Easiest ways to learn Spanish at the age of 18
There are no age constraints on learning a new language, it is all about passion and commitment. So if you’re here thinking that learning Spanish at age 18 is a little too early or a little too late, you’re probably wrong in both cases. There is no ideal time for learning a language, you can learn anytime at any age. Being a teenage adult you can feel a little occupied with school or college and you might feel like a lot is going on at the moment, and amidst all this, you still decided to learn a new language but now you’re looking for some easy ways to get this done. If this sounds like you, give it another thought. Don’t just learn the language for the sake of learning it because you can pick up a language only when you’re passionate enough about it. When embarking on a language learning journey, make sure you are really interested in learning the language and have strong reasons to do so. Although, if you’re learning only for fun, you could still go ahead and learn it as language learning is actually a very fun process. Besides, Spanish is a very beautiful language and it is great that you have some desire to learn this language.
Learn with the help of apps
You already have so many apps on your phone, most of these are just simply useless but, do you ever feel like using any of these apps is difficult or stressful? No, right? Apps are designed to make things easy for you. There are a lot of language learning apps available on the play store that you can download and start learning from, anytime! My most favorite app is Duolingo. It is one of the most popular apps out there because of its user-friendliness and ease of use. Learning with Duolingo is so much fun and easy, it almost feels like playing a game. And who doesn’t like playing games? You will not even feel bored, because it keeps quizzing you from time to time so it’s a really great way to start with, and gradually as you move up the ladder you can try using some other resources for learning Spanish. You can find a list of other Spanish learning apps here.
Watch movies, tv shows with English subtitles
Another easy way to learn Spanish without feeling tired or getting bored is watching Spanish people talk in Spanish. As a teenager, you watch a lot of movies and tv shows, why not watch them in Spanish? Or choose some original Spanish movies and watch them with English subtitles. This is the easiest way to grasp something close to real-world Spanish. You can also watch videos on youtube and learn through them or listen to some Latin music too.
Reading
Reading is always useful in learning any language, it will put you one step ahead in learning Spanish. You can start by reading small stories, poems and gradually shift to novels, and other literary masterpieces. Reading in Spanish will give you a taste of its rich culture that is a mix of Latin and ancient Greek. So that gives you two feathers in a cap! But, I know reading can be a little or too intimidating for someone who is just beginning to learn Spanish. So the easiest way to get started on this path would be to pick out a translated Spanish version of a book that you’ve already read in your native language. You can identify some of your favorite phrases from the book and look at the words and work your way through them and f you do this right, you’ll find it as enjoyable as reading in your native language
Find a tutor
What’s an easier way of learning something than to have somebody teach it to you! With classroom learning, you generally move at the pace of the slowest learner. That’s why small class sizes are better – and best of all is a class size of one. One-on-one tutoring is often surprisingly close in cost to group lessons in a classroom. This is especially true for online tutoring since your tutor doesn’t have to spend time travelling to meet you. Multibhashi is a popular platform where you can find one-on-one Spanish tutors who can give you lessons over video chat. The cost of lessons is very reasonable, with tutors available for just a few bucks per hour.
Learn through mnemonics.
Mnemonics are very easy to remember, it is a learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval in human memory. There are so many things that you need to memorize while learning a language like grammar, vocabulary, phrases, idioms, etc and mnemonics can help in learning all this very easily. You can create your own mnemonics while learning or refer to some available on the internet. Once you’re good at them, they easily repay the initial time investment. They’re an extremely effective way to memorize large amounts of vocabulary.
Finally!
With all that said and done, find out which way works the best for you and totally immerse yourself in it. If you love learning Spanish through an app and you find it much easier, then continue learning through this method. If tutoring is your best bet, spend more time with your tutor to learn Spanish.
Lastly, learning a language is neither hard nor easy, but it is also not a piece of cake so you can’t take it a bit too lightly. But by following all the tips given above you can ease out the process for yourself. And of course, the easiest way to learn anything is to make it fun. Nobody likes to stick with boring things, your brain also adapts more to things that you enjoy doing. So don’t stress your mind, you have plenty of time to invest in learning Spanish, invest it wisely and make it worth it. And who knows if you’re consistent enough, you will become a Spanish-speaking polyglot by the time you turn 19 or 20! What are you waiting for? Start now.
Enjoy learning!