subject: There Is No Better Way To Learn A Language Than From A Native Speaker [print this page] Every year thousands of dollars are sunk into the languages market as people attempt to buy products which will help them master the language of the new group of people who are coming to dominate the American economy. Hearing someone speak Spanish is becoming almost as common as hearing someone speak English from coast to coast; in some areas, Spanish is actually more common.
This means that it is virtually a necessity for the habitants of these areas to learn to speak Spanish; a proposition that is easier said than done, particularly when one considers that many of these individuals are adults whose brain patterns have long since settled into a routine that they are lax to break out of.
Learning a new language requires that the brain work very hard to think in many different ways; the grammar of the Spanish people is very different from that used when speaking English, and without the ability to think in this grammar it is going to be impossible to speak it with any fluency.
Does that mean that purchasing hundreds of dollars in language products is the only way to learn to speak Spanish? Certainly not! As a matter of fact, it isn't even the best way. The most tried and true method of learning to speak Spanish like a native is to learn to speak Spanish from a native.
Should you simply walk up to the first Spanish speaking person you see and ask them to teach you to speak Spanish? I wouldn't recommend it. Although chances are good that whoever you ask is going to be more than willing (Spanish hospitality is a bit different than American, although chances are they would charge you a stiff fee) the awkwardness the two of you are going to feel together is going to make working together very difficult.
Chances are that if you live in an area of the country where learning Spanish is a necessity you work with or are acquainted with people who speak Spanish as a first language. If you are extremely lucky there will be one or two among them who speak English fluently as well. This will be the individual you should approach to see if they would be willing to offer their assistance.
They will probably be more than happy to do so, as long as you are willing to accommodate their schedule; learning English is a difficult process, and teaching you to speak Spanish will not only allow them to practice their English a bit, it will give them someone else with whom they can communicate.
