The Travel Chica

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Learning Spanish as a traveler

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You’re interested in learning Spanish?

AWESOME, but let me (very quickly!) tell you about myself first.  My name is Shannon, and I am a native, English speaker.  I love to travel, so I learned to speak Spanish fluently.  It wasn’t easy, and I still have very awkward moments (like the one time I was accidentally on Chilean television and had to sing their anthem…crickets…), but learning Spanish has changed my traveling and life for the better.  And I’m happy that you’re interested in learning Spanish, too!

Shannon rowing at Parque del Retiro
Me, rowing a boat in El Parque de Buen Retiro in Madrid!

Before we get started, you should know that travelers have an advantage.  Besides stalking flights like it’s their job, travelers (like you) have another thing in common: they tend to learn second languages more quickly!  

There are two main reasons why this is true:

  1. You are more likely to “acquire” the grammar of a second language subconsciously just by traveling to the place where it is spoken and written all around you (according to Stephen Krashen, renowned linguist and researcher).  That’s right – when you’re listening to that couple arguing in Spanish on the metro, you’re ACQUIRING SPANISH (mostly subconsciously)!
  1. You, the traveler, are actually motivated to learn Spanish!  When you travel to a Spanish-speaking country, you are motivated to meet your neighbors, flirt with the guy at the bar, get around easily, and make long-lasting friendships!  This motivation goes a long way, according to Stephen Krashen’s “affective filter hypothesis.”  Essentially, the more motivated you are, the more Spanish that gets filtered in!

Now that you know that you are a Spanish-acquiring superwoman, let’s get to the resources that can unleash your Spanish-speaking powers!

Scripts

True life: I’m addicted to scripts.  When I first started learning Spanish ten years ago (What?! Has it really been that long?!), I was a script MASTER.  When I wanted to introduce myself, I wrote out and memorized a script that I could use to start a conversation.  When I wanted to go to a restaurant, I wrote out a script so that I could use to speak to the waiter.  In my most recent job, I wrote out a script so that I could schedule appointments with Spanish speakers. Ahhh, scripts are the best.

Here is an example of a script that you can use to introduce yourself!

¡Hola! Me llamo _____(your name)____ y soy de ______(country)_____. Voy a estar en ___ (current country/city)__ por ___(number)____ meses.  Trabajo por ____(company name)___ y allí, soy un/una ____(profession)____.  Me gusta ___(verb)____. ¿Que debería hacer durante mi visita?

Translation:

Hi! My name is __ (your name)______ and I am from ___(country)_____. I’m going to be in _(current country/city)____for _(number)____ months. I work for __(company name)____ and there, I am a __(profession)_____. I like to _(verb)___. What should I do during my visit?

Conversations

Shannon Mexico 6
Chatting with children from a nearby school about the United States! (Mexico City)

Many polyglots, including Benny Lewis (of Fluent in 3 Months), encourage that all Spanish learners start speaking on day one.  Yes, you read that right! Day ONE. Before you start hyperventilating into a brown paper bag, he stresses that you shouldn’t strive for perfection or accuracy. PHEW! What a relief! So wait… how do you find a native speaker to practice with before your trip? Log onto iTalki to find a native speaker!  Take notes during your conversation, and you will walk away with relatable vocabulary and authentic advice!

Videos

Remember all of that jibber jabber about acquiring the language by immersing yourself in it?  Before you start your trip, you can do this by watching Spanish videos! I won’t leave you hanging; here are the resources to do this!  You can use FluentU  for Spanish commercials, advertisements, and movie trailers, or Yabla for even more fun videos!

Books

Cue the groans! But I promise – this can be fun! You can read comic books rich with dialogue or children’s books filled with pictures.  

Phrases

Pomaire
Walking through the markets of Pomaire (and discussing prices in Spanish)!

Review these conversational phrases before your trip so that you can spread your social-butterfly wings as soon as you land!

¿Qué te gusta hacer?…….. What do you like to do?

Cuéntame sobre tu familia…….. Tell me about your family.

¿Qué tipo de comida es tu favorita?…….. What food is your favorite?

¿Por cuánto tiempo has vivido aquí?…….. How long have you lived here?

¿Has visitado mi país?………. Have you ever visited my country?

¿Qué tipo de música te gusta?…………. What music do you like?

¿Dónde está el bar?…… Where is the bar? (Obviously one of the most important phrases!)

As you learn Spanish for your upcoming trip, remember that you don’t have to be perfect!  The locals will love your enthusiasm for speaking Spanish!  So let’s end this with a quote (because I’m cheesy like that):

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart” (Nelson Mandela).   

Are you learning Spanish for an upcoming trip? Share your experiences below!

Author Bio: Shannon Marshall and her twin sister, Jessica, have spoken their way through Mexico, Spain, and Chile.  They help travelers, like them, make the most out of their trips abroad by having confident conversations in Spanish.  Before your next trip, get the word-for-word phrases that will have you making friends with Spanish-speaking locals as soon as you land: speakwithlocals.com   

Comments

  2. I love that you’re helping travelers learn Spanish! Understanding the language really improves the entire experience of traveling in Central & South America. Your tip about not having to be perfect is so important. Sometimes I get nervous or frustrated with myself when I struggle with the language, and I have to remind myself that sometimes I don’t understand all of the English accents out there all the time :). Some dialects are filled with wonderful slang, but that also can make it hard to understand.

