Learning English

[Mmelon 8]

I am looking for online resources to help my husband learn English. He is a permanent resident in the US now and has been here for several years. He is not really literate in his native language (Spanish) and not at all in English. He understands probably 85% of the English he hears on TV and in conversation around him but does not speak much. We have done Rosetta Stone for awhile but it isn't that helpful. He is not at all comfortable attending an ESL school and most I have looked into expect you to be somewhat literate. I'm looking for online worksheets and lessons that I can work on with him at home. Any ideas?

[little immigrant 801]

If he's illiterate in his native language then he needs to work on that too. I did some courses of Spanish and English with a teacher maybe some schools or community colleges offer that in your city. 

Edited June 27, 2018 by little immigrant

[Arete88 4]

36 minutes ago, Mmelon said:

I am looking for online resources to help my husband learn English. He is a permanent resident in the US now and has been here for several years. He is not really literate in his native language (Spanish) and not at all in English. He understands probably 85% of the English he hears on TV and in conversation around him but does not speak much. We have done Rosetta Stone for awhile but it isn't that helpful. He is not at all comfortable attending an ESL school and most I have looked into expect you to be somewhat literate. I'm looking for online worksheets and lessons that I can work on with him at home. Any ideas?

 

There are many, but my opinion is that what really makes the difference is exposing oneself. He should take advantage of the fact that he is in the US and expose himself every day to the maximum number of situations requiring him to speak (going out with friends, making phone calls, going to Walmart, etc.). Thus, one learns out of necessity. Btw, phone calls are tremendously helpful cause you have to guide yourself purely by your listening skills.

 

Moreover, he should ask for help every time he doesn't understand or is not understood by someone, no matter how small the issue is. 

 

Best wishes and I hope your husband succeeds! 

Edited June 27, 2018 by Arete88

[EmmNM 179]

36 minutes ago, Arete88 said:

 

There are many, but my opinion is that what really makes the difference is exposing oneself. He should take advantage of the fact that he is in the US and expose himself every day to the maximum number of situations requiring him to speak (going out with friends, making phone calls, going to Walmart, etc.). Thus, one learns out of necessity. Btw, phone calls are tremendously helpful cause you have to guide yourself purely by your listening skills.

 

Moreover, he should ask for help every time he doesn't understand or is not understood by someone, no matter how small the issue is. 

 

Best wishes and I hope your husband succeeds! 

But he is also illiterate. He needs to learn to read and write as well as speak. 

 

Take Arete88's advice and have him practice his English. Then I would start the way you teach children. Get children's books on learning to read and write.

Edited June 27, 2018 by EmmNM

[C&AH 104]

1 hour ago, Mmelon said:

I am looking for online resources to help my husband learn English. He is a permanent resident in the US now and has been here for several years. He is not really literate in his native language (Spanish) and not at all in English. He understands probably 85% of the English he hears on TV and in conversation around him but does not speak much. We have done Rosetta Stone for awhile but it isn't that helpful. He is not at all comfortable attending an ESL school and most I have looked into expect you to be somewhat literate. I'm looking for online worksheets and lessons that I can work on with him at home. Any ideas?

I'm a Spanish teacher in the USA. So, language is my passion. Try Italki.com. He could sign up for a free account and there are two options available. Two options: 1. He could find a language partner (exchange Spanish for English. Option 2: Locate a tutor or teacher for a low hourly fee. He can write and narive speakers could correct his English, which is free. Italki is a valuable resource. I actually became fluent in Spanish through the website and then met and married the love of my life in the Dominican Republic! A side note: don't waste another penny on Rosetta Stone, your better off with Duolingo. It's exactly the same thing and above all, free!

Edited June 27, 2018 by C&AH

[C&AH 104]

10 minutes ago, C&AH said:

Duolingo

Italki

 

I'm a Spanish teacher in the USA. So, language is my passion. Try Italki.com. He could sign up for a free account and there are two options available: 1. He could find a language partner (exchange Spanish for English through Skype, Whatsapp, Google Hangouts, etc). Option 2: Locate a tutor or teacher for a low hourly fee (ranging from $4 to $30). He can write and native speakers could correct his English, which is free. If he is illiterate, he can still work on his writing. I find that most everyone on the site is patient as they are also learning a language. 

 

Italki is a valuable resource. I actually became fluent in Spanish through the website and then met and married the love of my life in the Dominican Republic!

 

A side note: don't waste another penny on Rosetta Stone, your better off with Duolingo. It's exactly the same thing and above all, free! 

 

Edited June 27, 2018 by C&AH

[Alabamak1 688]

@Mmelon I agree with that statement that Rossetta stone is very challenging. You have to already have some basic knowledge and the software is really not designed for beginners of any language. I am tri-lingual, but to my advantage i learned them when i was very young. The best way to learn another language is to have the most amount of contact with other people, who speak it. It's going to be an uphill battle if he is not comfortable in a classroom setup. Online classes are ok, but to learn the language, nothing like the face to face challenge of different voices, expressions and/or accent for that matter. I find myself in a similar situation, because my wife has little knowledge of English. She understands, but has a little problem on not asking what was said. Common to anyone not wanting to feel stupid, by saying i don't understand. Being illiterate in Spanish is not uncommon either. I had the opportunity to teach some Math when I was in high school. I understand the problems. Best is for you to sit with him and start from the basics. I do that with my wife. I talk and correct her if needed. The more comfortable she is with the voice and repetitive explanations, she will get it. I am also trying to learn russian, since she is native in it. Good luck. 

Edited June 27, 2018 by Alabamak1

[Mmelon 8]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I appreciate all the suggestions. I agree that exposure to the language that you are trying to learn is the best way to learn (that's how I learned to speak Spanish-total immersion!). My husband is quite shy and extremely self-conscious about not being able to read or write and has been unwilling to go to a physical classroom to learn for that reason. He claims it is a childhood trauma from experiences he had in school when he was young. We have gone back and forth on the issue a lot and it has caused a lot of heartache for both of us. That is why I am trying to find resources that we can use by ourselves at home. I think of that phrase that says "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." If he won't go to class, I want to provide another option. 

 

I have used Duolingo myself in the past, but I don't think it would work for someone who can't really read. I have never heard of Italki.com but will definitely look at it and see if it would help us! We get Rosetta Stone for free through our library system, so at least we haven't had to pay for it. 😊 I like the idea of using children's books and materials. I'd thought of that wasn't sure if he'd be offended by it. 

[Daisy.Chain 317]

There are also ESL classes that are non-academically oriented. All of the community colleges near us have two kinds (academic for people with prior knowledge and those who have no background). people starting from close to zero usually start with the lower level. My community college also has classes for adult s who cannot read well. If you can convince your husband to give it a try, they're usually VERY cost-effective and you could even go with him to a few. Perhaps you could set up an appointment with a guidance counselor.

 

Or, if you want to do it the old-fashioned way, I have had a lot of success with Alphaphonics  There is a red book from the 90's that is fantastic. It teaches by phonics.

 

Several of my students can't read Spanish and learn to read and write English successfully.

[Lemonslice 4,843]

Librairies around here are offering  ESL discussion groups and literacy one-on-one coaching.  Some coaches are immigrant themselves - it is my understanding that the goal is to be functional and the volunteers look friendly.

[TBoneTX 45,304]

5 hours ago, Alabamak1 said:

Best is for you to sit with him and start from the basics. I do that with my wife. I talk and correct her if needed. The more comfortable she is with the voice and repetitive explanations, she will get it

This is a great recommendation in terms of comfort with the sounds, which differ in Spanish.

Mrs. T-B. wasn't used to the short "I," short "u," or the schwa sound.

Her Ecu dialect involved leaving off final consonants, which carried over to her English.

In bed at night, we'd often read from magazines: she, then I; or I, then she, then coaching.

 

The chief goal is to find any avenue that yields any progress at all, and to follow it.

 

Parallel with this is to assure him that "everyone starts new" at various things in life, that this is one such situation for him, and that it's just fine.  "Latin pride" runs deep, even when it's not expressed.

5 hours ago, Alabamak1 said:

I had the opportunity to teach some Math when I was in high school.

The official language of Algeria is Algebra.  (Got it, first try!  )

Edited June 27, 2018 by TBoneTX

[janet3 1,170]

My husband (French Speaking) has been attending English classes for the last seven months at a local literacy council located near a university. The classes have a very diverse group of people from all over the world and range from basic to advanced. Since the classes are so diverse there is really no need to be literate in any particular language (they also offer classes specifically for Spanish speakers learning English...I believe literacy would be a factor in those classes). 

My husband hated going in the beginning and now loves it (and now wants to be there every time the doors swing open). 

If you have similar classes in your area you may see if he’ll give it a try (the teachers have always been very kind and understanding).

My husband is also very insecure about his English but spoke English to a complete stranger for the first time three days ago. Yay!

 

I believe his teachers use a variety of online materials (including children’s books being read by the author online....my husband  loves those). I’ll ask today when I pick him up from English class 

[KeratNY 76]

5 hours ago, Mmelon said:

Thanks for the replies everyone! I appreciate all the suggestions. I agree that exposure to the language that you are trying to learn is the best way to learn (that's how I learned to speak Spanish-total immersion!). My husband is quite shy and extremely self-conscious about not being able to read or write and has been unwilling to go to a physical classroom to learn for that reason. He claims it is a childhood trauma from experiences he had in school when he was young. We have gone back and forth on the issue a lot and it has caused a lot of heartache for both of us. That is why I am trying to find resources that we can use by ourselves at home. I think of that phrase that says "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." If he won't go to class, I want to provide another option. 

 

I have used Duolingo myself in the past, but I don't think it would work for someone who can't really read. I have never heard of Italki.com but will definitely look at it and see if it would help us! We get Rosetta Stone for free through our library system, so at least we haven't had to pay for it. 😊 I like the idea of using children's books and materials. I'd thought of that wasn't sure if he'd be offended by it. 

Honestly sounds like he has some trouble stepping out of his comfort zone, and his shyness/self consciousness are real obstacles to learning. He's going to need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable because that is what language learning is like. He needs to work to let go of the shame and embarrassment as that is holding him back. 

 

I have experience with that. I went to my parent's native country for a few weeks to learn what SHOULD have been my native language, and I was routinely embarrassed that I look like a native but can't talk like one, and talking in a broken language to my extended family left  me vulnerable, sheepish and embarrassed. But once I got comfortable that I can't control what I can't control, and I need to act like I am just learning a new language like everyone else, the embarrassment and shame went away and I could finally just focus on learning and practicing, and I finally started to show rapid improvement through full immersion. 

[Illiria 980]

Just saw this was suggested and whilst some of it wouldn’t be easy without literacy in his language it does have some picture games. If he is into app games Duolingo is kinda cool, it’s short game like lessons that you can do a few minutes a day so that it becomes part of your daily routine plus it’s free and doesn’t require interactions with others for those of us that don’t have confidence in languages.

 

I got myself an usborne first thousand words book to increase my vocabulary in Japanese as they do the same book exactly in each langage.

 

Edited June 27, 2018 by Illiria
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[Ontarkie 14,226]

Look up homeschooling websites there are a lot of free resources. Find the book How to read in 100 Easy Lessons. This way you can help him at home and then maybe he will start feeling better about himself.