The goal for learning Spanish is to at least understand Spanish or speak intelligible Spanish sentences. For some Spanish learners, this is enough. But for many others, it is not; what they want is to learn fluent Spanish. If you belong to the second group of Spanish learners, you need to really flex your mind and tongue to be able to speak Spanish fluently. Hard? Yes. Impossible? No. But though reality says it will take some time and real hard work for you to speak the language as good as a native speaker, there are practical ways to make it a little easier. Here they are:
1. Be realistic. It is okay to create self-expectations, but you have to make sure they are achievable. For example, if you make a deadline for yourself, find out if your schedule and learning style are parallel with your timeframe. Otherwise, you will get frustrated if you are not able to meet your expectations. Realize as well that learning fluent Spanish is not a work of magic. So welcome the possibilities of learning lags or instances when you cant understand a lesson at all. Dont be too tough on yourself. Expect mistakes, accept them when they happen, and learn from them.
2. Make good use of your time. When learning Spanish, every moment is an opportunity for learning. Dont misinterpret. This doesnt mean you are expected to spend every hour of every day poring over a book, or listening to your audio lessons, or answering vocabulary activities. A good Spanish learner is someone who, without a learning tool at hand, is committed to practicing the language every chance he gets. He uses his downtime to review the lessons, build his vocabulary, or speak Spanish verbally or otherwise.
3. Master the basics. Learning the basics is fundamental to speaking Spanish fluently. Because how can you construct complex Spanish sentences when you dont even know the forms of regular and irregular verbs? Also very critical to fluency are numbers, alphabets, pronunciation, common expressions, do and dont commands, verb tenses, prepositions, conjugations, syntax, and the likes.
4. Choose the best learning tool. Fortunately today, a lot of learning tools are available for Spanish learners. You can choose to have a personal tutor. Or enroll to a language school. Or download lessons from the Internet. Or buy language learning software. All these are effective, but not all are appropriate for you. Remember that each tool is unique and is dedicated to meeting different learning demands. That is why it is very important to take into consideration your own learning style, needs, and schedule when choosing a learning tool.
5. Enjoy the learning experience. Learning a new language is always fun, so take time to appreciate every minute of it. When you are fraught with difficulties and feel like giving up, do find a way to bring the excitement back. If you enjoy playing vocabulary games better than reading, then play more games than you usually do. If you think you can learn fluent Spanish more by watching soaps, go ahead and watch more soaps. The thing is, learning shouldnt be burdensome; because if it feels that way, learning is coerced and you get less than you intend.