You know, I get a lot of love for my Synergy Spanish and Bola de Nieve courses.
But every now and then I get a nasty email…
Like this one that came in the other day…
Well, with all your hype about having a ‘better way’ you are still doing one thing which ALL systems (but one) do wrong! You start verbs in the present tense which is awkward and nearly useless. At least 80% of what one talks about to another is in the past tense as in what one did –this morning, yesterday, last week, etc. But with your (and all other systems) one is left saying, “I go to the store this morning” or “I buy six books yesterday” or “I wash my hair this morning” Why don’t you start with preterito, as Madrigal does? I know people who have lived in MX for several years and are still stuck in the present tense which is an awkward and nearly useless tense. You keep bragging that your system is better and more in touch but it is no different form the archaic academic model. You are not better than the system which my French son-in-law ridicules because at age 10 he was taught to say, “My tailor is rich.” He and his school mates laughed because none of them had a tailor and they all knew tailors, NONE of whom were rich.
If you want to say you are doing something different ……. do something different.
Voy a responder a las criticas
Firstly, this person hasn’t done the Synergy Spanish course. They are judging my complete body of work on a portion of the free samples.
Secondly, in the attack-Marcus email itself, only 17% of the verbs were in the past. In that same email, 24 of the verbs were in the present tense.
There goes the theory about the present tense being useless and that 80% of verbs we use are in the past.
We have to be careful what we accept as the only way to do something…
The word for that is dogma…
I’m constantly examining the way I teach and looking for better ways.
That’s why it took me so long to release the follow up to Synergy Spanish – Bola de Nieve.
I wanted to make sure that it would be as easy to use as Synergy Spanish, and when it came time to teach the past it would flow naturally from what you already knew.
And speaking of the past…
I’ve found the fastest way to speak in the past is to use frequently used Spanish patterns.
Here’s an example of how we get you started speaking in the past. It comes from the second advanced concepts lesson in Bola De Nieve.
Here’s an excerpt from advanced concepts 9
The past tenses in Bola de Nieve – Advanced concepts 9 may be beyond your current skill level, but if you become a Bola de Nieve member, it’s simply another easy step.
Notice on those audio lessons, I don’t mention grammar labels.
However, if you’re into grammar you will notice the use of 3 different past tenses…
- the preterit indicative
- the imperfect indicative
- the perfect tense indicative
and all that happened in just in a few minutes of audio. However, the important thing isn’t the grammatical labels, why do the names sound so intimidating, what’s really important is being able to use the language. Here’s what some of first group of Bola de Nieve students have to say about actually using the language.
Hi Marcus!
Although I tend to agree in principle with what your ‘friend’ was trying to say – ie, that all of our life is in the past and that is what we usually want to talk about – I haven’t found a satisfactory way of teaching this perspective from day one. Especially since it instantly brings up the issue of preterite v imperfect, which is one of the trickier points for most english students of Spanish.
Frankly, I prefer your method because of its modular approach.
Hi Team Synergy
Estoy de acuerdo con todo el mundo – who said that your methods are very effective. For me personally the proof is in the pudding.
Following a lot of travel independantly in S.A knowing no Spanish and being forced to get by with what I learned by absorption, fellow travellers and my guide book, then for the following trip I employed the tapes and attended a teaching college with some improvement which leads me to my most recent trip to Argentina, after using Synergy and some Bola I was really on top of things so much so that I thought I might go a step further and enrol myself at a Spanish School in B.A. What I found there though was my knowledge of Spanish and more importantly my ability to utilise it was so much deeper than my class mates from North America who had been learning from High School and all the way through college – naturally I was pretty stoked about such a good return on a small investment!!
Thanks again Marcus – Welcome back to Aussie.
Billy
PS For those with gripes about the cost, please consider the rest of the world in particular your Antipodean friends who watch the price almost double with the exchange rate.
