i can definitely relate to your point about being a super beginner and trying to speak spanish. i barely knew anything at 18 years old and was trying to talk to people at my cashiering job and got close to nothing but frusterated responses that immediately transitioned back to english. then i gave up on spanish for a year. ahora, puedo hablar sobre cosas basicas, pero yo sé la nivel de mi español. tengo más cuidado que antes cuando yo uso español en el publico. mi regla es esto: solomente hablo si la otra persona no puede hablar íngles en una nivel basica. si la otra persona necesita hablar en español conmigo, voy a hablar. pero si la persona tiene íngles mejor que mi español, yo no usaría.
Another great video Mike. I think your advice was really great. I am just a friendly person, so I will just say something to a shopper in a store like "Hola, buenos dias. Yo estoy aprendiendo espanol. Me encanta el idioma." And they talk to me. My Spanish isn't great, so we usually end up with some Spanglish, but I have met so many interesting women that way. I like to shop at Goodwill and have found many other women shopping there who aren't in a hurry and are happy to chat with me. There are a lot of older woman where I live who really don't speak much English. So, they are happy to indulge my Spanish. I think the attitude that you bring to the conversation really matters. I've really never had anyone not want to speak with me, but sometimes it's just a sentence or two. Barbara
Thank you Tomar, your Spanish is great and good luck out there in Doraville. Let me know how it goes, I have some other locations around the city that might surprise you that are even better than Doraville lol. Que te vaya muy bien!
I like to go to Latino restaurants. Ordering food and speaking to the waitress waiter. It’s helped build my confidence. Going back to Puerto Rico has helped me too
This is a great video, I normally hear their accent while speaking english.(obviously I don’t look like I speak Spanish) so natives that are bilingual always speak english to me first, so I’ll pick up on their accent and then I normally ask, always in Spanish “de donde eres?” And one or two things happen: 1. They are confused because they aren’t sure the heard correctly so they say “huh?” Or 2. They answer and then immediately ask “y tu de donde eres?” And that’s how the conversation starts, hasn’t failed once.
Bro! I watched one of your videos on the plane about 5 things to help you improve your Spanish. One of the tips was to speak with strangers when you can and you shared about your friends that you met and hung out with. Well fast forward to last night when I landed in Atlanta. I saw one of my Mexican brothers needed some help here in Atlanta. I asked if he spoke Spanish and his was so excited that I could help in his situation. Honestly, if I had not watched your video I may not have even attempted to translate between him and the Lyft driver. Keep up the great content.
That's an amazing story and it speaks to the power that we have by simply opening our mouths and speaking. ¡Muchas gracias por compartir y también me encanta tu canal!
One thing I want to add, is that it can depend on the language. Because of history, most English and Spanish speakers just see their native language as a means of communication, while others have a sense of pride in their due to the cultural ties. This is something I've noticed after spending 4 months in South America. I had multiple times in which I came across native Chinese and Japanese speakers. After hearing them, I just approached them speaking their language and could tell they were shocked but also opened up and got comfortable to be able to communicate in their own languages. Mind you, I'm about a B2 in both languages and spent time in countries that speak them. While people in South America were nice and would encourage me to speak Spanish, they tended to just want to communicate through whichever language, Spanish or English. I'm about a B1+ in Spanish atm. I've also studied Swahili and Polish to a A1-A2 level, and native speakers usually get happy just to hear someone attempting to learn their languages. Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in. It's all about how you approach people. Like you pointed out, not everyone wants a forced awkward conversation. When I was in Peru, I was on a tour and everyone seemed outgoing with at least a basic level of of Spanish, except for one lady. I was pretty sure she was Japanese but I didn't approach her like that. She was quiet for a while and I eventually asked for her name. I immediately knew it was Japanese and asked え、日本人ですか？ (Oh, your Japanese?) and she completely started to open up to me!
I have to agree with you for the most part. Have you ever experienced that most Spanish speaking people hear you to start to try to talk & they look at you and talk back to you in American even if you want to converse in Spanish and mention that to them? Most have no patience with you as you have mentioned in this post. It's very frustrating to try to learn the language, Spanish.
This used to happen when my Spanish hadn’t developed to the level that it’s at now. Now that I speak well, I overwhelmingly get them responding to me in Spanish.
