7 Things that Change for you When You Finally Speak Fluent Spanish

So you’re learning Spanish? ¡Excelente decisión! (Excellent choice!): a whole new world full of opportunities is opening itself for you! Música, comida, gente, viajes maravillosos, quizás amor… (Music, food, people, beautiful trips, maybe even love…), it’s all within reach now. 

I’m Juan from Spring Spanish, and to give you that little extra motivation to keep learning Spanish, here are the top 7 things that’ll change your life when you learn to speak Spanish.

Ready? Acompáñenme!

1. Comida latinoamericana real (Real Latinamerican food)

That’s right: Comida latinoamericana real (real Latinamerican food). When you start speaking Spanish, you can forget about that Taco Bell nonsense and get to a real Mexican Taquería y ordenarte unos taquitos de cachete (and get yourself some cheek taquitos). O ir a un restaurante venezolano y pedir unos tequeños o un pabellón (Or go to a Venezuelan restaurant and get yourself some tequeños or pabellón.)

Just picture yourself in this situation:

WAITER
Hello Sir, how can I help you today? In the mood for a burger and a coke?

CUSTOMER
Gracias, pero puedo hablar español. ¿Qué me recomienda usted?
(Thanks, but I can speak Spanish. What do you recommend?)

WAITER
Ah! Habla español, ¡muy bien! En ese caso, le recomiendo una arepa pelúa con una Malta, ¡y de postre una lengua e’ suegra!
(Ah, you speak Spanish, very good! In that case, I recommend a hairy arepa with a Malta and for dessert a “Mother in law’s tongue”)

2. Entiendes la música latina (You understand Latin music)

If you think Latin music is catchy and makes you wanna dance even if you don’t know the meaning of the lyrics, just imagine dancing and singing along in Spanish! ¡La vas a pasar bomba! (You’ll have a blast!) And the songs will get a new meaning to you! There is a huge difference between this:

 Valió la pena asdklasdkljaslkñasjdlkñasjdjasd contigo amor, asdlkñajsdlkajs ción

 And singing: 

Valió la pena lo que era necesario para estar contigo amor, tú eres una bendición. (It was worth it, whatever it took to be with you, love, you’re a blessing.)

WARNING: if you’re a reggaeton fan, you might be in for a surprise when you find out that song you’re always dancing to that says “Hawaii de vacaciones, mis felicitaciones” (Hawaii on vacation, congratulations) is actually about a sad heartbroken, so you’re pretty much dancing to Maluma’s tears.

3. Puedes hacer amigos en comunidades hispanohablantes (You can make friends in Spanish-speaking communities)

¿Te sientes solo o quieres vivir experiencias nuevas? (Feeling lonely or want to live new experiences?) Well, learning Spanish would open a door for you to a new community with new and different people y la oportunidad de hacer amigos de otras culturas (and the opportunity to make friends from other cultures).

Heck, you could even find the love of your life or your new best friend in your local Latino neighborhood or location. Not to mention how your social networking can be massively improved. Si aprendes español, vas a poder pasar de situaciones incómodas como esta: (If you learn Spanish, you’ll be able to go from awkward situations like this):

VOICE OVER
Hey man, I’m gonna grab some snacks

JUAN
Wait! I don’t speak Spanish! Hola… English?

LÍA
Hola. No.
*awkward silence*

JUAN
Ah, mesa!

LÍA
Sí, mesa…

To this:

VOICE OVER
Hey man, I’m gonna grab some snacks

JUAN
Alright bro, get me a drink, please. Hola, soy Juan. ¡Mucho gusto!
(Hello, I’m Juan. Nice to meet you!)

LÍA
Hola, soy Lía. ¡Tu español es muy bueno!
(Hello, I’m Lia. Your Spanish is really good!)

JUAN
¡Gracias! Estoy aprendiendo todavía. ¿Te gustaría bailar?
(Thanks! I’m still learning. Would you like to dance?)

LÍA
Sí, me encantaría.
(Yes, I’d love to.)

4. Mejora tu experiencia en países latinos (Your experience in latin countries improves)

Whether for work, vacation or other reasons, travelling to other countries is exciting! 

En mi experiencia personal, mis viajes para países angloparlantes fueron maravillosos gracias al hecho de que podía comunicarme con locales, así que tuve acceso a lugares, restaurantes, gente e info cultural que no hubiese podido acceder si no hablara el lenguaje. (In my personal experience, my travels to English-speaking countries were great thanks to the fact that I could communicate with the locals, so I got access to places, restaurants, people and cultural information that I wouldn’t have been able to get if I didn’t speak the language.)

5. Accedes a contenido artístico y cultural latino (You get access to Latin artistic and cultural content)

In Latin-America, we have a history of great writers, poets, painters, philosophers and artists in general.

Imagina leer Cien años de soledad del ganador del Nobel, el escritor García Márquez en su idioma original, o ser capaz de disfrutar de la obra del poeta venezolano Rafael Cadenas o la escritora argentina Alejandra Pizarnik, o ver Roma del director y guionista mexicano Alfonso Cuarón totalmente en español sin tener que leer los subtítulos. (Imagine reading 100 Years of Solitude by Colombian Nobel Prize winner writer García Márquez in its original language or being able to enjoy the poetry of Venezuelan Poet Rafael Cadenas or the Argentinian writer Alejandra Pizarnik, or watching Roma by Mexican director and screenwriter Alfonso Cuarón fully in Spanish without having to read subtitles.)

Todo esto es posible si hablas español. (This is possible if you can speak Spanish).

Por cierto, les acabo de dar cuatro de mis creadores latinos favoritos. (By the way, I just gave you 4 of my favorite Latino creators.)

If you want to know more, let me know in the comments, and I’ll give you some other great Latino references!

6. Puedes recibir ayuda mucho más rápido en caso de una emergencia (you can get help much faster in case of an emergency)

Let’s be honest: Accidents happen. No one’s expecting bad things to occur, but if they happen, and you’re prepared, you’re likely to solve it better. If you’re in a Spanish-speaking country, and you have an emergency, saying “heeelp mi estar hurt, please call an ambulanzo” won’t be as effective as “ayuda por favor, llamen una ambulancia” (“help, please call an ambulance”) ¿No crees? (Don’t you think?)

7. Hasta puedes encontrar el amor verdadero (You can even find true love)

Y por si todo lo que te dije no era suficiente, ¡hablar español te puede ayudar a conseguir tu próximo novio o novia latina! (And if everything I said wasn’t enough, speaking Spanish can help you get your next Latino boyfriend or Latina girlfriend).

Yes, speaking Spanish can get you an awesome, wholesome conversation with that special person and help your relationship take off to the next level.

¡A mí me funcionó de maravilla hablar español para conquistar a mi esposa! Aunque bueno, los dos somos venezolanos pero bueno… Mi punto es: (Speaking Spanish worked wonderfully for me to find my wife! Although we’re both Venezuelans, but well… my point is:)

By learning Spanish, you won’t have a problem dating Spanish-speaking natives!