In unit 1, we learned the basics of how to introduce ourselves and how to create a profile of ourselves. My favorite part of unit 1 was when we learned numbers. In any language it is important to learn numbers. Without this, we couldn’t tell time, say a phone number, counting money, or even give directions to a specific address. This is an integral part in communicating in Spanish. We also learned the different conjugations for the verbs Ser and Estar, which are an important stepping stone in learning foundations of Spanish.
Ultimately, we combined everything we learned and wrote a few sentences telling fun facts about ourselves. I found this module quite easy because I took Spanish in high school. I learned new things and relearned old things, like how to use Ser and Estar properly.
In Unit 2, we learned how to greet each other and hold a real conversation. I liked being able to introduce myself in many different ways and learning how to close out a conversation effectively. We also learned how to say our majors and specializations in Spanish, which will come in handy one day. Knowing these improves communication skills and opens up the opportunity to have a more professional vocabulary. Learning different uses for ser and estar made it possible to form complete sentences, make our words flow better, and get our points across more effectively. Knowing the difference can make or break a sentence, and using the wrong one at the wrong time can change the context of what is being said. Finally, we learned how to properly ask questions. This was very important in our journey because how can you hold a proper conversation without holding conversations? You can’t!
This is my project for unit 2. I had a great time doing this project because my older sister helped me. The idea of the project was to ask questions about the person I was talking to and, in return, answer the questions they asked me. I can definitely work on properly asking for clarification when asked something. During unit 3, part of what we learned was the months and the days of the week. These are both essential to the basic knowledge of Spanish. Knowing the days and months also helps with understanding different events within Hispanic culture, such as Dia de los Muertos. In unit 3 we also went over different activities that you may participate in, as well as introduced the difference between -ar, -er, and -ir verbs.Something else we learned was how to tell time. I found some difficulty with this because it needed to be clearer how to say the minutes in the hour and when to use each time of day. However, after lots of practice in and out of class, I have mostly overcome this obstacle. Lastly, we learned how to use ir and tener to talk about and tell about our plans. I didn’t find this too tricky, but I need to use these verbs more. This is my proyecto for unit 3. The assignment’s goal was to map out a week in my life. I found this easy and challenging at the same time. The easier part was having my outline of what to do in English, and then I knew the days of the week well. The difficult part was properly incorporating ir and tener into my paragraph. However, I did enjoy this project because it showed me the progress I was making slowly but surely over the semester. In unit 4, the goal was to explain my surroundings at the university effectively. The vocabulary was able to help me do that. I did have the most difficulty with this unit because it was all brand new material for me. I made flashcards in hopes of memorizing the material to the best of my ability. I have much more to learn, but I’ll get it down. The second vocab set was very short, but it was easy because I knew how to express my likes and dislikes. This skill will bridge the gap between yourself and a Spanish speaker in different situations, such as ordering food at a restaurant or expressing yourself to someone else. This also helps you better respect the culture around you by being able to voice your opinion. A large part of unit 4 was not only reiterating ser and estar, but to add haber into the mix. The use of haber is still pretty tricky for me, but with more and more practice I hope to fully understand it and use it properly. I was very familiar with this portion of unit 4 because I find -ar verbs to be the easiest to conjugate out of the three types I learned about in high school. I found very little difficulty in this portion of the unit. Learning this conjugation is needed in order to move forward and conjugate more complex verbs. I do wish that there was more practice with the vosotros/as conjugations.
I do not have a completed proyecto for unit 4, but I am still working on describing my surroundings effectively.
In Unit 5, we learned different adjectives used to describe people, places, and things. We also learned different verbs that we can use to talk about people, as well as was to address, open, and close letters. Oddly enough, I didn’t find this easier than conjugating -ar verbs. I was familiar with this conjugation, but the -ir conjugation got me mixed up the most. However, in the end, I was able to figure it out. Being able to properly conjugate these is essential to being able to express yourself in the present, past, and future tenses. They are key in having effective communication.These verb conjugations might’ve been the most fun because of how confusing they are. I say that because once I figured out when and where to use them, it felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. Being able to understand the two is an important way to avoid confusion in conversation with other Spanish speakers.
Overall, I am proud of the new things I learned this semester. While I did take Spanish in high school, I lost a lot of the knowledge I had, so this course helped me regain all of it. I hesitated to pursue a minor in Spanish because I found the idea very intimidating, but I’m glad I have begun the process. I learned how to introduce myself, ask and answer questions, hold conversations with peers, and much more throughout the semester. The grammar and vocabulary I used will be helpful tools in the future, as they are the foundations of my journey to become fluent in Spanish.
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