Ten study abroad tips before your trip

Tips for Learning Spanish as a Second Language

Study abroad in Spain or Latin America at any level is one of the most worthwhile things you will ever do. Ask anyone from any walk of life - student, artist, businessperson or teacher - and if they have had a study abroad experience they will remember it as an influence in one way or another. No matter how long they studied abroad for three months or one year, the influence will be there. But how do you make sure that your study abroad experience is the best it can be?

- Consider what country you wish to study in. Much of the decision to learn Spanish abroad is more about the cultural and social experience you are likely to have in your destination than it is about classroom considerations. Studying in Spain (Europe) is very different from studying in Mexico or Venezuela. Weigh up what you personally want from the country you are going to study in.

- Research your potential Spanish schools very carefully. Choosing the best Spanish Institute/school for your study abroad experience is not all about an institution that comes top of the Spanish schools rankings. It s more about your personal preferences and interests so that the choice that you make is the right one for you.

"What's the best way to learn Spanish?"

Many students and teachers have asked this question, and the answers are as different as the people asking the question. Here we will give you several tips for learning Spanish. They are based on the experience of many students learning Spanish. These tips will help you when you try to learn Spanish as a second language, and we hope that they will help you.

1. Want to learn.

   First of all, you must want to learn. If you are not interested in learning Spanish , no class will help you, no book will help you, and no hints will make it easier. If you are not interested, you will find reasons to avoid studying, and whenever you do study, it will be difficult. You will also find a lot of new friends learning Spanish: you can do lots of things together to help you learn like: go to bar or restaurants together, speak only in Spanish, swap notes, go to the cinema to watch Spanish movies, and share your experiences..

2. Identify your motivation.

   Next, you need to identify your motivation. Ask yourself, "Why do I want to learn Spanish ? Why do I want to improve my Spanish ?" Some people want to learn Spanish to get a better job, or to be considered for a promotion. Other people may need to learn Spanish to attend university or school. Still other people may want to learn Spanish so they can enjoy life during holidays, by being able to understand movies and TV, and make friends with their Spaniards or Latin American neighbors. Each person is different, so their motivations will be different also. If you have identified your motivation, it will be easier for you to learn Spanish , because it will help to encourage you as you learn Spanish .

3. Set goals.

   Once you have identified your motivation, you can set some goals for learning Spanish . Having goals will help you to remember what areas you want to work on, and it will help you to see your progress.

   Show interest in your goals: if you are not interested in learning Spanish as a second language, chances are you are not going to learn to your full potential. If you are interested in learning Spanish, you are much more likely to succeed..

4. Don’t Worry If You Make Mistakes.
   Mistakes are how we learn; we make the mistake then we learn from it and improve. If you are not sure of the answer, have a go anyway, in Spanish you will find many "cognates". You may just surprise yourself! And, even if you are wrong, at least you will be able to learn the correct word, phrase or pronunciation. Don't expect to be perfect in Spanish from the first day!
5. Work on developing an "ear" for Spanish.
   Remember that language is first and foremost oral communication. Try to develop a "good ear" for Spanish. An easy and fun way to do this is by listening to Spanish music, watching Spanish movies or Dvd, or watching Spanish TV. You will also start to understand why certain words or phrases are used instead of others, and you will start to use them in your own conversations and writing. Spanish will start to become a habit, and little by little you will find it easier to use Spanish .

6. Practice, Practice, Practice
   The key to being able to speak, read and write better Spanish is to practice the skills you have acquired through learning. Don’t just concentrate on one specific area of Spanish; make sure to practice areas such as basic grammar, pronunciation and other aspects of the Spanish language.

   Specific ways to practice:

   • Speak to Spaniards as much as possible.
   • Write, write, write – letters, email, notes, etc.
   • Make phone calls to practice your Spanish
7. Have fun.

   Having fun increases your ability to remember, so the more you enjoy yourself as you learn Spanish , the easier it will be to remember. Play games and puzzles. Even simple ones, like ones written for children, provide good experience and practice for Spanish . Comic books and newspaper comic strips are also a good way to have fun, and the pictures make it easier to understand than stories.

8. Cultivate friendships with Spaniards or Latin American.

   If you make friends with some Spaniards, you will find that they can be a very valuable help in your learning Spanish . Having Spaniards or Latin American friends means that you will find yourself in situations where you have no choice but to speak Spanish . Yet since they are your friends, you will be doing things you enjoy together with them. So these situations will probably have little or no stress. Friendships with Spaniards or Latin American also means that you'll have someone whom you can ask questions regarding language, culture, the suburbs, and so on.

9. Finding a good Spanish School
   Using a good Spanish School with native and qualified teachers is the step in the right direction. A teacher can set you goals and timelines for learning. Finally, remember that learning a language is a skill that needs constant use; if you don’t use it, you will probably lose it! A language isn’t just something you can learn and forget about; another language helps you understand the world, different cultures and different perceptions of life.


10. Which is better - a big school or a small one?
    We must be honest. Our school - Alhambra Instituto - is a medium sized/small school, and we strongly believe that is best. But people's needs are different, and some prefer big schools.
    The advantages of a big school are very obvious: you have more courses to choose from, more teachers, more students to choose friends from, facilities (restaurant,bar, cafeteria...) and (often, but not always) more specially prepared materials for learning. But note that big schools -normally- prefer to spend their money on buildings or dormitories rather than making their courses cheaper.
    With a small school one advantage is very clear: there will not be so many students of your nationality and/or language, speaking your language outside the classroom - in breaks, etc. - and it is easier for the school's teachers to put pressure on students to speak Spanish all the time.
    Other advantages of small schools are that they are more personal and they are very real: it is much easier to know where you are and what you should do. You don't have a long period at the beginning of your course where you feel strange and alone, because people - teachers and other staff and specially the other students - are friendly from the beginning. And after you have been there only a short time you find that you know all the teachers and many of the students. You know which person (teacher) is the best to ask for help on a particular problem.
    Most of all, a small school can provide the relaxed and friendly atmosphere in which you feel more confident, and which we therefore think is such a basic condition for good progress in language learning.

 

Learn from this tips, they have good and rich information for study Spanish abroad.