Español Estudiar Dia 13, 14 y 15

Otra vez, yo no escribaba por dias. Sin embargo, estudié. No me crees? Lee abajo.

So, although I let day 13 slip by because I was working until 11pm, I should have updated for day 14, buuuuut I got caught up in stuff. Trying to get used to my wife's new schedule, I have a few hours to do the stuff I want to do before I have to start getting dinner ready. It makes it weird and tough. For example, I'm writing now because I have to go get some money soon and take it to the leasing office of my complex before coming home to start prepping dinner. I have done 1 hour of study and 3 hours of my personal work, and I have about 3.5 hours until dinner needs to be made. We'll see how it goes.

Meanwhile, I finished chapter 5 of Spanish Demystified and started chapter 6. Learned numbers and stuff (not really gonna stick right now) AND reviewed conjugations...again... because I keep messing them up. Sin embargo, they are coming along. Oh yeah, and that's happening. Like, I keep referring to my wife as "Mi Esposa" and for whatever reason keep saying "no quiero" whenever I'm asked if I want something or want to do something. Also "Uno Mas" but that's been a thing since I think Shanghai Noon (2000).

I have been killing the gold league on Duolingo and I really get into those little short stories. Had quiet a few mistakes on day 13... guess I was having a case of los jueves. It's definitely coming together.

MIDMONTH REPORT: At this point, I'm nowhere near where I was at the same point with Indonesian. According to DUOLINGO, I have only learned about 1k words (I was at something like 3k at this point with Indonesian) and my grammar knowledge is quite lacking. However, I'm also not reading Spanish newspapers, nor do I have a specific Spanish Grammar book. However, when it comes to my listening, I'd say I'm 10-20% which is about double or where I was in Indonesian. My confidence level is much higher and I've already spoken more Spanish than I did with Indonesian.

MIDMONTH DUOLINGO ASSESSMENT: Well, I've said a bunch of good things about Duolingo, so let's give my honest review.

Pro 1: Duolingo turns language study into a game that you feel like you can win. This breaks down the fear barrier usually associated with language learning. This is probably the best thing ANY language app can do, especially in our digital age.

Con 1: It doesnt actually teach you stuff. It's a game and it has tips, but if you wanted to explore some grammar principle or skipped past the stuff that you don't need or have down pat, you really can't. 15 days in and I'm still getting "Translate the Sentence: El hombre necesita dos boligrafos." Or other such thing. It destroy the fear barrier but then becomes a bike with training wheels that never come off.

Pro 2: It does have a structured study schedule. If you don't know how to study, it's got that figured out. There's a graduated structure that makes sure you learn things before moving on. That takes the work of determining a study schedule right out of your hands.

Con 2: Ads and Lingots. To really soar with Duolingo, you apparently need the paid version so you can skip ahead if you need. I skipped ahead a couple times because I have a couple hundred lingots from mostly testing out of the Japanese (I did that 2 years ago in front of my wife to prove I did actually know Japanese). If you can still a bunch of stuff without paying, but if you don't have lingots so you can skip ahead, you'll have to crawl through the free version.

Overall, I honestly give Duolingo a B+/A- because it does a great job and has podcasts to listen to. Now I just need time

Buenos Noches, mi amigx.

Español dia 12

Well, today was interesting. I didn't get as much done today as I hoped, but I read 1/2 chapter of "Spanish Demystified," listened to 2.5 of the Duolingo "Podcast en la español." I also gained 440xp via Duolingo.

2 cool things happened today: 1) I got to know my coworkers better through some broken spanish and broken english (one is from Cuba and the other is a joke writer for her husband, an amateur stand up comedian), and 2) Duolingo has stories that are actually pretty cool. I laughed at one so much, my coworker asked and I did it for her. That's when I found out that she writes jokes...

Oh, I'm also crushing my competition in my Duolingo challenge bracket. I'm not sure how many brownie points I score in the end, but I have enough lingots to last a while.

Anyway, studying Spanish has brought me and my coworkers together, so I would call this challenge a Success already, even if I am only on day 12...

Nosotros Americanos necesitamos aprender español. Buenas Noches, mi amigx. 

Spanish Days 8, 9, 10, and 11

WOW. Okay, so I knew that I was super busy on Saturday and while I managed to get my acceptable minimum requirement of study in, I did not realize that apparently Sunday and yesterday were the same. This just goes to show that sometimes life gets in the way and you need to accept that, but not in a way that makes it so that you accept failure, but that you regroup and come back strong.

