00:00To be honest, I think the Spanish people speak very fast.
00:03I have a problem with the quickness of how the language is.
00:07It's complicated to get all the expressions.
00:09What advice would you give to someone who is just starting to learn Spanish?
00:13Learning a new language might be difficult,
00:15but today we're going to find out how hard is it for foreigners to learn Spanish. Let's go!
00:20How long have you been here in Spain?
00:22I've been living here for almost 10 years in Madrid now.
00:24I've been living in Spain for six years, three years in Madrid and two and a half in Gran Canaria.
00:30Do you like it?
00:31Yes, we love it. That's why we're here, I think.
00:33I've been studying Spanish since high school, but very bad in high school.
00:38It was really a bad level of Spanish, so I think it started this year, more serious Spanish.
00:44I'm in Spain since September.
00:47Have you learned any Spanish?
00:48Yes, I've learned some basics.
00:50For how long will you stay?
00:52Until the end of the month, like the 26th.
00:54From all those countries, why did you decide to come here to Spain to study Spanish?
00:58Well, in my case, I was on Erasmus before, in Toledo.
01:01And this is how I learned about Spain and the Spanish culture.
01:04And then I went back to Austria and then I came back in the end.
01:07Just wanted to be here for a few months and now I'm here after almost 10 years.
01:10For me it was a bit different.
01:11After my studies, I wanted to live abroad and then I decided to move to Argentina.
01:16I spent one year there and then I headed back to Germany and I realized,
01:20I really want to live somewhere where I can speak Spanish and that's when I tried Madrid.
01:24And that's how I ended up here and I'm still staying here because I like it so much.
01:27Because of all the history and all the architecture and all the things to do here,
01:31all the excursions and things to see.
01:33I agree, all the cities are very beautiful, so I was very interested.
01:36Architectura muy bonita.
01:40What would you say is the hardest thing about learning Spanish?
01:43I mean, your biggest struggle?
01:44I think, personally, it's my timidity and shy.
01:48Okay, okay, okay.
01:49I'm really shy.
01:50So I think speaking with other young people is hard because I was being told that I was very formal in Spanish.
01:57So it's complicated to get like all the expressions and stuff.
02:01The flags and so on.
02:02Yeah, exactly.
02:03I think the tricky part when you speak French is that lots of words are similar.
02:08So I have the habit of kind of just putting an O or an A or just kind of mixing the both languages.
02:15I have a problem with like the quickness of how the language is.
02:18Yeah, the speed can be a little bit confusing at times, but I mean, you kind of get used to it.
02:23To be honest, I think the Spanish people speak very fast.
02:26And I think also you have a very determined way of choking.
02:30Like sometimes, you know, the chokes are political or, you know, they have like these things that are very Spanish.
02:35And I think this is, in the beginning, it's a bit hard to understand it sometimes.
02:38If you're with people on a table and it's loud and they speak fast and they choke.
02:42That's, I think, what's the hardest thing for me.
02:44I think for me it is when you have like a really theoretical approach.
02:48It's like when you learn Spanish at school or have like some basics.
02:51Then you think, I mean, I went to Argentina and I thought like, oh, I have a pretty decent Spanish.
02:57But then when you're in real life talking to people and it comes to real conversation,
03:01you have to act, react in the moment and it's super difficult.
03:04And what tools have been helpful? I mean, what things do you recommend?
03:07I think trying to speak with like my friends, even though they speak English,
03:12like trying to force them to speak to me in Spanish, even though I make mistakes and stuff.
03:17So I didn't take lessons. I had it in high school.
03:20But, you know, it's really like colors and numbers, like it doesn't really help you.
03:24But I think my process was going out to commercial and asking questions, trying.
03:28And also a really basic stuff is going to the supermarket by seeing it in the supermarket
03:34because you have the product in front of you. This is easy for everything that is vocabulary,
03:38but verbs, it's harder.
03:41I think for like having a base, it's good to like work with apps or even like, yeah,
03:46some language courses or lessons to have like the basic vocabulary.
03:50But I think the most efficient way of learning is like just talking to people.
03:54Honestly, just the total immersion is really helpful.
03:56So like even when I'm done walking around, I still watch like Spanish shows and stuff like that.
04:01Which Spanish show do you recommend?
04:03I don't even, I couldn't even tell you the name, but I just gotta throw it on, so.
