How long have you been learning Spanish?
“Well I took some classes in high school and college, but I don’t remember anything. I may be able to remember simple greetings, but not much else.”
“I have been studying for years! But, I can’t seem to speak anything beyond basic phrases like ‘Hola..¿cómo estás?'”
1. Learning Spanish is hard because we are taught to focus on the wrong thing. From the moment we start Spanish classes in school, we are taught the rules. Now, wait a second! I’m not against the rules. I LOVE Spanish grammar and love seeing how a language comes together to communicate ideas. However, this is our very first introduction to learning the Spanish language most times and as a result, we bind ourselves to the rules believing that we cannot figure out the language unless we understand the rules. But, let’s back up to how we learned our very first language…for most of us, English. We learned English by just being toddlers. Our very first exposure to English was observatory in nature. Can we bring that observatory nature back to language learning as an adult? By observing, I mean listening, watching, mimicking, and being okay with being a toddler in Spanish. Feel uncomfortable doing that? Join the party! Most of us start off feeling uncomfortable trying out a new skill, but by trying it out, we become better at it. It’s been proven that IMMERSION is one of the best ways to learn for exactly this reason. And, I know…you may not be able to pick up and go to another country, but you can take a few moments in your day to listen to conversations in Spanish…whether that be on YouTube, Netflix, or IG. I like to call this pseudo-immersion. Pseudo-immersing yourself can be done no matter where you’re at, even learning Spanish online! By intentionally observing the language, you create pathways in your brain that as you build them will help you to continually understand the language better. And, don’t just leave it to observing, but that’s another topic for another time! Check out our post on how to SPEAK Spanish for more info on this.
2. Learning Spanish is also hard because consistency is hard. Or, well at least we think consistency is hard. Have you ever found yourself staying on track with your Spanish studies and learning Spanish online only to lose momentum soon thereafter? So, the question is…how do we make sticking to our goals more of a reality? The answer is found in giving ourselves more realistic goals, aka the EASIEST GOAL EVER. Most times we are deterred from keeping up consistency because we don’t have the time. But, say you are determined to commit just 5 minutes a day to study and practice. I’d call that the EASIEST GOAL EVER. This 5 minutes may not seem like a lot, but I imagine that you’d be able to commit to it a lot better! Imagine sticking to just 5 minutes a day for a whole month and making it to a day where you’re climbing into bed and you realize that you had completely forgotten to put in your 5 minutes that day. Well, what do you do? You complete the 5 minutes because it’s the EASIEST GOAL EVER! And, your momentum isn’t lost. Woohoo!! A win for learning Spanish! Anything more than 5 minutes, you may have just decided to give up on the consistency because of how tired you were. So, yes, 5 minutes doesn’t seem like a long time, but it’s effective for two reasons. First, consistency compounds. This means that 5 minutes at the end of the month is about 150 minutes. 150 minutes that you probably wouldn’t have devoted to if it had been a more strenuous goal that you ended up giving up on. Second, 5 minutes is just the baseline. If you find it in yourself and within your schedule to give more than that 5 minutes on any given day, then, by all means, go for it! But, you must give the 5 minutes minimum.
Alright, so those are just a couple of reasons why Spanish is hard. Have any other thoughts on why Spanish is hard for you? Â And, maybe even more specifically, learning Spanish online? Comment below…I’d love to hear. The great thing about identifying why it is so hard is that you are then able to find the solution that works for you. So, don’t leave it to identifying why learning Spanish is hard. Take it to the next level and mitigate the reason why it’s hard!
Interested in learning more about our Spanish program? Book a discovery call to see how we can get you matched with a native speaker and learn Spanish online today!