Become Fluent Faster By Changing Your Approach to Spanish (A Detailed Strategy) 

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One of the most difficult things is always hearing people talk about how easy spanish is. And then when you start studying Spanish, you realize that it's not easy. After you come to this realization, then you meet someone who tells you that they learned it in 6 months or one year. Then you go right back to level one of frustration. Where you start to wonder what you are doing wrong.

I'm an 80-year old retired university professor. You are a much better teacher than I ever was. Thank you for your great videos. Take care.

6:23 the reason that we remember things better when we study before bed is because during our REM sleep cycles, our short term memory is converted into our long term through the hippocampus!! great video thank you! very helpful in my studies of Spanish

After learning a grammar concept, I write out a few simple examples and act it out in my living room.

“Pick one way to say it and stick to it” I love this! It’s really simple and I’m realizing I do the same thing with English. I say a frase the same way everytime unless I hear another way a bunch of times and I start liking how that sounds more. Just approach your foreign language the same way!

"Hasta luego" commentary had me in tears. Do you, Paul, as you always have here. Now we're in on the (slight) joke, it's even better. 😂

Where have you been the last 2 years? I have been struggling and being all over the place with learning spanish still do not know how to speak with courage. I have done two lessons with you so far and already feeling more confident. You are an amazing teacher, thank you very much

The other best way to learn is spend a significant amount of time in a latin american country. In 1996 I went to Argentina for work. After 6 months I realized I was understanding 70% of what was said to me. After another few months I could initiate and respond to almost all conversations. The ket was to stay away from English speaking people, listen to the news on tv, find local friends (that didn't speak English), read signs on the street, listen to people talk around you and have fun, Was fully fluent after about a year and a half. Guatemala has a lot of language schools that do a good job of teaching gringos.

I love the chunks method. I also do a lot of writing sentences down in a notebook, for practice. A lot of it sticks. As well, when I go for walks, I think of something I want to say, maybe an observation, and if I can’t come up with the whole thing or am unsure, I speak into the phone using Google Translate as I’m walking, then just practice what I come up with. Your earlier advice, to focus on the vocab for one subject, like ‘camping’ or whatever you’re interested in in the moment, is also valuable. I have several word lists by topic to follow this, ‘The Kitchen’, ‘The Weather’, etc. Anyway, thank you for the valuable lessons! Review in the evenings is something I’m going to work on. Hola from Canada 😊

I especially appreciate the idea of not translating the whole sentence before speaking. I find that by the time I have translated the whole sentence not only is the person not listening but I can't even remember the first part of the sentence. It's great being an elder and learning another language. Gracias por ayudarme!!!

The train car analogy: 💖 Thank you for your hard work and dedication to Spanish learners!

The thing to do reference how to say for example "en cunto a" (regarding) is to learn ALL of them (so that you know what they are when someone else says them to you or during something you're listening to) whilst only picking one yourself to use. There are quite a few ways to say "maybe", for example. I always say "Quizás" but when Juan says "Tal vez salgamos más tarde." I recognise that and will reply "Sí - quizás"

Please dont stop with the Hasta Luegos! I love them!

Always look forward to your videos. Paul, keep up the good work.

Gracias-all the tips are helpful and will be utilized in my daily routines!!!!

Gracias Paul, voy a probarlos.

i really appreciate how you always make learning spanish so approachable ! i kinda suck at having a study strategy and just take it day by day, but i'm working towards more structure and consistency so this seriously came at the perfect time !

Gracias! Genial como siempre.

I love that you said to speak in chunks! I have always tried to figure out the sentence before I speak it. I am going to try your merhod. So happy I stumbled upon your channel. HASTA LUEGO!

I do the reading! And usually right before turning out the lights to go to sleep. To start, I just went to my local library and found the children's Spanish books section. I discovered a few delightful "graphic novels". Simple dialog with accompanying images. I then moved up to "young adult" books, like Harry Potter as someone already commented on or whatever on the shelf looked like it might be enjoyable. I've read The Martian and Project Hail Mary in Spanish. I'm now reading my second Dan Brown novel. I keep my English-Spanish dictionary nearby so I can look up words that I just can't figure out from the context. I start out reading out loud for a while, then just read silently. It's such an enjoyable way to improve my vocabulary and get exposed to different grammar uses. Plus, it just simply a relaxing way to unwind for the night. I don't know if it will give me the confidence to try and converse in Spanish, but I'm just doing this for fun, for the challenge, to keep my 64-year-old brain working, LOL.

