The way you learn Spanish is really quite simple. First, you have to learn words, learn how to form sentences, then you have to develop the skill to speak and to understand. If this makes sense to you then read on and I will tell you the universally accepted way this is done.

In any public school system you go into you will find their curriculum divided into two areas:

1. The Foundation Courses

2. The Skill Development Courses

Foundation work is defined as putting together a structural knowledge of a language.  The pillars of the Spanish foundation consist of nine tenses, the use of the pronouns, and the basic grammar.

Once this foundation is in place you have the knowledge to develop the skill to speak and understand.

It makes sense that you cannot draw knowledge from a dry well, right? So, the Foundation Course fills the well. Now, since the well is full, you should be able to speak right? Here is the confusing part for most people.  You cannot think and speak at the same time.  Speaking is a cognitive motor skill.  So when you start speaking, in the beginning, you stumble and stammer and wonder why you can’t think of what to say.

Consider learning golf or tennis.  You can be shown how to hold the club or the racket and understand perfectly what you should do. Now, in that instant you are swinging at the ball there is no thought occurring.

After you hit the ball and it goes in the wrong direction, you say, “Oops, what did I do?” and then you adjust and try it again.  This is normal right?  I mean, you didn’t expect to hit it perfect the first time even though someone showed you how.

Over time, hitting hundreds of balls your knowledge comes together with your skill and you begin to hit the ball where you want to.

You don’t expect to play the guitar perfectly after eight lessons do you?  No, you need to practice.

It is the same with Spanish.  After you learn how to put sentences together, you have to practice.  Trial and error.  So you try to say what you want and it comes out wrong.  After you have flubbed up you can analyze what you said and self-correct and then try again.  Over time the words begin to come out accurately and smoothly.

Now, how do you develop the skill?  Viola, Skill Development Courses.

These are small classes of 4 to 6 students where you practice your Spanish within a particular context. A context that you have studied before class.  The content usually has to do with the amount of tenses you have studied.  For example, Beginners conversation will focus on present tense and developing relationships.

Intermediate Conversation focuses on the Past tenses and talking about past events. Advanced conversation uses all the tenses and many topics are discussed. 

Skill development can also occur in private tutoring.  In any case, there should be class preparation using some sort of reading and writing and then you come together in class to discuss what you have prepared.

Of course practice with native speakers is irreplaceable, but a lot of bad habits can be formed if you are not being corrected.  So, guidance and correction are still important as you develop skill to use the tenses.

Once you have developed your skill to a fairly competent level, that is you can begin to form sentences, even though they are halting with a lot of errors, and you can self-correct or understand when someone corrects you, you are ready for total immersion.

All schools for adult learners in Mexico are total immersion schools, except the Warren Hardy School.  Total immersion means that they only speak Spanish in the school. 

After several weeks in a total immersion program, given that you have done the proper prerequisites, you will move into “Spanish mind”.  This means that you will begin to think in Spanish and flow with you speech.  You will not be impeccable with your sentences, but you will flow and be able to understand what is being said, even though you will miss words here and there.

At this point, the process changes and it is just a matter of time before you become fluid. You become a Spanish practitioner instead of a Spanish learner.  You will have to continue to review your grammar and tenses but the process becomes enjoyable.  You will move from practice to study, practice to study until your knowledge and skill come together and you will experience the joy of communicating your personality in another language. Now you are hitting the ball where you want it to go and playing your song on the guitar.

So here again are the steps:

Foundation work:  Learn the tenses and basic grammar.

Skill development work:  Develop basic skills for speaking and understanding.

Total Immersion work:  Develop the ability to flow with your speech and track native speakers.

So, how much time does this take?  Not a lot.  In fact adults learn language about 10 times faster than children. It takes about three years and thousands of hours of exposure for a child to learn it’s native language.  It takes about 300 hours for an adult to complete this process.  Can you wrap your mind around this?  I will explain more in the next blog:The 300 Hour Spanish Course.

B.T.W, Do you know what the difference is between Spanish Practitioner and Spanish Learner? and what are the skills needed for each?  Read: Spanish Learner vs. Spanish Practitioner