On Grammar and Meaning
In DuoLingo, they often show you a sentence written out while also saying it and then ask you to provide a translation. I have started not looking at the sentence to practice figuring out what they are saying just by listening. (Which I stink at.) Then I check by looking at the sentence. And only then do I type out the requested translation.
Sometimes the sentence makes little or no sense, but if I check the grammar, it can help me out. For example, recently I heard what sounded like they were saying "You need your name" in Spanish, "Tu necesita su nombre." At first I thought that was an odd sentence. Then I realized that grammatically, it should be either "Tu necesitas tu nombre" or "Usted necesita su nombre," so I must have been hearing it wrong. In fact, they were saying "Tu necesitas un hombre," which means "You need a man."
However I still can't tell the difference between the queen (la reina) and the sand (la arena - the first and second a's blend together) except via context.
Sometimes the sentence makes little or no sense, but if I check the grammar, it can help me out. For example, recently I heard what sounded like they were saying "You need your name" in Spanish, "Tu necesita su nombre." At first I thought that was an odd sentence. Then I realized that grammatically, it should be either "Tu necesitas tu nombre" or "Usted necesita su nombre," so I must have been hearing it wrong. In fact, they were saying "Tu necesitas un hombre," which means "You need a man."
However I still can't tell the difference between the queen (la reina) and the sand (la arena - the first and second a's blend together) except via context.