5 Unsexy Habits That Helped Me Learn Spanish as an Adult

In this post: Learning Spanish as an adult can be easier than you think with the right strategies. In this post, I’ll share five surprising habits that helped me.

In the words of James Clear, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”

When we set lofty goals for ourselves, like New Year's resolutions to get in shape or to manage our finances better, we get so wrapped up in achieving the ‘said goal’ that we forget about the daily choices that will really get us there.

The same goes for setting a goal to ‘learn Spanish.’ It’s not about big, drastic, once-and-for-all actions. It’s the small things you can commit to every day. The habits. 

And when I look back on my own story as an adult learning Spanish, I can see one thing very clearly: My habits around language learning are what have made me fluent. 

These are habits (and strategies) you can adopt, too. Little, repeated ways you can show up to your Spanish practice at home and abroad--unsexy as they are surprising and effective.

If you are serious about making Spanish an integral part of your life, read on for five strategies you can start using today.

While reading this post, consider these questions:

• Do you have any Spanish learning habits in place already?

• Are there other areas in your life where you have positive habits in place? What are they?

• Have you ever learned a new skill or hobby by showing up for frequent, repeated practice?

#1. Unplug if you want to learn more Spanish

When I was living in Barcelona, I made a radical decision. 

I ditched my smartphone and got by with only a flip phone. Therefore, there was….

No mindless scrolling on Instagram.

No translation apps at my fingertips.  

No asking GoogleMaps for directions. (I actually had to start conversations with locals if I got lost, imagine that!) 

But you know what? Something magical happens when you’re sitting on a train without the World Wide Web vying for your attention. You begin to listen to what’s around you. 

Unplugging helped my Spanish listening get stronger and allowed me to make all kinds of cultural observations. 

I was also surprised at how many conversations seemed to come out of nowhere when I was present for the people around me instead of staring at a screen.  

Sure, it meant no Google Translate in my pocket. But that was a good thing. It meant I needed to think in Spanish, find my words, or work around them. 

Try it in your hometown the next time you’re in a Spanish-speaking neighborhood or grocery store. 

Turn off that smartphone or leave it behind and see how many conversations you can hear or strike up.

#2. Read books in Spanish that are a bit beyond your level

When I first picked up Cien Años de Soledad by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I wondered if I had made a mistake. I could only vaguely understand what I was reading.

It was really challenging, so I kept myself going by keeping a notebook and a dictionary handy and making a schedule to read a chapter a week.

But there’s one thing I did not do:  I didn’t give up halfway through. 

In my own experience, I’ve found that pushing myself to read a challenging book and sticking with it when things get uncomfortably hard is a lot like immersing yourself in a Spanish-speaking country. 

It’s humbling, and it’s difficult. You feel tired after spending just a few hours in this imaginary world. 

But you know what? Keep it up for a few weeks or months, and you’ll find that you’re reading faster, your brain is connecting parts of the language at rapid speed, and new words are popping into your head that you never knew were there! 

After Cien Años de Soledad I began to read other challenging books like Casa de Espiritus by Isabel Allende and El Tiempo Entre Costuras by María Dueñas. 

I found it so enjoyable that I started a Spanish book club in my community to discuss the books and hold me accountable. 

Immersing myself in Spanish through books helped me stop feeling scared about the things I didn’t know and focus on the things I did. And that boosted my confidence. 

I got very good at using context clues, looking for the roots in words, and noticing verb tenses quickly -- which directly transferred into my ability to think on the fly when speaking. 

Through reading, I learned how to work through hard things in Spanish to the point where nothing scared me about the language anymore. I knew I had the tools to figure things out. 

So, if you want an empowering experience, pick up a Spanish language book that’s just a little out of your league and you’ll be surprised at what you’re about to accomplish. 

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#3. When traveling to a Spanish-speaking country, avoid making too many English-speaking friends

When traveling through or living in Spanish-speaking countries, be selective about who you choose to spend your time with.

Personally, during my trips and immersion experiences, I knew that my time in the country was limited and was meant for me to absorb the language and the culture.

I also knew that I wasn’t going to get that type of immersion by speaking English and hanging out with other Americans. So, that meant stepping out of my comfort zone.

Now, this, of course, led to some memorable moments - like the time I took a local day trip from Mexico City to Valle de Bravo to visit the Santuario de la Mariposa Monarca Piedra Herrada. 

Not only was the entire tour conducted in Spanish, but I was the only foreigner in the group! We oohed and awed as we watched the forest flutter with the flapping of monarch butterfly wings while enjoying lots of side conversations. 

I have also had very awkward and embarrassing moments too -- like when I was living in Barcelona and had only a rudimentary level of Spanish but befriended a group of dancers at a Latin dance school.

One day, after taking a group salsa lesson, we went out for lunch. I could barely keep up with the conversation or their rapid-fire questions, and I told the whole table that I was 13 instead of 23. Everyone chuckled, and my cheeks turned rosy red with embarrassment. 

On another occasion, a bit further along in my Spanish journey, I decided to walk a portion of El Camino de Santiago by myself. 

On day one, I arrived in Sarria and immediately noticed a small group of Americans chatting in the kitchen of the albergue (hostel) I was staying at. Rather than joining in, I decided to start walking. 

