Hi ! Today is the second day of November and I want to decorate with Christmas things. Does anyone else love Christmas with its lights, share with the family and delicious food? In Colombia is very common the expression "Desde septiembre se siente diciembre" :)

Soy jubilado hablante nativo de inglés y me gustaría practicar mi español hablado con alguien que esté disponible a diario o cuando su horario lo permita. Mi nivel actual de español está entre A2 y B1. Me interesa hablar de cualquier tema para mejorar yo mismo y ayudar a otros a aprender inglés.

Was anyone in the Novice of Conversation classes just now? I arrived late & both appeared empty. Sorry if you too arrived to an empty space … I’ll be punctual next time @Lacey Rinewalt @Pauline de la Peña @Jairo Morales @Lee Francis @Percy Enrique Gutierrez - to name a few of whom I’ve met :)

1️⃣ English 2️⃣ Español 1️⃣ A month ago, I changed the entry questions for the group to get a better sense of our new members' level. And the results really surprised me: - 62% are beginners. - 38% are at an intermediate or advanced level. That means the majority of people joining the group can't hold a basic conversation yet. And that they'll need over 500 days on Duolingo and 1,500 hours of passive YouTube input to finally take the leap and practice in rooms with other learners and native speakers. Since I can't wait that long, I've created two WhatsApp subgroups: One for English. And one for Spanish. Think of them as a workshop where I'll use my free time to bring beginners up to a conversational level. The goal isn't to have a chaotic group chat, but to learn in a structured way. For 5 days every month, we'll do a challenge to master the 5 key questions in any conversation. The ones you actually need to get past "Hola, ¿cómo estás?". They'll allow you to speak in the present, past, and future without translating in your head. I'm not telling you that you'll become fluent in 5 days. But every month, those 5 days will give you the foundation you need to start feeling more confident speaking. And maybe you'll only end up needing a 200-day streak on Duolingo and 500 hours of YouTube videos instead. And, above all, for at least those 5 days a month, you'll know you're doing something that moves you in the right direction. You can join the group here: 👉 Conversational Spanish: Tropical Spanish - Conversational Spanish group 2️⃣ Hace un mes cambié las preguntas de entrada al grupo para saber el nivel de los nuevos miembros. Y el resultado me sorprendió bastante: - El 62 % son principiantes. - El 38 % tienen un nivel intermedio o avanzado. Eso quiere decir que la mayoría de las personas que entran al grupo aún no pueden mantener una conversación básica. Y que necesitarán más de 500 días en Duolingo y 1.500 horas de input pasivo en YouTube para lanzarse a practicar en las salas con otros estudiantes y nativos.