Yucca10 -Thanks for the tip. I’ll try El Barco. The problem with it and many other Spanish TV shows is the length of the episodes. I don’t usually like to devote 1 1/2 hours per episode. That’s another reason I liked La Casa de las Flores so much.
Asking for advice. What’s the best way to learn or improve in Spanish on your own, other than living in Spanish speaking country or talking with Spanish speakers? My kid took 4 years of high school Spanish (he’s a rising Junior in college now) and wants to improve his Spanish to a higher level during summer. Thanks in advance for some advice. Any apps or advice based on actual experience? He applied to a free intensive summer Spanish course offered by his college but it was based on lottery, and he didn’t get selected, so he wants to do it on his own. Please respond to me, so I see messages. Thanks.
My 19 yo is spending his summer learning Irish. There’s a workbook he really wants, but Amazon is still having major issues delivering to our house (not map-able on Google Maps) and b/c he can only find it used, I can’t get it sent to an Amazon locker. So he’s using an Irish dictionary and a beginner’s grammar book he found at Barnes and Noble. He seems to be enjoying himself but said he’s all kinds of confused and it’s going very very slowly! Of course he’s like to be able to speak the language but he’s most interested in being able to read and write.
Websensation, regarding Spanish, keep reading and watching movies. My Spanish is probably far lower level than your son. But I read all package instructions in Spanish, all signs, and if time allowed, would watch movies and TV shows. Figure out his reading level and work on reading books at that level. We live in enough of a multi lingual country these days and there is plenty of Spanish around us to be picked up if looking for it.
I think to get real progress in a short time you have to design your own intensive program. I suggest four hours a day of structured studies. Some Duolingo with writing, a Pimsleur or two, some Rosetta Stone if you like it.
Then the core of the program can be an online teacher from Italki. The teacher will probably ask for preparation and homework, or maybe follow a text book. A Spanish teacher isn’t expensive…
Any remaining energy, there’s movies or casual reading.