How To Learn The Spanish Language At Home
For many of us, learning a language can seem like a daunting task that requires hours of dedication, resolve of steel and more hours in the day than we currently have. And while it’s true that learning a language does require dedication, it’s much easier than you think to learn a language and even more so now there is a whole wealth of learning resources at your fingertips at home!
We’ll dig into how to learn the Spanish language at home, and the best small actions that you can integrate into your daily activities to make the most of your time learning, and immerse yourself in this gorgeous language.
Of course, personal dedication is a must. There are an overwhelming number of ways that you can make learning a language fun and immersive, but there’s no getting away from the fact that it takes hard work.
And when it comes to the question of how to learn Spanish languages at home, we’re convinced the only foolproof, nearly always consistent way to do this is …
Take An Online Spanish Course
If the aim of the game is to find your way around a Spanish speaking city the next time you dash abroad for holiday (we can’t wait) then learning casually will most likely suit your purposes absolutely fine. But if you’re looking to really get into the heart of a language, especially one as beautiful and complex as Spanish, then we always recommend classes!
Check out our Spanish for Beginners courses for award-winning content catered to all levels and experiences! Nothing quite beats the feeling of learning alongside other enthusiastic learners – even if you’re all in virtual classrooms with our online courses. It’s the bespoke feedback and the structure of a dedicated course that really gives you a boost.
You’ll be getting compliments on your pronunciation and vocabulary in no time!
However, alongside your Spanish courses there are plenty of daily and regular activities that you can do to effectively learn the Spanish language at home.
Dedicate An Hour A Day To Spanish Exercises
And no, we don’t mean physical exercises, though most of those would be more fun with a little Spanish wine or tapas mixed in…
When considering how to learn the Spanish language at home, the best thing alongside diving headfirst into an online Spanish course is to get yourself a comprehensive Spanish exercise book and dedicate some serious time to it.
Spanish text books are excellent sources from which you can pick up the basics: past, present and future tenses, popular phrases and their constructs, proconjunctives, explanations related to plurals, gender and the grammatical details that are so important.
Going through your grammar book regularly means that even if there are sections or particular exercise that are giving you some trouble, applying yourself regularly and repetitively means that the grammar will sink in, and you will find yourself naturally solving the exercises with more ease.
Read Spanish Novels (And Take Notes)
Immersion truly is the best technique for learning any language, and reading is probably one of the best immersive ways to learn the Spanish language at home.
Of course, if you’re not really one for reading then this might not be the perfect tip for you – but if you’re a book worm and you know it, pick up a Spanish book that’s perfect for beginners!
This a great way to experience different forms of written Spanish, because of the nature of novels to vary between highly casual to more formal depending on the genre and the individualistic style of the writer. Therefore, you get to delve into a totally new world of Spanish that you might have otherwise missed!
In particular, the titles by Paulo Coelho, translated from Portuguese to Spanish, come highly recommended when it comes to picking an artist to start with.
Why? Coelho’s sentence structure is fairly simple so it’s perfect for people learning Spanish for beginners or who are interested in engaging with the Spanish language but who aren’t overly confident. His sentences are short and easy to understand – with a little practice, or with your Spanish for Beginners course material on hand …
While reading, highlight a sentence or phrase you don’t understand, grab a dictionary, or surf the internet, or consult your beginner’s Spanish course material from our amazing teachers, and figure it out! This is a great way to adapt the phrases you’re learning in class, find new words and structures, and string sentences together.
Watch TV Shows With Subtitles
We’ve already mentioned some of the best Spanish shows on Netflix right now, but another of the best ways when considering how to learn Spanish language at home is to really immerse yourself in Spanish media.
There are two techniques when it comes to watching Spanish shows or moves:
- Watch Spanish movies/shows with English subtitles
- Watch Spanish movies/shows with Spanish subtitle
The first we recommend for beginners because while you can read the subtitles and understand what’s going on during the time when your Spanish isn’t yet 100%, you will still be associating the words you read with the words you hear.
The second technique is wonderful for more confident or advanced speakers. Because your reading skills develop much quicker than listening skills, reading and listening at the same time really boosts your development and pronunciation.
Spend Time With Spanish-Speakers
While this might be a little difficult at the moment if you’re not surrounded by a household full of Spanish speakers or people learning Spanish all at once – though that would be incredible! – one of the most widely agreed ways to learn the Spanish language at home is to be surrounded by it!
So, at the moment, this could be listening to the Spanish radio, travelling to that Spanish cafe or restaurant (making sure to socially distance) where Spanish-speaking people might go, and listen. Drink in a Spanish cocktail bar. Join a local Spanish conversation group and suggest you meet through Zoom or a similar group hangout platform.
There are so many ways to bridge the cultural gap that exists in the same space as language differences, and immersing yourself in the Spanish language at home is the absolute best way to learn, aside from taking a Spanish course for beginners that is!
While these are just a selection of some of the more easy ways to engage with Spanish, or any language you choose to learn, there are many more ways to effectively answer the question of how to learn the Spanish language at home.
So, take a look around, and get involved! And maybe we’ll even see you in one of our online Spanish courses …
The post How To Learn The Spanish Language At Home appeared first on Battersea Spanish.