Learning new languages is one of the most exciting and interesting things you can pursue in your life. The more languages you speak, the more opened up to the world you become, and let’s not forget that you unlock a whole new part of the internet.
Not only that, but since you’re here that means you’ve already decided to start learning Spanish, which is a great choice in regard to how useful and well-spoken this language is. The number of countries you’ll be able to communicate in is huge and you’ll have the time of your life practicing it with native speakers when you get the chance.
Table of Contents
What You Need It For
In order to figure out ways to start learning this language, you need to first make sure you know what you need to learn it for. This important so that you can set up a goal ahead of you which will keep you motivated for a very long time.
Time to Devote
Another important thing is that you need to figure out is the amount of time you’re willing to devote to learning Spanish. This could be 1 or 2 hours a day, or even less or more than that depending on your schedule and on your learning rate. But it is very important that you agree with yourself on a specific amount of time. Not only that, but you also need to be very committed to what you planned for because it will ensure continuity.
Misconceptions About Learning Languages
When it comes to learning new languages, there are a lot of myths and misconceptions going around that you need to know better than to believe. But since you’re here, let’s check them out and see why they are wrong!
First, you should know that there is no “ultimate” course. Every course is different and each one of them works for different kinds of people. We all have different learning methods, so it is better if you look for something that will work best for you, instead of trying to find the best course ever, which does not exist.
Second, there isn’t order in learning new languages. Learning the “easy” stuff at the beginning of your journey will sure keep you motivated, but as soon as you move on to different parts of the language you’ll find yourself forgetting what you learned in the beginning. This is why you shouldn’t see this as a straight road ahead, instead, learning a new language is more like going up a spiral, you will often have to keep going back to stuff you already learned, but by doing that, you’ll help yourself both remember it better, and you’ll end up using it to learn more advanced parts of the language.
Finally, you will not be able to learn Spanish the same way you learned your first language. This is because as a child, our brains are far better at capturing information and at learning languages, this is thanks to what we call the LAD (language acquisition device), which isn’t as effective when we are adults.
This is why it is very important you give yourself the time and you also devote the energy to learn Spanish. It will definitely take longer and be more difficult to learn than had you been a child, but it’s not impossible, and in my experience, I found learning Spanish is quite easy, especially if you’re coming from English or French.
How to Learn Spanish As an Adult
No introduction is needed here, let’s get right into it!
Learning the Basics of the Language
The first thing you’ll want to learn in any language is the vocabulary, the more words you understand the better you’ll be at understanding the language when listening to someone or reading something in that language.
But instead of learning straight-up words, whether they are nouns, verbs, or even adjectives, it is better if you start by learning some simple phrases. This is helpful because you already have something to say that you understand completely. Learning words on their own will require you to learn grammar and have to put them in a sentence on your own. Learning a phrase helps you understand the full meaning, as well as gives you a glimpse of grammar too.
You should also focus on learning the most common words. These can be verbs, nouns, and basically anything that you will have to use. Learning these common words and phrases will ensure you remember since you’ll be in contact with them quite often.
Grammar
Grammar is the second most important thing in a language after vocabulary, but learning it and going through extensive study sessions will not do you any good. Instead, you should pick it up from being in contact with the language in general. If you watch videos of people talking in Spanish, you’ll start picking up some grammar without even noticing it.
This doesn’t mean you should ignore it, it’s okay if you take notes and look at them from time to time.
The best way to learn grammar is if you just pay close attention to everything you read, watch, or hear. After that, you’ll start wondering what the new grammar item you heard was, and you’ll do some Googling, and that’s what will engrave it in your brain. Make sure that you start using the new grammar you learned as often as possible, this way you’ll make mistakes, correct yourself, and improve.
Learning Spanish Sounds
This is probably the easiest and most fun part about learning Spanish. If you want to learn how Spanish sounds, you’re going to have to start listening to people talk, you can either do this by talking to actual people, watching movies, or listening to Spanish radio.
Knowing how words sound is the only way you’re going to be able to say them correctly.
You can also look for podcasts that teach Spanish, those will usually talk slower and explain everything they say.
Practicing Your New Language
If you learn a language but never practice it, you’re definitely going to end up forgetting most if not all of it. This is why it is imperative that you practice both talking and reading. If you have the time, doing it once every day will certainly be of help, otherwise a few times a week is fine.
Even if you still don’t speak the language very well, you should still try your best to express yourself, make mistakes, and whoever you’re talking to will help you out!
Conclusion
We hope this article was helpful for you and that you’re on the right track of picking up this beautiful language! Best of luck!
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