13 Tips for becoming an amazing Spanish student

Is there anything more beautiful than learning Spanish?

Yes.

Being a GREAT SPANISH STUDENT. 😁

So, how can you become a great Spanish student?

During this article I'm going to give 13 pieces of advice for students that want to learn Spanish like a pro and become the apple of their teachers eye.

¡A por ellos! 😉

Being a good student makes learning Spanish easier

How can you be the best student?

Well, before I get started with my tips and tricks, I need to clarify just one thing.

Being a good Spanish student doesn't mean that you need to know everything about the Spanish language.

I'm not talking about intelligence or ability, but about attitude.

Having a positive and active mindset will help to make you feel part of the class.

By setting our intentions correctly and deciding to put all our effort into it, we already feel content.

Also, if you pay attention in class, do the exercises well and study a little at home... you'll learn much quicker!

Active participation will help you learn more because the teacher will the opportunity to correct your mistakes.

In a few months you will be able to speak the language you love so much with native Spaniards.

Furthermore, how do you think your teacher will treat you if they see you striving to do well in class, as well as being a polite and kind person?

I guarantee that you will be one of their favourite students. 😉

And what will your peers think?

I'm sure they will appreciate and want to make friends with you.

13 tips for becoming a good Spanish student

To summarise things, being a good Spanish student is great for many different reasons:

• You will feel more integrated in class.
• You will learn Spanish better and very quickly.
• You'll feel good for putting in the effort.
• Your teacher and your classmates will appreciate you a lot.

Seems worth finding out about our 13 tips for becoming a good Spanish student, don't you think?

Want to know how to be the best in class?

¡Vamos a ello!

1. Don't be embarrassed to speak Spanish 

What is the best way to practice a language?

If you want to learn Spanish, or any language, you have to speak it.

At the beginning is difficult you won't have the vocabulary.  

But it's totally normal, no one is going to ask you to form complex sentences at A1 level.

Start talking little by littleand use what you are learning in class.

Don't be embarrassed to speak in Spanish.

At first you'll find it hard, but then you'll get used to it. The best part is that you will overcome your fear of speaking and it will feel really normal.

2. Talk to your classmates, don't get engrossed in your 

Being in class with strangers and listening to a language that you don't understand very well, might make you want to hide behind your phone.

Don't make that mistake.

Just imagine, everyone is in the same boat as you, you're definitely not the worst student.

Try to socialise with your peers and be friendly.

Practice Spanish with them and what you learn in class.

You won't feel as much pressure talking to foreigners as you will speaking to Spaniards because they will be at the same level as you.

Take advantage of it and gain fluency in Spanish by practicing with your classmates.

Besides, you might become best friends with your classmates in the future!

If you are on your phone all the time, you won't be able to get out of your comfort zone.

You will close the door on meeting new people and improving your Spanish.

How can you be the best in class if you are glued to your phone all day?

Talk to your classmates, don't get glued to your phone.

3. Be organised when taking notes

Do you usually take notes in class?

I think it's pretty essential for learning Spanish or any language as a matter of fact.

How will you remember all the new vocabulary or grammar rules that you learnt in class if you can't revise from your notes.

Well, if you extremely clever, maybe you can.????

But for most people, taking notes helps to learn Spanish.

Try to be organised when writing notes. 

I'm not going to tell you how you should take notes because each person has their own system; but if you want some tips, take a look at the following:

• Use clear handwriting.
• Use colored markers to make your notes prettier so you'll want to revise them later.
• Underline the keywords and leave yourself notes.
• Try not to make many mistakes, use tipex so it'll look a little neater.

It's all about making notes that are easy to understand , that you will want to read later when you are at home.

4. Revise what you worked on in class at home

In my experience as a teacher, I have always seen a clear distinction between those who study at home and those who do not.

Want to know how to become a better student?

Start revising your notes.

Students that study at home learn much faster, master the contents of the course and feel more involved in the class.

However, honestly not that many students revise at home for a variety of different reasons: lack of time, work, family, laziness...

I understand that if you spend a lot of time in class, then you don't feel like dedicating more time to Spanish.

However you don't need a lot of time to revise productively.

Sometimes just 10 or 15 minutes is enough, perhaps even less.

Adapt your revision to your free time, but at least do something.

Consistency will help you achieve great results, even if it is just little by little.

5. Give yourself small challenges about what you have learned to put into practice  

Our brain works like this:

When something is too difficult, it stresses you out.

When something is too easy, you get bored.

To stop this from happening, you have to set yourself small challenges.

A good student sets challenges that they know how to overcome which will motivate them to continue improving little by little.

How can we apply this in learning Spanish?

Here is an example:

• You learn the pretérito indefinidoin class, but you struggle forming the tense.

Set yourself a little challenge: tell the class what you did the day before whilst revising the conjugations in your notes. This way you'll practice until you finally memorize the conjugations.

