9 tips for learning a new language

Learning a new language it's like an adventure, and it can be intimidating, but also - and most importantly - it can be fun and rewarding. You get to see the world through a new perspective, understand better another culture or multiple others, and open new horizons and possibilities to yourself. For me, learning a new language, even if we're talking about the very basics, it really is like opening the door to a new world.

Here I give you some pieces of advice from my own experience studying languages:

1 - Don't be afraid!

Learning a new language can present a challenge, and it can be hard for a lot of people, but the fact that something has some difficulties doesn't automatically rule it out as frustrating or boring. It can be intimidating at first, but don't let it get to you; learning a new language isn't really too hard, crossing the threshold to start may be the hard part. You'll soon become familiarized with the sounds and basic words of your new language and you'll be able to recognize it wherever you hear it or see it.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes, and don't be afraid to use what you've learned; don't be afraid to practice, and if you're just considering starting a new language now, don't be afraid to start!

2 - Don't expect to know too much when you're just starting 

Expecting to be really good really quickly is what brings frustration to most people and eventually brings them to quit. Many people get frustrated because they can't sound like the native speakers, or because they can't be fluent when reading, etc, and they make the mistake of thinking they're just no good or that the language is too hard for them, and eventually they quit. Truth is, not everyone can start learning a new language and be really fluent from the get go. Of course some people can do it, but most people will start without much fluency and make progress from there.

We have to start at the basics and progress in our skill and understanding; we can't expect to be perfect right from the start, because this is where frustration happens. When you're just beginning, don't expect to be perfect; strive to be a perfect beginner.

3 - Don't pressure yourself 

Go at the pace that's comfortable for you. Learning a new language is not a race or a competition. Some people will advance very quickly, and in reality they're not really learning; just consuming too much information at once that they will soon forget. It's best to take your time and learn and understand well. Stay calm and positive and you will make real progress.

4 - Try to practice every day if you can 

Once you start, try to set a time to practice everyday, even if it's just for a few minutes. You don't have to learn something new everyday, some days you'll just want to review previous lessons or concepts. A pinch a day you can make mountains of progress. Practicing every day helps you stay familiarized with the language and to gain fluency.

5 - Don't cram too much new information in one study session

I should know, this can result in a headache. Study as much new stuff as you feel comfortable with in one sitting, if you're studying on your own. If you're in a class, you can take the new information and divide into different smaller sessions until your next lesson day if you find that the information was too much.

6 - That said, don't study new concepts when you're tired; instead, take the time to review what you've learned

Use your time to its fullest benefit, especially if you're busy and only have a few minutes to practice a day. If you get home too tired, perhaps studying something new is not a good idea, unless you feel it relaxes you. In my experience, sometimes studying something new when I'm tired just results in a waste of time, since the next day I don't remember much of it, but other times, sitting down to study helps me relax.

It all depends on how you feel.

7 - Review often

Reviewing it's important to keep things fresh in your mind and eventually make them second nature when practicing your new language. Reading old lessons if you're studying with a book is all you need to do for a quick review; watching old videos and reading old blogs you've studied with before, if this is your method. I find it fun. Whatever your method of out of classroom studies, if you're taking a class, (surely you don't only study in the classroom!) reviewing will help you make progress as much as practicing and studying new things.

8 - Set a time and a place that's free of distractions 

You've probably heard this one before a lot. Having a time of day and a place where you can sit down to study calmly will keep you organized and give you a better feeling of commitment to your language study. It will help you absorb the knowledge better if you're not distracted, too.

9 - Have fun! Keep it interesting

Last but not least, keep it fun! Making your studies fun and interesting is the key to make progress, in my experience. If you see it as work or as a daunting task chances are you won't want to keep studying at all. Learning a new language can be really fun, and when you're having fun, you don't even notice you're learning and things just come naturally! Look for ways to keep things interesting, to keep you motivated. There are many activities you can do to keep it fun, like watching movies in that language, listening to songs and reading news articles online; the possibilities are pretty much endless on what you can do.

Be creative!

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I hope this little page of advice can be of help to you, and I wish you much success and joy with your new language. To sum things up, the most important advice here is to make sure your studies bring you joy, comfort, and fun; not any stress or pressure.

Until next time! 

*This was originally posted on my old website (yourdailypinchofspanish), which no longer exists. If it is still running, it is a person or bot using my content without my permission.