Ben!! I am so glad you brought this up.. I had an encounter with a fruit guy at a party I attended. I told my self I will talk to him in Spanish and he would nod and proceed to make my cup of fruit. The entire time all his responses were in English.. like bruh don’t you see I’m speaking your language I told myself. I ignored it but it also made no sense to me. As Spanish speakers would approach him the Spanish came out like nothing. I asked myself why not me lol.. but I take that’s “L” and moved on. I thought this whole situation was super strange. Thanks for this video
It’s literally all based on your Spanish level in my opinion. It also depends on the person, some people are just like that. I’ve found that people that are cool though will switch right to Spanish once they can tell that you speak the language well and that it wouldn’t be a stretch to speak with you in Spanish. Que sigas aprendiendo!
Okay, Sir! You’ve won me over. At first, I was like “ What?!” But it ALL makes so much sense. Thank you for your reflection and sharing your perspective. Bendiciones para usted.
Thank you! Please let me know your feedback and you can do it. Once you get the momentum going that will help you stay motivated. 30mins - 1 hour a day, EVERYDAY will do the trick, trust me! Que te vaya muy bien en el proceso!
You can practice with strangers by ordering at hispanic restaurants or food trucks in Spanish. Also greet the cashiers in latino grocery stores in Spanish. And you reply based on their response. Often they’re open to a short exchanges with you simply because you said “hola. Cómo estas?”
Learning is an individual process - blanket statements are iffy. I think "basic questions" from a newbie are okay if it fits the situation. When I started out, I'd be in a store, and would make small talk in English with someone I heard speaking Span. I'd then throw in the Span and would tell them that I was learning. Most would chat a little . I learned a lot that way even when I had very little speaking ability. I think having memorized phrases like, "Estoy aprendiendo esp, y quiero practicar" can work. Natives were way more friendly when I said that. If they replied in English, then I kept it moving. I still remember corrections that I learned that way, even with cashiers in a store, when I struggled with counting money. So much depends on the people, the place, learner confidence, not necessarily on their level.
Great point here Cindy, blanket statements are never ideal. I will say though, people that unfortunately have negative experiences get turned away from learning Spanish because of those experiences and that’s a shame. Often times it’s just their language level and them coming across people who are not in the mood to help them practice. Thankfully most of yours have been positive and fruitful!
Will do! I have a very special guest that I plan to record with this weekend if all goes well so some Spanish content is coming. Muchas gracias por la recomendación!
"Stick your neck out there" is the phrase. One thing I want to point out is that you've consistently remarked that you think that you're "rambling," and I want to assure you that you're not. I've been able to understand everything you've presented with ease. In fact, at the point where you stated that you were "rambling," I paused the video for a minute and summarized your points in two sentences. Anyway, these are great tips that learners can utilize because it can be a daunting and exhausting experience conversing with strangers in your target language. All in all, keep up the great work. Buen suerte con todo
oof yea i made the mistake of assuming once when i was working as a cashier and idk what i was thinking but i said something like "si necesitas ayuda tenemos una empleada aqui que tambien habla espanol" and i had the biggest smile on my face because im very social and like to help but she looked at me like i offended her entire lineage then snatched her bad as she left🤣🤣🤣
dude i was totally doing this as a beginner and wondering why a lot of the guatamalin coworkers at my job looked mad at me every time i tried to practice with them.. lol! im going to stop and try to get better now. italki is a much better environment for beginners to practice.
@@MikeBen im curious i watched your video on how you progressed the first year. you said you spent a lot of time straight up listening after your first italki session went bad. i think you said it took like a solid month of a lot of listening and studying before you rebooked italki and then you started doing italki more consistently from that point forward correct? Because i'm trying to get more into italki but i really am bad at conversing still. im wondering if should keep trying and pushing myself or if its better to just stop for a while and go back to a bunch of input listening and reading as well as practice speaking by myself on film or practice writing. or do you think its good if someone is knowing some really beginner stuff to still try and use it on italki? what is your opinion and how many times a week do you think is good on italki and how long of a sessions do you think are good ? Thanks
Great video Mike yeah when I walk up and try to speak and they think I’m native I end up freezing and regret it 😅 cuz it’s too fast for my comprehension and I’m like uh oh. 🤣🤣 I should be advance
I'm probably an intermediate learner with like 1.5 years of learning. I try to use hello talk and italki often. I can get by pretty well, but even when im speaking to someone with a recognizable accent that is speaking very clearly and at a reasonable speed, there are still moments in that convo when I completely miss an entire phrase or 2 in a row. I have no idea what they said. I know from experience this happens less often the better I get, but I'm curious as someone trying to practice 1-2 hours per day both speaking and listening, how long until I get past this stage? Even now there are times when I miss a word, I know the word they said but I don't know that vocabulary yet and i'll ask them to explain it. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the deer in headlights look where they say something within the context of our convo and i'm still lost.
