When you're learning a new language to communicate, grammar should not be your main worry.
Focus rather on understanding and speaking, and discover grammar points along the way. Grammar is best consumed gradually, in small doses, and in little steps.
My current experience with learning Swedish reinforces this notion for me again and again.
Simple Grammar Explanations
Find a book or site that gives you simple explanations, ones that you can relate directly to the vocabulary you're learning. For example, as you're practicing basic phrases and sentences, you can discover, little by little: - the gender of nouns - articles (definite & indefinite) - pronouns (including the familiar and formal "you," and when to use these) - present tense verb endings; conjunctions (and, but or) - question words (who, what, where, when, etc.) - the word order of simple statements and questions.
Reinforcement Steps
Once you've grasped a grammar point, you'll reinforce your understanding every time you see the structure again - as you're learning new words and phrases or reviewing old ones.
For example, in Swedish, I learned that the definite article is attached to the end of a noun. So now I know the difference between "torg" (square) and "torget" (the square). Whenever I see the “-et / -t" (neuter gender) or the “-en / -n” (common gender) ending, I keep this in mind for understanding the meaning of the word.
Prepositions
With a knowledge of some essential phrases and grammar basics, you're now ready to learn a handful of prepositions, as they're used in common expressions. Some of them you may have encountered already in phrases you learned, others may be new or have a second, less obvious meaning.
Each language has its own favorites. For example, in Swedish I started with: av (of, by); från (from); hos (with, at); i (in, on, before [time]); på (on, in, at); till (to [a place]); med (with); över (over, above, across, past [time]); åt (to [a person]).
Research & Discovery
As a next step, choose a simple text that interests you, about half a printed page long. Now, using a dictionary, try to read it for meaning, or even try to translate the sentences into English.
Pay special attention to what holds the text together: the connecting words (and, but, also); negative words (not, never, no one); time markers (today, tomorrow, yesterday, soon, earlier, etc.); verb tenses. At this stage, you're beginning to understand how the language works.
Keep Notes
I'm a huge fan of keeping a small spiral (3"x5") notebook in which I write down, in pencil, phrases I want to memorize. I also list essential grammar points.
For example, for Swedish, I noted down the phrases: "en kvart över twå" (a quarter past two) and "en kvart i twå" (a quarter to two).
This phrase pair helps me recall that, in the context of time, "över" means "past the hour" and "i" means "before the hour."
In my experience, grammar is something you build from the ground up, slowly, step by step. As you're learning your new language, you become aware of and want to understand grammar points - all in the context of phrases and sentences that you are reading or hearing.
In short, grammar is not something you learn first and then apply but rather something that you discover and learn over time.
The use of the single letter "y" and its combination with forms of the verb "aller" "rester" etc. is confusing to many French beginners. However, it's really not that difficult.
(The picture on the left shows the cover of “On y va!”, a French lesson book used by Swiss high school students in the 80s and 90s.)
Recently, we listed a number of phrases with “y” in a Facebook post. "y" = here, there; about it, on it (referring to something that was mentioned). Some of these come up as part of our French 1 travel-story course.
Adverb "y" - here, there
• "J'y suis, j'y reste." - Here I am (and) here I'm staying. • "Marseille? Oui, je vais y aller." - Marseille? Yes, I'm going there. • "Le pont d'Avignon ? On ne peut plus y danser." - Avignon Bridge? You can't dance on it/there any more. • "La Tour Eiffel ? Est-ce que tu y es déjà monté ?" - The Eiffel Tower? Did you already go up on it/there? • "Allez-y !" - Go!; Go on!; Go ahead! (Lit: Go there!) • "On y va." - Let's go (Lit: We are going there.)
Pronoun "y" - about it /that, on it /that
• "Trois jours à Paris! Penses-y !" - Three days in Paris! Think about it! • "Il faut y penser. - We have to think about that. • "J'y compte." - I'm counting on it. • "Je n'y crois pas." - I don't believe it. • "Je m'y attendais." - I was expecting that. • "J'y tiens." - It matters to me. (Lit: I'm holding to it.)
