Emmanuel Liu
16 August 2017
I Learn Spanish! ... Emmanuel Liu
Emmanuel admits he's a bit of a sports fanatic. He loves baseball, tennis and soccer - all sports that happen to have many famous players from Spanish speaking countries. From his fandom came the desire to understand what these players were saying! That's when Emmanuel took up Spanish classes. Now, nearly four years into his Spanish studies - things are getting kind of serious! Taking the language to new heights, Emmanuel is planning to take the B2 DELE exam soon - go you good thing!
My Nicaraguan friend Karlymg. I heard her speaking Spanish on her phone on the train, after the call I walked up to her, initiated a conversation and we went to have quesadillas together! She’s such a nice lady and we’re still in contact.
In English
What was your motivation to start learning Spanish?
I would call myself a sports fanatic. The sports I love the most, including baseball, tennis and soccer have many famous players from Spanish speaking countries. At the start I only wanted to understand interviews and social media posts without translations. However, as I had more exposure to the language, I realized that there are heaps yet to be discovered. That is when I decided to take this language very seriously.
When did you begin?
Although I was admitted into Biomedicine at the University of Melbourne, my true passion was in languages. So I chose to do Spanish as a breadth subject. In my second semester of Spanish I had Isidro as my teacher!
How did you start - group classes, online, CD, book, podcasts, in the street ...?
I started learning Spanish through classes in university. Outside of class I started to follow many Spanish-learning Facebook pages to immerse myself in that type of environment.
Have you travelled or lived in a Spanish speaking country?
Never (hopefully I will be able to so soon!)
Do you have a current goal, and if so, what is it?
Nearly studying Spanish for four years, I decided that it is time for me to challenge myself and obtain qualifications. I am planning to take the DELE exam level B2 in November. Apart from that, since next year I will be starting Masters of Secondary Teaching, and Spanish is one of my teaching area, I would definitely need to motivate myself to reach higher levels in the next few years.
En español
¿Por qué empezaste a estudiar español?
Soy un gran fanático del deporte. Los deportes que amo más, incluido el béisbol, el tenis y el fútbol tienen muchos jugadores famoses de países hispanohablantes. Al principio, quería nada más que entendiera sus entrevistas y publicaciones en redes sociales sin las traducciones. Sin embargo, como tenía más contacto con este idioma, me di cuenta de que todavía quedaban mucho por descubrir. Y eso era cuando decidí tomar el español en serio.
¿Cuándo empezaste a estudiar español?
Aunque fui admitido en Biomedicina en la Universidad de Melbourne, tenía una verdadera pasión por las lenguas, así que elije el español como una materia electiva. Durante el segundo semestre, ¡tuve Isidro como mi profesor!
¿Cómo empezaste - clases en grupos, en línea, CDs, libros, podcasts, en la calle …?
Comencé a aprender español por clases en la Universidad. También empecé a seguir varios páginas de aprendizaje en español para sumergirme en el ambiente adecuado.
¿Has viajado o vivido en algún país de habla española?
Nunca (¡pero Ojalá que pueda hacerlo pronto!)
¿Cuál es tu plan con respecto al español en estos momentos?
He aprendido el español durante casi cuatro años, y por eso decidí que es el momento para ponerme un reto y conseguir un título. Planeo realizar el examen DELE nivel B2 en noviembre. Además, ya que el año que viene voy a estudiar la maestría de enseñanza secundaria, y un área de enseñanza será el español, debería motivarme a alcanzar niveles más altos en los próximos años.
Do you have a particular study schedule apart from your group class?
The daily routine now is to read passages every day (articles in the textbook used in El Patio is a nice material for self-guided study) in conjunction with a few pages of dictionary to learn new words. In addition, I contact with teachers in the University to seek their permission to attend classes. It is an exciting experience to read the famous Spanish novel Don Quijote this semester.
What do you think is the most challenging thing about learning Spanish?
Speaking. For non-native speakers you just can’t believe how they talk so fast. Fluency is not something that comes with studying hard, and unfortunately it can be difficult to find someone to practice with sometimes.
