What Are a Few Good Ways to Learn Spanish?

May 14, 2011 by admin  
Filed under Languages

Mike Darwin asked:


What are the best ways to learn Spanish? If you live in Spain or in countries that use Spanish as their dialect, you will find that it will benefit you to learn the language. It is common to know a few words and phrases to help get you around but this will really limit you on a lot of things if there is a language barrier in between. You cannot expect the people to learn English, so it is best that you take the initiative to learn their language and look for ways to know it.

Bear in mind that there will be no best solution to learning a language. This really has to do with the time you have, your aptitude, and determination. One of these methods that we will lay out for you may work best, or a combination of one or all of them may suit you better.

You really have a lot of options to acquire knowledge of learning the language. One is that you can take lessons from a private tutor; this may be an effective solution for learning how to converse and that if you have immediate questions these can be addressed immediately. The drawback is that you have to commit a specific amount of time on a regular basis for you to get classes. You also have the option to have home study. Some opt to choose formal schooling so that it will force discipline and progress for achievement. Others are really dependent on time schedule, so they get tutorship at a specific place or at home.

There are also language exchanges through magazines or over the Internet. These practice more on conversations and must be followed with a book as a guide. This may be a weaker form of learning but it really depends on the degree you wish to achieve.

If you are in Spain, the local government helps by offering language learning for free. Try to check with each local city government so they can provide information on where to avail of these local language courses.

After learning, you sure would like to give it a test run with some friends. This will be a perfect opportunity to address some weak flows with inflection and grammar, and improve your ability to converse. This will also boost your confidence in learning a new language.

As final note, it is also more proper and polite to speak the local dialect. The locals will look up to you for this and respect you in a different way if you speak their language. So it is really advantageous to look for ways to learn Spanish if you plan to stay in that area longer.

Discover how you can learn Spanish from home at this “Learn Spanish Language Software” site



Learning Spanish for Adults

May 14, 2011 by admin  
Filed under Languages

Shareen Aguilar asked:


Learning for adults does not come easy any longer compared to how children and teenagers learn. This is true because there is a certain point and range of interest and learning skills each age group has and as a person gets older, the ability to learn depreciates. Think about young children, learning a different language to them is easy as learning A,B,C’s.

Now the next question comes into mind…how do I learn a foreign language fast? We all know that it takes a while to learn new things. It also takes great enthusiasm and interest over something to be able to learn it well and apply it to normal day to day activities. Also, a good memory is built from a vivid event. Findings show that we tend to store in events or images that has a strong impact towards the senses in our memory. This is also why it’s recommended to imagine silly and outrageous images in learning foreign languages because the words can be easily remembered this way. A human brain can certainly not erase these images.

By now you should be able to realize that whatever you have seen ever since you were small is all still registered in your brain. So the next time you see something familiar, be aware that you haven’t completely forgotten what it is or what it is for but just that the image might have not been too interesting at the moment you saw it and in turn, didn’t alert your attention as you were absorbing it to your brain.

So to give you an example how pictures can create an impact in learning a foreign language, we’ll take the English word morning and mañana in Spanish as an example. Imagine this sentence as it happens: Every morning, the postman delivers mails and packages to houses with family names of Manny in a successive order. By associating the words in a scenario as you imagine it happening makes it a lot easier and fun to learn the Spanish language.

Try learning other Spanish words by visiting this link

5 Unique Ways For Busy People to Learn Spanish

May 14, 2011 by admin  
Filed under Careers

Jim Sarris asked:


One of the biggest misconceptions of learning Spanish (or any foreign language) is the time commitment. Everyone seems to think you need hours upon hours of study in order to learn. Since very few people have so many hours to dedicate to studying, they decide that learning a language is not for them.

Yet, even with a little knowledge of another language, they can benefit in so many ways. Perhaps they could get a better job, communicate better in the job they’re in or enjoy a new experience on a forthcoming trip to a foreign country.

Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen because in their mind it’s a done deal…no one learns without dedicating massive time to the effort.

Well, I’m here to say that there is another side to the story. A side that is more realistic and positive. A side that may just spark a reader or two to change their mind and try.

I’ve been a Spanish teacher for over 15 years. In that time I’ve taught high school, college and adults students. Naturally, this article is not directed to high school and college students for obvious reasons.

I’m writing so that more adults can discover the secrets to learning any language they want, regardless of their schedules. You see, it’s a question of taking advantage of the downtime. Here’s what I mean.

Everyone has moments in the day when they are left with nothing to do. Maybe it’s at work, at home, during the commute. These moments are there, you just have to pay attention.

Once you can spot them, then you can begin to fill them with little study sessions that can last as little as 5 minutes. And the best part is, you can vary them so that you don’t fall into a routine and become bored.

Now, before I continue, I don’t want to give the impression that you can learn a language with 5 minutes of study a day. It won’t happen.

However, I do want to emphasize that you don’t need to have marathon study sessions either. What will help more than anything is consistency and that is why taking advantage of 5 minute sessions when you are stuck for time is essential to your learning.

During these sessions, you are keeping the coals warm so to speak. Your brain is getting the message that learning Spanish (for example) is important because you are finding time everyday. That is no small factor.

You will still need to find time during the week for an hour here and there but your success does not depend on total dedication, come hell or high water. It depends on consistency.

With that in mind, here are 5 ways to study when you have little or no time.

#1 – Start describing what is going on around you. It doesn’t need to be a literary description, just take a look around and begin describing things in the foreign language.

#2 – Always carry a print out of an article you plan to read or, a chapter from a children’s book. Make sure it’s no more than two pages so you can finish it in the time you have.

#3 – Repeat a tongue twister you’ve written down on an index card (specifically for this occasion).

#4 – Take out your language tape and get in a quick listen. You can pick up where you were on the tape or begin randomly.

#5 – Play with your cell phone. That’s right, you can set up your cell phone in the language you want to learn. By doing this, you can begin hitting buttons and learn everyday vocabulary.

Remember, there will be days when you need to get in the hour session in order to expand your base of verbs, conjugations and all the rest. But, your learning doesn’t depend on strict adherence to any schedule.

It’s more important to do a little bit everyday. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.