posted on May, 23 2009 @ 03:30 PM
I completely understand that issue. I studied French and Spanish for several years and was able to read the the languages, write them, speak them, and
know the grammatical rules. But if you put me in an environment where I have to listen to a native Spanish or French speaker and actually comprehend
what they're saying, I can't understand except for a few catch words because of the fast speech and accents.
Asala's advice is good- start with children's programs in the form of videos and such. It will slowly train you to be able to process what others
are saying and to get your accents right. Then stick with it and practice, practice, practice. I'm rusty now because I no longer know anyone who can
communicate with me on a regular basis in the languages. So don't let that happen to you because it's frustrating to lose all the progress.
Once you progress, watch some Spanish television shows so you can become accustomed to the speech patterns and accents. Or watch some Spanish movies
with subtitles. Best of luck. I studied for so long and hard and was nearly fluent but now I'm barely able to talk about the weather or ask where the
bathroom is. lol I'm pretty angry with myself for forgetting so much so don't let that happen to you. Good luck!