Does anyone know good resources or techniques for learning Spanish faster?

Question

I am a Basic-Intermediate level Spanish speaker, and it's taken me quite a while to even get where I am. I really want to become COMPLETELY fluent. Can anyone tell me of any good resources or techniques to speed the learning process?

Answer 1

I am fluent in 4 different languages. When I say fluent I mean that I can speak, write and read these languages: including my two native languages plus english and spanish. Actually, I can read and understand 7 languages but because I am not exposed enough to the three others languages, I cannot speak them fuently so I don't consider that I am fluent in 7 languages.

You are fluent in a language when you can write it, speak it, understand it, read it at almost the same degree than your native language.

The best way to arrive to this point is to learn how to listen to someone. When I first came in America, I could read, write, speak a little english but I couldn't understand the english spoken by some Americans people. I have been taught the british english, even it was the same language, I couldn't understand because the accent was different. So, I had to learn first, to be familiar with the different types of accents and the TV helped me a lot. Beside the language itself, the accent may be an obstacle that you can overcome by training your ears.

It was the same for spanish. I have been taught the spanish from Spain. So I did some adjustements with my ears in order to understand the mexican accent. Now, I can interact very easily with mexicans. So I exposed my ears to the differents types of accents. It's very important to expose and train your ears to the foreign accent and your brain will do the rest for you. The keyword is exposure.

Reading will improve your vocabulary and your writting skills, talking and listening will train your ears and improve your prononciation, grammar etc ...

The more you practice and the more you will master it. Because it's the way that the brain works. It's like learning a sport or riding a bicycle ... the brain needs to be trained and stimulated to something new and once he gets it things become very easier.

My 2 years son is bilingual (french / english) ... he didn't have to go to college for that ... his brain can make the difference between the 2 languages, he understands both ... because he has been immerged since he was born and the brain did the rest.

Immersion is the keyword. You need to find a way to immerge yourself in this language. Talk talk and talk. Knowledge is something but your knowledges will not benefit you if you don't apply it.

I don't believe that using softwares, CDs or DVDs is the best way to speed your learning process ... Interact with native speakers is the only great tool to speed your learning process when it's about learning a new language. Interaction is another keyword.Talk, listen to the radio and T.V in spanish to train your ears and force your brain to be familiar with this language, interact with spanish people and force yourself to speak only spanish even it's easier for you to speak english.

You can be immerged in a culture but if you don't interact with the people, you won't learn nothing. My sister lived during three years in an english and french spoken country, she can't speak english now (my 2 years old son is much better than her) because french was an option so she chose the easier way, she didn't make any effort to communicate in english.

Immersion is something. But immersion is not enough, you must interact.

And your brain will adjust .. It's a brain stuff and the humain brain is wonderful.

Answer 2

Watching TV in Spanish helps. What you can do is take out DVDs and then in the setup choose the Spanish option. You could start with movies that you've already seen so you don't get lost in the plot at first and then move on to new movies and then to movies filmed originallyin Spanish.
Reading in Spanish is good too, pick up books meant for children first, just 'cause they're shorter.

Answer 3

Practice talking to spanish speakers ANY opportunity you get. The more you talk to them the faster the language will stick. Get as much exposure from spanish speakers as you can.....practice talking to yourself at your house.....listen to a spanish CD while you are taking a shower. When you read the labels on food or on a book read them in english and then translate them into spanish. Little things like that add up to alot of practice.

Answer 4

Watch only Spanish TV and listen to only Spanish speaking radio.

Answer 5

one of the ways i keep hearing is that you should just put yourself in that environment. surround yourself with nothing but spanish. listen to only spanish music, watch only spanish tv, practice it all the time. Find someone who also speaks it and talk to them as often as you can. just the more you engulf yourself with the language and the culture the easier it will be to pick up. You will have no choice but to learn it, as it will be the only way you will be able to communicate.

Answer 6

the best way would probably be to converse in spanish, and to do it a lot.

i don't have any close amigos hispanohablantes, so i quite frequently watch telenovelas, mostly on telemundo. my favorite is amores de mercado, which comes on at eight o'clock central. since i have very poor spanish listening skills, i always use closed captions.

this allows me to get used to listening and thinking in the language and to look at michel brown, who plays the very hot diego.

Answer 7

Hahaha, omg I used to learn Japanese, never got my head around it but a great way for me to remember everything was to compile lots of my notes into a handy workbook in the form of my summary book. It really helped, especially if you have to remember all the types of sentences, verb classes and absolutely everything. Keep immersing yourself in the language, my friends who learn French have penpals, you should try that too! And watch Japanese news, they tend to speak very quickly there. Go to a Japanese restaurant and talk to the waiters and order in Japanese, awkward if they aren't Japanese. Speak and practice aloud, and keep doing what you're doing.

Answer 8

I heard somewhere recently that Spanish is the second most spoken language on the planet.

Answer 9

Keep buying American products: seems they all now package their products with BI-LINGUAL label print. Something I think is wrong and should be stopped.

If Mexicans want to live in America, preferably LEGALLY, then they should be FLUENT in ENGLISH.

Answer 10

watching Spanish television helps a lot.