10 Day Spanish Challenge Recap!

Did you miss our 10 day Spanish Challenge to start off the New Year? ¡Oh no! ¡Que lástima! Don't worry because we're gonna give you a brief recap on how you can set yourself up for Spanish success in 2020!

1. Write down your motivation to learn or improve your Spanish and stick it somewhere where you’ll see it every day. Put it somewhere that you'll see it ALL THE TIME. This could be your bathroom mirror, the fridge, the background on your phone, etc.

2. Choose a time and place each day for Spanish. Make Spanish a part of your daily routine. Dedicate a time and a space for Spanish to make it easier to stick to your goals. Make sure the space is set up with everything you’ll need (notebook, novels, printed stories, music lyrics, etc.) to achieve your goals. 

3. Go to your phone settings and change the language to Spanish. Advanced option: change your computer and tablet too! This will naturally expose you to weather, calendar and other vocabulary each day. 

4. Change your maps to Spanish. As you’re driving around, open Google Maps and type in the address of your destination. Listen to the directions while you drive (If you’re a beginner, only do this if you already know where you’re going, of course!) 😂 

5.  Subscribe to a podcast or music playlist in Spanish. You can find a list of podcasts and music for your level of Spanish on our Student Portal under the "More Resources" link. We personally love Coffee Break Spanish for a Beginner podcast, Español con Juan for Intermediate students and RadioAmbulante for our Advanced students.

6. Download some Spanish apps. You can use these during your dedicated Spanish time each day. Some of our students favorites are Duolingo, Hello Talk, Mango and FluentU, but you can also get creative and download meditation apps, games, and other applications made for native Spanish speakers that could immerse you in thematic and even specialized vocabulary (ie if you work in the medical field, you can download health-related apps).

7. Bookmark the YouTube channel “Dreaming Spanish.” The video maker, Pablo, is a polyglot that is very knowledgeable about the process of language acquisition. His videos will help you acquire Spanish in a natural way via stories.  Check out his playlists to find videos that are the right level for you!

8. Read a book. Borrow a book from our class library or print out stories from our Student Portal. Keep your reading material somewhere where you’ll have a few minutes every day to read them! Not a current student with us? Start following Spanish social media accounts to increase your reading! Like cooking? Follow a famous Spanish-speaking chef. Like sports? Follow a futbolista. Looking for simple language in context? Follow @espanolconjuan on Instagram.

9. Keep a language notebook. It’s fun to experiment with the language that’s in your head! Write down the words or thoughts that are floating around your head in Spanish! Journal about your day. Focus on what you CAN say, not what you can’t. It’s totally okay if you find yourself writing in “Spanglish.” Keeping a notebook is a great way to reflect on your language acquisition. One year from now, you will look back at your old entries and have a great visual of your language growth!

10. Go use your Spanish! It’s not going to be perfect, and that’s okay! The only way that you are going to get more confident with your Spanish and maintain motivation is to go out and use it! Remind yourself to focus on the message, not the form, and don't beat yourself up for making mistakes. Making LOTS of errors when speaking a second language is completely natural... it's part of the language acquisition process! Your only goal when speaking should be to communicate a message. Are you seeking out more opportunities to speak Spanish? Subscribe to our newsletter via the pop-up on our website (SpanishAlive.org) to learn about volunteer opportunities and other events to practice your Spanish.

Now that you have your goals, motivation, technology, time and space set up for Spanish, go out there and CRUSH your 2020 language goals!!! Need help or recommendations on any topics in this post? Want to share how you are dominating your 2020 language goals? We'd LOVE to hear from you! Comment below or on our Facebook (@spanishaliveclasses) or Instagram (@spanish_alive). #2020goals #metas2020 #spanishaliveclasses