I am a bit discouraged: module 1 session 17 just finished

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wetherhaven

I am a bit discouraged: module 1 session 17 just finished

I am investing 2.5 hours per session and I also copy and print out all the matching phrases and the key points that Sonia makes in her mentor sessions and study these. I need to be able to see them off the screen. These are so helpful. Thank you Sonia. I am trying so hard but remembering and speaking are very difficult for me. I am dyslexic and darn, even though I have spent a life time telling myself I could not learn Spanish, I really believe I can do this yet it is discouraging. With the male speaker, I can hear the words and follow. With some of the female speakers, it is so fast that I cannot pick out the words or sounds. Dyslexics have a hard time matching sounds with characters. I have learned to get around that in English but it is a challenge in Spanish. I can imagine others who can easily converse with what they have learned so far, but not me. I am retiring to a Spanish speaking country next summer and going there this summer and I really must learn the language. I want to be a part of the culture, not just an observer. I would welcome any help with expectations and ideas on how I can improve what I am doing. I also have been listening to radio and can pick out words and phrases which is exciting. Thank you in advance for your help. BTW I am a professor and a doctor of education and I particularly love how Sonia and her team have created this program. The multi-modality is helpful and why I chose Fluenz. How the heck other programs say you can learn the language in 15 or 30 minutes per day seems like a con to me. This is hard work Sonia. As you have said many times.

John

Status: Open Jan 10, 2021 - 09:44 PM

Spanish > Pronunciation

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DennisG

Jan 13, 2021 - 11:47 AM

John,

While I'm not dyslexic myself, I have great sympathy for the challenges and frustrations you must experience. The fact that you are learning a foreign language and have gotten this far is testimony to your dedication. Bravo to you!

Just so you know, everyone (at some point in their Fluenz learning) has the issue with the speakers talking too fast. You might think, Why don't they just slow it down? The answer is that what's too fast for some people is just right for others and agonizingly slow for the really lucky ones. Having said that, maybe the best reason for them speaking as fast as they do is because that's what you're likely to hear when you get to a Spanish-speaking country. Just keep going over and over it. You'll start to pick out words that just seemed to be a blur previously.

Good luck. I wish you the best.

- Dennis

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wetherhaven

Jan 14, 2021 - 10:08 AM

Thank you Dennis for the words of encouragement. I will keep at it and add more reviews.

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[email protected]

Jan 14, 2021 - 09:19 PM

Hi John! I just discovered this message board, and your message was the top of the list. I read through it and wanted to say it's really cool to see other people here trying to learn languages. And, I love your story of trying to learn the language to immerse yourself in the culture of where you're going. Keep it up, I'm sure you're doing great and are just being xxxx yourself! Have fun and enjoy :) I'm sure that once you get where you're going, people will appreciate your efforts, and you will learn while you're there too!

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wetherhaven

Jan 15, 2021 - 01:33 PM

Thank you Jennifer, you are so kind. I appreciate the encouragement. The best. John

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RKihara

Jan 31, 2021 - 10:56 AM

Hi John,

I also have problems with the female speakers, but in my case the problem is that I have a severe high frequency hearing loss. Male speakers are fine, since their voices are in the lower pitches. I've finished two levels of Spanish at this point and I don't think the women are speaking any faster than the men. But I think the parts of speech that I don't hear give the impression of faster speech, since two or three words might come across as one. Since your problem is only with the female speakers, perhaps your problem with speech recognition is complicated by hearing loss.

-Ron

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cboehs

Feb 22, 2021 - 08:18 AM

Hello John, I definitely can sympathize with all the hard work it takes. I am printing screen shots etc. from the program for continued referencing also. I am sure you are most likely using the "SLOW SOUND" on or off located at the top of the screen? I have to use that at times, especially in the "Write The Phrases" exercise! The words there seem to run together so bad sometimes. It slows it down a little, not a whole lot. I started Fluenz just over five years ago. And with the busyness of life, three small children, and other priorities, it all ways seems to get laid to the side. I am a slow learner also and I often need to take harder lessons multiple times to get things to stick. I am currently halfway through level 2, struggling to get beyond only the present tense. Now just a few months ago my family and I moved to Peru, so immersion is helping some, but covid lock down is even hindering that. Keep your courage up and keep studying, every day if possible, that's the hard part for me. I would like to see some table or summary of what concepts or new things are taught in each lesson, because I often realize that I am still struggling with a certain concept etc. and I wonder which lesson I need to go back to to review a video again on that point. Let me know if you know of anything like that! I often envy Sonia and others that have a talent for language learning. For me it takes a huge amount of repetition to make progress.

I wish you GOOD LUCK and perseverance John!!!

-Chester

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RKihara

Feb 22, 2021 - 09:24 AM

Hi Chester, If you go back to the main menu and click on the Index, you will get a short summary of each lesson.

-Ron

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cboehs

Feb 22, 2021 - 10:50 AM

Thanks Ron!! That will help me out. Somehow I had missed that
Chester

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helenmrafferty

Feb 28, 2021 - 05:18 PM

Hola John,
I have been studying Spanish off an on for a few years now. At this point I have a fairly large Spanish vocabulary and I'm comfortable with the simpler tenses but oral comprehension has proven to be an ongoing struggle for me as well. I started the Fluenz program about 2 months ago and I am really enjoying it. Working with an online program that allows me to listen to the same lesson over and over again when I'm having difficulty getting a concept to stick in my brain is way less stressful than asking a language teacher to repeat certain drills over and over.
Listening to Spanish language radio stations and watching tv programs in Spanish has also helped me a great deal. Starting a journal where I jot down thoughts, hopes, dreams, etc... in my simple Spanish has also helped me to think in Spanish rather than think in English first then translate. I'm sure you're trying all these strategies and more. Don't give up! Sometimes it's hard to realize when you're making progress but every lesson you plow through is a victory.
And I don't know where you are heading to for retirement but my experience traveling in Spanish speaking countries has been that the locals will appreciate your commitment to learning their language and will be delighted to help you improve your Spanish skills.
Buena suerte!

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Rob Palmer

Mar 08, 2021 - 02:46 PM

Hi John,
Thanks for writing candidly about your frustration. I'm not dyslexic and can't offer any thoughts in that direction. I can tell you that you are in good company with all us adult Spanish learners in struggling with oral comprehension. As others have said, the only thing for it is persistence, and a determination to be pleased with small improvement increments. I'm in Level 4 and still struggle, as the pace of the audio speakers gets ever a little faster. One thing that has helped me is to supplement the lessons with the "Audio Component"--a series of audio practice files that tracks upward progress through the lessons and levels. If you are using the online version of the program, you access the Audio Component by clicking on the red cubes in the upper left of the main menu screen.

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