“How long have you been living here?”
This is the question I have been dreading for years. Why? because inevitably my response would be met with a polite smile that would tell me;
“So how come your Spanish is so bad?”
The longer I stayed, the worse I felt. Although I was learning Spanish, I never seemed to be able to improve fast enough to do justice to the amount of time I had been living here. And what to do? Start lying about how long he had been here? It’s like lying about your age, you’ll only get caught one day!
Instead, I took a more pragmatic approach and looked for ways to expose myself to more Spanish and improve faster. Language acquisition does not happen by osmosis and just because you live in a country does not mean that you will learn it automatically; it requires effort, even if it is minimal.
Study
While sitting in a sweltering classroom is the last thing you feel like doing when the sun is shining outside, the sooner you get studying, the sooner you can get out in the sun to practice.
Spanish has a defined grammatical structure that you will need to master, at least at a basic level, in order to progress.
1. Sign up for classes at a local academy.
The commitment to attend classes at an academy gives you an external motivation to learn. Nobody likes to learn lists of verbs, but the methodology used in FunTalk focuses on oral communication and practice, where the new verb tense is put into practice during a practical conversation.
Sign up for Spanish classes at FunTalk.
2. Download an app
Language learning apps, such as Babbel or Duolingo, are great for learning in small doses on the go. Reviewing irregular verbs while waiting for the subway or learning new vocabulary in 5-minute bursts is much easier than committing to a large study time.
Lee
Reading is one of the best ways to improve vocabulary, and living in the target language country allows you easy access to a wealth of reading material.
3. Read books or magazines in Spanish
Picking up a novel in Spanish can be enormously daunting, but don’t feel you have to go for a Spanish author for authenticity, texts translated from English will be easier to digest.
If you want to look like an intellectual, slip your translation of Dan Brown into a copy of Don Quixote. And leave aside the dictionary.
If you prefer to read in bites, find a news site you like and read one article a day. La Vanguardia or El País can be overwhelming, but soccer newspapers like Marca or Sport are equivalent to tabloids and are much easier to read. There are often spare copies at the local bar, so grab one while you’re having your morning coffee.
Don’t forget to take advantage of free newspapers; pick up a copy of 20 Minutos while riding the subway or bus.
4. Use Spanish subtitles
Reading doesn’t have to be about books either, put Spanish subtitles on your favorite Netflix series and read them. Your eyes will inevitably be drawn to the subtitles and you will hear the English translation in real time, along with the context, so you are sure to learn interesting vocabulary.
Now, the next time you feel like staying in to watch Game of Thrones, you can tell your friends that you are studying Spanish.
5. Be curious
Use your surroundings; read signs, menus, posters. Be curious all the time and you will begin to relate words to their meaning.
Seeing words in context is the best way to make sure you retain them, much better than memorizing lists from a textbook.
6. Use your technology
Another easy win is to change the user language of your computer or phone to Spanish. You already know the functionality intuitively, so Spanish terms for your most frequent operations will soon become second nature.
Listen to
Being able to understand a language is one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome, and particularly a language like Spanish, which can sound like being shot at with a semi-automatic weapon.
So how do you get over looking like a deer caught in the headlights every time someone asks you the time?
Exposure is the key, and the more the ear becomes accustomed to the sound and cadence of a language, the sooner one can begin to understand what is being said.
7. Be nosy
Pull out those headphones and start listening. On the bus, in the subway, in line at the supermarket, listen to what people are saying. Spaniards are very talkative, so you won’t be short of material. You’ll learn natural expressions for agreeing, responding appropriately to the news and, no doubt, a lot of swear words.
8. Watch something that interests you
Television can be useful, but choose carefully what you watch and make sure it is something you find interesting. Watching soccer can give you plenty of useful vocabulary to discuss the match with your Spanish colleagues on Monday morning, while watching a talk show about the latest political scandal will probably make your head explode.
Speak up!
9. Get an exchange
Find a Spanish speaker who wants to practice their English and meet up with them regularly so you can practice your speaking in a forgiving environment. Make sure it’s someone you really like and meet in a place where you can relax and chat naturally.
10. Sign up for conversation classes
While there is no substitute for going out into the real world and talking to native speakers, this can be daunting if you have not first tested yourself in a safe environment. A well-structured conversation class allows you to gain confidence quickly without fear of making mistakes and with an experienced teacher to guide and assist you. Our Spanish classes with coffee or wine aim to recreate a natural conversational environment, while helping you to broaden your expression and increase your confidence.
Sign up for Spanish Conversation Classes with Coffee or Wine.
