advice, tips and resources for your language learning
Hola a todos, hoy estoy escribiendo en español porque estoy en España! Here’s a little note in Spanish while sitting in Madrid’s most important park!
Estoy en El Retiro, un parque grande en Madrid. Hace mucho calor pero me encanta el sol! Oigo música y pájaros, hay mucha gente y Madrileños que están cambiando por el parque.
Me encanta este ambiente distendido. He olvidado que significa el estrés!
Pronto tengo que escribir algo sobre mi experiencia hablando español.
Hasta luego~
Hola a todos und hallo zusammen! I have a handful of tips from my learning this week which will fit neatly enough into one post: my new favourite Spanish resources, and some real bad German words (i.e. DENGLISCH).
Entonces, el fin de semana que viene, voy a viajar a Madrid! Estoy muy emocionante para practicar el idioma y, ademas, para compartir mi experiencia con vosotros. Pero al primero…
Listening
Listening is one of the hardest skills for an intermediate learner – not necessarily in the classroom, but absolutely when you turn on the radio. Since I am always listening to podcasts (in fact, this weekend I was at the 3rd annual London Podcast Festival with all the other cool kids) I’ve naturally been on the look out for podcasts that’ll help me with my Spanish.
TV can be more helpful for language learners because you have the visual aid – but at least you can listen to a podcast when you’re out walking. On top of that, several podcasts have written transcripts you can refer to or even read while you’re listening. Por ejemplo…
Españolistos is a conversation podcast aimed at intermediate learners. There is definitely a ton of podcast options for beginners, which teach simple phrases, but these presenters (Colombian and an American) speak everyday Spanish at a manageable speed. Plus, it is comforting to hear the American guy’s good Spanish but distinct American accent – I guess we all go through the accent struggle!
Radio Ambulante is a culture and current affairs podcast about a myriad of topics from Latin America. They recently became part of NPR, and each week features a different story. It is advanced Spanish – I am starting B1 Spanish next month, and it is a real challenge for me. However, the transcripts are in both Spanish and English. Given the strength of the reporting and the stories which are being told, I find it worth following the episodes and referring back to the original transcript as well as the translation. I can really push my listening comprehension and overcome some of the “oh my god” feeling you get when you hear native level Spanish.
Another Language App
I am definitely not being paid by busuu to plug them, but I saw a half-price subscription offer for this app (which is similar to Babbel) and I am really enjoying it so far, based on the structure, topics, and grammar tips. The lessons also encourage listening comprehension (entire little conversations) and get you to provide written answers – it feels like the most proactive language learning app I’ve tried so far.
Last but not least I learned a new terrible ‘Denglisch’ word this week. You might have already heard of the German word ‘Oldtimer’ – over there it means a vintage car. But, even worse than Oldtimer is the term Youngtimer. If Oldtimer is a car from the 40s or 50s, Youngtimer is a slightly-less-old vintage car, i.e. from the 1980s. It-is-so-terrible-why
It reminded me of one of the word offenders, and oldest examples, of Denglisch: der Keks (pl. Kekse). Keks is the German for biscuit (cookie). But the word comes directly from the English word cake.
Given that cakes and biscuits are very dissimilar and that one is superior to the other (we all know which one) I have always found this very disrespectful to cake.
Further reading: British biscuit vs cake drama
Starting a new language can be daunting, so a real desire for that language is essential. The journey is long, but it does not have to be an uphill sprint – not at all – and there’s plenty of small achievements on the way to fluency. There’s infinite resources you can use, some of which are all about speed and mastery, but feel free to sift through some of it and see what works for you.
I want to share the ‘starter kit’ I accumulated for Spanish – I did not start Spanish quickly, or expertly, but I love this language. I am British but growing up with US news and culture has made me more and more aware of Latin American culture and its important role in the States. Additionally, we are not far from Spain and I have met many lovely Spanish people. This little kernel of genuine interest has kept me going.
You do not have to feel motivated every day of the week or every week of the year but if you want to speak the language, you will absolutely get there. Here’s how it began for me:
1. Duolingo
It’s free, it’s popular, it gives you shiny rewards and it does not judge you! There are some very heavy users of Duolingo out there, but my attitude to Spanish was pretty relaxed. For starters, my daily goal was at the lowest setting. Rather than going for speed, I went slowly and did a ton of revision sessions (to keep the lesson badges ‘gold’). From a base of zero Spanish knowledge, I finished the course in about a year – but I still had many questions.
Duolingo is not the perfect teacher, but the forums can be supportive, and it has proven to thousands of people the old ‘dripping water hollows out stone’ saying: five minutes a day will get you there.
2. Memrise
I switched to Memrise after finishing Duolingo: it’s a British language app which has many courses, and it focuses on old-school useful language phrases. It is well structured and goes through greetings, numbers, essential vocabulary for travel etc. It is a good compliment to Duolingo, the content of which can seem quite random. It also allows you to learn Castilian Spanish (Spanish of central Spain), whereas Duolingo favours Spanish from the Americas (fair enough).
3. Coffee Break Languages
Structure! At last! The Coffee Break Spanish podcast started back in 2006 (when people downloaded them by plugging in their iPods) and it has 4 seasons from beginner to advanced. (Other languages now available). I love it because of the friendly format, the listening practice, the grammar tips and really helpful explanations from a teacher who has been in the game a long time. There is no replacing expertise. If you find the first few episodes too slow or elementary, go browse the episodes on their website to find the best place for you to start.
4. Tutoring
Here we go: I found an online tutor – through iTalki, but there are others out there. If you find the right person, it is so helpful to have a personalised lesson. Ideally you should see a real teacher after a few months of learning because they can correct you and flip around some bad habits.
