not make it less exciting! At some point you will notice that you have made progress and are able to say or understand things you were not able to express or comprehend before. If you keep on going, you will probably experience something alike again. I wish you the best of luck. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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