TIPS TO LEARN AND IMPROVE SPANISH

• Read, read and read:
Read as much as you can in Spanish: magazines, newspapers, websites, blogs, science books, novels, drama, recipes, technical magazines, sports, music, art and so on. Choose the topic you are interested in and you will pick up words and grammatical structures without noticing.

• Listen, listen and listen:
Listen to the radio (there are a lot of radio stations available on the Internet), watch TV, listen to music and watch movies (in Spanish or dubbed into Spanish). Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything or can only catch a few words: it always happens at the beginning and you’ll be able to understand more and more in time. You can listen to the radio while you’re doing other things (driving to work, doing the washing up, having a walk…) and you’ll see that your hearing will soon get used to the Spanish sounds and you’ll improve not only your understanding of the language but also your pronunciation.

• Speak, speak and speak
Speak Spanish whenever you have an opportunity to do so. Speak to your classmates and teacher or to whoever is learning or speaks Spanish. Look for Spanish speakers and make friends on the Internet: there are a lot of people interested in language exchanges on the web. You can also talk to yourself while you drive to work or into the mirror: we all have sometimes talked to ourselves without being crazy, haven’t we? Sing your favourite songs in Spanish and sing karaoke; it’s a lot of fun.

•Write, write and write:
Write letters, cards and emails, take part in forums, participate in the social networks (facebook, twitter, etc.), take part in creative writing contests, write on a blog or a diary and comment on the blogs you’re interested in.

•Mistakes are your allies:
Don’t worry if you make mistakes speaking or writing; it’s normal. Everybody makes mistakes (even when we use our mother tongue) because we are human. Besides, when we learn a language, mistakes are our friends because they help us correct ourselves and improve our skills.

•But, above all, be consistent and persistent and don’t give up.
Study a little every day, not only once in a while. Learning a language is like going to the gym: you’ll only get fit if you exercise on a regular basis. Your Spanish will improve a lot if you study a little bit every day.