The Secret To Learning Any Foreign Language: Spanish, Chinese, you name it

Sounds too easy, right? I mean, who ever heard of daydreaming leading to anything productive? After all, if you were caught daydreaming in class you got yelled at by the teacher.  And if your parents caught you daydreaming while doing your homework…you got yelled at again!

Well, believe it or not, daydreaming is a critical part of your success as a language learner. (more…)

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If that’s your mindset as you learn Spanish or Chinese or whatever, you might as well quit now.

But first, you need to answer this question…did you really think you could learn a foreign language in 30 days? It’s a shame that people are out there promoting the magic elixir to language learning with little or no effort. But, it’s a free country, right?

Actually, I don’t want you to quit if you catch yourself saying the above phrase. There is still hope. (more…)

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Are there ways to learn a language faster? Of course. Go live in the country tomorrow and, if you stay away from Americans, you can be fluent in just about 4 months. That’s assuming you study along the way and go out with the native speakers everyday.

I know because that’s how I did it. 4 months. I tell my students all the time that if school were canceled for the next 4 months, they could travel to Mexico and live there and come back fluent. And…in the process, skip about 3 years of Spanish.

But living in the country is no secret. Learning langauges happens through sheer repetition. You get all you need by living there.

If you don’t (or can’t) live in a foreign country, then you have to be more creative.  (more…)

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Learning a foreign language is no joke. If you don’t have a good reason why, then you will never make it to the finish line. In fact, you may never start the race.

What you need to do is ask yourself, “Why?” Of course, there are many good reasons to learn Spanish, Chinese, German or whatever foreign language you choose. But if you can’t decide on one, sure-fire reason why you are going to conjugate verbs, memorize vocabulary and wait weeks or months before seeing any real progress, then you will quit.

So, your assignment for today is answer the question, “Why do I want to learn a language?” You can write it down or go over it in your head. Just be clear so that if anyone asks, you can answer with confidence and certainty.

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When you’re faced with a busy schedule, learning Spanish, or any foreign language, seems like the last thing you should do. Well, not true according to Jim Sarris. He gives 5 ways to overcome your busy schedule and become fluent in Spanish.

One of the biggest misconceptions of learning a foreign language is the time commitment. Everyone seems to think you need hours upon hours of study in order to learn. Since very few people have so many hours to dedicate to studying, they decide that learning a language is not for them. (more…)

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Learning a foreign language requires a healthy imagination (among other things). Here is one way to turn an ordinary personal device into an important study tool.

When students think of learning a foreign language, the first thought is of books, exercises, audio cassettes and all the rest. Those are all necessary and fundamental to learning but the time comes when you need to spice things up a bit. (more…)

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I learned Spanish when I was 22. I had graduated from college as a Math teacher and had no plans of ever being bilingual. I had taken 4 years of French in high school and hated it.

When I made the decision to study Spanish I was laughed at. (Just for reference, this was in 1982, a time when learning foreign languages wasn’t a big deal in the US). No one laughed maliciously, it was more a tone of “You’re time has already come and gone.” In other words, my age was a factor. Even my own family looked at me and wondered if I was wasting my time.

To make a long story short, I became fluent, got certified as a Spanish teacher and have been offered more jobs than I can remember thanks to being bilingual.

What did I think when people told me I had “missed the boat” as far as learning a foreign language was concerned? I usually got depressed and anxious. After all, I didn’t know anyone else who had learned Spanish after graduating college. (more…)

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Sounds too good to be true, right? Learning languages is difficult, right? Well, you’ll find that what’s holding you back is not what you think.

How difficult would it be to solve a problem in algebra if you only knew addition? You guessed it, close to impossible.

Without the necessary skills to perform, you’re lost.

Well, guess what? If you’re struggling as a language learner, there’s a good chance you need a certain skill to help you move forward faster and easier.

But I’m not talking about learning another tense or 20 more adjectives. I’m not talking about more discipline or will power. I’m not even talking about having more contact with native speakers. (more…)

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