Learn the most effective Spanish learning habits of Spanish learners

In this video we will discuss how to build Spanish learning habits to succeed in learning this language in the long term.

Actor 1 Pamela
Susan, cada vez hablas mejor español. ¿Cómo lo has logrado? Es que yo por más que intento avanzar con mi inglés no puedo.
(Susan, you speak better Spanish every time. How did you achieve it? It’s just that I can’t seem to make progress with my English.)

Actor 2 Susan
¡Gracias!
(Thank you!)
Lo primero que te diría es que no te desesperes. Tienes que tener paciencia.
(The first thing I would tell you is not to despair. You have to be patient.)

Actor 2
¿Cuánto tiempo le dedicas a aprender el idioma?
(How much time do you dedicate to learn the language?)

Actor 1
Estudio lunes, miércoles y viernes. Voy a clases.
(I study on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I go to classes.)

Actor 2
¡Ay no, amiga! Así no lo vas a lograr…
(Oh no, friend! That’s not going to help you achieve it…)

I’m Paulísima, your Spanish teacher at Spring Spanish. Empecemos. (Let’s get started.)

1. The importance of routine in Spanish learning habits

Motivation alone is not all that you will need to learn Spanish. It can be challenging to motivate yourself every day. Why? Because keeping motivation wanes over time. This can easily lead to burnout and frustration.

Por eso es esencial crear hábitos de aprendizaje. Que sea una parte natural de tu rutina. Así como cepillarte los dientes todos los días, aprender español también puede convertirse en un hábito automático. (That’s why it’s essential to build learning habits. So it becomes a natural part of your routine. Just like brushing your teeth every day, learning a language can become an automatic habit.)

Actor 1:
Susan, ¿cómo logras mantenerte motivada para practicar español todos los días?
(Susan, how do you manage to stay motivated to practice Spanish every day?)

Actor 2:
Bueno, la verdad es que no siempre estoy motivada. Pero he creado una rutina que me ayuda. Me levanto temprano todos los días y dedico la primera media hora a estudiar español.
(Well, the truth is that I’m not always motivated. But I’ve created a routine that helps me. I wake up early every day and dedicate the first half an hour to study Spanish.)

Actor 1:
¡Qué buena idea! Pero, ¿no te aburres de hacer todos los días lo mismo?
(What a great idea! But, don’t you get bored of doing the same thing every day?)

Actor 2:
En realidad no. Al principio es un poco difícil, pero después de unos días, se convierte en una rutina. Ya no lo veo como algo aburrido o tedioso, lo veo como algo natural que simplemente debo hacer.
(Actually no. At first it can be a little difficult, but after a few days it becomes a routine. I no longer see it as something boring or tedious, but as something natural that I simply must do.)

Actor 1:
Entonces, ¿crees que la rutina es muy importante para aprender un idioma?
(So, do you think routine is important to learn a language?)

Actor 2:
Totalmente. La rutina te ayuda a mantenerte enfocado. Además, si te acostumbras a hacerlo todos los días, será más difícil saltarte un día o perder la motivación.
(Totally. The routine helps you stay focused. Also, if you get used to doing it every day, it will be harder to skip a day or lose motivation.)

So, start with a small daily goal, no matter how small. For instance, listen to five minute of Spanish or learn one chunk in Spanish. If you do this every day for 30 days, it becomes a habit. Doing one minute is not enough, of course, but it’s essential to start with a goal you can commit to every day, even on the busiest days.

You can start with the chunks from our Essential Spanish Chunking Kit. Get it for free in the link in the description.

✔️ Cheat Sheet with 54 essential Spanish Chunks you’ll hear and use yourself in ANY Spanish conversation (and example sentences). Taken from our YouTube Teacher’s most popular videos!

✔️ 2 Bonus Cheat Sheets with Travel Chunks and Dating/Relationship Chunks

✔️ A Spanish Chunking Tutorial showing you the 1 technique that’ll help you make 100% of the Spanish from our videos roll off the tongue in just 5 minutes a day (you’re probably only using 50% of our lessons’ potential right now…)

Yes! Send me my FREE Spanish Chunking Kit

2. Practice is the best way to learn Spanish fast

Learning a language is a daily activity. It is not possible to learn it here and there like going to a language course and forgetting about it the rest of the week. To truly learn Spanish, you need to practice every day.

It doesn’t matter if it’s one hour or half, but it has to be daily.

Actor 2
Para realmente aprender, es importante que practiques todos los días, aunque sea solo un poquitito.
(To really learn, it’s important that you practice it every day, even if it’s just a little bit.)

Actor 1
Sí, tienes razón. Lo intentaré. ¿Cuánto tiempo crees que debería practicar cada día?
(Yes, you’re right. I’ll try. How much time do you think I should practice every day?)

Actor 2
No importa tanto el tiempo, sino la frecuencia. Trata de dedicarle por lo menos veinte o treinta minutos al español todos los días. Verás que con el tiempo irás mejorando.
(It’s not so much about the time, but the frequency. Try to dedicate at least 20 to 30 minutes to Spanish every day. You’ll see that over time, you’ll improve.)

3. Things you have to do everyday in order to speak Spanish

Let’s look at four things you should do every day to advance in your language learning:

• Escucha español que comprendas. (Listen to comprehensible Spanish.) If you want to learn a language, you must listen to it. Listening helps you get used to the intonation and pronunciation of the language.
• Escucha y presta mucha atención a los chunks que siguen apareciendo, sin cambiar. (Listen and pay close attention to chunks or phrases that keep popping up, without changing.) Cuando escuches estas frases con frecuencia, te las vas a aprender sin necesidad de estudiarlas. (When you hear these phrases frequently, you’ll memorize them without even studying them.) One of the easiest and fun ways to do this is by watching Netflix. Check out the video on how to learn Spanish with Netflix.
• Habla español. (Speak Spanish.) To speak Spanish with confidence, you have to practice speaking. Making it a habit to speak every day a little bit will improve your pronunciation and intonation as you become more familiar with common Spanish chunks and vocabulary.
• Revisa tus flashcards the chunks. (Review your chunk flashcards.) Create flashcards with chunks, not just isolated words, to help you create a database of Spanish phrases and expressions you’ll use frequently. Take advantage of this and review your flashcards frequently.
• Lee español. (Read Spanish.) Reading is an excellent way to improve your vocabulary and grammar. You can start with children’s books or news articles that interest you.

Remember, building language learning habits is the key to success in the long-term. Start small, commit to a daily goal, and make language learning an autopilot habit.

In the next lesson we’re exploring all the things you should do to keep your motivation up while learning Spanish.