Everyone who has studied a foreign language has had to deal with not having enough money, enough time or both. Just then, we start to think about the possibility of studying by ourselves, but sometimes things go wrong and we do not know exactly why.
Here are a few tips and suggestions for self-studying:
Do I Have the Proper Level?
This is the first thing you should ask yourself. There are six levels divided in three groups.
- Begginers A1 and A2. At this level attending classes is very important. I am very sorry, I would like to show you a magic formula, but it is really difficult addressing a new language starting from scratch and without any support. There are people, of course, that are able to achieve it, but this is not the most common situation. Moreover, without any external monitoring we could end up having fossilized errors.
- Intermediate B1 and B2. This is the moment for you to start thinking about learning Spanish by yourself. At the intermediate level we normally talk about independent user of a language. You already have a good basis so now you just have to keep growing and learning.
- Advanced C1 and C2. The best time for learning by yourself. In this case, learning is based on the practice: talking, writing and thinking about the language. However, if you want to completely refine your Spanish, it would be better if you look for a Spanish tutor. I will explain below what is and what it is for.
Ok, I am and independent user and I want to learn Spanish by myself. What should I do?
You probably have some good ideas about what to do. You may have looked for books: grammar, vocabulary, reading, etc.
If you haven’t taken this first step, here you have some ideas:
- Libros para nivel inicial
- Libros para nivel intermedio
- Libros para nivel avanzado
- Libros para preparar el DELE
- Lecturas para niveles B2 a C2
However, sometimes it seems that your efforts are not being enough. Maybe you do not live in a Spanish-speaker community or, maybe, even though you are living in one of them, you do not have enough opportunities for practicing Spanish. This is the perfect time for looking for APPS.
- SLOWLY. Are you familiar with the concept of penpals? They are friendships through correspondence. This app allows you to interchange virtual letters with people around the world. You can define country, language, ages, topics or if you prefer talking with women, men or non-binary people. Besides all of this, in order to have a real experience, the letters take their time to arrive. For example, I am currently using this app for practicing both English an Italian. The Spanish-speaking community there is huge, so seize the opportunity!
- HELLO TALK. Here you will have to do your part. It is an app for language interchange. How does it work? Easy. You will have the chance of having writing conversations, conversations through voice notes or face to face with people that want to learn your language. This way, the communication will be 50/50, sometimes in your mother tongue and sometimes in Spanish.
As a woman, I would like to make a clarification about this apps. There are people out there using every possible context as an absolutely proper way of flirting. Sometimes, this situation can be annoying and uncomfortable. This is why I would like a recommendation for women that don’t feel like dealing with this sort of behaviour. You can screen and select only women and non-binary people.
I have my books, I talk with Spanish people and, however, I still feel like I am not moving forward. What else can I do?
Perhaps at this point you should made a small investment. There is a way you can do it without expending a lot of money and, most of all, without wasting your time: looking for a Spanish tutor.
A Spanish tutor is a language specialist which could help you depending on your needs:
- Organising your way of learning. Sometimes we try our best but we fall into chaos. A tutor will put everything in order prioritizing, organising and giving you the tools for self-evaluation, etc.
- Clarifying. This is the most common and most useful job of a tutor. Previously, I was talking about the problems we could have in higher levels for completely refining the language. A tutor will help you with tones and detalis, the most difficult doubts, those that not even Google can solve.
- Motivation. Studying by yourself can be really demotivating. There is no one giving you feedback. A meeting every now and then will help you dealing with the independent student loneliness.
But, how is this different from regular Spanish lessons? First of all, you will not need attending twice a week in a settle schedule. The meetings will be tailored depending on your needs. This is much easier to fit in your daily routine and, in addition to this, less time equals less money.
Many Spanish teachers offer this possibility. If you are interested, please feel free to contact me. We will settle a free meeting so we can talk about your level and your needs.
Español sin prisa 