Types and tricks for learning Spanish

Have you ever found yourself in the situation where you ask yourself what happened with that language that you wanted to learn so badly?

The most typical thing about learning a new language that you do not really need for your daily life is that with time (and usually it is a short time) you abandon it. Nowadays, the languages that are spoken the most and that are required in the labour market of our area are English, Spanish and German. Usually, work is the strongest motif for which people start studying a new language, including Spanish.

Despite all our good intentions, we are only human. We sin. We betray ourselves. You propose a night of reflections: tomorrow (or Monday) I will buy a book for self-education and start studying Spanish or I will enrol myself in a course to revise what I have learned a year ago and I will receive a certificate of a decent level to put in the CV and have more possibilities when searching for work. Everybody knows that the most typical thing is that these promises arise, and they remain on the same night of reflections. Perhaps you will buy the book, search for information about classes and endure one week of studying. (There are exceptions! but few…)

What we recommend is that you learn Spanish in a group and that the group pushes you towards learning; you can enrol in one of our courses (if your chosen language is Spanish) and have fun. Believe me, when you have a good time you will learn fast and with a group, you will always have many funny situations and moments to remember.

In case you want to study on your own, the most important part is to find a motif that encourages you to endure even the most boring parts of the grammar like the subjunctive. One reason I can easily beat the excuses of “I don’t have time”, “I have to go to work”, “this night I’m going out with friends” or “my boyfriend takes up all my free time”.

We are going to propose some methods with which you can better learn. What you have to keep in mind is that not all methods work for everybody, but the important thing is to try.

I am sorry to say that some of the boring work of learning grammar and vocabulary will be necessary in order to get started. Afterwards, the world is going to be more fun when you get to listen to music in the language and by means of the rhythm and melody, it lures you to remember new words or expressions. You can put them into practice by living in a country where Spanish is spoken. That would be another way to immerse yourself in the language - living abroad and having the need to use it when speaking with locals. Also, seeing that you can defend yourself in various situations increases the desire to know more and satisfies you because you know that your effort has yielded results. Speaking of fun methods, don't be afraid to start watching a series or movie in Spanish. A good way to learn is to watch it even with subtitles to be sure you get what you're saying. If you don't understand everything, nothing happens. You learn little by little.

Another very efficient way is to convince your friends to dare to learn a new language, too. So, you can watch the movies together, explain the grammar to each other or even sign up for the course! Speaking of courses, there are different ways of having them. You can join a group; you can attend private classes and there are even possibilities to live with the teacher at home. This way the learning takes place in a comfortable and natural way, living the daily routine with the teacher. The most important thing is not to be afraid of making a mistake!

The Polyglots (people who can master many languages in actively and passively) agree that the best way of learning a language is to fall in love with it and its culture. Another important task for you is to practice every day, even the small things.

What we recommend is that you change the languages of the tools you use every day – mobile phone, email, even Facebook. Since you know how they work when it comes to changing the language, you'll learn new words and they'll engrave in your mind when you read them often.
You home can also help. Why don’t you put up little papers everywhere in your house with their respective Spanish names? There are people who learn best through visualisation and for those it is a good way to incorporate it.

We have provided you with some ways to learn and now it is your turn. You can try them out and in case they do not work, you will probably find more tricks on the Internet or by asking people who have already learned more languages. We wish you lots of fun exploring new things, no fear and lots of courage!

In case you are interested in participating in one of our courses and learn Spanish in a group, in individual classes or via Skype you can contact us under info@institutohemingway.com