[Closed] Learning Spanish

Michel Thomas' courses are OK

try asking Leku on here for info if he doesn't reply

MT courses are a great start but don't expect to be having conversations with people! I did them and an intensive 12 week course at the local university before I came. Landed here and could hardly make myself understood, much less understand a normal conversation. That did give me a good base to start learning from. Talking to a real, live spanish person is best I think but maybe you'd get most from that once you've done the above courses for a base.

Then of course you realize that everyone you talk to doesn't talk spanish like is in the books, they all talk slang and you start to learn the languages within the language! Me cago en la leche!

Cheers Geoff, not seen Michel Thomas before. Have you used it?

The one i did... [url= http://www.michelthomas.com/learn-spanish.php ]MT course[/url]

Cheers Doug, planning to move to Southern Spain later this year hence the question. Looks like it's going to be a steep learning curve.

A Spanish girlfriend (now wife) and working for a series of Spanish companies worked for me 🙂

Dave if you're moving there then it's a lot easier. Do MT, why wouldn't you? I had it on on my bike commute every day or any time I was in a car or at work when I was working my notice and taking it easy. The uni course was good, my main problem was that I was putting my life into boxes and doing everything else so didn't have time to put as much effort into the homework as I wanted. If you're looking at talking to a proper person then I'd advise trying to get someone from the rough area you're going to, the accents threw me a bit at first.
Once you're there it's a question of willpower. Don't let people talk English to you, once you establish a relationship in a language you are stuck with it pretty much. There are very few English people here so I didn't have the problem of avoiding them, and the few that there are are really nice I add quickly because I know they are on here 🙂 Force yourself to talk to people, even if it's just learning a phrase and saying to to the people who run the local shop. Then try and learn a word in a few tenses a week and use it's, you'll come along fast. I'm run off my feet out here trying to run a business and bike 24/7 so I slacked on the studying, and I am not a natural at languages. I hardly speak English! Even I got there though, although there were times it seemed impossible.

Your local university is probably best.
Look online go the school of lifelong learning faculty of the uni closest to you.
The only problem you might find is they start absolute beginners at the start of the academic year (October ish).
No harm in giving them a call.

as Doug says, I find Spanish people want to practice their English so as soon as they hear yr accent (you will always have one), they speak English to you.

I've been to various courses but the best way is get yourself a Spanish intercambio & keep trying.

Where you moving to?

Dougs approach is what i'd recommend.

I did my intensive course with http://www.donquijote.co.uk/spanish-school-in-granada and it was a superb experience (for several reasons that still my me smile 10 years later). Compared to battering your unreceptive adult brain with non immersive methods it was an absolute revelation. You do need to be strict when your on these things though, it's very easy to default to the international standard of English. You'll still learn, but you'll have the brakes on.

For other materials you might want to try Babbel which is quite pleasant to use (Jeg laerer Norsk (badly)).

An unexpected hurdle I encountered was regional accents. You may well get used to hearing perfect Spanish to find yourself in the Spanish equivelant of Newcastle.

Doug, ordered the MT so that's a start. Many thanks for your advice.
Mogrim- that's not an option Mrs Dhd might object.
poolman- not totally sure yet,Almeria/Murcia area but inland. Don't like the touristy bits and need some hills to play on 😉
The warm dry weather will be good for my wife, and the riding looks sublime. Think I will be spoilt for choice.

also try coffee break espanol podcast on iTunes, its a free download

Facetious answer aside, once you're out here it shouldn't be too hard to learn - assuming you avoid getting sucked into an ex-pat lifestyle, and spend most of your time with other Brits. (There are loads of Brits in Almeria and Murcia, it would be very easy to do this...)

Most of the Spanish I know are dying to learn/improve their English, sorting out "intercambios" and the like won't be a problem.

I used "Teach yourself Spanish" to get started, then being here and the aforementioned girlfriend (and the two that preceded her 🙂 ) did the rest.

poolman- already have Lucifidi" learn Spanish" and busuu ditto on my phone. Will try coffee break as well, Thanks.
mogrim- the areas I like seem to be almost all Spanish speaking. Seen a place near Henares,if you look at it on Google earth there's not much there Tbf.

cheers, good luck with the move. You can get a nice house for not a lot of money at the moment, hope you aren't selling up in UK to fund it.

I don't know much about the area you are looking into, I am a between Valencia & Alicante. Hth if you have any problems.

I did the Michel Thomas course and found it to be a good start. Strangely enough though they skipped the very basics on the course I did! So I could do some medium complicated things with verbs and tenses but not say hello or ask for directions!

So combining that course with a basic primer course might be best.

poolman- selling up in the Uk, but looking at very longterm lets. Thanks for your very kind offer.

mogrim- the areas I like seem to be almost all Spanish speaking. Seen a place near Henares,if you look at it on Google earth there's not much there Tbf.

If it's the place I've just googled - 24 inhabitants? Rather you than me, my wife's village only has 200 inhabitants and that's claustrophobic enough 🙂

The Finca is in the sticks outside town so even less peeps about, Henares has just a church and a few farm buildings. Very rural.

If you really need a finca in the middle of nowhere with hills around I can sell you one 🙂

Join the local cycling club as soon as you get there,there a good chance they won't speak much english on the club run hence you will have to speak spanish.As doug says do a university intensive course before you leave ,but what ever you do you WILL arrive underprepared but thats the way it goes.For me personally learning the language grammatically really helped me understand it,which is the way i think they are teaching english now not how we learn't it.I live in Italy and when we got here enrolled myself on a course which i studied for a whole school year.I really worked at it and sat an exam at the end of the year, which i passed to be told that was the exam for a 5 year old italian ffs..Whatever you do best of luck..Ben

mogrim, what and where? Email in profile.
ben, don't think my old legs are upto a Spanish "club" ride. Had a few rides with some "locals" in Fuerteventura and they were Very strong guys, one of em was second best in the Canaries 😕 I know what you mean though, the language was a problem and that's why I would like to learn the basics, local accents aside.