Tips and Tricks to Learn and Have Your Spanish going

It’s not enough that one is attending a class to learn Spanish. Sure, your teacher is great and you are learning at a great speed but learning from one source alone is not good enough and not fast enough to attain the fluency you so much wanted. For those who are living in NYC who are in the process of learning, or for those who are already done with their Spanish lessons (remember that it doesn’t stop there) and needs to get their Spanish going, these tips are for you.

READ A BOOK IN SPANISH

There is no better way to widen your vocabulary than reading a book. It doesn’t matter that you don’t understand everything, what’s important is that your brain is slowly getting familiar with the words. Looking up the word’s meaning in the dictionary every once in a while would also help with your vocabulary but don’t overdo it. Information overload is never good, and you would tend to forget everything you learned. Also one tip I could give you is to read on topics that you are interested about. If you are interested in gardening or in arts, then go for a book about these subjects. You can check out LIBRERIA CALIOPE located at 183 Dyckman St (between Sherman Ave & Vermilyea Ave). It’s a small place, but has a HUGE variety of Spanish books. It’s very popular with the neighborhood and what’s more, you could meet people here so it’s a great way to make Spanish speaking friends.  If you don’t have time to visit a bookstore, then you can have your book delivered. Borderland Bookstore [http://www.borderlandsbooks.com/index.asp] specializes in books about Spanish history but offers books about other subjects as well. They deliver anywhere in the United States for only $3.50 per book.

WATCH SPANISH TV

41 Univision and 47 Telemundo are two very popular Spanish channels in New York City. Univision has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to A.C Nielsen ratings, largely due to telenovelas and soccer while Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. Unlike Univision, which only has Spanish captions, many programs on Telemundo air with closed captions in both Spanish and English. The network produces the translations in-house with the intention to attract viewers who may not be fluent in Spanish so you’ll be sure to learn while watching. It’s not a problem if you’re really not into watching TV. You can do what I usually do. I just turn the TV on, and proceed with washing the dishes or just doing what I need to do. That way, you’re mind is subconsciously absorbing the words and you’ll get familiar with it in no time.

LISTEN TO SPANISH MUSIC

A lot of people prefer listening to music in their targeted language as a way of acquiring it. Music helps you learn and remember things faster and easier. Believe it or not, some Alzheimer’s patients cannot remember their own name but can perfectly sing an entire song. This is the power music has over your brain. The melody and the rhythm of the songs helps you remember things. I don’t know if you’ve noticed this but you tend to sing the alphabet when you can’t remember what’s next to a certain letter.

You don’t have to listen to old Spanish songs in order to enhance your learning. There are really good Spanish songs which has become popular in America such as “Bailamos” by Enrique Iglesias or Jennifer Lopez’s “Qué Hiciste”. You can also choose songs that was originally in English but has its Spanish version as well such as “Suerte” by Jason Mraz, Christina Aguillera’s “Genie in a bottle” (Spanish title: Genio Atrapado) and “Aint it funny” or “Que Ironia” by Jennifer Lopez.

The tips that I gave you on this post is just some of the numerous options that you have. Feel free to be creative. Find ways that you find fun when learning Spanish. Don’t hesitate to fuse something you love into learning that language. Go Go Go for it!

Learning Spanish the Cheap Way

One of the biggest challenges when learning Spanish in New York City is the cost of the classes. Serious learners of the language usually opt for a private class, which is a very good way to learn but very expensive. Not all who lives in NYC are rich of course, which is why I will give you tips on how to learn Spanish – the cheap way.

If you google CHEAP LESSONS NYC, you would see a lot of free lessons. You get excited so you open it, and that’s when you see the catch. Most offers free TRIAL lesson, translating to “We’ll-give-you-one-free-lesson-then-you-pay-for-the-next-lessons” – which is not really free if you ask me. The reason why we are looking for a free lesson is because we want to learn but we don’t have the money for it. A free trial lesson is not enough to learn.

You would also notice that some of the websites do offer free lessons, but without a teacher. Learning this way is okay, but you have to be really dedicated enough to do self-study.  Sites like http://www.spanicity.com/ dedicated a whole page for Spanish lessons complete with audio, and http://www.spanishprograms.com/index.html offers free software which is better than your usual boring page. Another option is http://www.donquijote.org/, which offers free Spanish lesson through email.

Yeah, I agree with you. Those “free” lessons are not good enough. If you’re like me, who prefers having a teacher to accelerate learning, then you’d definitely not go for those options. Luckily, there are CHEAP options and REALLY FREE options.

For the cheap category, you may want to check the Queen Sophia Spanish Institute who offers semi-private lessons (composed of 2-5 people) for as low as $40 for 10 lessons. The school promises beautiful and elegant classrooms, professional instructors and a student-centered approach of learning (check http://www.spanishinstitute.org/spanish_courses.php for details). This is the best option for you if you want a classroom setting for learning. For a yet cheaper option, you can enroll at http://www.spanish-lessons-online.com/spanish-lessons-in-new-york-city.htm , which offers tutorial through Skype. This is the next best thing to a private class, as you will have the advantage of having the teacher’s attention all to yourself, without having to pay too much. Lessons starts at $14 an hour for a 1-9 hours or $9 per hour for 50+ hours. They also offer a free trial, so you may want to check it out.

Sounds good? Yeah, I think so. But there are even better options. How do you usually get free education? Yeah, that’s right – scholarship. Share your story at the ABC Language Express, impress them, and earn your scholarship. If you want to do a good deed and “earn” from it, you can donate your time to ESL or computer classes at A Spanish Journey (aspanishjourney.com), and have your Spanish instruction (starting at $30 per week) free. Now, if you are more of the yeah-let’s-party type. You can meet and make friends (note: Spanish-speaking friends) at http://www.meetup.com/spanishconversation/ . Joining is free, but the events are not. Don’t worry though, events ranges from $2-20, which is very cheap considering what you’ll get. Members usually go to museums, have conversations at the park, and they sometimes have dancing lessons. Events are strictly held speaking Spanish only, so I’m sure you’ll benefit a lot.

I, for one, believe that learning shouldn’t be expensive. Learning to speak a whole new language is such a beautiful experience that I encourage everybody to do it. I wish you all luck in learning, and I’m open for comments anytime. Thanks!