Looking for Spanish speakers who want to practice over dinner or a beer

Submitted by webren t3_124ptsw in washingtondc

Hi everyone, I'm looking for Spanish speakers that would like to meet up in a group or 1-1 setting to practice our Spanish. Ideally, it would be great to have some sort of frequency - meeting up once every other week or even weekly if you're up for it. Unfortunately the gatherings on Meetup.com are mostly sponsored by language schools that try to sell you classes or aren't very frequent. I'm interested in meeting in DC proper and welcome all levels.

Little about me: I'm an advanced speaker who's more or less conversationally fluent. Mid-30s male who loves Spanish culture, food, and wine and I've lived in DC for over 15 years. ¡Nos vemos pronto!

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t3hdebater t1_je0jk0m wrote

The Petworth library has a weekly conversation group on Thursdays.

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BenBradleesLaptop t1_je0lcm8 wrote

I'm curious about this. Have you been? I've been learning spanish on duolingo for 5 months. 15 mins every day, but I can't yet really speak to Spanish speakers I regularly encounter. I know I need to practice in person, but should I wait until I'm more proficient?

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webren OP t1_je0ubpa wrote

I've been studying consistently for about 5 years and I found that Stephen Krashen's theory on Comprehensible Input is spot on. In a nutshell, his theory suggests that language acquisition through regular input (watching videos and reading) is more important than trying to speak early on. I would recommend watching 15 minutes a day of Dreaming Spanish YouTube videos over Duolingo. They have videos sorted by level and you'll want to start with the level where you understand at least 80% of what's being said. If you can't understand 80%, you go down a level until you comprehend mostly everything (hence comprehensible input). Over time, you'll naturally be able to advance in level and your brain will be able to put together and understand more complex phrases from language acquisition.

You may find trying to converse this early in your Spanish journey may leave you frustrated and may frustrate the listener depending on how patient they are. If I could go back in time, I would've done nothing but consume input for 2 years and then start speaking. Because I decided to force myself to speak early on, I created some bad habits because I was directly translating in my mind from English. I had to unlearn these habits when I was more advanced which was frustrating, and I wouldn't have had that issue if I focused on acquiring the language vs learning it.

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walkallover1991 t1_je0vebt wrote

100% agree with everything you said regarding Stephen Krashen's theory.

I'm at a similar level to you in Spanish (I've twice tested into C2/Advanced for Reading + Writing and C1/Advanced for Speaking) but still found myself gasping for words when trying to have a conversation with someone. I could easily read a novel or write a college-level essay but would struggle to speak to my Spanish-speaking neighbor about the weather.

I started retraining myself using the Comprehensible Input method a couple of weeks ago and it has really changed my thinking...

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webren OP t1_je0wrlq wrote

It's amazing how well it works! It's difficult sometimes to note the progress but eventually you'll see it and then it clicks.

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LongLiveDaResistance t1_je1gjpf wrote

Hmm, reaching proficiency (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) in a language typically takes about 5 years, so it may not have been the theory itself that worked but rather the time and consistency you put into learning.

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webren OP t1_je0sbcn wrote

Awesome, thanks for the suggestion!

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m__001 t1_je1cpvm wrote

is there somewhere online to find more info- day and time? and if it’s at other libraries as well?

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t3hdebater t1_je1jyrr wrote

The petworth library event page? It's at 7pm on Thursdays. I don't know if you have to register - you can always call to check with a librarian.

Not sure if other libraries do it - you'd have to search the DCPL website event page. If anyone is interested in organizing a second location, I bet a library would be willing to host. They are big on community events.

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pizzaslutsky t1_je0ttkn wrote

I host a Spanish language happy hour in DC. Just DMed you!

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Tarmek12 t1_je1likj wrote

I’m a native Spanish speaker. I love it but I don’t get enough practice though and would be open to helping out. Btw do you also read much in spanish?

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webren OP t1_je22nv0 wrote

Let me know if you're interested in meeting up to practice. I try to read a few chapters of a book each week. Just recently finished Trevor Noah's autobiography. I'm quite slow at reading because of needing to look up new words or vocabulary, depending on the content.

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Tarmek12 t1_je2330j wrote

Absolutely brotha. I’ll shoot you a PM.

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leafysun t1_je2wkky wrote

If you climb there’s Spanish language meetups at a bunch of rock gyms in the area with ¡Escala!

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Technical_Potato2021 t1_je41jxu wrote

Hi! I am a Spaniard moving to the DC area in a few weeks. Feel free to DM me if you want to chat!

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Ancient-Educator-186 t1_je6eamn wrote

I'd love to but it would costs $160 round trip to take an Uber or get to a train. Horrible transportation system here

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diet_of_pie t1_jebf7ye wrote

Im about the same level, looking at working on some grammar, send me a direct message and lets grab a sandwich and a beer

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