Top 5 Priorities For Learning A Language

If you have decided that you want to learn a language and this is something that you have never done before I’m going to save you some time by giving you these tips. 

These are the top 5 priorities that you must take into account if you want your language journey to go smoothly. 

1. Get regular practice. Even if it’s just 15-20 minutes a day, it’s preferable to do a small amount of practice regularly rather than a lot with too much time in between. Consistency is key but so is choosing the right exercises to practise depending on your needs and goals and that’s where your teacher can come in to help. There are also handy tools like apps that you can play with easily on your phone while you practise Spanish. This is a way to ensure you get daily practice as it can be accessible at all times. You can play for a few mins on your lunch break, after dinner or in bed before you go to sleep. Remember: you set the pace in which you want to learn.

 2. Speak up. From day one, get used to speaking in Spanish even if it’s just to yourself while you practise or you read. You may be able to practise speaking in your Spanish lessons with your teacher or class colleagues, but we cannot have the same spontaneity in a class as we would in a street conversation, so it is important that you find ways to have this kind of opportunity too, for example finding a language exchange partner. Again, there are different apps and websites that you can use to find a language exchange partner if you don’t have the opportunity to do so in your city. Use technology in your favour! 

3. Immerse yourself. If you don’t live in Spain you must find how to be as connected as possible to the language in a way that feels natural. Start consuming more Spanish content for your entertainment such as music, movies, or shows. Change your phone settings into Spanish. Use your social media to follow Spanish content creators. The options are endless, so you only have to find the ones that best suit your interests.  

4. Vocabulary. Having a wide range of vocabulary is essential to be able to speak a language. Quick, and effective, flashcards are a great tool to increase your vocabulary that you can sneak in even during a coffee break. In my opinion, making your own flashcards is the best option because through the process of having to write the words down yourself already helps memorising them. You can also buy them.  As I mentioned in my blog about The brain workout, reading is also a great activity to improve your vocabulary range. 

5. Embrace mistakes. This is the most important wall to break down when you are learning any new skill. We must learn to clear out those negative feelings about making mistakes. They’re your stepping stones to fluency. Learn, laugh, and keep going. We say “nadie nace sabiendo”, which means “no one is born knowing”. You can’t expect to get most things right when you are starting something that is completely new to you. Imagine a whole new language! The best advice I can give you is: be patient with yourself. The earlier you are able to learn to get comfortable with being wrong the quicker your progress will be.

You got this!