Thank you - very helpful particularly starting the train

Thank you for this and thank you the encouragement as well dude you have been instrumental helping me learn Spanish

¡Buenos consejos! Lo que hago casi todos los dias en mi viaje de aprender español es simplemente hacer un poco en secciones. Por la mañana antes de trabajo, 10 minutos para repetir algo en voz alta. Después de trabajo, si tengo tiempo, hago revisión lo que aprendí el día anterior. Por último, mientras lavandome los dientes usualmente yo veo vídeos como tus vídeos. Hasta ahora, es muy divertido. ¡Así es!

This is the video I’ve been waiting for! Thanks Paul. You’re a great teacher and I really appreciate all the work you put into your content. I’ve been around spanish speakers for the last 12 years and this is the information that we’re all looking for that no one knows how to give.

"You'll get there". That's how I look at it too. Like, learning an instrument or anything else for that matter.

One of my tips to learn languages (helped me with English, French, and a bit of Japanese), keep practicing in your mind even if you have to mix your native language, you're not going to know how to say everything at the start. Then in a break you have you can check what's the actual translation of the parts you didn't said in your target language. (I think this is one of the set backs some classes have, the rule of "We only speak here", with this no one will want to say something because they aren't sure how to make a whole sentence)

Great advice Paul. Love you and your teaching videos.Greetings from london.🤩

Yes! Indispensable tips in this short video that make you say, "yeah, that makes sense".

A lot of what he said was never used by my Spanish teachers in school. Instead, we did day after day of mostly rote memorization of verb conjugations with some application.

Keep the hasta luego! It’s funny and it’s catchy. In fact, I left my Spanish tutor’s house the other day (he’s Mexican) and on my way out I said “until next time, haaasta luego” 😂 we both had a good laugh

So good, thanks!

Great advice. Thanks.

hey Paul, love the comment re thinking in spanish.. feels like every online tutor-video-article says you MUST think in spanish. i could never make this happen earlier on in my learning. . saludos desde Australia. 🐨

LOL. --- its a great tag line!!! People are tooooooo serious!! Thank you for the awesome content and inspiration.

This concept of keeping the train moving has actually helped me realize where I’ve been stuck with my Japanese learning. I’m not learning Spanish, but I’ve been listening to your videos to understand how to learn languages in general. Super helpful!

Thank you. I enjoy and learn from your videos.

A mí me encantó su video. A veces perdemos tiempo con verbos y palabras difíciles que nunca vamos usarlas. Me gusta mucho saber su rotina para aprender español por la mañana, la tarde y la noche y creo que voy a copiar su rotina para aprender otras lenguas que todavía no conozco. ¡Muchas gracias por compartir!

Haaaasta luego!!! Don't change a thing, we love it!

Be yourself Paul, what you do, say, and teach, is very successful and well liked. Until we see you again, hastaaaaa lueeeeegooooo😊.xx

So many good tips hear. Already, I am feeling more comfortable to speak with the suggestion to use sentence starters to help me pause and think. I will practice learning in chunks. I can't help but to want to know more than one way to say something. I will control myself with no more than two ways. And LOL, people really came at you for the way that you sign off. They truly feel that anything is fair game on youtube. Thanks for a great video.

You are the best Spanish teacher ever! There is hope for me yet.

I really love your approach to learning a new language for adults. I really needed this today.

Hasta la próxima! Man those are some great suggestions, Paul. It's kinda hard to think back about how we learned once we're essentially fluent. But good ideas tend to stick with us. I remember walking around the house as a kid and trying to name everything I looked at. And make up conversations in my head using the new vocabulary I'd memorized from a book. Reading stories and newspapers, it was hard because I'd have to stop and look up words in my Spanish-English dictionary so often. I couldn't follow shortwave broadcasts though I kept trying. Music was easier because I could rewind the tape and listen repeatedly. I'd write down the lyrics and the parts I couldn't get I'd ask people what they're saying. Julio Iglesias was a big one. And Alvarez Guedes, the comedian. (Who are these people, you ask 😂 ) All that lead up to practicing conversations with native speakers, many of whom had limited English proficiency so they weren't always trying to switch to English. And it's a long slow process overall. Some days things just flow and you feel like you're progressing leaps and bounds, then on a new day you realize there's a long road ahead. En fin, the way I see it, those who want to learn, may, and those who have decided to learn, do. Cheers amigo!

