Fastest way to learn spanish?

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Has anyone self taught themselves another language? If so, how and what program did you use? I kind of know spanish from being around the culture and school but I cannot say I am fluent. That is a problem in this town- we are 20 miles from Mexico and I heard it was really hard to get a job here if you do not speak spanish, & I believe it with the experiences that I've had. I am trying Rosetta stone but even though I get the problems right does not mean I remember exactly what I just did. Any ideas? I know it will help my Career.

Yes, Spanish speaking people. And a recent world-wide country literacy-survey, INCLUDING 3rd world countries, did have Spain within 3 of being DEAD LAST!

Just ask someone to translate for you in Spanish and see how long it takes.

Not all Spanish-speaking people are from Spain. There is a difference, and it's not semantics.

What is this world-wide country literacy survey?

And since when is Spain considered a third world country?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LDRP.
According to my lifetime development class, if you are over 10 years old forget it. College majors in Spanish forget it soon after school. Most Spanish people worldwide are illiterate, so they tend to talk in circles forever communicating simple things. Good luck.

Vamanos muchachos!

thats a bunch of bull.. you can absolutely become fluent in a language after age 10. of course you have to continue to use it, or you will lose it, but i do not think it is true that it is impossible to learn. i started to learn American Sign Language in August and I am quickly reaching fluency. I think I will be able to be fluent within a year. I just make a point go out in the Deaf community at least once a week and socialize in the language. (and yes, its a foreign language, with its own grammar and syntax.) so my advice to the OP is if you live in a border town, maybe take some spanish classes, and supplement it by spending some time in the Hispanic community every so often trying your best to communicate with them in Spanish as much as possible.

and baldee, your final statement was ignorant.

Countries with the Highest Illiteracy Rates ...i dont see any spanish speaking countries.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in SDU, Tele.

Ashley, awesome link. On the same page...

Top 5 Countries with Most Universities:

1. India 8,407

2. United States 5,758

3. Argentina 1,705

4. Spain 1,415

5. Mexico 1,341

Out of 5, 3 countries are Spanish-speaking.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Im not sure about teaching yourself a language, Im kind of iffy about that. I just think that teaching yourself a language would be hard because you could be making all kinds of mistakes but you would never know because you have no one to correct you.

I agree with the poster who said to immerse yourself in a culture to learn the language. That is the best way to become fluent in a language. Just type "spanish immersion programs" into Google and plenty of results will come up. I have been researching the programs for a couple months now because I want to spend my summer to become better at my Spanish.

I think you should just take some Spanish lessons from someone who is fluent or from an institution that teaches the language. I take lessons at a place where the entire class is taught in Spanish for two hours every Saturday. I learned more Spanish in that class in two hours than I did my entire freshmen year of high school because the entire session was in Spanish.

¡De aprendizaje español es divertido!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Wow "Sleep with a mexican under your pillow" not funny at all

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The best way to learn a language is to visit the foreign country( and if that is not possible) try to hang out with spanish speaking people, and also watch lots of TV. That's how I mastered my foreign languages. :) Good luck

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Forget it? Some people are talented in regards to language. I am teaching myself Arabic and am getting along nicely. It depends on the person's talents and their dedication.

Furthermore, I find your comment about "most Spanish people worldwide are illiterate" kind of misleading and ignorant. I live in Miami, FL where the main language IS Spanish--in fact, Spanish *is* my first language. I am not illiterate. My family is not illiterate. Its hard to live here without having some knowledge of Spanish.

And I also don't understand "they tend to talk in circles forever communicating simple things". WHAT ON EARTH. You think us Hispanic people are too stupid to say "My leg hurts" or "My chest hurts" to an RN clearly? I doubt the OP wants to translate La Santa Biblia in Spanish, he/she just wants to communicate with her Pts!!!! SHEESH!

/end rant

To the OP: I find Pimsleur CDs very helpful. Kind of expensive but worth a try. You pop 'em into your car and before you know it you are conversing in Spanish. Its a good start. I also suggest you find a pen pal on conversationexchange.com. That's where I find my Hebrew and Arabic pen pals. You can practice on Skype. Furthermore, I can help you. I love teaching the BEAUTIFUL Spanish language. :) PM me if you need anything.

Love, Literate Spanish-Speaker!!!! :uhoh3:

yes please teach me spanish... im half dominican and cant speak a word-what a shame.send me an email

thanks

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Personally, I think a combo of classroom/ structured learning of the language along and immersion can really help. I have a BA in Spanish, and though my vocabulary suffers when I go long periods without speaking it, I can still speak the language, and I quickly pick back up the things I had forgotten. I also have enough working knowledge to describe what I'm trying to say, and my pts and I can communicate quite well. I learn languages fairly easily, but I lack the attention span and the self-discipline to completely learn them on my own. I also find that learning the basics of the language in the classroom really gives me the foundation to be able to learn outside of the classroom and build on what I've already learned.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Personally, I think a combo of classroom/ structured learning of the language along and immersion can really help. I have a BA in Spanish, and though my vocabulary suffers when I go long periods without speaking it, I can still speak the language, and I quickly pick back up the things I had forgotten. I also have enough working knowledge to describe what I'm trying to say, and my pts and I can communicate quite well. I learn languages fairly easily, but I lack the attention span and the self-discipline to completely learn them on my own. I also find that learning the basics of the language in the classroom really gives me the foundation to be able to learn outside of the classroom and build on what I've already learned.

i dont think you answered the op's question nor did you give the rest of us insight to how we can go about learning it

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Some times I wonder how many people that suggest immersion have actually tried it. But anyway, learning a new language is an active exercise not a passive one. A formal class would definitely help, but its not a necessity. There are a number of books and CDs that will help with semantics. RS is okay (its a type of immersion program), but its stupidly expensive. :eek: One of the things that makes Spanish a tiny bit more difficult for English speakers is that it is a romance language and you will need to learn tenses. But one advantage to having the internet at your fingertips is that you can get all this information for free. SpanishDict | Spanish to English Translation, Dictionary & Translator / Diccionario y traductor ingles español is one you may wish to checkout. It has free lessons, flashcards and a dictionary with accompanying audio files. You can also download free lessons from itunes. Just check out the podcasts and itunesU. I hope that helps.:)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
According to my lifetime development class, if you are over 10 years old forget it. College majors in Spanish forget it soon after school. Most Spanish people worldwide are illiterate, so they tend to talk in circles forever communicating simple things. Good luck.

Vamanos muchachos!

I learned Spanish long after I turned 10 years old. I took it in college, and it's a lot more useful than French around here, let me tell you that. Just keep using it and it will stay with you. BTW, you sounded just a teensy bit racist. I'm sure you didn't mean to, though.

To the OP: Take some classes, watch movies and television in Spanish, hold conversations in Spanish, order your food in Spanish, buy some software. Try to immerse yourself in the language as completely as possible. If you can, take a trip to a Spanish speaking country and immerse yourself completely. But if that's not an option, there are plenty of predominately Hispanic communities in the US that you can visit.

Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment