No MOTIVATION to LEARN SPANISH? Try these 6 Tips!

Have you been learning Spanish for a while and you are losing motivation?

¡Sí quiero aprender español pero me da pereza! (I do want to learn Spanish but I’m feeling lazy!)  

Here are my top 5 tips to be really motivated again! ¡Mi gente, vayan por su libreta para anotar! (My people, go get your notebook to take notes!)

1. La razón (The reason)

La motivación depende mucho de qué tan buena es tu razón para aprender español. (Motivation depends a lot on how good your reason is to learn Spanish.) If it’s just to make your CV look shinier, that’s a weak reason. Tal vez encuentres muy difícil permanecer motivado. (Maybe you’ll find it very difficult to remain motivated.)

It would be a different story if you’re living in a Spanish-speaking country. Al estar en el país, rodeado del lenguaje, sin entender nada, tu motivación será significativamente más alta. (Being in the country, surrounded by the language, without understanding anything, your motivation would be significantly higher.)

Por supuesto, no todos podemos mudarnos a México mañana. Así que trata de cambiar la forma en la que piensas sobre la razón por la que estás aprendiendo español. (Of course, we all can’t just move to Mexico tomorrow. So try to shift the way you think about the reason why you’re learning Spanish.)

No se trata de hacer tu Currículum más interesante, se trata de… (It’s not about making your CV more impressive, it’s about…) you becoming the cultured, sophisticated, Spanish speaking person you know you’re meant to be!

No se trata de pasar una clase de español, se trata de… (It’s not about passing a Spanish class, it’s about…) being the kind of student that actually learned a foreign language in school!

Se trata de… (It’s about…) ¡Viajar a América Latina y realmente conocer la cultura y la gente! Se trata de mejorar tu relación con tu comunidad, con tus amistades y con esa persona especial. (Travel to Latin America and really get to know the people and culture! It's about improving your relationship with your community, with your friends, and with that special someone.)

Se trata de… (It is about…)  Just learn the complete phrase like that. It's a chunk of Spanish. A phrase that doesn’t change and native speakers use all the time. A list of super important chunks is available for you, for free, in a link in the subscription.

2. Hazlo relevante (Make it relevant)

But you can try to make Spanish much more relevant to your life. Si no tienes la oportunidad de vivir en un país hispanoparlante, tal vez si puedas irte de viaje. (If you don’t have the opportunity to live in a Spanish-speaking country, maybe you can go there on a trip.)

Si no puedes irte de viaje, tal vez sí puedas ir a los vecindarios de tu ciudad donde haya más hispanoparlantes para practicar. (If you can’t go on a trip, maybe you can go to the neighborhoods in your city where there are more Spanish speakers to practice with.)

If that’s not a possibility, make it a point to go to a Latin restaurant and order in Spanish! Even if it’s something simple like:

Una corona, por favor. (A corona, please.)

Mientras más relevante sea para ti el lenguaje, más fácil será aplicar lo que ya aprendiste de inmediato. (The more relevant the language is for you, the easier it is to apply what you learned right away.) And as a result, your motivation will go up.

3. Grupos locales (Local groups)

Find local groups to practice Spanish with. Could be natives but could also be other people that practice the language. Una buena forma de hacer esto es a través de sitios como meetup.com (A good way to do this is through sites like meetup.com).

También puedes buscar grupos en Facebook. Hay muchos grupos de intercambio de lenguaje. (You can also look for Facebook groups. There are many language exchange groups.)

Remember that a lot of Spanish speakers want to practice their English!

4. Usa material que te interese (Use material that interests you)

Find interesting material like YouTube videos, books, podcasts, series, Reddit threads, movies and songs. Tener material aburrido o que simplemente no te interesa es muy malo para la motivación. (Having boring material or that simply doesn’t interest you is very bad for motivation.)

Usa material sobre temas que ya te interesen. (Use material about subjects that already interest you.) If you’re into gardening. Ve videos sobre jardinería. (Watch videos about gardening.) If you’re into soccer. Ve partidos de fútbol pero con los comentarios en español. (Watch soccer matches but with commentaries in Spanish.)

Por ejemplo, te gusta la serie “La Casa de Papel”. (For example, you like the series “La Casa de Papel”.) Once you binge-watched the whole thing, you can Google articles in Spanish about it. Vas a leer y entender un artículo sobre esa serie mucho más fácil. (You’re going to read and understand much easier an article about that series.)

5. Trabaja con metas pequeñas (Work with small milestones)

Es mejor tener objetivos pequeños que se puedan alcanzar en una o dos semanas.  (It’s better to have small goals that can be reached within a week or 2 weeks.)

You can start with something small:

• Quiero aprender a presentarme. (I want to learn to introduce myself.) We have the video for that.
• Quiero ordenar mi cena en español. (I want to order my dinner in Spanish.) También tenemos un video para ordenar en español. (We also have a video to order in Spanish.)
• Quiero poder describir mis pasatiempos. (I want to be able to describe my hobbies.) ¡Y sí! ¡También tenemos un video para eso! (And yes! We also have a video for that!)

6. Compañeros perfectos (Perfect partners)

Find interesting conversation partners who are fun to talk and practice with. Es importante que te caigan bien las personas con las que estás practicando. (It’s important you like the people you’re talking to.)

Sé que encontrar a las personas correctas es difícil. (I know that finding the right people is hard.) A great way for you to get in touch with like-minded people to practice Spanish with is through the Spring Spanish Inner Circle. You can join in the link in the description.

Tienes que saber que una de las razones más poderosas para aprender un idioma nuevo es el amor. (You have to know that one of the most powerful reasons to learn a new language is love.) So, give dating apps a shot. ¡Puedes empezar buscando a alguien con quien conversar! (You can start by looking for someone to talk to!)

That’s easy! Check out the 5 amazing apps & websites to find a Spanish conversation partner that I talk about in the following video. ¡Veanlo! (Watch it!) Click the image on screen to find out!