The Expression "il y a" - there is, are; it's
"Il y a du monde.- There are a lot of people. /It's busy. "Il y avait du monde. - There were a lot of people. /It was busy.
"Il y a du soleil." - It's sunny. "Il y avait du soleil." - It was sunny.
"Il y a erreur." - There's a mistake. "Il y avait erreur." - There was a mistake.
The Expression "il y a" - ago
"Il y a plus de deux ans." - More than two years ago. "Il y a mille cinq cents ans." - Fifteen hundred years ago. "Il y a quelques années." - A few years ago. "Il y a longtemps." - Long ago. / Ages ago. "Il y a quelque temps." - A while ago. "Il y a peu." - Not long ago.
Moreover, you can combine various forms of the verb “aller” (to go) and “y” (there) to create commands that are commonly used in daily life.
Let us know any comments or questions you have and - keep on learning as playfully as you can. Language learning should be first and foremost enjoyable, a quest of discovery, not a chore.
Do you want to know what "On ne peut plus y danser, mais on peut encore l’admirer." mean in French? Just click HERE.
There's nothing wrong with Flashcards, I love them for practicing vocabulary and we use them in our games as well.
But learning only with traditional flashcards - or sticking only to list learning, for that matter - is bound to keep you in the rank of beginner.
To bust through the beginner ceiling, you have to learn to use phrases and sentences as part of communication. That's where context learning comes in. Here are three simple reasons for learning German in context.
Pronouns
German consistently uses pronouns with specific verb forms (as opposed to Italian or Spanish, for example). But because some of the German pronouns are multi-functional or are part of an idiom, you need the context to understand what's going on.
A perfect example is “sie/Sie”: • Wann kommt sie? - When is she coming? [she - subject] • Wann kommen sie? - When are they coming? [they - subject] • Und kommen Sie auch? - And are you also coming? [you(formal) - subject] • Ich kann Sie nicht sehen. - I can't see you. [you(formal) - direct object] • Ich kenne sie nicht. - I don't know her/them. [her/them - direct object]
The word "sie" can also refer to a "feminine gender" object or animal: • Die Hütte dort, siehst du sie? - The hut over there, do you see it? [it(f) - direct object] • Die Katze dort, sie wartet auf ihre Milch. - The cat over there, it's waiting for its milk. [it(f) - subject]
And the German “ihr/Ihr” could mean in English: “you” [plural familiar], “her” [indirect object], “their” [possessive pronoun], “your” [formal] or also “to her” in various German idioms.
When learning the various uses of “sie/Sie” or “ihr/Ihr,” it is useful to have specific phrases or sentences in mind.
Articles and Cases
In German, articles and noun cases are matched – often in mysterious ways for beginners: • “der” is not only the masculine article, as in : [der See] Der See ist .... - The lake is .... [m – subject), • "der" can also can precede a feminine noun, as in: • [die Frau] Ich gebe der Frau ... - I give (to) the woman ... [f, indirect object] • [die Kirche] Das Tor der Kirche ist .... - The door of the church .... [f , possessive] • [die Stimme] Die Anzahl der Stimmen ... - The number of votes ... [f pl, possessive]
Similarly, “die” is not only the feminine article, "die" is also the plural form for all nouns that are a subject or a direct object, as in: • [das Haus] Die Häuser sind ... - The houses are ... [neuter, pl subject] • [der Baum] Die Bäume sind ... - The trees are ... [m, pl subject] • [die Straße] Die Straßen sind ... - The streets are ... [f, pl subject] • Ich sehe die Häuser, die Bäume, und die Straßen. - I see the houses, the trees, and the streets. [direct objects]
Idiomatic meanings
Some words change their meaning, depending on the context. For example (as shown by a post circulating on Facebook), the word “Bitte" has multiple meanings.
As a simple statement, “Bitte” basically means “Please”. But it can also mean “Go ahead.”; or “I don't mind”; or “You're welcome.”; or “Here you are.”; or “Not at all.” In addition, the question “Bitte?” is often used as “Pardon me?”
While “Danke” simply means “Thank you,” in a specific context, it can mean: “Yes, thank you.” or “No, thank you.”
