Key Numero Uno to Learn Spanish Online:



"Stay motivated"

I think everyone that studiesa foreign language will experiencea time when they are becoming less and lessmotivated. You may feel that you are losing your desire to learn Spanish online around the same time that you have reached a plateau.

If you feel that you are losing your desireto learn to speak Spanish online,try planning a trip to a Spanish speaking country.Since you will want to get the most out of your trip, this should motivate you to study.

Here's another tip to help you stay motivated andto make you want to learn to speak Spanish online.Find a native speaker that you are romantically interestedin. Since you will probably want to impress him orher with your Spanish, this should motivate youto keep studying and make you want to learn Spanish online. You will also notice that youare making progress quicker by practicing yourSpanish with a native speaker and that should alsomotivate you to keep studying and practicing Spanish.

Of course, this tip only applies to single peopleor other people without a significant other.

Key Numero Dos to Learn to speak Spanish Online:"Don't Be Afraid of Making Mistakes"

Make lots of mistakes. And then after you have madelots of mistakes go make some more mistakes. And thengo make some more mistakes.

Many people are afraid of making mistakeswhen learning Spanish online. If you reallywant to learn to speak Spanish online, then youhave to accept the fact that makingmistakes is part of the learning process.The more mistakes you make, the quicker you learn to speak Spanish online.

If you are not making mistakes, that's probablyan indication that you are not makingthe effort to learn Spanish online.

Some people will try to learn to speak Spanishonline by ONLY listening. Their reasoning is that once they learn enough Spanish that's when they will begin trying to speak Spanish online. But I can I assure you that it doesn't work that way. It works in reverse.

That is, once you start trying to speak Spanishand making mistakes that's when you will begin to learn to speak Spanish online. Not the other way around.

So go ahead and make mistakes. The mistakesaren't there to embarrass you. The mistakesare there to help you master Spanish.

Key Numero Tres to Learn Spanish Online:

"Focus on how to speak Spanish" Don't focus on "why Spanish is Spokenthe way it is"

Many people have sent me emails with questionssuch as why is it "me gusta" (I like) insteadof "me gusto" or why is it "me toma" insteadof "me tomo"

Of course, I could easily answer these questions.(And I do) But the objective is not to try equate everythingin Spanish with English or your native language.

Accept the fact that Spanish grammar is differentfrom English grammar. And focus on the objectiveof any language -- which is to communicate effectively.

And in order to communicate effectively, you onlyneed to understand and be understood. It is not necessary that you understand each and every grammatical facet.

Trying to do so will only hinder your learning and makeit difficult to learn Spanish online.Imagine trying to teach a 4 yr old the definitionof a direct pronoun vs. an indirect pronoun.We would never attempt such a thing. But the4yr old child is still fluent in his or hernative language.

So make your goal to understand and be understood.Focus on "how to speak Spanish" Don't focus on "why Spanish is Spokenthe way it is."

Key Numero Cuatro to Learn to Speak Spanish Online:

"Master the Fundamentals"

Many people spend their time learninga bunch of Spanish vocabulary that they couldgo a life time and never use. That's because the words are hardly usedin normal everyday conversation.

If you want to learn to speak Spanish online withoutWasting anytime, I advise you to masterthe fundamentals. When I say the"fundamentals" I am referring tothe basic vocabulary and basic grammar.

I know adults that have studied Spanishfor a few years and they know thousandsof words in Spanish. Although they maybe proficient in Spanish, I would not consider them fluent. On the other hand,a three or four year old native Spanish-speakingchild can speak Spanish fluently. It is not because the child knows thousand of words in Spanish.The child may only know about a thousand wordsor less in Spanish. But the child has mastered the fundamentals.

Mastery of the fundamentals is what separatesthe proficient from the fluent.

If you really want to learn to speak Spanish onlinemake it a priority to master the fundamentals.

Key Numero Cinco to Learn Spanish Online:

"Take Advantage of downtime"

Finding time to study can be a challenge.Many people just don't have the time to sit down and study. But who said thatyou have to be sitting down? If you arewaiting in line at the bank or waiting at the doctor's office, turn on your mp3 playeror ipod and listen to an audio Spanish lesson.

If you drive to work everyday, that'san excellent opportunity to practice your favoriteaudio Spanish course. If you like to jog or exercise on a stairmaster or treadmill, bring your mp3 player or ipod with youand listen to your favorite audio Spanish course

Instead of watching the 10' clock News. Watch"Las Noticias" Instead of watching a movieon HBO, watch a movie on HBO Latino.

So to those that say "I justdon't have the time to learn Spanish online." My response is that you can make excuses or you can learn to speak Spanish online.But you can't do both. The choiceis yours.

Key Numero Seis to Learn to speak Spanish Online:

"Become an Imitator"

Some Spanish courses do not put much emphasison pronunciation. I think that is a big mistake.

If you really want to be understood, you must try to mimic native speakers.

Have you every experienced someone thatasked you for directions or some other questionand you were unable to assist the person because you didn'tspeak her language. And then you suddenly realized that the person was actually speakingEnglish but her accent was so thick that you thought the person was speaking another language.

The same thing happens to Spanish ears. Ifyou do not develop good pronunciation, you willnot be understand.

If you say the word "dad" in Spanish and you donot stress the appropriate syllable, a native Spanish speaker may think that you aretalking about "french fries." To English earsthe difference may be very subtle. But to theLatin American its the difference between "dad" and "potatoes".

So focus on mimicking native Spanish speakers.

I hope that you enjoyed these 6 Tips to Help You Learn Spanish Online and that they truly helpyou in your journey to learn to speak Spanish online.

Patrick Jackson

Patrick Jackson is a self-taught speaker of Spanish and the founder of the Learning Spanish Like Crazy method. Webmasters, feel free to republish this story. It must remain unedited and whole. All resource/footer copy including this statement must remain intact and unedited. All links must remain clickable. Learning Spanish Like Crazy makes it quick and easy to learn Spanish. Download free audio Spanish lessons at: