www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I am interested in learning the language not only for meeting chicas but also for business since Soy Abogado (was that right? lol) so I was thinking about doing an immersion strategy consisting of

1. Language Programs: I checked out a couple of "Learn spanish in such a such amount of days" programs from my local library

2. Telemundo: At night I was going to devote myself to watching an hour of Spanish television every night to try to pick up the cadence and also some culture cues

3. I also planned to subscribe to the local Hispanic newspaper Mundo Hispanico. I figured that it would help with vocabulary, some culture and just news in general

I decided against doing something conventional like taking a community college course since classrooms tend to just make you an expert on grammar but does nothing as far as speaking and understanding the language. (I know I took 2 years of German in H.S. and College and I can't speak sh*t)

So how does this plan sound to you guys? Do you have any more suggestions?

Not sure where you are from but most large cities provide a Spanish newspaper for free. Here in the DC area there is one and you can get it at pretty much any subway stop.

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[url=http://www.amishrakefight.org/gfy/]

Yeah here in Atlanta Mundo Hispanico is free but it costs money to get it delivered to you every day. I was going to get it sent to my office.

There are a bunch of podcasts for iPod if you have one. I also have a cd set for my truck. It is one of those interactive repeat after me things, not bad for driving around town.

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In honor of Jimmy V week, "Don't give up, don't ever give up!"

A bunch of us on this forum have attended classes while we were in C.R. I have found the immersion type of study to work very well for me.
Morning classes are typical and, other than having to be at school by 8 or 9 AM, don't interfere with other activities too much.

A couple of the most popular options are:

CRLA (Costa Rica Language Academy)http://www.learn-spanish.com/ San Pedro near the mall

Universal de Idiomas http://www.universal-edu.com/about_us.html Downtown SJ

I know that CRLA offers specialized courses for medical, business, etc. needs. You may want some specialized instruction for the legal field later on.

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Women are like beers. I've never had one that I didn't like. Just some that I like more than others! --Western

I guess I wouldn't be living up to my moniker if I don't chime in


Out of the things you listed, I like seeing this one the best. I noticed you said you wanted to learn for business purposes as well. This throws off my suggestion slightly but I'll say it anyway.

I would concentrate on specifically understanding (comprehenssion) and speaking. I would stay away from learning how to read and write (for now).

We are busy enough in our lives without having to tackle every facet of a language. I would say for immediate success/confidence, to stick to the aforementioned.

I began learning english around 11 and since I was in school of course I needed to learn to read and write as well. But I specifically focused on comprehenssion and speaking. Being a teenager you realize you need to understand and speak first and foremost. As I learned to read it helped me to start actually thinking in english. After that, things like slang, sarcasim, euphemisms, inuendos, etc just fell in place over time.

I think what most guys here don't realize is how surprised they may be on the retention you have once you get the ball rolling. It's just like with anything else:

You're a fat ass and want to hit the gym but you know it's going to suck. If you stick with it and get over the "hump" you start to actually feel guilty for not going.

Same here, if you have any sort of a can do attitude, you can do this.

Now, (other then when I travel to CR) I've almost spoken english exclussively for the last 20 years. My vocabulary in english has well surpassed my spanish one. It takes me a day or two while in CR to get back in the swing of it. Funny 'cause the same applies when I return to the states.


So listen.....and talk Worry about accent, vernacular as you go along.

Ok, that's my pep talk and the best way I can say I learned a new language.

Buena suerte amigos

Cujo

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"Pain is the fuel that fans the flames of my pyre. A battle plan is only as good as the general carrying it out on the field. This is my war son, and I have the biggest bombs and the smallest conscience"...

If you are serious about learning Spanish for business purposes (although I've yet to find any use for an American 'abogado' in CR), then I believe that you should place as much priority on the fundamentals as you do the basic comprehension and speaking. Although the average Tico could not explain fully explain that you use the conditional tense prefatory to a subjunctive, they nevertheless do it automatically. You don't have that luxury and need some structure to learn to conjugate your verbs. As in golf, it is better not to learn bad habits in the first place. This is, of course, just my opinion. I also like the idea of going to CRLA, but I would ask them to teach you the fundamentals as well as basic conversational Spanish.

Ciaociao

Johnny

I can tell you about what my experience has been like trying to learn Spanish. I had a long commute and had the time so over a two year period I did Pimsleur I, II, III and Pimsleur Spanish Plus. For the last year I have been taking classes with a tutor once a week. In those three years I've probably taken seven or eight trips to Spanish speaking countries.

