multimadrid home    the multimadrid spain community    spain forums  Hop To Forum Categories  spanish language help forums  Hop To Forums  general language stuff    Help, Basic course complete....What next!!!!!
go to...
post new...
search/find
notification...
help...
reply to this topic
  
  login/join up 
Gary From London
Posted
I wonder if you can give me some advice.
I have been following Michel Thomas' excellent course in Spanish and am
currently coming to the end of his Language Builder course, which is the
extra course to further his initial 8 hour starter course. (I should have
this completed in the next week or so). I have found Mr. Thomas' style of
teaching the language Superb, and wondered if you could advise me as to what
I should use next to develop my Spanish further. I should add that I am a 45
year old mature student who would like to be able to converse competently in
Spanish rather than pass examinations etc. I have recently purchased an
apartment on the Costa Brava with the intention of moving to Spain
permanently within the next five years and consider the need to speak the
language mandatory, so you can see I'm pretty well motivated. Any
suggestions are most welcome.
thanks in advance for your replies.
CHEERS
GARY
LONDON
ENGLAND
 
Posts: 1 | Location: London England | Registered: 07 December 2002Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
LarryLasagne
Posted Hide Post
Hi Gary, I'm afraid I do not know the course you're doing so I don't know what level of Spanish you now have but I would advise to just to absorb as much Spanish as you can. Rent Spanish language films, or listen to the news in Spanish over the internet - you may not understand everything you hear but you'll be on your way to greater familiarity with Spanish. I regularly log on to bbcmundo.com, I find the Spanish fairly clear and concise on there. Anyway, good luck with your studies and once you move to the Costa Brava, your Spanish should improve in leaps and bounds.
 
Posts: 25 | Location: Cambridge, United Kingdon | Registered: 13 October 2002Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
mariposita
Posted Hide Post
Great thread! I have a couple of other suffix questions. What is the difference between "-in" and "-ito"?

For example, folks in my husband's Cuban/Asturiano-American family call my son �scar:

�scarito

My friend from Argentina calls him:

�scarcito

In Mexico people called him:

�scar�n

I think I've also heard people say:

�scarlito

So I'm wondering are there any rules about this?
How do you know when to add a consonant and which to add (as in cafecito--though I've also heard cafelito). And then there is "illo," which also confuses me. I've pretty much memorized words like palillo or mantilla, but I don't have any idea how to use the suffix extemporaneously.

Incidentally in the case of my son's name, I like them all and use them all the time. We also call him "bobo" and "chucho" as is common with all the kids in my husband's family,. Though I wonder about "bobo." Seems a bit harsh, though it is clearly used as a term of endearment. Is that a Spanish thing, a Cuban thing, or just a P�rez thing?
 
Posts: 1070 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 10 December 2002Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
JayJay
Posted Hide Post
Hello, Mariposita.

I haven�t heard bobo used in that context, but the chucho thing is definitely Cuban. My mom is Cuban and often uses chucho and chucha. It is also a nickname for Jes�s (which is my name), as is Chuchi. The -ito and -ico endings are used in a lot of places, the -ico, as in chiquitico, is very Cuban also. It is also common in some provinces of Spain, like Granada.

Hope the info helps.
Jay
 
Posts: 5 | Location: Madrid, Spain | Registered: 27 February 2003Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
druship
Posted Hide Post
While not an audio course, there is a great book titled Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish, which goes into a lot of the nuances of the language. I've read this over and over and have twice been approached by strangers coming over to tell me how fantastic and awesome this book is. I have to agree...good luck. Keep practicing. It's the most important way to improve. And going to Madrid as often as possible doesn't hurt, either.
 
Posts: 8 | Location: Oakland, CA USA | Registered: 25 May 2001Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Chica
Posted Hide Post
druship, could you give us details on the book? Author, publisher, ISBN?

Thanks!


____________________
Tired of dining alone?
http://www.tiwd-club.com
 
Posts: 1376 | Location: Madrid | Registered: 24 March 2002Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Booklady
Posted Hide Post
Hola Mariposita,
I am a first generation Cuban since my parents and grandparents left Spain just before the Civil War exploded. I use the term "bobo" all the time, and it is an endearing term for the most part. It is not meant as an insult.

In Cuba the term bobo is used to mean silly, not for stupid, we use imbec�l or stupido for that. We say, No seas, bobo, meaning don't be silly.
Remember that Cuba was mainly settled by Asturians Canarians and Galicians so it is probably a word that is common in one of these provices. Like "vale" which is used a lot in Cuba was imported by the Gallegos.
 
Posts: 697 | Location: Florida | Registered: 24 August 2001Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
Louis
Posted Hide Post
Chica - I believe this is the info on Druship's book: Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish by Joseph J. Keenan, ISBN: 029274322X.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/029274322X/qid=1057292766/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-9534150-1244955?v=glance&s=books
 
Posts: 5 | Location: Fairfax, Virginia, USA | Registered: 26 July 2002Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
jer
"the man!"
Picture of jer
Posted Hide Post
Hey Louis, excellent link to that book, thanks!!!

Booklady, you will be glad to know that "bobo/a" is used the same way here (as Mariposa mentioned above in her post).

I often call Ena ( :l: :l: :l: )...

boba
bobita
bobil�n
bobona

etc...

Saludos,
jer...


- madrid nut, webweaver of www.multimadrid.com and keeper of the plazaCam.
- worlds biggest outdoor internet cafe --> www.plazawifi.info - GET CONNECTED!!!
--------------------
- rent or buy a cell phone from me for your stay in spain, more info at Onspanishtime.com.
- already have a cell phone, get a spanish SIM card for it at spainSIM.com.
 
Posts: 12232 | Location: ny, u.s.a. --> madrid, spain --> the plaza mayor ! | Registered: 30 June 1998Reply With QuoteEdit or Delete MessageReport This Post
 Previous Topic | Next Topic powered by eve community  
 

multimadrid home    the multimadrid spain community    spain forums  Hop To Forum Categories  spanish language help forums  Hop To Forums  general language stuff    Help, Basic course complete....What next!!!!!

  

 

the best of spain in English - check out THE monthly Spain magazine
rent a cell phone for your stay in spain. Academia =elemadrid= Proudly Sponsors multimadrid.com, Please Visit Them.
sponsor multimadrid, click here to send me an e-mail