tips for learning a foreign language

These are the key to learn any language. make sure you read your last lesson and notes as soon as possible after the lesson finishes. that same night would be ideal! just keep in mind that the longer you leave it, the less you will remember.

if you are doing a course, always do your homework on time. do not underestimate the importance of homework. just think of it: if it wasn't important, we would not be asking students to do any ho9mework since that means more work for us teachers!

Start making notes of every new word you learn, specially those ones you think will be useful in the future.

write the meaning of the word, and an example sentence.

it is more effective and maneageable to study just 15 minutes every day than to study a longer session once a week. frequency is more important than the amount of time.

between lessons put your knowledge into practice and try to communicate with native speakers of the language. if that is not possible, listen to the radio or watch TV programmes in Spanish. of course you will not understand much at the beginning but it will help you get used to how the language sounds (rhythm and intonation); and if you stick to it, you might start picking up a few words and phrases.

to expand your vocabulary you can also read Spanisj newspapers and magazines or search for interesting spanish sites on the web. your tutor will be able to point out a few resources in accordance with your level.

avoid translating from one language to another - especially when you try to do it word by word - because many times it is simply not possible. it should be the situation what triggers the answer, not the translation of each word from your language. This takes a lot practise!

to be able to learn it is essential to be relaxed and enjoy what you are doing. many people get nervous when learning a language mainly because they are embarrased of making mistakes. they forget mistakes are part of the learning process and we all learn from our mistakes! you must understand that those mistakes you make today can be some of your best learning moments!

immerse in the language as much as you can, even at home. while at home, practise saying the date, the time, greet your pet throughout the day in the new language, make shopping lists, pretend you are ordering a meal... you will be surprised how much you can remember if you do it every day.