And, the much-used word “gut” (good) can change its meaning in idioms such as: • “Gut, das machen wir.” - Okay, we'll do that. • “Mir geht's gut.” - I'm feeling great. • “Mir ist nicht gut.” - I'm not feeling well. • “Jetzt ist es aber gut.” - That'll do. • “Schon gut.” - That's enough.
Learning vocabulary is clearly necessary – and Flashcards are a great tool for that – but simply knowing groups of words is not enough to really understand and speak German. It's best to learn those words in the context of a topic that interests you.
You will better remember the words when you recall them as part of meaningful phrases and sentences. Moreover, when you use them in new sentence combinations, applying the grammar rules will be much easier.
And we certainly agree with author Andy Hunt (co-author of “Pragmatic Thinking and Learning”) whom we had quoted in My Rosetta Stone Blog - 3: “Always Consider the Context ... because it is important for understanding the world around us."
After you've initiated a conversation (see Part 1), you'll want to have a few topics up your sleeve to sustain it and, finally, to close your conversation in a gracious way.
(2) SUSTAINING A CONVERSATION
Know some basic information about the city and have a few phrases ready so you can introduce the topics that interest you:
Know also a few interesting historical facts about the country. This means that you should learn how to say dates. Remember that in Spanish, dates follow this format: day, month, year.
"Las olimpiadas de Barcelona se inauguraron el 25 de julio de 1992." (The Barcelona Olympics opened on July 25th 1992.)
Obviously, the old stand-by, if you did not understand:
"¡Eso ha sido un poco rápido de más!" (That was a little too fast!)
"¡Podría repetir eso por favor!" (Could you, please, repeat that!)
(3) CLOSING A CONVERSATION
It's always important to find a way to close a conversation gracefully. Spaniards are a little more formal about getting ready to go than Americans. Have a few exit lines ready!
a) Signaling the end:
-"Muchas gracias por las recomendqaciones." (Thank you for the tips.)
-"Ha sido un placer hablar con usted." (It was nice to talk with you.)
-"¡Vaya, que tarde es! Todavía tengo que ..." (Darn, look how late it is! I still have to ...)
-"He quedado con unos amigos." (I'm meeting some friends.)
b) When you're leaving:
-"Por desgracia me tengo que ir ahora." (Unfortunatley, I have to go now.)
-"Lo dicho: muchas gracias/he estado muy bien." (Again: many thanks/it was really nice.)
-"¡Que pasen una buen tarde/noche!" (Have a nice afternoon/evening!)
-"¡Adiós!" (Goodbye!)
Practicing some of these conversational phrases and expressions ahead of time will be quite helpful and impress your Spanish speaking contact. While such phrases will obviously not be sufficient for an intensive discussion, they will boost you confidence in speaking. The next step will be to add a few more topics and strategies to your conversational skills.
Many language courses - be they books, CDs, online programs, or apps - are structured around learning particular vocabulary topics: “survival words & phrases,” such as greetings, numbers, directions, shopping, time, days, months, etc., or "categories," such as colors, food items, parts of the body, animals, objects found in the home, etc.
Clearly, these words and phrases are important to learn and know. However, if they are just introduced as a list and without context, they are difficult to retain.
That's why GamesforLanguage.com has chosen a “Story-Approach”: Each new word is introduced as part of an ongoing story – a young man traveling to the country of the foreign language that is to be learned: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the U.S, the last one for speakers of Spanish.
Will this young man use all the vocabulary contained in the various topics mentioned above? Probably not.
But the 700 words that make up the many phrases and sentences in each GamesforLanguage course will not only be more useful, but also easier to remember and apply. That is what's important to most learners: acquiring vocabulary that they can use in daily life.
For learners who already have some background in one of the four languages, GamesforLanguage provides a fun and effective way to “brush up” on their foreign language.
They can skip the “Memory Games” and immediately focus on “Snap Clouds,” “Shooting Gallery,” or “Word Hero” to test their vocabulary; practice translation and sentence building with “Word Invaders” or “Shoot Out”.
