Spanish for Beginners: 6 Ways to Learn

1. Introduction: If you're beginning to brush up on your Spanish skills, or maybe you just want to begin learning Spanish for the first time. This class will teach numerous ways to do this. Some that you may have never heard of before. And the great thing is you don't need any previous experience to take this class. But if you know some Spanish, this will only help you improve your game. Learning a foreign language can be intimidating enough, but not knowing all the ways you can learn it can make it difficult to find what fits you best. Since each person learns a little differently, this class will give you several options, if not many, to make learning Spanish not only more fun, but also more tailored to how you prefer to learn. While the Spanish speakers in my families speak Latin American Spanish. I took Castilian, Spain, Spanish from 7th to 12th grades, and have 16 college credits in it. From there, I started a business developing curriculum for and taught Spanish programs to two-year-olds to adults. From this experience and training, I've learned that the more fun and diverse the training styles are, the more engaged the students are. That's why I wanted to share what I've learned with you. I've picked the favorites of my students, but also some of the methods that help the most in acquisition and retention of a foreign language. In this class, we're going to cover six ways to learn Spanish. What's your preferred learning style and how you want to use each of them. Choosing bilingual and or immersion programs. Sounding more like a native speaker. Finding programs you can grow with, locating conversational Spanish resources, And what might be holding you back and what can propel you forward to reach goals. We're also going to apply this knowledge to our class project, which is a chart that you'll fill out as we walk through these lessons. This chart can serve as a roadmap for how you can start and stay motivated in learning Spanish. I'm excited that by the end of this class, you'll have new ideas on how to make learning Spanish more engaging and fun for you. So let's get started. 2. Your Class Project: To learn Spanish, you could choose an audio book, online program, course, app or so many other things. How do you know which one is right for you? We're going to cover six different ways you can learn Spanish and apply that knowledge to a chart where you can flesh out your thoughts and plans to reach your goals. Instead of picking up the first Spanish program you find, only to find out later that it's not a good fit for you, you'll have this chart that you'll fill out along the way and you'll discover what a Spanish program should have for you. Please start by opening the file in your project section of this class that's titled "Spanish for beginners, six ways to learn." You can either fill it out as a Word document that will expand as you type. Or there's a PDF version that has room in each row to write what you want. The first column lists the six ways to learn, that we'll be covering in this class. After we go over these ways to learn, we'll walk through an example of how to fill out the second column. The second column lists the things to consider and or work on for that way to learn. There are also questions in each row for the second column to get you thinking. The third and last column you can fill out is titled due date. This third column is optional, but if you work best by having dates to aim for, so you keep moving forward, This is where you can plan when you want to do each thing you've filled out in the second column. By the end of this class, you'll end up with your class project chart filled out with what is relevant to your learning of Spanish with a plan of what to tackle first, should you want to approach it that way. If you'd rather just listen and absorb then this class will give you ideas of what to look for as you search for programs, classes or books that will teach you Spanish. Let's start with the first way to learn Spanish: Knowing what the learning styles are and what your preferred learning style is. 3. Use the 3 Learning Styles: Overview: We all acquire and retain a foreign language a little differently. Some prefer to see the words, they're visual learners. Some learn best by hearing the language spoken. That's auditory learning. And others learn best by doing or moving while learning Spanish. They'd be kinesthetic or tactile learners. Regardless of which learning style we favor, we all learn from each of these three styles. As a side note, many say there are four learning styles because they add reading and writing as the fourth style. And beyond that, some even claim there are up to eight learning styles. To keep it simple, we'll focus on the three basic styles of visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. It's important to first know which learning style you favor and to choose foreign language study programs that cater to that learning style. Otherwise, you'll have a harder time acquiring the language and won't have as much fun as a result. So how do you figure out which learning style you favor? There are a lot of professionally and scientifically devised questionnaires that will tell you. I'd suggest searching online for learning style questionnaire and taking a questionnaire or two. Once you've discovered what your preferred learning style is, it's also important to remember to use all learning styles to some degree, because especially in foreign language acquisition, seeing how the words are spelled and then hearing how they're pronounced is, of course, pretty darn important. They all work together to help you learn what you're wanting to. Now, it's time to fill in the first thing on your class project's chart. Once you've determined your preferred learning style, write it down in the blank. Next, we'll look into how each learning style works when learning another language. 