When you are in a conversation and miss something that was too fast or outside your lexicon, form the habit of asking "como?" This is the Spanish equivalent of asking "what was that?" in English which lets them know you didn't understand and will prompt them to repeat it and generally put more emphasis on making g sure they say it clearly. Once they repeat if you still don't understand simply say "disculpa, no entiendo. Sigo aprendiendo" which is to say, sorry I don't understand, I'm still learning. Maybe they will say it in English, or try to rephrase it in a simpler way in Spanish, but this strategy has lead to some great learning moments and keeps conversations from dying an awkward death.
This will happen, in terms of time, this stopped happening to me after 2 years but I also started speaking to people more in different contexts and that helped a lot. A simple “cómo” like aphryo said goes a long way.
Do you think that creative writing could be a substitute for speaking? I am using grammar checkers and online tutors to improve my writing. I hope that the writing will indirectly help my speaking in Spanish.
I don’t think anything can substitute speaking but as an overall strategy to improve your Spanish, I think it’s great. I actually am considering doing the same as a personal challenge to myself.
Outside of Italki, a month and a half. I was lucky to work closely with another teacher that was Cuban. He and I talked a lot plus I talked with my Spanish speaking students at the time.
I would not approach with te puedo hacer una pregunta. Maybe when you approach the guys sitting in front of Home Depot I guess. But I would approach formally not informally. le, les, not te.
If the person is older or very formal, I do this. If the person seems like a chill person closer to my age I just use tú, sometimes people will say that you can tutear them because the usted can be super formal for some. Cada quien con el suyo y depende del país cierto?
@@MikeBen Most learners are stuck on only speaking 2nd person informal no matter if they are addressing a child or someone's mother for the first time. This would have been a good forum for you to express 3rd person formal as with te puedo hacer una pregunta? example. Just some constructive input. pero todo bien con tu canal y lo que hablas!
Im not super familiar with those levels. I do consider myself fluent but I’m not sure how that aligns with the formal language levels. When I finish grad school in August I’m going to take one and I’ll let you all know my results.
I would imagine your speaking level is C1. The reason I say that is, I've seen many C1 - English videos and it seems to me that the way they speak is of a slightly lesser level than your Spanish.
@osoperezoso2608 Totally in agreement. I am pretty familiar with the standards for all six levels A1-C2. I would guess Mike is at least on the C1 spectrum of spoken Spanish. . However, the exam consists of 4 tests organized in two groups (written, listening, speaking, and reading comprehension). I would guess that he would be close to the same in the other categories, especially given that he has written a book.
See Teresita Ramos linguist her theory of the uninformed Informant. Here in Mexico I do not talk in general to individuals above level secondaria. Mexico is not one big university campus. Therefore, I don't ask Mexicans none retórica questions. I have a Mexican lawyers. I only ask him questions I know the answer to. He can tell be the best option. If I have to ask him what is a stop light, what is a car? What does the Mexican law on that say? I can't read Spanish but your laws are in Latin and French but I cannot read that either. If I ask him to take me from K though Law School he will tell me to get another lawyer! I ask him and everyone else questions about their preferences. For example how do you say I have a Dent in my car? I have to know the answer to any question all the way back to Latin. In the case of what is a dent in Spanish I know all of its modern bifurcations and back to Latin. To save a person time I ask questions that are rhetorical, instinctive questions that illicit an instantaneous one word response. I might have to ask follow up questions. I have to provide context, grammar, etimologias, history....and exceptions. I cannot demand they do my research for me! I do not want the respondent to have to think. I am looking for a knee jerk reaction. Knee jerk answer are honest. I do not see contrivances from people who do not own books. I asked Mike a question about a year and a half ago. I ask it again: How many questions can any given human being be asked during a day? The number is 10. That is why one has to ask rhetorical instinctive confirmational questions. That is why you have to know with exactitude how many questions you must ask to confirm what you already know. I make it clear that I am not seeking an answer. I want the person to know I am seeking their personal experience and personal judgement. It is like asking your wife "Honey, you said your favorite restaurant was X. Can we eat there during our vacation to Mexico?" That means you listened to her in the past. That you are listening to her now. And you desire to listen