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The Hardships of Spanish Language Study

Spanish language study is time-consuming and horribly tough! Who has five, or so, years to spend studying in order to become fluent? Then, when you add to that time frame the cost of tuition at a local college or university, the hardships can quickly outweigh the benefits.

Why Does it Take so Long?

Children learn second languages like Spanish much faster than adults. Why? There are a lot of theories surrounding exactly this subject, but some of the more universally accepted are that children are afforded a slower and easier approach, they are less likely to become embarrassed over mistakes, and they have less additional stressors (like jobs) that detract from the learning process.

When American children undertake Spanish language study, it is usually in an immersion setting. Most often, one of more of that child’s parents speak the language, which results in a faster rate of fluency.

Adults, by contrast, are not as likely to be in a slow-paced and easy-to-learn environment. Usually, we take Spanish language studies at a local college where there is a specific time limit for learning a certain criteria. This is great for those who have an aptitude for language learning, but the rest of us find ourselves retaking expensive courses attempting to make the knowledge stick.

When you add to the stress of the time crunch the embarrassment of mispronunciation and other mistakes, adult Spanish language study can quickly become the source of nightmares rather than learning. Now, add to that nightmare life’s “other” stressors like jobs, bills, children, homes and all of the other things that occupy our minds on a daily basis.

Is it Hopeless?

Looking back on all of these hardships to Spanish language study as adults, it would seem that attempting to become fluent will only be an exercise in futility. That, however, simply is not the case. Adults, too, can become immersed in the language. In conjunction with taking courses, adults can create an immersion setting at home by reading and watching Spanish-based programs.

Another option is to go to Mexico or one of the other Spanish-speaking countries and literally immerse yourself in the language and the culture. There may well be no faster route to fluency than being forced to speak the language with native speakers every day. Imagine, every trip to the grocery store, everyone you meet on the street, and every transaction is a function of your Spanish language study!
Finally, it is possible to purchase programs, like the Rosetta Stone method of language study, that are designed to help you immerse yourself in a language like Spanish. The key to Spanish language study, or that of any language, is to not depend on any one method as your sole provider of Spanish.

If you take a course, create immersion at home. If you go to Mexico, bring texts with you to help with phrases, vocabulary and grammar. Most importantly, though, is to allow yourself to make mistakes. Without mistakes, you can’t learn and will forever be frustrated by the hardships of Spanish language study.

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This is an important question, because if you ever travel to a Spanish speaking country, you may be surrounded by people who do not know how to speak your language. You may find it difficult to point and make gestures that demonstrate that you are looking for the bathroom. Therefore, if you do not know how to ask for what you want, you may find yourself in a flurry of ridiculous motions that do not get you anywhere. On the other hand, if you simply get down the word “lavabo” then, you will be on your way to getting rid your natural urge quickly and easily.

Next you must learn to ask how to catch a cab or bus.

As you learn Spanish, you may want to begin traveling to different Spanish-speaking parts of the world, and maybe even parts of your neighborhood. When doing so you should be careful because even in certain parts of your neighborhood or city, you may run into large groups of people who only speak Spanish. Therefore, it is essential that as you learn Spanish, you learn to ask where a cab or bus is. If you learn these questions, you certainly will not find yourself stranded in the middle of a neighborhood that you are not familiar with.

Next, you must learn the days of the week.

The days of the week are important to learn in any language, and as you learn Spanish, learning the days of the week will become a great asset to you. Finally, if your teacher asks you what day your next class is, you will be able to answer marvelously in Spanish.

Then, you must learn small verbs.

Why learn Spanish if you can’t even build a sentence? Learning small verbs will make Spanish much easier for you in the beginning. The small verbs you should learn are “is” “are” “the,” and “they.” Learning these words will help you to put together a sentence like “Where is the bathroom?” or “Where is the bus?”

Lastly, you must learn “yes” and “no.”

Sometimes, when people learn Spanish, they are not taught how to say “yes” and “no” for a long time because the Spanish-speaking teacher wants them to learn how to answer his or her questions with complete Spanish sentences. However, it is good to pick up these words as soon as your teacher begins to mention them because they will be the key to getting what you want and getting rid of what you don’t.

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How to Select the Right Spanish Language Learning Tools

You have decided that you would like to teach yourself Spanish, but are not quite sure where to start. You do not have the time to take a formal class. Thus, what you really need is some advice when it comes to Spanish language learning tools.

About Spanish Language Learning Tools

The first thing that you need to consider when it comes to selecting Spanish language learning tools is what methods worked the best for you when you were learning a subject in school. Were you the kind of person who benefited from visual learning tools, or did you prefer audio learning tools?

If you are the kind of person who prefers visual methods of learning, there are a variety of different visual Spanish language learning tools that you can choose from. In fact, you can get some of these visuals in the form of a game.

