Penny Arcade Forums› Help / Advice Forum
The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.

Brushing up on my Spanish

oldsakoldsak Registered User regular
edited October 2009 in Help / Advice Forum
Over the last week of my winter break I'm doing an intensive Spanish for lawyers class.

Unfortunately my Spanish is a bit rusty, and I won't really have anyone to converse with until I fly home for Winter break.

If anyone has any suggestions as to how I can beef up my Spanish over the next two months, they'd be appreciated.

oldsak on

Posts

  • LachoneusLachoneus Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    encuentrate un lugar donde puedes hablar español todo el dia si es posible. como un lugar con muchos hispanicos.

    si no puedes encontrar eso, lee libros en español. puedes leer el mismo libro en ingles para ayudarle traducir tambien si quieres.

    Lachoneus on
    "No women. No kids."
  • KyouguKyougu Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Watch cartoons and any dubbed tv show in Spanish.

    Kyougu on
  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    (Go and watch Pan's Labyrinth without subtitles), if you're into MMOs go and join a Spanish guild somewhere. Also, aren't there latinos all over America? Go and have a chat with random Latino people on the street? Just small talk is a great way to kick your dormant knowledge awake.

    Also what Tuba says, even though I'm mostly guessing what he says it sounds like the great advice of just forcing yourself to speak and write in Spanish all day.

    Aldo on
  • FantasmaFantasma Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Saludos,

    TV shows in Spanish, Radio, Movies, Comics. Also, you could find a nice Latina with whom you could practice :).

    I used to Yahoo chat with headphones in the past to practice English, but people are so rude that maybe it is a bad idea.

    Fantasma on
    Hear my warnings, unbelievers. We have raised altars in this land so that we may sacrifice you to our gods. There is no hope in opposing the inevitable. Put down your arms, unbelievers, and bow before the forces of Chaos!
  • oldsakoldsak Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    ok, I've picked up a book of short stories with the English version on the left hand side to get me started. I've got a couple Spanish novels buried somewhere I can move on to when I'm done with that.

    I think there's also a local Spanish language paper. As long as it's not complete tripe, I'll start reading that as well.

    Watching TV shows in Spanish is a good idea, unfortunately my girlfriend gets annoyed when I do this as she doesn't know the language.

    Does anyone know a website where I might be able to stream tv in Spanish?

    oldsak on
  • AldoAldo Hippo Hooray Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    I dunno if you can get this to work, but googling "streaming tv espanol" gave me this site http://wwitv.com/portal.htm Going to the list to Spain and then clicking the Spanish CNN worked.

    Aldo on
  • ChanusChanus Harbinger of the Spicy Rooster Apocalypse The Flames of a Thousand Collapsed StarsRegistered User, Moderator mod
    edited October 2009
    oldsak wrote: »
    I think there's also a local Spanish language paper. As long as it's not complete tripe, I'll start reading that as well.

    This may sound facetious, but read the complete tripe. That's what most conversation is, so you'll be learning words and phrases you will encounter frequently.

    Chanus on
    Allegedly a voice of reason.
  • LachoneusLachoneus Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Chanus wrote: »
    oldsak wrote: »
    I think there's also a local Spanish language paper. As long as it's not complete tripe, I'll start reading that as well.

    This may sound facetious, but read the complete tripe. That's what most conversation is, so you'll be learning words and phrases you will encounter frequently.

    word

    Lachoneus on
    "No women. No kids."
  • FantasmaFantasma Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    oldsak wrote: »
    Watching TV shows in Spanish is a good idea, unfortunately my girlfriend gets annoyed when I do this as she doesn't know the language.

    Can't you just explain to her you are doing it as part of your homework?

    Fantasma on
    Hear my warnings, unbelievers. We have raised altars in this land so that we may sacrifice you to our gods. There is no hope in opposing the inevitable. Put down your arms, unbelievers, and bow before the forces of Chaos!
  • FirstComradeStalinFirstComradeStalin Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    The best thing to do is to speak Spanish. I took Spanish for 7 years in high school and was only a little over intermediate, but in the 2 months in which I've been hanging out with a number of Spanish students, my Spanish has improved so much more. Also, use dictionaries and Google translate liberally

    FirstComradeStalin on
    Picture1-4.png
  • FantasmaFantasma Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    You can listen to a radio station here:

    http://z101digital.com/audioenvivo/index.html

    Fantasma on
    Hear my warnings, unbelievers. We have raised altars in this land so that we may sacrifice you to our gods. There is no hope in opposing the inevitable. Put down your arms, unbelievers, and bow before the forces of Chaos!
  • LachoneusLachoneus Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    FirstComradeStalin wrote: »
    The best thing to do is to speak Spanish. I took Spanish for 7 years in high school and was only a little over intermediate, but in the 2 months in which I've been hanging out with a number of Spanish students, my Spanish has improved so much more. Also, use dictionaries and Google translate liberally

    7 years of high school?

    no wonder your spanish was none too good :P

    Lachoneus on
    "No women. No kids."
  • adytumadytum The Inevitable Rise And FallRegistered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Spanishpod.com

    adytum on
  • noir_bloodnoir_blood Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    Date a latina/o

    noir_blood on
    Available now!
    image_2017_01_04.jpg

  • FirstComradeStalinFirstComradeStalin Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    tubaloth wrote: »
    FirstComradeStalin wrote: »
    The best thing to do is to speak Spanish. I took Spanish for 7 years in high school and was only a little over intermediate, but in the 2 months in which I've been hanging out with a number of Spanish students, my Spanish has improved so much more. Also, use dictionaries and Google translate liberally

    7 years of high school?

    no wonder your spanish was none too good :P

    Lol, I took it from 5th to 12th grade, most intensively in high school. But the context of it was too grounded in books and listening. Speaking and struggling through the words yourself is the best way to learn.

    FirstComradeStalin on
    Picture1-4.png
  • adytumadytum The Inevitable Rise And FallRegistered User regular
    edited August 2011
    ...

    adytum on
  • LachoneusLachoneus Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    FirstComradeStalin wrote: »
    tubaloth wrote: »
    FirstComradeStalin wrote: »
    The best thing to do is to speak Spanish. I took Spanish for 7 years in high school and was only a little over intermediate, but in the 2 months in which I've been hanging out with a number of Spanish students, my Spanish has improved so much more. Also, use dictionaries and Google translate liberally

    7 years of high school?

    no wonder your spanish was none too good :P

    Lol, I took it from 5th to 12th grade, most intensively in high school. But the context of it was too grounded in books and listening. Speaking and struggling through the words yourself is the best way to learn.

    completely agree. thats how i learned.

    basically i leanred how to learn the language while being immersed in it (i.e. i learned just enough basics that when i was forced into speaking spanish 98% of the time i was able to hear and build vocabulary and grammar).

    Lachoneus on
    "No women. No kids."
  • Joe Camacho MKIIJoe Camacho MKII Registered User regular
    edited October 2009
    If you want someone to chat, I might actually be a good choice.

    I'm a mexican lawyer currently working at a Law Firm in México, with a couple of years of experience translating legal documents and working as a translator during business meetings and trips.

    So I can help you polish your spanish AND help you with legal spanish terms.

    Oh, and don't worry, I dislike chatting without proper grammar and spelling (I might miss an accent or two, but who doesn't?).

    You can find my contact information in my profile.

    Joe Camacho MKII on
    steam_sig.png I edit my posts a lot.
Sign In or Register to comment.
Penny Arcade Forums› Help / Advice Forum