to her in the future. She can say yes. She can say no. You have to know the likely reason for the yes or the no. Now ask her what is the solution to the three body problem of gravitational orbits? First that question is complex. Secondly I do not know the answer. Lastly no one knows the answer. (Recently someone claimed to have answered the question.) No matter one's level of language if one one follows the 10 questions rule and asks retórica confirmational questions one will be just fine. Case in point: I am locking my bike. A man and woman come up to me. The man asks in Spanish where he can get money with a card. I ask pointing there is a bank right there with an electronic cash box? It is that the type of money you need? He says no. He says we are at the house of refuges. People told me to walk 12 blocks in this direction and turn left and there is the money thing I need. Ok. Now I know he does not need an ATM. So, I ask let me look at your cell phone that has the information for a money transfer? They both said someone sends us money from Cuba. The phone said MoneyGram. They could not read MoneyGram because it is a meaningless commercial name that cannot be translated. Then I walk with them 3 miles looking for a MoneyGram. Finally we find one. The guy behind the counter says in America Spanish, [remember they are Cuban. I understand them. That does not mean other non Cubans understand them.] He says that he cannot provide cash back service because his terminal is out of service. The next MoneyGram store is 6 miles away. The man can make it. I do not think his wife could. I take them to the city bus station. I and everyone at the bus station explain the routes, the fees, and schedules. Remember they are Cuban Spanish speakers. I at times have to tell the American speakers what the Cuban said and the Cubans what the American Spanish speakers said. They decided they didn't want to go to Walmart. I walk them back to the Casa de los refugidos. Because they were not sure how long the police would allow the outside. The next morning I hope they made it to Walmart because they had a 2000 mile trip ahead of them. The point is this once you know what you are doing most of the time Spanish speakers are asking you the questions. For instance: I am riding my bike and someone stopped me and asked me out of the blue do you have an air pump? I have a flat. They assume in Mexico that the person who has a nice bike knows everything about bikes. So, I know where the repair shop is. I know how to fix their bike. Mexican children and teenagers will see you outside. The come up with a broken toy or bike. Hey fix this. No time to explain. Fix the thing for them because that is what well resourced adults do in Latin America. Hey my car will not start. Do you have cables? No cables? Take the battery out of your car connected to their terminals. Do not ask questions. Get them up and rolling. They call on the phone hey I have a flat. Come and get me and take me to the spare I have at home and back to my truck and back to the tire shop. How good is the spare? You will have to explain to them on the spot. In Latin America people assume that bilinguals have all the answers and that people who have money have all the answers. When you speak anything well enough 99 percent of the time you will not do the talking. You will not be asking the questions. You will 99 percent of the time listening and half a percent of the time answering and the rest of the time you will have your sleeves rolled up changing tires!
i can definitely relate to your point about being a super beginner and trying to speak spanish. i barely knew anything at 18 years old and was trying to talk to people at my cashiering job and got close to nothing but frusterated responses that immediately transitioned back to english. then i gave up on spanish for a year.
ahora, puedo hablar sobre cosas basicas, pero yo sé la nivel de mi español. tengo más cuidado que antes cuando yo uso español en el publico. mi regla es esto: solomente hablo si la otra persona no puede hablar íngles en una nivel basica. si la otra persona necesita hablar en español conmigo, voy a hablar. pero si la persona tiene íngles mejor que mi español, yo no usaría.
As you improve the experience begins to get better and better
Another great video Mike. I think your advice was really great. I am just a friendly person, so I will just say something to a shopper in a store like "Hola, buenos dias. Yo estoy aprendiendo espanol. Me encanta el idioma." And they talk to me. My Spanish isn't great, so we usually end up with some Spanglish, but I have met so many interesting women that way. I like to shop at Goodwill and have found many other women shopping there who aren't in a hurry and are happy to chat with me. There are a lot of older woman where I live who really don't speak much English. So, they are happy to indulge my Spanish. I think the attitude that you bring to the conversation really matters. I've really never had anyone not want to speak with me, but sometimes it's just a sentence or two. Barbara
Great points here Barbra! I think nice people will always be open and excited. The key is finding nice people lol. Que te vaya muy bien!
