| If someone asked me what I would recommend as | | | | interact with educated Latin Americans in a formal |
| the most important preparation for expatriating to | | | | setting, you will come across like a rube. The reality is |
| Mexico it would be, Learn Spanish. You would think | | | | there is street Spanish and there is formal Spanish. |
| this is obvious, right? | | | | You have to know both and be able to switch back |
| I get many who write and ask what I recommend | | | | and forth. |
| they do exactly in their language-learning quest. The | | | | · Immersion Plus Spanish - One of the most |
| first thing I tell them is to understand that unless | | | | misunderstood parts of becoming fluent in any |
| they move to one of the uber-expensive resort | | | | language is the necessity of training your ear in the |
| towns or San Miguel de Allende, you will have to | | | | target language. What I mean is if you cannot hear |
| speak Spanish in the rest of the country. The rest of | | | | the euphony or music of the language you will rarely, |
| Mexico is not going to cater to the monolinguals no | | | | if ever, be able to understand what someone in |
| matter how big of a fit they pitch over it. I mention | | | | speaking to you in the target language. I live in |
| this because shockingly, this is exactly what | | | | Mexico and can tell you though I went through |
| monolinguals do when they come to Mexican towns | | | | massive Spanish preparation before coming to Mexico |
| and find the locals are not bilingual. In their fit-pitching | | | | what I did not count on was the speed at which the |
| tirades there is the usual, now get this, accusing the | | | | locals spoke Spanish. It is remarkably fast! This |
| locals-to their faces-of speaking English only | | | | course, by its design, will help you with this problem. |
| pretending not to. | | | | It addresses this common issue. |
| Here is what I would suggest you follow before | | | | · Smart Spanish - This will help further train your |
| moving to Mexico. It will cost you. It isn't cheap. But, | | | | ear in the music of the language. It is a great |
| you will not be wasting your money like you would if | | | | program in that it records live interviews with Spanish |
| you began taking classroom instruction before | | | | speakers from Colombians to Spaniards. It dissects |
| developing a high degree of Spanish spoken fluency. | | | | the interviews for grammar and vocabulary and then |
| · The Learnables Languages - This picture-aural | | | | speaks at different speeds so you can follow with or |
| system follows the last 40 years of linguistic research | | | | without a transcript. |
| in second language acquisition. You receive true | | | | An issue with many American second language |
| immersion in the language. | | | | learners is they claim because they are "visual |
| · Pimsleur Spanish - This is the second stage of | | | | learners" they have to take notes, read books, see |
| acquiring spoken fluency. First, you engaged in INPUT | | | | something written on a classroom chalkboard, or |
| with The Learnables, and then you begin your | | | | whatever. This is a myth. The courses I list stress |
| OUTPUT stage with The Pimsleur Spanish system. | | | | listening first, speaking second, and reading third. |
| This is your first attempt at speaking the language. | | | | What someone is saying when they claim this, |
| You will develop much vocabulary and learn how to | | | | related to language acquisition, is if they were born |
| speak the language. | | | | blind they never would have been able to learn how |
| · Learn Spanish Like Crazy - This course is much | | | | to speak their native tongue. The mechanisms |
| in the same style and approach of The Pimsleur | | | | involved in second language acquisition are the very |
| products. They use the same methodology as | | | | same as when you learned your native language. If |
| Pimsleur. You will learn a tremendous amount of | | | | your claim to be a "visual learner", relating to second |
| vocabulary as well as get massive exposure to how | | | | language acquisition, were valid then if you were born |
| Spanish is spoken in Latin America. Pimsleur is | | | | blind, you never would have been able to learn your |
| excellent in giving you the exposure to how Educated | | | | native language-logical, no? |
| Spanish speaking people converse. However, when | | | | Before embarking upon your expatriation journey or |
| you are on the streets of Latin America you will hear | | | | even coming to study Spanish in Mexico, use what I |
| a lot of difference in the Spanish you learned with | | | | have outlined above. You will save money in the |
| Pimsleur and what you will learn with Learn Spanish | | | | long-haul and not watch it float down the drain while |
| Like Crazy. My suggestion is that you need both. The | | | | sitting in a classroom lost and unable to know which |
| reality is that if you only learned what is spoken on | | | | end a Spanish verb is up. |
| the streets of Latin America and then tried to | | | | |