Learning Spanish

I’ve mentioned many times on previous posts the fun I’ve had learning Spanish. The best way for me has been one to one lessons with Spanish speakers, not professional teachers. I pay the same rate as for a cleaner which is what these people do to supplement their income.

As a bonus I get beautiful young women in their twenties coming to my house and hanging on my every word. As a man in his fifties this is intoxicating stuff, how else would you meet them? I don’t know how my wife allows it! You soon get very close and hear all their secrets and problems and you can get stuff off your chest as well. The relationship is more confessor than friend so you can ask things you could never get away with normally. As they are here (in London) on student visas they soon go home and pass you on to another one.

I discovered Colombia through one of my teachers who invited me to Barranquilla for her wedding and allowed me to stay at her house and meet her friends and family.

I’ve read about one to one courses in Latin America (not Colombia) staying with a local family which I thought sounded fun but by then my Spanish was too good.

So my question is, how many of you are learning Spanish this way? I only hear of people going to group lessons which I think is a terrible way of learning.

By el flaco on May 16, 2008, 03:11 in Learn Spanish.

rocinante says on May 16, 2008, 13:36:

The best way for me is a quantative approach. Grammar coupled with conversational reenforcement. Without the grammer one wastes alot of time because certain things just don't make sense because they don't exist in both languages. (pre vs imperfect, Subjunctive, the inside out verbs etc...)

Nothing beats one on one and it is how I learned 90% of the language. So you and I are in agreement 100% there!

Group classes can waste a lot of time. I only attended about 3 months worth of group organized classed clases 2 hours a day just to hammer down things I already knew. Also every day after these classes I paid $ to have a tutor teach and correct me and basically converse for another 2 hours every day. Sure the University provided an endless supply of these tutors for free but the caveat is you have to split the time equally teaching them and conversing in English. Plus these students have a great deal on their minds and they tend to let you make mistakes as long as you are understood. They are not teachers

I guess also it has to do with what type of level one is trying to achieve. I also gossiped with my private tutor because you can talk in slang and ask about how to say personal things that you just can't get away with in class.

Speaking Spanish opens up a whole new world.

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Peso 1400 by November" Feb 5, 2008