Your self reflection is admirable. I’m going to try this up in Doraville this week.
Thank you Tomar, your Spanish is great and good luck out there in Doraville. Let me know how it goes, I have some other locations around the city that might surprise you that are even better than Doraville lol. Que te vaya muy bien!
I like to go to Latino restaurants. Ordering food and speaking to the waitress waiter. It’s helped build my confidence. Going back to Puerto Rico has helped me too
This helps, going back to PR is even better 🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷
This is a great video, I normally hear their accent while speaking english.(obviously I don’t look like I speak Spanish) so natives that are bilingual always speak english to me first, so I’ll pick up on their accent and then I normally ask, always in Spanish “de donde eres?” And one or two things happen: 1. They are confused because they aren’t sure the heard correctly so they say “huh?” Or 2. They answer and then immediately ask “y tu de donde eres?” And that’s how the conversation starts, hasn’t failed once.
Absolutely love this. Almost line for líne my experience as well.
Lol this happens to me at times as well, it’s funny how we all have so many shared experiences in this.
@MikeBen Absolutely, this is why I love interacting with this community (shared experiences).
@@MikeBen I agree 100% the language learning community is something special.
@@tlatisha that is so cool! I thought it was a me thing haha
Bro! I watched one of your videos on the plane about 5 things to help you improve your Spanish. One of the tips was to speak with strangers when you can and you shared about your friends that you met and hung out with. Well fast forward to last night when I landed in Atlanta.
I saw one of my Mexican brothers needed some help here in Atlanta. I asked if he spoke Spanish and his was so excited that I could help in his situation. Honestly, if I had not watched your video I may not have even attempted to translate between him and the Lyft driver. Keep up the great content.
That's an amazing story and it speaks to the power that we have by simply opening our mouths and speaking. ¡Muchas gracias por compartir y también me encanta tu canal!
Un placer y gracias
One thing I want to add, is that it can depend on the language. Because of history, most English and Spanish speakers just see their native language as a means of communication, while others have a sense of pride in their due to the cultural ties. This is something I've noticed after spending 4 months in South America. I had multiple times in which I came across native Chinese and Japanese speakers. After hearing them, I just approached them speaking their language and could tell they were shocked but also opened up and got comfortable to be able to communicate in their own languages. Mind you, I'm about a B2 in both languages and spent time in countries that speak them. While people in South America were nice and would encourage me to speak Spanish, they tended to just want to communicate through whichever language, Spanish or English. I'm about a B1+ in Spanish atm. I've also studied Swahili and Polish to a A1-A2 level, and native speakers usually get happy just to hear someone attempting to learn their languages.
Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in. It's all about how you approach people. Like you pointed out, not everyone wants a forced awkward conversation. When I was in Peru, I was on a tour and everyone seemed outgoing with at least a basic level of of Spanish, except for one lady. I was pretty sure she was Japanese but I didn't approach her like that. She was quiet for a while and I eventually asked for her name. I immediately knew it was Japanese and asked え、日本人ですか？ (Oh, your Japanese?) and she completely started to open up to me!
Very good point here! The language that your attempting to speak makes a huge difference!
I have to agree with you for the most part. Have you ever experienced that most Spanish speaking people hear you to start to try to talk & they look at you and talk back to you in American even if you want to converse in Spanish and mention that to them? Most have no patience with you as you have mentioned in this post. It's very frustrating to try to learn the language, Spanish.
This used to happen when my Spanish hadn’t developed to the level that it’s at now. Now that I speak well, I overwhelmingly get them responding to me in Spanish.
I love how you are so honest and transparent with your views when you share them with the Spanish learning community
Thanks T!
Ben!! I am so glad you brought this up.. I had an encounter with a fruit guy at a party I attended. I told my self I will talk to him in Spanish and he would nod and proceed to make my cup of fruit. The entire time all his responses were in English.. like bruh don’t you see I’m speaking your language I told myself. I ignored it but it also made no sense to me. As Spanish speakers would approach him the Spanish came out like nothing. I asked myself why not me lol.. but I take that’s “L” and moved on. I thought this whole situation was super strange. Thanks for this video
It’s literally all based on your Spanish level in my opinion. It also depends on the person, some people are just like that. I’ve found that people that are cool though will switch right to Spanish once they can tell that you speak the language well and that it wouldn’t be a stretch to speak with you in Spanish. Que sigas aprendiendo!
