First time abroad Last weekend in a study trip I went to Houston and San Antonio, Texas. I just knew one buddy of all the passengers but at the end I made one great friend. I was disappointed about visiting the NASA because I hoped watching the personnel working on devices, vehicles, and other stuffs like those. It's a good place for children not for engineer students with high expectations (it's obvious). Then we went at Kemah, honestly I'm affraid getting up the roller coaster and similars, I spend the time meeting new friends. Next day we were in Galleria and Kary Mills for shopping, I like the last because it was cheaper and here I speak English more then the previous ones. I understand mostly of the speech when I talked to the people and sometimes I even didn't think what I wanted to express, just specific words I had forgotten I must asked for help. Certainly feelings I get doing this were amazing. San Antono was our last stop where we visited Toyota Motor Manufacturing and El Álamo. It was the best place I speak more here, even with a pretty ladie who told us she travelled to the border.

The Reflexive case in Spanish

I ask this to native speakers and language students.

Have you noticed how often do native speakers use the reflexive verbs and reflexive pronouns?

 

For example:

<em>me voy a bañar</em>

<em>me voy a cambiar</em>

<em>nos vamos al cine</em>

<em>él se cayó del caballo</em>

<em>ellos se fueron de la fiesta</em>

 

I had a problem explaining this subject when my language partner asked it to me. Specially using english, where it's uncommon saying this grammar structures.

<em>Me camino en el parque</em> - Is it correct? He asked. I tried to explain it, but I was really difficult.I've heard people, where my parents come from, saying: <em>si me caminas mucho me regreso</em> you can say <em>si caminamos mucho me regreso</em> which means: if we walk for a long time I'm coming back. The last sentence in spanish it's more easier to understand for me, of couse I do with the other but that is more a "complex/weird/rare" phrase.

Understanding how to learn foreign language Hi people It has passed time I don't check this website. As I mention in my profile I'm studying computer science and I'm making a thesis, focused in Natural Language Processing. Don't get bored, I won't explain the entire area, I just realised this subject is deeply related on understanding a language (in a general way). I've readed a lot of articles about making lexicons, stopwords lists, counting words, all of them computer approaches but another is the "human approach" related with concepts, context, mind maps.How does the brain think to express an idea? I found out that during all my ELS classes I never learnt differences and likenesses between to languages and I considerer it important because we always use examples to learn and when something new appears brain transforms and fits it to our previous knowlegde. When we are beginners we always try identifying grammar structures which is good, but not enough, I'll memorized several of them and approved my exams then I forget them. One day I had a dream where I was talking english (first time) and I was happy because, despicting I was speaking basic english, any spanish word crossed my mind just concepts and ideas, like if I was a native speaker (It appeared to me strange by the way). Since then I try to make connections with events and objects, not only words but the whole sentence. It's always possible to mix up languages, and it's good sign, your brain is linking concepts that before were instrinsically linked with one language. Everytime I want to know a little about a specific language I do a research: firstly history (origins), then writting (characters), speaking (how does every symbol and group of symbols sound like). At least I'll have backgrounds.

A Normal Day Time ago I don't write a post, actually I almost forgot the website, well... I've being going to ESL class for two weeks and I really get the feeling I practice my speaking skill. The teachers "force" (I'd say in spanish: "inculcan") us to talk between classmates, how ever mostly of them just know basic of english. Tomorrow I'll know my language skill so I can move to an advanced class. It's getting hard to continue my research assingment and social service, both at same time. My social service's tasks are easier than the research, this it's about Natural Language Processing despicting there are several articles about it understanding and developing the ideas is not simple, even with all math stuffs. I must confess I knew it wouldn't be easy I'll keep working on it. Better I find some native speaker to improve my english, I think taking IELST by August