Learn Spanish: Tips and Tricks

One of the best ways to go about learning a new language is to expose yourself to that language as often as possible. If weekend trips to Spain are slightly out of budget, there is a range of other ways you can bring Spanish in to your every day life. The more you see and hear the language, the more likely it is to stick in your mind.

One of the neatest tricks there is is startlingly simple in it’s execution, but can be hugely beneficial. Most mobile phones can have the language used in the menus and directions changed – simply by switching your display language to Spanish, you’ll be regularly exposed to the language. You can still write and read text messages in English, but everything else on your phone will be in Spanish. Over time, you’ll learn automatically what words mean, and even just seeing the language several times a day will be useful. But remember, always write down exactly how to switch the language back to English by testing it beforehand – otherwise, if needing to do something complex using your phone, you may be stuck in Spanish!

In the same vein, as your Spanish improves, why not try and read simple news stories in Spanish? Many newsagents offer Spanish newspapers, and there is of course a wealth of information and Spanish news available online. You don’t need to understand everything, but sometimes reading the same news report in English and in Spanish can help gain a level of comprehension that can’t be taught. Most people who achieve true fluency in a second language do so by needing to use the language on a daily basis, mostly through living in a relevant country. While this may not be possible, you can, using these small methods, introduce a Spanish flavour to your English life which could have countless benefits to your retention of the language.