Language exchanges are a good way to practice. They're free, and everyone is there to learn. I find them through meetup.
Agreed!
Estoy de acuerdo con cada ejemplo dado en este video. No es "rambly", si no que es la pura verdad. Tu honestidad te hace grande. Exito amigo.
Muchas gracias!
Okay, Sir! You’ve won me over. At first, I was like “ What?!” But it ALL makes so much sense. Thank you for your reflection and sharing your perspective. Bendiciones para usted.
Igualmente a ti y mil gracias!
I just bought your book. I have been studying off/on for about 4 years. I decided this summer to really focus and do it.
Thank you! Please let me know your feedback and you can do it. Once you get the momentum going that will help you stay motivated. 30mins - 1 hour a day, EVERYDAY will do the trick, trust me! Que te vaya muy bien en el proceso!
You can practice with strangers by ordering at hispanic restaurants or food trucks in Spanish.
Also greet the cashiers in latino grocery stores in Spanish. And you reply based on their response. Often they’re open to a short exchanges with you simply because you said “hola. Cómo estas?”
Very true!
Learning is an individual process - blanket statements are iffy. I think "basic questions" from a newbie are okay if it fits the situation. When I started out, I'd be in a store, and would make small talk in English with someone I heard speaking Span. I'd then throw in the Span and would tell them that I was learning. Most would chat a little . I learned a lot that way even when I had very little speaking ability. I think having memorized phrases like, "Estoy aprendiendo esp, y quiero practicar" can work. Natives were way more friendly when I said that. If they replied in English, then I kept it moving. I still remember corrections that I learned that way, even with cashiers in a store, when I struggled with counting money. So much depends on the people, the place, learner confidence, not necessarily on their level.
Great point here Cindy, blanket statements are never ideal. I will say though, people that unfortunately have negative experiences get turned away from learning Spanish because of those experiences and that’s a shame. Often times it’s just their language level and them coming across people who are not in the mood to help them practice. Thankfully most of yours have been positive and fruitful!
@@MikeBen True. That's what I meant by it depends on many things, including the learner.
Mike make some videos just like this but you are talking all or mostly in spanish please!
Will do! I have a very special guest that I plan to record with this weekend if all goes well so some Spanish content is coming. Muchas gracias por la recomendación!
Great Video Michael!! Now i know that your favorite spanish word is "Papi" hehe that nice! have a great night and see you soon!!
Lol, thanks Andres, talk to you soon!
"Stick your neck out there" is the phrase.
One thing I want to point out is that you've consistently remarked that you think that you're "rambling," and I want to assure you that you're not. I've been able to understand everything you've presented with ease. In fact, at the point where you stated that you were "rambling," I paused the video for a minute and summarized your points in two sentences. Anyway, these are great tips that learners can utilize because it can be a daunting and exhausting experience conversing with strangers in your target language. All in all, keep up the great work.
Buen suerte con todo
Thank you, I really appreciate this!
oof yea i made the mistake of assuming once when i was working as a cashier and idk what i was thinking but i said something like "si necesitas ayuda tenemos una empleada aqui que tambien habla espanol" and i had the biggest smile on my face because im very social and like to help but she looked at me like i offended her entire lineage then snatched her bad as she left🤣🤣🤣
😂 we have to be very careful with this lol. That’s why I never assume lol
dude i was totally doing this as a beginner and wondering why a lot of the guatamalin coworkers at my job looked mad at me every time i tried to practice with them.. lol! im going to stop and try to get better now. italki is a much better environment for beginners to practice.
Im glad this has helped! Trust me, when your Spanish improves you will see a different response for sure!
@@MikeBen im curious i watched your video on how you progressed the first year. you said you spent a lot of time straight up listening after your first italki session went bad. i think you said it took like a solid month of a lot of listening and studying before you rebooked italki and then you started doing italki more consistently from that point forward correct? Because i'm trying to get more into italki but i really am bad at conversing still. im wondering if should keep trying and pushing myself or if its better to just stop for a while and go back to a bunch of input listening and reading as well as practice speaking by myself on film or practice writing. or do you think its good if someone is knowing some really beginner stuff to still try and use it on italki? what is your opinion and how many times a week do you think is good on italki and how long of a sessions do you think are good ? Thanks
Great video Mike yeah when I walk up and try to speak and they think I’m native I end up freezing and regret it 😅 cuz it’s too fast for my comprehension and I’m like uh oh. 🤣🤣 I should be advance
😂😂😂that will be a great problem to have as your Spanish improves.