Fantastic. I have not only watched several of your videos, I have also watched several other channels. There are certainly some very good ones out there, but, I must say, that you are the best teacher for adults learning a language. At least for me, I say this, because I have worked on 2 other languages and have also done some research on how humans learn language. Pertaining to that, it is true that language educatin has made great strides by learning how it is that infants learn their native language. That research has fundamentally changed language education. HOWEVER, we are not infants. We are adults. Therefore, even though it is advantageous to incorporate what has been learned about infant language assimulation, we must also approach the learning process from an adult perspective. SO, THANK YOU QROO. MUCHAS GRACIAS.

My husband and I love you Croo. This is something we do enjoy doing together. We watch some of the lessons over and over.

You are a great teacher. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and all the advice you give.

Thanks QP, loved this video, you’ve got a new subscriber here, muchas gracias, hasta luego lol

I have been incorporating grammar lessons very slowly by learning and absorbing each individual grammar concept and then incorporating them into my talking lessons, as well as trying to identify the grammar concept in all of my input (video games, youtube videos, ect). It's been working very well. It is like the language has been making more and more sense as all of the grammar components come together. And I am only doing maybe 30 min of grammar lessons on my own maybe 2 or 3 times a week. I still spend 80-90% of my time talking and listening.

I am so glad I found your channel- yay! I appreciate your calm manner- it's like you have all the patience in the world- awesome job doing these videos. I'm leaning your subj triggers but I find in conversation I never use them because I'm not relaxed enough- I tend to just stick with the imperative all the time. Anyway, I am fairly fluent since doing a Spanish degree and a semester abroad 25 years ago. But I never even knew so much of this stuff- especially about the subjunctive!! One problem I have now is that I get nervous speaking Spanish and have trouble controlling my air intake- so I'm like rushing through my phrases them gasping for air! Advice? dee>

Really helpful video! I particularly like the point around 9:45 - this is a huge help to avoid being left behind in conversations.

Good class of conversation

wow, lots of great tips! Thank you! Subscribed :)

Great video, Paul, with some useful suggestions. Personally, I can also highly recommend: (1) Listening to podcasts, stopping them when you want to, to repeat something “en voz alta”. (2) Finding a couple of good language exchange partners online. My conversation skills have improved dramatically when I have had to talk live to real people 😅 !

What your saying makes sense , sabe que that is something Iam sticking in my head before go to bed and, I will be following you

I promise...Ive seen, heard and watched a lot of Spanish sites, and you're the best teacher hands down. I can't wait to join your group. You're wife loves you for other reasons, but I love you as my teacher. ❤❤❤

I study english because I want it to be my second leanguage but I watched this video and i can see for you is so difficult too. I like to get a conversation with people who is native of idiom English. Greetings from México city.

That was really good. Thank you!

I have studied Spanish for years, but your videos have helped increase my Spanish exponentially! I could NEVER figure out when to use "lo que" until your video and it just clicked! BEST SPANISH TEACHER EVER! Haaaasta luego❤

Me gusta "haaasta luego!" Es graciosa, relajada, informal - quédatelo!

great sugestions!

Gracias. Hasta lueeegooo

This was a very, very helpful video. Thank you, from a grateful new subscriber.

Great video! Thanks!🙌🙏

Paul i just this interest recently and I'm hoping to learn the Spanish and be fluent ASAP

You are an awesome teacher!

Hey Paul! I was wondering if you could make a video on the imperfect and preterite. On how you learned it and figured out when to use them, thanks! Continue with the great videos!

Thank you, as always, for your valuable help. My brain gets you. Lol. And oh, those days when the brain freezes and you can’t put a sentence together to save your life, and you think you’ll NEVER learn the language. I just give myself a moment, and think about how much I didn’t previously know that I do now. Doesn’t necessarily get me over that hump right then, but in a while, it does. 37 days until the move to Ecuador. Immersion will do wonders. Lol.

Awesome advice 👏🏾

I love soccer and just watch interviews, read news articles, etc. I think if we all just kind of take advantage of an interest it’s much easier.

