How to learn Spanish: Tips for learning

Are you a Stimulated Scholar or an Uninspired Undergrad?
There is a deadline (or ten) on the horizon and you have no idea how you’re going to get all your work done in time… so what do you do? Go shopping and forget about your worries? Go on Facebook and chat to your fellow-procrastinators? Do anything besides getting started on the work that needs to be done? If this sounds familiar, then read on. In a few minutes, you should know how to breeze through essays, reports, and revision without unnecessary amounts stress.

Buy a diary
This is an invaluable piece of advice: write down all the work you need to do; maybe even use a different color highlighter for each of your Spanish modules. Keeping a note of deadlines is also wise to avoid the sudden realization at 11pm at night that you have a 3000 word essay due in tomorrow! Alternatively, buy a calendar and dedicate it solely to your studies. Calendars are great because they are always on show and avoid the need to flick through pages of notes. Arguably, a diary or calendars are more useful organization tools than the old-fashioned revision timetable which takes time to devise and is easy to stray from.

Be realistic
If you know you are going out on Friday night, don’t kid yourself that you are going to wake up at 8am on Saturday morning to practice Spanish verb tenses. Similarly, allow yourself some “me time”. Whatever that might be: a dance class, a trip to the cinema, or a kick about in the park. Breaks are crucial to avoid turning into a crazy person!

Set yourself mini goals each day
If, for example, you have a 3000 word essay to write and one week until the deadline: tell yourself that you will write a minimum of 500 words a day until it’s done. Make sure the goals are realistic so then it’s more likely that you’ll achieve them. Moreover, aim to do your work in an environment without distractions. Some people work better in the library; others work much better in the comfort of their own home,  some people find that listening to music helps to get them in the zone; others find it distracting – it is whatever works for you.

Try to make work fun
It might sound obvious but if, for example, you’re devising a title for your Spanish dissertation, don’t choose a subject that’s going to bore you! Equally, revision can be made more bearable by organizing revision sessions with friends from your Spanish language class. You can all make revision notes at home and then share your ideas. This is advantageous because, although you may think that you’ve revised a topic thoroughly, there may be one piece of information that you’ve overlooked which is vital for the exam! Additionally, revising with a group of people is more fun, so you are less likely to “switch off” and more likely to absorb information.

Know exactly what you’re doing before embarking on a task
Many times, Spanish lecturers use ridiculously complicated wording for saying the simplest of things: sometimes it is helpful to read the task a couple of times and then put it into your own words. Then, you can break the task down into manageable chunks before tackling them one at a time.

Be kind to yourself
Take regular breaks: make yourself a cup of tea every hour or so for example. Equally, make sure you are well rested – don’t "quemarse las pestañas" studying into the early hours of the morning! At the same time, you mustn’t be too kind to yourself otherwise you’ll end up doing no work! It’s all about the balance!

With hope, this article has provided you with some food for thought about how to tackle your next Spanish assignment. Best of luck and remember these wise words: “fail to prepare; and prepare to fail”.