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Mastering Spanish for everyday life in Spain
By Adam Woodward •
Updated: 01 Aug 2024 • 17:27 • 2 minutes read
Learning a new language can be one of the trickiest and most complex things we can do in our life, yet one of the most rewarding too. It’s a mammoth task, but it doesn’t have to be soul-destroying.
Following some expert and experienced advice from those who have achieved bilingual status, here are some tips that should make becoming bilingual a little less frustrating.
Wake up early.
Seriously, the best time to learn anything is in the morning. Your mind is less cluttered with distractions and things you must remember to do. Take the case of Chus in Madrid. She read 2 to 4 pages of a book in English every morning over breakfast. In 5 years, she went from beginner to passing a C1 Advanced English exam. ‘A little in the morning is better than attempting a lot in the afternoon’, she says. ‘And get into a habit. Like most habits, it normally takes around two weeks of forcing yourself to do something until it becomes habit. Also, choose a book to read in Spanish, that you’ve already read in your own native language, you will find it so much easier to maintain your attention.’
Control your classes.
I’m afraid there is no substitute for language classes. No magic formula. I often meet people who have the same experience, like Adrien from Alhaurín ‘they give up their regular lessons at around the 6 months to a year mark, frustrated that they’re not making any progress’.
When at school, university, even when we took driving lessons, the course was all laid out before we started. We just had to follow what the teacher said. Learning a language to live in a country isn’t like that. If you take one-to-one or small group classes, allow the teacher the first half of the class to teach the grammar and vocabulary. It is important. For the second half, remember that your teacher doesn’t know precisely what you need. They can teach you all the names of all the plants in a garden, but if you don’t have a garden, then you won’t retain anything. So make a list before every class of practical things you can practise in the real world such as how to request cuts in the butcher shop, how to complain to your telephone company that your bill is too high. These practical things are what you will retain.
Watch the TV news once a day.
Sam in Madrid says ‘Netflix movies and series in Spanish are OK, but inevitably, that’s taking on too high a level too early and is likely to lead to further frustration. Make a point of watch TV news in Spanish for 10 minutes every day. You might not understand much at first, but as they tend to repeat the same words every day, with time, patience and perseverance, they will eventually sink in.’
Be embarrassed.
Lastly, be embarrassed. You are going to say the wrong thing, confuse the pronunciation of a word, and you are going to blush. It’s inevitable. Like Sara from Coín, who recalls ‘you mispronounce the Spanish word for chicken in a shop and the whole place falls silent in total shock, so just laugh.’ We have all been there. You’ll remember next time.
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Passionate about music, food and the arts. After being completely immersed in the Spanish way of life for 25 years, I now share my knowhow and experience with you.
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