Thought about learning Spanish, but gave up immediately because you think you are “too busy”?
Worry you can’t devote long enough time to study?
Before you decide you have too little time to learn Spanish, check out the following 4 tried-and-works tricks for developing a learning strategy which can be fit into your busy schedule!
Our 4 tricks are based on the following 2 main principles:
Principle 1: Learning a language is more about consistency than time
The idea that you must devote a lot of time to learning before you can fully acquire a new language may have been holding you back. Yes, it is undeniable that learning a language needs a lot of practice and that takes time, but in fact, the key of learning is more on consistency than duration. Human brain learns best from frequent practice. Practicing a language for 15 minutes every day would be far more effective than hours of study once in a blue moon.
Principle 2: Make good use of your dead time
Do you commute to work or to school? What do you do during the time you are on public transport? What do you when you are waiting in the lines ? Do you just stare into the empty air or kill the time playing games on your cell phone?
Don’t underestimate the power of these short “dead time”. You can turn these “dead times” into a DIY 5-minute language crash course using handy tools such as Apps on your cell phone or listening to a podcast.
Here come our 4 tricks based on the above 2 principles….
- Set an alarm and study only 15 minutes
Find yourself too busy to spare a regular hour every day to study? Try setting an alarm, and study only 15 minutes. Once the alarm sets off, close your book and continue the next day. This will help you keep highly focused and make the most out of the short bit of time. Everyone has 15 minutes to spare, and splitting your study into bite-sized chunks will make it more manageable and easier to keep it as a habit.
- Use Anki/Duolingo/Memrise
Search “Spanish” on iTune or Google Play, and you will find a sea of language Apps. The great thing about Language App is that they are portable and they can help you to turn your “dead time” into productive learning time.
Check out Anki, Duolingo and Memrise, 3 top free language apps that have been used and loved by thousands of fellow language learners.
- Listen to a Spanish podcast
Spanish podcasts are ideal for those who want to broaden their vocabulary; those who want to listen to how words are being used; and above all, those who want to listen to how real Spanish is being spoken by native speakers. There are podcasts for all levels: from complete novice to those who are almost native, and the best thing about Podcasts is that they can be downloaded onto your smartphone so that you can listen to them anywhere 24/7.
Check out “Note in Spanish” which features real Spanish conversation covering a variety of topics ranging from art, science and culture, and offers different levels from beginner to advance.
- Take an online Skype Spanish class
Want extra help to boost your fluency? Take an online Spanish class!
The great thing about online Skype Spanish classes is all about flexibility. Unlike regular classroom lessons with a fixed class schedule, you get the freedom to pick the time that works for you , so you can easily fit the classes into your busy schedule, and take one whenever you have a free hour to spare. Taking online classes also frees you from the need of travel-you can take the class in your home, in your office, in your favorite cafe…just anywhere with an internet connection, and this saves you lots of time commuting to a class and back.
If you want to achieve fluency in a short period of time, you will find taking the Skype class an effective mean. As all the classes are one-to-one, that means you will have all the attention from your teacher and can have the whole class time dedicated for conversation practice.
Online Spanish classes are also great for people who want a class tailored to their needs. So whether you are taking classes for your next trip to Spain, or for communicating with your business client from Peru, you will be able to focus your learning on vocabulary and phrases relevant to your objective by discussing your needs with your teacher.
Check out the one-to-one Skype lesson with our Spanish teachers now ! (click here)
Remember, regular practice, no matter how short each time they seem to be, do add up. Once you have been doing this every day for a period of time (around 20 days) it will be habitual, and you will be surprised by how much you will have learnt by using these tricks!
Want more creative ideas for practicing Spanish? Check out