I would recommend so many other books than one using 400 year old vocabulary.
There’s many good books from semi modern authors (last 100 years), from when the language was really solidified into a more modern version.
If you want, I can try to undust my Spanish literature notes and recommend you some depending on what kind of book topics you like.
if I had a pick one in particular how would I?
I mean, do you prefer theatre or narrative? Poetry is definitely not for beginners, since you don’t get the meaning of things from context there.
Do you like adventure, drama, comedy, absurd (it’s own little Spanish tendence), social commentary, experimental narrative styles within some category? A mix of those?
I think drama and comedy would be good for getting across the regular language you need.
After that adventure maybe would be a little more advanced.
I kind of like stuff that is timeless/light/happy or lightly paced and doesn’t get me all disturbed like a bunch of ‘casual’ trashy pretentious doomerist pop media does these days.
I will try to find some comedy stuff tomorrow from semi-recent authors, it’s a bit late now.
Mostly because drama is a bit… Not really light/happy and timeless. Some is a bit of a “reflection of social issues of the time” kind of drama.
gracias amigo… ik it’s really hit or miss with me being kinda sensitive, but sometimes I really like something.
Edit: I recommend the theatre and modern novels listed first. Relatively affordable and nice reading.
Edit2: I can recommend some picaresque novels if you like Quixote, a good example would be “el lazarillo de tormes”, a surprisingly good read for sometbing written in 1554.
Fantasy - https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_bosque_animado
https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_saga/fuga_de_J._B.
Absurdist Comedy Theatre - https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usted_tiene_ojos_de_mujer_fatal
https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_ladrones_somos_gente_honrada
https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tres_sombreros_de_copa
Novel mixing mistery-realism styles (recommend, easy reading) - https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_verdad_sobre_el_caso_Savolta
Good modern novels (stuff by Eduardo Mendoza, some modern authors) : https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_ciudad_de_los_prodigios
https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin_noticias_de_Gurb
(kind of stuff for when I was a kid:) https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_asesinato_del_profesor_de_matemáticas
I’m taking a look now, it really is a bit hard because modern content really is around the 1900s, and post 1898 life didn’t quite lend itself to lighthearted stories, it’s either dramatic to some degree, remembering old comedy (with old language) or absurdist comedy, which is hard to understand. Also I really don’t want to recommend heavy readings, although you have quijote already so…
I am leaning towards the absurdist/comedic comedy/fantasy narrative. I will reply to this comment of yours again with a few of my recommendations, and extra recommendations for when you feel more comfortable.
¿Por qué “Don Quijote” en particular?
es clasico… no es particular.
It has some interesting vocabulary… Maybe there is another option.
¿Es relativamente fácil para un principiante?
Lol, I am a native and I am afraid of Quijote, you’d also need a good version, I recommend the one with the RAE annotations, because it has so many no longer used words, expressions, and modisms from the kind of caballersca novels from its time. I wouldn’t recommend it, but it is a nice experiment.
Totalmente de acuerdo
gracias, persona que tiene sexo con cabras
👍
I was thinking of reading some news sources or something (e.g. TeleSUR) once I have a decent grasp of the basics (verb conjugation, etc.). Presumably they tend to use some reasonably simple language
Read MANGA
where might one acquire Spanish-translated MANGA in a pirate-inspired fashion
Do you have an Android phone? The Tachiyomi app lets you select Spanish sources
If you ever want to read actual litersture I could recommend simple, short novels if you want, that’d be a better start IMO, everyone can do as they please.
As a good comparison, it’d be the equivalent of wanting to learn English by reading Ulysses.
that would be great. not too surprised by your assessment of Don Quijote. My problem is I can get really dissuaded by stuff when learning. It’s been a problem if something is too fast, slow or irrelevant feeling.
so I try focus on whatever keeps me engaged and active. why I was working on my parallel translate tool just to keep language exposure and engagement time as high as possible since I don’t really have that much self control otherwise.
ay caramba
I sort of like the TeleSUR idea…
I do have my moments
News from El País or other Spanish language sources do tend to use simpler language and especially avoid complicated phrases.
¿medios burgueses? 🤢
To learn words and the language? Yes.
To learn politics or get news? Nope.
Like, we can admit that the language quality is good even if the content is not.
I’ve been reading Le Monde lmao. Once I can read Fanon in his mother tongue it’s over for France
En realidad cuesta un poco si no tienes versión anotada/comentada.
Si sabes castellano te enteras, pero algunas palabras son antiguas y toca sacar diccionario
¿Cuesta? (Cost? As in money, or in terms of difficulty?)
Yes, it “costs” a bit of effort. We may use “cuesta” to mean “cuesta un poco de esfuerzo”. “Lo bueno, si breve, dos veces bueno.” or something.
Cuesta is either “hill” or “(it) costs (something)”
Gracias 👍
No problem
no pero es un muestra natural
Don Quijote es un buen libro pero está escrito en español/castellano antiguo y tiene vocabulario complejo y en desuso. Te recomiendo leer algo más actual o periódicos.
Hahaha the messy notebook looks so much like my own, i love to see other people’s spanish notes
