Poll: How good is your Spanish?

[philamote]

Fair enough; you're qualified to nitpick. After all, the last thing I want to do is hamper the confidence of the L2 community...

Just to clarify: the poll is about evaluating oneself according to one's own perceptions of their fluency. Many of my friends in BA will probably consider me fluent, and my accent is less gringo than most expats, but I'm hesitant to evaluate myself that way. Anyone who thinks in Spanish subconsciously and communicates without hesitation is entitled to vote themselves fluent; even if they aren't perfectly native, they're close enough. But for me, cultural fluency is just as important as linguistic fluency: there will always be a use of irony, a maxim or a colorful expression that I don't recognize, or at least I'll need a few more years to absorb the multitude of colors of the language. That's why I put myself as "Advanced" and not "Fluent"...but that need not stop anyone else from putting themselves higher.

 

[fifs2]

Advanced but with a Ukranian accent apparently..what a bummer

 

[Gringoboy]

I learned Spanish over here as a teenager and at that age you just absorb like a sponge.
I can guarantee that I spoke more like a native then than now.
Also, I used to get a little peeved when speaking to a customer in Spanish and them realising that I was foreign and insisting on speaking in English. Now I just think, wtf! Whatever is easier.
I've also heard that a Brit speaking Spanish sounds sexy to some ladies, but then that may just be my imagination

 

[glasgowjohn]

I learned Spanish over here as a teenager and at that age you just absorb like a sponge.
I can guarantee that I spoke more like a native then than now.
Also, I used to get a little peeved when speaking to a customer in Spanish and them realising that I was foreign and insisting on speaking in English. Now I just think, wtf! Whatever is easier.
I've also heard that a Brit speaking Spanish sounds sexy to some ladies, but then that may just be my imagination

You got it slightly wrong GB..

Its Scottish guys speaking Spanish that Latin Ladies find sexy

 

[Napoleon]

As for the levels: "can pass as a local"

I'll never be able to "pass as a local"...

I shower too often.

 

[Lucas]

He was born in USA from a Danish father and American mother went to school here until he was 11, and never lost his Argentine accent he sound totally as a local native speaker and by listening him I'm really impressed.....

Who is he?

Un fanatico de San Lorenzo

 

[Napoleon]

He was born in USA from a Danish father and American mother went to school here until he was 11, and never lost his Argentine accent he sound totally as a local native speaker and by listening him I'm really impressed.....

Who is he?

Un fanatico de San Lorenzo

Viggo

You could have stopped at "Danish father".

 

[Lucas]

Originally Posted by philamote
As for the levels: "can pass as a local"

I'll never be able to "pass as a local"...

I shower too often.

Fácil, no te bañes tan seguido y listo salís hablando como un nativo parecido a Viggo.

Che, pero este viejo chiste siempre fue para catalogar a los ingleses.

 

[Kahretsem]

Been here only three months but started doing 4-5 hours of Spanish every week two months ago. By now I can get myself up to level 2 - Novice - and do continue climbing, hopefully .

I am participating in a project with building a new factory and I have to get it right at some point. I can express sentences but have to turn every verb around before it comes out. People have left me before I say anything . I have to prepare what I will say.

The biggest problem is understanding the locals. Every sentence just becomes a blob, and I may catch a few words but never the exact meaning. When translating the few words I hear I miss the three next sentences .
Therefore - I may be able to give my intension but I cannot yet keep a conversation as I hear bla bla bla .
The second thing is that we speak technical regarding electricity, building and process. Have to learn the technical Spanish as well and the teacher is not in to that!!!

What is a killer for me is that I can speak English with most my colleagues and I speak Danish at home with my family. As I have wife and child (3 years) with me and live in Pilar, my "going out and meet locals" is not that easy.

He was born in USA from a Danish father and American mother went to school here until he was 11, and never lost his Argentine accent he sound totally as a local native speaker and by listening him I'm really impressed.....

Who is he?

Un fanatico de San Lorenzo

And Viggo, well. He have a Danish name and his fathers relation. We know him in Denmark only for his movies.
He do speak a bit Danish as well but with deep accent. I was though deeply surprised to hear his Castellano. That was pretty good.

 

[Davidglen77]

I was born and raised in New York City in a 1/2 russian and a 1/2 cuban family. So I have spoken spanish and english both my whole life. However I don't and don't want to sound Argentine because I don't find the style of speaking here to be all that pleasing. What I did have to learn when I came here (which I picked up in the space of a few days) was the whole vos querés vos decís business and learn lunfardo from scratch, which is fun but I don't overdo it because it can be tacky to come from outside and try to act like you are from there. I also don't use frases (because they are annoying clichés) like "che viste", "mira vos", "ya está", or any frase that contains the word "c**cha". I try to speak with a neutral accent and usually people can tell I am NOT a native of this country but know I did not learn spanish in a class or from books. I am fully bi-lingual, (read, write, and speak) both english and spanish. I have helped many people with learning english and it amazes me how difficult it is to learn with all of the nuances involved. Words such as waste/waist, wait/weight and wheel/well/while require a lot of practice and clear explanations to use and understand properly. Just my 2 cents.......