- Tips and Advice to Prepare for your Spanish Immersion Program
- Language Learning Tips | Spanish Study Advice & Strategies
- On The Future of Language - And on Why Choosing Spanish is a Smart Bet
- How to Become Fluent in Spanish with a 3 Month Immersion Program
- 5 Tips to Continue Improving your Spanish when you Get Home
Whether you're new to language learning or not, there are always new ideas to consider that can make a real difference to how well you cope and how successful you're when learning Spanish. We can list many tips for learning Spanish as a foreign language, but motivation and purpose are always the key.
Why do you want to learn Spanish? Think about it... everyone should have their own and unique reason, but if you do not have a solid purpose, it would not hurt if you spent some time reading about some reasons about why it is a good idea to learn Spanish or on why choosing Spanish is a smart bet.
Being aware of your reasons for learning Spanish and reminding yourself of these from time to time, can help you keep focused and keep going when things get tough.
Previous experience of language learning always helps. If you have already learned one language, you'll have picked up some language learning techniques which you can apply to a new language. If you studied languages at school some time ago, you'll find that current approaches are very different, more effective and efficient.
First of all, read, take into account and put into practice the tips listed below.
Artificial Intelligence still can't replace native, experienced, enthusiastic and trained Spanish teachers, and nothing boosts your language learning like being immersed in a Spanish speaking country, but the fact is it's well worth your time learning with some apps before coming to Latin America. You can check out the following:
Now, in regards to general tips and advice, we know from research by Rubin that the good language learner:
- Is a willing guesser, and is not afraid to make mistakes
- Has a strong drive to communicate
- Is often not inhibited, or forces himself/herself to lose that natural shyness
- Practices, practices and practices
- Monitors his own speech and the speech of others
- Pays attention to meaning
- Is prepared to pay attention to the way things are said
The most frequently used techniques by good language learners were:
- Having contact with native speakers: live with a local family, participate in conversational sessions or get-togethers organized by the Spanish school and hang out with the locals or school staff after working hours
- Listening to radio, T.V., records, movies, commercials etc.
- Reading anything: magazines, newspapers, professional articles, comics, etc.
- Repeating aloud after teacher and / or native speaker
- Making up bilingual vocabulary charts and memorizing them
- Following the rules as given text books
- Having pen-pals
Refreshing your Studying Techniques
If you're going to learn a foreign language, you might need to brush up your general study skills first. This means you should attend to issues such as:
- Managing your time effectively
- Taking good notes
- Planning out your studies
- Collecting the resources you need
- Making sure you have a suitable place to study (feel free to study in our cafeteria)
- Trying a few memory exercises
- Developing your own confidence-building techniques
General Tips for Language Learners
Nowadays, you need to learn how to really listen to the language without always seeing it written down. This can be hard at first but it really pays off when you come to speak it. You won't always be trying to pronounce it like English. And you'll find there is much less focus now on structure and grammar and more on understanding and being understood. Once you understand the message, the structure is more easily made sense of. Also, once you get used to the difference in sounds between your new language and your own, it will be easier to figure out what you're hearing. Start with the vowels for example: say them out loud and you'll see that they are different in your language and Spanish, so first of all you have to identify these new sounds. On the other hand, people are pleased to hear you trying to speak their language and will make allowances if you don't exactly get it right. Don't be afraid of trying out different approaches, e.g. to learning vocabulary, then take a step back and see which worked best for you. Set aside a regular time each day or each week to study your language. set it and follow it.
Keep a check on your progress. If you have a good memory, remembering your new language is easier, but there are lots of things you can do to help yourself, such as making lists, labelling objects, and so on.
Learning a language can develop your communication skills in general, making you more confident about speaking to a group, helping you to let go of your inhibitions. If you have an interest in languages in themselves, including English, you'll make a good language learner. Don't be afraid to have a go and try out your new language at every opportunity. This is a way of reinforcing your learning. And remember that language is a part of people's identity and culture, so speaking the language opens up the culture and begins to break down cultural barriers that exist when no-one understands each other's language. Of course lots of foreigners speak English and may well be keen to try their English out on you.
Have fun
Find ways to make language learning fun. This could involve games, songs, stories, tongue twisters, jokes and anything else you can think of.
Study every day
Try to set aside some time every day for your studies, ideally when your brain is at its most receptive. It's better to study for 30 minutes every day than for 3 hours once a week. This has to do with our brain's learning curve: once we know something, if we don't get back to it soon enough it just leaves, but if we go through it several times, we will get it to stay. If you can spare an hour a day, break it up into two or three sessions to avoid brain overload.
Revise/review regularly
Go over each lesson several times, perhaps once in the morning, once in the evening and once several days later. Give your brain time to digest the material, but make sure the gaps between periods of study are not too long, i.e. more than a few weeks, or you'll forget most of what you're trying to learn. Make sure you have got to grips with the contents of one lesson before moving on to the next.
Build on solid foundations
Make sure you're comfortable with the fundamentals of the language before tackling the more advanced stuff. It will take you a while to get used to the pronunciation and spelling of a new language, but without a solid understanding of these, you'll find it very difficult to learn more.
Set yourself targets
Setting reasonable targets is a good way to motivate yourself. You could set yourself a time limit or aim for a certain level of proficiency.
Focus on your interests
Once you have got to grips with the basics of the language, learn to talk/write/read about the things that interest you. In this way you're more likely to remember the words, phrases and grammatical constructions you encounter.