Interacting repeatedly with the elements of “The Story” - hearing, saying, writing, and recording words, phrases, and sentences in context - is an effective way to memorize, retain and learn to apply the language you're learning.
This YouTube clip for French shows how all the new words of "The Story" are playfully being learned in various easy games. Learning with a story that continues from Scene to Scene keeps up one's interest more than the often unrelated dialogues so many language programs are using!
When in a Spanish speaking country, you certainly want the skills to deal with daily, practical situations: ordering in a restaurant, asking directions, greeting friends or strangers, introducing others, purchasing, paying a check, checking into a hotel, etc.
But you'll also want to be able to engage in conversations with locals or with a Spanish speaker you happen to meet anywhere. To do this, you must swallow your anxiety about speaking up and find ways to start, sustain, and eventually end a conversation.
Conversing with strangers can feel a little awkward in any language. A blog post that caught my eye:12 Ways To Make Talking To Strangers Less Awkwardhas some good tips on braving such a challenge. Of course, these tips also work for talking with strangers in a foreign language.
We've adapted them here for conversations with Spanish speakers. A good antidote to "conversation anxiety" is to practice some useful expressions ahead of time. You can start with the list below.
(1) WHEN INITIATING A CONVERSATION
Act confident and comfortable, this will put the other person at ease too. Be sure that you know how to address a stranger correctly to be appropriately polite. Best to use a neutral greeting such as:
“Buenos días,” “Buenas tardes,” “Buenas noches” (Good morning, Good afternoon, Good evening) or have a couple of polite phrases ready, such as:
"Perdone ..." (Excuse me …)
"Por favor ..." (Please [can you tell me] ...)
Formal "Usted" - Importantly, you should use the formal "usted" (the polite form of "you") as a starter with older persons, or in formal situations. If by any chance you’re being addressed with the formal “usted”, then you should use “usted” as well. That means, of course, that you also have to learn to distinguish between the appropriate Spanish verb endings. Listen HERE to a Spanish conversation where students talk about using the familiar "tú."
Spanish "How are you?" - By the way, in Spanish, it's fine to use "How are you?" (¿Cómo estás?/¿Cómo está?) as part of a greeting, even if you don’t know the person very well. Spaniards regard such a question as a token of genuine interest. Just make sure you use the appropriate formal/informal verb endings.
"Asking for directions" - Learn to ask for directions or for information; this may very well lead to a longer exchange. Start with a neutral greeting (see above) and follow up with a question, such as:
"¿Sabe dónde/cuándo ...?" (Do you know where/when ...?)
The "here and now" - Comment about the here and now. For example when you're at a café, a restaurant, a museum, in a shop, at a market, etc. Talk about what's around you, what you see; you can even mention the weather.
"¿Un cortado? ¿Qué es eso?" (A "cortado"? What is that?)
"¡Ese es un edificio realmente precioso!" (That's really a beautiful building!)
"¡Hoy hace un tiempo genial!" (Great weather today!)
Starting a conversation with someone in a foreign language may feel a little risky, but it's definitely something you can learn to do. Practicing some of these ice-breaker phrases and expressions ahead of time will be helpful. In our next blog post (see Part 2), we'll guide you on how to sustain and how to close a casual conversation with a Spanish speaker.
Learning Swedish recently moved to the top of my language "to do" list. We'll be spending some time in Stockholm in the fall and that's excellent motivation for me.
Besides, I've always loved the sound of Swedish, in the Bergman movies, and most recently watching the three Swedish movies based on Stieg Larsson's popular novels, "Män som hatar kvinnor" (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and its two sequels.
So, I signed up for one month to learn Swedish with an online language program. Besides getting a good grasp of Swedish basics, I again experienced the advantages of learning a new foreign language online.
For me, three key aspects drive my language learning: 1. motivation, 2. figuring out how the language works, and 3. building vocabulary.
These three aspects apply to all four language skills: reading, listening comprehension, writing, and speaking. The Swedish online course that I followed did a nice job with all four.
Motivation
This is the engine that drives learning. To truly learn something, you've got to love your subject, and find ways, again and again, to stay crazy about it.
