“I want to learn Spanish so bad!! But, no matter what I do, I seem to be getting nowhere. What other resources should I be using to get more Spanish practice in?” Jeanine (name changed for privacy), one of our newer learners in our Spanish program at BTG Spanish, asked me this question in more than a few words just a few days ago. Jeanine can be described as a go-getter…an over-achiever. Everything she’s accomplished in life has come from putting the hard work in, and she is treating her Spanish education no differently. She has done and is doing ALL the things…everything from Duolingo to watching all the instructional Spanish grammar videos on YouTube that she can find and more! And, because she still feels far from her goal, she wants more. Because more resources mean more progress, right? Believe it or not, most of the Spanish learners that I meet are just like Jeanine. They are over-achievers doing ALL the things they can to learn Spanish, but something doesn’t seem to be adding up, because after months and/or years of work, they’ve made little progress.
I’m assuming, as a reader of our blog, you can identify with Jeanine. So, I’d like to share with you the same thing that I shared with her.Â
When it comes to learning Spanish (especially learning Spanish online), it’s about quality over quantity.
I know that you’ve heard about quality over quantity when it comes to spending time with family and friends. Or, when it comes to the music produced by your favorite artist. Or, even when it comes to food!! We know that quality is preferred over quantity. So, today, let’s apply this same motto to your Spanish education. Quality Spanish education is better than the quantity of Spanish education. Now, what do I mean by that? I mean that doing more and having more Spanish resources that you’re taking advantage of isn’t as important as making sure that you’re choosing the right QUALITY Spanish education resource for you. So, what does quality mean when it comes to the resources you choose to learn Spanish? Below are three tests to determine if the resources you are choosing for learning Spanish are quality over quantity.
Test 1: Is this Spanish education resource in line with my best/preferred learning style?
This may sound interesting, but the methods that you use to learn Spanish should speak to you. Everyone learns differently, and there are ways of learning Spanish that might work for someone else but won’t work for you. So, choose the Spanish resources in line with how you learn. If you learn best by listening, don’t buy a Spanish grammar workbook to go through. Instead, find a few Spanish grammar podcasts and turn them on while you’re driving to work. If you learn best by doing, don’t just sit at your desk or on your phone trying to learn. Go to a Hispanic grocery store or find a Latino event to attend in your community and surround yourself with Spanish. Now, of course, there may be times when your learning has to intersect with a learning method that is not your favorite, but when considering the primary sources of your Spanish education, keep your preferred learning style in mind.
Don’t know you’re learning style? Take this short test to find out!
Test 2: Is this Spanish education resource something that I can easily incorporate into my life?
Out of all three tests, I think this one takes the cake in how liberating it is for the learners that I’ve worked with. Time and time again, I’ve seen how learning Spanish (especially learning Spanish online) just does not work when learners commit to a goal or process that is clunky, time-consuming, and overwhelming. However, when you can find a process that fits easily into your life, the likelihood that you’ll stick with it and see the results you’re aiming for is high! A Spanish education resource that you can easily incorporate into your life can look like a variety of things. For example, it could mean choosing a resource that you can take advantage of while doing other things. Like what I mentioned in test 1, listening to a podcast while driving to work. This is easy to incorporate because you were already going to be driving to work! Or, it could be setting aside 5 minutes a day to go through some flashcards. Five minutes is easy to incorporate, whereas an hour is not. Do you see what I mean? Find and commit to Spanish education resources at a level that won’t leave you at the point of giving up at the end of the month.Â
What can you easily incorporate into your life? Share in the comments below!
Test 3: Am I seeing results with this Spanish education resource?
Okay! This is the test of all tests. And, it will take some time before you know the answer to this question. I like to challenge our learners at BTG Spanish to commit to 1 month of doing something before answering this question. Do not answer this question at the end of 1 day or even 1 week. Consistency is key and many times we drop out because we don’t immediately see results. Give the Spanish education resource that you choose time to do its work and then evaluate. And, results look different for everyone. For some, it is the number of Spanish vocabulary words you know after a month of work. For others, it is the confidence you feel in Spanish conversations compared to the previous month. So, determine what results should look like before embarking on your 1-month commitment and evaluate whether you’ve seen improvement at the end.
What results do you want to see at the end of your Spanish commitment this month? Share in the comments below.
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!