Spanish (Miami, Hialeah: home, middle school, living in)

[intelfan11315]

I took two years of spanish a couple years back and I was just wondering if by living in Miami it makes learning spanish come any easier?

[MiamiRob]

well the problem with foreign languages is people seem to forget a lot of what they learned when they don't use it on a daily basis. For instance my nephews are hispanic but barely speak Spanish since my sister & brother in law while fluent only speak English at home. They have accents when they try to speak it so I'm not sure that just living in Miami makes it easier unlees you come into contact with a lot of Spanish speakers.

[illini84]

Yeah, I think so. I had 4 years in high school, but never used it once I got out...until moving to Miami about 5 years later. I had forgotten most of it, but since coming here, I find myself remembering lots of it and also being able to figure signs and things out. Someone I work with (Cuban) said it's difficult for people to learn to speak Spanish here since Cubans use lots of slang and improper words, which I have found to be somewhat true. Still though, I think you'll find that having a little background knowledge with help you pick things up quicker (pronunciations, verbs, etc.).

[Keeper]

I agree with you both.. I took spanish in HS and then never used it, until I moved to Panama. All I remember how to say were just a few sentences. I took a course in conversational Spanish along with trying to speak Spanish where ever I went, along with an apology that I didn't speak Spanish well.

I actually got pretty good.. I did find most of the Hispanics I have met were very forgiving if I didn't say everything correctly. They appreciated that I at least tried.

[Chelito23]

I think being in a Hispanic environment can motivate people more because they have a reason to learn, they see the signs, hear the language, can practice if so inclined, etc. However, speaking better just because this is Miami, no. Even many Hispanics here do not speak properly, there is a heavy English influence believe it or not...

[miamiblue]

One thing to consider about Miami that makes learning Spanish a little complex is the wide variety of Spanish speakers all cobbled together in one place. People from different places speak differently, and the same words can sound completely different from a Cuban to an Argentine. I had even heard this from native speakers who sometimes had trouble understanding people from a different country. This is what always tripped me up in conversational Spanish. Not to mention that all of my friends whose parents spoke Spanish at home never wanted to "practice" with me!

Having grown up in Miami, I had Spanish all through elementary school starting in first grade. I didn't have it in middle school, but then took two years again in high school. You'd think I'd be fluent by now, but I'm not. I found it fairly easy to pick up, and was very good a reading and writing, but understanding others was my weakness. I blame part of it on the fact that my elementary school teachers were Cuban and taught us one way, and then in high school we were learning Castilian Spanish. That made things pretty confusing, and then toss in all the different versions I encountered out in daily life.

Now I am considering taking classes to try to become fluent. I actually know people now where I am currently living who have the patience and willingness to practice with me. I think I will pick it up pretty quick.

[Lost in Translation]

Originally Posted by burgler09

I took two years of spanish a couple years back and I was just wondering if by living in Miami it makes learning spanish come any easier?

No. Unless you are interacting with freshly arrived illegals mopping up Moderator cut: rude somewhere in Hialeah or in the MIA airport, every latino you come into contact with in Miami-Dade will speak perfectly good English and will have no tolerance for practicing high-school level Spanish. They may think it's cute for a couple of minutes over drinks, but your Spanish pretty much ends there...

[diddiyo]

never had spanish classes before coming to miami. i then took two courses at miami-dade but that's it as of yet. everytime i try to practice at work all my colleagues are like "oooooooooh wooooow look that was good!!!" which I'm sure they think is a compliment but I think it's rather annoying because I can't get into a real conversation.

and when i try to order lunch in spanish at the latin place across the street they start asking a million questions in spanish lol. of course i'm not that good that i can actually understand what they're saying.

my roommates are ecuadorian, i can't understand anything at all when they're talking to each other. on the other hand, lots of my colleagues at work are colombian and i can pick up a lot more when they're talking.

oh well...