Thinking of learning or enchancing your Spanish? Here are some benefits & methods!

¡Hola y bienvenido!

You have been thinking about learning Spanish and may be wondering what the benefits are and which methods to use…

Heck, I’ve been there… I’ve been learning languages since a child and teaching them for decades so I understand those thoughts.

In this post we are going to take a journey on the benefits of learning Spanish & 5 top methods to enhancing your language learning. This can be applied to any foreign language learning.

Let’s jump in!

Why learn Spanish?

There are so many benefits to learning Spanish. According to El pais there are over 572 million Spanish speakers!

• Spanish is spoken in over 22 countries, this means there are so many places you can travel to and practise!
• Spanish is known as one of the romantic language and it sounds absolutely beautiful!
• As Spanish takes its roots in Latin, you will find many similar words to the English language
• Spanish is phonetic so it makes it easier to read in comparison to many other languages.
• Spanish is a popular language in its rise of telenovellas on Netflix and its surge in reggaetón fans
• Spanish has a vibrant culture full of life, music, siestas and fiestas
• Learning Spanish will help you pick up other languages rapidly such as Italian or Portuguese!

Top 5 tried & tested methods (in order of preference) of what helped me enhance in Spanish successfully:

1. Live the language & culture
2. Travelling to Spanish countries
3. Spanish entertainment
4. Taking a Spanish course
5. Reading & writing Spanish content

Below are the details discussing the above methods so continue reading…

Live the language & culture

Live the language & culture is in essence one main goal; living the Spanish lifestyle but is split in two sub-categories; living in a country that has Spanish as their main language and bringing the Spanish culture to you.

Living in a Spanish speaking country definitely helps to progress in the Spanish language rapidly.

The benefits are; you are exposed to the language through many mediums such as television, radio & advertisement plus you will hear the language through native speakers in everyday scenarios such as through shopping, & visiting the bank etc.

This is the top of my list for learning Spanish as you have the opportunity to continually learn more phrases, each exposure to the Spanish language will significantly improve your comprehension of the language.

Communicating to locals who are Spanish is fantastic as you will pick up proper pronunciation as well local, colloquial phrases & terms.

Bringing the Spanish lifestyle to you can be done in a variety of ways such as; learning how to cook Spanish cuisine, visit Spanish restaurants, go to salsa events/Spanish concerts, use Spanish phrases at home, switch your entertainment to Spanish. This will be very effective as it will become part of your daily life & you will get used to hearing the language.

Travelling to Spanish countries

Travelling to Spanish countries may be more viable than moving to a Spanish country for many for a variety of reasons.

Yet never underestimate the opportunities you can encounter. You will be exposed to the culture & language throughout your holiday!

In order to get the most of this method, you need to make more of an effort to communicate in Spanish in a limited amount of time.

If you are travelling to a Spanish country make sure to prepare before you travel there.

This can be done by taking a Spanish course, speaking to someone you know who is fluent in Spanish & research which places you will visit.

You should also plan & practice the phrases/questions you can ask to give yourself an opportunity to use Spanish. I also advise visiting a place which is not full of other English-speaking tourists so you are challenged to make an effort.

Here are some tips of what you can do while on holiday which will create scenarios of interaction:

• Take part in an experience with a Spanish tour guide/instructor (jewellery making, walking tours, wine tasting, surfing etc)
• Book a reservation on the phone where you need to speak Spanish
• Join a fitness class
• Only use the Spanish menu if English is an option
• Ask people questions; directions/special meal of the day/recommendations…
• Stay at an Airbnb apartment where the host may not speak English (there are a variety on Airbnb with many which are not shared)

Spanish entertainment

Spanish entertainment is very enjoyable and beneficial for your language learning journey. Choose a type of entertainment such as audio-books/music/shows/sports…

If you do this consistently most days a week for a few hours at a time, it will prove to be one of the most effective ways to quickly learn & understand Spanish. This is because you will be learning through enjoyment & because it’s very accessible.

You can watch Spanish shows each day in your free time, whether at home, commuting via public transport or while chilling out abroad.

Watching series, films or videos in Spanish will help you get used to hearing the language spoken rapidly & with the use of English subtitles you will also understand what is being spoken.

