Like you, I have been trying to learn Spanish. It’s definitely not always easy but I enjoy it immensely. I have discovered a few tips that really seemed to improve my Spanish language skills rapidly and I thought it was only fair that I share these tips with you. So enjoy and good luck with your Spanish…..

1. IMMERSION – INMERSIÓN

This is very important if you want to learn Spanish fast. Sitting in your room and reading books isn’t going to give you a true flavour for the language. What you need to do is get out into the streets and bars and try talking with the locals. I know it seems a little embarrassing, but actually, the locals really appreciate you making an effort to speak their language and it’s a brilliant way for you to become accustomed to the speed, pronunciations and intonations in the language, which is something you won’t learn from books. That’s the beauty of courses with Babylon Idiomas. They are concentrated around learning the language in a natural and useful way through speaking and through interactions. Remember, if you don’t immerse you won’t converse!

1. MUSIC – MÚSICA

I have discovered since starting Spanish lessons that many popular contemporary artists, such as Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce and Christina Aguilera, have albums released in Spanish. Even if their music is not something that you would usually choose to listen to, more often than not you know the words to their catchy tunes. Listening to these songs in Spanish is helpful as you know the translations and this will help increase your vocabulary. Listening to Genie in a Bottle or Genio Atrapado in Spanish wasn’t the worse way to start a Saturday morning and I see now that it was well worth it as I can now sing along in Spanish for the entire song. Have a listen to Christina´s Spanish hit and sing along with the lyrics here.

If you really can’t bring yourself to listen to contemporary pop and RnB then maybe just listening to the Spanish radio may help. You may hear words that you recognise and be able to make out sentences in the songs, even if you don’t understand them in their entirety. Also, listening to the words will once again help you to understand how the Spanish language should sound and how words should be pronounced.

So next time you’re doing some housework or just relaxing on your balcony with a beer, why not bop along to some Spanish music and speed up the rate at which you learn to speak Español!

1. TV & FILM – TELEVISIÓN Y PELÍCULAS

Carrying on from the ‘Música’ suggestion, watching Spanish TV can also be beneficial, possibly even more so. Like with the music, you can also find many films or english language TV shows which have Spanish subtitles. My teacher suggested to me that I watch something that I either know well, so that I am more likely to understand the translations or look at the subtitles, or something easy which doesn’t have a lot of slang. One programme I have been watching in Spanish since I have been here is Friends. Everybody has seen at least an episode of Friends and I pretty much know every episode word for word. I have found that it is often on Spanish TV with Spanish dubbing  and I often watch an episode. I know the programme so well that I can enjoy watching it without even having english subtitles on and this helps me learn new Spanish words everytime. Whether you watch it in English with subtitles or with Spanish dubbing, it is an enjoyable way to improve your Spanish language skills. Check out this deleted scene from a Friends episode with Spanish subtitles here.

It’s always possible to do this the other way around. I have learnt much Spanish vocabulary from watching the films of Pedro Almodovar (with English subtitles). I have found that not only does it help me with learning the Spanish language but some films also give you a good taste of Spanish culture and traditions. To see some recommendations of some Pedro Almodovar films and to read more about learning Spanish through his films click here.

1. ONLINE RESOURCES – RECURSOS ONLINE

Everybody uses the internet, most of us daily but few people I have spoken to actually use the web as a resource for learning Spanish and I feel they’re missing out on a great way to practice newly acquired skills. Firstly, social networks; reading posts in Spanish, writing posts in Spanish and thus making Spanish friends is a great way to keep practicing your skills. It is something you can do from anywhere in the world and something that costs no money (well…apart from your wifi payment). Facebook has millions of groups for Spanish learners to join and interact with and Twitter similarly has many Spanish teachers and schools tweeting helpful tips and phrases for students. You are missing out on a valuable resource if you are not taking advantage.

If you’re not already following Babylon Idiomas on its social networking sites you definitely should be! Follow Babylon Idiomas on Twitter and click ‘like’ on your schools facebook account: Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla or Valencia, to receive updates and join in with the games.

As well as social networking sites, the internet obviously has many sites dedicated to helping students around the world learn the Spanish language and many provide not only information on grammar and lists of vocabulary but also fun interactive games and crosswords. A website I often use to brush up on my Spanish learning is the BBC website, check it out here.

1. HAVE FUN! – ¡DIVIÉRTETE!

Last but definitely not least, make your learning fun! You know that you won’t be learning at your optimum level when you’re bored, stressed and/or wishing you were doing anything else but trying to learn Spanish. There is a lot more to learning Spanish than just having your head buried in books. Why not speed up your Spanish learning and make it fun by doing some online quizzes or writing quizzes to do with friends. Set yourself targets and reward yourself with treats. Play some simple Spanish board games and attend intercambio nights, that way you get to learn Spanish with a beer or a glass of wine, my favourite way! Whatever way you choose to practice your Spanish in your spare time, make sure that it is thoroughly enjoyable! You will find yourself speaking more and more Spanish if you are smiling, I promise

BONUS:  Never give up! – ¡Nunca te rindas!

I know it’s a cliché thing to say but it’s very true. Obviously if you’re giving up you’re not going to increasing the rate at which you learn Spanish. However, I am not talking about giving up entirely, I’m just talking about giving up on something you find particularly difficult. Maybe you can’t get your head around the ‘pretérito indefinido’ form of the past tense. You could quite easily go on and concentrate your efforts on a different aspect of your Spanish learning but this is not the way to learn. When you find something difficult you should focus all of your efforts on it. Conquering your difficulties is what will make you a more determined and a better Spanish learner. So no matter what obstacles or conjugations stand in your way…don’t give up on your goal to be a Spanish speaker.

Practice makes perfect – La práctica hace al maestro!

Blogger: Nellie

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