Think in Spanish! Learn how in our Spanish course
Sign up for Spanish course to develop your skills and master the language by associating Spanish words and thinking in Spanish!
Translation between your native language and Spanish is often recurrent when you are a beginner, but it is not a practice that will contribute to achieving a high level in Spanish. Therefore, to master the language you will need to think in Spanish and articulate sentences like a native speaker, which requires understanding the context of a word in the right situation. Prepare yourself with Spanish courses and follow the practices below and and enroll in Spanish classes at Alegre Spanish Schools.
Why think in Spanish in Spanish course?
In a social situation you will need to be prepared to think in Spanish. It is understandable that the first words you learned were through translation to identify the Spanish vocabulary and associate it with the words in your language in the Spanish courses in Mexico.
In a conversation where you have to process information quickly like a meeting at work, you won’t really have time to translate and answer. Even if it is the only way you have used so far to incorporate Spanish with your native language; processing the information, thinking about what you will respond to and translating it into Spanish is a lot of work for your mind and takes time. No matter what level you are at, you will be able to adapt these activities with time and effort.
Use other learning methods in addition to using translator
Move from learning by translation to learning by association; learn Spanish through your life experiences and by observation to recognize and understand the meaning of Spanish words. This way you will avoid translating a word literally from Spanish to English and getting confused when there is no exact translation in your language.
Integrate the Spanish language into your daily life with online Spanish courses
It takes time, preparation and practice to think in Spanish to communicate fluently, but it’s not impossible with Spanish classes Mexico City and other places. Increase the content you consume in Spanish; how many times do you use your smartphone a day?. Start by changing your phone’s settings to the Spanish language, this way every time you need to use it you will force yourself to recognize Spanish functions and vocabulary.
Choose content with Spanish audio from podcasts, movies, videos, music and even Internet radio stations in Spanish. Consequently, the conversations you will hear are faster because people speak naturally.
Read in Spanish without stopping for a word or two that you don’t understand; try to identify the important points and understand the overall meaning of the paragraph with advanced rhythm. Then go back to the text, identify the different words and look them up in a monolingual dictionary. You will find that it will decrease the use of a translator.
The aim of this activity is not to understand the text perfectly, the intention is to get a general meaning of the text to avoid constantly translating. As a result, you will gain confidence in the language and start thinking in Spanish to communicate fluently in the speaking sessions in the Spanish courses.
The dictionary you should use in your Spanish course
Firstly, forget about the bilingual dictionary in physical book format that translates a Spanish word to an English meaning.
As we have mentioned, a bilingual dictionary is useful when taking your first steps to study Spanish in Mexico City; but you will need a tool that suits your progress at higher levels. Therefore, a monolingual dictionary will be the right translator with which you can research the meaning of a Spanish word. You will increase your vocabulary by understanding the words in context of the Spanish language.
Label the objects in Spanish
Name each of the objects in your environment in Spanish and label them with the corresponding word in the new language. If you are at a beginner or intermediate level, this practice will remind your mind that it needs to think in Spanish and you will easily identify the objects you use every day. This way you promote your self-learning in the language and get better results with Spanish courses.
Talk with native teachers in Spanish course
When you are in another country the rest of the people communicate in their language. So the need for interaction forces you to test your knowledge of Spanish; and you are constantly practicing input (listening and reading) and output (speaking and writing) skills. So, the best way to develop these skills and have an immersion in the language from home is to constantly have conversations in your Spanish courses with native speakers. We are one of the most recommended Spanish schools in Mexico because of our location, but the most important thing is the quality of our online Spanish courses.
Have a chat with yourself in Spanish
It may sound strange, but if you don’t have someone close to you to practice the language with; we recommend talking to yourself in front of the mirror in private. Moreover, practice your pronunciation, fluency and vocabulary and identify the points you need to reinforce in your Spanish classes. Certainly, the mirror is your best reflection and this activity will help you develop the ability to think in Spanish.
Sing karaoke out loud and aim to learn the song with the same pronunciation, fluency and rhythm as the artist. It is important to enjoy Spanish activities and do them with excitement in your Spanish courses or extracurricular activities to maintain a positive attitude and improve your language skills.
When you master the language, you will be able to communicate effectively and connect with others. Achieve your goals with Alegre’s Spanish lessons and practice the activities we recommend to develop your language skills. The quality and international prestige of our in-person classes, now in online format to learn Spanish in Paradise.
Start learning Spanish now, we are one of the best Spanish school in Cancun!
