Rubbish at languages at school but stubbornly trying to learn a second language!

[Loafline]

Has anyone actually accomplished this? Any tips? Feel like joining me in my quest?
I'm starting off with internet resources which are mostly free - coffee break Spanish, duolingo, memrise, I listen to News in Slow Spanish, Collins easy learning and Hugo in 3 months - which is a bit dry.
I started 6 weeks ago, spent 2 weeks really struggling with pronunciation but I think I have cracked it now.

I seem to go in cycles of a can't bloody do this, it's too hard and then I keep plugging on, things start to make more sense and suddenly it's doable again, sometimes I encounter this cycle on a daily basis.
I'm choosing to do this myself because I get so disheartened when I see how quickly other students seem to pick it up....I end up feeling like a failure.
I'm going to cover the basics and then attempt to speak to some real Spanish people. That bit is really scary!
I'm surprised by how much I'm enjoying it, I really hated languages at school!

Well it can be done, but it's much easier if you're living in the country that speaks the language you're trying to learn. I can speak very basic french now, (I'm embarassed to admit we've been here for 10 years) but we go back and forwards to London (that's my excuse, oh also dh has a talent for languages ) it's harder than spanish and english IMO.

Good luck keep at it, it's an idea to watch half an hour of telly in the language you're learning , every day.

Dh is brushing up on his French by listening to the news and using the coffee break French podcasts - have you tried them? I do think Spanish is easier than French, well the spelling is easier anyway. I've always had a hankering for speaking Spanish, I've tried it a few times but never got very far, I don't think we'll be moving for another few years even then it may be only an prolonged tour of Spain and a few countries in South Amercia.
It's just good to get my brain working again!
I'll have look for some Spanish TV or maybe films with subtitles and there's a Spanish nanny who lives a few doors down, I might bend her ear a little too.

Thanks for that idea Loafline. Yes that sounds like a good idea, I hate formal lessons, I've been relying on conversation with french friends and an informal arrangement with a friend who's a runs a small veg and eggs farm, and has a quiet time in the winter. (we go to each others' houses). The main problem I find is that the accents all differ, like in England, so you think you know how to pronounce something and it changes!!

Oh and the grammar!! The tenses are very tricky in Fr.

There's also a News in slow French podcast, the first 10 minutes are free, but you can download previous espisodes so there will be plenty to keep you busy, before you would need to pay anything.

I was part of the generation who didn't get taught formal grammar at school so I'm struggling with that side of things too. I bet the dcs could help me though! I haven't even dipped my toe in the tenses yet....you're scarring me!

If you aren't in the native country, or cannot travel to it (6 months woukd do you wonders! 3 moths, even), then immerse yourself as much as you can:

read
write
vocabulary postits everywhere (espejo, nevera, horno, ventana... etc)
Change your phone to Spanish - that's what I recommend to my English students - enviar, llamado perdido, pulse para devolver la llamada. Etc.

Then, don't visit the Catalan part of Spain and expect to be understood

Oh dear, elQuinto we're making a trip to Barcelona shortly, I thought they spoke both Spanish and Catalan? We plan to take a trip to southern spain next year, sadly just for a couple of weeks.
Good idea about changing my phone to spanish.
Can you recommend any spanish films - I've been looking but i only seem to find latin amercian films.

Barcelona is pretty Castellano-friendly

For films, Bigas Lunas did raunchy: Jamon Jamon is a favourite, the first film of Penelope Cruz, she starred with now-husband Javier Bardem.
Pedro Almodovar has done some classics, including Todo Sobre Mi Madre.
Juan Antonio Bayona made El Orfanato -very scary!

Othr faves of mine are: Tesis, El Espinazo del Diablo, El Laberinto del Fauno. Spanish horror is great! A very biiter-sweet film is Torremolinos 73.

I do love the Argentinian Bon Bon el Perro.

Just... don't bother with Spanish tv