subject: Tricks That Remove The Pain from Learning Spanish [print this page] It's always a great idea to learn a second language. Spanish as almost as widely spoken as English in the United States. Consider this, how often do you hear English repeated in Spanish? That is a good reason for learning Spanish. Yet there are a lot of people who experience difficulty with a new language. If you have trouble learning languages, here are a few tips to help you out:
There is probably no better way to become fluent in a new language than to go somewhere that forces you to speak it constantly. For anyone wanting to learn Spanish, going to a country where that was the main language would be a way to gain fluency. In some large cities in America, there would be no need to leave home to find such a Spanish-speaking area. Usually what this means, however, is traveling to another country so that you are not able to simply switch back to your own language when it is convenient. Language immersion puts you in a kind of sink or swim mode, which can practically force you to become fluent. Of course, this way of learning a language can also be somewhat stressful. It's not for everybody, and you have to ask yourself if you think it would be the best thing for you. An important skill to acquire is to practice thinking in the new language. This takes some work, but as you are going about your day try to translate your thoughts into Spanish. Take your time and learn how to do this at your own pace. In your everyday life, consider how various phrases that occur to you would sound in Spanish. This is something you have to practice regularly to get comfortable with it. You will be surprised at how fast you will be able to do this translation process once you practice it for a while. You will know you have mastered this when you find that you sometimes think in the new language when you aren't even intending. Once you can think in Spanish, you can then practice making these thoughts verbal by speaking them out loud; this way your ability to speak the language will also improve.
One time-tested tool to help you learn are flashcards. Flashcards are indeed a familiar but very effective way to help you remember things. Language is largely about memorizing, and these cards help you do just that! Don't just use them for simple objects, but also for grammar, remembering the different tenses and other aspects of learning the language. Flashcards are usually pretty small so you can take them with you when you leave the house and work on your Spanish in your spare time. You can make a game of it and have a friend or fellow student test you. Remember to use both sides of the flashcards; one side for Spanish and the other for your native language, in case you need to remind yourself what a word means. If you research the subject, you'll find that there are a wide variety of methods that can help you learn faster. Many people get help when they start learning another language. One reason there are so many methods is that people have different learning styles. If you try several systems, you'll eventually find one or more that feel right for you. Be patient with yourself and use the tools that work best for you; sooner than you think, you'll find that you can speak, read and understand Spanish.
