Lesson Objectives
1. Write an entry in your notebook.
2. Answer a question for the community.
3. Ask a question to the community.
Introduction
Today we are going to focus on one portion of the main menu, the Community option, which is the last option, of the Fuschia menu on the far right.
This menu choice is important because it is where a large portion of your free learning options begin on italki.
There are four options available within the Community option and today we will discuss two of them, the Notebook and Answers options. The next lesson goes into more detail about the first of the four options, the Language Partners option. And the last option, Discussions, is covered briefly in a short note at the end of this lesson.
Actions
1. Write an entry in your notebook
Heading back to the Community menu option on the italki main menu, select the NOTEBOOK option within the Community drop-down menu. If you don’t see the italki main menu, then just go back to the italki home page.
Once you select the NOTEBOOK option, you should see this on the page:
On the left of this box, select Write a Notebook Entry.
Your notebook is to write whatever you would like about your Spanish journey. You can write about being stuck on something, a milestone you reached, or anything else you would like to share.
Other people can see this entry and you can look at other peoples’ entries. Even more importantly, other people can correct your entries for you, so once you begin writing in Spanish watch other people correct your Spanish and help you learn.
Try creating a simple sentence in Spanish for you to post and see what happens. Or you can copy this phrase (which is not written 100% correct) to see how others react.
“Yo querer aprender español por poder viajar el mundo.”
Now any time you would like to share an idea or write in Spanish, you know where.
2. Ask a question to the community
This is a fundamental skill to learn with italki and is similar to writing in your notebook or answering a question for someone else. This option, also found in the Community menu option, under Answers allows you to ask Spanish speakers questions about their language. If you are stuck with something or can’t understand the difference between words, this is the place to ask. In my experience, you will often receive a response within 60 minutes.
The great thing about Asking a question is that you will often receive several responses so you can consider what each person says and learn from everyone.
So, time to ask your first question. Just enter your question into the above box and then publish it with the “Ask a Question” button.
You can either create your own question, or borrow ours below:
“How different is Spanish from one country to another? Does the vocabulary, grammar or pronunciation change?”
Now check back occasionally to see what answers you receive. You can comment on answers to ask for more information, a clarification or even just to say thank you.
3. Answer a question for the community
Continuing within the Community menu option, select the third option Answers. You will see this box again:
Right below that you will see this list of languages or something similar (the list is customized based on the languages in your profile):
Select English and skim through the topics to find one that you think you can help the person by answering. It’s okay if there is already an answer. Often, people have different perceptions or experiences so feel free to share your opinion while you answer. Be sure to answer truthfully, or mention if it is only an opinion. Remember, other people will use this to further their understanding of English.
You just walked through the steps of helping others and learning from them about Spanish!
NOTE: We skipped the last option, Discussion, in the Community menu button since it is so similar to Notebook and Answers. Here, people post cultural questions or general questions they have while Notebook posts are written texts to be corrected and Asking a Question is most often about grammar, vocabulary or a clarification about some specific language point. Feel free to check it out the Discussion option on your own.
BONUS
Reach out to a few more potential language partners to see if any will be available to talk tomorrow. Don’t forget about the time zone differences when you schedule a Skype call or chat!
CONTINUE TO THE NEXT START SPANISH TODAY LESSON »