Hey there note-takers! Are you about to take (or is currently taking) a Spanish class, but you feel completely unprepared?
I have heard this one a million times from my university friends. They wait until somewhere in their last four semesters of college to take their language course! Having not taken Spanish in a few years, they feel some anxiety taking the class. Well if that is you or someone you know, this blog post is here to help with that. From a Spanish teacher to Spanish students, I want to help you succeed.
One thing that you will need is the most obvious thing of them all, the textbook. Often times in university level classes, the curriculum for the semester is based on the textbook, and therefore, the earlier you can get the textbook and practice before the semester begins, the more prepared you will be. Of course, there are obvious exceptions to the rule. For example, I very seldom use textbooks. It’s just not me, but others love a good textbook.
The second item on our list is probably the most important, a partner. Find someone else who is taking Spanish, whether that be someone in your class or another class. Meet for an hour once a week to review what you covered in class together. Meet once a week for a half an hour to an hour to talk completely in Spanish. It will help you improve so much by having a partner. Learning languages is interactive. You can’t truly learn a language unless you are using it constantly.
Next, find some good resources. Quia.com and Quizlet are such huge helps when you are taking the class. You can do so much practice with them when you are studying for a test or quiz. They are only useful if you are using them regularly though, not just the day before the assessment.
Put your phone in Spanish for a week! That will really get you increasing your understanding of Spanish. It may be stressful at first (because most of your apps will also go into Spanish), but you will see that you will understand more than you think that you do.
Lastly, have fun. Spanish is a super fun language (admittedly I am biased). Do the things that you love in Spanish. For many of the songs that you probably love listening to on the radio, there are often covers made by people in Spanish. Or better yet, listen to authentic Hispanic music (my suggestions are Sebastian Yatra, Tini Stoessel, and Alvaro Soler). If you like movies, watch movies in Spanish. Look into the culture of a country. There is something that you can definitely have fun with. If all of that fails, you can try to contact me using the contact page, and I will find more resources for your disposal.
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