Fred, who moved to Spain at the age of 62, shares with us his secrets for learning Spanish.

Important! You must have a positive and determined approach, as language learning does not come naturally to mature learners.

• Never translate a complicated English sentence in your head.
• Don't worry about getting things wrong.
• Say what you can say. You will find the natives appreciate the effort you make to speak their language and are usually very kind.
• Put yourself near to the natives as much as you can e.g. in the market, in the shops, on public transport etc.
• Listen to children, who tend to speak more slowly, more simply and more clearly.
• Try to pick out phrases you have already learned.
• Listen to local radio, where you absorb unconsciously more than you may think.
• Look carefully at road signs, hoardings etc.
• Read advertising fliers.
• Watch advertisements on TV, where key words are often repeated.
• Buy a local newspaper, rather than an English one.
• When playing an English DVD, watch with subtitles in the target language. Or watch a target-language film on TV, using teletext to supply subtitles provided for the deaf.
• By choice, live next to natives and not expatriate neighbours. Do not live on a conurbation dominated by expatriates.

Above all, do not spend all your time in an English-run bar.

 

Comments: