7 Tips on Learning Spanish From a Spanish Speaker
Tips on Learning Spanish From a Spanish Speaker
Spanish is one of the most frequently spoken and popular languages in the world, so taking the dive to learn is certainly a worthy endeavour. Of course, there are plenty of ways you can start learning, like online classes, apps like Idyoma, and Youtube videos. But in case you’re having some trouble with slow progress in your language learning journey, we’ve put together some crucial tips to learning Spanish from a Spanish speaker. When it comes to tackling a new language, a native speaker always has the best advice.
Learning Spanish
1. Use Imagery Tricks
2. Shadowing Like a Spanish Interpreter
3. Verb Types
4. Flashcards and Conjugations
5. Learning Patterns not Rules
6. Speak to a Native
7. Immerse Yourself
Use Imagery Tricks
There’s something about human brains that just really loves imagery, especially when it comes to memorising otherwise complex ideas. One of those more complex things to learn Spanish is definitely Spanish word gendering. It may seem odd to add a gender to an object and not a person, but in the Spanish language, word gendering is key. There are a couple tricks you can use to make the gendered connections quickly in your mind when speaking.
One of the best tips to learn Spanish from a Spanish speaker is to associate something visual with either masculine words or feminine words. It can be tricky to know how long it’ll take to learn a new language, but this method should speed up your understanding. One particular Spanish speaker we talked to suggested visualising any word that is feminine completely covered in gold, and any masculine words covered in long hair. The weirder and more memorable the better in this case! The aim is to make each word distinct in the two categories, and therefore easier to recall in its gendered form.
And to make it even easier for you to discern which words are which in the beginning, remember this small tip – most words that make your mouth end in an ‘oh’ are masculine, and any words that make your mouth end with an ‘ah’ are feminine.
Learn Spanish by Shadowing Like a Spanish Interpreter
Spanish interpreters are probably some of the most skilled people when it comes to understanding and speaking Spanish fluently, with ease, and without much time to think. Interpreters who attend high-pressure conferences and interviews often use a simple method to carefully portray what is being said into clear Spanish. When learning Spanish, try shadowing like an interpreter does. Essentially, shadowing means listening to what a Spanish speaker says and then repeating it to yourself after a moment.
By repeating spoken Spanish like this you can get a real feel for the rhythm and tone put into a sentence or word as you learn Spanish. Pronunciation can be tricky with some Spanish words but going over the cadence of a troublesome sentence a couple times can make all the difference. This is how native Spanish speakers suggest making the most of shadowing:
Choose a high quality Youtube video or Podcast with a Spanish speaker included, this doesn’t need to be created specifically for learners but that could be useful too
With one headphone in, try to repeat what the speaker is saying as quickly as possible. Alternate this with pausing the audio after a couple sentences and repeating those sentences exactly as you heard them, then moving on.
Don’t get caught up on pronouncing things perfectly, just repeat, repeat, repeat.
(For interpreter jobs and other language jobs, check out Jobble.)
Verb Types
It’s time to talk about verbs. Spanish verbs can be a sticking point for many English speakers learning Spanish or indeed similar languages like French, German, or Portuguese. We could write a whole article on sentence structures and getting to grips with Spanish grammar, but learning Spanish verbs is one of the best places to start according to native speakers.
It’s easiest to learn to separate the verbs into their regular and irregular forms. Regular verbs use a regular conjugation, and they include verbs that end in ER (like comer), verbs that end in AR (hablar), or verbs that end in IR (like vivir). More challenging are the irregular verbs, which come in forms including ser and estar (to be), haber (to have), tener (to have), poner (to put), sentir (to feel), en seguir (to follow), and hacer (to do) and decir (to stay). Remembering these indicators will help you quickly recognise where a word as a regular or irregular verb and where it will come in a sentence.
Native speakers suggest using the visualisation techniques we mentioned before or using flashcards, which we’ll go over in more detail now.
Flashcards and Conjugations to Learn Spanish Faster
If you want to learn Spanish through a more formal course, you may find yourself bombarded with conjugation tables, but this can be a bit overwhelming. Fluent speakers recommend learning with the aid of flashcards, particularly when it comes to the abundance of conjugations.
Learning conjugations all together through pure memorisation is certainly useful, but it won’t help with quick recollection and easy understanding in a real-world setting. In order to speak and understanding Spanish with ease, you’ll do best by learning your conjugations in the context of a sentence. Having the sentence there will give you crucial indications that will help you to not only remember the conjugations but also how they’re used in a real sentence.
Spanish speakers recommend using flashcard apps or creating flashcard cut-outs yourself and doing the following exercise:
Have a sentence that includes a verb and cover up only that verb. Using the context of the sentence, try to recall what verb and verb ending it might be. If you can’t recall or want to check your answer, reveal the answer. Apps are particularly useful here as they will often also give you an explanation and reasoning of the correct answer.
Learning Patterns not Rules
Along with your conjugations and verb types, you’ll also want to get to grips with common rules including the three moods of the speaker. This doesn’t mean whether you say something angrily or with love, it’s actually referring to the speaker’s attitude about what they’re saying. The three moods to remember when learning Spanish are:
1. The Imperative mood, meaning to give a command
2. The Indicative mood, which is used to refer to things that are factual or statements
3. The Subjunctive mood, used with possibilities, doubts, uncertainties
*Note it’s important to remember that moods are not the same as tenses, which are past, present, and future
Moods are the best example of why learning patterns instead of rules is one of the most effective learning methods. You’re much more likely to be able to identify a pattern in a sentence and derive the correct missing word or meaning than simply memorising an enormous grammar sheet. Again, use flashcards to test yourself on patterns used, like the moods, and discover how to become more subconsciously fluent.
Speak to a Native
Whenever you visit a foreign country, you always end up learning enough of the language to get by, and this is because you often have situational indicators and native speakers interacting with you constantly. Now, it would be nice to take a long-term Spanish holiday to practice your speech. Realistically, a lot of new students are learning from home, and this is where apps like Idyoma are most useful in constantly improving your understanding.
By connecting you with a native Spanish speaker (or any language you’re learning!), you can create a rapport with consistent verbal interaction. By listening, repeating and just having a nice chat with a native speaker, you can be introduced to sentence structures, phrases, vocabulary, and pronunciations that you won’t be able to experience in such a volume through lone learning.
Immerse Yourself
If you can go for that long-term Spanish holiday to work on your speaking and listening skills and help you learn Spanish, then certainly take the chance, as immersion is the number one tip that Spanish speakers can give to new learners. Holidays aside, you can also become immersed in Spanish language right from home. Use flashcards, Spanish tv shows, Spanish-speaking Youtube videos with English subtitles, Spanish books and articles, and put as much of the Spanish culture around you as possible. And, of course, utilise apps and online forums to speak directly with native speakers whenever you can, ideally doing some of these activities every day.
You can do this on a budget, too, as there are plenty of free online resources specially curated for learning Spanish quickly and simply. This Youtube channel is dedicated to easy Spanish videos that you can practice the skills discussed above. SpanishPod101 also offers some free lessons which are great to kickstart your learning. And of course try out some of the best language learning apps out there. Idyoma also gives you language learning tips and advice in our blog articles.
You can download the Idyoma language exchange mobile app for free here: