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Language progression during the year abroad
I was just wondering if anyone could share their experiences about how much they learned during their year abroad? I'll be going to Spain in a couple of months to spend a whole academic year studying, and I really want to make it worthwhile. How much would you say your level improved over the course of weeks and months?
Also, do you have any tips for maximising what you learn? I've already turned down a couple of offers to live with people who are going to the same place. I'd rather live with native students. I just want to get the most out of the year, as it's not really that long.
My writing/reading/and to an extent, listening are of quite a high level already, but my speaking is absolute rubbish. How did your speaking improve over the course of the year?
Thanks!
Also, do you have any tips for maximising what you learn? I've already turned down a couple of offers to live with people who are going to the same place. I'd rather live with native students. I just want to get the most out of the year, as it's not really that long.
My writing/reading/and to an extent, listening are of quite a high level already, but my speaking is absolute rubbish. How did your speaking improve over the course of the year?
Thanks!
I'm off to Sevilla, I can't wait! Visited a couple of times so far this year and its a really beautiful city 
.
I see your insurance is Spanish studies at MMU, which is what I'm doing
.
.I see your insurance is Spanish studies at MMU, which is what I'm doing
.dannywales
I'm off to Sevilla, I can't wait! Visited a couple of times so far this year and its a really beautiful city .
I see your insurance is Spanish studies at MMU, which is what I'm doing.
.I see your insurance is Spanish studies at MMU, which is what I'm doing
.Yeah, the guy (Geoff?) mentioned at the interview that he would suggest Seville to me when I asked about the year abroad. That must be one of their major contacts. Hope you enjoy it
Haha, well yeah but he's a bit biased as he's the coordinator for Sevilla
I am coming to the end of my year abroad in Germany. I decided to have a year between year 12 and 13 to live in Frankfurt. I live with a German family, who spoke English to me to start with (for about the first 6 weeks) until I asked them not to. I would definatly recomend asking the people you live with to speak Spanish to you. I have been going to school here, but for a long time I couldn't recognise if I'd got any better! Now I think I can say my listening has definatly got a lot better, I think I've imporved in all the areas though not as much. I don't really have any suggestions for improving extra quickly other than just make the most of every oppertunity you get. You can't live abroad for a year without getting better, so dont worry about that!
Good Luck
Good Luck
Kittten
You can't live abroad for a year without getting better, so dont worry about that!
Not technically true. I know plenty of folk who are just as bad as when they came here. You can't just expect to automatically get better at a language. You only get out of it, what you're prepared to put in.
I've been in Germany since September, and to be honest it's been peaks and troughs - depends how immersed you are in the language. I've been hanging round with a lot of American/Australian/British over the last 2 months during the holidays and it has obviously been detrimental. However, now uni's started again I should be ok.
Just be prepared to speak a lot, even when you mightn't want to - make the most of every opportunity.
This thread is prejudice against those that can't speak! Just think of those poor souls born without the gift of speech.
Praise Jesus!!!!!
Praise Jesus!!!!!
Fleece
Not technically true. I know plenty of folk who are just as bad as when they came here. You can't just expect to automatically get better at a language. You only get out of it, what you're prepared to put in.
I've been in Germany since September, and to be honest it's been peaks and troughs - depends how immersed you are in the language. I've been hanging round with a lot of American/Australian/British over the last 2 months during the holidays and it has obviously been detrimental. However, now uni's started again I should be ok.
Just be prepared to speak a lot, even when you mightn't want to - make the most of every opportunity.
I've been in Germany since September, and to be honest it's been peaks and troughs - depends how immersed you are in the language. I've been hanging round with a lot of American/Australian/British over the last 2 months during the holidays and it has obviously been detrimental. However, now uni's started again I should be ok.
Just be prepared to speak a lot, even when you mightn't want to - make the most of every opportunity.
