I made it my NYR this year to learn a second language and while I picked Russian at first I switched to Spanish for a few different reasons. I’ve been using Duolingo for about 6 months now but have gotten to the point (I’m around A2 if not very early B1 fluency) where I just don’t find it very helpful on its own anymore and the new stuff I learn just doesn’t stick to my mind as good anymore.

I’d like to start incorporating other resources into my learning (which was the plan from the start) but have no idea where to start. I’ve incorporated note writing as well as flashcards into my learning as of a couple months ago, as well as trying to hold basic Spanish conversations with other people, but this is only really effective for perfecting what I’ve already studied.

To anyone who learned Spanish or really any language, do you know of any other resources for learning the language?

Gracias.

  • redtea
    1·
    29 days ago

    Some good advice in here already. I’ll just add some thoughts about choosing media.

    I had the most luck with translations of my favourite books. But only certain books. Books that use a lot of description are much more difficult. I really struggled with Gabriel Garcia Marquez because he paints such a detailed picture. E.g. you won’t just see someone in a room with a glass, you’ll see the furniture and jars, vials, dishes, etc. That’s a lot of extra, relatively rare vocabulary. It slowed me down too much to enjoy. (I have heard that ‘Nobody Writes to the Colonel’ and some other of his shorter works are more suitable for beginners but I haven’t yet read them and I want to really enjoy them all on my first read through, I’m waiting a bit before I get stuck in.)

    Books that are a little more action-packed have been easier for me. Now I also enjoy books in my favourite genres (historical fiction, fantasy) by my favourite authors even if I haven’t read that specific book by them before. It’s still easier than reading new authors.

    My main point is not to be embarrassed about putting something down and trying again later. Pick things you can enjoy most right now.

    For Spanish, you can also change the language of many video games, Netflix shows, Disney plus shows, etc. Audible have a decent range, too.

    To get a consistent accent, I started by only listening to one accent. Now I don’t mind what I listen to. It limits your choices to start with but you often have both available on Netflix, Disney, and Audible.

    • JennieOP
      2·
      29 days ago

      Thanks for the response! I mentioned in another comment that I am looking into buying Spanish language versions of Marquez books but this is generally something I am saving for B2/near C1 fluency level. I originally was going to turn subtitles off for the Mexican scenes in Breaking Bad but all learning Spanish has done is make me realise just how bad Giancarlo Esposito is at speaking it lol. I’ve read some children level stories in Spanish and have generally found this easy to follow along with so I am going to be moving on from this and look for more challenging material.