How to learn Spanish effectively? While many methods promise to speak fluently in just a few weeks, it usually takes longer to master a language properly. To get there, you need to be patient, find a good source of motivation and immerse yourself in the language.
You will probably identify with the next common excuses that can be stopping you from learning Spanish. It is essential to work regularly, with different supports and to take your time. Remember to take notes and above all, don’t be afraid of mistakes!
1. “It is not for me, I have never been good at learning languages, I would be ridiculous and it would take me months to learn a verb”
Yes, each of us has different times and the learning methods are extremely subjective, but this has never prevented anyone from learning a foreign language. Maybe you will struggle more than your friend, but this does not mean that you still cannot try and be amazed at how much commitment and conviction make the difference.
A negative and defeatist attitude is the worst enemy of learning. You should simply decide to take the first steps, which are certainly the most difficult. If, on the other hand, your problem is that you do not find a method that is really right for you, do not give up: immersive programs are usually the little known best option. For example, Spanish courses Barcelona can be combined with relaxing holidays and making friends from all around the world.
2. “So much English is spoken everywhere”
That there are people who speak English is an undeniable reality, but that everyone speaks English is another story entirely. For example, if you need to speak business in Spain, it is much better for you and the outcome of your meeting if you try to speak in Spanish.
Speaking the language of the person with whom you are trying to close a deal or to whom you would like to sign that contract gives you an extra gear to create a relationship based more on mutual harmony and trust, to appear more credible and professional: it is a way like another to show interest in the person and the world that belongs to him.
3. “I don’t even have knowledge in English Grammar, I couldn’t handle Spanish!”
If you only need the language to speak it and not to teach it or to study its phenomena and history, knowing how to distinguish a complement of term from a subordinate concession is absolutely secondary. Grammatical categories are very important because they create order and give life to the norms that make a language a language, but they are not fundamental concepts when learning a foreign language to use it in real life.
4. “My family and friends don’t understand me”
It happens to feel misunderstood, we do not all have the same objectives and the same ambitions, so it is absolutely normal for some of your family members or friends to raise eyebrows and nose up ears listening to your wishes.
However, no one has the right to judge the choices of others, especially if they are as harmless as learning Spanish. If what you do is right for you and does not harm anyone’s morality, it will also be good for others.
5. “In a few years, languages will be a useless knowledge”
Instead of making prophecies about future and remote times, think about the present in which you live and be convinced of the fact that, at the moment, you will have to make the effort for a few more years if you do not want to be cut off from the world of work and burn endless possibilities for TV series and music.
If American series still largely dominate the world audiovisual landscape, productions from other countries have arrived on our screens for several years – Scandinavia, Italy, Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel… In this little game, the Spanish are not the last, with fictions that cross borders and are enjoying growing success, from Velvet to Sé Quien Eres, Las Chicas del Cable, and of course La Casa de Papel.