I just wanted to say that I love your method of teaching. It allows me to just get stuck in. The person that sent you that email obviously didn’t realise that you have produced lessons using the past tense. I would have been a bit confused if you had started off using the past tense, so you did right by starting off using the present. When I very first started to learn at school, my teacher there started off with present too and didn’t go into the past tense until much later. Thanks for keeping going despite negative comments. You have a very special thing going on and many loyal students. x
Hola Marcus!
Como esta? i hope your doing fine with your daily job. don’t mind those unnecessary critics if they can’t benefit your ways of teaching techniques…
wel, just want to share that i am just one of those who are eager to learn how to speak and understand spanish but i just don’t have the time. i have few pages of printed lessons from other site containging the basic words in spanish and now i havent continued because i don’t have the luxury of time. i just go to work, after work, i go to sleep if i don’t have any appointment. i just hope one day from who ever of whereve i could learn spanish.
keep up the good work!
saludo!
Marcus I’m studying Spanish at school, have been for two years, yet in the few short months since I found your site, I have improved to a point that my teacher might not have been able to get me to by herself. The way you explained the personal A (just to name one example) was really great, you said in one sentence what my teacher has been trying to make me understand for a year and I never got it. Like so many people have said, don’t worry about people who are hellbent on finding some way to be dissatisfied. Geez, if it’s such a problem with the present tense, buy a spanish dictionary or one of the books with the conjugation tables in it. They’re everywhere. Once you learn the rules of conjugating, you don’t need a million lessons on all the different tenses, I think it’s more useful to concentrate on nouns and everything in your lessons. Trust me, the way my profesora teaches is confusing as hell. We spent ALL of our time on tenses and even after two years we barely know how to say any adjectives, nouns, colloquial expressions. Oh we know verbs and conjugations enough to make you sick, but nothing we can use as well as what you’ve taught.
Wow, I appear to have slipped into a rant. Anyway, I really enjoy your lessons and they ARE useful. You have a lot of support.
i really don’t speak english very well but, believe me, it’s the best way that i can learn Spanish and english in the same time.
gracias a ti Marcus,i like your method…..what i say??? i like???, sorry… I LOVE IT
Hi Marcus!
Although I tend to agree in principle with what your ‘friend’ was trying to say – ie, that all of our life is in the past and that is what we usually want to talk about – I haven’t found a satisfactory way of teaching this perspective from day one. Especially since it instantly brings up the issue of preterite v imperfect, which is one of the trickier points for most english students of Spanish.
Frankly, I prefer your method because of its modular approach.
Graeme McGregor
http://www.spanishtuitioncentre.co.uk
Hi Marcus, I am still enjoying your courses so don’t listen to any negative idiots who do not understand how you work. Perhaps this person has more problems than your way of teaching spanish and is using you to get it off his/her chest.
Anyway, just continue so we can all benefit and enjoy the way you teach us. Thank you.
Hi Marcus, I just want to write and say thank you for the course, I am a little slow but have almost finished and when I do I am going to go the next step. I had tried another course but it did not work for me at all, however now with the synergy spanish course I am speaking with two hispanic co-workers and they say they understand me just fine.
Don’t let a jerk that doesn’t know what he is talking about pull you down, its a great course. Keep up the good work.
Hey Marcus, i just wanted to say that i think your way of teaching is really good. I’m yet to start spanish classes through a school, but i will next year after yr 12 finishes.
and i agree that you shouldnt just try somehting one way which is why ill be doing the other classes, but i think your way will be the easiest.
one of my friends has been learning spanish for longer than me (ive only been learning for about 4 months, she’s been learning for almost double that) and already im picking up more words from books or songs or conversations than she is.
ive also learnt other languages through classes and i found it quite difficult, epecially since the teacher rushes you through things, wtith your course you can take your time and go at your own pace. also, as its on the Internet I can access it any time, which is very convienient for me!
thanks again, your course is awesome! :D:D:D muchas gracias amigo! :D:D
Hi there Marcus. I have been studying Spanish since 1999 when we travelled through Mexico by car for 3-1/2 months. I have many tapes and books, and have learned to use verbs in present and past tenses. I have been able to communicate to some degree. Your course has definitely simplified and increased my understanding and ability to respond more quickly. I am very excited to learn even more and have recently signed up for ‘Bola de Nieve’. My biggest challenge comes in trying to understand what natives are saying to me. They usually understand me, and I am excited about what else I can learn, and smoothing out some rough edges. May God bless you!
