How Did You Learn Spanish?

[pennaigor]

Private lessons is the fastest and most effective way. 2 classes/2 hours per week is plenty. 20 hours/week in a tourist school is a waste of time. Better spend this time practicing spanish with the locals and absorbing learned material. You'll save both time and money.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

That's a funny one. Well, also generally, French attempts at speaking Spanish often make me laugh (often involuntarily), even if in a technical sense they are really skilled. To me the harsh, loud and lumpish sounds of Spanish just don't go together with the finesse of the subtle French language. The combination just sounds ridiculous. However, you seem to have quite a lot of talent for languages, so getting rid of the strong accent should have been easier than for most people I have met.

Just the opposite, I would say - it's the nasal French language that sounds harsh to my ears. Northeastern US accents, such as Boston and the Bronx, fall into a similar category.

 

[mc kenna]

I think the french rrr is quite sexy on women.Once i dated a french lady and all she had to say to get intimate was my first name with the correct french pronunciation(Gerard)ooohh yess the good memories

 

[PhilipDT]

Private lessons 3hrs a day 3 days a week for a year was my only real formal training in Spanish, after that just being around argentine friends, reading lots of Borges and general immersion polished it off.

 

[PhilipDT]

Also, did anybody else experienced the anxiety of having to tell a taxi driver that you wanted go to pueyrredon? That name killed me

 

[nlaruccia]

Don't waste time and money on private lessons. Honestly, the best way is an Argentine lover/partner/spouse that only speaks castellano with you and you'll be forced to learn. You'll be able to practice 24/7.

 

[internationalguy]

Another tricky thing: I used to live on Billinghurst & at first, when taking a cab, I was pronouncing "Billignhurst" rather the English way (Billingheurst), than the Spanish way (Billinghourst). Many cab drivers couldn't understand.

That happened to me with Thames St. I still wonder how I'm supposed to say it to be understood.

 

[PhilipDT]

Taaaaa maze

 

[DerAchtundzwanzig]

That happened to me with Thames St. I still wonder how I'm supposed to say it to be understood.

That would be /ta-mess/. And there's a street called Shakespeare in Saavedra and neighbors pronounce it "Shak-ess-peh-ar" or "Yakespear" if you read it in Spanish.

 

[PhilipDT]

And the street F.D. Roosevelt in belgrano is "Ruth's a belt"