You would be surprised that I receive a lot of questions surrounding the best way to learn Spanish. The major reason for writing my book So You Want to Learn Spanish? was to depart that knowledge to brand new Spanish language learners -- people who are new to learning the language, but are unsure as to how to go about learning it. I want to devote the next several weeks to exploring my top ten ways to help improve your knowledge of Spanish.
It may be quite a challenge for you. I understand how you feel. I went through the same thing when I learned Spanish. Everyone who goes out to learn a foreign language understands this challenge. If you truly think about it, there are millions of people who learn another language all over this planet. Most have the benefit of learning it while they are young. That does not mean you cannot learn a language. Adults do it every day. You can be one of those millions who learn Spanish. As a mantra, I want you to promise that you will say to yourself that you can learn Spanish. Internalize this saying. Repeat it each and every day. The more you do, the more you will believe it can be done.
Know that you will make mistakes learning another language. The key is to learn from those mistakes. Like a child who learns to walk, there are many stages to the process. At first, they use their muscles to lift off the ground and balance. Then they try synchronized movements of their arms and legs to crawl. Next, they improve their leg muscles by lifting again and balancing on their feet. With their arms helping, they can walk from location to another until finally they take those few precious steps to a new goal. The child fails throughout this entire process by falling down, slipping, banging their head and getting hurt. They cry and become frustrated, but they continue to try and walk. Metaphorically, you will go through a similar process. You will make mistakes, become frustrated (maybe cry?) and pick yourself up and keep on trying. The point is to never give up trying. Don't be a child who will never learn to walk -- who never learns the joy of independence and self-worth. You have the tools inside you to do great things. Learning Spanish can be another thing you do great!
The next thing to do is understand yourself. How do you feel comfortable learning something? Do you prefer watching a video? How about reading instructions? Or do you need to just do it yourself and compare the results afterwards? The more you acquaint yourself to how you learn best, the easier it will be to learn Spanish. You can take advantage of this information to tailor your learning of the language and make faster strides.
Before we begin this journey together, take a few moments to complete this self-assessment here.
The self-assessment will tell you your learning style. It is an important piece of the puzzle to unlock your own potential. Learn about yourself so you can better leverage that information when learning Spanish. Feel free to comment here about your learning style and learning experiences. Until next week . . .
¡Hasta luego!
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