I've Studied Spanish On And Off For 15+ Years, But I Only Cracked It In The Last Year — Here's How
If you grew up, well, basically anywhere besides the United States, chances are you have at least a basic understanding of more than one language.
It's easy to blame this on "lazy" and/or "dumb" Americans, but I'd argue there's more at play — for one, our school system really fails us when it comes to language education. I mean, how many people took four, eight, or even TEN years of a language and have little to no mastery of it as adults?
I was lucky to grow up in Southern California, where Spanish (and SO many other languages) can be heard just walking down the street. I had ample opportunities to learn and practice Spanish in classrooms and in real-world settings, and I stuck with it through high school AP Spanish Language and a minor in college.
There, I ended up in lots of literature-based classes, which were excellent for teaching me the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, and Jorge Luis Borges...but not so much for keeping up my conversation skills.
So, as a 20-something post-grad and wannabe fluent Spanish speaker, I set off on a mission this year to truly ramp up my skills. If you're in a similar boat, read on for my non-exhaustive amateur's guide to picking Spanish up for real as an adult — which is so hard for no reason at all!
1.First, just a couple of things to keep in mind that have been particularly helpful or encouraging for me:
1. No one thing is going to make you fluent. There's no "one size fits all" or surefire approach. Try new things, and lots of them!
2. Consistency breeds results. It's not the most fun thing to hear, I know, but it's true — I wouldn't have made progress without dedicating time each week to the language. Choose things you genuinely enjoy doing and stick to them.
3. Diversify your intake methods for the language. Duolingo alone won't cut it (unfortunately). The more unique ways you can hear, speak, and write in Spanish, the better.
4. Have fun! For real. If you don't, what's the point?! And a tip for loosening up from an old professor of mine: "Speak Spanish as if you've had one beer." Note that you don't actually have to drink said beer, but you know, your prerogative.
2.Go back to school:
The single most effective method I've used for improving my Spanish as an adult is taking live classes. I got a recommendation for an excellent one at the language extension school of a university in Mexico. I've taken a 90-minute class online twice a week for the past six months and have noticed a huge difference in my comfort conversing in and reading Spanish.
I highly recommend seeking out classes at a university extension school, community college, or community center, either in person in your area or remotely. Mine costs just over $20 a class, and I find it so much easier to commit to regular language learning when I have three hours a week on my calendar devoted to it.
R/Spanish also has a great resource list for introducing, absorbing, and synthesizing Spanish, and it's one of the smartest breakdowns I've ever seen.
3.Practice speaking in a low-stakes environment:
Do you ever wish you could practice Spanish with a native speaker with a few clicks? You can! I used a great tool in college called Conversifi that connected English-speaking Spanish-language learners with Spanish-speaking English-language learners so they're both able to practice. Unfortunately, it's only available through academic institutions, but fear not — there are other similar platforms!
People write of positive experiences using HelloTalk and Tandem, which are both apps that connect native speakers of several languages to people who want to learn them and vice versa. There's also a more grassroots version on Reddit's r/language_exchange, where people will post that they can offer conversation and help in one language and are seeking practice in another. With any of these, use discretion!
I've also found that practicing Spanish in the real world is way less scary than it seems. It exposes you to more dialects, accents, vocabulary, and speech patterns from across the Spanish-speaking diaspora, all things that will improve your Spanish overall. Start small — things as simple as ordering takeout only take knowing a couple of key phrases. In general, people are super nice! They want to help you learn and appreciate the effort. An "Estoy aprendiendo, ¿puedo practicar contigo?" (I'm learning, can I practice with you?) or "¿Puedes repetir eso/hablar más lentamente?" (Can you repeat that/speak slower?) goes a long way. Ultimately, having real conversations is the goal, so start early!
4.Consume Spanish frequently and in many forms:
If learning Spanish at your elementary school was anything like it was at mine, your teachers probably encouraged you to watch TV and listen to the radio in Spanish — maybe you also had to keep a log for your 15 minutes a day of telenovela consumption (what a travesty).
Here's the thing, though: Watching TV in Spanish is a great (and very fun!) tool, but you have to do it right. Some great advice I got is to watch your chosen TV show or movie with Spanish audio AND Spanish subtitles. It makes sense — watching something in any language with English subtitles on really only makes you focus on the English, and negates it as a Spanish learning opportunity. The Spanish audio/subtitles method helps your brain connect the sound of the spoken words with the written words and drastically improves your comprehension — even if you don't understand everything 100%. There are always translation sites to help with that part (my favorites are WordReference.com and SpanishDictionary.com).
As for viewing recommendations, I have lots! Try the Netflix shows Élite (Spain) or Narcos (USA; Colombian Spanish); for movies, I love Amores perros (Mexico) and Infancia clandestina (Argentina).
I also stumbled upon what looks like a fun enhancement tool called Lingopie. It's like Netflix, Google Translate, and Duolingo combined, providing you with thousands of hours of Spanish-language streaming content, two sets of subtitles, instant translations, and mini quizzes along the way. It's offered in eight other languages, too.
5.Make Spanish part of your feed:
If you already spend time scrolling on Instagram, you might as well make it educational. These are three of my personal favorite creators for learning Spanish, but there are so many more out there!
@spanishwithtuta is a Honduran creator who makes videos that are as funny and charming as they are educational. She'll teach you how to break up with someone by letting them down gently, how to ask someone to take your picture, and many, many random Spanish phrases you should know.
@thepeliroja_ makes super relatable, super helpful videos about her journey learning Spanish as a non-native speaker. She often shares book and online resources, gives simplified breakdowns of common confusions with Spanish like "por" vs. "para," and ways to think about learning Spanish that changed the game for her.
@espanolconjuan is the Spanish teacher you wish you'd had in high school. He uses his hilarious video skits to teach useful phrases, demonstrate the differences between words like "ir" and "venir," and more.
That's all from me! Have fun, practice, and keep an open mind. How are you learning a language as an adult? Let me know in the comments.
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