5. Mingling
If you live in or near a major city, get on Google and find a language exchange group – I’ve done language meet ups where people just go to a coffee shop or bar to have a drink, meet new people and practice languages. Try and also get a ‘tandem partner’, someone who you can see regularly to swap your languages! It is really motivating to practice face to face.
6. The Classroom
After all of this, the most effective way to learn a language really is in a classroom. I started evening courses at the beginning of the year, and it has been fun and I have seen so much progress in my Spanish – I have managed to reach an A2-B1 level so far (language level explanation here). I had the same breakthrough when I revitalised my school-level German.
While a classroom is – in my experience – the best place to get to intermediate and from intermediate to advanced, time and motivation are the most important factors for reaching your goal. It is better to be a motivated independent learner than it is to be a 14 year old who never does the homework.
I have finished my schooling but for some reason I went looking for more homework – and you know what? I love it.
I started reading in German a couple of years ago, and with each book it gets easier. You acquire vocabulary of course, but once I had one or two novels under my belt I felt more relaxed, confident and better able to properly lose myself in the fiction.
As mentioned before, if you are beginner-intermediate, you can totally start with translations of your favourite children’s books – I started with Lemony Snicket and Harry Potter about a year before I began with adult fiction.
Here are three modern books I loved and can recommend – they have a lot of dialogue, which makes them much easier to follow:
Tschick, Wolfgang Herrndorf
This is a kids/YA book which is also a movie so a really great place for a B1-B2 learner to start. Two outcast tweens take an impromptu road trip at the start of the summer vacation: Maik, who has an unhappy home life, and the mysterious Russian kid known as ‘Tschick’.
Und dann steht einer auf und öffnet das Fenster, Susann Pasztor
Fred, a single dad with a troubled 13 year old son, has trained as a volunteer companion to the dying and finds a challenge in his first assignment – the inscrutable Karla. When Fred manages to torpedo a tenuous friendship with Karla, son Phil provides a link between these three lonely souls. Odd couple tearjerkers, anyone?
Wende, Eva Ladipo
A political thriller from a Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung journalist. The protagonist, René, has a successful career in the nuclear power sector until public opinion ruins the company. On top of that, one of his colleagues commits suicide. René, who comes from a poor family in East Germany, grabs a new opportunity from a mysterious older woman, Anna, and finds himself leaving Frankfurt for a swish job in London. What kind of secrets does Anna have in her past? And was it really suicide?
Netflix will soon open their first European production hub in Spain, dedicated to producing original content. The current Spanish-language options – the ones found on Netflix UK – are pretty limited, although some are big hits. These include the heist show Casa de Papel (Money Heist), about a bank robbery going wrong, as well as the syrupy-sweet period drama Chicas del Cable (Cable Girls), about 1920s telephone operators.
I did not stick with those shows very long, but the bank heist premise could be kind of fun and Chicas del Cable could be a Downtown Abbey stand-in – maybe try them out if you haven’t already. What I would recommend is the bonkers Spanish TV show El Ministerio del Tiempo (The Ministry of Time). Two seasons were made for the broadcaster RTVE, and the final third season moved to Netflix.
It turns out that Spain has a secret ministry which controls a series of portals in time, which have been guarded by dedicated civil servants (!) for centuries. It is like watching a Doctor Who for adults, except the TARDIS can only go backwards. The heroes (a trio assembled from the 16th, 19th, and 21st centuries) get assigned different tasks in each episode, such as saving the life of a Spanish Shakespeare (Lope de Vega).
The characters feel like actual humans, the stories are lots of fun, and I am even being forced to learn a tiny bit of Spanish history. I also appreciate a show in which they use Spain-Spanish, so I can balance it out with all the Latin American Spanish resources. I am more likely to need or use the Spanish of Spain, but of course we should all be aware of both.
Also this week I have been listening to season 3 of the podcast series Coffee Break Spanish. It is a step up from season 1-2 beginner level and involves more listening practice aimed at an A2-B1 level. I love the Scottish presenter Mark, he is a talented linguist, teacher and all-round language nerd. The season 3 song/jingle is dorky as hell but will put a smile on your face, I promise.
Last Christmas, my sister gave me an English-Italian book: it was written by an American author – in Italian – and translated back into English; both versions are presented side by side. Jhumpa Lahiri, who many years ago was caught by the inexplicable urge to know Italian inside and out, did not live in Italy or learn the language until adulthood – she relied on snatches of tuition and laborious self-study in the States.
Eventually Lahiri made the decision to move her family to Rome and write exclusively in Italian. The result is In Other Words, a rumination not just on the Italian language, but on writing, the art of expression, and the struggle in finding one’s voice. It is also a glimpse into one woman’s – understandable – obsession.
We get to learn about some of her simple daily struggles to be understood in Rome, but I most related to her attempt to explain the compulsion to adopt another language, take those imperfect foundations, and nurture it into something else with which you can express yourself. The second language – if learned as an adult – will most likely be the weird cousin to your mother tongue, coming from the same mind but producing decidedly different and mixed results. This is the start of one woman’s journey to untangle her Italian and use it in a way which is readable, and slightly wonky, but all her own creation. It is a real inspiration.
High Managing to land a joke in German
Low I misunderstand “wer” (who) as “where” said in a German accent. A bunch of times.
High Learning the lyrics to ’99 Luftballons’
Low Failing to understand German TV even after becoming conversational
High Understanding German standup comedy
Low Understanding German standup comedy
High Entering the first evening class and understanding everything the teacher is (slowly) saying.
Low German grammar
High Literally gaining the vaguest understanding of German grammar
Low Discovering the preterite past tense
High Finishing Lemony Snicket in translation.
Low Trying to read Thomas Mann in the original.
High Feeling emotionally connected to a German-language novel for the first time (Der Trafikant).
Low Realising my German might never be perfect!
