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How I became fluent in Spanish 4 MONTHS | ||
Tags: Time to learn | Spanish | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies |  | |
| datsunking1 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5399 days ago 1014 posts - 1533 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: German, Russian, Dutch, French | Message 57 of 77 13 December 2009 at 4:47am | IP Logged | ||
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Although I've been studying for 4 years, I wouldn't dare call myself fluent.
I can read the paper and watch TV and stuff, but I still wouldn't call myself fluent. I guess it's a personal gauge. Fluent for me = 90%+ of everything lol 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| hypersport Senior Member United States Joined 5695 days ago 216 posts - 307 votes Studies: Spanish | Message 58 of 77 13 December 2009 at 5:50am | IP Logged | ||
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Never say never. Too many possible variables.
I too learned Spanish in about 6 months and was talking with Mexicans from the very beginning. Immersion was key for me and I continue to stay immersed in the language now, almost 4 years later. I've been asked by several people if I lived in Mexico or spent time in a Spanish speaking country and when I tell them that I learned it here in the states they don't want to believe it. I have Mexican friends that don't speak English and want to learn. I try to help but they don't want to put the work in. Language learning takes serious work with real dedication and an organized plan. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| burgler09 Diglot Groupie United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5862 days ago 72 posts - 88 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Portuguese | Message 59 of 77 13 December 2009 at 8:48pm | IP Logged | ||
jaja, muchas gracias! siempre me agrada cuando alguien me da cumplidos de mi espanol :) a veces escribo con "ke' sin pensar, desculpame .. pero no es mi culpa que es mas facil para mi dedos ;) jaja igual, yo se que no hablo perfectamente pero estoy feliz asi.. puedo ver peliculas, escuchar musica y vivir en lugares sin ingles. aunque el originial poster me parece que esta hablando mucha mierda.. no me parece que podria hablar muy bien espanol como ya explico... pero quien sabe tal vez habla mejor que yo ! jajjaja 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| John Smith Bilingual Triglot Senior Member Australia Joined 5856 days ago 396 posts - 542 votes Speaks: English*, Czech*, Spanish Studies: German | Message 60 of 77 15 December 2009 at 8:22am | IP Logged | ||
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I don't believe anyone can becomne fluent in 4 months. Understood. Yes. Fluent. no.
You be surprise how easy is understand someone who like this talk. lots of mistake. but still understand right? Not saying you sound like this. Most of the time people who think they are fluent are only really translating their first language word for word. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Sprachjunge Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 6979 days ago 368 posts - 548 votes Speaks: English*, GermanC2 Studies: Spanish, Russian | Message 61 of 77 15 December 2009 at 8:40am | IP Logged | ||
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I invest the term "near-native fluency" with quite a lot of high-level language ability, and I have never personally met anyone who has fit the bill who has been exposed to/learning the language for less than 8 years. I'm not saying it's a rule; just what I've personally observed.
However, I think there's something to be said for the OP's psychological sense of ownership and ease with the language. I think that only comes from being in an environment where one's skills are consistently tested. Some people do it by studying/living abroad; others, like the poster, create their own immersion experiences. But there is a lot of value in this psychological ownership, and for those who have been studying for longer than two years but don't have it, I would say--go out and get it! You may not be "fluent"--I will personally give myself another five years to the five that I already have with German before we even start considering that playground--but unless you are studying a language that is genuinely harder for speakers of your native language (i.e. Chinese for English speakers), you should definitely have put yourself in enough situations where you can tell people that you "speak" or "can get around" in the language--and mean it. For instance, I'm not fluent in German, but my German has been tested enough that if I met a person, it somehow came up that I study German, and that person started a full-blast native stream of conversation, then I am quite sure that I would be able to understand the person. And if there were a word or phrase that I didn't catch, I wouldn't be like, "Whoa, this means I don't know German!" I would simply think (or better, say) ,,What, please? How was that again?" Reading over the poster's entries, I think it's this ease that he was indicating, and it's not such a bad thing to have. Edited by Sprachjunge on 15 December 2009 at 8:53am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| datsunking1 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5399 days ago 1014 posts - 1533 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: German, Russian, Dutch, French | Message 62 of 77 16 December 2009 at 2:25am | IP Logged | ||
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Sprach I understand what you're saying, that's exactly how I think. In another two or three years I will be very confident in Spanish, and I should have a basic fluency in German or Italian or portuguese by then too. I plan on having a good grounding in 4 languages by the time I am 25. (thats 7 years from now)
:D I never want to over exaggerate my skills, I'd rather under estimate :) Edited by datsunking1 on 16 December 2009 at 2:27am 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Envinyatar Diglot Senior Member Guatemala Joined 5350 days ago 147 posts - 240 votes Speaks: Spanish*, English Studies: Modern Hebrew | Message 63 of 77 16 December 2009 at 3:12am | IP Logged | ||
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Burgler09, your Spanish is great. The "ke" and other shorthands are very common in forums and talkbacks so don't worry too much about it.
Now about OP's claim: I don't know if this achievement is possible in real life but I remember this character in "Timeline" by Michael Crichton who had a natural talent for language learning and this feat would be definitely possible for him. Oscar Wilde said that life imitates art so who knows! Never say never as Hypersport wisely advices. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| shapd Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5963 days ago 126 posts - 208 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German, Italian, Spanish, Latin, Modern Hebrew, French, Russian | Message 64 of 77 18 December 2009 at 3:02pm | IP Logged | ||
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Never say something is impossible because you can't imagine yourself doing it and don't underestimate the power of motivation. My mother came over to the UK as a refugee at age 14 with virtually no knowledge of English. Within a year she was getting good grades at school and after two years she passed her Leaving Certificate exams well enough to be offered a place at Cambridge. There are many asylum seekers in the country at the moment following the same path.
The AJATT story confirms that with intelligent use of immersion techniques and a lot of hard work it is possible to become pretty fluent in under 2 years. Daniel Tammett was able to hold sensible conversations in both Icelandic and German in 2 weeks! I can't vouch for his Icelandic but his German was fluent in the sense of having few hesitations, he made very few grammatical errors and he seemed to have quite a wide vocabulary. So I believe that the original poster could have developed enough knowledge in 4 months to hold a fluent conversation. Most of these arguments could be resolved if we could agree a definition of fluency. The aspects of lack of hesitation and overall command of the language are continually confused. Many linguists only use it to refer to the former and use terms like mastery for the second concept. 3 persons have voted this message useful |
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