LEARNING SPANISH
In a previous Blog I mentioned how you can happily live in Spain without learning Spainish. This is particularly true of coastal areas where there is a network of ex-patriots supplying products and services specifically to English speakers. This is complemented by the Spanish themselves (particularly those under forty years old) who often understand sufficient English to allow for communication at a basic, day to day level.
However, your life in Spain will be immeasureably enhanced if you do learn Spanish. Indeed, long term, one of the most fulfilling aspects to living in Spain is integration with the Spanish and active enjoyment of their very different (and rather wonderful!) culture. It is, of course, one thing to revell in a fiesta whilst looking from the sidelines – and quite another to be sharing the experience with Spanish friends. Equally, to be an intrinsic part of community life in Spain is far more rewarding than being, effectively, an alien looking on at the ‘theatre’ of daily life from a self-imposed distance.
I say ‘self-imposed’ because learning Spanish to a comprehensible conversational level is not difficult. Reasonable conversational Spanish is attainable by everyone – even those who are far from natural linguists (me, for one!). However, determination and disciplined effort is required, with few people learning Spanish by ‘osmosis’ purely because they happen to live in Spain.
I am certainly not suggesting that real fluency is easy to achieve nor that complete fluency should necessarily be your target. You do not need to be fluent to be able to converse happily with a Spaniard and to make sound friends. The Spanish, to their credit, are amazingly tolerant of poor spoken Spanish, will not make fun of you and will invariably welcome the fact that you are making the effort to learn their language.
So, are there some guidelines, for the non-linguist, who is thinking of moving to Spain and who wants to learn Spanish? A ‘straw poll’ of friends of mine came up with the following:
1. Take lessons and sustain them! This may seem obvious but many Britons moving to Spain come with good intentions, start Spanish lessons and then give them up after only a couple of months.
2. Small class sizes. Most people find that a class size of around four people is the optimum number. If there are more then the attention of any teacher is diluted and, if there are less, then you can lose the ‘fun element’ and competitive benefit of learning with others.
3. Classes should be enjoyable. This is vital and sometimes hard to achieve as so much depends upon a good teacher and your fellow students. However, it is vital – you must make sure that the classes become something that you actively look forward to attending. So, ruthlessly change teachers and/or your fellow students until the combination works for you.
4. Take a minimum of two classes a week. One class a week is rarely enough, as you will spend too much time revising what you had forgotten in the previous seven days.
5. Learn ten new Spanish words a day. Add these to a pocket sized note book that you should carry with you at all times. If you have a moment free then continually memorise the growing vocabulary in your note book. It is amazing how fast you can pick up hundreds of words.
6. Concentrate upon usable conversational Spanish. This will be far more meaningful to you than fluency in reading or writing – which can follow later.
7. Use your Spanish, however basic, at every opportunity. Do not be shy and do not wait to speak Spanish until you feel that you are completely proficient. Nothing beats using your Spanish (however bad!) for ‘real’ – nor receiving the encouragement and pleasure this provides, as you find yourself increasingly understood.
8. Spend time with the Spanish! Go to ‘Spanish’ bars in your local area and speak to the people there. Even a bastardised conversation partly in Spanish, partly in English and partly in sign language can help enormously. Every conversation will teach you something, even if it is just another expression or word – and it will be like having a free (and often very enjoyable) class.
9. Do not get overwhelmed by all the various tenses (of which there are fourteen!). Concentrate upon the present, the past, the future and the present perfect. These are the most used tenses, with the present by far the most important!
10. Be patient! Learning Spanish, as with any language, is not something that is normally quick and effortless. It takes time and persistence – so keep your expectations realistic and keep ‘plugging away’ at it. You will have good days and bad days – but fight through these and you will be astonished at how soon you will be holding conversations that will delight you…
Finally, of course, if ever there was a reason to learn Spanish it is because your best support structure and protection will always be from your local community. If you are a part of this then your life in Spain will be far easier and more enjoyable at every level. Needless to say, you will also be in great demand from all your non-Spanish speaking friends!
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There’s no doubt that this would be very useful for anyone who goes to a Spanish speaker country.
It’s important to integrate yourself into the community so that you can learn about the culture, and improve the language skills.
Also, you can follow these video lessons for free: http://spanish-lessons.webspanish.com/
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Thank you everyone for your kind comments and please accept my apologies for not getting onto here recently. I had a heart attack a month ago and iot has taken me a while to get back into the flow! For anyone who wants to use parts of this Post – that is fine (so long as a proper back-link and credit is provided. I am delighted that the information is ‘hitting the spot’.
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Having not started to learn spanish till i was 55 i never ever thought it would be possible to speak anything but the most basic words and then not well, but much to my surprise 5 years later and i am fluent, we have lots more friends, spanish and south american, most of whom speak little or no english, please be assured the difference to the quality of life is incredible, i know many other brits who live here and do not speak spanish, they live in ghettos, in reality i feel sorry for them, such a waste of life, take it from me, it is not as difficult as it appears, the difference it makes is beyond words.