As a third-generation Latin American, I always wanted to connect to my Hispanic roots but never got the chance to do so.
However, as I grew up and began exploring my heritage by myself, I loved how rich and diverse it was. Not to mention, how vibrant the Spanish language sounded when I heard the local Peruvians speaking it on my recent trip to Peru. The Castellano flair to the language made me immediately want to connect to it and aprender (learn) it asap.
So, I began my Spanish-learning journey as soon as I got back from my trip to Peru in March 2024. And I’ve never been more fluent in Spanish than ever. In fact, I watch all the Spanish Netflix originals without subtitles now.
If you are someone like me, who wants to become fluidez (fluent) in Spanish, I am sharing the top tips that helped me learn it as quickly as I did.
Before You Begin Learning Spanish
Before I start spilling my secrets to learning Spanish effectively, here are some points you should keep in mind:
- Becoming fluent in Spanish takes a lot of time and dedication, so you need to allocate time every day to your schedule.
- Pronunciation is important and you should focus on it from day one of your Spanish learning.
- Language learning is also time-consuming, so you need to be patient while doing it.
- Surround yourself with Spanish speakers so you can keep reinforcing what you have learned. If you do not practice, your language-learning efforts can easily go down the drain.
4 Tips to Make Spanish Learning Easy
Now, let us get to the tips that helped become a pro at Spanish.
Gamify Learning Spanish
Studies state gamifying the learning process is a great way to stay motivated and engaged while learning a new language. The good thing about Español (Spanish) being the second-most-spoken language in the world is that there is a variety of games to learn Spanish.
I started with Duolingo but then moved to Spanish word puzzles for advanced vocabulary. I remember I played Conjuguemos a lot to practice my Spanish verbs. It has fun multi-player games that let me learn the verbs while keeping me super engaged.
Apart from constant practice, one thing I loved about playing games for learning Spanish was the instant feedback. For example, the real-time feedback made me realize that I kept messing up masculine and feminine verbs.
I remember I wanted to upgrade my internet plan to the Optimum 2 Gig one, so I called customer service for my internet provider and decided to talk to their Spanish customer service. The representative for Optimum servicio al cliente was super patient and helped me upgrade, even when I kept using feminine pronouns for him. Haha!
Give Spanish Immersion a Shot
Immersion is a popular language-learning technique that requires you not to use your main language. It forces you to use the language you are learning, no matter how bad you are at it. This means talking to people in Spanish, watching movies in Spanish (without English subtitles), and listening to Spanish songs.
I joined a Spanish immersion program online where I had to converse with Hispanic individuals who couldn’t speak English at all. Immersion immediately took away my hesitation to speak Spanish and I realized that I stopped translating in my head very quickly too.
There are many immersion programs that require you to travel to Hispanic countries. No better way to learn Spanish than doing it in a native country. However, if you are not much of a traveler, you can also join a US-based immersion program, offered by many universities.
Start Speaking Spanish ASAP
This tip is an extension of the one I mentioned above. I realized the sooner I start speaking Spanish (no matter how broken), the sooner I’ll learn it. So, you need to surround yourself with Spanish-speaking people. Just remember, the key is speaking Spanish before you feel ‘ready’.
I was lucky enough to have a family of native-Spanish speakers, but you can hire a Spanish tutor for one-on-one Spanish lessons. Moreover, an alternative way is to find a Hispanic friend who is comfortable speaking Spanish with you.
Doing this will help you speak Spanish faster than any other way.
Learn the First 2000 of Spanish
Every language has some palabras (words) that are more common and used more than others. Spanish is the same.
Learning the most common 2000 words of a new language can help you get on track faster. This is because only the most common words are used in day-to-day conversations. So, by learning the most commonly used words first, you will be able to understand 80% of the language right away.
You can do that with the help of flashcards. Flashcard sites like Clozemaster and Anki have flashcard packs available for the most commonly spoken Spanish words. You can repeatedly use them to power up your Spanish vocabulary.
Following these tips helped me learn Spanish in a matter of a few months. So, I am sure these, or some of these, are bound to help you too!
Good luck with learning Spanish like a champion!