Within 3 hours, I stumbled across three girls about my age, all from Valencia, Spain. We clicked immediately, and they invited me to tag along with them the rest of the way. 

After five straight days of nonstop Spanish speaking practice, my brain was fried, but I know that my speaking ability grew by leaps and bounds that week. 

Now, I don’t want you to think you can never make American friends while traveling -- of course you can! Just be selective.

For example, when I was living in Mexico City in 2016 and 2017, I met many different types of Americans living there. 

There were the Americans who were living the “Digital Nomad Life” and had made no effort to learn the language or the culture.

And then there were the Americans who were true expats who had lived in Mexico City for years (even decades!) who were not only fully bilingual but had immersed themselves so much into local culture that you wouldn’t believe they were American.

I decided to befriend the latter.

To sum this up, avoiding English-only bubbles can be a little scary at first. But trust me, it's worth it if you want to push your speaking abilities to the next level. 

#4. Sing songs in Spanish before you understand the words  

It was 2009, and I had just started dancing salsa five nights a week at local pop-up socials across Sacramento.

A DJ friend of mine had recently shared his favorite 100-song salsa playlist with me, and I had it loaded up on my iPod Nano. 

To and from the salsa clubs, I would listen to the same songs over and over again. And, before I knew it, I was singing the lyrics by heart. Except I had no idea what I was saying. 

The disconnect--the fact that I could not understand the language I loved singing in inspired me to move to Spain to learn Spanish. 

As it turned out, I stumbled onto a fact that is backed by research I had never heard about at the time: music is a powerful language learning motivator.

But even when I was at home, the love of singing in Spanish made me not only want to be able to pronounce but also understand complicated lyrics. And that propelled my Spanish forward in incredible ways. 

If I wanted to finally sing Eres Mi Religión by Maná like I meant it, I had to learn vocabulary. I also needed to practice sounds and perfect my pronunciation in the process. 

So if you find your feet tapping--or dancing to a song, go ahead and start to sing, whether you understand the words or not. Find places where you have no audience and belt it out.

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#5. If you sign up for a formal class, show up, pay attention, and do your homework

It takes a unique level of commitment to reach (and maintain) a fluent level in any language. 

You can’t just expect to spend time in a course or program and see progress in your Spanish if you don’t do work on your own. 

When I was doing an immersion program in Barcelona, I made flashcards, put aside time to study, and cracked open my workbook daily.

It’s too easy to blame “motivation” (or lack thereof) as the culprit for derailing our Spanish efforts. I know, I’ve been there too. 

But here’s the unsexy truth I’ve learned in life and in Spanish:

When you’re committed to doing something, it’s best to take motivation out of the way entirely.

For example? I just adopted the cutest new puppy, Luna. 

And sure, there are times when it’s cold and raining outside, but I still have to take her out to go potty and walk. 

But I committed to taking care of this little fur ball when I got her and therefore, I don’t leave caring for her to motivation.

I set habit cues and do the work when it needs to be done -- whether I want to or not. 

Examples of habit cues:

• Time cue: At a certain time each day, I know I need to take her out for a walk.

• Location-based cue: I set the leash on the chair next to the door.

• Activity-based cue: When we wake up, I immediately take her outside.

You’re committed to making Spanish a part of your life. That’s why you enrolled in that course or program, right? 

Maybe you’re committed to learning Spanish because you want to make your family truly bilingual, be able to speak to your in-laws, or simply, finally, become the kind of person who can take off to another country and speak the local language. 

If Spanish really matters to you, don’t let something as shifting and unpredictable as “motivation” dictate whether or not that program or course you signed up for helps you become the Spanish speaker you set out to be. 

The self-paced course series for adults looking to take their Spanish way beyond the basics and reach an intermediate conversational level.

Create language-learning habit cues to help you learn Spanish outside of class time. 

That way, you’ll know you’ll do homework and that your Spanish program or Spanish class for adults will pay off. Here’s what that might look like:

• Time cue: For example, you might plan to study your flashcards or do grammar exercises while drinking your morning coffee. (Pick a time that works for you.)

• Location-based cue: Leave your study materials on the kitchen table where you drink your coffee. 

• Activity-based cue: When you go for a walk, listen to podcasts or music recommended in your program. 

• Social cue: Do you know anyone else enrolled in your course you could talk to about your progress? Is there a class forum where you can share your journey? 

When I was enrolled in a Spanish program for adults in Barcelona,  I was as committed to learning Spanish as I am to caring for Luna. 

So, I put habit cues in place to make it easy to spend extra time reviewing, doing homework, and sticking to the things I knew would help push the needle with my Spanish.  

Is that something you can do? Then, I think you’ll have your own Spanish success story to share one day. It just takes commitment and knowing how to show up.

Takeaways:

Now you know something I didn’t when I first decided to learn Spanish as an adult: your ability to make Spanish a part of your life comes down to simple and, yes, unglamorous habits. 

And that’s good news because achieving fluency is not just for language geniuses or superheroes. 

Becoming conversational in Spanish is something you can do with nothing more than your commitment and willingness to start a few new habits at home and on your travels. 

Each small act will bring you closer to connecting with real people in your community, family, or around the world.

So, what will your first step be?

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