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MovinUp wrote:

Evening all

A bit of advice please.... I'm hopefully moving to Mexico very soon and am determined to become fluent in Spanish ASAP, what do you think is the best approach?

a) Intensive Spanish school followed by practising as much as possible
b) 1-2 hours per week tutoring - slow and steady approach
c) Jump in the deep end - getting out and about into the town centre with your phrase book at every opportunity and just build it up
d) Any other ideas?

Bienvenidos a Mexico y Buenas tardes ( welcome to Mexico and good afternoon) Moving up

My best advice is to get Duolingo and commit yourself to put in at least half an hour every day. Duo is free unless you want the very small fee version which gives you more flexibility.
What they put in the phrasebooks is often not how people talk and uses the rigid traditional form. The tutoring isn't real life. Contrary to what classic classes teach you, people rarely say yo. The words themselves identify who is speaking.  I had 2 years of Spanish in Highschool and much of it was not teaching me how to speak correctly.
If I were you I would get out and expose myself, study using Duo and have a translator on my phone. Contrary to popular belief Spanish is not easy. So anyone promising fluent in 2 weeks or even a month is in business to make money not to teach fluent Spanish. Learn the words you will need immediately, try to speak them correctly. After all, you will need directions, food and perhaps a taxi.

Much appreciated, that sounds like solid advice.

I second using DuoLingo, it's easy, helpful, and gameified and prompts you to practice daily... 2ndly I'd make a list of the most helpful phrases and get out there and practice IRL

Depending on if you speak other language/s or now are linguistically very sharp and how old you are, I doubt you could ever become fluent and might get to an upper intermediate level in 5 to 10 years. IMO

***

@alleycat1.What a terrible comment...lllooollll Arent we supposed to be nice, compassionate, and helpful to each other. You are clearly putting her down and saying to her "don't even bother girl" OMG, that is unbelievable. I am a linguist, I speak 4 but it would have never occurred to me to say such a thing. Shame on you and all people of your kind.

@Movinup. Try to interact as much as possible with the locals. You'll find out that what is being taught in books is not always what is being spoken in the street (academic vs conversational). Duolingo yes (theory), interacting with local (practice).

Looks like you are having a bad day Alleycat,

movingup
please know that people are generally kind and helpful. It depends on the attitude you come in with. If you are polite and greet people they respond well generally, When I was learning people sometimes went out of their way to help. There will be many occasions when you will need to communicate to just get through life. Just start talking with Duolingo and practice how to say the words, you will make mistakes but you will be learing.

GraziellaG wrote:

@alleycat1.What a terrible comment...lllooollll Arent we supposed to be nice, compassionate, and helpful to each other. You are clearly putting her down and saying to her "don't even bother girl" OMG, that is unbelievable. I am a linguist, I speak 4 but it would have never occurred to me to say such a thing. Shame on you and all people of your kind.

Linguists CAN become fluent in a new language with a lot of work probably in 2 to 4 years why your comment is as such.
An adult layman with a lot of work probably might be able to speak and understand Spanish at an upper intermediate level in 5 to 10 years but never will be fluent.
Talking to strangers in the street is not done here in Mexico if you have no reason to talk to them. Leave them to do their own business. If you want many hours of talking Spanish to learn it faster hire someone/s. Simple to understand.

This is so     that a perfectly innocent original post has been kidnapped and turned into a free for all. lets all let this toxic fire die out. There is no valid reason for any of you to continue this.
If you have a useful idea for the original poster post it directed to them. Or we will just have to close this topic out and open a fresh topic with the same agenda.

Hello everyone,

Thank you travellight. 

Please note that some off-topic posts have been removed from this thread. 

Should you want to participate on that thread again, kindly please stay focused on the initial topic which is Best way to Spanish fluency.

Have a nice day. 

Cheryl
½ûÂþÌìÌà team.

I’ve just recently joined here as we are considering biying in San Miguel de Allende. Someone posted a website they have used to learn Spanish. It was free and avoided teaching conjugations and focused on the dialogue. I can speak ‘in poco’ . I’ve searched unsuccessfully, and have not been able to find that post.  Does anyone recollect that post or website?  Thank you 😊