Anyone have to learn to speak and write fluent spanish? I am interested in learning spanish but living in an english speaking country I don't get enough exposure to real spanish besides tex-mex spoken around here and those are mostly just the bad words! I was thinking of maybe taking classes or rosetta stone. The only problem is those can be pretty expensive. does anyone know of creative and perhaps some cheaper ways to learn a new language short of moving to mexico to be forced to learn?

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1984 300SD Orient Red/ Palomino
1989 560SEC
2016 Mazda 6 6 speed manual
1995 Ford F-150 reg cab 4.9 5speed manual

Is this post a joke? You live in Texas and don't hear Spanish? Easier than moving to Mexico would be move to Phoenix. It's just Mexico City North.

- Peter.

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2021 Chevrolet Spark
Formerly...
2000 GMC Sonoma
1981 240D 4spd stick. 347000 miles. Deceased Feb 14 2021
2002 Kia Rio. Worst crap on four wheels
1981 240D 4spd stick. 389000 miles.
1984 123 200
1979 116 280S
1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1971 108 280S

Its not real spanish. Most people around here speak Tex-Mex and they cant really read or write it. They cant even understand fully when people come in from Mexico and they talk.

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1984 300SD Orient Red/ Palomino
1989 560SEC
2016 Mazda 6 6 speed manual
1995 Ford F-150 reg cab 4.9 5speed manual

Find yourself a hot young Spanish speaker and have her whisper in your ear!

That won't work! The only thing I learned using that method is, "Si, Si, Ay Caramba!" and then, sadly enough, "donde esta la farmacia"

Actually thats sorta happening right now! She took me to a party of all Mexicans and let me tell you, they are good looking!

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1984 300SD Orient Red/ Palomino
1989 560SEC
2016 Mazda 6 6 speed manual
1995 Ford F-150 reg cab 4.9 5speed manual

I tried a year of Spanish in college and it was the most miseable experience of my life. I had never taken any foreign language before, and my brain was not wired to handle it. Barely managed a C both semesters.

Taking Latin this year and have an A. Go figure...

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1985 500SL Euro w/ AMG bits 130k
1984 300SD Turbodiesel 192k
1980 240D Stick China 188k
2001 CLK55 AMG 101k
2007 S600 Biturbo 149k Overheated Project, IT'S ALIVE!!!

rosetta stone definitely works for anyone i know who has used it.

i'm not saying this is a good idea or bad idea, but you can download it via torrents for free. but that's your choice.

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1985 300D - 1984 Euro 280E AMG Clone (SOLD) - 1978 280CE (SOLD) - 1983 300D (SOLD) - 1981 300D (SOLD)

I took three years of latin in high school. That sucked.

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1984 300SD Orient Red/ Palomino
1989 560SEC
2016 Mazda 6 6 speed manual
1995 Ford F-150 reg cab 4.9 5speed manual

I LOVE LANGUAGES!!! I've been studying German for the last, jeez.. 5 years? Almost fluent but it's hard to learn it here when NO ONE here speaks it and there is no one really to practice with, only the Espanol

I grew up with Spanish all around me, some of my family is of Mehican decent and you just grow up learning little words here and there like "COCHINO!" LOL and "AYY CABRON!" but my friend being Puerto Rican and me going to Puerto Rico with him in 2006 really helped. I took Espanol in High School and it really isn't that hard. It's like English in some ways which is cool but then of course REALLY different.

For practice get some spanish books, I use "VOX English and Spanish Dictionary" and a MUST have "Living Language 2,000+ Essential Spanish Verbs" it helps out so much when you need to conjugate a verb. Watch the Spanish channel as much as you can and I know banda is hard to listen to (I can't stand it) but you can try to listen to it in the car. Thankfully you're in heaven on eart....Texas and it happens to be close to Mexico. This is good too because you have all the deep in Mexicans who know Spanish really well and speak it for the most part right. The Mehicans we have here in California can't even speak spanish right. Talk with your lady as much as you can and you will pick it up.

The key is you want to know what the words mean right when you hear them. You don't want to here Alemania and have to translate it in your head to English as Germany. You want it to flow and once you hear Alemania you know it's Alemania! But I mean you'll have to translate it regardless when you first start out but that should be your goal.

Ah man languages are so much fun.. I have Spanish next after I learn German, then Afrikaans, Japanese and hopefully Arabic! Can't wait ^^

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2007 BMW 328XI

Just move here to Mexifornia.

You will here Spanish being spoken everyday everywhere you go.

In fact, I'll pay you forty million dollars if you can spend one day here without hearing Spanish.

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Paul S.

2001 E430, Bourdeaux Red, Oyster interior.
79,200 miles.

1973 280SE 4.5, 170,000 miles. 568 Signal Red, Black MB Tex. "The Red Baron".

I have studied French for 45 years and I still catch a new word here or there, usually new slang when listening to Internet broadcasts. So don't feel bad if you constantly encounter new words. And I worked several years as a translator. There are so many Internet FREE tools you should be ok to learn all the basics.

But two books that are good to have: a good bilingual dictionary-- hard bound, so they give good explanations, and the book Spanish made simple, that really explains all the basic Spanish you would need unless you went to a Spanish/Latin American university. I had to learn Spanish in 1993 to go to venezuela and help build assembly plants and organize quality/engineering processes. It was hard work but fun.

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Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

Take a vacation in Peru or Venezuela for a month.

You will HAVE to learn it, in South America, especially in the smaller towns, where NOBODY speaks English.

The women are HOTTTTTTTTT !!!

Especially in Venezuela, from where the beuuty pageant queens come from, and Columbia, too is full of beauties.


Go first class everywhere there, it is not expensive, and as an American guy you will elicit a LOT of interest wherever you go. (Not all of it good, the pickpockets will be there too)


They are very passionate, in everything they do, when happy AND when mad, so be careful and know that too.

That Latin temper is NO joke - it exists. 11 years married to a Peruvian taught me that truth

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

AIIII de mi!!! No me tomes el pelo !!! ( <---- literally, "Don't pull my hair" -- dont kid me)!!!


I will hole up all day long in the Polo Lounge of the Beverly Hills Hotel and suck up Pomegranate Martini drinks.

Now,

PAY UP GRINGO !!!

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

From someone who has spent 20 years overseas I can promise you that the only thing that will teach you a foreign language is hunger. When you are in a foreign country and you are hungry you will learn the language.

English is the biggest stumbling block to learning a foreign language. Everyone else wants to speak English to you so you don't really get a chance to learn their language. When I lived in Dubai I worked in a drydock. I worked with Afghanis, Pakistanis, Indians, Filipinos, Arabs, you name it. In the end I only learned about 5 Arabic words in 10 years there. Why? Because everyone spoke English well and when you are trying to get a ship in and out of the water you can't take a chance with miscommunication.

Go to the country who language you want to learn, take lessons, and only speak that language. The locals will fall all over themselves helping you learn. You can't learn it on line, or in a weekly class in your home town, or on a one week vacation to Laredo.

If you want to learn correct Spanish you have to either go to central Mexico (away from the TexMex spoken on the border) or to Spain. End of Story.

ps. Don't go first class if you want to learn Spanish. My wife and I hitched from Santiago, Chile nearly to the bottom of Argentina and then all the way to Ojinaga, Mexico using local transport and had a great time. You may not learn Castilian Spanish but what you do learn you will learn quickly.