Mental Preparation

There are a few things you should know about learning Spanish BEFORE you actually dive into it:


1)  Spanish is NOT English.  Although there are striking similarities between the two languages, they are quite different.  


2)  You're not going to become fluent in Spanish overnight.  It took you longer than 2 hours to learn English, and it will take time to learn a foreign language as well.  Pace yourself and allow yourself to learn Spanish.  It can be fun, but only if you relax.


3)  Be positive.  There are parts of Spanish that may seems difficult, but negativity will not help you learn the language.  Learning Spanish is just like learning anything else that may be new to you.  You have to spend time practicing and learning the information.  


4)  Ask questions...lots and lots of questions.  If you don't understand or if you need help, just ask.  You won't be stupid for asking, but you might feel foolish if you DON'T ask questions.


5)  Practice, practice, practice!  Spanish is a language and language is meant to be spoken.  Talk to native Spanish speakers, listen to Spanish music, or even watch your favorite movie in Spanish with English subtitles.  You're training your ears to understand and recognize the language, and you're learning different words, phrases, and sentence structuring...the building block of a conversation. 


Have fun!  You can do it!