Learning Spanish on your own can be difficult. Most of us are used to studying together in groups or classes, but what do you do if you want a quality Spanish education and don’t want to attend a formal class? Is there any hope for you to really learn Spanish?
Yes! There is!
Start with a Quality Self-Study Course
There are a few key things to look for in a self-study Spanish course.
First, the lessons must be enjoyable and easy to use. Learning Spanish is hard enough, so don’t torture yourself by using a boring course with hard to use lessons. Make sure the lessons are interactive, engaging, and user friendly.
Second, make sure the course focuses on the most important phrases and questions in the language. Most likely you will never need to know how to say, “The Frog Prince enjoyed swimming.” But it would be nice to know how to say, “I need to go to the store?” or “How do I get to the post office?” A course that deals directly with useful Spanish phrases will help you utilize your study time and increase your personal Spanish education experience.
Finally, find a course that fits your learning style. If you are a visual learner, use a Spanish course with visual computer lessons. If you learn better from just hearing and listening, look for an audio Spanish course. If you are not sure how you learn best, try out as many free lessons as you can and pay attention to which type helps you learn faster.
A Few Tricks to Help Your Self-Study Spanish Education
Here are a few study tricks to help you no matter what Spanish course or Spanish education curriculum you use:
- Try not to cram all of your Spanish studying into one day. Studying instead for 30 to 45 minutes a day, three to five days a week, will allow you to retain more of what you study and solidify it in your mind.
- If you don’t have access to someone who speaks Spanish with whom you could practice, a great way to practice your listening and comprehension skills is by listening to Spanish radio. Find a Spanish station and just listen for about 15 minutes. As you listen write down any words you recognize and try to guess the topic being discussed. This may be difficult at first, but as your vocabulary increases you will find you can pick up more and more. This exercise also works well with Spanish TV
. - Remember repetition is the key to learning a foreign language. Don’t hesitate to repeat a section a few times. Mastering the words and phrases you are currently studying will increase your ability to learn what you study in the future. So keep at it.
Use these suggestions in your personal study. They will help you teach yourself Spanish and help make your personal Spanish education a success.
