MSML or Spanish

[ss20ts]

I would like to point out that you can "always" work on your Spanish but you might not always have time to work on another degree. Obviously, the more time you devote to language-learning, the faster you'll become fluent. But even just a few minutes of vocabulary daily is going to be better than nothing at all. In theory, you could do both the MSML and the Spanish at the same time.

What Rachel said. 100%. There are many ways of learning a language. Yes, you can get a grammar book, phrase book etc - all good but you need to TALK to people in that language as well. You'll progress quickly that way. The small vocabulary you start with will grow quickest by speaking. Writing in the language is good, too.

You don't need to pay for very much, these days. Free video courses abound - and many more for up to $25 or so. Using what you learn is the key. Relax. You won't necessarily be facing exams, like your degree program. This is a study to be enjoyed. But you'll learn plenty. Tengo fe en usted. (I have faith in you.)

I agree that speaking is a huge part of learning a language. That was something I wish we had more of in high school Spanish. We learned the book and could read it, but we couldn't speak we or write well. Reading, speaking, and writing all are part of being fluent in a language. I don't see how one could really become fluent in 6 months unless they were immersed in a Spanish speaking community and only spoke Spanish 24/7. It's also one of those things that you need to use on a regular basis or you lose it.


My brother took a semester of German in college. He didn't learn much because of that same problem - you learn the textbook and don't really communicate in the class. Our grandmother is from Germany and speaks, reads, and writes in German. He went over to her house multiple times a week for a few years with his textbook and other books he found to learn German. He can converse in our grandmother's dialect of German. He can read it a bit, but he can't write much which he is ok with. He really learned it to make our grandmother proud that another generation learned her language and could converse with her. She speaks fluent English without an accent even though she came to the US as an adult. That part I have never been able to figure out.