Conversacion Por Teléfono...

My predominant interest in Spanish is being able to communicate. I can understand much of what I read, because I can see it in print. I can write a coherent message in Spanish as well, because I have time to think and formulate, review it and correct it before I send it (e-mail). However, oral communication is an entirely different matter. I really would like to practice speaking and listening Spanish. I do get a lot of practice, because mi novia habla español. But, I want more. So what I'm wondering is if there are people out there who would be open to establishing a telephone network of Spanish speakers and learners for the sole purpose of improving speaking and listening skills. I think this could really help becuase since you're not in person with the person you're speaking to, you can't rely on pointing and gesturing, you have to use the language as best as you can to relay your message. Of course, this means divulging telephone numbers and etc., so I can understand why some people may be hesitant to engage - but there must be others like me who want to improve their communication skills so much that they'd do it. For me, I would give my number, and anyone who so desired could call me *67 so their number wouldn't show on the caller ID. I have some other ideas about how things could go, but I want to do a "market analysis" to guage the amount of interest in such a thing. I was thinking the calls could even start off with a basic "schedule" such as: 1st call: basic introductions. Name (first), age, location. What you do for a living. All stuff relating to present life. 2nd call: Tell each other about your lives, how you grew up, stories from your childhood. Alternatively, I know that Yahoo Messenger has a live voice chat feature, but I have never used it to know if its reliable or not. Anyone think it's a good idea or have ideas.

I would be interested. I'm in the same boat as you. I can read and write much better than I speak. My pronunciation is pretty good as well, its just that I don't "think" in spanish, so I have to go through the whole translation thing in my head. Practicar hablando es muy importante. The LSLC teleclasse is nice, but it's only one hour per week divided among however many people are in on the class.

I'm interested in talking to others who would like to improve their speaking and comprehension skills in Spanish. Yahoo voice chat works good with some computers. Other times there is like a delay when you speak and you hear alot of static sometimes but it does work if you have patience.If you live in the USA since it is a free call for me on my cellphone please email if you would like platicar en español por telefono.

Hola, Great idea for someone like me :) ! I'm not as blessed as you are to have someone around who speaks Spanish. My wife is half Mexican and her mother, who visits often, is 100% Mexican. Go figure, neither of them speaks a word of Spanish :cry: . My wife has no desire to learn Spanish :cry: . She attributes it to us pushing 50 years old. I read some of the users saying that they complete a lesson a day for about 45min. each day. It takes me __at least __three 45min. sessions to get the interactive lesson to a point where I’m comfortable to move on. I'm currently on lesson 4. I began about 2 weeks ago. Also, I am taking time out to listen to the previous lesson so that I don’t fall into the trap of forgetting what I previously learned. Sorry for rambling on. I just needed to get that out :shock: ! As I said, great idea for me! But at this point it would be a one way benefit in my favor. I don’t know enough to be of any benefit to anyone else. Maybe, if I work hard enough in the next 30 days I will be a bit better and I will be able to hold a low level conversation. The calls would need to be segmented by skill level. I wouldn’t want to burden an advanced speaker with a total novice like myself. With that said, I’m aboard. I’m willing to make the call (pay the distance cost) on my end. Knezz

The best technology for voice conversation seems to be via skype http://www.skype.com The idea is great in principal but what you really need is to be conversing with native speakers. You will gain little benefit conversing with a community of likewise individuals that have the same goals. Try having a look at this website http://www.sharedtalk.com/ Here you can meet Spanish speakers who wish to learn English. Iknow that they often are willing to chat outside this community to improve their English. You could say for example we caht the first 20mins in English and then the next 20mins in Spainish. Cheers Nev

I am interested in something like this, particularly if a native Spanish speaker would moderate it. I like the idea of using an Internet based voice conferencing system.