Tag Archives: my method

Learning Spanish: My Method

Today’s post is about the Spanish language. I’ll be talking about the methods I use to learn the language. So let’s get started.

Spanish is a language I’ve flirted with for a while but I never got round to actually learning it. But on March of this year, I decided that it was time to learn. I think every language has it’s beauty and uniqueness but Spanish has to be right up there for me. It’s absolutely beautiful.

Spanish is the new kid on the block. I’m also learning French and Portuguese. I have two main resources for learning Spanish: An online Spanish course and a language learning app.

The Spanish course (pictured above) is designed to get you speaking right away. It’s incrementally designed in a series of 3 minute videos. You listen and complete the exercises. That’s all. It’s designed for the complete beginner. I really like it because it maintains my enthusiasm for the language and builds consistency. Kieran, the creator, guides you gently and puts your mind at ease with a brilliant encouraging introduction. That sets the tone for the rest of the course. I’ve only done a few lessons but I’m really enjoying it so far. I love the fact that I can do other tasks, such as washing the dishes, and the course at the same time. It’s great!

My Spanish Exercises

The language learning app I’m using is called Memrise. Memrise is a British language learning platform. I really like it. It’s easy to use and I love the content. It has you learning through several ways such as listening, speed reviews, videos and more.

I love the videos! The “Learn with Locals” option has videos of native speakers saying phrases. It’s as authentic as it comes.

 

So there you have it. My main resources for learning Spanish. Like the other languages, I also use other resources and I’ll talk about it in a later post. See you next Sunday. ¡Hasta luego!

Learning Portuguese: My Method

Today’s post is about the Portuguese language. I’ll be talking about the methods I use to learn the language. So let’s get started.

I’ve been learning Portuguese for about a year. More consistently during quarantine. I think it’s a beautiful language that brings music to my ears.

Like French, I have two main resources I’m using at the moment. A grammar book and a website.

Although I’m still a beginner in Portuguese, I wanted to buy a grammar book to help me understand the language a bit better. I managed to find the grammar book pictured below. After reading reviews about the book, I bought it and I have to say I love it. In fact, it’s increased my motivation to learn Portuguese. What I like about it, is that it’s easy to follow and it’s full of exercises.

Grammar Book Cover

LingQ is a website and language learning platform founded by Steve Kaufmann. A man of many languages. I got inspired to use the platform from a language exchange partner. I’ve watched a few Steve Kaufmann videos on YouTube when seeking information and inspiration for languages.

LingQ focuses on listening and reading. I just started using LingQ so I’m not totally familiar with everything on the website. But from what I’ve picked up so far, I have to say I’m really enjoying it. There’s a lot of input and exposure to a lot of vocabulary.

Similar to how I’m learning French, but with a different resource, I’m listening and reading to content at the same time. LingQ makes this really easy by providing text, audio and translations through a variety of content. I’m currently using the “Getting Started” guided course (above).

So, that’s a wrap. I have other secondary resources I’m using but more on that in a later post. The next post will be my methods for the Spanish language. Até logo!