I arrived in Mexico three years ago, ready to launch myself into a new life and a new career, the only snag? I first had to learn the language.
At the time I was very lucky in fact because my friend Rose Burillo lived here and she was able to give me a huge amount of support with regards to learning the new language. I wanted to share some tips on how I was able to learn the language during my time here, as some of them may be of use to you if you are learning a different language.
Continuously Learning
When you begin to learn the language you have to ensure that you are prepared to consistently practice the language day after day. If you do not do this then you will begin to forget words, you will begin to forget phrases and your pronunciation will certainly suffer. Learning a language is like a muscle, if you do not use it then you will lose it, so be sure to keep on practicing every day.
Daily Vocabulary
Grammar rules are hard to get your head but once you are able to grasp them the big thing that you need is vocabulary. If you can focus on learning 5 or 10 words per day then you are going to be adding so much depth to your language learning. Use an app or some notes to focus on learning a few words per day and then recapping at the end of the month.
Practice Speaking
It is a great idea for you to practice speaking with people who speak the language which you are learning. This is a scary thing to do but it is something which will greatly increase your confidence and your ability to speak. What you have to watch out for here is that you are actively seeking to learn and improve, take your time, speak slowly and speak clearly, and focus on making sure that you understand what is being said back to you. The only way in which you learn is through making mistakes, which is why it is important not to worry about them.
Surrounding Yourself With Language
I was lucky that when I was learning Spanish I was completely surrounded by the language where I lived, and it was something which I certainly embraced. If you don’t live in the country which speaks the language that you are learning then the best thing that you can do to gain some inspiration and to get some help in your language learning is to watch movies and listen to music in that language. Watching Spanish movies with English subtitles has been one of the best ways which I have found to add more vocabulary to my arsenal.
These are some tips which were really useful for me when I was learning the language and I hope that they will be as useful to you as well.
