Tips for Learning Spanish (or any other language quickly)
1. Find what works best for you! Everyone has different learning styles and ways to remember and practice Spanish. Here are some that have worked well for others: • • • • Make vocabulary cards with Spanish on one side and the English equivalent or a picture on the other Say Spanish words aloud as you study or hear them Look at different pictures in magazines and try to describe as much as you can in Spanish (like colors, objects, people, etc.). One of our favorite ideas is to label all items at your office or at home by placing post-it notes with the Spanish definitions on them. Repeat the words as you go by. (Label items you use most frequently first: computer, telephone, desk, etc.)
Many of these activities require the use of a good Spanish dictionary. 2. Learning to make educated guesses in Spanish Spanish has hundreds of words that look or sound the same as their English counterparts these words are called cognates. Learn to recognize and use them. Can you guess what the following words mean in English?
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conversación información repite universidad computadora televisión
These types of words are our best friends in Spanish because we already know what they mean. 3. Drawing on previous experiences While learning Spanish, pay particular attention to the context of conversations, readings, etc. and try to anticipate what you will hear. For example, if you are learning about finding a place to live or describing your home, draw on your experience of looking for a house or apartment. We typically talk about how many rooms there are, etc. You can do the same in Spanish. Use your experience to infer meanings of words. Combine this tip with tip #2 and you will learn Spanish very quickly.
4. Radio and TV in Spanish Learn the words to songs in Spanish that you like. Sing along with them even if you do not understand completely what the words are. As you become more and more familiar with Spanish, you will begin to recognize things that you hear. There are a number of Spanish-speaking TV channels that are being transmitted all over the world. If you have access to one or more of these channels, select a program and watch it consistently. At the beginning you may not understand much, but as you continue, you will find yourself recognizing more and more. With both of these suggestions, listen for words and phrases you already know and build on that. 5. Web sites in Spanish There are a seemingly endless amount of web sites in Spanish. Try to use these and read what is published. Use the visual images and the cognates we talked about in Tip #3 to help you understand. If there is an audio or video component available on the site, listen to or watch it several times to try and understand a little of what is being said. Try searching for some sites of interest to you by using any search engine and entering your favorite subject and add the word Spanish. See what comes up! 6. Don't be afraid to practice Create learning opportunities for yourself. Find people you know that speak Spanish and practice with them. One problem many people have as they learn Spanish is that of being very timid. We want to say everything perfectly from the beginning. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. You'll learn from them. Remember that repeated use of Spanish will help you internalize the language. One of our best ideas here is to recruit a friend with whom you can study Spanish. This will be an even better experience if you share it with someone else. 7. Don't expect to understand everything We have mentioned this previously, but it is worth repeating because learning a new language can become very frustrating at times. When reading, speaking or listening to Spanish, remember to always focus on what you do know and use that information with the other tips you have learned from eSpanish Professor to make educated guesses about the words and expressions you don't know. Isn't this exactly the same as what you do in your native language. We do not listen to every single word that is said - we pick out the things we recognize and infer the rest. Remember it is OK to not understand everything. Continue to expose yourself to Spanish and you will build more and more confidence with the language and more and more abilities to use it!