Study tips for Spanish language learningStudying a foreign language involves commitment and time. But that does not mean it cannot be fun. Try using different strategies and techniques to practice and involve yourself in the process as an active learner. Take into account the following facts and tips:
FACT: Learning Spanish as a foreign language means acquiring a skill that involves not just memory but also an understanding of a different culture (ideas and concepts) and a physical-communicative response too (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) TIP: Be patient, persistant, and consistent. There is nothing worse than just studying the first days of class and then not doing it anymore. Or studying at the last minute for many hours just for the exams. To reiterate, you are acquiring a skill so you need to devote some time, let's say at least ten minutes daily to practice it. Once you start learning Spanish do not stop the process. Do not waste your time or money invested. Follow EZSpanish101 on Twitter and LIKE our Facebook Page and Post your Spanish Language Question and keep practicing and learning! FACT: During the process of learning a foreign language, learners should expect mistakes and a changing pace of learning. TIP: Develop an effective practice/study technique that involves the use of all the possible senses. Practice your listening skills with our (COMING SOON!) Podcasts. Download them to your iPod or portable mp3 player. You will not only just be using your auditory memory but also your visual memory with the transcripts too. In addition, you will be developing an "Ear" for Spanish sounds. * Practice your speaking skills with a friend or other student. If you cannot find a native speaker partner to have a conversation or you cannot afford private lessons with a native speaker tutor, try joining our live conversations in our Online Conversational Classes. In addition, you can try doing a language exchange. This is where you teach your language to somebody who will teach you Spanish in exchange. Remember, you need to have a basic foundation of Spanish before you can participate in Spanish Conversation Classes! * Practice the reading skill with our YouTube Videos which include subtitles. You will be not only be using your visual and auditory memory, but also will be practicing pronunciation as well with the follow-up exercises. * Practice the writing skill, reading one of the articles on our BLOG or any other written material, including: watching a movie in Spanish, popular shows on TV, soap operas or the news (CNN en español) and then writing a summary or at least a sentence about it. * Practice all the skills mentioned above using the Spanish language as a mean of communication in real-life situations like: chatting online, role-playing with your classmates or during your daily life writing for example your shopping list. In general, do not let your ego restrain you from practicing speaking and reading out loud. Be prepared to make mistakes from time to time or even frequently because that is expected and part of the process. FACT: Language learning is cumulative. The learning process of a foreign language is supported by the learner's previous knowledge and the foundation of this process is the vocabulary learning. TIP: What you already know of a language is very important. Increasing your vocabulary knowledge is something that you can do by yourself. Practice new grammar structures with the vocabulary you already know as well as new vocabulary. To start, label your surroundings with the basic vocabulary (do not forget to use two different colors for nouns gender), read out loud, and point out the object. You can also write down the words many times, make significative sentences with them and even you can make a rap song! The thing is to use Spanish in a meaningful context, for example, if you like cooking, reading recipes in Spanish and watching videos about Latino's recipes and practicing the vocabulary while you are preparing the dish and then describing the process of cooking if you are an intermediate or advanced student. Happy Studying and Be Sure to LIKE our Facebook Page and Post Your Spanish Language Question! |