In September of 2021 I started to explore a plan to improve my Spanish. Here’s a summary.
The Old
I found my dictionaries, grammar books, cassette tapes, conversation notes, etc. My Larousse English/Spanish dictionary is my favorite book.
The New
I knew that language learning apps existed, and I had tried some (Duolingo, Babbel, etc) but I was still shocked. There are so many! The technology is amazing these days but I didn’t want to get too distracted.
Three Steps
I decided to split my goal to create a learning plan/routine into three steps:
- Discovery test drive various types of apps and printed material
- System how will I use the resources in step 1?
- Routine create a schedule for step 2
I can always modify my plan but I’ve learned from my career in data that it’s best to get learning instead of searching forever for the perfect course.
1. Discovery
I signed-up for various language apps/sites. Most are helpful for beginner/intermediate level but my Spanish is intermediate/advanced. If I were ever to learn a 3rd language I’d use them (eg Memrise, Glossika).
I ended up deciding on several apps/sites in various categories:
Translation
- https://www.spanishdict.com/
- https://translate.google.com/ & https://docs.google.com/(to save translations)
Vocabulary Review
- https://www.clozemaster.com/ (I also use it for speaking)
- I’m reviewing sentences in several grammar books
Listening
- https://radioambulante.org/category/audio/episodios (full transcripts!)
- https://caracol.com.co/ (app: podcasts, live radio)
- https://radiocentro.com/ (app: podcasts, live radio)
- https://www.spotify.com/ (podcasts)
- https://podcasts.google.com/ (podcasts)
- https://www.domestika.org/ (classes in Spanish)
- cassette tapes: mostly radio recordings from the late 1990s
Speaking
- https://www.italki.com/ (conversation class)
- https://www.nytimes.com/es (I read articles out load)
2. System
How will I use all the above resources?
Some were obvious: listen to podcasts, speak/listen during a conversation class. However, I found ways to combine them that led to additional learning. This pic describes it:
<<<ADD PICTURE>>>
Taking notes while listening led to discovering similar words/phrases in google translate and spanishdict. I then save them in a google docs spreadsheet for future review. I use clozemaster to review vocab/grammar and also pronunciation.
3. Routine
Serious language learners have a weekly schedule to keep on track. So far my routine is:
- conversation: a 45 minute italki class every Monday
- listening: about 8 podcasts throughout the week
- pronunciation: reading a New York Times article out loud on Saturday
- review: most nights I review sentences in bed (book & clozemaster)
I need to improve my routine. Sure, life happens and I won’t always be able to follow it but it’s important if I want to improve my Spanish.
Recap
Listening
You’ve probably noticed that I listen more than anything else. I really enjoy it. I’m currently listening to Mexican and Colombian podcasts and live radio. My conversation teacher is from Bolivia (she’s a great teacher!). In a future post I’ll get into more details about listening.
Speaking
I definitely need to speak more. I should add more conversation classes. Since I’ve started speaking regularly it’s been a struggle but I expected that as it’s been more than two decades since I lived in Mexico.
Vocabulary & Grammar
I prefer to learn vocabulary & grammar from listening and conversation. I enjoy attaching the words to conversations and events as it has a certain feeling and emotion. True, I do review sentences from some books. I enjoy seeing the patterns. I’ll share those books in a future post.
Some Spanish!
I really like Spanishdict.com. In the ‘Examples’ section you can see various translations for a sentence.
Below, notice verbs: “creo” and “haya sido”. In Spanish the subjunctive is used but not in English. More on this later.
No creo que haya sido una buena idea. (I don't think it was a good idea.) (Source: https://www.spanishdict.com/examples)