I'm probably an intermediate learner with like 1.5 years of learning. I try to use hello talk and italki often. I can get by pretty well, but even when im speaking to someone with a recognizable accent that is speaking very clearly and at a reasonable speed, there are still moments in that convo when I completely miss an entire phrase or 2 in a row. I have no idea what they said. I know from experience this happens less often the better I get, but I'm curious as someone trying to practice 1-2 hours per day both speaking and listening, how long until I get past this stage? Even now there are times when I miss a word, I know the word they said but I don't know that vocabulary yet and i'll ask them to explain it. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the deer in headlights look where they say something within the context of our convo and i'm still lost.
When you are in a conversation and miss something that was too fast or outside your lexicon, form the habit of asking "como?"
This is the Spanish equivalent of asking "what was that?" in English which lets them know you didn't understand and will prompt them to repeat it and generally put more emphasis on making g sure they say it clearly.
Once they repeat if you still don't understand simply say "disculpa, no entiendo. Sigo aprendiendo" which is to say, sorry I don't understand, I'm still learning. Maybe they will say it in English, or try to rephrase it in a simpler way in Spanish, but this strategy has lead to some great learning moments and keeps conversations from dying an awkward death.
Such good advice here!
This will happen, in terms of time, this stopped happening to me after 2 years but I also started speaking to people more in different contexts and that helped a lot. A simple “cómo” like aphryo said goes a long way.
Do you think that creative writing could be a substitute for speaking? I am using grammar checkers and online tutors to improve my writing. I hope that the writing will indirectly help my speaking in Spanish.
I don’t think anything can substitute speaking but as an overall strategy to improve your Spanish, I think it’s great. I actually am considering doing the same as a personal challenge to myself.
jaja de donde eres jaja .... i agree
Pasa mucho jaja
How long you waited to have a meaningful conversation with a native Spanish speaker when you first started ( outside from italkee) ?
Outside of Italki, a month and a half. I was lucky to work closely with another teacher that was Cuban. He and I talked a lot plus I talked with my Spanish speaking students at the time.
I would not approach with te puedo hacer una pregunta. Maybe when you approach the guys sitting in front of Home Depot I guess. But I would approach formally not informally. le, les, not te.
If the person is older or very formal, I do this. If the person seems like a chill person closer to my age I just use tú, sometimes people will say that you can tutear them because the usted can be super formal for some. Cada quien con el suyo y depende del país cierto?
@@MikeBen Most learners are stuck on only speaking 2nd person informal no matter if they are addressing a child or someone's mother for the first time. This would have been a good forum for you to express 3rd person formal as with te puedo hacer una pregunta? example. Just some constructive input.
pero todo bien con tu canal y lo que hablas!
And we're just going to say "rambly" is a word. Its now established
Lol
Most time they are also trying to practice they're english.. I'm mexican that's how I know
Good point, now that my Spanish is "fluent", they always respond in Spanish
Mike are you a B1 B2 C1?
Whats your speaking level.
Im not super familiar with those levels. I do consider myself fluent but I’m not sure how that aligns with the formal language levels. When I finish grad school in August I’m going to take one and I’ll let you all know my results.
¡Excelente video Mike!
I would imagine your speaking level is C1.
The reason I say that is, I've seen many C1 - English videos and it seems to me that the way they speak is of a slightly lesser level than your Spanish.
@osoperezoso2608 Totally in agreement. I am pretty familiar with the standards for all six levels A1-C2. I would guess Mike is at least on the C1 spectrum of spoken Spanish. . However, the exam consists of 4 tests organized in two groups (written, listening, speaking, and reading comprehension). I would guess that he would be close to the same in the other categories, especially given that he has written a book.
@@tlatisha are you multilingual?
I am ready for the street interactions videos
Se vienen pronto!
Nicaragüense*
Gracias!
@@MikeBen
Nee Car Ah Gwhen Say (I think). It takes practice of course ❤
See Teresita Ramos linguist her theory of the uninformed Informant.
Here in Mexico I do not talk in general to individuals above level secondaria. Mexico is not one big university campus.
