Voices en Español

Once when I was using Google looking for a quick answer to a question I had about the Spanish subjunctive, I stumbled upon a grammar web site. At first I thought the site, Spanish Grammar Lessons, was the work of a Spanish teacher because the explanations were concise and thorough. Later, when I went to the home page, I learned that the person behind the site was not a Spanish teacher but a computer programmer from Milton Keynes in the United Kingdom His name is Tim Gambrills. On his web site he covers all the key Spanish grammar points and provides an excellent online reference for anyone, from beginners to advanced speakers.

Tim graciously agreed to talk about his experiences learning Spanish. Continue reading to learn how he fell in love with Spanish and became fluent in the language. (Click on “more” below the picture.)

Photo by Mor (bcnbits) and used under CC license.

How long have you studied Spanish?

About 10 years over all, but with some gaps.

How did you get started?

I started attending weekly lunchtime classes offered by my employer.
The teacher was a native Spaniard with a real enthusiasm for her subject
and a great desire to help the students learn. I think it was her
enthusiasm that helped to get me motivated to learn.

After a year of these classes I left that company and decided to take
some time out. My wife and I enrolled on a course at Academia Isla in
Salamanca, Spain. We signed up for 2 months of classes, 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. It was truly an excellent experience. The teachers were fantastic, and
Salamanca itself is a charming city.

After two months, we returned home. My wife went back to her job, but I
had no luck finding another (it being December), so I went back to Isla
for another month (this time for six hours a day).

After completing these initial three months I took and passed comfortably
the English A-level and the DELE Básico exams - I think this is a
testament to the quality of teaching at Isla and that of my first teacher.

Since then, I’ve been back to Isla several times (for a week at a time),
usually just before taking exams, at their schools in Salamanca and
Barcelona.

In the meantime, I’ve attended some evening classes (run by the local
town councils here in the UK), had some private lessons in small groups,
and now have individual lessons with another Spaniard. I also gained the
Open University Diploma in Spanish (after completing their 2
higher-level Spanish exams) and passed the DELE Superior. (This is a test of proficiency in Spanish.)

What has been the most challenging aspect of learning Spanish?

Speaking confidently with a decent accent while enunciating clearly (the
way your mouth moves speaking English is very different to how it needs
to move speaking Spanish, and getting used to this can be quite tiring).
The only solution is to practice, practice, practice. Luckily I have
several Hispanic friends from various Spanish-speaking countries.
How many times have you been to Spain? Do you have a favorite city or town?

Before learning Spanish, we went on a few of the typical package
holidays to Spain (and tried to speak the usual horrible holiday-maker
Spanish). Since starting to learn Spanish, excluding going to Spain for learning,
we’ve been back quite a few times. Being able to speak fairly well gave
us much more confidence in travelling around independently, so we’ve
done a little travelling around the North-West (Castilla-León and
Galicia), and from Madrid down to Valencia and up the coast to
Barcelona, by train and bus. We’ve also been to various places just for a week or so of relaxing.

When we went La Gomera in the Canary Islands the most gratifying part was that several local people assumed I was Spanish while I was talking to them (possibly
assuming my strange accent was from some odd part of the mainland!)

My favourite city still has to be Salamanca. It has a real warmth to it (even in Winter!), good nightlife (being a university town), and some great museums. My favourite is the Casa Lis  a wonderful Art Deco/Art Nouveau museum (although their collection of dolls always gives me the willies - some of them look really scary!)

What do you like most about the Spanish language?

The sheer joy of realising I can understand what people are talking
about and I can talk to them (and that they might understand me). Of
course, I still have problems understanding some people who talk very
fast, have strong accents or don’t talk so clearly.

One adjective you would use to describe Spanish?

Fast! While you’re learning and trying to talk with a Spanish person, no
matter how much you ask them to slow down, they’ll start speeding up
again! And if you want to hear just how fast they can talk, just listen
to the commentary on a football (soccer) match on the radio.

Do you have a favorite word (or saying) in Spanish?

“Te conozco bacalao aunque vengas disfrazao” (disfrazado)

This was the first refrán I learned and it has always stuck with me. (Literally, it means I know you, little codfish, even though you’re in disguise. In other words, I can see through you, I can see what you’re up to.)

Hindsight is 20/20. Is there anything you would have done differently in your quest to learn Spanish?

I don’t think I would have bothered with the Open
University courses. They have some very good resources with some
interesting articles and videos dealing with history and culture, but
after my experience at Isla there wasn’t much new linguistically. For
the same price, you could sign-up for a long course at a language school
in Spain and learn more of the language.

What does the future hold for your grammar web page?

To be honest, I’m not really sure. I’ve added a few more lessons since
it started, but I’m not sure quite what should come next.
At the moment I’m trying to learn Italian (I’m at absolute beginner
level) and find that I just don’t have the same motivation as I did to
learn Spanish. Maybe I might start adding a section on learning Italian…
What advice would you give English speakers who wish to study or improve their Spanish?

If at all possible, go to a language school in Spain (or a
Spanish-speaking country) for an intensive course. Most of them will
accept people for even one week at a time. It’s well worth it, but do a
little research first. If you’re an absolute beginner you’ll need a
little hand-holding to start with (help when you arrive, finding
accommodation, etc), so make sure that they have someone there who can
at least speak enough English to help you get going. Then just dive in!