Why learn Spanish? 

Whether it be for fun, work, or family, learning a foreign language can enrich one’s life and broaden our perspectives. It helps us to connect with different cultures and ideas, and can bridge the gap between different points of view.

Speaking a 2nd language can help to set us apart in our careers, give us more opportunities to connect with others, and give us access to new forms of entertainment. Whether you are learning for a trip or to communicate with others, having a why is important to stay motivated (even if your why is simply because you think the language is beautiful!). Lets talk about how to learn Spanish at home.

Tools

To learn Spanish at home you will need a few tools to get started! Having a solid mix of tools like a daily app to practice on and a tv show to watch weekly will help you stay motivated and consistent on your journey. Lets discuss a few tools to help you learn Spanish at home!

Apps: 

Apps to help you learn Spanish include Duolingo, Babble, Rosetta Stone and so many others! Finding the one that works best for you is based on a few things including free versus paid apps, how many tools the app includes, and the ability to connect with others or be competitive. Duolingo is a great place to start because it is free, and allows you to practice any time, anywhere!

Tv & Movies: 

With so many streaming services, finding Spanish Tv shows and movies is more accessible than it use to be. You can find dramas, romances, or even art shows and movies that suit your taste. There is even a series called Extra Spanish on YouTube that is great for beginners. Extra is a series that has created beginner friendly episodes on a range of languages with subtitles and clear pronunciations. It also helps that the show is very cheesy and hilarious. It is an easy watch and something you can easily incorporate into your language practice for free! Watching shows and movies is important for hearing how the language is spoken and will allow you to pick up on the patterns and tendencies of the language structure.

Books & Workbooks:

Reading and writing a language is just as important as hearing people speak and doing flashcard lessons from an app. You can pick up a book of translated Pablo Neruda poems that shows both the Spanish and English versions, or go more tradition and pick up Living Language Spanish or the classic Teach Yourself Spanish Complete Course. These workbooks are great for setting a solid pace for yourself and will help guide you through the process of learning a new language with solid grammar and writing lessons!

Setting Goals

Once you’ve decided on the tools that will suit you best, the next step is to set goals and make a plan. An example of a good language practice would be: practicing on Duolingo for 10-30 minutes each day, watching one episode of a Spanish Tv show or an English show with Spanish subtitles 3-4 days a week, and completing a few pages of a workbook each week to complete 1-2 sections/chapters each month. This is all dependent on the time you have and the time you are willing to spend learning. If you are going on a trip in a few months, you may want to spend a few hours each day practicing, but if you are learning at a more leisurely pace 30 minutes to 2 hours daily will help you build a solid foundation and learning practice!

Why Learn Spanish at home? 

Self-Pace 

Learning a language at home can take away the pressure of learning in a classroom environment and allow you to take your time. You can dig deep into aspects of grammar and linguistics of a language without the daunting deadlines and tests that an academic environment enforces. While having a teacher to answer questions is helpful and supportive, we don’t all have the time or resources to take a class for a new language. Learning at home allows us to learn on our lunch breaks or after work, and lets us focus on areas of the language that may be more important to us or essential for our growth and understanding of the language.

Discipline 

Building up consistency and making sure to sit down each week to reach a goal is going to help improve your discipline. This will highlight areas you may need to work on when it comes to consistency and showing up for yourself so that you can continue to grow and know that you can reach the goals you set for yourself. While it may take a few weeks to get your practice together, you can use your language practice to develop strong discipline and improve your dedication to the things that interest you.

Personal Studies & Education 

Teaching yourself foreign languages can be a tough but exciting hobby. With so many great ways to educate yourself from home, there is no reason why you shouldn’t puck up a solid language practice in an area that has piqued your interest! Continuing your pursuit of knowledge even after secondary school or college is easier than ever and can allow you to stay mentally stimulated in a world that craves our constant short term attention.

Conclusion

Learning Spanish at home is a noble pursuit and we hope the resources above help you to begin your journey learning Spanish or any language that calls to you! Remember, find tools that suit you best, create a plan, and get started! The sooner you start practicing consistently, the sooner it will have been a year or two since you began, and you may find yourself at a conversational level faster than you think. Keep practicing, find someone to speak with, and have fun.