Therefore, I don't ask Mexicans none retórica questions. I have a Mexican lawyers. I only ask him questions I know the answer to. He can tell be the best option. If I have to ask him what is a stop light, what is a car? What does the Mexican law on that say? I can't read Spanish but your laws are in Latin and French but I cannot read that either. If I ask him to take me from K though Law School he will tell me to get another lawyer!
I ask him and everyone else questions about their preferences. For example how do you say I have a Dent in my car?
I have to know the answer to any question all the way back to Latin. In the case of what is a dent in Spanish I know all of its modern bifurcations and back to Latin.
To save a person time I ask questions that are rhetorical, instinctive questions that illicit an instantaneous one word response. I might have to ask follow up questions. I have to provide context, grammar, etimologias, history....and exceptions. I cannot demand they do my research for me!
I do not want the respondent to have to think. I am looking for a knee jerk reaction. Knee jerk answer are honest. I do not see contrivances from people who do not own books.
I asked Mike a question about a year and a half ago. I ask it again: How many questions can any given human being be asked during a day?
The number is 10.
That is why one has to ask rhetorical instinctive confirmational questions. That is why you have to know with exactitude how many questions you must ask to confirm what you already know.
I make it clear that I am not seeking an answer. I want the person to know I am seeking their personal experience and personal judgement.
It is like asking your wife "Honey, you said your favorite restaurant was X. Can we eat there during our vacation to Mexico?"
That means you listened to her in the past. That you are listening to her now. And you desire to listen to her in the future.
She can say yes. She can say no. You have to know the likely reason for the yes or the no.
Now ask her what is the solution to the three body problem of gravitational orbits?
First that question is complex. Secondly I do not know the answer. Lastly no one knows the answer. (Recently someone claimed to have answered the question.)
No matter one's level of language if one one follows the 10 questions rule and asks retórica confirmational questions one will be just fine.
Case in point:
I am locking my bike. A man and woman come up to me. The man asks in Spanish where he can get money with a card.
I ask pointing there is a bank right there with an electronic cash box? It is that the type of money you need?
He says no.
He says we are at the house of refuges. People told me to walk 12 blocks in this direction and turn left and there is the money thing I need.
Ok. Now I know he does not need an ATM.
So, I ask let me look at your cell phone that has the information for a money transfer?
They both said someone sends us money from Cuba.
The phone said MoneyGram. They could not read MoneyGram because it is a meaningless commercial name that cannot be translated.
Then I walk with them 3 miles looking for a MoneyGram. Finally we find one. The guy behind the counter says in America Spanish, [remember they are Cuban. I understand them. That does not mean other non Cubans understand them.] He says that he cannot provide cash back service because his terminal is out of service.
The next MoneyGram store is 6 miles away. The man can make it. I do not think his wife could.
I take them to the city bus station. I and everyone at the bus station explain the routes, the fees, and schedules. Remember they are Cuban Spanish speakers. I at times have to tell the American speakers what the Cuban said and the Cubans what the American Spanish speakers said.
They decided they didn't want to go to Walmart.
I walk them back to the Casa de los refugidos. Because they were not sure how long the police would allow the outside.
The next morning I hope they made it to Walmart because they had a 2000 mile trip ahead of them.
The point is this once you know what you are doing most of the time Spanish speakers are asking you the questions.
For instance:
I am riding my bike and someone stopped
me and asked me out of the blue do you have an air pump? I have a flat. They assume in Mexico that the person who has a nice bike knows everything about bikes. So, I know where the repair shop is. I know how to fix their bike.
Mexican children and teenagers will see you outside. The come up with a broken toy or bike. Hey fix this. No time to explain. Fix the thing for them because that is what well resourced adults do in Latin America.
Hey my car will not start. Do you have cables? No cables? Take the battery out of your car connected to their terminals. Do not ask questions. Get them up and rolling.
They call on the phone hey I have a flat. Come and get me and take me to the spare I have at home and back to my truck and back to the tire shop.
How good is the spare? You will have to explain to them on the spot.
In Latin America people assume that bilinguals have all the answers and that people who have money have all the answers.
When you speak anything well enough 99 percent of the time you will not do the talking. You will not be asking the questions. You will 99 percent of the time listening and half a percent of the time answering and the rest of the time you will have your sleeves rolled up changing tires!
Gracias for the detailed comment!