4. Use the 3 Learning Styles: Visual: Let's start with the visual learning style: What you can see. You can learn Spanish primarily by just reading and writing it. As a side note, remember this is what some breakout as a fourth learning style in and of itself. But we're going to lump these into visual. The visual learning style is anything you can see, read, or write. Let's look at some examples. You could copy of vocabulary words on flashcards that have photos on them. Take notes during a class, and draw diagrams that help make sense of the concepts you're learning. Read a Spanish textbook and look at a Spanish speaking video. If this is your preferred learning style, it's in your best interest to not take a Spanish class that relies exclusively on reading words on paper. You'll likely do better if you have some visuals mixed into the reading portions of the course. Next up is the auditory learning style. 5. Use the 3 Learning Styles: Auditory: The auditory learning style is all about what you can hear and say and talk about with others through conversation. Here are some examples. You can listen to a Spanish-speaking TV program or podcast. You can hear yourself repeat the vocabulary you're learning from an audio book. You can listen to Spanish music on the radio, and you can attend a conversational Spanish class online or in-person. This last option, by the way, is the best option of all in my opinion. That's because it requires you to process what you're learning in a different and more complex way than the others, while also allowing you the opportunity to get feedback. So if this is your preferred learning style, you're in luck. Foreign language learning lends itself very well to auditory learners, especially in this digital age. You can use any of the examples mentioned and more. Just make sure you're not studying exclusively from a text-only book in print. And you'll probably do very well. And that's the auditory learning style. Now we're on to the kinesthetic learning style. 6. Use the 3 Learning Styles: Kinesthetic: The kinesthetic learning style is a little different and not a preferred learning style for the majority of the population. But that doesn't mean it's not powerful. And it makes learning a whole lot more fun. Because of that, I really like to focus on it, especially for the positive impact it can have on foreign language learning. The kinesthetic or tactile learning style is one where you use your body to learn. You do, feel or experience the learning with your body. It's very effective when you use a multi-sensory approach, meaning you use the other two senses of visual and auditory learning with the kinesthetic to have the greatest impact on your Spanish studies. Some examples of this are: you could walk while listening to an audio book that pauses so you can repeat back what's being said. Or while listening to an online course, you could use magnetic alphabet letters to spell the word you're learning. You can also do this with words printed on magnets and form those words into sentences on a magnetic board. And yet another way, which is a popular method specifically for foreign language acquisition, is one of my favorites. It's called total physical response. It's worth taking a deeper dive into. Total physical response, or TPR, is a very effective method that's backed by research and it's associating a movement or kinesthetic way of learning with the language being acquired. When I teach Spanish, I personally have chosen to use American Sign Language or ASL with my students because you can learn two foreign languages at one time. And all the Spanish words you're learning already have a motion associated with them. Let's look at an example. Thank you in Spanish is good gracias and here's the sign for thank you, or gracias, in ASL. So whenever you say gracias, you use the sign. Now you try it. Gracias. It's that easy. If using specific signs for specific words isn't your thing, then there's another tactic you can use. Four of my five kids have gone through speech therapy, and when they're having a hard time saying a word, the speech therapists have taught them to tap their chin for each syllable they're pronouncing. And I like to switch hands for each new word. Let's do an example together to show you how. Say you're listening to an audio book and it says, repeat after me: el cocodrilo es verde If you're not familiar with Spanish, you might be thinking, say what?! But if you were, all at the same time, to use the visual learning style to see the words. Then use the auditory learning style of hearing someone say that sentence while tapping your chin while the words are being said, let's see