Reading at home was the single most useful activity I made time for in the early stages of my language learning. I read every evening and weekend for about eight months. I learned so many new words and phrases, and it thoroughly prepared me for stringing sentences together. We didn’t have a TV or the internet in our apartment in Venezuela and, having lived through it. I highly recommend getting rid of other distractions. Most Sundays, I read from the moment I got up to the minute I went to sleep.

After about two years of being reasonably fluent, listening to the radio in Spanish is something you can find fun. At first, I found it unlikely, but I do suggest sticking with it. Understanding what anyone says without seeing their lips in a foreign language can be difficult.
Every day, I managed to put in a decent hour and a half, listening to the radio on my phone as I travelled to and from work in Buenos Aires.
It was a perfect way to make the trip go faster, it gave me plenty of things to talk to my Argentine friends about, and it got me hooked on some incredible Spanish-speaking musicians. Andrés Calamaro, Vicentico, Joaquín Sabina, Anita Tijoux, Calle 13 and Gustavo Cordera.

Travel, travel, and continue to travel. Before I moved to Venezuela, I spent about seven years travelling to Spanish-speaking countries, which gave me a lot of confidence. I got better at sharing with locals and knowing what they were trying to communicate to me across the meaning. It has always been a real buzz and kept me wanting to better my abilities in the language.
It is also important to travel to various countries to listen to different accents and different Spanish styles.
I have already visited Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize, and Spain before heading to Venezuela. I’ve found time to fly to Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Mexico since living in Latin America.
The more Spanish you hear, the easier it becomes for you to understand it in any context.

I am a huge fan of Spanish apps because they are vocabulary-building workhorses. They’re also compact and comfortable, offering tiny learning bites whenever you have a spare moment.
LingQ is a sensational app to figure out how to learn Spanish by yourself. It provides so many characteristics, including the ability to track how many words you have learned, a material shuffle playlist, milestones so that you know what you’re working towards, and so much more. There’s a lot of audio material that can be downloaded, so you can still learn Spanish if you’re somewhere without internet access.
They also use the Spaced Repetition System, or SRS, for vocabulary review, which ensures the words you have learned continue to appear in your classes. Those words stick in your head that way, and you do not forget them. As vocabulary expands, by offering various terms for reinforcement, the SRS accommodates that.
If you’re a fan of flashcards, like I am, Chinese listening practice Reword is also a neat app to have. There’s something old school about flashcards, but they survive as a vital learning tool because they work.
Users can create word lists, track progress and more with the Reword app. This app will keep most of us busy for a while, with over 4,500 terms and phrases offered.

Often, reaching a plateau is not entirely rare when you’re studying by yourself. That’s when you might think of enlisting a little side aid. Having a Spanish tutor to support you is the perfect way to improve your language learning progress again, especially if you’re not regularly exposed to Spanish like I was when I was learning.
Access to a native Spanish tutor, even only a short-term one, may be limited depending on where you live. There are, luckily, plenty of digital tutors.

Taking some online Spanish courses is a highly successful tool for learning Spanish on your own. Let’s face it; we fly at all times with our computers, tablets and phones, ensuring that every online course will be open to you anytime, anywhere.
Bear in mind that a curriculum that keeps your attention is more likely to devote time to you. I enjoyed using Coffee Break Spanish and Fluencia for me from time to time. They both integrate Spanish culture in their classes, which helps spice things up, at least it did for me!
A great way to develop vocabulary skills is the Coffee Break Spanish Reading Club. This course aims to use weekly texts when developing reading skills to incorporate cultural insights.
Another excellent course for Spanish language learners to consider using Fluencia is how to learn Spanish by yourself. There is a lot of cultural material on this page, so if you want to learn more than just the Spanish language mechanics, this course is for you.
Lessons use native speakers and are broken down into subjects that make for a structured, successful learning process. Lessons provide conversations suitable for the practice of pronunciation! As well as words and segments of society.