The goal of studying Spanish is to communicate!!      
So don't wait until you get it perfect, start talking
and you'll get better.
 
1.  Cognates
Cognates are words that look the same, sound similar, and have the same meaning     in Spanish and English.  Some examples are comunicación, limón, and oficina.          These types of words are called cognates and the Spanish language is made up of     about 60% of these types of words.

2.  You don't need to understand everything
You will always come across words that you do not know while either listening to     someone speak or reading something.  Using context clues can be a big help.  If         you have a general idea about the topic more than likely you can put things                 together.  Do not get hung up on every word - you will be stuck at the beginning         while the speaker is already finished with what they have to say.

3.  Flashcards
Flashcards are an awesome learning tool.  The best way to make them is to put a         picture of the item on one side and the Spanish word on the other.  Just taking a         few minutes here and there to look through your flashcards will help tremendously     in building vocabulary.  You can also use them to review with a friend, play                 concentration, create sentences, etc.

4.  Watching yourself speak
It can be very challenging and sometimes intimidating to listen to a native speaker.      Most people need to watch the mouth of the person speaking to help them with         words.  A good way to practice this is to stand in front of the mirror and speak         about anything.  Watch how your mouth forms the words.  It is good practice.

5.  Use what you know
Learning another language will help you understand your own language better.              When learning about grammar in Spanish, try to relate it to a concept in English         that  you understand.  Making new material seem familiar is a good way to                 remember it.



Passports|Spanish 7|Spanish I

This Page was last update: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 at 10:12:06 PM
This page was originally posted: 4/2/03; 10:27:49 AM.
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