5 Hard Truths About Learning Spanish, Tips to Speak Spanish Fluently (and why you’re probably not cut out for it…)
Learning a new language is hard. Like, sticking-to-a-lifting-routine hard.
I know! I’ve been studying/speaking Spanish for 20 years. I’ve lived in Mexico for 10 years. And I’ve taught Spanish for the past 3 years.
I’ve seen it all. I’ve heard it all. I’ve felt it all.
You know how you feel when you’ve been lifting consistently for 6 months, and you still don’t look like Arnold Schwarzenegger from the 80s? That’s kinda what it’s like studying Spanish for 3 or 4 years.
Learning Spanish is AMAZING. It opens up a whole new world (of about half a billion people). But let’s give ourselves a reality check, right here right now, about learning Spanish.
Here are 5 lies you probably believe about learning Spanish, and the reasons why they’re utter nonsense. And my actually useful, REAL tips to speak Spanish fluently.
You’re not getting fluent in Spanish with an app.
Apps are great. They’re wonderful tools to supplement your language learning.
But just like you’re not getting ripped by just drinking protein shakes, you ain’t gettin fluent in Spanish on DuoLingo.
Learning a language is a multi-faceted, complex project. You have to learn to read, write, listen and speak. So you have to practice all of those things. And you should target the one you’re most concerned about.
And for most of us, that’s speaking.
So if you wanna get good at speaking Spanish…you have to…speak Spanish.
I know, it’s mind-blowing.
I talk more about this novel concept in this video over on my YouTube channel.
But why do we think we’re going to speak Spanish fluently when we tap a handful of multiple-choice answers every day on an app?
2. You’re not reaching fluency with a couple classes a week.
I took 4 years of Spanish in high school. That’s something like 400 hours of language study, and I pranced outta there thinking I’d be fluent in Spanish.
Well, as I was planted in my Mexican landlady’s kitchen, struggling to understand what on earth she meant by “prende la bomba”, I realized…
I wasn’t fluent.
I’ve had students who were crushed after they couldn’t converse on their 3-day-trip to Mexico. And they’d had a measly 30 hours of conversational Spanish classes online with me.
*por favor*
Why, oh why, do we think we’re going to be fluent with a couple hours of study a week?
Language is learned all around us. It takes so much more than a traditional class, some scribbled homework, and straight A’s.
Just like apps, conversational Spanish classes have their place. They’re fantastic for learning the structures and grammar, and introducing vocab. (Hey, I teach Spanish for a reason!)
But here’s a real tip to speak Spanish fluently: you need to be immersed, as much as you can, in a Spanish world. That’s how you can learn Spanish vocabulary fast.
Move to Mexico. (I know, that’s the dream.) Listen to Shakira songs (in Spanish) on your way to work. Stream Spanish radio stations while you’re responding to emails. Join an online conversation club where you can chat with others. Write in your journal in Spanish.
No one of these methods alone will make you fluent. But look at each one as a stepping-stone to fluency.
3. You’re not gonna be as good as someone with natural talent.
Some people have a knack for language. And some just don’t.
Just like some people are gifted in the world of sports, some of us have a natural tendency toward Spanish fluency.
If you hate grammar, can’t grasp the origin of words, or literally cannot hear the difference between the Spanish and English Bs, then learning Spanish isn’t going to be a cakewalk.
But you can still do it!
I don’t intend to discourage you. It’s still 100% worth it. But please adjust your expectations before embarking on this mammoth project.
4. You might not become fluent, even if you move to Mexico.
For some strange reason, people say this allllll the time…
“I’m hoping to pick up Spanish when I visit/move to Mexico.”
*cue the crickets*
A Spanish environment is super helpful. (See point 2 on this list.) It can help you learn Spanish vocabulary more quickly. But it’s only one tool in your arsenal.
You’re not getting fit by just being in the gym. So you’re not getting fluent by just being in Mexico.
Hearing Spanish all around me certainly fired up my brain for language like never before. I can’t deny that. But you know when I really became fluent?
When I lived in Veracruz, in a small town with exactly 4 English speakers, and I fumbled and stumbled over my words with (extremely) patient friends for about a year.
The point is, I had to get down into the trenches with the language. I spoke all the time, I messed up constantly, and I took notes when I heard a new word. (The list on my notes app got pretty long…)
We don’t learn a language purely through osmosis. At least, not if we’re over the age of 4 or 5.
And if you’re 4 or 5 years old reading this, congrats on your excellent reading skills at such an early age!
5. You’ll probably never sound exactly like a native speaker.
My Spanish is pretty good. My accent is unusually clear (for a white girl). Don’t believe me? Check out my profile video on Outschool as proof.
But native speakers can still tell I’m American when I talk. It’s inevitable.
Some (uncultured) locals occasionally insist that I have a “heavy” gringo accent. (which…gets on my nerves, but hey…)
If you’re learning a language as an adult (or a teen, for that matter), you’re extremely unlikely to completely “lose” your foreign accent.
This is one of those things where some people are better at it, some people aren’t, but we still have traces of our roots laced throughout our voice.
Did you know that accent training is a completely different field of study? And it ain’t cheap!
Don’t fret over your English-speaker-accent. Just do your best to practice your Spanish pronunciation, and laugh it off when Mexicans comment on it.
And if you’re looking for Spanish classes to help you along on this looooong road to fluency, click here or hit me up on Instagram at senora.sarah.
¡Nos vemos!
