Survival Spanish Language Learning

I don’t find it easy to identify downsides to working from home, but I will admit that my persistent lack of fluency in Spanish, the language of my home country for many years, is a constant source of embarrassment and frustration.

Frankly its an obstacle in everyday life in so many ways… Because while my work is 100% online and in English, I carry out that work in the context of a community and a town where I live. Even though I work at home, I do need to speak when I go to the bank, to the tax agency, to deal with utilities and services and accommodation.

And of course, I want to speak Spanish, when I go to experience hospitality, to make friends, to enjoy culture, and all of the things which make up the reality of living in a country. I hate running out of conversation, of vocabulary, of boring a new acquaintance after brief and superficial exchanges.

“Hey!” I want to run after them, shouting. “Come back! I’m interesting! I have opinions, ideas, intelligence! I want connect about more than facts, and things, and exchanges of transactional information… I am worth getting to know, honestly!”

So what is stopping me, from making progress? In other words, what possible excuses do I have?

Well, some are practical, such as a work life with lots of travel, often at short notice. I have a great track record of joining Spanish classes, attending diligently for a few weeks, and then.. Missing one, then two, then I am way behind, and everyone has moved on and learned a whole new chunk of grammar or something while I was away. Often when I lived in the Costa Blanca my fellow students were retired, and simply more settled in lifestyle - they didn’t miss classes. They were on time, having done the homework, and the extra reading. They always had a pen.

Then there was me, scooting in late wrapping up a call, and apologising and asking questions about stuff from last week. So before long, it was easier if I just quit. This always seemed to be just before getting to tackling the subjunctive, which remains an amorphous blob of uncertainty in my life.

Of course there are apps and online classes I could use more consistently, but another reason for the plateau I am stuck on, is simply that I am used to it.

Instead of getting better at Spanish, I have got better at getting by, getting done all the things that I need to. I know what’s expected of me in different situations, where to find help, and how to prepare for particular conversations. There are deep verticals where I am very proficient and articulate - like getting a meat-free meal, anywhere. And then there’s the wave of panic that accompanies every incoming phone-call where I don’t know the context or what might be demanded of me, and I haven’t had a chance to prepare.

I mean, they might even use the subjunctive…. If that were to happen, I’d be way out of my depth.

Is it my fossilised adult brain? Well, not according to the latest research on neuroplasticity, that excuse has been pretty well debunked now.

But I look at my daughters, flung from a great height into fully-immersive second language environment at school.

The youngest was 5 and had just spent a year in Reception class in International school learning ABCs, before we dropped her into Tercero de Infantil. Here she essentially had a year to simply play.

She wasn’t worried about different moods and tenses and complex forms of expression. I dare say she probably made some mistakes, which made her sound more like a 3-year-old than a 5-year-old at first, but she wasn’t discouraged. She just wanted to enjoy fun activities with her new classmates and find ways to connect and make friends.

Within a matter of a few weeks, she was completely bilingual (pretty much trilingual, although she hates and will not speak Valenciano to this day, along with many of her local peers.) I watched in awe as she sat on the floor, simultaneously interpreting between different groups of friends from different schools, acting as the connector between the two as though it was the most natural thing in the world… Actually, I am still in awe.

I will never approach her ‘sin accento’ fluidity - but I do want to keep improving.

So I spoke to Carolina Bravo, from Trustlates had radical advice for me, about how to do that:

Forget everything I think I know about grammar, expression, and communicating professionally for a living. Think more like my little daughter, dropped into that classroom, and… learn to play again!

Learn to speak Spanish the simple and intuitive way, with Carolina Bravo and Remote Work Europe

Carolina joined us in Remote Work Spain to share her radical yet simple approach to learning Spanish,

A method she developed herself through experiences of living in different countries and starting over each time - being open, curious, and outcome-focused in each conversation. Simplifying what she wanted to express, and using shortcuts to master new vocabularies.

I think you will find Carolina’s approach refreshing and encouraging, and even in this video you will learn that you probably already know more Spanish than you thought!

And if you think it’s a way that could help you to keep learning then don’t forget to mention “Remote Work Europe” when you contact Carolina, for a special discount 🥰