From teacher to student
To set the record straight, I’ll confess: As a teacher, I was a bit of a prude telling students how easy it was to learn English. Then I arrived in Chile in July 2010 and the only words I knew were Hello Y friends. Would what he had been telling the students to do work on the other side of the language learning experience?
Come with me while I live, eat and speak what I preach.
Starting
I reorganized my life so that Spanish is front and center. The language learning formula is that you will quickly be able to read and follow what is happening. The context will help you even if you don’t understand every word. You will then be able to understand more and more what people are talking about. If you progress, you may start to speak like an 18-month-old, but vocabulary will develop. Writing is the hardest. Even people who speak the language very well rarely write like native speakers.
To live
So how do I live Spanish? When I get up in the morning I tune into the radio and/or television of RTVE in Madrid on my laptop. There are no commercials and the announcers speak in clear, crisp voices. If the people you’re listening to speak well, it’s much easier to follow the conversation.
And when you really listen, you’ll start to hear how many words are, in fact, the same as English, but with a different pronunciation. English stresses the first syllable; Spanish the penultimate.
Another advantage is that the newscasts are repeated, so what I miss the first time, I will catch more in the second round. My usual station is 24 hours. outdoor radio – live. I learned economics fluently since 23 of the 24 hours are dedicated to discussing the financial crisis in Spain.
For television newscasts, watch the announcer’s mouth. Remember that this is now deaf people learn to speak, so pay attention and imitate. Sports broadcasts are also good listening exercises, as the vocabulary is limited.
Now I only listen to Spanish music. And only watch Spanish movies. Subtitles, which makes it a waste of time since you’re reading in English instead of listening to the target language, is not a problem on RTVE. If your family and neighbors complain about the gongs and wailing in the Chinese opera you’re listening to or watching, get some headphones and unplug them.
For the first few months, when I read the Spanish news on the BBC, I didn’t really know much about what was going on in the news. But once I was able to follow it, I realized that I hadn’t missed much anyway. However, my reading skills improved.
I have been keeping a diary since August 1981. So I force myself to write a little in Spanish every day. It’s not great literature, but it’s fun to reread it after a few months and catch the mistakes. When I read or write, I try to focus on the verbs. More on this topic later.
To experience the language, also check out local food festivals, multicultural events, language exchange programs and internet offers. Even if you want to learn some pretty obscure languages, like Khmer or Inuit, there are online resources ready and waiting.
To eat
Studying Spanish, and one must experience the culture, is much more fun with a glass of Chilean sauvignon blanc in one hand and some tapas in the other. The same goes for steak and Malbec at midnight. In fact, after a couple of drinks of high floor wine I get quite talkative.
While you’re at the bookstore, pick up a cookbook in the target language and make some dishes. If in doubt about the ingredients, check with a translation program as you don’t want a cup of sugar in your soup. Then put on some music, pour a drink, light some candles and mentally transport yourself to the country of the target language.
Speak
Once you get past the growling stage on a single noun, it’s time to tackle verbs so you can talk to people. Although memorizing how to conjugate verbs rivals getting a root canal, all languages revolve around these stubborn little critters. No verbs, no action. End of story, so go ahead and accept the verbs as your friends.
Turn learning verbs into a fun activity of saying a sentence in present, past and future. Then reward yourself with a sip of saki if you’re learning Japanese. Read a passage and underline all the verbs.
Also write down what tense they are in: past, present, future. Suddenly you will have a “eureka” and patterns will start to appear. Everything will start to make sense. And when that happens, go out to eat at your target language restaurant. Hopefully the waiters at the Korean cafe will be able to talk to you.
To learn to speak well you have to practice every day. When I started working as a teacher at the University of Waikato, I used to practice my lessons in front of a full length mirror. Watching myself, I learned how I introduced myself to the 400 or so beaming sophomores in the auditorium. Now I do the same with Spanish. And it’s also a good thing, since I live in Phnom Penh now and Spanish speakers are not available.
I would pour a glass of wine, pull up a chair in front of the mirror, and review my day. Topics include what I did and what I will do tomorrow. Sometimes I just drift off and talk about whatever. I take my Spanish book with me so I can consult it, especially the verbs, when I need it.
Okay, it might sound a bit weird, but believe me, it works. Another option is to film yourself. If you’re worried that other people might think you need a mental health evaluation, tell them you’re auditioning for a role in the Ukrainian play. As long as you have a cover story, no one ever asks.
Learning another language is mental gymnastics. The more practice, the better you become. In short, live, eat and talk and it will be more fun.
