Terri Ramsey Beavers Do you want to learn another language? Spanish is a great choice.
Over half of Americans say that speaking a second language is really important. It’s great for everything from your mental health to your career prospects.
If you want to boost your language skills, you should seriously think about picking up Spanish. Why Spanish?
Spanish is the most commonly spoken second language in the United States. But, if you’re starting Spanish from scratch, it can be pretty overwhelming.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone! There are numerous strategies and tips for learning Spanish fast. Just check out the below ideas for inspiration!
1. Watch Spanish Language Movies
If you’re going to learn fast, you need to surround yourself with the language. You can’t expect to become fluent by studying Spanish for an hour or two per week.
Instead, you need to find ways to have fun with the language as well. Remember, there are tons of movies in Spanish that you have never seen before.
Watching movies in another language is an amazing way to connect with another culture. You’ll learn a lot about the little details of the language you’re learning.
What about the Spanish drama Volver? Have you thought about checking out the Mexican horror movie El Laberinto del Fauno?
If you’re just getting started, then you can always leave the subtitles on the screen as you watch it. The important thing is to keep hearing the language.
Even without knowing it, you’ll become more familiar with the lingo. After a while, you’ll be able to follow everything without any help.
2. Connect With an Exchange Partner
Remember, you’re not the only person in the world who wishes to learn a language. That’s why you need to connect with someone learning your language (whether that’s English or something else).
Do you know anyone who speaks Spanish, but wants to improve their English skills? Perfect!
Why should you both struggle alone? You can come together to help each other!
This is a great way to practice your conversational Spanish as well. Not sure about how to pronounce something or express an idea? You can ask your language buddy instead of Googling it.
You don’t even need to meet up in person. There are lots of ways of talking with your exchange partner online over social media.
You never know how your exchange will develop. Your language partner could turn into a flourishing friendship or an exciting romantic relationship.
3. Skip the Grammar for Now
Typically, when you start learning a language, you begin with grammar. In many cases, language teachers poorly inform people about how to learn grammar.
This can quickly put off any language learners. Grammar is nobody’s favorite part of languages. That’s why it’s important to start with the fun stuff to stay engaged.
Grammar can come later when you already have words and phrases to use. Therefore, hold back on grammar for now.
When you have your head around the language, you can start to polish your grammar knowledge. But it’s not the best place to start.
4. Build Up Your Vocab Fast
If you want to learn Spanish fast, then you need quickly build up your vocabulary. It’s amazing how far you can get with only one hundred words.
Invest your time wisely in the most useful words. There is no point in learning hundreds of words relevant to a construction site unless you need them.
However, if you begin with commonly used words, you’ll be able to navigate your way through situations in Spanish much quicker.
5. Chat With Yourself
When you’re starting out with your language learning, you might not be able to say much to anyone. But chatting with yourself is easy.
Don’t be afraid to appear crazy in the street. Put on your headphones with an audiobook and get learning.
You could even look at yourself in the mirror to make sure you’re moving your lips and tongue properly. You may feel silly, but it works!
6. Go Easy on Yourself
Learning a language isn’t going to be easy. You need to be ready to make a fool of yourself once a while.
Don’t allow yourself to get heartbroken if you’re struggling. When you make a mistake, people might laugh. But that’s actually how you learn.
Just keeping going and improving. By overcoming the challenge of picking up new words and pronouncing phrases right, you’ll improve much faster.
If you allow yourself to lose confidence, then you won’t learn as fast because you’ll be afraid to say anything in Spanish.
7. Read a News Article Per Day
People get their news in a variety of ways. You may always check out the news in English.
But you need to create the habit of reading articles in Spanish as well. This could be anything from Mexican newspapers to Argentine magazines.
This is a great way to stay informed about current affairs while also improving your vocabulary. When you come across a word you don’t already know, you need to write it down to remember. You need to keep practicing this new word later in the day.
Tips for Learning Spanish Fast
Learning Spanish fast won’t be easy. But, if you have the commitment and determination, it’s definitely possible.
From watching Spanish language movies to chatting with yourself, there are tons of ways to develop your language skills.
Do you want to discover more about how to learn Spanish? Check out our blog for more language learning tips.