5 reasons why learning Spanish is a good idea

5 reasons why learning Spanish is a good idea:

If you need more reasons to start learning the Spanish language, other than how interesting it sounds, just because you want to, or if you're thinking of learning a new language and are considering Spanish, I hope the following reasons can help you make your choice and inspire you to take on the challenge of learning this beautiful language.

1 - Millions of people around the world speak Spanish as their native language

Spanish is the official language of 25 countries around the world; you can find Spanish speaking countries in Europe (where it originated in Spain), the Americas, the Caribbean, and even Africa! There are around 400 million people speaking Spanish. You can travel around the world and put your Spanish knowledge to good use.

2 - Spanish has different varieties or dialects from place to place, but with learning just one you can communicate efficetively anywhere and everywhere Spanish is spoken

That's right. Just by learning a general Spanish, the simplest to pronounce, you can go anywhere the Spanish language is spoken and understand and be understood in return. It really is all the same, with differences in how some letters and words are pronounced (and the local slang). You don't need to learn the more difficult pronunciation from Spain's Spanish, just by learning a general Spanish you can travel to many countries around the world and communicate effectively.

3 - Broadens your business opportunities 

Being at the top of the world's most spoken languages, and an official language in four continents in 25 countries, for entrepreneurs and business people it could come in handy, especially if considering expansion. And you don't even have to be a business owner or entrepreneur to benefit from Spanish, knowing such a versatile and convenient language as Spanish can give you an advantage and open some doors. It certainly will look good on your resume.

4 - Basic Spanish syntax has similarities with English

Although there are some differences, at the beginning of your studies you will see that the order of sentences is quite similar to English. English is a SVO type of language, meaning that to construct basic sentences a subject comes first, followed by a verb, and ending with an object. Spanish is also a SVO type, so when you take on Spanish you will have this as and advantage if your native language is English. You won't have to start thinking 'upside down' or 'right to left' to understand what you're reading or learning.

5 - Learning and practicing a new language will keep your mind sharp, and learning one that you will actually use is even better

Many languages are very attractive because of their origin, or sound, or the cultures surrounding them, but sometimes these languages are only spoken in that particular country, or perhaps are not even used anymore. Learning a language that's widely used, like Spanish, is more useful and will be of greater benefit to you than learning one of these 'ornamental' languages as I will call them, since you can learn them and they are beautiful, but you will rarely, if ever, use them. According to researchers* who compared people that only speak their native language to people who speak a second language, speaking another language can improve your brain function and prevent brain diseases that come with age, such as Alzheimer's and dementia. And people who speak another language are also better at multitasking (which I have to say is a good skill to have lately.)

Learning a language that you can actually use is better because it is the practice of switching between languages regularly what stimulates your brain. Spanish is a language that you can use even without leaning the country if you live in a place with many Hispanic visitors, like the US, for example; it's a language that you can actually put to use.

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 I'd also like to add that learning Spanish is fun! It will allow you to travel with confidence to different continents, how great is that? You can go to South America, Caribbean Islands, Europe, and even Africa and find people who speak Spanish.

I hope these reasons can convince you to start learning today, and I wish you much fun in your learning! Good luck :)

*The researchers I mentioned are Ellen Bialystok from York University in Toronto, and Judith Kroll from Penn State University.  

How to introduce yourself in Spanish

Hello, and welcome to Your Daily Pinch of Spanish! A blog dedicated to the study of the Spanish language, created by a native Spanish speaker and language lover. Here you'll find short lessons that go straight to the point, focused on useful Spanish words and expressions, and inspirational posts to help you in your learning.

As a first lesson post, I thought it'd be a great idea to teach you how to introduce yourself. It's the first thing you do when you first meet someone, after all!

I'm all about keeping things simple and useful for you, so I will show you three ways you can introduce yourself easily and appropriately for different settings.

First, the vocabulary used. The pronunciations are shown in parenthesis. For further information about Spanish pronunciation, you can click here, or on the link above the page, where I provide you with three tables I prepared to show you how to pronounce the Spanish alphabet.

Words in this lesson:

1- Hola (Oh-lah) - Hello, hi

2- Nombre (Nohm-breh) - Name

3- Mi (mee) - my

4 - Mucho gusto (moo-choh goos-toh) - nice to meet you; pleased to meet you

5- Llamo (jah-moh) - To be called; to call (*The first person present indicative form of the verb 'llamar', which means 'to call'; used when referring to yourself.)