For me, I know that the meeting I had on Friday with Rock Manor Games was definitely the reason that Sunday and Monday were heavily focused on Maximum Apocalypse RPG and not Spanish. I was trying to get somethings done so that we can be ready for bringing the game to reviewers. Admittedly, I only gained 700XP on Duolingo during those 3 days (Sat – Mon), which is sad because last Sunday, I got 600XP AND read 1.5 chapters of Spanish Demystified.

Because of this, I have to report that I have made very little progress. I can say that a did a review of everything I have learned so far yesterday, so I wouldn’t count Monday as a total loss of progression. Reviews are necessary to solidify things that you may have forgotten. For example, I forgot a number of verbs that I haven’t been using. This gets me to today’s focus point, BEST THINGS TO STUDY.

In my opinion, the best things to study are things that you would normally say every day already. Do you talk about cars on the regular? Learn car words and phrases. Do you eat a lot of different foods? Maybe learn the names of foods and then hit up a restaurant. Better, learn what different types of foods come from the culture of your language, go to a restaurant, and try them. The trick is, if you don’t often talk to people about their passports or how to find the corner market, then don’t start there. You can learn that stuff later when it becomes more necessary. Stick to your strengths in the beginning and you will remember those words.

Anyway, Today is going to be the day I get back on track, read a few chapters of Spanish Demystified, and reestablish my dominance on the Duolingo boards.

Buenas Dias, my amigx. 

Español estudiar Day 7

I am not sure how many times I can keep saying "today was the worst day" for study, but today was pretty bad. It was the first weekend day of my new study commitment, so... To be fair, I had life things: conference call with the game dev team for my RPG, making some pretty bomb rib tips, walking the dog for a goodly amount of time, and taking the dog to the vet. But that just sounds like an excuse.

I did binge 4 episodes of La Patrona (no subtitles) when I was being lazy, so that's something. I did also do 340xp on Duolingo, so I didn't NOT study. I just didnt crack the book or memorize some conjugations.

Anyway, Buenas Noches, mi amigx.

Sexto día de Español

Buenas noches mi amigos y amigas y amigx. Yo bien estudiando. Hoy estudié verbos de "-ir" y "-er." Yo comprendí!

Well, it is Day 6 of my study of Spanish and I think I've come decently far. I only did a few crowns of level 2 on Duolingo, but I read through chapter 4 of Spanish Demystified and studied the "ir" and "er" irregular verb conjugations. This meant I had to add new study verbs AND update my flash card.

I also looked up past tense because I am wanting to start saying things in past tense like "I studied Japanese" or "I lived in Korea." I still need practice with these conjugations, but I feel confident I will have it in not time.

Thanks for reading, if you have, and I hope your language study goes as swimmingly as mine has.

Día 5 de Español

Hola, todos! Como esta usted? Yo soy cansado. Hoy tuve un mal día.

Today was a crazy hectic day. However, I managed to clear level 1 of Duolingo. Did you know there are tests? Yeah. There are tests and they are bit hard. Good thing I read from "Spanish Demystified" or else I would not have known some of the answers.

As I said above, I'm very tired, so this post will be short so I can sleep.

Buenas Noches, mi amigos.

Español Dia 4

While I stated yesterday was my worst study day, today was actually my worst. I had so much happening today, I barely scored 350xp on Duolingo AND I made it through 2 pages of "Spanish Demystified." So far, still mystified.

I did, however, do a grid of verb pronoun conjugations AND made a flash card of the main thing I keep messing up in spanish (pronouns). That was a good way to set my steps in the right direction, so I wouldn't say it was a bad day.

The one thing I did really well today was talk with my coworkers and some vendors. I greeted them, asked a few questions and got responses. They then freely taught me "Como te sientes" and "Qué hora es?" Also "comprendi" which came in useful almost immediately.

Well, another day down, ending as #2 Silver league, and listened to yet another Duolingo podcast. I have decided that if Duolingo ever needs an endorsement, they should contact me.

Buenas Noches, mi amigos y amigas.

Spanish Day 3 report

Today was probably the worst day of study yet. It was very busy at work with a visit from some investors from the corporate office, and then outside work, I observed people playing my RPG for 4 hours. All said I got maybe 1-2 hours of Spanish study. However, I did create a self introduction today.

Yo soy Scott y soy conserje. Soy de Estados Unidos. Mi tia es de Mexico. Por eso, mi prima habla español. Tambien, mi colega es de Mexico y habla español. Por eso, estoy estudiando español. Mucho gusto.

I did make that breakthrough talking to my coworker today. When she came in to work, I said to her "Buenas Dias. Estas Buen?" because she wasn't at work yesterday. Turns out, she has some things she should see a doctor about. This is the reason we are trying to learn Spanish at my work, so that we can be a better, more cohesive team...

So, I pushed myself today. Made it through some things and actually started watching my position in the leaderboard. It turns out, that stupid system is a motivator.

