1. Speak Spanish whenever you can
It’s easy to get shy when you are trying to speak a new language. The Best advice I have ever heard is to speak Spanish whenever and with whoever you can. Do not afraid to use what you know. Speak to coworkers and friends in Spanish and see if they understand, ask for help when needed Plan on making mistakes. If you say something and it’s not perfect we hope someone will correct you. I guarantee next time you’ll say it correctly.
2. Immerse
Try and get involved. Search online for Hispanic events going on in your community. Go to Spanish restaurants and order in Spanish. Try to find as many ways as possible to use your Spanish. This includes reading Spanish books or magazines, watching movies in Spanish, listening to Spanish radio and music, talking to your pets in Spanish, and even praying in Spanish.
3. Read out Loud
Reading out loud can be a great way to practice your pronunciation. I have often heard from some of my Hispanic friends who are trying to learn English that we have an advantage in learning Spanish in that you read Spanish the same as you speak it. How it is spelled is how it is pronounced for the most part. Use this to your advantage and read aloud.
4. Use Flash Cards and Take Notes
Vocabulary is never ending. Even in English we are constantly adding new words to our vocabulary. You can greatly expand the amount of words you know by spending some time makings flash cards. I remember writing down 50 words I didn’t know and merely through the process of making flashcards I remembered almost all of them. A day or two later I was having to do it all over again because those words were too easy.
5. Watch Movies and Video’s
Watching videos of people speaking Spanish is one of the best ways to train your ear and learn Spanish. Communication incorporates more than just speaking. Watching people speak while seeing there body language and emotions adds a whole other level of comprehension. Once you understand some of the words try to focus on how they deliver what they are saying and where the emotion or inflexions are.
6. Dedication
When you learn new Spanish words be happy not afraid of its pronunciation. Say it aloud many times. While I did that I noticed I began to say it when I was going out and doing other stuff. Once you learn something in Spanish pretend as though you are a native. Put together what you have learned to form. Talk to yourself a lot in Spanish both mentally and aloud (Driving and showers are two of my favorites). Listen to CDs, music, Spanish news, and attend Spanish lessons.
7. Don’t Give Up
I don’t know how many times I got frustrated, or should I say get frustrated, when learning Spanish. Some days I feel as though I am a native; I can say anything I want and understand everything anyone says to me in Spanish. I can have hour long conversations on any topic at all…. Other days I feel as though I don’t know a thing. I’ll have a Hispanic coworker ask me a question and I’ll repeat the word ( como? ) about five times asking what he just said to me. Finally he just repeats it in English and I feel discouraged. My proficiency really seems to be day by day. Some days you have it and other days you don’t. However, don’t get discouraged! I promise that you are constantly improving and learning more. Hang on to those good days and remember it’s there inside you. Forget those days were you are just off and don’t give up.
8. Try and think in Spanish
Throughout the day when you are organizing your thoughts, try and do so in Spanish. When you’re walking down the street and thinking in your head it is a great time to practice your Spanish. I will often think of a sentence in English and then try and translate it in Spanish. If you don’t know a word or how to say something, try and think of another way to get your message across using the skills you do know. My Spanish teacher would often not tell us a word when we asked until we defined the word using the language skills we did know. This was great practice and is practical for the real world.
9. Label things in your home
This goes along with using flashcards, but labeling objects in your home is a great way to learn new vocabulary. You can do this with the food in your refrigerator, the toiletries in your bathroom, the objects in your bedroom, and just about anything you want. There are sooo many vocabulary words this is a great way to add some nouns to your repertoire of words.
10. Have Fun with it!!