What do you think your strengths and weaknesses are for learning Spanish?
I think listening and reading would be my strength because I spend quite a lot of time watching Spanish dramas, listening to conversations and reading subtitles at the same time.
In contrast my weakness would be speaking and the lack of understanding of the culture. As I mentioned before, speaking requires face to face practice, but even when I found native speakers to practice with, without knowing much about their country limits the topics that I can discuss.
What is your most effective method for memorisation?
Apart from revising them regularly, for verbs I try to conjugate them with many different tenses and form interesting sentences. It serves to practice grammar and vocabulary at the same time and in fact, it is quite fun.
What are or have been your most helpful resources? (eg, podcasts, songs, books, websites ...)
- Netflix: There are plenty of Spanish series that come with Spanish/English subtitles. (I would say Grand Hotel is awesome, it has 66 episodes which can last for quite a while!) When I do not recognize a word, I look it up. Gradually, you will realize that you will not need it as much anymore!
- Social network: Follow pages and people who interest you, usually posts are not long so it is a relaxed way to keep yourself exposed to the language.
- DLE Spanish dictionary: This online dictionary is recommended for advanced learners, where reading word definitions in Spanish expands your vocabulary quite quickly.
What is your advice for anybody starting out learning Spanish?
Learning a language requires a big investment of time and effort, although there will be a rocky road ahead, it is definitely worth it. I am also sure that it will be a rewarding experience when you are able to put what you have learnt into practice.
¿Tienes un horario de estudio aparte de tus clases en grupo?
Las rutinas de aprendizaje incluyen leer pasajes todos los días (artículos en el libro que usamos en El Patio son buenas para autoaprendizaje), junto con unas cuantas páginas del diccionario para conocer más palabras. Aparte de eso, me puse en contacto con profesores en la Universidad para pedir permiso de asistir sus clases. Este semestre me hace mucha ilusión leer Don Quijote, la novella Española muy conocida.
¿Para ti cuál es el reto más grande en tus estudios de español?
Hablar en español. Para la gente que no es nativohablante, no te puedes creer cómo pueden hablar tan rápido. La fluidez no se viene estudiando duro, y desafortunadamente a veces sería difícil de encontrar alguien para praticar.
¿Cuál es lo más fácil y lo más difícil para ti de la lengua española?
Creo que lo más fácil para mí son la comprensión auditiva y la comprensión lectora porque veo muchas series españolas, escuchando sus conversaciones y leyendo los subtítulos a la vez.
En contrario, lo más difícil serían hablar en español y la falta de conocimiento de la cultura. Como lo he mencionado, la expresión oral requiere la práctica cara a cara, a pesar de que tenía la oportunidad de hablr con nativohablantes, sin conocer mucho de su país me resulta difícil encontrar temas de conversación.
¿Qué método de memorización te resulta más efectivo?
Aparte de revisar los vocabularios frecuentemente, para los verbos trato de conjugarlos con varias tensas y formar frases interesantes. Sirve para revisar la gramática y el vocabulario juntamente, y de hecho es bastante divertido.
¿Qué es lo que más te ha ayudado a aprender el español?
- Netflix: Hay muchas series españolas que tiene subtítulos en español e inglés. (Yo diría que Gran Hotel está buenísimo, hay 66 capítulos que duran un par de semanas) Cuando no conozco una palabra, lo busco en el diccionario. Poco a poco, ya verás que no lo necesitas tanto.
- Redes sociales: sigue páginas o gente que te interesen, normalmente las publicaciones son cortas, por lo tanto podrías mantenerte en contacto con la lengua en una manera relajada.
- Diccionario de la lengua española: Es un diccionario online que le recomendo a los estudiantes avanzados, con el que pueden ampliar su vocabulario rápidamente cuando leen las definiciones en español.
¿Cuál es tu consejo para la gente que empieza a estudiar la lengua?
Aprender un idioma require una gran cantidad de tiempo y esfuerzo, aunque no será fácil, vale la pena hacerlo. Estoy seguro de que será una experiencia gratificante cuando puedas poner en uso lo que has aprendido.
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