How best to Learn Spanish

Think back to the days when our teachers drilled us on how to learn Spanish. A string of Spanish nouns – masculine and feminine – were imposed on us by way of flash cards. The Spanish verb conjugations were the worst. We memorized verb conjugations without really knowing what person was doing the “beber” and the “comer.”

Rote memory alone doesn’t always work. Of that we’re convinced. We’re confident that you’ll agree.

The traditional way of how to learn Spanish – or any language for that matter – isn’t compatible with today’s lifestyles. When we were in school, it seemed perhaps the best method then: as students, our routine was fixed in stone; parents and teachers connived with one another to make sure we made it to class and submitted our Spanish lessons and worksheets on time. But learning the Spanish language in the tradition of our elders brought some discomfort. So when we graduated from university and left academia forever, we had good reason to celebrate. Part of that reason was that it meant the end of our conjugated lives.

Hasta la vista? Not quite.

The irony of it is just as we severed ties from our alma mater and turned into “citizens of the world”, the travel bug lured us to beautiful Spanish-speaking countries. Unfortunately, however, we realized that our limited Spanish language skills constituted a major handicap - we found ourselves groping for Spanish words and Spanish verbs just when we needed them the most. How do we mingle and giggle with our Spanish friends when our Spanish vocabulary has become stale?

So we made a solemn promise. On our next trip to a Spanish-speaking country, we’re going to be well-prepared. We’ll find a way to learn Spanish that is much more stimulating and entertaining. Finding a method that blends in perfectly with our hectic schedules will would be the ideal incentive to “stay the course” and continue with it so that the learning curve gets easier each day. In fact, we just discovered a web site that could significantly improve our verbal and written skills in Spanish minus the cumbersome traditional way of acquiring language skills. Have you ever visited Daily Spanish Phrases (www.dailyspanishphrases.com) by any chance? If you’re into Spanish like we are, you should drop by!

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