Here we are, the first day of May! Honestly, April absolutely flew by to me. You would think with days of not really being in the “routine” we’re used to would tend to makes days go slowly, but it’s been the opposite having to balance work, Sophia & everything in between. I am happy to say that this month’s challenge of learning / practicing my Spanish went way better than meditation did for me last month! Side note, these photos have nothing to do with learning Spanish, but it was nice and sunny on Wednesday and I popped out because I decided it was time to get dressed in something other than leggings!
Gary is pretty much fluent in Spanish and tries to speak to Sophia when he can so that she gets that language as well as Russian from me and then of course English. What’s worked for us is just using our words and phrases in those three languages and what’s been truly amazing to see is how she knows exactly what something is in all three languages. She’s a sponge right now and our hope is that she’ll be trilingual in the future.
Duolingo has a free app that you can upgrade to have no ads if you want, but the ads didn’t bother me. There are dozens upon dozens of language that you can learn and practice. I think when / if we rebook our trip to Portugal, I’ll do a month of Portuguese to get on better there. Would have been smart for me to do this when we went to France a few years ago since they really don’t like when you speak in English there – well in Paris we found that to be true.
The best spring jacket || Wedges (your first pair is only $10)
I didn’t start this out blind, I took 4 years of Spanish in high school that really stuck with me and a lot of this was refresher for me. Out of the 30 days in April, I only missed one day and I think I just forgot about it that day. Other than that I kept up with it, sometimes twice a day and would only take up 10 minutes of my time.
How do I feel about my Spanish 30 days later – much more confident and sometimes Gary will practice with me so I get more immersion. I’m much better at reading and writing than actually conversing but with more practice I think I’ll get there. What I’m really happy about is that I plan on keeping up with Duolingo even now that the month is over! Maybe I wont practice every day, but keeping that “streak” alive keeps me very competitive with myself!
Have you ever tried to pick up another language later in life?
Love it. I am doing Duolingo with french as my kids are both in french immersion.
I should do that with my German. But here we have a way larger Spanish speaking population. This was such a great idea!! Love your jacket too. Have a sweet weekend!
I love Duolingo. I started Spanish on there years ago but stopped. On Monday I decided to restart it & I'm really hoping I can stick with it this time & get through the whole course. Maybe then I'll either try German (which I took 3 years of in HS) or find out what other languages are super common around here. I'm glad you enjoyed it & that is so awesome that Sophia is able to pick up & start learning 3 languages so young!
I took 3 years of Spanish in high school, but not a whole lot stuck with me. I really wish I would have kept it up! Love that you are exposing Sophia to three languages. She is going to be a smart little cookie!
I need to refresh my Spanish! What a blessing if little Miss could know THREE languages!! What a bright future ahead!! XOXO, R
I'm glad Duolingo helped you. Keep it up.
Love your outfit! Glad the Spanish has been going well! I have Rosetta Stone, but haven't used it in years. 🙁 I should do a little bit of that each day.
I am signing on for this one! I took four years in high school and 2 years in college. When I was in Spain during my semester abroad in law school I felt like I could get around speaking a little Spanish. I need this refresher! That will be so cool if Sophia will be trilingual. Have a great weekend!
That's so awesome! I've been doing Duolingo for a few years now, brushing up on my French for everyday use! I think I should double down for travels post-quarantine! How are you guys doing?
I really want to get better with Duolingo! It's such an amazing resource!
I wish I were better at Spanish. I have my kids taking it, but gosh, I only know the basics. That's great that your hubby is fluent in it!
I have never tried Duolingo before, but it sounds like such a great way to learn a language xo
Makeup Muddle
I love this! Had never heard of Duolingo before, but what a great thing. I took 4 years of Spanish in high school and then 4 years in college (AND I'm half Cuban, haha!) but I forget so much just for a lack of practice. Love that you're focusing on different endeavors each month. 🙂
Omg yass. My mom actually speaks English as a 2nd language. So she's using Duolingo to learn it.
-Lily
withlovelilyrose.com
It's nice duolingo worked for you! When we went to Paris last year I spent a little time using the app to try remember my very basic French, haha! But I found everyone in Paris very helpful – whenever I tried to speak in French they would switch to English for me. Or maybe my French is just so terrible they couldn't stand hearing it, haha! My son's learning it at school so it will be nice for him to know a little of it too! 🙂
Hope you are having a lovely weekend 🙂
Away From Blue
I’ve been out of the blogosphere for forever and here you are teaching your daughter three languages! I was excited when my boys knew just a tinge I’d sign language! So glad you are well! Can’t wait to get back up to speed!
Thank you for sharing this app! I've been encouraging Ryan to learn Spanish because I think it would be great for him at work, and this seems a lot more user-friendly than Babel. So cool that you're teaching Sophia multiple languages!
Karly
whatkarlysaid.com
Paabéns pelo seu interesse pelo português. É uma das principais línguas do mundo, representando uma cultura variada e rica.
Enorme abraço.
Juvenal Nunes
That is so AWESOME that you're working to help Sophia be trilingual!! Now is definitely the time to start because they smaller they are, the faster and easier it is for them to pick up. I took four years of Spanish in high school and remember a lot of it, but both of our kids have been taking Spanish every year since Pre-K4 and they both already know more than I do! The other day Jacob said the entire Hail Mary prayer in Spanish and I almost fell out of my chair… I had no clue he could even do that! Haha.
You have me wanting to pick this up again! I took French in high school, and tried (unsuccessfully) a few years ago to get back into with that app. I didn't make it too far, but I really want to try again. Or a whole new language!