Oh yeah definately, I know I can't afford to be lazy. I've already met a few Spaniards there (one of whom I'm sort of seeing) and sometimes it really frustrates me that I can't express myself, especially to the guy I like. I went for a weekend alone there seen as I knew him from when I went with a friend a couple of months beforehand, and he introduced me to his friends. I spoke nothing but Spanish for 3 days and by the end I just had a massive headache lol.
They said I wasn't bad, but it's just annoying that I couldn't understand everything and couldn't express myself exactly how I wanted to. Saying that, I really do think that if you make an effort, it will come quite quickly (depending on the person). I went on a Friday and I was quite rubbish to be honest, but by the Monday they were all saying I had improved a lot since the first day, which I was pleased about considering it was only a few days.
I was in Paris for a few nights (I know, not the best place to be considering it's packed with English speakers/things everywhere) but I picked up a hell of a lot. Despite being there for such a short time it made me understand the language just that little bit better. I can only imagine what a year would do for you.
I´m currently in Granada, in the middle of my semester abroad in Spain. I spent the first semester in Bordeaux, France.
I can say that a lot depends on you and how much effort you put in to meeting Spanish people and speaking Spanish and staying away from English speaking people.
Living with Spanish people is important - don´t become like other Brits here who purposely sought out an English speaking housemate and spend all their time in Paddy´s bar.
The problem with Granada (and I suspect with Seville as well) it that there are a lot, and I mean a lot of Erasmus students here and no doubt you will have classes with other English speaking people.
You could take the easy way out and just fall into hanging around with "the group" or take the hard way out, but more rewarding.
There are tons of students in Granada and the good thing about that is that there are a lot of things to do and for free too. Tapas are so cheap (in Sevilla too) and going out for coffie is quite popular too. Take every opportunity you are presented with to go out with Spanish people (and even other non English speaking Erasmus students as well). Speak as much as you can with whoever you can and don´t worry if you are making mistakes or not - you will fix this naturally with time.
I honestly don´t think that 10 months in a country is enough to really grasp a language. I personally think that you need minimum 2 years to be able to speak really fluently. But 10 months for those who work on their language is 10 months nonetheless and you will come out of it a changed person person linguistically - if anything your confidence level will shoot right up.
As for the accent and going to the south, yes, it is true, it is more difficult here. The endings of words are not pronounced and that means that the Andalucian speaker speaks faster than the northerners. However, that has advantages. While I still struggle with to understand the people here, I now understand the northerners so much better. It is such a treat to converse with someone from the north now, I can´t believe how well I understand them! You get used to working extra hard to understanding the people down here that when you speak to a northerner you suddenly understand without much effort.
I have only been here just over 2 months and my vocab has improved so much I can´t believe it. I´ll tell you what I do to improve it. I do study vocab lists both on the internet and in books. I also read all the student newspapers that I pick up around the university - there is a Spanish-wide monthy student newspaper and one for Andalucia as well. I pick up anything that I can find really including old metro newspapers - it doesn´t matter that they´re old and Metro is not too difficult to read and the articles are short. Then I look up words I don´t know. In the beginning you are looking up loads of words but then as time goes by and you start to see the same words over and over again they start to stick and you understand better. I even study the dictionary a bit before I fall asleep at night. Also, hanging around the youth section at your local library helps as well.
I do study grammar a bit as well. But I mostly do that in the intensive Spanish course that the uni here offers to Erasmus students. If there is one in Sevilla do it because I have learned a lot in it and the atmosphere is non-threatening - everybody else is in the same boat as you and even better, everyone speaks Spanish together because everybody comes from everywhere.
And then I put into practice what I have studied when I speak to people. I have found that I do use the vocab and grammar I learned when speaking to people. Don´t be afraid of speaking to other non-English speaking Erasmus students, especially ones that speak better than you as while you wouldn´t learn much grammar from each other, you do teach each other vocab.
The uni organises language exchanges here every week, sometimes twice a week. A bunch of people show up and you circulate the room talking to people in English and Spanish and I have actually made a good Spanish friend one day. If Sevilla has one of these, go to it. Don´t be afraid, there will be other people like you there as well and everybody wants to talk and get to know you. You never know right? And here in Granda there are free films everyday - go to them as well as it will improve your listening skills.
That is what I do to learn Spanish. I think the ´´problem´´ with your supposed lack of speaking skills is lack of confidence. And lack of confidence from lack of practice. I think, from what you have said, that you have a solid base and you just have to put it into practice. Practice, practice, practice and speak, speak, speak.
I can say that a lot depends on you and how much effort you put in to meeting Spanish people and speaking Spanish and staying away from English speaking people.
Living with Spanish people is important - don´t become like other Brits here who purposely sought out an English speaking housemate and spend all their time in Paddy´s bar.
The problem with Granada (and I suspect with Seville as well) it that there are a lot, and I mean a lot of Erasmus students here and no doubt you will have classes with other English speaking people.
You could take the easy way out and just fall into hanging around with "the group" or take the hard way out, but more rewarding.
There are tons of students in Granada and the good thing about that is that there are a lot of things to do and for free too. Tapas are so cheap (in Sevilla too) and going out for coffie is quite popular too. Take every opportunity you are presented with to go out with Spanish people (and even other non English speaking Erasmus students as well). Speak as much as you can with whoever you can and don´t worry if you are making mistakes or not - you will fix this naturally with time.
I honestly don´t think that 10 months in a country is enough to really grasp a language. I personally think that you need minimum 2 years to be able to speak really fluently. But 10 months for those who work on their language is 10 months nonetheless and you will come out of it a changed person person linguistically - if anything your confidence level will shoot right up.
As for the accent and going to the south, yes, it is true, it is more difficult here. The endings of words are not pronounced and that means that the Andalucian speaker speaks faster than the northerners. However, that has advantages. While I still struggle with to understand the people here, I now understand the northerners so much better. It is such a treat to converse with someone from the north now, I can´t believe how well I understand them! You get used to working extra hard to understanding the people down here that when you speak to a northerner you suddenly understand without much effort.
I have only been here just over 2 months and my vocab has improved so much I can´t believe it. I´ll tell you what I do to improve it. I do study vocab lists both on the internet and in books. I also read all the student newspapers that I pick up around the university - there is a Spanish-wide monthy student newspaper and one for Andalucia as well. I pick up anything that I can find really including old metro newspapers - it doesn´t matter that they´re old and Metro is not too difficult to read and the articles are short. Then I look up words I don´t know. In the beginning you are looking up loads of words but then as time goes by and you start to see the same words over and over again they start to stick and you understand better. I even study the dictionary a bit before I fall asleep at night. Also, hanging around the youth section at your local library helps as well.
I do study grammar a bit as well. But I mostly do that in the intensive Spanish course that the uni here offers to Erasmus students. If there is one in Sevilla do it because I have learned a lot in it and the atmosphere is non-threatening - everybody else is in the same boat as you and even better, everyone speaks Spanish together because everybody comes from everywhere.
And then I put into practice what I have studied when I speak to people. I have found that I do use the vocab and grammar I learned when speaking to people. Don´t be afraid of speaking to other non-English speaking Erasmus students, especially ones that speak better than you as while you wouldn´t learn much grammar from each other, you do teach each other vocab.
The uni organises language exchanges here every week, sometimes twice a week. A bunch of people show up and you circulate the room talking to people in English and Spanish and I have actually made a good Spanish friend one day. If Sevilla has one of these, go to it. Don´t be afraid, there will be other people like you there as well and everybody wants to talk and get to know you. You never know right? And here in Granda there are free films everyday - go to them as well as it will improve your listening skills.
That is what I do to learn Spanish. I think the ´´problem´´ with your supposed lack of speaking skills is lack of confidence. And lack of confidence from lack of practice. I think, from what you have said, that you have a solid base and you just have to put it into practice. Practice, practice, practice and speak, speak, speak.
Thanks for the effort that you put into that reply, snoezig!
I agree that it's lack of practice, I have never had a chance to speak to natives outside of an academic setting until recently.
It's also true about being able to understand people from the north a lot better after getting used to how Andalucíans speak. Personally I prefer the Spanish they speak in Andalucía because they speak it so fast and it's more of a challenge. It also prepares you to come up against the Latin American accents; a lot of the accents of Southern America have been influenced by Andalucían Spanish.
Snoezig, how did you find it when you first arrived in Granada? What I'm most worried about is that I'll get really annoyed about not being able to think of words, or that people will be fed up with me continually asking what things mean. I'd like to think I can explain myself in a round about way, but sometimes it is the REALLY long way around, even if it's something that can be said in quite a basic way by a native.
How are you finding Granada in general?
I agree that it's lack of practice, I have never had a chance to speak to natives outside of an academic setting until recently.
It's also true about being able to understand people from the north a lot better after getting used to how Andalucíans speak. Personally I prefer the Spanish they speak in Andalucía because they speak it so fast and it's more of a challenge. It also prepares you to come up against the Latin American accents; a lot of the accents of Southern America have been influenced by Andalucían Spanish.
Snoezig, how did you find it when you first arrived in Granada? What I'm most worried about is that I'll get really annoyed about not being able to think of words, or that people will be fed up with me continually asking what things mean. I'd like to think I can explain myself in a round about way, but sometimes it is the REALLY long way around, even if it's something that can be said in quite a basic way by a native.
How are you finding Granada in general?
The best tip I can offer you is to LIVE with native speakers. Don't live in halls, go out and find yourself a flat with Spanish people and so then you HAVE to speak Spanish every single day at one point or another, even if you mainly end up hanging round with English speakers. I lived with native speakers in Italy and my language improved phenomenally.
As everyone as said - LIVE with the natives. I spent six months of my Gap Year working in a very rural area of former East Germany so no one spoke English (kids I was working with were too young, teenagers too embarassed and adults had all learned Russian far more than they had learnt English) so I just had to get on with it and speak German.
It was pretty tough at first and you think 'Oh God I'm not getting any better' but then at some point you realise "Hey! I am WAY better than when I came here!" and you feel great I remember I used to judge myself by watching CSI Miami every week or so and being so happy as I progressed from barely understanding anything, to following most of it, to being able to understand all the silly plotlines and ridiculous links that were being made
I had a small dictionary with me that I'd use to look up words I hadn't understood. What would have been useful would have been some grammar notes from classes as my grammar has always been appalling and although I know I got better I still found it hard to use the right endings and things without my tables and stuff to check them up with.
Overall, my speaking, vocabulary and listening improved immensely (my favourite moment was being described as speaking 'almost accent-free' in the local newspaper), however as I wasn't doing any studying or written work, my writing didn't improve as much in comparision and I still make grammatical written errors and the like so make sure you keep on top of that as well and apply what you learn speaking-wise to your academic work too and you should do jsut fine .
It was pretty tough at first and you think 'Oh God I'm not getting any better' but then at some point you realise "Hey! I am WAY better than when I came here!" and you feel great
I remember I used to judge myself by watching CSI Miami every week or so and being so happy as I progressed from barely understanding anything, to following most of it, to being able to understand all the silly plotlines and ridiculous links that were being made I had a small dictionary with me that I'd use to look up words I hadn't understood. What would have been useful would have been some grammar notes from classes as my grammar has always been appalling and although I know I got better I still found it hard to use the right endings and things without my tables and stuff to check them up with.
Overall, my speaking, vocabulary and listening improved immensely (my favourite moment was being described as speaking 'almost accent-free' in the local newspaper
), however as I wasn't doing any studying or written work, my writing didn't improve as much in comparision and I still make grammatical written errors and the like so make sure you keep on top of that as well and apply what you learn speaking-wise to your academic work too and you should do jsut fine .
Im in Italy at the moment and my Italian has definately improved, though I still find speaking it considerably more difficult than reading or writing. Unless you go and live with a host family I would say that it is very difficult to surround yourself with a group of Italian friends so that you could speak it a lot of everyday.
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