I'm Dutch and trying to learn Spanish. Reading is most of the time not a (big) problem but when I have to speak Spanish I seem to have forgotten all I've learned.
I've had the same problem, but speaking english instead (I'm spaniard). I think the most important thing is first to have a wide vocabulary (reading a lot, for example). The second one thing is practice, and practice, and practice, speaking as much as you can. If you're talking spanish and suddenly have a "black-out", try to say the same with other words. It always worked with me!
-Salva
Carpe Diem!!!
Posts: 26 | Location: Madrid, Spain, Europe, Earth, Milky Way | Registered: 13 July 2004
I know, I need to practice more, but talking to yourself gets boring after a while I try to read as much as possible (books/magazines/news on the internet) and I watch TVE Internacional every day at home.
I just can't seem to get myself to think in spanish
Lina, where in the Netherlands are you? I'll be in Amsterdam for the next five months if you want to meet up and practice. I have a friend in Delft who would probably join us as well as he loves any opportunity to practice spanish. Maybe we could start up an intercambio, I could certainly use help with my dutch.
Besos, Bonnie
Posts: 435 | Location: Italy | Registered: 25 November 2003
Oh well, I thought you could practice speaking with somebody different to yourself! :b:
Lina, try to do an interchange with spanish people there or somebody with good spanish accent. That's the best way to improve your spanish!
Is always difficult to speak fluently at the beginning. But practising (with somebody, you know) you'll talk faster and faster, and one day you suddenly realize you're thinking in spanish. Go for it!
And remember: nobody was born speaking spanish
-Salva
Carpe Diem!!!
Posts: 26 | Location: Madrid, Spain, Europe, Earth, Milky Way | Registered: 13 July 2004
originally posted by Salva: [qb] Lina, try to do an interchange with spanish people there or somebody with good spanish accent. That's the best way to improve your spanish!
-Salva [/qb]
I know, you're right. It's just the fear of making mistakes I think. The most stupid part of this thing is that I'm married to a spanish guy and can't even seem to get myself to speak spanish at home :cry: It's much easier to do this in dutch (silly huh)
But I keep trying
In about 5-6 weeks my vacationtime begins and I will start with 1 week in Madrid (we'll be staying with family), so I need to speak Spanish (they don't speak english/dutch) but those blackouts keep getting in the way :lo:
Ha, ha! I just read the title of this thread and thought it referred to the 'apagones', because some of us have no electrity in our houses from yesterday's big fire!
Posts: 627 | Location: Brussels | Registered: 16 December 2001
originally posted by pim: [qb] Ha, ha! I just read the title of this thread and thought it referred to the 'apagones', because some of us have no electrity in our houses from yesterday's big fire! [/qb]
That's another kind of blackout and one that's far more serious than my kind
