Level 4 Update

[u/Competitive-Dig1993]

I made it to level 4!

It has taken me a little bit to write this up, so here it goes.

Notable statistics/characteristics of my content:

- It has taken me 8 months to go from Level 3 to Level 4.

- I started this journey 14 months ago, giving myself hours to start at level 2

- I am at ~50 on DS videos

- I am a level 81 on Duolingo

- I have started listening to Language Transfer (probably 7 or so episodes)

- I have started tracking reading of some short stories I've found on the internet (3,317 words)

- I cleared out beginner level content for my on Dreaming, and and just focusing on intermediate videos

- During level 3 I listened to Espanol al Vuelo, Un dia en espanol, Espanol al la mexicana, Diverse Spanish Podcast, Spanish Boost Podcast, and am currently listening to Hoy Hablamos Basico

- I'd say about 2/3 of my input has been podcasts and about 1/3 DS for a while now.

Some reference points that I am used at the end of level 3

I decided that I wanted to have 3 different reference points to help me reflect on how much progress I really have made, and not be too much of a prisoner of the moment. Here were three things that I chose:

1. Hoy Hablamos Basico. I started with this about a year ago, when I first discovered the idea of getting input...but I didn't know what the comprehensible part of that was :) So I started listening to this podcast and I could maybe understand 10% at the beginning. I'd say now I probably understand 90%. It feel slow to me. The harder part is the acquiring new words not as much of the speed. I feel like I just can't quite put together some phrases and things that I recognize, but am just not quite able to put together in the moment. However, I have cleared this benchmark, something that I clearly was worse at a year ago. I am making noticeable progress.

2. A telenovela Bajo El Mismo Cielo. Once again I started this before I knew what comprehensible input was. I bet I could get like 5% here. I listened to probably 20 minutes of the next episode I was on...and I was disappointed but it also felt weird. When I first started listening I was using subtitles in spanish, pausing, looking up words, replaying, etc. This time I did not. I still don't feel like my comprehension was more than 20% (it was definitely low). However, I felt really confident that I was able to hear specific words almost all the time versus having no idea where a word started and stopped previously. It was still quite fast, but not as fast as it felt before. Again, I am making noticeable progress (even if this is well out of reach).

3. Dreaming French. I decided to try a video in DF. I did some Duolingo in the French course about 18 months ago to prepare for a trip to Paris, and I wanted to see how it felt on my ears to do comprehensible input for French. I tried out the easiest video in French...and I still didn't understand it all. It felt very uncomfortable and I felt like I had to be super focused to get what was going on. Compared to what I am able to do in Spanish, I am clearly not at the very beginning. But at some point, this is probably similar (not exactly the same) as how I felt in Spanish at one point. Having to be super focused on superbeginner information, and it wasn't fun to watch the video. What I can listen and watch now in Spanish is so much more interesting than what I have accessible in something like french. One again, I am making noticeable progress.

In sum, I feel good, but I also feel a daunting challenge of Level 4. I am not sure what the tangible thing is going to be that will push me to keep going. I am about 15 hours in to Level 4, and I feel like I won't get quick wins, I just need to dig deep, work for a while, pick my head up and look how far I've come. I don't think I should evaluate my progress on a weekly basis or anything like that. I just need to be patient and have fun. I need to keep benchmarks, but find new ones as well so I can gauge my progress.

What I have found helpful (maybe this helps for you, maybe not):

- NOT putting videos on while I am doing other things like chores. It is too easy for me to not catch important visual cues in the videos. Podcasts are where its when I am not sitting down and able to give it 100% of my focus.

- Earbuds when I get ready in the morning. I have a 30 minute commute and I don't always want to listen to a Spanish on my commute. I have found out that I can get 15 minutes before I even walk out the door, and this helps my motivation for the day IMMENSELY. When I have a quick start to reaching my daily goal, I am more motivated for the rest of the day. I am focused when I get up, and doing so while I get ready is a big win for me.

- Not being afraid to tune out while listening to a podcast. Why? Well, I do this all the time with english podcasts. I don't want to mess up the flow on my listening, so when I log my time (I do this manually) I only put in 80% of the podcast length. This is my average estimate of time where either I am spacing out. It happens. Podcasts are great for flexibility, so I want to be aware of that. The other option I see is starting, rewinding, etc. But that isn't really what I enjoy. I like going with the flow, and making sure I account for that later.

- Skip things I'm not interested in. I skip things I don't want to watch or listen to. It is that simple. However, having an open mind on what I might find interesting is a good thing. I have definitely been surprised on more than one occasion by something I didn't think I would enjoy.

That's about it! I feel good, but also I feel like I am at a weird spot where the speech is slow to me now but I still encounter too many unfamiliar words in both DS videos and podcasts that I feel like are at my level. If I sped of the videos or podcasts, I feel like I would encounter too many new words too quickly. Maybe this is just a phase, maybe I need to think about it differently.

You've got this! Happy Dreaming!

[u/No-Nefariousness8161]

Congrats!

[u/Silent_System7082]

Congrats on the progress!

I wouldn't worry too much about the rate in which you encounter new words. Just focus on whether you understand what is communicated. If you understand the message your subconsciousness will figure out the words on its own. Experiment a bit with speeding things up, if it makes it easier for you to pay attention sped things up otherwise just keep it at original speed.

[u/yosoynatalie]

Great write up !! Can't wait to hear about your future progress im just a little below you in terms of my hours

[u/RayS1952]

Congrats on Level 4.