For example, if you are familiar with the flash card memory games, you might benefit from using such a memory game when using Spanish. This is actually a fun way to quickly learn some Spanish words.

When it comes to Spanish language learning tools, there is also the more traditional visual method of getting software, such as the Rosetta Stone. Part of the learning technique is to show a picture and have the spanish word for that picture available so you can remember the word. For example, if you are learning the word for “pizza” you would be shown a picture of a pizza.

If you are the kind of person who is more interested in audio Spanish language learning tools, you also have a variety of options. For example, if you have an iPod, you can download various Spanish lessons and listen to them at your leisure. You can also get sets of Spanish lessons to download.

The benefit of having audio Spanish language learning tools is that you often get native Spanish speakers on the audio, so you know how to correctly pronounce words and phrases. This is very important, since some Spanish words sound very similar to each other. Some people actually go to sleep to these tapes, to help them memorize the language.

For more information on various Spanish language learning tools that might benefit you, be sure to search the internet. However, you should only get software or various other things that are reasonably priced and from reputable websites. You are sure to find the right Spanish learning tools with the proper research.

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Then, as that same student progresses, he may find himself choosing to learn Spanish again to fulfill his or her middle school language requirement. He or she may perhaps gain a more intermediate understanding of the language. They may find out that now they can put a few conversations together. As they continue to learn Spanish for a few more semesters, they may understand how to write a few paragraphs in the language. However, students at this level will only rise to the medium levels of grasping the language. They may get all A’s in the class and attain some good compliments from the teacher, but there’s a good chance that they will lack fluency in the language.

A student reaching high school may choose to learn Spanish again in order to fulfill a language requirement there. Of course, this type of student will become more advanced in speaking Spanish. They will learn to say all kinds of things such as, “where is the bathroom?” They may learn the vocabulary for an entire wardrobe and the may get down the words that fit with everything they make for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When the teacher says “good morning” in class, happily they will be able to answer her back. Short verbs such “is” “are” and “where” will be effortless to them, but will they be fluent in the language? Probably not.

These students usually do not gain fluency as they learn Spanish because the classes are just not that advanced and they do not last for a long enough time. Often, in high school, a Spanish class can last for a year, but the class might not be taught daily. Even if the class is taught daily, the lure to take some real time off from learning Spanish during the summer months is just too enticing. If the process of learning Spanish is stopped during the three month summer period, it could cause a student to forget the majority of what he or she learned during class time.

Even in college, students normally will learn Spanish or another language only until they get the requirement filled. Then they stop all together, never becoming fluent even after investing all of that previous time in learning the language. Since most students do not become fluent in the language, later in life they find themselves being grateful for leaning Spanish only because they were in a Spanish restaurant one day and luckily they remembered how to read the menu.

Therefore, it would seem that it is not that useful to learn Spanish or another language as a school requirement. If is useful, it may only be to those students who combine learning language in a formal classroom with outside learning as well. Outside learning might include practicing speaking Spanish with a friend or attending Spanish cultural events. By combing different methods of learning Spanish, students might stand a better chance of becoming fluent.

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Patience is important because a patient Spanish-speaking partner will help you learn Spanish peacefully so to speak. A patient partner will not mind if you stumble over your words as you learn Spanish. If you take a little more time than normal to get the language down, a patient partner will let you have all of the time that you need to learn Spanish. They will not pressure you or make you feel bad when you are facing some difficulties.

Another quality, skill is essential for your partner to have because without it, you may feel that you are not properly learning the language. Your Spanish speaking partner should be skilled in writing the language, speaking it formally, and speaking the language conversationally. As an added bonus, you may want to consider getting a partner who has teaching skills. Such a person may be more likely to have the qualities patience and skill, and such a person may already be practiced in using these skills with other people. You may also want to consider getting a partner who is practiced in counseling or maybe has some kind of experience in caring for other people. Such a person may make the experience of learning Spanish fun as well as nurturing.

Lastly, a key attribute of the partner you find that will help you learn Spanish is availability. Availability starts with you. First you have to make yourself available to learn Spanish well. Making yourself available might require you to take time off from work or school. You may have to take a break from some of your hobbies to learn Spanish. Finally, when your schedule makes you available to learn Spanish well, you must choose a partner is who is either just as available as or more available than you are. They must be willing to make some of the same sacrifices you are making in order to help you learn Spanish. If you find someone who is open to making changes in their schedule for your benefit, you may have found yourself a good Spanish-speaking partner.

However, before you decide to commit yourself to a relationship with a person who should help you learn Spanish; remember that you must look at the bigger picture. Neither of these qualities is more important than the other. Only all three of them will create the ideal partner. Before long you will really enjoy learning Spanish because not only will you be able to practice conversing with another person, but you will also be able to get constant feed back on your progress.

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