Teach yourself Spanish
If you have decided you want to teach yourself Spanish, you are taking on a very big, yet exciting task. To become fluent in Spanish, you will need to spend a lot of time studying and immersing yourself in Spanish. Here are some basic steps to help you get started so that you can teach yourself Spanish. You don’t need to take classes, it can be done on your own with the right tools and Strategies.
Start with a Textbook
Get a beginners textbook that has grammar rules, vocabulary, and exercises. It doesn’t have to be especially fancy. Just work through it slowly. Don’t treat it as you did school books. Take each lesson and master it. Memorize the vocabulary perfectly and completely understand the grammar. Do all the exercises. Practice beyond the exercises, as well. Write your own sentences and practice pronouncing them.
Learn Phrases
Get a phrasebook and start memorizing the phrases. At first you might not understand the grammar, but you will know how to say common phrases. As you understand more grammar and keep learning more phrases, you will have better comprehension all while learning new vocabulary.
You can get a very basic phrasebook or one with a wide variety of phrases. Usually they will have something to do with travel. Start with the basic greetings and work your way through. Concentrate on pronunciation and memorization. Eventually, you will understand the grammar behind the more complicated phrases.
Read and Translate
Reading Spanish is a great immersion techniques. Reach children’s books, articles, and anything you can get in Spanish. Translate as you go and write down any words you don’t know to add to your vocabulary lists. This will help with comprehension and vocabulary.
Immerse your Ears
Listening to the language will help you improve listening comprehension and your own pronunciation. Don’t just have the Spanish channel on while you do other things, sit down, watch, and listen. Try to understand what they are saying by what you see such as the surroundings and the speakers mannerisms. Listen to Spanish music and language software and CDs to help you.
Practice Frequently
Study and practice regularly. Instead of spending 3 hours every Saturday studying, spend 20 minutes everyday. You’d spend less time overall, but you wouldn’t forget as much studying each day rather than going 6 days without looking at Spanish. Also, practice speaking on a regular basis. Even if it just means starting with very simple phrases. Eventually, you will be able to make up conversations in your head. Also, practicing speaking is important to master pronunciation and speak fluidly and quickly.