Tue, Jan 8, 2008
This post was originally posted on Babelhut.
Earlier this evening I was reading a book to my five year old son as I do almost nightly. He and his brother are blessed to have a large collection of children’s books, many of them they have not read yet. A significant portion were given to them by a family friend who is a former school teacher who natively speaks Spanish and English. Most of the books are in English but a few are in Spanish. I’ve looked at a few of the Spanish books before but for the most part I am not far enough along in my studies to read them. I’m very much in a beginner with Spanish and I just don’t know enough words yet.
Spanish Update: Shorter study time
Fri, Oct 19, 2007
This post was originally posted on Babelhut.
In a previous post, I had decided to stop studying after a set amount of time to prevent being overwhelmed. I have studied Greek once since, completing a full chapter, and I studied Spanish tonight, covering about half a chapter. I didn’t quite study for a full hour, instead choosing to stop when I was tired. I think this is appropriate considering it was after midnight. I feel I made good progress today though.
Mon, Oct 15, 2007
This post was originally posted on Babelhut.
Last night, having been delayed by sickness, I studied Step 2 of Spanish Step-by-Step. In this book, each chapter is called a step, which contains a list of sentences and phrases in Spanish which will introduce new words and concepts. At the end of each step is a section called “Instant Conversation” in which you read along with a conversation between Spanish-speaking people, followed by a quick test. Underneath each Spanish sentence or phrase is a line describing how to say the words, and underneath that is the English translation. Sprinkled between some of the sentences are little “sidebars” which explain new concepts or things to pay special attention to.
Mon, Oct 15, 2007
This post was originally posted on Babelhut.
Quite by accident, I found a site with a recording of a Greek alphabet song. I personally am far too shy to sing this aloud, even by myself, but this could be a good memory aid for those just learning the Greek alphabet. The rest of the site is pretty interesting as well. The author is a Christian Missionary in Mozambique with his family and has interesting little stories about life there.
Thu, Oct 11, 2007
This post was originally posted on Babelhut.
Spanish has been a back and forth battle for me for years. A better analogy would be a series of small border conflicts, as most of the time nothing is going on, but when I do decide to learn Spanish, I charge into it and I’m soon pushed back away, and nothing more happens for a while. I’ve finally had enough, and I’ve declared war! I will learn Spanish, and I intend to at least be able to hold a conversation, watch television in Spanish, and read a Spanish newspaper or book with ease.
Εν αρχη: Starting with New Testament Greek (again)
Sun, Oct 7, 2007
This post was originally posted on Babelhut.
Εν αρχη (en archae) means “in the beginning.”
After 7 months without studying at all, I’ve finally sat down and spent some time a couple nights ago to study New Testament Greek (also called Koine Greek). I’m primarily following the lessons in a book called “Learn New Testament Greek” by John H. Dobson. I started on the third lesson as the first was all about the Greek alphabet, which I still remember, and the second lesson was mostly simple words that I also still remember.