Cartoons for the illiterate me

mkub3905

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I introduce my Spanish comprehension like this: “En un dia bueno, mi español es horrible; Hoy no es un día bueno."

Sometimes, my Spanish is bad because my vocabulary is terrible. At other times, it is because the words that comes out of my mouth are simply …garble. (Ex: the other day, with my espresso, I meant to ask for glass of water with gas; what came out was: “Por favor, quiero un vasa de aqua con sin” - HUH?! (With? Without? Pick one. With without what…?))
I have tried Duolingo, Pimsluer, Lingvist, Speakly, and even iTalki And I’m certain there had been others I forget.
OH right… this guy: https://www.youtube.com/@Fabulaudit He cracks me up! BUT...between episodes there is no repetition; and i forget what i had learned three episodes prior =:-(
And this one: https://www.youtube.com/@SpeakSpanishFaster

Two friends of mine (interdependently) made this suggestion: CARTOONS !!! - Every morning, with your coffee, instead of reading the news, WATCH CARTOONS (it's how you learned language the first time...)
---> So.... I am looking for suggestions for 'Argentinian / Rioplatense cartoons. What are your thoughts (plz)

as always, with much appreciation in advance,
m.
 
Do you watch TV or movies in Spanish, read the news in Spanish, have Spanish speaking friends etc? How long have you been in Arg for?
 
For the most part, I am only in CABA for several weeks each year (this year it was 6 wks, which became 7; next year the target is 8; ... the year before it was only 4 wks. The year before that... NTL the plan is to continue... You get the picture.) Admittedly, this only exasperates the problem - I get it...
Do I watch the news in Spanish? I've tried; but I comprehend n o t h i n g; so i do not.
Do I watch Spanish TV? Watching Argentine TV, but with English subtitles helps; Unfortunately, when back in the USA, what we get is Mexican or Puerto Rican Spanish, not Argentine; Similar: yes; Different enough (both in accent, idiomatics, and conjugation) that when I use any of 'that Spanish' in BA, I get quizical stares (!)
Spanish speaking friends: In the USA, generally: NO. Or they would rather just speak English rather than deal with my Spanish (and it's NewYorican spansih anyhow...) Or when I am in BA, everyone would rather practince their English, rather than my Spanish (admittedly, thier English is MUCH better than my Spanish.)
The last issue is that having grown up in New York, with so many languages spoken every day (even the subway notices are in 4 to 6 languages), my tendency is to tune out rather than try to understand (besides, my mother would say to me: "Mind your own buisiness." a lesson learned too well -ugh.)
 
Subtitles are ok, but use Spanish subtitles. In that way your brain gets used to both the accent and the grammar. Try to watch, read and listen to things you are into. Your understanding will gradually and naturally increase. Get used to different accents in Spanish, it is actually helpful. The bottom line: use it. It is difficult to remain fluent, let alone become fluent if you don't use it.
 
I'll be following your thread for cartoon suggestions! Meanwhile I want to suggest a few alternatives.

There are some bilingual channels, mostly to teach English to Argentinians. Very helpful if they have exactly bilingual content (as in, they repeat everything in Argentinian Spanish, written and spoken) - But I am yet to discover one that's still active and posting consistently.

My favorite is Argentwinos - An Argentinian family from the US with twin kids - One of the twins say a word/phrase in English and the other one repeats in Argentinian Spanish. Unfortunately they recently have deactivated their instagram/tiktok. This is exactly what works for me so I hope they'll be back. Here is their Youtube channel for some content: https://www.youtube.com/@argentwinos
They seem to back on Instagram too! https://instagram.com/argentwinos

But as also @nikad mentiones, watching content with Spanish subtitles helps a lot. Though it helps me better too when it's in Rioplatense, to avoid further confusion in my mind. So, I've been after recent series particularly from Argentina with subtitles in Spanish. Here are some suggestions:

Netflix:
- Division Palermo
- Casi Feliz

Amazon Prime:
- El fin del Amor (second season soon)
- Porno y Helado
- Supernova
- Yosi, el espio arrepentido
- Barrabrava
 
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BIG THANKS !!
3+3 = 6
2*3 = 6
36/6 = 6
1+5 = 6 THERE HAS TO BE A WAY !!
 
wo ! You are completely correct about watching with Spanish subtitles (vs English translations): the written word-to-spoken sound connect is a much bigger issue than I had expected. I started to watch Casi Feliz (great stuff), and quickly realized that I had to slow the playback sped to 75% to even begin making connections. Even after that I am not hearing at least half of the written words (they always say Porteños VERY speak fast);

Moving on to Club de Cuervos (I think it's Rioplatense (not Mexican) - correct ?) I'm recongizing slightly more word there (sometimes)....

https://www.netflix.com/watch/80041342?trackId=251769321
 
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