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Guest Post

To learn Spanish or any language can be a tedious process. Some rote memorization will be required. Fortunately there are also many little techniques for more easily learning a language. For example, you can use sticky notes to label things around the house using your new language. You can listen to tapes while in the car. You can also use a technique I used to learn Spanish – think in your new language.

How I Learned Spanish

Before going to Ecuador, I studied Spanish books for about six weeks. However, I just read the books and took notes – I didn’t speak a word of the language during this time. This was a big mistake. Speaking a language is not only crucial to learning proper pronunciation, but it speeds up the whole process of learning a language.

However, despite my limited study, I could converse with the locals in the hostel in Quito the day after I arrived. In fact, within a few days I was discussing economics, philosophy, and politics with Ana, who is now my wife. So how exactly did I learn Spanish so quickly?

I didn’t learn Spanish quickly. In fact, even after a month in Ecuador, I had a very limited vocabulary. Fortunately, I could use what little I knew to express myself, and I credit this to a habit which I soon realized is a great technique for learning any language. This is the habit of having conversations in my head.

You see, I often think of what I might say. I have possible future discussions in my imagination. I quickly found myself doing this in Spanish too. As a result I learned how to say a lot with the few Spanish words I knew.

Think In Spanish

You might think you have to be fluent to think in a language, but this just isn’t so. If you can think "I am walking to the store," there is no reason you can’t think "Yo estoy caminando a la tienda," as soon as you know those six words. And if you don’t know the verb "caminar" (to walk), but know how to say "Yo voy a la tienda," (I go to the store) – then think that. You can also look up a word or two in a dictionary as you get stuck.

Repetition helps you remember, and repetitively speaking the new vocabulary is even better than just reading or writing. Saying the words in your mind is a way to be "speaking" in Spanish all the time. It is great practice.

However, this is more than just practice. Putting your thoughts into Spanish forces you to learn not just words and rules, but specific ways to express what you want to say. We all  have different interests, and need to say different things. A nurse might need to say "where does it hurt?" You may need to ask where the beach is.

Normally Spanish lessons teach you what the teacher thinks you should know. This is a good start, of course, but your thoughts and needs are uniquely yours. When you think in Spanish, imagining the situations you’ll be in, you are teaching yourself exactly what YOU need to learn.

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