I took it seriously and worked hard at it and I would say that I"m still struggling to reach an intermediate level. Its serious work.

good luck

I would suggest a couple of other things. Local or regional spanish newspapers in the US tend to have questionable grammar and vocabulary influenced by Spanglish. You might want to go online to get a newspaper, like La Prensa from Honduras, and pick out a single article and look up every word, and try to figure out why the verbs are conjugated as they are. Newspapers like La Prensa may have some questionable grammar, but at least they are authentic.
I believe an underused resource is music. Music is infinitely more listenable than those vocabulary tapes (because it's music). The single best album would be Canta en Espanol by Eydie Gorme:
http://www.amazon.com/Canta-Espa%C3%B1o ... 830&sr=1-1
Regarding watching TV, unless you speak at least intermediate Spanish, I can't see where you will understand much. But it is a noble goal.
I learned myself by living in CA for two years, and studying Spanish the whole time, and then continuing to study for the past 14 years. Also, I have a Mexican buddy who insists on speaking Spanish, and he has stayed with me from time to time and that helps alot. A more entertaining version is to live with a Spanish-speaking girlfriend. Even living for two years in CA, and studying for the past 14 years here in the US, it is not easy, but it has been very rewarding personally.
But going back to practical suggestions, I think to study one newspaper article a day (or a week), and listen to Spanish-language music, and perhaps one Spanish-language TV program with a speaker who enunciates well. It is a worthwhile endeavor.

Hey also on the TV part...flip on the subtitles...Spanish for English and visa versa. It helps to assimilate some common words quickly

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In honor of Jimmy V week, "Don't give up, don't ever give up!"

IMHO nothing works better than the "walking dictioinary" approach. I started off with Pimsleur since I had alot of drive time daily and supplemented this with Spanish television programs, but by far my greatest period of learning was the 2 months that I had my novia from Medellin with me on a daily basis. She only had about 20 words of English and was basically totally dependent on me for communication.

Far and away my Espanol improved by great leaps and bounds during this period. Now that I have returned her to Medellin and have made the decision to continue my mongering career I am back to Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone and more television in Spanish.

If you want to learn to speak and understand better than take full advantage of the "walking dictionaries". Put yourself in a position to make the most of your time "south of the border". I have had sooooo many lessons from casa girls in Colombia that have helped soooo much. Just do the best you can. IMHO most people are very receptive to you just trying to speak in Spanish.

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Rainman3

Thanks for the suggestion guys. So far I am finding that I can pick up some stuff quickly because I took 5 years of Latin in high school so some things are familiar. A year ago I dated this chica from Venezuela and she would always throw me some Spanish words...usually stuff about kissing and how sexy you look today. She would always say that I was different from other Americans in that I actually tried to pronounce words like a native speaker.

Then I met her parents and she disappeared. lol

rosetta is pretty nice...it focuses on comprehension which is one of the most important facets of a language. My problem for the longest time was comprehension...I could speak my mind well but when it came time to responding to questions and getting involved in conversation, I struggled. It's hard to understand people when they speak extremely fast (i.e. Mexicanos). I would reccomend the rosetta program with a little spanish tv and maybe a private tutor if you can afford it. Nothing compares to one-on-one practice with a native speaker. Maybe after you've done that u could enroll in a class at a C.C. thats doesn't hurt, like cujo said...reading and writing is not crucial in the early stages, your not going to be writing notes to these girls yet.

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Tudo bem!

Comprehension isn't everything. the tongue must learn to be fluid. Whether you watch telemundo or use Rosetta Stone which I advocate, you must actively and orally speak and copy EVERY sentance you hear and try to perfect the accent. That is what will grease your tongue so to speak. Once you fluidize your tongue with their tongue, your tongue may may tongue you to new heights of pleasure when you actually get to CR.

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Providing humanitarian assistance to self employed chicas, one cash grant at a time.

I agree that your accent is really important. I still don't consider myself 100% fluent but I do have a really good spanish accent. Two weeks ago I was in DR sipping a beer before driving to the airport. A couple of chicas came up to me offering their services. After a couple minutes of conversation, one of them asked me if I was Tico. I laughed and asked if I looked Tico and she said no, but the way you speak sounds local.

I would have to say that it's my accent that get's me credit more than my comprehension. You can fake comprehension somewhat...I repeat somewhat. You can't fake accent at all.