I think I'm doing pretty well for no formal classes, though I'm thinking it's probably time to start some. There's only so far I can go with learning from taxi drivers, especially since I don't take that many taxis! I've started playing with DuoLingo.com yesterday. Are you familiar with it? I haven't played with it enough to know whether it works--I'm assuming it will be a supplement to immersion and formal instruction, not a replacement for either.
One of the things that I've found interesting about learning on my own and using a Spanish-for-reading book is that I learned/am learning past tense and gerunds at the same time that I learn present tense (and sometimes before). Also imperative to a very limited extent, mostly from road signs and for making requests. I'm finding this much more useful and easier than learning only the present tense. In reading, very little is in present tense, barring fiction that's too advanced for me. And honestly I've never had cause to use most of the present tense conjugations--I'm talking about me/us or I'm asking about you; she, he, and they can speak for themselves and I don't know you well enough to tu you.
The assumption, though, is that you're going to learn the six conjugations in present tense, especially the irregulars and to-be verbs, before you learn the past tense and gerunds. DuoLingo gave me an "adaptive" placement test before I started, and because I didn't know all my to-be present tense conjugations it never even tested me on any other tense. My reading book starts out with past tense for obvious reasons; is there a reason that no other language instruction (that I've encountered) does?
Oh, one funny thing. Because of learning Russian, I will omit my articles in Spanish. I'm working on that. But I have a coworker who lived in Russia until she was sixteen and I can gauge her stress level by counting the missing articles in her emails. When she's frustrated there's often not an article to be seen!
I've heard of DuoLingo and know what it is, but have never used it myself. I know people who love it, and think it's probably worth checking out and investing some time in.
Don't worry about the "order" that you're "supposed" to learn things in, though! Language textbooks have to present things in a particular order because otherwise it would be chaos (and the order that they choose is in fact based on research), but adults learning languages in the country itself will often take a different route and that's okay.
I think I'm doing pretty well for no formal classes, though I'm thinking it's probably time to start some. There's only so far I can go with learning from taxi drivers, especially since I don't take that many taxis! I've started playing with DuoLingo.com yesterday. Are you familiar with it? I haven't played with it enough to know whether it works--I'm assuming it will be a supplement to immersion and formal instruction, not a replacement for either.
One of the things that I've found interesting about learning on my own and using a Spanish-for-reading book is that I learned/am learning past tense and gerunds at the same time that I learn present tense (and sometimes before). Also imperative to a very limited extent, mostly from road signs and for making requests. I'm finding this much more useful and easier than learning only the present tense. In reading, very little is in present tense, barring fiction that's too advanced for me. And honestly I've never had cause to use most of the present tense conjugations--I'm talking about me/us or I'm asking about you; she, he, and they can speak for themselves and I don't know you well enough to tu you.
The assumption, though, is that you're going to learn the six conjugations in present tense, especially the irregulars and to-be verbs, before you learn the past tense and gerunds. DuoLingo gave me an "adaptive" placement test before I started, and because I didn't know all my to-be present tense conjugations it never even tested me on any other tense. My reading book starts out with past tense for obvious reasons; is there a reason that no other language instruction (that I've encountered) does?
Oh, one funny thing. Because of learning Russian, I will omit my articles in Spanish. I'm working on that. But I have a coworker who lived in Russia until she was sixteen and I can gauge her stress level by counting the missing articles in her emails. When she's frustrated there's often not an article to be seen!
Reply
Don't worry about the "order" that you're "supposed" to learn things in, though! Language textbooks have to present things in a particular order because otherwise it would be chaos (and the order that they choose is in fact based on research), but adults learning languages in the country itself will often take a different route and that's okay.
Keep it up!
-J
Reply
Leave a comment