There was a very good book that addressed this. “What You Think of Me is None of My Business” by Terry Cole-Whittiker
Hi Marcus,
I am another satisfied customer who has jsut signed up for your new course. I love the way you teach Spanish. My spanish teacher still tries to teach me lists of verbs with all their conjugated thingies! I get so frustrated. Everytime someone tells me my spanish is improving it has been directly related to your courses. The thing you have to remember is that “You can please some of the people some of the time, but you can not please all of the people all of the time”. I think you should be more than satisfied as you have pleased most of the people all of the time! Muchas gracias me amigo.
why cant we get all texts and mp3s of bola de nieve like synergy spanish or other courses?
I have enjoyed your teaching materials, and the examples you just gave us of the past tense were refreshing, as I’m not very proficient in the past tense yet. The comment about there not being enough past tense being taught has some truth in it, though they didn’t know you were getting to it.
After your Bola De Nieve class is finished, you may want to just offer the written and audio lessons without instruction to those on a budget.
I like the comment about not being a people pleaser. In my business I get mostly happy emails from satisfied customers, but I’ve had a couple not-so-pleasant letters too. Most critical letters have some truth in them, but are usually exaggerated because there are some real complainers in this world.
Keep up the good work!
Hello Marcus,
Just one question , Is your course ” Bola de nieve” available to purchase in disc?
Regards,
Edward.
Thank you for being sooooo generous and sharing with others for free no less. aAso, thank you for teaching others how to learn and speak spanish in addition to how to deal with one’s critiques. I will continue as long as you are pepared to share.
It is not out of place for one to be criticized. Criticisms help us a lot to mold our way of doing things., especially constructive criticisms. However, I wish to use this little opprtunity to encourage you not to be despired by the negative letters you get. the most important thing is that your system of teaching is appreciated by a good number of your online students. I am one of them keep it up.
Animo¡ nos te quieremos mucho. siga adelante con su modo de enseñamza. Que Dios te bendiga.
Good Morning,
I never finished Synergy Spanish. Not your fault it is mine. However I am satisfied. I already knew a lot of cognates. Now with a cognate a synergy verb and a conjugate verb; I am able to speak a little. My weakness is speaking with natives. They do not speak this way so yes I get lost in the conversation. I am not deterred. I am running around doing so much (my choice) yet I definitely plan to finish Synergy Spanish and join Bola de Nieve at a future time if you will allow it.
Muchas gracis
M
I’m from Denmark and teach teenagers Spanish at a local business college, and I don’t talk about past tense verbs until the second year of the course.
To say “I go to the store this morning”, is a bit strange of course. But is it better to start off with the indefinido?!
That would perhaps be the worst thing I could do when teaching my students Spanish.
In addition, I think my students would find it somewhat strange to learn just one past tense form in Spanish, say, ‘hablé’ or ‘estuve’, when clearly the imperfecto form is just as important to learn.
And I’m sure that all teachers of Spanish have experienced that most students find the indefinido/imperfecto distinction difficult to understand and use. So who says that starting out with learning past tenses in Spanish is a wise thing to do?
Hola Marcus, como la mayoria ya te dices aqui – no te preocupades!
Ninguna puedes ayudar estes que eres ignorante y tambien estupido!
Por favor continuarte como que ya haciendo,…..
Y muchas gracias amigo, eso por la ayuda que usted HIZO y HAGA y HACER por nosotros todos, chau.
Bruce (Australia, having only completed Shortcut to Spanish 1 & 3/4 of Synergy Spanish)
Don’t take any notice of the rude comments, as usual, I am enjoying the new lessons. I do find it a little expensive, but you have to have a reqward for all the time you spent developing your course.
After all, it is no more than a couple of drinks in a bar every week, and at the end, well, one will have acumplished something. I look forward to the next lesson eagerly.
Hola,Marcus
¡No se preocupe!,hay mucha gente la que disfruta sus lecciones. Para mi no puedo esperar por los siguentes lecciones.Me encanté el frase diez minutos debajo del agua.No soporto los gemidos para nada pero para nada.Más de este he apprendido de sus lecciones.
Well, as Brian, Gary, and others have stated before–there will always be haters/grumblers/malcontents who don’t like your method of teaching or your style or your use of present tense verb forms in an introductory lesson (despite the fact that almost all language teachers of any language start out with the present tense and branch out from there).
Obviously, this person who thinks you should be teaching past tense verbs instead of present tense verbs is living his/her life in the past–what happened yesterday, last week, last month, last year or even 20 years ago is more important to him/her than what is happening now. Probably nothing of interest is going on for this particular student right now, so all he/she can do is relive moments from the past.
Marcus, I have been receiving your method (free of course) for sometime, unfortunaately I am unable to afford the fees but feel that you are doing a great job and your method has helped me enormously. Keep up the good work, I await your input with interest.
Dear Marcus! I’m a teacher of English, but have been studying Spanish for my own pleasure.
I’ve been watching the Synergy Spanish examples and find them not only interesting but rather ingenious. I can’t take part in the complete courses due to lack of time but want to congratulate on the development of such a method. Keep on! G.
Marcus, I love the way that you teach but unfortunately I cannot afford the fees, I read with
interest what you send and feel that I have learned plenty anyway. Keep up the good work.
Marcus, I have found in life that no matter what you do or how you do it, there will always be those who criticize. If you use red, there will always be those who think you should have used blue. If you use blue, there will always be those who think you should have used red, green, yellow, black, etc. You can’t live your life trying to be a people pleaser. No matter what you do, you’re just not going to be right with everyone. So what do you do? Please yourself. To try to please “all of them” is impossible and will lead to a frustrating, unhappy life. Be true to your own heart that has given you a compassion and a passion toward teaching others in the way God has opened to you. Thousands will benefit from a method they identify with and learn from better, and the critics can find the method best for them. In the meantime, keep the heart you have for God, family, and teaching, and we will be ok. Gary DeVore
I am sad that someone needs to be so destructive.. but never mind Marcus, you have an enthusiastic following. (regrettably I am unable to take the new course due to budget issues but I shall find a way to continue my Spanish and keep an eye on what you are offering. )
thanks for all so far
brian Jones
I’m not complaining about anything that you have done in the past lessons. My only complaint is the cost of the Bola de Nieve. I loved the other lessons and have purchased them. However, due to the fact that we are on a fixed retirement income and just can’t afford the $29.95 per month for 14 months we will be unable to avail ourselves of your expertise. I love the rest of your courses.
Jay Cayton
No se preoccupe, Marcus.
Estoy de acuerdo con usted.
Continue le mismo con nosotros.
Please withold my name,
I do not want to get involved in blog fights with others.
You have my total support.
Hi Marcus:
Your method has helped thousand of people worldwide from comments I have seen. I find your information and method very effective and helpful. Please bear in mind, you cannot and will not please everybody so don’t be discouraged. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
Continue doing what you are doing.
Just thought i’d leave a comment about the email. I dont think teaching people to talk only in the present or only in the past is really teaching them spanish. I’m about to do a degree in french and spanish and i know that the only thing i found really useful is to know how to manipulate the words using the grammar. Boring and old fashioned but its the only way that really works, then you can just learn the verbs as they are. On the upside i think your system is great for learning the nouns etc
Thanks for all the help