6- Yo (joh) - I

7- ¿Cuál? (koo-ahl) - Which?

8- ¿Cómo? (koh-moh)  - How?

9- Es (Ehs) - To be (*present form of the verb 'ser')

10- Gusto (goos-toh) - taste, pleasure

11- Mío (Mee-oh) - Mine

12- Conocer (koh-no-sehr) - to know, to meet

Now for the expressions you can use to introduce yourself. Read them aloud, and repeat them; replace the blank space with your own name:

1. Hola, mi nombre es ___. Mucho gusto.

In English, it translates to: Hi, my name is ___. Nice to meet you.

It's short, it's simple, and it can be used in any setting, either casual or formal. It's a go to expression for this, really. You can exchange the word 'Hola', with the greeting 'Buenas' if you like; you get the same translation, but it'll be a bit more formal.

Now for the next one.

2. Me llamo ___. Mucho gusto.

It translates to: I'm (called) ___. Nice to meet you.

This one is shorter and very casual. It can be also used as a response to an introduction, when another person has introduced himself or herself to you. You can add 'hola' to the start if you like. It will make it friendlier, and you should if you are the one approaching another person. As in the above example, you can use the greeting 'Buenas' instead of the word 'Hola' to make it softer. A variation for this is to add 'yo': 'Yo me llamo __. Mucho gusto', and can be used as a response to an introduction, too.

And now the third and last example I'll give you for this part.

3. Buenas, mi nombre es ___. Gusto en conocerle.

This one is more formal. 'Conocerle' is a formal variation of 'conocerte', which translates to 'meet you'. The expression still translates to 'Hello, my name is ___. Nice to meet you.' Instead of saying only 'gusto en conocerle', you can add the word 'mucho' to make it even more formal, 'mucho gusto en conocerle.'

You may want to ask the other person their name, and to do this, simple ask one of the following:

1. ¿Cuál es tu nombre?

This translates to 'What's your name?' (*as you can see, in Spanish, to write a question, there's another question mark before the sentence.) You can use this with any of the examples above, in any setting.

2. ¿Cómo te llamas?

This one translates to 'How are you called?' which is pretty much the same as 'What's your name?'. This one can also be used in any setting, with any of the examples above.

3. ¿Tu nombre?

This one translates to 'your name?' and it's more informal. Use it in casual settings, with people your age.

You can say 'mucho gusto' before asking the other person for their name, or after they've told you their name. It makes little difference, but many prefer to say it after they've received the other person's name. (I personally just say it after I've said my name, like in the above examples.)

So, now you have some phrases you can use to introduce yourself, but what can you say when someone has introduced themselves to you first? You can use any of the above examples to introduce yourself after someone has introduced themselves to you, but you'd do a shorter version. It can simply be your own name, followed by a response to 'mucho gusto', which can be 'mucho gusto' itself (the most casual and most used response), or one of the following:

'El gusto es mio', 'El placer es mío', 'El placer es todo mío', which all translate to 'the pleasure is mine', being 'El gusto es mío' the most casual among these; 'El placer es todo mío' translates to 'The pleasure is all mine', and that's formal and barely used, at least in my experience.

To give you the most used responses to an introduction, you can respond by saying your own name, followed by 'mucho gusto', or saying 'Soy ____. Mucho gusto', which translates to 'I'm ___. Nice to meet you.'

It's very simple, and with those two you can't go wrong.

To close this little lesson, I will show you three examples of how an introduction could go, to give you a better idea:

Example 1:

Person 1: Hola, mi nombre es ___. Mucho gusto.

Person 2. (Person's name). Mucho gusto.

Example 2:

Person 1: Hola, me llamo ___. ¿Cómo te llamas?

Person 2: Hola, me llamo ___. Mucho gusto.

Person 1: El gusto es mío.

Example 3:

Person 1: Hola, mi nombre es ___. ¿Cómo te llamas?

Person 2: Soy ___. Mucho gusto.

Person 1: El gusto es mío.

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Now you should be able to introduce yourself in Spanish! These are some simple ways, some that I've used myself as a native speaker.

I hope you've enjoyed this blog and that you've learned something! My goal is to give you phrases that are useful to you, that you can learn and use right away.

I wish you success, and happy studies!