There's a lot of talk about "addictive" programs for learning. I'm not sure that's the answer. You've got to be addicted to the subject - in this case, the language itself. Then, at best, a good program will make learning the language a pleasure.
Figuring Out How the Language Works
Our brain is wired for language and we are definitely capable of figuring out how a language functions. Kids do this all the time. By listening to a language, and reading, writing, and speaking it, we become aware of grammatical patterns.
In addition, some of us like to check with a grammar book, to see if there's a rule that makes things clear. I, for one, don't memorize grammar rules. My favorite grammar books are very thin ones. The one I use for Swedish is a slim booklet called "Essential Swedish grammar."
Building Vocabulary
Some people like to start a language by memorizing lists of words, or even just practicing all the sounds of the alphabet. I find that boring.
I prefer to start with everyday phrases or short sentences, and to add relevant lists a little later. I want to see the spelling, hear the words spoken, say them myself, and even write out some of them.
That way, my language learning brain is fully engaged. Whatever vocabulary I learn has to be part of a context or a setting that is meaningful to me.
So far, I've spent one month learning Swedish. I'm definitely still motivated and yes, I've figured out how the Swedish language works.
The program confirms that I've learned 380 basic words and phrases. That's a good start! In a later blog post, I'll talk about what program I used and how it specifically helped me build the four basic skills.
Recently, I started a somewhat traditional online Swedish course and was surprised by how difficult the first few lessons were for me. And that was even though there were only 7 or 8 new words/expressions in each lesson.
Swedish is a Germanic language – and I speak Dutch and German fluently – but getting started with a new language (even if it's related to a language you know) is best done with small steps at first.
Learning Swedish made me a language learning beginner, again. It made me think about how beginners can best learn.
As readers may recall from an earlier blog post: my husband and I had used our Spanish 1 course in preparation for our stay in Spain last year. Spanish was a new language for both of us, and at first the going was slow.
But, the similarity of Spanish to French and Italian (languages we know) soon took us out of the “beginners” rank. What seemed to help was learning language in context, something we've built into our all of our courses.
I expect that I'll experience the same with Swedish: Yes, I'll find the language difficult to learn at first. But by practicing Swedish in context, and with "comprehensible input" (a notion popularized by the linguist Stephen Krashen) I'll soon no longer be a beginner. Besides, knowing other Germanic languages - English, Dutch, and German - will eventually boost my progress.
Early Feedback
Based on the feedback from users who responded to a questionnaire about our GamesforLanguage courses, we had concluded that our first few lessons were too easy.
Maybe some players had come to this conclusion because our games made the beginning lessons indeed seem easy. “I was learning, but it didn't feel like learning” was an early, typical comment.
Expanding Lesson 1
We therefore began expanding the first lesson ("Scene") of our German 1 and our Spanish 1 program, which initially consisted of three foreign dialog lines with about 16 new words.
The additional six dialog lines, however, stopped many beginners from progressing to the second Scene. Did they feel that learning a new language was too steep a cliff to climb? We decided to wait for more feedback before expanding the French and Italian scenes.
What makes Gamesforlanguage.com different?
By learning a language (Swedish) that at first seemed to have fewer similarities with languages I already know, I put myself again into a beginner's shoes (for the 5th time, actually). I experienced first hand the difference between a typical language program and GamesforLanguage:
Rather than teaching and drilling lists of words and short expressions (hello, good-bye, thanks, how are you?, I am fine, thanks, etc.) GamesforLanguage deconstructs, practices, and reconstructs the dialog of a story beginning with Scene 1. Words and expressions, as in the examples above, come up as well, but later and always within the context of "The Story."
Indeed, the learner is immersed in real life, every-day language right from the start. While those with some background in the language will find the program easily accessible, beginners may need to slow down and add an online course like Duolingo to get momentum.
We invite your feedback
We love comments and feedback! So, if you have tried our course or have experience with other language courses, just add your comment below!
In our blog The GamesforLanguage Program - Part 1, we describe the key points, approach, and methods of our program. Part 2 describes the various games, the players' activities and how you'll learn with the games.
