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Effective Language Learning Strategies: From Classrooms to Immersion

Effective Language Learning Strategies: From Classrooms to Immersion So there are definitely pros and cons to a bunch of different methods. I have done every type of learning a second language that there is to offer. I have sat through classes, I have been tutored, I have done Rosetta Stone, I have done the audiobooks and podcasts, I have clearly lived in a different country. There are pros and cons to each and every one of those methods and some are just flat out terrible. Here are some of the ways to learn Spanish: Classes I started with classes when I was in the third grade. I'm not gonna spell out the pro and cons of this time period because it wasn't very intense, but it is the basis for why I chose to study Spanish in high school. I already had that base from earlier.  In high school, I was in a classroom setting for Spanish. Most of us know how that turned out....none of us were fluent. But why? The thing is a classroom setting, especially a large classroom...
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11 Netflix Telenovelas To Watch On Netflix (JAN 2023)

It's a matter of personal preference which telenovelas are the best to watch on Netflix to learn Spanish. Some popular options include: La Reina del Sur (The Queen of the South): This telenovela tells the story of Teresa Mendoza, a woman who rises to power in the drug trafficking world after her boyfriend is killed. La casa de las flores (The House of Flowers): This comedy-drama follows a wealthy Mexican family who owns a flower shop and the secrets and scandals that come to light after the patriarch's death. Elite: This teen drama follows a group of students at an exclusive private school in Spain, and the conflicts and mysteries that arise among them. Vis a vis (Locked Up): This prison drama follows a young woman who is sentenced to prison and the challenges she faces while trying to survive in a corrupt and dangerous environment. Club de Cuervos (Club of Crows): This sports drama follows a Mexican soccer team and the conflict between siblings who are vying for control of the...
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Things You Should Know About Colombia

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THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT COLOMBIA  I do talk about my time in Colombia from time to time and sometimes I make it seem like it was this grand adventure where I enjoyed every minute and it was a spectacular six-month vacation where there was no sadness (sarcasm ends). In reality, it was just like living a regular life at times even though I did get pissed off there. Here are some of the big things that frustrated me about Colombia: Not Being On Time: I'm not sure if it was just my Girlfriend's family or it was Colombians in our neighborhood but events did not really seem to have a "definite" start time. I was pretty angry when my Girlfriend's cousin told us that the birthday party at 8pm and no one showed up till about 10pm. My girlfriend had to sit me down and explain to me that Colombians don't exactly abide "the time". If they say a party starts at 6pm. Expect everyone to start coming two hours later. It seems like everyone wants to jus...
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5 Tips for Improving Your Spanish Through Conversation Practice

There is no secret or hack to becoming fluent in a language. It's about putting in the time and effort to learn the language. For different languages, the number of hours needed to become fluent varies. For example, it may be relatively easier for an English speaker to learn Spanish compared to Mandarin, and a Mandarin speaker may find it easier to learn Korean than Spanish. If I had to suggest a hack or secret to language learning, it would be to focus on conversation, conversation, conversation. It can be extremely awkward to not know what to say to someone because you don't know how to express yourself in their language. I guarantee that having just one conversation with a fluent speaker every day will do more for your language learning than any amount of self-study. Even if you hire a tutor, try to have a conversation about a specific topic. The corrections and feedback from the tutor, as well as the use of a dictionary and translation tools, will be more helpful than any c...
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Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
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Spanish Immersion: Translating in Your Head

Are you having trouble translating from your native language to your target language when speaking? Don't you wish you could just "think" in your target language? It can be really annoying when you ask people, "How did you do it?" and all they say is, "Just think in your target language." I know that phrase got on my nerves. No one was telling me the truth about how to stop thinking in English and start thinking in Spanish. Everyone was trying to sell me on these ideas and methods, when really it's as simple as time and practice. If someone had just told me I had to work hard and practice, it would have relieved a lot of stress. What I'm going to tell you is: STOP TRANSLATING IN YOUR NATIVE LANGUAGE TO YOUR TARGET LANGUAGE But how? It comes with time. If you have any other skills, whether it be what you do at work or any hobbies, you'll understand that once you get good at something, it starts to be subconscious. Who here remembers HOW to r...
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Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
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Top Free Online Resources for Language Learning

