Spanish Progress Report

Time for an update on my Spanish learning    

Language CDs:  

As is often the case with new years' resolutions, the novelty has begun to wear off  by now and I wonder if I'm going to succeed. I managed to listen to my language CDs for two months but really lost interest in March. I do notice progress though when I listen to conversations that seemed impossible on first hearing, but now I can understand them fairly well. 

Music: 

 

Having learned the words of one song off by heart, I'm confident that if I’m ever in Spain and need to say ‘I would come back to find you in my time machine’, I’m sorted! Music is helpful for practising pronunciation and intonation, and some of the vocabulary is useful. I'm not that sure I'll find a use for 'time machine' but who knows? Some day I’ll drop it into conversation while nibbling tapas before a bullfight, and I’ll think of this. Overall, learning through music is a positive experience and I'm going to buy the Amaral album and listen to that in the car instead. 

Forums: 

I've made several attempts to chat on forums in Spanish, with my Spanish-English dictionary to hand and using very simple constructions. I've been able to make myself understood. The advantage over actual conversations is that you have the time to respond. From the SpanishDict site I've also been receiving the 'Word of the Day' by email.

Books: 

To begin with, I'm concentrating on reading books in English about Spain rather than actually reading a novel in Spanish. I've started 'Guernica' by Dave Boling, which is proving to be an interesting read. I love the cover picture too. Next up will be 'Ghosts of Spain' by Giles Tremlett.
 

                    

Summary:

January: Language CDs

February: Language CDs, Music

March: Forums, Books

My plan for April: 

I'm hoping to watch a couple of Spanish films, over and over, to really absorb the language and intonation. I do need some good recommendations first though.