if that's easier to break down what's being said. el cocodrilo es verde I don't know about you, but that's much easier to me. Now, let's add two more things. The English translation of that sentence, and a visual, a picture of the vocabulary word. Try saying and tapping with me again. el cocodrilo es verde So much better, right? There's a third way I've used, and it's similar to tapping the chin, but instead you clap for each syllable. Let's try that with another sentence. el canguro es rojo If you're brand new to Spanish, that might have sounded like a jumble of sounds. Or maybe you can make out a word or two if you took high school Spanish decades ago. Let's try it while listening to me say the words, while you read the words and the translation on the screen, and look at the visual all while clapping for each syllable. Here we go. el canguro es rojo One more time. el canguro es rojo If kinesthetic is your preferred learning style, you can try any of these movements mentioned while looking at an online course. Or maybe you want to listen to a podcast while doing chores. Whatever the mix, you'll likely find better results with your studies if you add some physical movement while you're studying. Those are the three different learning styles, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. By incorporating all of these learning styles when you're studying Spanish, your learning will not only be more interesting, but you'll retain it better. Now it's time to take out your class project's chart. Please fill in which one or ones you'd like to give a try. Noting any specific ideas you learned or thought of on your own. And if it's helpful for you add a date to when you'd like to try that out. When you're done thinking that through, we're ready to cover the second way to learn Spanish: Choosing bilingual or immersion programs. 7. Choose Bilingual and/or Immersion: Congratulations on finishing the first and longest lessons on ways to learn Spanish. Now that you know what the three learning styles are, it lays the foundation for learning about all the other ways. And the remaining five ways will go quicker because they're well-known and don't need as much explanation. The second way to learn Spanish is to decide whether you'd like a bilingual or immersion approach in the program you choose. Whether that program be an audio book, a textbook in print, an online course, or something else. Bilingual learning is when you're being taught Spanish through the English language. As you progress through the program, Spanish could likely be used more and more than English. Bilingual programs will translate vocabulary words and conversational sentences while you're learning. Immersion learning is when you learn Spanish through the Spanish language. One of the most common ways this happens for adults is when they live in a foreign country that's Spanish speaking. So they're forced in a good way to acquire Spanish by just living and or working every day. Another way is if you take a conversational Spanish class, where only Spanish is spoken. You listen and try to pick up what's being communicated. I personally am not a fan of immersion when you're a brand new Spanish learner. This is why. If I'm trying to teach you Spanish and I ask you ¿cuándo vas a la tienda? How will you know what those words mean? Now, if I show you the English translation of that sentence, you not only understand what you're saying, but can deduce several things like the fact that three English words are lumped into one word means that verbs may not be a word for word exchange. And when you hear the word la before another noun, you'll know that's likely the word the in English. With that being said, if you know enough Spanish to converse at a basic level, immersion could be a good option, especially when you're immersed multiple times a week. And if you can mix bilingual learning with immersion learning, that's even better. Do you want to try bilingual, immersion, or both? Please write down your thoughts and intentions on your chart, adding a date to when you want to find that kind of program. Now, let's talk about how to repeat Spanish words and sound more like a native speaker. 8. Sound More Like a Native Speaker: If you want to sound more like a native speaker, I have a pronunciation guide that you can download in the class project tab of this class. The pronunciation guide will tell you how each letter or combination of letters is pronounced in Spanish. But first, a huge disclaimer to remember when using this guide. Just like British and American English have different pronunciations of the same word you might hear a Spanish word being pronounced differently in Spain than in Mexico. So this pronunciation guide is a guide, not an exhaustive treatment of how each and every country pronounces each and every sound. You can use the pronunciation guide to study on your own or to brush up on the sounds of Spanish. If you want to go further there's also a downloadable worksheet in the class project's section called practice with phonetic spellings in Spanish. You can download that, follow the instructions and learn how to better pronounce any Spanish word. Depending on the instructional program you choose. That program might focus on how to pronounce Spanish. Others may just tell you to