I have been learning Spanish for some time as a hobby while living in the U.S. Spanish would be my third language, but this is my first time learning a language while living in an environment where the language is not primarily spoken. Also, this is my first time learning a language as a hobby since learning English was sort of a necessity for me as it is for many people as well. My Spanish is currently at the level where I can have a basic conversation with some difficulty expressing my thoughts and understanding others in detail. I am excited to share my language learning process and things I learn along the way on this blog!
Immerse Yourself in a Single Topic with Your Target Language
Most recently, I have been enjoying learning Spanish through consuming all things minimalism with Spanish – through YouTube, books, and other online content. Why minimalism? It’s simply one of my interests. I enjoy this method so much because 1) I see my progress clearly 2) there is little to no stress because I am interested in the content itself. The key to discovering these contents in your target language is to search with that language. In my case, I search by minimalismo whether I am on YouTube, Amazon, or Google instead of minimalism in English. So pick a topic that you would want to learn about even if it wasn’t for learning the language. It could be anything but my advice would be to pick a topic that is general and not too technical unless you already have the foundation for core vocabulary. For example, no matter how much quantum physics interests you, it may not be a wise choice because the vocabularies you would encounter are likely to be highly technical that you can use the next time when you have a conversation with someone. I have made a similar mistake when learning English. Below you’ll find how to immerse yourself in all four aspects of language learning with this method 1) Listening 2) Reading 3) Speaking 4) Writing
Listening: YouTube/Podcast
After some searching, I discovered Paula Simple and loved her videos! It’s important to find a You Tuber that you like a lot because especially in the beginning you would need to watch the same video over and over again. But don’t worry, that’s just the beginning. And honestly, you can watch the same set of videos repeatedly, instead of a single one. I noticed that after watching a couple of her videos that she uses the same words in most of her videos because her videos are almost all about minimalism. So initially I turned on the captions, took notes of words I didn’t know and looked up the meanings. Then, when I watch her video the next time, I know what she is saying! Once I become comfortable with that video, I move on to another one where I will find new words I need to lookup. And I repeat this process. As you repeat this, I start to understand more and more of what she is saying, even without the captions. And it is crystal clear that I making progress, which makes me so happy and keeps me going. If there is a podcast about your favorite topic, that would work as well!
Reading: Books/Magazines/Blogs
I purchased a book called La Vida Minimal from Pedro Campos. Not sure how easy it is for you to get your hands on books in your target language, but even if it is not possible, you should still be able to find online articles that you can read about the topic of your choice. Reading a novel could be challenging because the story takes place in many situations. If your vocabulary is limited, it is easy to get discouraged and stop reading it. In fact, that’s exactly what happened to me when I tried to read Where’d you go Bernadette in Spanish a couple of months ago. However, by choosing a book on the topic you are comfortable with, you’ll see that you understand it without having to look up words constantly. Even it is a bit challenging, that’s okay. Keep on reading. Keep reading the same article/paragraph until you fully understand it. You’ll eventually find yourself forming thoughts about the topic in the language and be surprised at how much you got better.
Speaking: Talk about the topic with your friends, tutors, and to yourself
The easiest thing you can do is try to explain what you consumed through listening or reading out loud.
Writing: Write about the topic with any form
It could be a blog post, an Instagram post, a tweet, a personal journal entry, or anything that you could write on whether it be physical or digital. Try writing out what you know about the topic in your target language.
Summary
It’s been less than two months since I started this, but I wanted to share it because I already feel that this is one of the most fun and effective ways to level up my Spanish so far. Happy Learning!