    I work in the travel industry in South America and a couple free tips I give people who want to learn Spanish outside of the classroom are: download Duolingo, use Couch Surfing to find opportunities to stay with locals, ask people if they’d be interested in language exchanges, and even research MeetUps in various cities. There are many MeetUp groups dedicated to Spanish/English intercambios.

    Lastly, I use Uber & cab rides as another way to practice actually speaking. It’s an easy way to get some practice in outside of the usual ordering food and asking for directions.

  4. You know, I really wanted to learn Spanish eversince I was a little kid. I even bought an English-Spanish dictionary (no Internet at home yet during that time). I used to impress my classmates with my Spanish words. Hahahaha! But of course, learning from a dictionary isn’t enough. You have to learn how to construct words and sentences properly. And you have to learn that from people whose main language is Spanish. :) So yeah – maybe next year when we visit Spain. Maybe a month is enough to learn the basics? :)
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  7. I remember the time when I was in Grade School and I was chosen to represent “Miss Argentina” in United Nations. I was instructed to introduce myself in Spanish. So I used a Spanish-English dictionary :) Now that I’ve read this article, I feel embarrassed. I just realized that my little speech back then was wrong in terms of structure. :) :) :) Oh well, who would blame a 12-year old? :) :)

  17. These are some very useful tips, thank you for sharing! I also found that I picked up much more of the Italian language when I did a course in Rome, compared to when I learned it in uni

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  22. Such an amazing post……… Thank You for the useful information. I just really love to travel different places in the world and also like to learn different kinds of languages. I know so many languages but now i am trying to learn Spanish language from your blog. Really a useful information shared by you. If anyone of You love travelling like me then you must visit http://traveleering.com/worlds-5-epic-surfing-spots/

  23. 2 and a half years in Madrid, Spain, and I have yet to be good in even just conversant Spanish. I see you got great tips here, will strictly follow them. Will spend more hours watching videos and listen to Spanish AM radio. Also I’ve enrolled in a free Spanish class. Hope all this works.

  24. Good… Learning something always help in life like you learn Spanish as a traveler & this this language will always help. The Scripts that you have made is amazing to start conversation in Spanish.
    Hope to see more amazing posts.

  25. I also write about Spain. I am seeking some idea, experiences. I really like your writing style. But you have many creative ideas than me. I just back from Bagan, Myanmar, I will write as you. Let it be!

  28. Spanish is wonderful language. It sounds sexy, as sexy as south american girls. I learned Spanish for a month then gave up, but after reading your blog I want to start again.
    Vamos a la playa, senorita !
    Gracias.

  32. Nice blog and article. I stumbled upon it while looking for tips on language. I used to be fluent in Spanish 20 years ago and lost in shamefully. Now my skills are broken so I’m back in practice!

  33. Learning the language of your host country makes the experience so much more rich! We have been living in Mexico and I have been learning so fast just though engaging in conversations with people on the street:) Do you speak any other languages besides Spanish and English?

  35. Thanks for sharing these tips. I’m also learning a language best when using a script. Videos are very helpful too, especially when they come with English subs, so that you can hear the language and see the translation straight away. That’s how I learned to speak other languages too. Obviously when you’re getting more advanced, you can start watching videos without subs.

  39. The phrases are very helpful. I am currently 2 months in my South America trip. What do you think of apps like Duolingo or Wlingua or courses like One Month Spanish?

  40. Great and very informative blog posted here. Thanks for sharing such an amazing blog with us. I would love to learn Spanish after reading this. Thanks once again.

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  42. Wonderful post about learning Spanish language . I think now you speak good Spanish after doing this .Spanish is a very good language to understand thanks for posting such a interesting and informative post.

  44. Yes once upon a time, i wanted to learn Spanish, now i learned to speak Spanish fluently with the help of friend who lives in Spain. awesome blog, thanks for sharing.

  45. I do speak English, Hindi and Italian. Spanish i do understand when listen or read but not good to speak except few words.

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  60. Thanks for your information. you shared the full of ideas and inspirations Spanish traveler. I really enjoyed about this blog which is providing learning Spanish tour arrangements.

  61. Great and very informative blog posted here. Thanks for sharing such an amazing blog with us. I just really love to travel different places in the world and also like to learn different kinds of languages. I know many languages, but now i am trying to learn Spanish language from your blog.

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  65. très bon article j’ai découvert votre blog il y a peu de temps ,
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    en esperant lire de vos nouvelles très bientôt, bonne continuation 😉

  66. Spanish is just an amazing language, being spoken in most part of the south american countries from Mexico to Argentina. i would like to learn it one day, but my most favorite is language is my own language, that is SARAIKI. I know most of you don’t know it.

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