This summer, I hope to jump-start my dormant Spanish skills.
Not long ago, Mary, a subscriber, asked me to share exactly how I intended to do this.
So, I’ll tell you.
Whenever I am learning a new language, or refreshing what I once knew, I tend to take a multi-tiered approach.
In other words, I am not going to give you one silver-bullet answer.
Here is what I am doing to re-learn Spanish.
(Just so you know, the Amazon links are affiliate links. If you buy from Amazon, I will get a few pennies. When they add up, I will probably blow them on lights for my bicycle… so that I can stay alive to post more Amazon links which I will then use to put more lights on my bicycle in order to stay alive so that… oh never mind.)
First, I am practicing every day on Duolingo. Duolingo is free and is really powerful. Unfortunately, the social justice warriors have bent the developers’ ears, so you will encounter views you may not support from time to time. I still use DuoLingo anyway. After all, we are getting hit from all sides with views we may not care much about anyway. Seems to be no place to hide anymore.
Second, I am reading in Spanish. The New Testament is readily available in Spanish. I highly recommend it. No matter what language I am learning, one of the first things I do is begin reading the New Testament in the language.
Third, I read through several pages of Spanish Through Pictures. Available from Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3gFvEnK
Spanish Through Pictures is also available from Archive.org for free here: https://archive.org/details/spanishthroughpi00rich/page/n17/mode/2up
Fourth, sporadically these days, I still listen to Coffee Break Spanish. I’ve been listening to them for years.
Fifth, I like to read other books in Spanish. Hunger Games, Harry Potter, etc.
Sixth, I practice Spanish with Spanish-speaking friends. Try it. They will likely appreciate your efforts. That has certainly been my experience. You don’t get laughed at. And you don’t get hostility. Most native speakers are happy you are trying.
Hope you are having a happy Saturday!
