Spanish is among the most common languages being taught as an elective to elementary and high school students. If you are trying to learn Spanish now, chances are you either chose a different language at the time it was offered, or you did not pay as much attention during Spanish classes to actually retain enough knowledge about it. Well, not to worry, for it is not too late to master the Spanish language. As long as you are willing to commit a fraction of your time, you can learn to speak it in no time.
To further help you in this journey, here are some tips that you should follow when starting to learn Spanish.
Set your motivation and goals.
Take a piece of paper and list all the reasons you want to learn how to speak Spanish. Is it because you are planning to travel to a Spanish-speaking country? Do you need it to elevate your career? Or maybe you just want to unlock a skill? Whatever it is, write it down along with the goals you want to achieve during your classes and after the entire course. A timeline with short-term goals along the way will also help motivate you and keep track of your progress.
Find one-on-one online language classes.
Now that the internet is full of resources that you can use for self-learning the Spanish language, you can construct your course at your own pace. However, it is proven that the best way to learn languages is through personal tutors. Luckily, there are now tutoring platforms that offer classes online. Find a Spanish tutor that can guide you to achieve the highest level of language proficiency. Their lessons are more structured, they get to correct your mistakes immediately, and you get to practice conversing in Spanish more often.
Start with the basics.
No matter how much you want to jump to a more challenging part of language learning, it is a must to master the basics first. You can start by learning and memorising the 100 most common Spanish words, for example.
Practice every free time you have.
Whenever you are not doing anything that requires thinking, practice Spanish by speaking it out loud repeatedly — or even just in your head. Take every opportunity you get, like when you are on a long commute, to memorise even a sentence or just a group of words.
Find a conversation buddy.
Well, ideally, one way to learn Spanish fast is by finding a Spanish lover. But, if it is impossible, a buddy is good enough. If you have a friend that is a native Spanish speaker, ask him or her to help you from time to time by conversing with you in Spanish. You can set lunch dates where you get to spend a couple of hours just talking.
Look for books, songs, and movies in Spanish.
If you need more fun and stimulating way, you can always read books, listen to music, and, of course, watch telenovelas that are in Spanish. You can watch a bunch of videos on YouTube where content creators are native Spanish speakers, and they provide English subtitles.
Set your devices’ language to Spanish.
Live it all out by having your devices in the Spanish language. This way, you get to master essential words and functions since you are reading them every time you use your phone or laptop.