Well, some progress was made, but now it is time for bed. Buenas Noches!

Spanish Day 2 Report

As I stated at the beginning of this renewed blog, I am going to use it as a way to keep myself accountable. I almost went to bed without updating my progress, which meant that I almost failed on Day 2. Can you believe it? Well, here's the update:

Today, I did not see my Spanish-Native coworkers (not entirely sure why) so I was not able to challenge myself to speak to them. However, because I had my Spanish books out and was reading them when I had the chance, I was approached by 4 different residents who informed me that they were also learning Spanish (I guess language learning is a New Year's Resolution for many people). I was aware that one of them was, but I was surprised by the other 3. I found it quite interesting, and we swapped ideas about study methods/technology.

Meanwhile, I made it through the first 2 chapters of Spanish Demystified. I must say, I feel like I am less mystified. The book does a pretty decent job of explaining that some things in Spanish are ALWAYS true, some things are OFTEN true, and some things are CONFUSING. So, at least the author is being honest. BUT, I did get the point that j's are yiddish Ch sound, as are sometimes g's, so that's good. I'd say that's fair.

It was a slow day at work, so Duolingo got a lot of use today. I am now 5 on Intro, Phrases, and Travel, and can say things like "Yo tengo un vaso de cafe con azucar sin leche" which is far more than I new when I started this challenge a few days ago. I kept messing up the verb forms (bebo v. bebe v. bebes) in my evening review, however, so I'm hoping I can get better at that. I also messed up a bunch of masculine/feminine indicators... lame. Good progress though.

I did not know that Duolingo had sponsored podcast episodes. I ended up listening to the story of a lady who inherited her abuelo's Mescal factory on my way to work today. That's a neat feature which I do recommend.

In conclusion: Yo necesito acostarse. Mi esposa esta alli. Buenas Noches

Spanish Day Beginning Report

Well, it took 3 days to get my language book and phrase book, both of which arrived today, but in the meantime, I opened up Duolingo on my phone and began crunching away at the first few lessons. Duolingo does not have any real explanations about WHY things are, but it does a very good job of having  you repeat relatively nonsensical words and phrases until you begin to be able to organically start forming your own sentences. I found myself repeating the phrase "Donde esta el bano" on my dog walk today, but by the time I was returning home, I had begun to answer the question and form others. Here's the fake conversation I had with my dog on our walk:

• Me: ¿Donde esta el baño?
• Dog Voice: El bano esta aqui
• Me: ¿Donde esta Scott?
• Dog Voice: Scott en el baño.
• Me: ¿Donde esta su pasaporte?
• Dog Voice: Yo tengo su Pasaporte.
• Me: Gracias. Disculpe. Tu eres el perro?
• Dog Voice: Si. 
• Me: Tu español es bueno
• Dog Voice: Gracias. Adios
• Me: ¡Hasta mañana!

Obviously, this is a fairly bizarre conversation to have. First off, how does my dog have any understanding of what a passport is other than the little blue paper thing that she can't be near when I have it out. Secondly, why is her Spanish better than mine? Finally, I put this together with the words and phrases I was learning from Duolingo plus like 5 words I knew from outside my studies thus far.

I know, you might look at the above and thing that I'm not a beginner at Spanish. I am. Aside from some random lessons during elementary school over 20 years ago, I have never studied Spanish. However, I have determined with my brief three day interaction thus far, it seems easier than Korean and therefore I might have a slight advantage with Spanish that I did not have with Korean or Japanese. Plus, everyone knows random Spanish words like "Si" and "Gracias" and "Adios." I think like 90% of Americans just know these things from TV and movies at the very least (I mean, I bet every American between 20-60 is well aware of Schwarzenegger's "Hasta La Vista, Baby!" from T2).

Anyway, I decided to go with "Spanish Demystified" because of its many positive reviews. I am a non-traditional language student, so when I read that this was a non-traditional language approach, the $13 price tag did not seem like much of a gamble. I'll probably get more out of it than most people.

In the meantime, I have this practice of doing a refresher exercise on Duolingo in the morning, than do 20 minutes of Duolingo around noon-ish during my work lunch break. I'm going to start using my other resources now that I have them. I have also been using some of my break time to watch "La Patrona" on my phone (about 20 minutes at a time) without the subtitles. I know it's overly cheesy (as are most Telenovela's I understand), but just hearing people talking in longer phrases with each other helps keep the brain active. Don't ever turn down the opportunity to listen to some native speakers talking, even if talking jibberish or small talk. I found some news streams via Youtube, so I'm gonna start using those, but right now, I kinda want to know who is going to win this fight over being "La Patrona."

