Job Discussion Forums

[cscx]

I was wondering just how many of you folks would consider yourselves to be fluent in Spanish, and if you were fluent before you came to Mexico?

I came this summer with the intent of improving my Spanish...and I did, to some extent. However, most of the Mexicans I spent time with were much more interested in speaking to me in English. I know that this varies greatly from region to region, city to city, but how often do you find yourself speaking each language? Have you reached the point where you think in Spanish, and even dream in it?

I myself have had a few dreams in Spanish but I have no idea if they made sense.

[Guy Courchesne]

I didn't speak a word of Spanish before coming, though I did pick up a Spanish grammar book a month before. It looked like French, so it didn't seem hard. I'd say I reached a comfortable level of fluency after about 6 months, without a class, simply by being here.

My wife says I must dream in Klingon based on what she hears when I talk in my sleep.

Nowadays, I'm comfortable speaking either English or Spanish, often at the same time, depending on with whom I'm speaking. I think there's a point where you stop translating or thinking in either language and simply communicate or react. That however, has caused me grief in that I find some ideas are more quickly or efficiently communicated in one language over the other, meaning, the odd Spanish word or phrase slips into my English or the reverse.

[ls650]

Before I came to Mexico I knew nothing of Spanish, not even numbers. After about 30 months, I'd say I'm a pre-intermediate level: maybe a 3.5 or 4 on a scale of one to 10.. My reading and writing are stronger, in the low intermediate range, but I really struggle with listening.

Although I'm not close to fluency, I can hold a basic conversation now, and strangely enough I often think to myself, about basic things at least, in Spanish.

[aisha]

I would consider myself almost fluent. I have my BA degree in Spanish and International Studies. I spent the summer in Mexico and I was very happy with my level of Spanish. I pretty much understand everyone. I can relate in that I've stopped translating in my head. Also now that I'm back in cold Michigan (until dec 16th yay) I still find myself once in a while wanting to express myself in Spanish and not English.

[mapache]

After two years, I have learned enough Spanish to do almost anything here. I have been too busy (translation: lazy) to learn all the verbs and their conjugations. (Students: do as I say and not as I do)
I agree with Guy that, after a while, you just communicate. I can read and understand Spanish but sometimes I can't understand a word fast talkers say.
When my friends speak more slowly for me, I can understand almost everything. I was wondering how many of you speak Spanish to your students. I went from working with a complete ban to now using Spanish to explain the more complicated grammar points to my intermediate and advanced students only. I find this effective and time saving but the rest of our conversations and lessons are always in English.

[MELEE]

[delacosta]

Yeah I'd consider myelf very fluent. I learned Spanish as a teen in Buenos Aires, where I lived from 12 to 16.
I picked up a minor in university in Spanish, just so I wouldn't forget it, but had become quite rusty by the time I moved here six years ago.
I picked it up again very quickly and am married to a Mexican woman who tries to speak a lot of English, but since my Spanish is better than her English I switch to Spanish whenever I get impatient or want the meaning to be perfectly clear.
I definitely think and dream in Spanish. With my wife and other long term English teachers here we kind of have our own mixture of the two, where we know which words 'fit ' better in each language.
My reading has improved a lot from when I first arrived, mostly by reading 'commie rags' like Processo and La Jornada.

The only time I have difficulty is when listening to Puerto Angel fishermen or groups of chilangoes talking together. There's just too much slang that I'm not familiar with.

[MikeySaid]

Initially I didn't think I should post... since I'm not currently in Mexico.

I consider myself pretty freakin' fluent. By ACTFL standards I'm somewhere in between Native Fluency and Advanced High.

I started learning in High School (ten or so years ago), then stopped for a couple years and took a break and a French class. I really started to polish my Spanish when I spent half a summer in Queretaro and Oaxaca (and the places in between). Now I've got my BA in Spanish (World Languages and Cultures, technically) and a Mexican girlfriend. My accent keeps on changing, though. Here on the Central Coast of California the Spanish is such a mix that my accent has rounded out into something not completely identifiable. In Spain it's "obviously Mexican" on the first day, but "where are you from?" by the end of a week. My girlfriend is from the North, so I have to be careful to avoid the sing-song Spanish that comes out as kind of feminine (as she's who I hear speak, mostly).

I find it interesting that it's a common theme for people who've learned Spanish as a foreign language that there's words we just prefer from the language. Of course... I can't think of one right now.

[danielita]

My Spanish is coming along. When I first arrived, it was REALLY rusty and I had more or less traveller Spanish, but it is much better now. LIke MELEE mentioned, there are teachers who work in English and go home to English and often don't get to use their Spanish much--that pretty much describes me. I am fairly active in the community so I have the opportunity to speak Spanish to a lot of different people and that does help. I would say I am about a high beginner. From time to time I do have thoughts in Spanish, but they are predominantly in English. Can't wait for my first dream in Spanish.

[M@tt]

i'm not in mexico now either but who knows when that might change so i'll post. i lived in mexico twice for about 9 months each time. i was a beginner when i went and hadn't taken classes.

in all the time i've spent in mexico i would say that apart from teaching english, 98% of my conversations were in spanish. the remaining 2% all came from one person who i met before i spoke spanish so we have just stayed in english although we switch back and forth now that i'm fluent.

academically i'm not sure about my skills--writing has been entirely in messenger but believe it or not, that helped a lot. initially i could barely manage greetings but at this point i don't even remember whether i communicated with someone in english or spanish so it's almost a non-issue. i feel like spoken to written transfer has helped me a lot and vice versa, despite what some theorists suggest.

i would love to round out my skills with more reading and maybe some classes. conversationally i feel advanced but not satisfied yet. in indiana i have yet to find spanish speakers to hang out with although there are about a thousand of them in my city. the social dynamic is really uninviting--much much less so than when you're in mexico.

today in the car i was listening to the mexican station from indy and it struck me that "echale ganas" is one phrase i prefer in spanish. there are lots of times i find myself thinking in spanish and having to translate the idea into english (here in the US).

things that i think helped me progress:
high fluency in french and a year of latin
an MA in applied linguistics
curiosity in people and vice versa
living with a host family the first year
spending less than 1% of my free time with foreigners
being neurotic

[Guy Courchesne]

[MELEE]

[delacosta]

Sometimes I do try to speak naturally to my wife to help her with listening, which she finds the most difficult. That's when she tells me I have bad pronunciation! And that I should speak clearer, like they do on the radio in Canada. We did a trip around BC, driving, and I often tuned in the CBC, which she could understand.
I thought it was the colmo that she would dare to dismiss an English teacher's English pronunciation.

[delacosta]

Yes I have to agree with M on that one. The best place to learn an language is in the bedroom, and that indeed getting into as many postitions as possible will help.

[MELEE]