Memory Game
In the “Memory Game” (left), you'll first see key words and phrases of “The Story.” You then pick a red (English) card and click on the matching foreign word. With this game, you'll acquire new vocabulary for your understanding of “The Story.”
Listening Games
In these games, you'll hear a foreign word (from “The Story”) and then - choosing among 3 similar looking words - click on the word you just heard. Such games (e.g. "Moon Landing," right) train the ear. Your brain is normally tuned to the sounds of your native language. The listening games teach you a new and different correlation between sound and spelling.
Say-It Game
In this game, you'll hear and are asked to repeat select phrases of “The Story” before the text appears briefly on the screen. When learning a language, you are challenged to recognize new letter combinations, to pronounce new sounds, and to get the timing of the intonation right.
The Say-It games allow you to focus on hearing and reproducing the melody of the foreign language without worrying about meaning. Then, to help you correlate the sound and spelling of a new foreign phrase, it appears briefly before you hear the next one. (This we always felt was missing from audio-only courses!)
Word and Phrase Games
These games, e.g. "Snap Clouds" (left), require you to identify the correct story words in different types of games and settings. By switching between native and foreign translation, you are challenged again and again to produce the right answer. At the same time, you'll assimilate the meaning, spelling, and essential grammar of the foreign words and phrases that you're practicing.
Pronoun, Verb, Number, et al. games
Here, e.g. "Balloon Shoot" (right), you'll learn and practice particular word categories and/or forms. Each language has its own challenge if you want to master pronouns, gender, verb conjugations, noun endings, etc. These games recall vocabulary as well as the special features of each language.
Translation Games
In these games, e.g. "Deal no Deal" (left), you are asked to choose the correct translation of each of the sentences that form a segment of “The Story.” Quick tips explain relevant points of grammar or culture, providing you with further insights into the new language.
Word Order Games
Here, you are asked to build sentences from “The Story” by clicking on individual words in the correct order. An English translation and specific word choices guide this task (see "Word Invaders," right). Once you've selected a correct word, you'll hear it again.These games draw attention to idiomatic expressions and highlight the difference between English and foreign word order.
Writing Games
Considered often the most difficult task in any foreign language (besides speaking), writing here becomes a fun game. In a race against the clock, you'll translate and write out first simple foreign words, then in later levels, short phrases.
Recall Games
In the recall-games, you'll practice the vocabulary and short phrases you learned in an earlier scene. For example, "Word Hero" (right) lets you review the words and phrases of the previous SCENE, while "Recall and Record" has you recall and speak the words, phrases, and sentences from a scene in the previous LEVEL.
Games Summary
The table below summarizes how you learn from each Game/Screen screen and Player Activity. In order to keep you, the learner, both engaged and challenged, the sequence and configuration of the games changes throughout the six levels of each course.
How You Learn
Game/Screen
Player Activity
Hear language melody
Guess meaning from context
“The Story”
(Dialog/Story context)
Listen, see foreign phrases w/optional translation “roll/over”
Identify and memorize key words and phrases
Memory Game
Hear, see, and click on key words
Identify correct word, correlate sound and meaning
Listening Games
Hear, see, and click on key words
Imitate sounds, recognize patterns
Say-It Game
Hear, repeat, then see key words & phrases
Identify the meaning and basic grammar of the foreign sentence
Translation Games
Hear, see, and click on translation of foreign sentence
Practice vocabulary, sound, and spelling
Word/Phrase Games
Identify, click and hear foreign word
Figure out idiomatic construction, word order, and grammar forms
Word Order Games
Identify, click on, and hear foreign word while building foreign dialog sentence
Recall vocabulary, sound, spelling
Word/Phrase Translation
Hear foreign and click on native word/phrase
Practice pronouncing the melody of sentences
Dialogues
Repeat full sentences
Translate and spell
Writing Games
Write foreign words/phrases
Figure Out Grammar Forms
Pronoun, Verb, et al Games
Click on the right Grammar form
Recall earlier scene vocabulary
Recall Games
Hear foreign and click on native word/phrase
We invite any questions about or comments to our program and games!
A recentguest blogfor us by Lizzie Davey made me realize that in addition to the many small things that help you learn a language, there is clearly one big thing that helps your new language: READING.
