Everyone can learn to speak and understand Spanish. However, very few of those who study a second language speak it fluently. I think it's due to the fact that most people don't study languages properly and therefore inevitably end up developing some sort of false attitude to the new language. Fortunately, there are several steps students can take to avoid the predictable pitfalls and achieve bilingual fluency.
Steps
Step 1. Learn new words
This is the time when every student has to learn new words and preferably do it on a daily basis. This is where all language programs start and where students leave. However, this is also where the first mistakes are made.
Step 2. Associate the words
This is probably the most important step when memorizing new vocabulary and reviewing previously learned material. For example, when you learn the word “cama” don't think it translates as “bed”. A Spaniard does not think of the word "cama" with the meaning of bed. Instead, he associates "cama" with the image of a bed. So when you hear the word “cama” your brain won't have to do a double translation of cama = bed = mental image of a bed. Thus, to fortify the new words acquired in one's memory, it is necessary to associate them with an image and create a strong link between the image and the sound of the word. This method works the same for verbs as well. For example, when you learn the word hablar = to speak, do not associate the word with "speak", but with the image of a person speaking. If the verb is in the past tense, for example hablé “I spoke” think of an image in the past.
Step 3. Practice
Never translate. Instead, after learning a new word, practice as much as you can. For example, when you pass by a bed in "veo la cama" (I see the bed) and do your best not to think in Italian. It is very difficult at the beginning but with practice in the end it is possible to be faster and more fluent in the second language because a person does not think according to the terms of Italian and according to the logic of Italian but according to the terms and images of Spanish.
Step 4. Listen and speak
Learning a language consists of four parts: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. However, first of all, a language is spoken, so invest as much time as possible in speaking and listening. This is another problem that can be found in many learning methods: they focus on grammar and reading, although these are only auxiliary to the fundamental aspect of language as a means of oral expression.
Step 5. Work on your grammar
Like Italian, Spanish has many verbal forms. What you know in the present tense doesn't work in the past tense.
Advice
- Install Spanish learning applications on your smartphone. Listen to them when you go from one lesson to another, while exercising or in the car.
- Watch Spanish TV programs. Start with subtitles and turn them off as you learn.
- These methods work more when you surround yourself with spoken language because it creates an atmosphere in which a person can intuit the logic of the second language. Basically then, listen and talk as much as possible.
- Try to get to know and befriend people who are interested in speaking Spanish to keep yourself motivated and communicate in full sentences.
- Learn Spanish songs so you can learn the accent.
- The visualization process works for anything! It is an essential step that almost everyone ignores.
