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Learning Spanish - Is Babbel a good choice?

GuyA

Active Member
Donating Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2023
Fluency in French/English was great for Caminos in Switzerland and France. Walking with a pilgrim from Brazil was super helpful for Caminos in Spain and Portugal.

In May 2020 the Camino Primitivo calls and I understand one should have basic knowledge of Spanish. So both from a personal development perspective and to show respect for the Spanish people I meet along the route I would like to improve my Spanish. So far cerveza, por favor and gracias have been mastered .

I would like to use an App on my iPhone if possible and have come across Babbel. Have anyone used this app? Like it? Other recommendations gladly accepted.

Thanks/Merci/Por Favor

Guy
 
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I don’t know if this is correct, but my impression is that the US State Dept. uses Babbel for its employees. If so, I think that speaks pretty highly of it. Everyone I know who has used it has liked it.

This is a little off-point and would defeat the purpose of your post, but when I saw Ender on the Camino this summer he told me that he and his wife communicate with the US parents of their daughter-in-law with an app called SayHi. He showed me how it worked and it was really quite accurate. You just talk into the phone in your language, and out it comes in the other language. I was pretty gobsmacked, but maybe this is old news to the more tech-enlightened peregrinos out there.
 

Wow, I had not heard of that. I have been playing around with it with languages that I know and it does a really good job.
 
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I did use Babbel to prepare for my Camino, but I think it depends very much on how motivated you are to study on your own whether it'll be helpful or not.

For me it was nice to begin with, learning first phrases but I found it quite boring after some lectures, because the exercises are quite static, are not really flexible and the spanish native speakers talk slowly, easy to understand for beginners but not like it is in Spain, when talking to a salesperson, receptionist, busdriver etc.

I also took some spanish classes at nightschool, this was really great. It switched from studying vocabulary, vocal excercises, dialogues, reading easy articles of a newspaper, listening to dialogues of native spanish people on tape, answering questions afterwards. This was really helpful for me. *

I started 5 months before walking with my spanish studies. If I'm going to walk the Portugese Way, I'll definitly will take classes at nightschool to study some portugese, much more effective, interesting and meeting every week is also some sort of motivation / pressure - whatever expression you prefer ;-) - to keep on studying, at least for me .



* On my way I learned most, if you're really interested to talk to spanish people. At the end I was really able to make calls in spanish, not only telling the people what I'd like, but was also able to understand their answers . I already booked my next class ;-).
 
I use Duolingo. It is free I have learned quite a bit very quickly
Was looking into Babbel but Pimsleur seems higher rates but more expensive
 
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I used "language transfer" it is a free audiocourse in the form of a dialogue between teacher and pupil. I liked it, it builds on the many similarities between English and spanish. It is more directed at understanding a language than on learning by heart. I used it with headphones at training walks combining the advances of both.
 
I’ve used Fluenz for both Spanish and French. It’s a computer program and not just an app. It does have an audio component to use on your phone plus vocabulary reviews apart from the program. It’s a little spendy, but usually goes on sale near Christmas. It’s best used by folks who want to learn more than what’s necessary on a Camino. I thought I’d never get French, but I was able to do reasonably well on the Chemin. I was pleasantly surprised since I never considered myself a language learner.
 
Have a look at a free podcast called ‘Coffee Break Spanish’. It’s ideal for what you want as each lesson is 15/20 minutes long and each covers a scenario like booking into a hotel/albergue , ordering a meal, asking directions, shopping etc.

If you get out of your depth Google Translate is good as, like the App referred to in another reply, voice translations can be made as well as written. You can even scan a menu in Spanish on your phone and it will translate for you.
 
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Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Thanks for the various helpful suggestions...will try out a number of them and just pick one. Anything I can learn is positive!

Guy
 
Hi Guy:

I would recommend that you begin with an app called Duolingo, it is free and teaches you the very basics of the language.

If, you are still “hungry “ for more, then switch to Babbel. This one isn’t free, but it gives you more in depth teaching of the language; including verb tenses, grammar, etc.

I have used both to learn Italian and presently, Portuguese. BTW, I’m fluent in both English and Castellano (aka Spanish), which I was taught since grammar school thru college years; in an Island where Castellano is the main spoken language.

You’re welcome/ de nadas, un placer en ayudarte/da niente........

Buen Camino
 
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Nana6 said:
I use Duolingo. It is free I have learned quite a bit very quickly
Was looking into Babbel but Pimsleur seems higher rates but more expensive
Click to expand...
Duolingo is a bad way of learning a language .
when you do the lessons it tells you that you are wrong .When you complain they do not react. So one and a half year ago I quited . Now almost every week they send me e-mails after so long time that my complains are accepted. I do not think that Duolingo uses native speakers and if there is a complaint, they consult Babbel or other ones
 
Nana6 said:
I use Duolingo.
Click to expand...

Pia Valbak Schmidt said:
Same here, I use Duolingo for daily practice
Click to expand...

Ivan_Prada said:
I would recommend that you begin with an app called Duolingo,
Click to expand...
I use it too! A lot has changed in the app from 5+ years ago when they first started (I haven't used it for years until this February). It is a fun way to learn, because of the various features of the app. They have 5 or so main characters with their own storylines and the conversation follows that. I was told the stories are the same in different languages.

Apart from the main lessons, they have Stories (you listen to conversation and fill in the blanks) - as you progress the stories become more difficult and the speakers speak faster/more like native speakers, and Audio Lessons (the beginner's lessons are great for listening in the car, it covers the usual meetings, greetings, ordering food, buying train tickets, renting a car, etc... very useful for a trip! And then they also have a podcast series covering lifestyles in Spain and Latin American countries, my favourite is about the Great Argentine Heist, which is a real life robbery happened a few years ago, which inspired La Casa de Papel/Moneyheist).

They also make it like a game, you collect crowns and gems with each lesson completed which can be used to buy extra "heart" (health bars), time, etc. And you can follow friends too! In fact, @Nana6, @Pia Valbak Schmidt, @Ivan_Prada - let's follow each other on Duo?! Mine is the same @LavanyaLea
 
I totally disagree.

I started Spanish with intensive classes at a school in Andalusia before my first Camino - Mozarabe/VdlP/Sanabres. The teaching was excellent and I thought I was making good progress, but when I left class and entered a bar or supermarket ... I understood hardly anything. Andalusia is not the best place for a beginner to learn Castellano.

With practice things improved and now I use Duolino for revision. I do think they use native speakers. I do not whinge when they tell me my answers are wrong - they usually are wrong and they do not harass me with emails. And it is free, though they do try to lure me into paid lessons.

However, you need to be aware that Duolingo teaches South American Spanish which is a little different, but not excessively so, except for one of the past tenses used in Spain but not in SA.
 
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I totally disagree

Duolingo isn't perfect. For the most part it teaches the more formal (south american) spanish and punishes even slightly incorrect spelling which can impede progress, but as a learning tool it's progressive and is great for building a vocabulary. And it's free!
 

Yes, all of that. Another free Spanish app worth considering is 'Coffee Break Spanish' where you listen to 20 minute lessons and follow the dialogue, some of it is colloquial and informal but you get a great understanding of the more common phrases.

I don't understand folk whinging about free apps, you get what you can from them. If you're not happy with them, go and pay for lessons!

All that said, my spanish is hopeless, but I try. And it's always appreciated..
 
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