04:07When you go to a place and you ask for something and you don't know the words,
04:10do people help you?
04:11Like I think people here are really like helpful and they're going to be,
04:15most of the times like, of course, there's exceptions, but they're really patient with you
04:19and like they help you. So it's cool.
04:21When someone tries to speak Spanish, you're really helpful.
04:24I have to say, for example, in Austria, I mean, I love Austria,
04:26but when you go to Vienna and you struggle with German,
04:29then they directly switch to English.
04:31And here I feel like people really try to help you with your vocabulary,
04:34to understand jokes, and I think that was really helpful for me.
04:37Yes and no, friends, yes.
04:39Some people, absolutely, but a lot of people are kind of in a hurry,
04:42so it's kind of, it's just difficult to put yourself out there and do that.
04:45What about the Metro man? Sorry. What about the Metro man?
04:47The Metro and the taxi drivers and everybody are very nice though.
04:49It is a very nice city.
04:50That's for my personal experience.
04:54Some people here are like don't speak English and they're kind of,
04:58not getting mad, not at all, but like bored because there is a lot of tourists,
05:02so they kind of are used to and tired of it, of doing effort.
05:05So sometimes either they are speaking Spanish, but like they are again,
05:10or they are speaking to me in English when I'm trying to speak Spanish
05:13and that sometimes annoys me because I'm like, hi, I'm trying to, you know, learn.
05:18And what advice would you give to someone who moved to Spain and is trying to learn Spanish?
05:22You have to get out of the international bubble because at the beginning it's very,
05:26people are very likely to connect with English speaking people because it's easier,
05:30but in the end that's not how you learn very effectively.
05:34Because I think we are all kind of shy to speaking with people.
05:38It's to speak to yourself.
05:40No, but like just being in your room and trying to have a conversation with someone you imagine
05:45and being like, okay, today I'm gonna, I don't know, tell my day what I did.
05:50And I feel super comfortable being alone, but when I'm with people it's getting,
05:55so yes, speak to yourself.
05:57Okay.
05:58In the beginning it's hard obviously, you know, where do you find local people?
06:00Like, you know, maybe you work somewhere.
06:02The first friends I had were my work colleagues.
06:04And then obviously there's different language exchanges, tandem.
06:07There are so many places where they actually offer language exchanges where you can meet people.
06:10Or, you know, sign up for the gym, sign up for sports, sign up for any classes,
06:14like, or a course, a creative course, whatever.
06:17Just to get in touch with local people and really just practice it.
06:20Would you be okay if we switch to Spanish?
06:24Yes.
06:25No.
06:26I don't know, you can try.
06:27What would you recommend for a place to go to eat here in Spain?
06:32Wow, I don't know, I have to think about one.
06:35I'm talking about areas, right?
06:37I really like in Madrid the area of Malasaña, the area of Chueca,
06:40which are areas where I think there are many locales, there are a lot of environment,
06:44there are a lot of people everywhere.
06:45Especially now, with the time, the terrace and such in Madrid is what I like most here, the truth.
06:51Do you like Spain?
06:53Oh, I would say the Parque El Ruta.
06:56Did I say that right?
06:58Did I say that right?
06:59I don't know.
07:00Do you like Spain?
07:01Yes, I love Spain.
07:02What is the most you like from here?
07:04I like to go to a party, I also like the people, and the food too.
07:10I like to eat here.
07:13What is your favorite food?
07:15I think it's jamón.
07:17Your favorite food?
07:18Oh, yes.
07:19Very favorite.
07:22And pizza.
07:26The tortillas.
07:28Is that right?
07:29Tortillas?
07:30Of course.
07:31Paella.
07:32Perfect.
07:33What is your favorite food that comes to mind when they think about the United States?
07:36I think they have a concept that everything is like a juerga.
07:38And here we also work.
07:40And the food, what do you think?
07:41No, no.
07:42No, no.
07:43No, no.
07:44No, no.
07:45No, no.
07:46No, no.
07:47No, no.
07:48No, no.
07:49No, no.
07:50No, no.
07:51No, no.
07:52No, no.
07:53No, no.
07:54No, no.
07:55No, no.
07:56No, no.
07:57No, no.
07:58No, no.
07:59No, no.
08:00No, no.
08:01No, no.
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