How to learn Spanish - this depends on YOUR preferencesThe key is: find a method that really suits YOU. New research confirms what, I suppose, we all knew all along: we each have different needs, different preferences; different intelligences. How to learn Spanish, learning Spanish is a complicated process. Don't believe anyone who tries to sell a programme that will teach you how to learn Spanish in a few hours. It just cannot happen.How to learn Spanish? What is the best approach? How to learn Spanish if you are a child though NOT effortlessly, from those around them. They listen attentively. They imitate. They express ideas they NEED to express. They are highly motiviated. Children are highly selective in the language they learn. This is how we should set about learning Spanish. To learn Spanish, the first thing to do is to create an environment where you can learn Spanish.
How to learn Spanish? Best way is total immersion in a Spanish speaking country If you go to Spain or Latin America, you will be surrounded by Spanish. If you want to buy a coffee, you will NEED a little Spanish. This is certainly the best possible environment for learning Spanish. You'll pick up Spanish without even thinking about it. This is how you learned your first language. How to learn Spanish: 2 major problems to be addressed To get off to a flying star, address these 2 problems:
Once you have got those 2 issues sorted out, you can settle down to enjoy learning Spanish. Concentrate on aspects you enjoy most. If you dread If you don't like learning Spanish grammar, no need to worry. You will absorb most grammar unconsciously. Don't feel guilty if you just sit there initially and listen. That's just fine, too. You are learning just a child learns to speak. This is very good. Play your tapes in your car. Play as background music. If you can, play them as you sleep. Above all, don't get stressed and think you have to be `learning'. Listening is more than half the battle. By listening you learn to understand Spanish. If you understand Spanish, it is amazing what fantastic conversations you can have simply by adding `yes' and `no' meaningfully! Keep going. Keep listening. You are on the right track. Be Patient: Rome wasn't built in a day! Don't expect to understand everything first time. Your ear needs time to adjust to new sounds. Be patient. Guess at the meaning. Negotiate the meaning. That's fine, too. Memorizing phrases: should you or shouldn't you? Some say no: memorizing doesn't involve you in using language as language. I disagree. If you can memorize easily, it is satisfying to learn phrases, sentences that appeal to you. Write them out. Collect them in a notebook. Helpful, too.You can then concentrate on getting intonation, prononciation exactly right etc. It great to hear your own voice using Spanish confidently, assuredly. Devlop the skill of speaking Spanish ALOUD to yourself. Listen to your intonation. Listen to the melody of that beautiful language as it trips off your tongue. This is, perhaps, the most useful excercise you can do. OVERLEARN the first few chapters of your Course. This will pay off. Confidence building is essential in language learning. If you have confidence in your Spanish language skills, it is amazing how well you will communicate with few words. Alas, the reverse is only too true: if you are tense and unsure, you will have difficulty communicating no matter how much you know. In my experience, comprehension is the easiest skill to acquire. It may well be the most important. Listen again and again to your course content. Enjoy the intonation, the voices. Read the conversations yourself. Take your time. This is not a competition. Before the 1960s, the "tools" for the teaching of foreign languages were rather simple -- the printed page and the teacher were about all there was. To-day, we are lucky. There is now a Course, an approach to suit each of us. Regardless of the method you chose, harness Web Resources to ensure success. Once you have mastered the basics, why not contribute to a Spanish Discussion Group. We advise you how to exploit these terrific resources. Here are a few resources you might like to investigate. All are excellent. I try to give you some idea of the 'mood' Even a beginner can benefit from a of each of these resources, though of course, this is a very subjective matter. Learn Spanish through music: a selection of carefully articulated pop songs intoduce you painlessly to basic vocabulary and structures. Power Glide Ultimate Spanish is a more ambitious programme but here too, the emphasis is on helping you ENJOY the whole business of learning Spanish. The course was devised by a dedicated and experienced language teacher who wanted to help people learn Spanish more speedily and in as hassle-free a fashion as possible. Find out more about the Powerglide Spanish Language Course here will have you communicating effectively in Spanish in a short period of time. How to learn Spanish: the best way is to go to a Spanish-speaking country. If you have time, there is not argument but the most satisfying way of learning Spanish - especially, if you already know the basics - is to go to a Spanish speaking country. And, what a choice you have here! Will you opt for the romance and pizazz of Spain? Or, given that vastly more people speak Spanish in America, maybe you should think of Mexico, Costarica, Ecuador, Cuba ... The list goes on. Check here for objective advice on choosing a Language School abroad Advice on how to help your child learn Spanish speedily and effectively |