Learning Spanish ~ Help!!

well worth the small investment is the practice makes perfect series of books, especially anything by Dorthy Richmond.

[Alcalaina]

This is my favourite resource - real people, real Spanish "as she is spoke" in Madrid. Podcasts are free, but you pay a small amount for the transcripts.

Learn Spanish with Notes in Spanish Podcasts!

[Alcalaina]

Originally Posted by folklore

well worth the small investment is the practice makes perfect series of books, especially anything by Dorthy Richmond.

Yes, these are brilliant - but again, they are based on American Spanish so for "car" they say carro instead of coche and for computer they use computadora instead of ordenador.

[Pesky Wesky]

Originally Posted by Goldeneye

Thanks all for your responses and helpful suggestions, Pesky Wesky what a great link, I look forward to exploring it.

It's got bigger and better since the last time I looked.
It's full of "real" Spanish, spoken with authentic Spanish accents. Check out the swearing section as even if you don't want to use those words, you'll certainly get a lot of exposure to them once you are here
I can't say that you'll "learn Spanish" from them, but thwy will provide a great base on which to build

[XTreme]

One thing I would point out is that there's no "one size fits all" language course....even if it's promoted as ES Spanish.
Simply because there are numerous variations of dialect according to location.
If you did an indepth Spanish course and them came to an extremely rural backwater like where I live, you'd be gobsmacked. You'd wonder what the hell they're saying because it would bear very little resemblance to what you've learned.
Think of learning formal English in a London language school and then going into inner city Glasgow.

You may think that people will actually still understand you if you're saying it correctly.....but my experience is in many cases they don't. Their ears are tuned in to their dialect in very rural areas and any slight deviation from their norm results in "¿Que?".

This isn't just applicable to the average people, even professionals are the same.
Two years ago I was telling somebody that the donkey had a problem with Flys and Mosquitoes....so I used the word "Moscas".
Which resulted in a totally bewildered look until I pronounced it "Mokka". And that somebody was the Dept of Agriculture Vet!
It isn't just the way they say something.....they even leave parts of words out!
Talawaygo aka Hasta Luego!

[Solwriter]

Originally Posted by XTreme

Talawaygo aka Hasta Luego!

Or even 'aygo', if they're in a hurry!

[Alcalaina]

Originally Posted by Solwriter

Or even 'aygo', if they're in a hurry!

Talueyo here (a hard G is too much effort).

[xabiachica]

Originally Posted by Alcalaina

Talueyo here (a hard G is too much effort).

alogo here

[Alcalaina]

Originally Posted by XTreme

This isn't just applicable to the average people, even professionals are the same.
Two years ago I was telling somebody that the donkey had a problem with Flys and Mosquitoes....so I used the word "Moscas".
Which resulted in a totally bewildered look until I pronounced it "Mokka". And that somebody was the Dept of Agriculture Vet!
It isn't just the way they say something.....they even leave parts of words out!
Talawaygo aka Hasta Luego!

So true. Even the Canal Sur (local TV) presenters say mokka.

[XTreme]

Don't forget the mannerism and body language that has to accompany the words.....
Like "Po"......with a flick of the head like a horse turning away. (That's where it originated apparently so may only be used in equine regions).

And let's not forget "agua"...pronounced "agwaaaaaaaaa" which has to be delivered in a semi crouch like the Hunchback of Notre Dame and one eye closed like Long John Silver.

My particularly favourite is the perennial "tocame los huevos"....said without any "s" of course, and must be accompanied with a waving of hands in a raised arm position while simultaneously turning away and then back.

Also in this region to add more complication there are elements of Murciano involved....with the compulsory noise at the end of the last word like a clockwork toy running out of power....."Acabo" is......"Acaboooooooooooow" as in rhymes with "cow".

After the years I've spent here I now sound to people like a Frenchman (because of the melodious Welsh accent) impersonating a rural Spanish peasant. Which isn't exactly the persona I had in mind.

Though in short bursts I have got away with being mistaken for Andaluz but only by cutting out half the words, talking at 100mph without drawing breath, using excessive profanties and continually morphing from one ludicrous body position to another.
Just too tiring to do on a regular basis.....but it's good shock value at the time when they find out they've been duped by a Guiri!