<p>I've kept up with my Spanish up to the level where if I actually took the class I'd only get a C( I don't know this for sure but its what I feel I'd get), and I want to change that this summer but I've never really developed a way to efficiently study Spanish. Does anyone have any tips on how to study a language and what notes I SHOULD be taking? Like vocab, how to efficiently learn he grammar, and how to read better/faster. I'm not trying to cram a whole course in over the summer but I'm trying to prepare up to the point where I won't be struggling with Spanish over the school year.</p>
<p>Talk to people in Spanish. When my sister is here (she goes to college now) or sometimes on the phone, I speak to her in French, but even otherwise, I babble in French to people who can’t understand me, and post in French on my friend’s Facebook walls and then translate. I also keep a journal in French. Just use it as much as you can, and don’t be afraid to make a mistake.</p>
<p>Having a textbook for reference helps with the grammar, especially the parts that are harder. Go out of your way to use these (for example, express thoughts, doubts, and unreal situations more than you normally would to practice the subjunctive). For vocabulary, read a lot, listen to online radio, and use a dictionary, whether online or in book form.</p>
<p>IDK how good you are, but I’ve been self studying from scratch for awhile and here are some recommendations.</p>
<p>Vocab:
*SRS programs. Like online flash cards, but they have special intervals to optimize your memorization, and keep track of everything for you. There’s a free program with ~5000 words already entered with audio pronunciation and definitions in order of frequency, at wordsgalore.com. If you want to enter your own, try Anki at Anki - powerful, intelligent flashcards. These programs + a little daily time = great results. </p>
<p>Beginner/Intermediate:
*Destinos, a telenovela free online. Listening comprehension.
*Practice Makes Perfect Series. They have books on specific topics, too, e.g. Verb Tenses or Pronouns and Prepositions, allowing you to work on trouble spots.
*Ultimate Spanish Review Series.
*Find a Spanish-speaking pen pal to exchange letters with, if you’re not ready to speak to natives.
*Pimsleur/Michel Thomas. A lot of libraries have these available for free. Short audio lessons (30 min for pimsleur) that will prompt you through a conversation. You may learn something and it will help with accent.</p>
<p>Advanced:
*Read: the newspaper, books, etc. There’s something out there for everyone. Practice, and you’ll get better and faster.
*Find an exchange pal with a native speaker. Set up regular conversations, choose topics ahead of time, speak part of the time in English, other part in Spanish (so both of you can practice). Try polyglot-learn-language.org</p>
<p>Translate some books (start with easy, short ones, then move onto harder ones).<br>
When you’re reading Spanish text, try to read out loud. It’ll help with your pronunciation.</p>
<p>Umm basically what I do is, I ask my friends for the class lesson plan for the week and I do a brief study of the material. Just up to the point where if I did some good BSing I’d get a C or B. I took Spanish I in freshman year but I learned absolutely nothing, so I decided to wait until spanish III or IV to take it as a high school class. Reason being is you need two years to graduate, so all the kids that just want to graduate are taking Spanish I and II in school. I’ve never really put much focus on Spanish but I actually want to start learning it now.</p>
<p>I’ve heard that Spanish II and III are basically the same things, is this true?</p>
<p>^
About the question of being the same, I’ve heard that is true. At my school it is, because I skipped spanish 3 to go into spanish 4 and didn’t have trouble at all going into spanish 4 (i did better than some spanish 3 students!). so it just varies by your school. </p>
<p>and inflore, awesome idea! I’ve taken some of the steps already but I’m gonna do more. Thanks!</p>
<p>I’ve been self-studying throughout the past school year. Note that I have a background in Latin so things are definitely easier for me. since the spring I’ve been working consistently, about 30 min. of working on grammar/writing/reading, 15-20 min. of vocabulary (force myself to do it in between surfing the web), and maybe a few pimsleur’s/destino’s (those are pretty mindless, I multitask, but still helpful). This summer I have a ton more time so I’ve been working more; the pace is really up to you just as long as you do something everyday. At this point, I could enter a Spanish III class, which is usually a review of Spanish I & II. If I keep working hard this summer, I could probably take AP Spanish Language. </p>
<p>Another recommendation:
Easy Spanish Reader by William Tardy. It gets harder as you go along, so it’s good for beginners progressing into more intermediate levels. It can be boring, but unless you want to read children’s books in Spanish, it’s OK. There are questions to check comprehension and to get you writing.</p>
<p>thanks. Do you have some recommendation for what software dictionary (and not paper dictionary) I should use? I need one that includes word pronunciations.</p>
<p>^hmmm, that’s a toughie. If you’d really be depending on the dictionary, it’s partially dependent on what type of accent you’re aiming for, as for pronunciations, since you’d sound silly lisping in Latin America or with hard Argentinian “y” elsewhere. I’m personally aiming for a clear, broadly and easily understood accent, e.g. Colombian; you wouldn’t sound like a local in most places but you wouldn’t be made fun of, either. I think for pronunciation, most any dictionary would suffice, even a free one. This is under the condition that you’re actively working on your target accent and listening a lot (e.g., radio) - you’ll hear the words and pronunciation naturally in regular speech, get a natural feel for how to pronounce any word you come across, and it’ll stick better. that’s just my approach and opinion, though. If you feel this wouldn’t work for you, I’d recommend posing the question on the forum I linked to, how-to-learn-any-language.com/forum/. These people have lots of opinions, recommendations, methods, and expertise, and they’re very willing to help. That’s where I got started! Also, if you have any questions about grammar or whatever while learning Spanish, you can get those answered, too.</p>