Don't be discouraged by apparent lack of progress
You'll find that at times you're making fairly rapid progress, while at other times you seem to standing still or even going backwards. This is normal when learning a language, so don't be discouraged. If you feel like you're making little or no progress, try going over earlier lessons/exercises to see if they're easier now than when you first tried them.
Don't worry about making mistakes
You probably make the occasional mistake when speaking your native language, so making mistakes in a foreign language is nothing to worry about. What matters is getting your message across, not whether you use all the right words, inflexions, tenses, cases, etc. If you cannot think of the exact words, try using other ones. For example, say you were talking about your office and didn't know the word for photocopier - you could try describing its function: "a machine for making copies" instead. You could also try drawing pictures and/or miming if you can't think of the words.
Learn how to say things like "How do you say X in your language", "What's the word for Y?", "What's that called?", "What are they doing?" etc.
If you have a teacher or native speaker to help with your studies, ask him or her to point out your mistakes and to correct them. When you first start learning a new language, having every single mistake pointed out to you'll be very demoralizing so ask your for only the more serious errors to be highlighted. When you've acquired more confidence and a degree of fluency in the language, ask for all your errors to be commented on.
If you inadvertently offend people with your mistakes it's useful to have a few stock phrases up your sleeve, such as "Forgive me, I don't speak your language very well but am trying hard to learn it." or "Why are you laughing so much?" or "What's so funny?" or "What did I say wrong?"
Naiman et al. identified five major strategies for language learning:
- Active task approach. Good language learners actively involve themselves in the language learning task, e.g., practicing with their couple, or with natives on the street, even if those natives speak their own language.
- Realization of language as a system. Good language learners develop or exploit an awareness of language as a system.
- Realization of language as a means of communication and interaction, and using what they are learning in their daily life. This is why we also create role play situations outside of the classroom.
- Management of affective demands. Good Language learners realize initially or with time that they must cope with the affective demands made upon them by language learning and succeed in doing so, e.g., life is much more pleasant when you know the language of the country you're living in or the country that you're visiting.
- Monitoring of performance in the target language
A special note about our extra activities:
- You should realize that the extra activities that we have at Habla Ya respond to the way people learn languages: classes are not enough, you need to practice and you need to enjoy the learning process, so we encourage you to use all the tools that you have at hand.
- Enjoy the learning process: Have Fun! It is much easier to learn if you're having the time of your life. Consider all the extra activities we have: on their own they are worth it, so why wouldn't you use them to learn faster?
Why Should I Learn Spanish? Solid Reasons will Motivate You!
If you speak Spanish you can communicate with almost 500 million people worldwide. Imagine how many friends you could make, think about how many more employment opportunities that could give you! And if you're traveling in Latin America or Spain, a little knowledge of Spanish will go a long way. And of course, if you're planning to retire or relocate in a Spanish speaking country, Spanish is a must in order to get the most out of your new life.
The wonderful thing about learning Spanish is that it is never too late. Whether you come out here as a teenager, as a young professional, as a parent or as a retired person... you can learn Spanish. In fact the beauty of attending a class here is that you get to meet people from all walks of life and of all ages, and swapping stories is a great way to get information about traveling in Panama as well as making Panama your new home.
More importantly the natives love people who are attempting to learn their language, and it does not matter how silly you feel trying to speak, because all Spanish speaking people will help and encourage you in whatever way they can.
Apart from all this, learning Spanish is an incredibly fulfilling experience. Once you start to get a grip of the language you begin to appreciate its beauty and its roots and discover that many of the words are indeed similar to your own language.
Many of us have memories of learning languages at school. The fact is that methods have changed enormously. These days, learning a language can be a lively and upbeat experience.
It is not that hard. If you're learning from scratch, it is the sort of language that you immediately start to see results with.
Here are some facts about Spanish:
- Spanish is the 3rd most widely spoken in the world, used by 500 million people, after Mandarin Chinese and English.
- 25 different nations speak Spanish either as the official language or as a primary language.
- Spanish Literature & Film: A large body of literary work is written in Spanish and Spanish language films continue to receive praise from the film industry and viewers.
- Studying and practicing Spanish increases problem-solving skills, improves memory and mental sharpness.
- Increase your educational opportunities: knowing a foreign language will enable you to take advantage of significant educational opportunities, such as spending a summer or a semester abroad.
- Prepare you for graduate school: Students who have studied foreign languages score better on entrance exams. Foreign language is an important research tool in many disciplines, and reading knowledge of a foreign language is usually required for completion of a doctorate.
- Many languages have Latin origins. Since Spanish is a Latin language, you'll find as you study Spanish that you have a better understanding of your native vocabulary.
- Cultural understanding: While most of us (Pope John Paul II may be an exception) can not hope to learn the languages of more than one or two cultures other than that of our own, those that we can learn help us to learn how other people learn and think. When you read Latin American or Spanish newspapers, for example, you often find that you gain a sense of how other people think and feel, a way that is different than your own.
- If you can learn Spanish, you'll have a head start in learning the other Latin-based languages such as French and Italian. And it will even help you learn Russian and German, since they too have Indo-European roots and have some characteristics (such as gender and extensive conjugation) that are present in Spanish. And you'll not be surprised if learning Spanish might even help you learn Japanese or any other non-Indo-European language, since intensive learning the structure of a language can give you a reference point for learning others.