As some may recall fromearlier blogs, Spanish was a language I started to learn last year; first with our 36-lesson Spanish 1 course, then during our 2 month stay in Spain, reading newspapers, watching TV shows, talking to thelocals in shops and restaurants.
And now, I continue to read Spanish articles online and sometimes even watch a soap on our local Spanish TV station.(A great app and Chrome extension is Lingua.ly, which not only lets you look up words you don't know, but also places them in a list you can later review and practice!)
Reading Zorro
A few months ago, my wife gave me two books for my birthday: the original Spanish version of Zorro by Isabel Allende and its English translation. (According to Wikipedia, Allende's book represents a prequel to the original Zorro story, Johnston McCulley's 1919 novella "The Curse of Capistrano.")
I have been reading two to three pages most nights and I am enjoying the book tremendously. Reading a novel is quite different from reading newspaper articles, which often deal with familiar topics. The language of news reports is also easier to comprehend than the literary and sometimes abstract language of a novel.
A handy Spanish-English dictionary would help me translate the many new words I encounter. However, having the excellent English translation of the text has several benefits: You start to understand the story much faster; you pick up on the Spanish idioms and expressions as well as their English equivalents; you often experience the "aha" effect that makes learning both fun and effective.
English First
When I started to read the Spanish version first, I quickly became discouraged. There were many words I did not know and I became lost in the events of the story.
But then, when I began reading the English translation, the history of Zorro's beginnings - which I certainly did not recall from the movies and which, I assume, Isabel Allende invented - became interesting and intriguing.
And, when I went back to the Spanish version, words and phrases became clear and obvious and became further proof of one of our gamesforlanguage key credos: Once you understand the context, you can more easily decipher sentences and structures.
For several chapters I continued with this approach: I read a paragraph or two first in English, then I switched to the Spanish version.
Spanish First
After several chapters, I experimented reading the Spanish version FIRST. Not surprisingly, I was already able to read much further along before starting to "lose it" and having to switch to the English version for a quick "context refresher."
As I continue to read about Diego de la Vega's early life - his childhood, his travel to Barcelona, and his life in Spain - his later life as "Zorro" starts to make sense. I discover, for example, the significance of the name "Zorro", meaning "fox" in English, as well as his reasons for wearing a mask!
The narrator tells us: "... era todavía un mozalbete de orejas salidas, ..." (he was still a stripling with protruding ears).
"... El problema de las orejas fue la razón por la cual se le ocurrió la idea de usar un máscara,..." (The problem of the ears was the inspiration for wearing a mask).
Isabel Allende was able to create an image of the young fictional Zorro in which is both plausible and fun to read!
A (Big) Language Tip
There are "Easy Readers" and "Dual Language Readers" that work quite well for many learners. But, if you have already mastered some of the basics of your new language, want to expand your vocabulary, and challenge yourself, get the foreign and English versions of books that interest you. Your new language will grow in leaps and bounds!
When you're learning a new language to communicate, grammar should not be your main worry. 
In the “Memory Game” (left), you'll first see key words and phrases of “The Story.” You then pick a red (English) card and click on the matching foreign word. With this game, you'll acquire new vocabulary for your understanding of “The Story.”
These games, e.g. "Snap Clouds" (left), require you to identify the correct story words in different types of games and settings. By switching between native and foreign translation, you are challenged again and again to produce the right answer. At the same time, you'll assimilate the meaning, spelling, and essential grammar of the foreign words and phrases that you're practicing.
In these games, e.g. "Deal no Deal" (left), you are asked to choose the correct translation of each of the sentences that form a segment of “The Story.” Quick tips explain relevant points of grammar or culture, providing you with further insights into the new language.
translation and specific word choices guide this task (see "Word Invaders," right). Once you've selected a correct word, you'll hear it again.These games draw attention to idiomatic expressions and highlight the difference between English and foreign word order.
Considered often the most difficult task in any foreign language (besides speaking), writing here becomes a fun game. In a race against the clock, you'll translate and write out first simple foreign words, then in later levels, short phrases.
