It’s always fun to go to a place where you can speak Spanish with native speakers. But it’s important to keep a few things in mind when you’re there. With just a little care, you can make friends and be saved from embarrassing yourself unintentionally.
Here are my five rules for speaking Spanish in the taquería (Mexican taco restaurant): Continue Reading…
Have you thought about speaking your new language with other students who are at about the same level of proficiency as you? Do you worry that you might pick up each others’ mistakes? Continue Reading…
Pronunciation of a foreign language is easier for some people than others. Children usually excel at it. But some adults also do very well. Three personal characteristics, in particular, seem to have a strong influence on developing a good accent. They are Continue Reading…
Here are 5 iPhone apps that I recommend for students of Spanish: Continue Reading…
Do you speak another language? Rather than answering ‘yes’ or ‘no’, you should talk about how much of another language you speak. The key word here is “proficiency”. Continue Reading…
For my Tuesday night students, here are some basic expressions you can use when you go shopping in French: Continue Reading…
Here it is. A summary of my views on language learning and language acquisition i.e. speaking to learn.
I’ve been teaching languages for many years since I oroiginally wrote some of the material here, and in the series of posts called ”A better approach to language learning.” I am more convinced than ever that Continue Reading…
When you speak to learn, you get most of your practice in informal settings. You talk to your neighbour. You chat with friends. You try out your growing skills on the cashier in the grocery store. You talk with native speakers whenever you can. You look for opportunities to be outnumbered by people who speak better than you. Continue Reading…