Tip: Once you develop in Spanish, try to watch the shows using Spanish subtitles in order to read the dialogue & to learn the spellings.

Listening to Spanish music is a great tool to quickly learn Spanish vocabulary. If you don’t know where to start, I suggest choosing a genre you like e.g. bachata, hip hop, reggaetón, rock, salsa etc and then search for a playlist on Amazon music, Spotify or YouTube. If you like what you hear, these channels will then suggest other similar songs so you can find other artists.
Listen to Tropical salsa here
Listen to Reggaetón here
Listen to Hip hop Español here

Tip: Choose a song, listen to it and try to learn the lyrics. A good app is musixmatch as it provides the audio and lyrics. Once you’ve learnt the lyrics, try to translate them and use a translator to discover how accurate your translation was.

Take a course in Spanish

Taking a course in Spanish will deem to be very helpful if you want to learn Spanish fast & accurately!
You will have a chance to learn the basics & build on this knowledge with the opportunity to practice the four major skills; speaking, listening, reading and writing.

There are different types of courses you can do such as; a group course (at an onsite location), an online course, private tuition or using a language app.

I have tried all of these types of courses and below are my ratings with pros & cons of the different course styles:

Group courses 4/5

Pros: You can interact & learn from both the teacher & students. It’s an opportunity to network & build friendships. You will receive teacher feedback & have the opportunity to ask questions.

Cons: Depending on the course, it may deem to be expensive. Some students may find group courses more challenging as they may be shy & may not ask questions when they don’t understand something.

Online courses 5/5

Pros: Many online courses can be done at your own time which is great for busy individuals. Depending on the course, you may have the chance to interact with the online tutor & if it is a group one with other like-minded people.

Online courses often offer discounts. A lot of online courses provide instant feedback and audio/videos with native Spanish speakers.

You do not have to travel to a site & can access it wherever you have a device such as a phone, tablet or laptop.

Cons: I haven’t found any fault with online courses, yet for some who may lack self motivation, this style of course needs it. If you are already good at self – motivation then this will not be an issue!

Out of all the courses I’ve done, a company that truly stands out as unique & I highly recommend is Spanish VIP.

They tailor lessons specifically to suit your needs whether it be for working, speaking with friends, for travel purposes or just learning Spanish (because it’s a beautiful language).

They even offer a free Spanish trial lesson run by native Spanish teachers! It’s an hour long lesson via Skype/Zoom which will give you an idea of how a typical lesson will go. In fact you’d be surprised how much you’ll learn in the first lesson!

By the way, if you’re interested in getting your free trial

CLICK BELOW

https://spanishvip.com?lmref=SeVqFw

I promise it will be worth every minute! (Thank me later!)

Private tuition 4/5

Pros: You are the focus, there is the opportunity to do this tuition online or in person & your tutor will tailor the course to suit your needs.

Cons: Some resources may be limited depending on where you are getting your lessons. It may also be more expensive compared to other courses depending on the hourly rate of your tutor.

Language learning apps 3/5

Pros: Most language apps send you daily reminders, you may have access to listen to native speakers on audio/video, you will have the opportunity to record yourself speaking Spanish, you can do this anywhere as long as you have a device, you will be able to track your progress instantly & join leadership boards.

Cons: Some apps are limited unless you pay for them, you won’t have the opportunity to practice with a real speaker which is crucial when learning quickly.

When choosing a course, read reviews, ask questions and choose the appropriate level.

Reading & writing Spanish content

Reading and writing are crucial skills that some overlook when learning a new language.

Remember the four skills are speaking, listening, reading and writing. You need to be able to do all skills in order to move from a beginner level to intermediate then advanced.

Learning a language will take you places!

With consistency and with these methods and benefits in mind, you will definitely make progress in Spanish!

You also need to prioritize your time to do this otherwise it will delay your progress.

Remember that learning Spanish or any foreign language takes time, to be fluent it doesn’t happen overnight. There is much to learn about the language & culture, there are different dialects & always room for improvement.

Now go for it! Let me know in the comments which benefits you have found learning Spanish and which methods helped you or which you look forward to using!

¡Buena suerte!