I have not yet tried to start talking to my coworkers, but perhaps tomorrow I will break through the fear and try really hard to say something other than "Tu eres una mujer?" to my coworker. We'll see. I am officially counting today as Day 1 of Spanish now that I have the study materials. I'm not sure if this breaks the 30 day challenge, but we shall see.

30 Day Language Challenge RENEWED (2020 Version)

From my 2012 original post: As an American, I’m embarrassed by our serious inability to speak languages. It’s not our fault that the North American continent is a predominantly English language continent and Europe is a predominantly multi-lingual continent. But I’m embarrassed nonetheless whenever I hear people from a different country forgiving Americans for not understanding their language or stumbling through their customs like a rhino on a rampage. It’s sad that even with a bachelor’s degree in any language, we can hardly make claims to “know” a language other than English. That’s why, based on the teachings and concepts of Barry Farber and A.G. Hawke, I came up with this 30-day language challenge. I don’t think it’s impossible or improbably to assume that given the right motivation and right materials, one could, within 30 days, learn a new language. Obviously, no one can become a “Native” speaker of any language they aren’t a native speaker of, but I believe that within 30 days, any person with a sound mind and clear focus, could learn enough of any language to be beyond the help of any “100-level” or “First Year” college language course. I’m inspired by the amount of language advertisements I’ve seen on the internet these days to take on this challenge myself to prove it.

About Me

I have been around for a while. I started this blog and the “30 Day Language Challenge” in 2012. I don’t know if this makes me the first person to think of this, which I doubt very seriously, but it’s been a thing I’ve been up to since. The above statement still holds true. It still embarrasses me how little we know in the US and so I keep challenging myself. And so I’m at it again, this time with something a little closer to home, and while I doubt anyone will read this blog, I’m using it to hold myself accountable.

I have been living my life with my wife, my dog, and my freemasonry a little comfortably, and now its time to learn Spanish. Because there are much more opportunities for me to speak Spanish in my daily life than there has ever been with Indonesian, Russian, or Mandarin, I feel like this will hold a little better. I mean, there are some willing coworkers who are native Spanish speakers and some vendors that I occasionally interact with that are the same.

THE PROGRAM (2020 Edition)

The program that I compiled works like this: Follow the rules, study often, overwhelm your brain, and become a speaker in 30 days. It requires a series of materials and a serious effort – no slackers accepted. Here’s what I (you) need for the program to work:

• Notebook
• Blank 3x5 cards
• A coursebook in the target language.
• A language APP that includes actual conversations (Pimsleur is good for this)
• A Language APP that has Phrases and words (like Duolingo). If you can’t find one you like, I recommend a book.
• A Grammar Book (can be PDF). There’s no substitute (I’ve tried), and things like PDFs can be forgotten, but having a thick tome on the desk will remind you to study.
• A Quick Reference sheet
• Newspaper or Magazine
• Language challenge games (There’s a bunch of these out there now)
• Movies and music in the target language
• Highlighter pens

Rules for learning the language

1. Never take a day off
2. Utilize all hidden moments to review 3x5 cards, listen to the conversations, or hit up the app (Hidden Moments are the moments where you are not doing anything, like waiting for food at a restaurant, driving, or laying in bed scrolling through facebook)
3. Set aside at least 30 clear minutes a day to update your 3x5 cards on the language or to read more lesson from your book
4. Study a few vocabulary words from the previous day each morning when you wake (This gets harder as you learn more, but it’s important)
5. Study a few vocabulary words from the day before going to sleep each night (Duolingo lets you review, which is cool)
6. Use Harry Lorayne's magic memory aid - Tell a story to remember the words your studying. Ex. In Indonesia, my family all lives in one roomah. (Rumah=Family)
7. Study words together with opposites, it's easy to remember (hot/cold, etc.)
8. Pick conversations with other speakers of the language with gusto. Have no fear, boldly go into it like you’re picking a fight. 
9. Use Word-Denial games (Don't let yourself have dessert until you can remember a word, etc.)
10. Don't study profanity, but do study idiomatic phrases
11. Keep it simple at first, don't try to outpace yourself by knowing words like "megalomaniac."
12. Try to find a community within your town that speaks the target language natively (or close) and find reasons to hang out with them (go to their restaurant, etc.)
13. Choose to listen to the target language music instead of your own when listening to music. Better yet, choose to listen and interact with the language audio instead of music
14. Remember to interact with language audio, none of them work without interaction
15. Watch Target Language movies or TV rather than English (this is easy with streaming services)
16. For the first 30 days, live, breath, and eat your target language

So, for the next 30 days, I’m going to blog a day at a time. This is keep myself in check more than anything else, but if it helps someone, than great.