What’s holding you back from speaking fluent Spanish?

After all you know your el‘s from your la‘s and you can very well talk about the past, present and future.

Then where’s the glitch?

Don’t worry!

It happens with most of us. Regardless of your current skill levels, sometimes it’s just hard to find the kind of fluency you expect from yourself.

That’s because change takes time.

Rome wasn't built overnight and neither will your fluency in Spanish language. But with practice you will eventually get over it.

The process to achieve your fluency doesn’t have to be a long one. There are ways you can accelerate your Spanish learning process.

Here is a list of 5 excellent ways in which you can improve your fluency in Spanish language.

1. Incorporate Spanish into your day to day life

Studies have found that you are most comfortable communicating in language that you use while you think. It makes perfect sense to start thinking in Spanish language if you want to get more comfortable with Spanish language and build fluency. You should also actively look for ways to squeeze more Spanish into various day-to-day fun activities, such as you can start watching Spanish Movies, listen to Spanish songs and switch your social media account such as Facebook in to Spanish language. Make Spanish part of your lifestyle and it will naturally become part of your personality. Incorporating more of Spanish in to your fun activities will build your vocabulary while you have fun.

2. Talk in Spanish as much as possible

Talking in Spanish as much as possible will make you perfect and comfortable, speaking. Surround yourself with local Spanish speakers to hone your new found skill. Just makes sure people you surround yourself with, encourage you to speak more rather than discourage you. Since you have just started out, many native Spanish speakers may feel offended. Their gesture may make you feel uncomfortable speaking Spanish in public or otherwise. You don’t have to be with people who easily get annoyed, rather find someone who can encourage and support you. Confidence is the most important ingredient to gain fluency in Spanish.

3. Keep notes

The bigger your vocabulary is the better you will be able to speak Spanish. Moreover you will also feel confident since Spanish vocabulary will help you express yourself better. Unfortunately, even the best brains don’t remember words they hear the first time. Your notes are your best friends in your journey to learn Spanish language. When you are watching a Spanish movie or listening to Spanish songs, keep a note book to write down any new word you come across. But, keeping note is one thing and making use of it is entirely other thing. Unless you use those words in your communication you won’t build your vocabulary. Find opportunity to use those words while communicating with Spanish speakers. They will stop you, if you use the word in the wrong context and will help you use them in the right context with correct examples.

There are some excellent apps out in the market than can also help you build your vocabulary fast. One such app is “My Words.” It’s quite popular among Spanish learners for its functionalities that allow you to create your own dictionary. You can also use the app to record yourself saying the word or phrase you want to remember.

4. Don’t create unrealistic expectation from yourself

Language is one such skill that you can’t learn overnight. It takes time and practice. The best way to learn Spanish is to learn a bit at a time. Don’t push yourself too hard. That means you don’t really have to watch all movies in Spanish from now on. Instead it’s not a bad idea to watch English movies every now and then. Everyone needs a break and you are no exception. In fact you will learn better and faster with relaxed mind.

Set achievable targets for yourself. Break your bigger goals into smaller milestone that you can realistically achieve in a set time. So for example if your goal is to learn Spanish language in 10 weeks, break your goals into 10 small milestones that you can aim to achieve each week. Don’t curse yourself if you fail to achieve your targets. Instead spend time thinking what went wrong and how you can ensure it doesn’t happen again. No matter how many times you fail, keep moving. End result is what matters. No one is going to ask you how many times you missed your goals. But people will appreciate when you start speaking good Spanish.

5. Trust yourself

Sounds obvious, but this is one fact that keeps many people from learning new languages. Trusting yourself that you can speak in public takes courage. Look back in your past and think about how many times your confidence has failed you. To build your confidence, start speaking in the circle of your trusted friends. The only way you can make it is by practicing speaking Spanish more and more. Don’t compare yourself with anyone else and don’t care about perfect accent at this stage. Your top priority at this point should be to be able to speak Spanish fluently.

If you are thinking to improve or refresh your Spanish please, contact Spanish Hangout at spanishangout@gmail. com.