repeat the word after they've modeled it. If you find you need more instruction on how to pronounce Spanish than your program provides, my favorite way is to perform a Google search for how to say and then add the Spanish words you want to say. Like here, we've searched for how to say hola, which is hello. The search results will come up with an audio file of the pronunciation for you to listen and practice with. Yet, if that doesn't fit your style, there's a plethora of videos on sites like YouTube about all things related to Spanish pronunciation. Or you could also search for articles online or from the library. By using the pronunciation guide, the three-page worksheet titled practice with phonetic spellings in Spanish, or using any of the other tips mentioned you can pretty quickly go from saying things like Los Angeles to Los Angeles. If you need to start learning, or maybe just brush up on Spanish pronunciation, please write down if you're going to use the guide, the worksheets, search for further resources, or something else. Think of when you'd like to do this by and write that down as well. Next up is finding programs that teach Spanish that you can grow with. 9. Find Programs You Can Grow With: A discouraging thing to some Spanish learners is they invest in learning Spanish by taking a beginner course, and then there's not an intermediate or advanced course. It can be especially frustrating if they took time to find a program that fits their learning style and it's worked well for them. That's why it's important to think ahead when finding a program and find one that has other courses you can graduate up into. That's also helpful for motivation. To know you have another course to work towards as a goal. And most places that have intermediate and or advanced courses will be sequential, meaning they'll build upon what they've already taught and teach it in a way you're used to. There are two main places I've found most people go to find Spanish programs. One is digitally, and the other is this thing called the library. Digitally there are a lots of options. On online marketplaces like Amazon they have bestseller lists when you search for things like foreign language instruction. This will show you the top sellers from one of the largest marketplaces online. In the Android or Apple App Stores, you can find apps that teach Spanish. You can search for things like Spanish learning apps. And you can find reviews from users, amount of downloads, which indicate popularity and even editors choices. Online you can find other options like classes, games, e-books, websites, software programs, and more. A good old Google search can help you find more resources, than you ever imagined. The nice thing about the library is that you can lay hands on the programs you think might work for you. And at no cost. I like to place holds on the items I'm interested in, sit down and peruse each one before bringing them home to use. Depending on the library, you may have access to some of them was popular programs in all formats that you can find online. If there's a program you want, but your library doesn't have it remember you can ask for an inter-library loan and you might be able to get it that way. I've actually done that before and my library has purchased the resource. So you might get lucky that way also. Just keep in mind to match your learning style with whatever program you choose. On your class project chart write down where you plan on finding a program and note the date you hope to do this by. And let's not forget that community websites and the library may have conversational Spanish opportunities. So let's dig deeper into that topic next. 10. Conversational Spanish Resources: The fifth way to learn Spanish is by participating in conversational Spanish opportunities. These don't need to be formal classes, but need to be where you have the chance to talk back and forth in Spanish with another human being. There are several ways you can do this. You can attend a Spanish-speaking Church service and talk to others afterwards. You can attend special business or community events like a Cinco de Mayo or May 5th festival. You can volunteer for a non-profit where you're assisting people who speak Spanish. You can eat at a locally owned restaurant where the staff are Spanish-speaking. And you can prepare to order in Spanish before you go. You can join in a formal conversational class that's hosted at a library, community center or a continuing education program at a college. Or you can find a native speaker who wants to learn English and you want to learn Spanish. And you could instant message each other. If none of these opportunities exist in your area, you could find an opportunity online or even create your own opportunity by finding a Spanish speaker at work and asking them to meet for a coffee. Or you could meet a fellow parent at your child's school and ask them to join you and your child for a play date at the park. Any live person to live person conversational Spanish opportunities are the best way to participate in conversational Spanish. But if that's not your thing, there's a way to passively expose yourself to Spanish conversations. You could turn on the TV and listen to a Spanish series or movie, or turn on the radio and listen to Spanish music. Though passive learning opportunities don't engage your mind and introduce you to aspects of the Spanish language that you'd get through a live conversation they do hold firm value if participating in conversational Spanish isn't going to work for you. Another thing that's speaking to a native Spanish speaker will give you is that you'll be exposed to their culture, which can expand your world in so many ways. Think of how you'd like to participate in conversational Spanish opportunities and write down your thoughts on your class project's chart. Next up is our sixth and last way of learning Spanish: How to stay motivated so you reach your goals. 