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By popular demand… Marina and Ben bring you a Notes from Spain podcast in Spanish. For all you non-Spanish speakers out there, don’t worry, we’ll be back in English again next time (in about ten days, when we’re back from our holidays…)
Show notes:
- Live from a bar terrace in the Sierra de Madrid
- Learning Spanish… and techniques for really learning Spanish…
- English and Spanish speakers as language learners
- Those early family lunches
- ¿Os ha gustado en español?



steve
23 Aug 05 at 8:39 am
I have enjoyed all prior 12 podcasts, but this one has to be one of the best! The lunch description was a total flashback for me! I will never forget my first lunches with my wife’s family! 20 voices competing for air time over the dinner table and my obligitory “me parece bien” or “estoy de acuerdo” response.
Cojonudo Ben and Marina!
Spain is different.
Sarah
23 Aug 05 at 5:03 pm
Bravo bravo! Estoy tan desconcertado que tuve que escuchar dos veces para entender todo – pero no he olvidado Espanol en total. Muchas gracias, y por favor, mos podcast en Espanol!
Eva "gmail"
25 Aug 05 at 8:06 pm
¡¡Genial!!, ¡Enhorabuena a los dos!! Me he reído muchísimo y ha sido una conversación muy interesante.
Creo que si hacéis mas en español aumentareis el publico. Yo también quiero mas podcast es español.
César
26 Aug 05 at 4:59 pm
Buenooooooooooo, Ben, how is it being on the other side of the road? It hurts, doesn’t it? But you were better than OK.
Marina – Has estado en tu salsa; se te ha notado suelta y en absoluto nerviosa -yo, aunque fuera en español, me quedaría mudo en medio de una frase-.
Me gustó la larga charla sobre las diferentes maneras de aproximarse a un nuevo idioma. Una lástima que no tocarais la influencia de las relaciones humanas y sobretodo, como en vuestro caso, las relaciones de pareja. En mi caso, yo aprendí verdaderamente alemán cuando me enamoré y tuve que expresar mis sentimientos y comunicarme con mi pareja. Supe que dominaba el alemán en la primera discusión fuerte cuando pude defender mi opinión y cabrearme y reconciliarme en alemán sin sentirme en desventaja -bueno, casi, casi-
Sería muy interesante que comentarais cómo os corregís y ayudáis mutuamente; si os dedicáis sólo al idioma oral o también al escrito.
¿Qué tipo de material usáis?
¿Estudiáis vocabulario aislado o dentro de frases?
En fin, enhorabuena por vuestro programa.
¿Tenéis amigos hispanoamericanos? Sería interesante escuchar la opinión sobre España de personas que por los papeles son extranjeros, pero que por la etimología de la palabra extranjero, es decir, de extraño, tienen poco.
lesley
26 Aug 05 at 10:29 pm
I understood about 5% and loved every second!
Ivan & Julie
1 Sep 05 at 4:14 pm
Bueno, no solamente en Castellano pero bilingue en Ingles tambien. What if one of you speaks English and the other Spanish, then switch on the next show. It works perfectly well between my Castillian speaking parents and myself, raised speaking English. In any case, it was good fun translating for my wife. We truly enjoy the humour, Marina’s disagreements with Ben. As always, the more descriptive, the better. Keep it up. What of photos of our hosts so we can put faces to the voices?
All the best,
Ivan and Julie
St Andrews, Scotland
Pol
8 Oct 05 at 12:44 am
I have to disagree with Marina, i wouldn’t say there are different approaches towards learning a language depending on where you’re from. I think Ben’s right this time, it all depends on the personal motivation and situation for each individual. It is true, though, what Marina says about many spaniards being able to fully understand an English paper o book, and not having the determination to hold a complete conversation.
By the way, Ben, i’ve always been very upset about the ‘intercambios’ allegedly used by foreigners to improve their spanish by scheduling casual chats with beautiful ‘españolitas’, as you say. I always found it unfair that i coundn’t have my english-speaking counterpart to do the same. Is that how the two of you met?, you make a beautiful couple, good luck and keep it up!!!.
Aleksandra
1 Nov 05 at 7:30 pm
I have realy enjoyed it too. This is great idea that you have recorded one in Spanish. I am Polish but me gusto mucho Espanol y Engles tambien:).
More in Spanish please, or you could do mixed in one podcast.
Beth Smaligo
3 Mar 06 at 2:51 am
Well…..I really didn’t get it, but at least it gives me some listening time to hear what Spanish SHOULD sound like–after my nightmarish 2 years (what I learned was practically nothing useful) in high school! –Beth