Was learning Spanish your new year aspiration, but you never passed the first page of your book? Oh, how many of us have gone through that! But do not worry. You will be able to speak like a pro with these epic ways to learn Spanish on your own.
If you have been losing your motivation, this guide will bring it back to you. Learning a new language is undoubtedly worth it and possible if you commit to it. We understand that it can easily feel overwhelming, but with a good routine and some hacks, it is totally possible to master Spanish. With this said, there is no need to drop your Spanish learning dreams because a whole world of opportunities and possibilities is waiting for you once you achieve fluency.
You can achieve your goal of learning Spanish, even if it takes time and a lot of work; you need to be constant, be ready for the fun challenge, and have the following tips at your advantage.
So, no more delay!
7 Tips That Will Change How You Learn Spanish
The following tips work for people who strongly desire to learn Spanish or any other language to bond with native speakers or travel abroad.
1. Use Language Learning Apps Like Ling
Ling App will get you started the right by helping you understand critical Spanish grammar rules, sentence structure, writing, and pronunciation effortlessly. This means you won’t be completely alone while learning.
Consider Ling as your tutor that can be with you at all moments, whenever you feel like giving one lesson a go. With a fun learning app, you will study the Spanish language without feeling like studying. You will even be eager to start your daily practice.
In addition, the spaced repetition technology used in this app is one of the most effective learning methods to grasp a new language. There are time intervals between each lesson to ensure you remember all the most important information.
It helps you get ready to improve your vocabulary to practice with your Spanish-speaking friends. If you’re into the videos, why not try Linguistica 360? We’ve tried this app, and we believe it’s also a great supplementary resource to become familiar with speaking and listening.
2. Watch Spanish Movies And TV Series (Telenovelas)!
Spanish media has increased more than ever. There are many Hispanic movies and telenovelas available, even on Netflix.
Its benefits are mainly the fact that you can understand the actions that come with each word and assimilate them to use words and phrases the same way native speakers do.
Conversations in movies and series will be just as natural as real-life conversations.
Your first step is to decide which genre you are interested in and find the best series or movie to watch. After that, you will train your ear to these new sounds by listening to the language daily. Eventually, you will find yourself understanding at least the most basic words.
You can start by watching the movies with Spanish subtitles to practice reading until you become familiar with most words. The goal is to be able to stop watching with translated subtitles.
Believe me when I say that I’ve met people that speak languages completely different from Spanish and still were able to learn on their own by watching Spanish series.
You can follow our tips if you are wondering how to learn a new language with Netflix.
3. Listen To Spanish Music Or Podcasts
An ideal way to learn Spanish is through music for those passionate about Spanish or Latin rhythm.
If you like Latin American music like Shakira or Spanish singers such as Alejandro Sanz, you can leverage your interest in this music to practice Spanish daily.
One of the best exercises I’ve been taught to learn a new language with music is playing a song and trying to write down the lyrics as I listen. Then find the meanings of every unfamiliar term.
Next time you sing the song, you will remember the meaning and finally get to know the meaning of the lyrics!
3. Join Social Gatherings And Language Exchange Events
You can attend countless activities where you can meet Spanish speakers. If you are traveling in Spanish-speaking countries, you should look for these events.
Spanish immersion allows you to learn basic phrases for real-life situations and improve your speaking skills.
Language exchange often works, so you can talk with as many people as you like. For example, you start speaking with someone. You agree that you will speak in Spanish for the first thirty minutes and in your native language for the other thirty minutes. After that, you can go on to meet someone new and do the same.
It is a perfect way to help each other have practical exercises to increase conversational skills and create bonds. After all, social connection is the key to improving any language ability.
4. Travel To A Spanish-Speaking Country
Or why not a complete tour around Latin America and Spain? Imagine how much you can learn if you involve in many accents and cultures.
Speaking Spanish in Latin America is a complete experience full of surprises.
You will discover how the word ‘torta’ in some Hispanic countries means ‘cake’ while in others, it means a kind of ‘sandwich.’ Or the term ‘coche‘ means a car in Spain and Mexico, but in Chile, they only use this word to refer to the baby stroller. Interesting, isn’t it?
One of the most beautiful facts about Spanish is that it can vary depending on the region due to slang and accents. But at the end of the day, we are all ‘Latinos’ who understand each other. And it is the same with Spain.
Furthermore, if you want to focus on only one, I recommend deciding which country or city you love the most. That place that interests you will be the motivation that you will have to learn the language and culture.
5. Read A Good Book Like ‘Cien Años De Soledad’
Learning Spanish through novels and even children’s books is one of the best ways to acquire language skills. That is why in school and Spanish courses, tutors often make students read many books and use them as a learning resource to evaluate comprehension.
If you haven’t read Cien Años de Soledad’ (One Hundred Years of Solitude) by the Colombian genius writer Gabriel García Márquez, you are missing so much. This is my favorite book of all time. Reading it takes you to its world of peculiar characters from the first page. As if you were part of the book itself.
And yes, this experience will not be the same if you read the translated version of the book. Reading it in its original language will offer an authentic adventure. Besides, while reading a book, you can always highlight terms that you don’t understand or aren’t clear enough, look for the meaning, and make notes.
6. Read Magazines (Revistas) And Newspapers (Periódicos)
One of the best ways to learn Spanish is by reading magazines and newspapers. The former would be a perfect fit for someone who wants to learn about culture at once. At the same time, the latter is ideal if you need to improve your Spanish skills by practicing advanced vocabulary.
Both will give you interesting and useful insights into the culture or place you are most interested in. So you will feel closer to its society. As a Spanish learner, feeling closer to the culture is essential, as it gives you the confidence to interact with native speakers.
In addition, magazines specializing in specific topics such as entertainment, education, travel, or science, can teach you a diverse and broad Spanish vocabulary to implement in your next conversations.
Use the following quality resources to begin practicing your reading in Spanish:
7. Be Positive And Have Patience
Whenever you intend to learn a foreign language, you should have goals and be positive that you will achieve them.
If from the very beginning, you think that the Spanish language is difficult to master, you are already blocking your brain into thinking that you will not be capable of learning any Spanish words, much less grammar.
So, the last tip for you to implement is to positively say that this language is easy for you to learn. If you love to see fast results, try to change your perspective to be more patient with this language-learning process. There are many ways to learn Spanish and it shouldn’t just stop in one technique.
Sometimes it takes a long time, and sometimes it takes shorter. You will even see people who learn Spanish effortlessly in less than six months. But it would be best if you didn’t compare to anyone. Instead, focus on your path and learn at your own pace. You can do this!
Ready To Put This Into Work?
As the tips above show, the most important one and your first step should be downloading a learning app to acquire a good-to-go Spanish level.
With simple yet effective lessons, you can build and expand your vocabulary in Spanish until you feel ready to converse with native speakers. It’s time you forget that fear of stepping out of your comfort zone to talk with the locals. Don’t think about how bad it would be to make mistakes. Everyone does! And that is the most indispensable part of language learning. We need to make mistakes to learn from them.
Learn Spanish With Ling!
Ling app can help you be able to start your language learning journey by practicing your conversational skills every day until you feel confident and become fluent. Especially if you want to know ways to learn Spanish on your own.
But! Remember that none of these tips will work if you don’t commit yourself. Be constant to see results. Thankfully, Ling app is that friend who will remind you daily to study, at least for some minutes. At least 15 minutes of focus and deep concentration will do wonders for your skills.
Don’t give up! Your goal of achieving Spanish fluency is just a click away! Start learning Spanish with Ling app now. Download the Ling app from App Store or Play Store and continue your exciting journey of learning many languages!