Learn Spanish the natural way, just like you learned your mother tongue! Spanish fast and easy! No pains Spanish! Learn Spanish like children do! Does it all sound familiar? It should, if you have been looking around for a Spanish course. The question is, is it too good to be true? If I’m to judge on my own experience, as language learner and teacher, then the answer is: probably.
Have you ever heard of an athlete who accomplished a medal the “easy” way, or a musician who mastered her instrument with only a few lessons? Neither have I. Both the athlete and the musician have made a commitment to their disciplines; they have had bad days, plateaus and years of study. To learn a second language is not that different from learning a sport or an art. It takes time and effort. Which is not to say that it has to be drudgery. Think of Michel Angelo in the Sixtine Chapel: he must have worked very hard -and enjoy every minute of it!
Let’s look now at children. Recently I saw an advert from a renowned language company, stating that as a child, your Dad threw you a ball, said the name of the ball, you made the connection, and -voila!- you learned how to say ball. Whoever wrote the copy for such ad it’s certainly not a mother, carer or any adult in contact with children. You have to repeat the name of things to children continuously until they get it right, just as you gently constantly correct their grammar. Children undergo 16+ years of training at school to be able to talk like a moderately educated adult. So to learn a language like a child does, would take you almost two decades.
It is true that children learn foreign language very fast, especially if they are in total submersion situation. But they learn to talk like children. And they learn, among other things, by going to a school, for five to seven hours, two of which are usually devoted to the learning of grammar and usage of the second language. To say that children learn languages the easy way is an insult to all the intellectual work behind such learning.
So how should you learn Spanish? You should learn it with passion and commitment. You should be in contact with the language and the culture as much as possible. Stop considering grammar an insurmountable obstacle. See it instead as a Da Vinci code of sorts, which once deciphered, will open new ways for you to master your new language. Give time to your learning. You would not expect to gain any muscle if you only worked out one hour per week. Why would it be any different with you Spanish learning?
The natural way of learning is one that includes time, practise, review, study, use, mistakes, corrections, curiosity and joy; one which integrates grammar, communication, high and popular culture and usage. We are learning all the time, in many diverse manners. Add a hobby in Spanish, such as cooking or drawing as part of your learning. Find a pen-pal or a speaking buddy. Read stories, even if you have to start with children tales, to gain vocabulary and see grammar in context. Learn songs, translate them and sing them. Post notes around your home with the name of objects and a few descriptive words. Make Spanish part of your everyday life. And enjoy learning.