6. Listen to people when they speak Spanish

besides talkingAnother fundamental action to learn Spanish is to listen.

Listen to people when they speak Spanish:

• Try to understand the central theme of what they are saying.
• Recognize the grammatical structures that you have learned in class.
• If you speak to a native speaker and there is something you don't understand, don't be afraid and ask them to tell you again.
• Pay attention to the way of speaking, the expressions, the different jargons...

Listening to people you will learn how they speak spanish in real life.

7. Ask your teacher if you have any doubts

When you learn a language, it is normal to have doubts.

If you don't understand something ask you teacher, never struggle alone.

Leaving class knowing you don't understand something and you could have got the answer by just asking is a horrible feeling.

Don't be afraid to ask your teacher, it's our job! 😀

Additionally, us teachers like it when students ask us questions related to class. 

The questions asked are always interesting and you'll realise that your other classmates also have the same queries as you.

8. Make mistakes

A key component to the learning process is making mistakes.

You will make mistakes all the timespeaking Spanish.

But, do you know what?

That's brilliant!

No one knows everything.

It's important to make a lot of mistakes to improve your Spanish.

Many people are afraid of getting things wrong, which is often why students don't want to talk or participate in class.

Don't fall into this trap.

Think about Spanish class as a safe space to practice in, to train in, not as if it were an exam.

Also, Spanish teachers are the most patient beings on Earth, we would never get angry with a student for making a mistake. 😊

So get to it, make mistakes!.

9. Include Spanish in your day to day life

Another way to become an outstanding student is to incorporate Spanish in your day to day life.

In addition to classes and revising from your notes, there are other ways of incorporating Spanish into your life:

• Read Spanish books, articles, magazines, comics...
• Listen to podcasts in Spanish.
• Watch movies, series, documentaries or other videos in Spanish.
• Attend language exchanges.
• Travel to Spanish speaking places.

10. Use a monolingual dictionary, don't always turn to a translator

There are a few things a student needs for class.

A dictionary is one of the most important things.

I know that a dictionary is heavy, and that you can get an online translator on your phone which is perhaps easier to carry.

But do you know what?

Mobile translations are not always the best.

Looking in a dictionary will provide you with all the possible definitions of a word. 

Using a monolingual, or single language, dictionary will make you engage your brain better than using an online translator.

Open the book, look for the word, decipher which definition you're looking for... these are the types of actions that will help develop your language skills.

11. Try to make Spanish friends

What's the best way to become a brilliant Spanish student?

Making Spanish friends is one of the best things you can do to improve your Spanish.

However, I know that finding friends in foreign country is sometimes quite difficult.

Especially if you go there not knowing anyone.

Is it easy to make Spanish friends?

I think it is quite easy, but you have to be sociable.

Here are a few little tips for meeting Spanish:

• Go to language exchanges.
• Sign up for social activities that you enjoy. A salsa class? A cooking workshops perhaps? 😋
• Party out! We Spaniards love it and we are always more sociable at parties.

12. Keep a positive mindset

We can apply this advice to any section of life.

Having a positive attitude will help you tremendously to learn Spanish:

• You won't get yourself down if you don't understand someone or something.
• You will be more sociable in class and outside.
• Your positive attitude will be contagious, making a more pleasant atmosphere for you, your classmates and your teacher.
• You'll know that you are on a journey learning Spanish and that you don't need to speak Spanish perfectly.
• You will be inquisitive and learn new things in Spanish.
• You will want to apply what you have studied in your daily life.

The list could go on forever.

Always have a positive attitude. 

It is the most important thing.

13. Do not give up

We are sure that learning Spanish will be an amazing experience for you. 😍

However, it's not to say that you might not find it hard at times.

There might be times where learning Spanish feels impossible, or perhaps you'll feel as if you're stuck and no longer improving.

This is completely normal.

¿how to be a studentianyou bright if everything was super easy and a bed of roses?

We learn from our hardships and mistakes. It gives us the opportunity to shine and overcome any obstacles in our path.

So, if you truly want to learn Spanish, never give up.

Perseverance and positive mindset will help you overcome any obstacles.

Do not give up... No tires la toalla. ️

These have been our 13 pieces of advice on how to become a brilliant student.

I hope this advice will encourage you to study Spanish and become the top student in your class.

Don't know where to study Spanish?

At Hispania, escuela de español we offer face-to-face Spanish courses as well as online Spanish courses which are taught top quality teachers.

We are a Spanish school accredited by the Instituto Cervantes, meaning we are formally recognised as being a Spanish school of high quality.

At Hispania, you'll be able to put our 13 pieces of advice into practice in a happy and sociable environment.

¡Te esperamos! 😉

Article written by Carlos  Martínez for Hispania, escuela de español