Tips
You want to speak Spanish fluently, and I applaud you! Here are 10 TIPS to help you be successful in the game of Spanish Over Coffee, but more importantly, with your larger goal to be bilingual.
#1 Re-orient yourself. Decide to live Spanish, not just learn Spanish.
*To do this, you must embrace with gusto the bilingual life. This requires that you turn away from thinking about Spanish as something you do with a teacher. You must adopt an entirely new orientation and make the world your classroom.
#2 Speak Spanish to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Learn from every opportunity.
*To do this, you must seek out neighbors, co-workers, clients, even strangers to chat. You must be open to using Spanish all the time, and YOU must create the opportunities to do so. They are all around you!
#3 Practice SUCC w/o G (Speaking and Understanding with Certainty and Clarity without Guessing).
*To do SUCC w/o G, you must stop kidding yourself about what you know and don’t know. It’s okay to fess up that you only caught 3 out of 20 words that someone said to you. Don’t pretend to yourself or the other person that you understood it when you really just got the gist of it! Stop them immediately and ask for clarification.
#4 Create relationships based in Spanish.
*It is useful to begin relationships with people that are based in Spanish. When you see them, your brain will automatically switch gears. When the other person expects you to speak to them in Spanish, half your battle is over!
#5 Expand the amount of time you “stay” in your new language.
*Train yourself to talk in Spanish for longer and longer periods of time. It’s like training for a marathon. Your body and your brain will adjust to the longer and longer “workouts.” Just do it!
#6 Use your tools when you don’t understand.
*To speak Spanish you must speak Spanish. There is no substitute. Here are “tools” that you should be using frequently to bridge the gap between what you know and don’t know.
- Un momento, no entiendo.
- Repitelo más despacio.
- ¿Qué es ______ en inglés?
- ¿Cómo se dice _______ en español?
#7 Interrupt to get clarification.
*In some cultures, interrupting is considered rude. This is not true in most Spanish-speaking cultures, so quit waiting so long to say you don’t know what is going on! Jump in immediately and let them know you don’t understand!
#8 List the insecurities that hold you back from speaking out loud and in public.
*Be real with yourself about why you don’t want to speak Spanish outside of the safety of a classroom. Get out a piece of paper and write down every reason you can think of. You must face these fears head-on before you can dare to live a bilingual life.
Examples:
- I’ll look stupid.
- I’m shy.
- I don’t want to bother people.
- I’m not ready yet.
#9 Evaluate your progress every 10 weeks.
*Set specific and measurable goals. Share these goals with someone who you can check in with so you’re held accountable. This makes all the difference in the world!