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Top Free Online Resources! So we're going to go through what I think are the top applications/websites that will help you with your language learning. All of these websites/apps I have either used or am currently using. A lot of people think you have to buy a 200 dollar program to learn a language. You can get A LOT of education purely through free programs! Note: I have linked where you can find the resources so that you can try them out for yourself! Doulingo -  Duolingo So let's start with Duolingo, this program is AMAZING for the basics. A lot of people want to learn a language but simply do not know where to start. If you are looking for a starting point this is my recommendation. The good thing about Duolingo is that it progresses well, gives you a good starting point, and it's a very easy application to use. It has multiple languages as well. The bad thing about Duolingo is that people think that using Duolingo will get you to an intermediate/adva...
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Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
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Comprender vs Entender: Understanding the Differences in Spanish

I. Introduction The Spanish language has many words that can be confusing for learners, especially when it comes to negation. Words like "ningún," "nadie," "nada," and "jamás" are often mixed up, even by native speakers. In this article, we will examine the differences between these words and provide some tips for remembering their correct usage. By understanding the nuances of these words, you can improve your communication skills and sound more like a native speaker. Comprender and entender are two words in Spanish that are commonly mixed up, even by native speakers. While they are both translated to "to understand" in English, there is a subtle difference in their connotations. Comprender implies a deeper understanding that includes not only the words being spoken, but also their implications, while entender refers to a more superficial understanding of the words being used. In this article, we will explore the differences between co...
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2 More Ways to Incorporate Spanish into Your Daily Life: Tips and Tricks

 I ncorporating Spanish into Your Daily Life: Tips and Tricks Immersion in a new language is an essential part of learning, and it's important to try to use Spanish as much as possible in everyday activities. While it's important to study and practice the language, it's also essential to find ways to fit it into your daily routine. Here are some tips on how to do that: Play games in Spanish Board games like Scrabble and Hangman can be a fun way to practice vocabulary acquisition. Many modern video games also come with a Spanish version, so you can practice while you play. Even if you aren't fluent in the language yet, don't worry about losing at first – the point is to practice and improve. There are several ways to play games in Spanish to improve your language skills: Scrabble: This classic word game is a great way to learn new vocabulary and practice spelling in Spanish. Hangman: This simple game is a fun way to guess and learn new words in Spanish. Board games: ...
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Top Free Online Resources for Language Learning

Image
Top Free Online Resources! So we're going to go through what I think are the top applications/websites that will help you with your language learning. All of these websites/apps I have either used or am currently using. A lot of people think you have to buy a 200 dollar program to learn a language. You can get A LOT of education purely through free programs! Note: I have linked where you can find the resources so that you can try them out for yourself! Doulingo -  Duolingo So let's start with Duolingo, this program is AMAZING for the basics. A lot of people want to learn a language but simply do not know where to start. If you are looking for a starting point this is my recommendation. The good thing about Duolingo is that it progresses well, gives you a good starting point, and it's a very easy application to use. It has multiple languages as well. The bad thing about Duolingo is that people think that using Duolingo will get you to an intermediate/adva...
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Study Spanish: Best TV Shows To Learn Spanish

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These are my favorite telenovelas that will improve your Spanish. La Esclava Blanca This novela is probably my favorite one of the 4 telenovelas that will improve your Spanish. It's about a girl who grows up as a "slave" in Colombia. Better said, she grow up with a bunch of slaves that have escaped and then are recaptured. This is probably my favorite novela of all time because the drama takes you all the way to Spain and back to Colombia. It will have you on the edge of your seat screaming, "NO DON'T DO THAT" and will also have you crying over the love between Miguel and Victoria. I would watch this telenovela with the Spanish Subtitles on because the way the black people talk at first is a little weird. They always drop the "S" on their words so "como estas" becomes "como esta". It takes a little bit of time to get used to but after that you will get sucked into the story line and you'll binge watch like you've neve...
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Speak Conversational Spanish: Losing Hope

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This experience that I'm going to talk about is not something that I have a name for, to be honest, it's just a little thing that I noticed happens. What I'm going to talk about is losing your morale while practicing having conversations. In this post, I'm going to talk about when you'll feel this, how you will probably feel (at least how I felt), and what you can do to get over it.  What You'll Feel I have mentioned in previous posts that you need to learn the basics ( here ) then after you learn the basics you need to start moving on to listening practice, speaking practice, and overall conversation practice. Once you start feeling more it will be even more of a head pain. When I was just getting into the "correct me" phase, my girlfriend and her family really took into that. They would correct me for every little mistake that I made. Even though I wanted this I could feel the fatigue of constantly getting something wrong and thinking through what ...
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