Spanish Tutor - Learn Spanish Here!

Learning a foreign language like Spanish has always been considered to be a difficult task, especially by adults who set out to accomplish it. But to tell the truth, it is not as difficult as it is made out to be. THe real question is this: Why does something that seems so natural to us as young children become such an incredibly difficult subject to study in later life? Here are some easy tips to succeed in your studies:

First, ask yourself why you want to study Spanish or any other foreign language. This step is far more important than it might initially sound, but your motives for learning a language, or anything, in fact, play a major role in how well you go about achieving your goal. So, that's the first step: figure out exactly why you want to learn Spanish and focus on the benefits the skill will give you for your particular situation.

Are you interested in studying for professional reasons or for personal ones? Is your goal: career improvement, a desire to travel, or even finding a new romantic partner from a Spanish speaking country? While any of these are valid reasons for wanting to learn Spanish, probably only one of them will be the deciding factor for you.

Second, you need to decide how you are going to study. With the rise of the internet as a great force for learning your old traditional options of taking a class, or hiring a personal tutor have been enhanced by the number of courses you can take with the aid of your computer. Classroom study is definitely not as efficient as hiring a personal tutor, but hiring a tutor is going to cost you a lot. Most times the best option is using your computer; either with the help of CDs, DVDs or an interactive course online. But no matter which you choose you still need to put in a great deal of time studying if you are going to get the best from your studies, and make the experience financially worthwhile.

Hiring a tutor, actually, is probably cost-prohibitive for most people. And is not the only way to learn a language effectively. Once we accept that the language learning process is going to take a lot of personal study anyway, regardless of whether we have a tutor or not, it may be just as efficient, and certainly more cost effective, to opt for a self-study method. One of the major disadvantages involved in choosing this option is the fact that you are going to have to motivate yourself to put in the study hours. This is where your personal motivations in the first step come in. You need a personal reason to use in order to keep up your motivation.

Finally, when you begin to learn, and don't try to bite off more than you can chew. One of the pre-eminent reasons people give up on learning Spanish lies in the fact that they have false expectations of being able to learn the language quickly. They believe, because the results are not always as rapid as they want at first, that they can't succeed and they give up. It just takes some time to learn and process the information you have learned. But the hype and questionable claims made by some language course creators to sell their products are at fault here, not the students.

Start slowly, accept the fact that learning Spanish, just like learning any other new skill will take time and some mental perseverance. A new language is a door to another culture, and the ability to learn one is something that is open to everyone, with the right approach.

If you have tried to learn a new language, like Spanish, you will know that it is often a tough task that can be very frustrating at times. You often feel that you are making no progress despite the hours and hours of study that you put in. The fundamental stumbling block is that you have been conditioned over years to think unconsciously in English. That means you implicitly understand the grammar and nuances of the language. This often leads to an over reliance on your native tongue and the reluctance to build your foreign language knowledge from the ground up because you don't know how.

If you have ever played soccer, it is similar to using your right and left feet to play the ball. Most people are right footed and they learn their skills with the right foot. As they get better at dribbling or shooting they continue to use it. They score some great goals and have many positive experiences. Then they think that to become a more rounded player they must learn to shoot with the left foot. They try and it's dreadful. They miss hit the ball or get tackled. They can't score a goal and get frustrated. Then without even thinking, they find that they are shooting with the right foot again. They remind themselves to use the left foot but in a tight game they always end up using the right. This is often the problem with learning a new language. So what is the answer ?

To continue with the soccer analogy, a friend of mine was getting repeated strains and injuries to the ligaments of his right leg from playing soccer, that his doctor advised that he give the game up. Take on something less strenuous advised the doctor. But he loved the game so much that he didn't want to give it up. Instead he learned how to kick and shoot with his left foot. Apart from the doctor's advice, he also experienced pain when he used his right foot to kick the ball so the more he used his left foot the less pain he had to deal with at the end of the game. As he continued to play he became better with the left foot until it reached a tipping point and he just started using the left foot all the time. He still plays soccer and is now completely 'fluent' with the left foot.

So what does this mean about learning Spanish ? Well, the first point is motivation. You need to get motivated. You have to have a good enough reason to learn the language. If you don't, then you will end up using the right....I mean using English rather than Spanish. This doesn't mean inflict pain on yourself whenever you speak English but develop goals that you can tick off when they are achieved that serve to motivate you. Have a long term goal, like work in Spain or date a Spanish speaking person. Have short term goals and reward yourself every time you reach these goals.

The second point is to give yourself the opportunity to learn the basics. There is no substitute for this. You have to learn the basics before your knowledge will really expand. The best way to do this is through the Spanish immersion method. Immerse yourself in the language. Cut yourself off from English as much as possible. Learn every nuance and facet of the language and culture. Watch Spanish films, read Spanish books, participate in Spanish language forums. Get Spanish pen pals. Learn about Spanish, Mexican or any other Spanish language foods. You are only limited by your imagination as to how much Spanish you want in your life. The ultimate is to go and live in a Spanish speaking country but this is often not practical for many people. When you think you are starting to forget your English then you know you are fully immersed (and don't worry, you won't forget your English, it's pretty much hard wired into your head).

Whilst you won't learn Spanish in a week or a month, I think these two principles are the most useful things to remember when you want to learn to speak Spanish fast.

Reason # 10 You love music, especially music with a native beat. It just makes you want to move your feet. Although your friends are into more modern music, you have to admit you really find Casals's cello pieces and Segovia's guitar solos very relaxing.

Reason # 9 You love to dance. The music to blare and you can't help it - your hips start to sway and your feet start to move. Let's face it, you've got rhythm. You want to mambo, cha-cha, salsa, even tango. Just reading this makes you tap your feet.

Reason # 8 You're an aficionado of Spanish movies, and you would really enjoy watching them without having to read the distracting, poorly translated subtitles.

Reason # 7 You're an artist at heart. You long to spend time at El Prado. Picasso's Guernice brings tears to your eyes. You truly are a cultured person, and the Spanish speaking world has a lot to offer.

Reason # 6 You definitely are not money-hungry, but you'd like to improve your chances in the job market. With so many fields open today, a knowledge of Spanish is a real plus.

Reason # 5 You want to live in a warm climate, and the countries in Spanish American have alot to offer. The landscape is beautiful and the people are friendly. The food is delicious and you wont need an expensive winter wardrobe.

Reason # 4 You love to cook. You want to learn how to make an authentic paella valenciana or a truly hot and spicy salsa picante.

Reason # 3 You hate to cook but you love to eat, and you like everything hot and spicy. You can plan your next vacation accordingly.

Reason # 2 You want to prove to yourself that you are smart. Foreign languages have always had the reputation of being impossible to learn.

Reason # 1 You're a traveler. You want to see the world and all it has to offer, so you make sure you never go to the same place twice on vacation. Spanish is spoken by more than 20 countries. you have alot of trips ahead of you!