Want to learn to speak Spanish? If you are like most people with this idea, it won’t happen. Sad but true: most people who think they would like to learn Spanish won’t get very far. You don’t have to be like them, but it’s best if you know what you are up against.
So why don’t they get going on their project of learning Spanish? There are three aspects to this: motivation, knowledge, and habit.
How Strong is Your Motivation to Learn to Speak Spanish?
People want to learn Spanish for all sorts of reasons. I’ll name a few. Sometimes it’s before a vacation trip to Mexico, Spain, or some other Spanish-speaking country. They want to be able to carry on basic tourist-type conversations, about where the hotel is, how to find a good restaurant, and the like. Other times there may be more of a business aspect to it: they need to know some Spanish — or a lot — to do better in the job they have or to find a new one.
It could be a romance with a Spanish-speaker that motivates someone to learn Spanish, and (if the romance lasts) these people often do well. Another situation: as an American living in Mexico, I see many other Americans who want to be able to converse with the Mexicans they meet, whether it is socially or in simply paying their rent or buying things in shops.
What motivates you to learn Spanish, and how strong would you say your motivation is?
What Knowledge Do You Have about HOW to Learn Spanish?
As well as some motivation, you will also need to have some knowledge of how to proceed. If you just take a class that happens to be offered in your community, it may or may not be good for speaking Spanish. Many classes concentrate on grammar and are not really aimed at helping your conversation skills.
If you just use some CDs or a computer program that you happen to come across, at least they offer something you can work into your life more easily. But such programs vary tremendously in how well they prepare their students for speaking Spanish. Some of the most well known are not the best.
If people start out with a method that doesn’t suit them or isn’t well designed in the first place, they are more likely to give up. How much do you know about how you are going to learn Spanish?
Can You Create the Habit of Working on Your Spanish?
Knowing what to do isn’t enough to make it happen. I imagine you’ve had the common experience of knowing you should do something but not getting around to it! Fortunately, there are ways to create habits, and once you have the habit of learning to speak Spanish in place, you are well on your way.
Whether you think you can create the habit or not, you probably can — if you are motivated enough and if you know what to do. So these three elements — motivation, knowledge, and habit — are all necessary, and they all support each other as you get going. With these in place, chances are you will learn to speak Spanish!
