Listed below are seven tried and tested methods that have helped people learn Spanish at lightning speed! Following the below tips has proved extremely useful to those who went down the self-learning path. We hope you too can benefit from such an approach, thereby fast-tracking your journey to learning Spanish confidently within months.
1. Identify the 1000 most common Spanish words
It’s a known fact that the 1000 most frequently used words in Spanish account for 87% of all spoken Spanish. A good starting point is to identify these words, learning their meanings and pronunciations. Practice and memorization are essential here and will go a long way.
2. Find a good beginner’s course
It’s key to finding a good course that lays out all the critical elements making them easy to understand. A course full of dialogue, accompanied by audio and text, is a great choice that will help improve your listening skills and understand conversational Spanish.
3. Online Spanish tutors are great for learning
The internet is an easy place to hunt for a good online tutor. The website iTalki.com is undoubtedly one of the popular places to register with and find Spanish tutors that you can communicate with regularly. Short sessions that last 30 minutes, 4 to 5 times a week, are a great starting point. Make sure you focus on conversation rather than grammar. Base each session on topics from the beginner’s textbook that you use as your study guide. These sessions are extremely affordable and highly effective.
4. Don’t worry about Spanish Grammar
Don’t obsess over perfecting your Spanish grammar from day one. Not only will you feel stressed and demotivated, but you will also lose more time than you can afford. With the right kind of practice, grammar will fall into place.
5. Read in Spanish – as often as you can!
As your vocabulary base grows and you learn more words with time, make a habit of reading simple books in Spanish. Many books have short stories in Spanish that are easy to read and understand. Make it a habit to read for a little while every day. Not only will you learn new words, but your grammar will also take shape. You will soon form connections between written and spoken words. Native speakers will also be able to understand you better. It is also important to find the right book for your level of competence and fluency, so you are well challenged. Choose reading material that is appropriate, neither too easy nor too difficult.
6. Spanish needs to become a part of your lifestyle
Listed below are a variety of ways in which you could add a bit of Spanish to your lifestyle in an informal, fun manner:
- Tune into different Spanish TV channels – from news to sitcoms or cookery programs, change the subtitles on your regular Netflix shows to Spanish
- Watch and subscribe to the channel ‘Fluent Spanish Academy” on YouTube.
- Listen to Spanish radio channels, audiobooks, and podcasts. You have plenty of choices in iTunes or the Google Play store.
- There are many Spanish societies and events you could join in your local neighborhood.
- You could attend a yoga class or an art class conducted in Spanish.
- Attend a local language exchange program.
These are practical tips that you could very easily add to your daily routine. Any amount of exposure to Spanish will really help you get used to the language over time.
7. Learn without leaving your home
Who said you need to travel to Spain or Latin America to pick up Spanish? Thanks to the internet and how it has revolutionized learning, you now have so many options to pick from to teach yourself Spanish from the comfort of your home. When you embark on a self-learning journey, you are in control of so many things – right from the pace of learning to schedule – all these are extremely vital if you need to pack in every little bit of studying you need to do.
Dedication and perseverance – that’s all it takes to learn Spanish! While bearing in mind that small changes to your daily routine could impact your learning in a powerful way – it’s important to make these changes. We hope the above seven tips prove useful and can fast-track your journey to learning Spanish.