11. Keep the Momentum Going: Have you ever just busted out of the gate to do something new only to lose your motivation along the way. If you have, you're not alone. Think of what goal you have for learning Spanish. Do you want to be able to carry a basic conversation with your friend? Do you want to be able to order completely in Spanish from the Mexican restaurant you go to every week? Maybe you want to be able to talk to Spanish speakers at work. Or it could just be to challenge your mind. As you use your Spanish skills, you might find it opens new worlds to you and your goal might grow as well. But for this lesson, keep your current goal in the forefront of your mind. As you might have experienced before, life can get in the way of our goals. Think about what kinds of obstacles you might encounter remembering that obstacles can be internal of our own creation or external, something outside of us that we can't control but many times we can work around. For example, let's say you have a lot of kids at home. Family time is not only essential but important. How can you add learning Spanish, to your already full plate? Let's say your oldest child is taking Spanish in school. One idea is that you could take an online class while you're with them and then attend community events were Spanish is spoken with that child. Another example might be that you find yourself getting unmotivated because you're not able to use the Spanish skills you're acquiring. If that's the case, you can use some of the ideas from the conversational Spanish lesson in this class to make Spanish a skill that you need in life. Regardless of what obstacles you might face, There's one thing every person needs to do to keep the momentum growing, and that's to set yourself up for success. There are three main points that are important to do this. The first is positive thinking. When something is new, There's going to be a learning curve and you might start thinking or even telling yourself that you can't learn Spanish. That's simply not true. I remember decades ago, a commonly held belief of many was that new neural pathways couldn't be developed well or at all as you hit certain ages. Recent research has shown that we can build new neural pathways at any age. Let yourself know this if or when you ever doubt that you will speak, read, and write Spanish one day. The second thing is the more you put into learning Spanish, the more you're going to get out of it, just like anything else. If you spend 15 minutes a day, every weekday reviewing Spanish, like one day using flashcards. The next listening to Spanish music, the next taking an online course and so on, your skills are going to advance so much quicker than if you do one of those things once a week. Setting realistic expectations is your friend. And the third thing is if you make a point to have fun while learning, you're going to stick with it so much longer. Focusing on your preferred learning style will make Spanish more engaging, rewarding, and fun for you. Now, let's fill out the class project's chart one last time. If you foresee any obstacles to learning Spanish, note those. Next, think about what motivates you to not only overcome those obstacles, but also that goal you thought of at the beginning of this lesson. You could note that as a motivator you want to use to keep the momentum going. Congratulations, felicitaciones You are done with your chart and almost with this class. Last, let's look at the last lesson to discover what you can do now with what you've learned. 12. What's Next?: Now that you've learned six ways to learn Spanish and what your plan of attack is for learning Spanish. What's next? Well, you have a couple of options. First, I hope everyone posts their class project's chart. I'd love to see what you have planned. Also let me know if you have any questions and I'll get back to you. Second, please follow us so you get word of when we have new classes. One class we'll have uploaded, if it's not there already, is titled take the mystery out of learning Spanish. It covers the why of the Spanish language so you can deduce what common threads you're seeing and grow even faster in your ability to understand and speak Spanish. Whatever you do with learning Spanish, please remember, you can't do it all in a day, nor should you. It all starts with that first step. So please make sure that you take that first step you have on your chart and let us know how it goes. Remember we're here to help get you there. Please post your class project's chart so we can give you any feedback you're seeking. And so you'll be one step closer to where you want to be. Adios.