SPANISH MINDSET

Now, let me introduce myself. I’m Nicholas, I am Argentinian, so my native language is Spanish. I have a lot of students who ask me this question: «I feel frustrated. I feel stuck in language learning, and I feel that I cannot improve.» To begin with, I want to say that we all have ups and downs when we are learning a language and this feeling is a stage you overcome.

The first step to improving your Spanish: Change topics.

If you are always reading the same type of books, watching the same series, the same movies, or the same YouTuber, you are in a kind of «comfort zone» where you are not getting better anymore. You need to get out of there.

So, how do you do that?

For example, I always read history books, but I feel that I do not improve anymore. What I have to do in my case is change that, now I will switch to science, poetry, or any specific topic that I am not usually exposed to. This will help us learn a lot of new vocabulary and will help us solve our problem.

If you are always reading the same type of books, the same category, or the same author, you have to change that. As I told you, I love history, but I’m not really into literature. So now, because I want to solve my problem, I’ve started reading some literature. For example, I used to read realism, but now I’m reading fiction and fantasy, such as Lovecraft and Jules Verne.

The second piece of advice: Don’t study grammar (at least for a while)

Why do I say this? Well, basically, because when we are learning grammar, we really want to be perfect. But I think that vocabulary is more important than grammar.

If you want to learn any grammar pattern—if you have a specific problem and you want to understand and solve it—what happens is that our mind is not always prepared to grasp it at that moment.

So, what should we do to fix this?

Basically, you have to consume more vocabulary and content in Spanish. This will help you improve your grammar naturally. Some grammar patterns you learn early on, while others come later at the right level. However, we all learn grammar differently. Sometimes, we learn something advanced before mastering something easier, or we struggle with something that is supposed to be simple.

So, what do we do? Keep going. Over time, you will start saying things correctly.

But the most important thing is to focus on vocabulary. So, I recommend that if you feel stuck and feel like you aren’t improving, you should change your topics and focus on expanding your vocabulary.

Don’t waste time learning grammar—use that time to learn more vocabulary.

The most important thing in Spanish, and in any other language, is to be understood, not perfect. Of course, if you really enjoy learning grammar, I recommend doing it for a while and then continuing with your daily learning.

The third piece of advice: Escape your daily routine

We all have a daily routine when learning a language. For example, I always read a specific book I like, I always listen to a podcast every day or on specific days of the week, and I work with my students. These things are repetitive.

But if we feel like we aren’t improving, we need to change that.

To escape your daily learning routine in Spanish, I highly recommend:

• If you don’t have a tutor or teacher, get one. A tutor will give you personalized lessons and conversation practice, helping you learn new vocabulary in context.
• Find people who also want to learn Spanish or native Spanish speakers to practice with.

For example, I am learning Japanese. Over time, learning a language can feel routine, and you may feel stuck. So what do I do?

• I take classes with a tutor.
• I go to Japanese events in Argentina.
• I join online communities.
• I play games with native speakers.
• I watch different movies.

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