You’re not taking a class, you don’t know anyone who speaks the language you’re learning, and nobody you know has the desire – let alone the time – to learn with you. How can you practice? It’s hard enough for formal students to remember and recall what they learned in school, let alone those of us trying to fit it into everyday life. This is especially detrimental when I get too busy to practice what is essentially a hobby for extended periods of time.
I’ve been teaching myself Spanish for years and the biggest obstacle has always been the lack of a regular time and place to speak and write in Spanish so I’ve had to create my own opportunities – sometimes force-fitting some square-shaped Spanish usage into round-shaped moments of my schedule. I’ve shared some sites and a couple techniques I’ve used but I’ll start regularly posting ideas for easy and effective practice – even if you’re learning Spanish (or any other language) all by yourself.
Solitary Practice Tip #1
Write a little – even just one sentence – every day.
You may not have anyone to speak Spanish to but keep those Spanish-speaking synapses firing by writing your Instant Message or Facebook status in Spanish. That ensures you’re using the basic vocabulary you need for describing how you feel, where you are, and what you’re doing so when you have more time for returning to serious study and learning, you won’t have lost any ground.
Next to your computer, keep a list of basic vocab for saying “I’m at work,” “I watched TV last night,” and so on near your computer or in a notebook. Never ever copy and paste – always write or type it out so you’re actually using your brain and thinking. That will especially help with remembering how to spell and where accents go.
Keep it short.
A problem I run into is wanting to write or say too much. I tell myself I don’t have time to look up the words I can’t remember and then I end up writing … nothing. Nada. Maybe challenge yourself to learn a new word a day or a word per week that you’ll practice every day. For one week, practice writing how you feel once a day in your Facebook status. Or, start a blog like this (but do a better job of keeping it short than I do). Or, keep a journal. Not a detailed diary – a little book with a thought at a time. Keep it easy and fun so it isn’t overwhelming.
Speak Spanglish.
Don’t feel like you have to look it all up and write it all in Spanish. Use what you can and learn what you can without stressing yourself out. Write a sentence half in the Spanish you can remember and the rest in English. Look it up later, if you want.
Phrase List
- I’m at work. Estoy en el trabajo.
- I’m at home sick. Estoy enfermo en casa.
- My boss is angry. Mi jefe está enojado.
- We’re at the movies. Estamos en el cine.
- I’m shopping at WalMart. Estoy comprando en Walmart. (You don’t need the “estoy”)
- I’m watching Big Bang Theory on television. Viendo Big Bang Theory de televisión.
- We’re watching Big Bang Theory. Estamos viendo Big Bang Theory.
- We rented Titanic on DVD. Alquilamos Titanic en DVD.
- I want to see the new Star Trek movie. Quiero ver la nueva película de Star Trek.
- I have to clean the house. Tengo que limpiar la casa.