Haaaaassssta Luego Paul!

I really like your train car idea!!

Ignore the “hasta luego” haters, you’re an excellent speaker-and instructor.

Blessed youu!!!!!! I have this issue lol subed right away lol

Hearing you talk about saying "hasta luego" at the end had me laughing. I've been working with a Mexican contractor for the last few months and I've always wanted to learn Spanish, so I've started practicing. The first thing I'd start saying was "hasta manana" at the end of the day. When I said it , he goes "no, that is incorrect." I said, doesn't that mean see you tomorrow? He says yes, but not "haasstaaaa maneeeaaaannaaa" it's "hasta manana very fast." Speaking Spanish at an English-speaking speed has been a hard habit to break, but I'm getting there. Your videos are great, and your course is really helping me build on what I've learned, and I only just started. Thank you for what you're doing!

Sooo helpful tysm 🙌🏼

Thanks

Esta casi un años después me empecé estudiar. Muchas gracias para todos tu videos en su canal. Aunque no estoy todavía fluencia, conozco voy llegar y a veces tengo un momento de brillamente. Todos dice esta difícil aprender un idio cuando esta mayor, pero no me encontró difícil con tus estrategias. Gracias para todos los consejos y trucos y señalando buenos recursos.

Great video and suggestions. I wish you would continue your series on Subjunctive Triggers.

It’s me again. There’s a RU-vid channel that I like. It’s simply called. Like Spanish. It’s also helping me learn Spanish. Rick

great!!

Good morning Paul. This is a great advice not just for Spanish, but for any language. I may leave the link to this video somewhere on my channel, if you do not mind.

Esta bien , profesor de tu estilo,hasta luego ,😁

Great!

Thanks!

Algunas personas piensan demasiado. "Haaasta Luego," es perfecto porque es imperfecto, como la vida.

My husband speaks Spanish and I am now learning to speak. He only speaks to me in Spanish now and I understand everything but just can’t put it together myself but it’s only been 2 weeks

So many Spanish language teachers attempt to force feed students into ways to say the same thing in different ways. That is not very conducive to learning a language and thank you for pointing that out. It just adds so much more unnecessary confusion and frustration for someone learning the language.

Your approach to memorizing by studying before you sleep is a proven technique. Memorizing is easiest when you study the materials the last 30-60 minutes before bed, and then also the first 30-60 when you wake up. It always blew me away how much i could memorize this way. i credit this with how I got my associates degree over a decade ago. If you don't believe how easy it is, challenge yourself and try it out tonight!

As an English Canadian born in a French city I didn't have a choice but to learn French. I became fluent by the time I was about 16. The biggest hurdle is learning your first romance language. Plural, masculine and feminine and tense are hard at first but once you grasp it Italian and French come easy. Good luck!

In panama, it took me a while to figure out "alwhago" said in a very compressed burst was the local way to say hasta luego! I also hear Ciao! for goodbye, which surprised me.

¡Como siempre, excelente contenido! En cuanto a haaaasta luego, no te preocupes por eso " I get it" y a mí me gusta. Sabemos que gramaticamente no es corecto, pero es no la idea. haaasta luego..😅

If I may add one more suggestion: music! I’ve found that listening to Spanish music, particularly kid songs, can be quite helpful. With the kid songs, may sound strange but it’s the way they’re composed- the simplicity and repetition. After all, they’re created for the age level who is still learning to speak. I like Gallina Pintadita. Their RU-vid channel usually has the captions too. I’ve also incorporated some other types of music with my progression.

Muchas gracias señor Paul. Me parece una buena idea y sin duda la pondré en práctica . No sé si hay algún error en mi escritura.

Sigue con tu eslogan hasta luego😊

In retrospect, I would have learned the grammar first (when I was most serious, studious, excited to learn). It is so easy to add vocabulary words later. Also, join or start an in-person meetup group where everyone helps everyone else out.

Gracias por chunks consejo y frases de preposición. Tengo hacer un pregunta. When in conversation is it normal to accidentally skip words. I do it a lot.

Great tips but where do you find that content. The key phrases or the verbs with there propositions?

In other words, the phrase book method. I agree, nothing wrong with that to get to a survival level profinciancy.

I learn best with patterns. School never did this.