The Easiest Way to Learn Spanish During Quarantine
The coronavirus-related quarantine has disrupted our lives this year in ways we could hardly have imagined in January.
However, as the Chinese say, a crisis is both a danger and an opportunity. What are you going to do with this opportunity?
I invite you to use this quarantine to achieve something meaningful like learning a new language. In this post, I’ll discuss why you should learn Spanish during the quarantine and share my experience with learning Portuguese. (Spanish is actually my native language.) Then, we’ll explore how to make the switch to remote learning and the best ways to learn Spanish at home.
How Coronavirus Has Changed Our Lives
Perhaps an easier question to answer would be “what has stayed the same during the pandemic?” because coronavirus has affected the lives of everyone around the world in countless ways. Every country has taken different measures, but all of them have implemented restrictions to movement, suspension of public events, and a switch to distance learning or homeschooling, as traditional schools have been closed to prevent the spread of the virus.
Furthermore, there’s no end in sight to this pandemic. For now, we have to redefine what “normal” means. So, the best thing we can do is adapt to the changes and make the most of them.
Why Learn Spanish During the Quarantine?
Sure, we can’t go to the movies or attend our favorite team’s game, but staying at home has its benefits. Just think about all the time you’re saving by not having to commute every day.
Now comes the big question: what are you doing with all that time?
If you have ever thought about learning Spanish, this is the right time to do it! Thanks to the internet, you can learn Spanish from the comfort of your living room. So, get ready to learn a new language! After the pandemic, you might want to travel to a sunny Spanish-speaking country and show off your new language skills.
My Personal Experience: Learning a New Language During the Quarantine
You actually can change (and improve) your life during this pandemic. Well before the coronavirus came along, my wife and I had decided to move from Mexico to Portugal in the summer of 2020. You can imagine the added stress that a pandemic brought to the fact that we were moving to another continent and changing our family’s life forever.
Luckily, we were fortunate, and everything went as planned or better. Now we live on the beautiful island of Madeira (an autonomous region of Portugal), and my main concern is learning Portuguese. Sadly, there’s no Homeschool Portuguese Academy here, but I’ve found a similar online school where I’m learning Portuguese from my own living room and at my own pace.
I’m hoping one day we’ll reflect on 2020 as a challenging year from which we came out stronger and better as a family—and speaking a new language, too!
The Easiest Way to Learn Spanish During the Quarantine
While it’s a fact that the quarantine has disrupted our lives, it’s also true that it has created unique opportunities. Most of these opportunities are related to homeworking, homeschooling, or pretty much anything you can do online.
The easiest way to learn Spanish during the quarantine involves terms like “homeschooling” and “distance learning.” But what’s the best way to study at home?
How to Make the Switch to Remote Learning
The first thing you need to do is make sure that you have the right equipment to support homeschooling. This includes:
- Fast and reliable wi-fi connection
- A good computer, tablet, or smartphone
- Headphones
- Printer for worksheets and flashcards
- Quiet working area (having a desk and comfy chair is highly recommended)
- A notebook, pens, and pencils
It’s also important to consider how you’re going to manage your time. Being all day at home means that you lack the usual daily life routines that help you be time-conscious. For that reason, it’s crucial that you create your own routines and do them at a specific time of day to give your Spanish studies consistency.
Finally, from the diverse array of resources out there, you need to find out which ones represent the easiest way to learn Spanish for you. This will vary depending on your specific needs and goals.
4 Ways to Learn Spanish During the Quarantine
The easiest way to learn Spanish during the quarantine most certainly should include one or more of the following strategies.
1. Follow Homeschool Spanish Academy’s Blog
This is arguably the easiest way to learn Spanish from home during this quarantine. It’s not time-specific, and it explores all kinds of Spanish-related subjects, from basic vocabulary to more complex grammar concepts and even culture-related posts.
However, solely reading is a limited approach to learning a language. Eventually, you need to enrich it by adding speaking and listening activities that take you to the next level.
2. Spanish Academy TV
How about learning Spanish while watching YouTube videos? That definitely sounds like the easiest way to learn Spanish out there. Spanish Academy TV produces high-quality Spanish videos for language learners.
By going down this road, you’ll not only learn new words in Spanish and get to know more about Latin American culture, but you’ll also train your ear to the flow and speed of the language, as native Spanish-speaking teachers star in most of the videos on this popular YouTube channel.
3. Find a Language Partner
I just love the idea of language partners, and I think the person who came up with it is a genius. The concept is simple: you find another person online who wants to learn your native language. You agree to engage in periodic conversations, spending half the time talking in your native language and the other half speaking in the language you want to learn.
I have tried it myself as part of my Portuguese learning experience. While I enjoy the social part of it, I discovered that you can quickly reach a learning limit, as a language partner is not a teacher who can help you with specific issues that may arise along the way.
4. Hire a Private Tutor
Taking private classes with a native Spanish-speaking tutor is the easiest way to learn Spanish, as it balances all of the approaches discussed above. It solves the issue of not having an expert on hand to help you when questions arise. It also helps you to develop the four language skills: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. The best part is that you can try this way of learning by taking a free trial class here at HSA, and see for yourself that this is the easiest way for you to learn Spanish.
Why Speaking is the Fastest Way to Learn Spanish
Actually speaking Spanish to another Spanish speaker is the fastest and easiest way to learn Spanish. Why? Because it involves active learning, an instructional method that not only fully engages your attention, but also enhances your long-term memory of phrases and words you use in speech.
By speaking Spanish from day one, students develop a stronger awareness of the language, which acts as a solid foundation for more passive study techniques (like reading and writing) that can be focused on afterward. This way, you start with the main course and leave the appetizers and desserts for later.
The Easiest Way to Learn Spanish is by Speaking It!
Speaking and listening in Spanish while engaging in real-life conversation with native, certified teachers from Guatemala is the best way to learn Spanish at home. Sign up today for a free class and make the most of this quarantine.
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