Learn Spanish: Follow this 5 tips to improve it
Did you finally enroll in a Spanish course (Online or Offline)?
Are you going to learn Spanish only by attending classes?
Unfortunately, no.
Just as you cannot learn math merely by reading formulae, you cannot learn a language merely by attending classes. However, if you are a committed and dedicated language learner, you need to immerse yourself in the language one way or another, even beyond the classroom, to accelerate your learning.
Here are five practical tips for engaging in the language beyond your classes to speed up and improve your Spanish.
1. Make Spanish an integral part of your daily life.
- Love watching movies and TV shows? – Make good use of your Netflix/Amazon Prime subscription. Watch Spanish content with subtitles in the language you are comfortable with (eg. English) at the elementary level of it. You may then switch to Spanish subtitles once you reach the intermediary level of it. As a result, your reading and audio comprehension will tremendously improve.
- Enable it as the default language on all your social media accounts.
- Read newspapers and magazines to improve vocabulary and comprehension. (For eg. El País, BBC Mundo, RTVE, Muy Interesante, etc.)
- Think in Spanish instead of your mother tongue.
- Love cooking? Try making Spanish dishes at home by following recipes on YouTube. (for eg. paella, tortilla de patatas, patata bravas, arroz con leche, etc.). That way, you kill two birds with one stone; you break the monotony of eating your usual food by trying something new, and you also get to improve your vocabulary.
2. SPEAK! SPEAK! SPEAK! Speak in Spanish with RECKLESS ABANDON!
- Don’t set unrealistic expectations of attaining fluency in a short period. Don’t be too hard on yourself to be grammatically correct all the time initially.
- Go ahead! Make mistakes! Don’t be afraid of being corrected. That’s how you learn.
- Engage in phone conversations in Spanish with your Spanish learning group mates on the days you don’t have your class or find native Spanish speakers who are willing to help you practice conversation.
3. Play!
- Love playing chess? Find yourself a Spanish-speaking chess player on Facebook groups.
- Are you into video games? Join the Spanish Nintendo fan page.
- Love football? Try to absorb some Spanish from La Liga commentators.
4. Exams?
Do exams motivate you? Go head! Prepare for the DELE. It is an excellent way to stay committed to learning the language, stay on track and improve your proficiency gradually. But BEWARE! Don’t let the pressure of exams get to you. Don’t let exams be a means to an end. Learn the language for the love of it. Proficiency will soon follow.
5. IMMERSION PROGRAM in a Spanish-speaking country - Practice all that you learned in class out in the real world.
- Learning a language is not just about learning grammar and speaking it fluently. What is the point of learning a foreign language if your learning remains confined to the classroom (offline or virtual)? Give yourself a chance to LIVE the language too. Enrol yourself in a Spanish immersion program in a Spanish-speaking country, even if it is for a week.
- A week-long Spanish immersion program is equivalent to roughly three months of language classes in an online/offline classroom, notching up your Spanish level significantly. For instance, if you lose your way on the streets of Sevilla or Madrid, ask for directions in Spanish from passersby – they are super kind and will go out of their way to help you. If you go to the supermarket and shops, your interactions with people in shops will enable you to use all the vocabulary (fruits, vegetables, numbers, clothes, etc.) you learned in class. If you go to a cafe or restaurant, reserve a table and order your food – all in Spanish! Remember – you already learned all this in your Spanish class at your elementary level. There is so much you can learn and utilize what you already learned just by spending one week in a Spanish-speaking country. This experience will skyrocket your conversation level and eliminate all your hesitation and reluctance which you experienced while trying to converse in it in your classes.
- In addition to language learning, language immersion programs allow you to absorb the culture through cultural activities, excursions, and inter-cultural exchanges with locals and other international participants. Imagine speaking in Spanish with like-minded Germans or Koreans, or British! You make mistakes and learn together as you are in the same boat. These interactions foster open-mindedness, broaden your world perspective and make you self-aware and mindful. You return home with a lifetime of memories and friendships, and, not to mention, you will start planning your next language trip soon.
As English writer John Heywood said, “Rome was not built in a day”, but they were laying bricks every hour. Your language classes and the tips mentioned above will boost your motivation and help you stay committed to your language learning goals.
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