| Copyright (c) 2008 Steven Magill | | | | to teach yourself Spanish successfully. It's no use |
| You can easily teach yourself Spanish if you are | | | | picking it up occasionally and forgetting about it |
| determined to. It may be easier to have | | | | again for several weeks. You need to study at |
| someone else responsible for teaching you, but | | | | least for 30 minutes a day. That's not long. Cut |
| with a little determination and perseverance, you | | | | out a TV program (but not the Spanish news!), or |
| can do it. | | | | cut out reading the morning newspaper. Make a |
| One of the best and simplest things you can do is | | | | simple vow to yourself that you will do it, and |
| tune into the Spanish speaking TV channels at | | | | then just do it! |
| least once every day. Do it at news time in the | | | | Aim to make definite progress in your efforts to |
| evenings, or mornings. News programs are a | | | | teach yourself Spanish. Set yourself realistic goals |
| great way to begin the process of being able to | | | | and reach them. If you cannot reach a goal in a |
| teach yourself Spanish. | | | | reasonable time, change the goal to something |
| With TV news you can see the story being | | | | you can reach. Review what you have learned on |
| reported and you can hear the reporter's voice. | | | | a regular basis. It's very easy to forget. |
| You won't understand much of it at first, but as | | | | If at all possible, try to find a way to speak to |
| time goes one you will begin to understand more | | | | other people who can speak Spanish. Don't |
| and more. At first the words will all be jumbled | | | | choose someone who is learning like you; they |
| together, but after a few weeks they will start | | | | won't be of any help to you, and may possibly |
| to jump out at you. | | | | hinder you. You need someone who has the |
| Of course, you will need a Spanish course as well | | | | patience to listen to your struggling attempts to |
| to teach yourself Spanish properly. The Internet is | | | | say simple things. They need to be able to gently |
| littered with excellent sites all vying with each | | | | correct you, though not so much that it will put |
| other to sell you a course on Spanish. Some of | | | | you off trying. You need to be encouraged and |
| them are really excellent and some are perhaps | | | | nurtured through the process. |
| not so excellent. | | | | If you decide to teach yourself Spanish you won't |
| Seek out several of the review sites on Spanish | | | | find it easy, but you will find it satisfying. |
| language courses. They will try to influence your | | | | Whenever you feel that your efforts are going |
| choice of course, but they can be useful too. | | | | nowhere, stop for a moment and think back to |
| They will show you the most popular of what's | | | | when you started. Think back and remember |
| available. If several of the review sites all pinpoint | | | | when you couldn't pick out a single word from the |
| one particular course as being the best, take a | | | | jumble of sound that is the Spanish language. |
| look. It may not be for you, but it may well be | | | | Then fast forward to where you are at and |
| too. | | | | realize that your attempts to teach yourself |
| You need to get into a routine if you ever hope | | | | Spanish is working, and working well too! |