How to learn spanish
My rocky road to hopefully mastering this language.
Yes! I’m going back in. I’m trying again and hopefully, this time, I will keep on with the actual studying and not just the fun part, the reading.
I took spanish in school up until my second year of high school, which, according to Linköping university corresponds to languge level B1. (I also got an A so one can assume I should be at least passably good) The thing is, it’s over a year ago that course finished now so I’ve forgotten quite a bit. I will say I’ve made more than one attempt at keeping up with it and getting better at home by myself.
My first attempt was while I still took spanish in school, trying to read the first Harry Potter book in spanish while jotting down new words and making decks with flashcards and eventually learning them. I finished the book but the flashcards never saw light of day after maybe 2 chapters. I did write down words until the end but I never even translated those last few chapters. I chose Harry Potter first because I’ve read the book maybe seventeen times before and knew it inside out, I also already had a copy since I received as a gift on my twelfth birthday. (Right before I was gonna take my first year of spanish in school) After this (not quite) successfull attempt I bought the second and third Harry Potter book in spanish as well on a school trip to Zaragoza, but those stand unread to this day.
My second attempt started this january, I was gonna try another book in spanish, one I didn’t know as well as Harry Potter. This time I read “Los Siete Maridos de Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I had read the book before and loved it so when it popped up in spanish I seized the opportunity. This time my game plan was just to read though, I thought that maybe the language would just come naturally eventually. This it didn’t. I had a strict regimen and read one percent of the book every day and the reading part got easier and I could do it for longer stretches without getting too tired, but I didn’t understand that much more and I definitely couldn’t speak better either.
I’m now on attempt number three. This time I’m going to read a book I’ve never read before. “Save Me” by Mona Kasten. This book has been adapted into a TV-series on Amazon Prime called Maxton Hall which I loved. When I saw the series was based on a book you can guess what me the book nerd did immediately. I tried finding it on my kindle and/or my usual book buying site. To my dismay Save Me was written in german originally and hasn’t been translated into either English or Swedish, the two languages I know comfortably. It had though been translated into spanish, so I figured that was my only option and also my chance.
I’ve now bought the book on my kindle and devised a plan. I’m going to read two chapters every week, I’m going to make flashcards with vocabulary, and also, I’m going to write a summary of the two chapters every week. Additionally I figured I should write about my progress here to hold myself accountable if I start slacking off. (probably in about three weeks time? If I even last that long)
Today marks my first chapter summary and second day of practicing with my flashcards.
If anyone who knows spanish feels like criticizing my writing feel free :)
“Capítulo 1-2
Los dos capítulos son introducciones y presentaciones de las protagonistas Ruby y James. La historia esta contada de ambios perspectivos. El primeer capítulo contó Ruby. Ella tiene mucha structura, metas claras, y listas con todas sus tareas. El capítulo empiezaz en clase, cuando Ruby va a visitar el señor Sutton sobre su carta de recomendación para Oxford. Al final del capítulo Ruby buscó el señor Sutton beseando un estudiante, Lydia Beaufort, en su despacho. El segundo capítulo empieza al mismo tiempo el primer termina pero ahora James es nuestro narrador.
James es lo contrario de Ruby. Al empieza de su capítulo James está en casa de Wren, uno de sus amigos, que tuvo una fiesta la noche antes. Los chichos, James y sus amigos, no van al colegio este día. James esta despierta de una llamada pero rechazarla. En cambio sube de la cama y sale a sus amigos. Un poco más tarde su hermana llega y está muy triste. Las palabras que Lydia, la hermana, dice a James son “La he cagado” y luego el capítulo termina.”