6 Steps to Speaking Any Language Conversationally

High School Spanish Meets a Taxi Driver: A Typical Language Learning “Fail”

We’re leaving behind the noisy, smoking buses and crowded, twisting streets of Tegucigalpa, and it’s finally quiet enough to make conversation with the taxi driver. The only problem is that he doesn’t speak English, and my Spanish is rudimentary at best. “¿Cómo está?” I ask. He scrunches his forehead, figures out what I must have been asking, and responds not with, “Bien,” but some long, rambling answer that could either mean, “God has blessed me today,” or, “I’m having a rotten week.” My opinion of my own knowledge of my “second language” goes down several hundred meters, and I sit in humble silence.

A Little Background

I was homeschooled, and Spanish was the language I chose to fulfill my requirements for high school graduation. I started out by choosing my Spanish name. Ana would have made sense, but I chose Cecilia because it sounded more interesting. I learned a plethora of food vocabulary words, the difference between tú and ustéd, and filled out reams of present-tense conjugation worksheets. I experimented a bit with language-learning software, listened to some cassette tapes (those were the days!), and even translated a Spanish-language picture book.

The grand result of all that was that I could ask a basic question in Spanish, but I couldn’t understand the response. For the next few months in Honduras, I spent every break I had from my busy volunteering schedule writing down new words and stealing Spanish knowledge from fellow volunteers. I learned words like “piojos” (lice) and “bichos” (bugs) quickly, although trying to say anything in past tense seemed an insurmountable challenge. That problem meant I produced sentences like, “When I am five years old, I like short hair.” I also found that the safest answer to any question you don’t understand is, “No.” Do you want to ride this bus? No! Do you want to buy this bracelet? No! Are you hungry? No! Do you speak English? No!

Persistence

Now, I often translate for others here in the United States, and, although my knowledge of Spanish isn’t yet perfect or even all that advanced, I can hold a conversation in Spanish with very little difficulty. Persistence and the willingness to be embarrassed, I discovered, are the keys to learning a new language. However, I often wished that my time of studying in high school had been more productive so I would have become an advanced speaker, not just an intermediate speaker, during my time in Central America. I could have spoken with people about things that really mattered instead of about bugs and weather. If I could do it over, this is what I would do differently:

[click_to_tweet tweet=”Persistence and the willingness to be embarrassed are the keys to learning a new language. #languagelearning #spanish #alwayslearning” quote=”Persistence and the willingness to be embarrassed are the keys to learning a new language.”]

6 Steps to Conversational Proficiency in Any Language

1) Set goals.

I had no goal in my original language-learning process except to fulfill high school requirements. That’s a mistake. A new language is one of the most valuable tools you will ever gain from your education. It will help you get jobs in multicultural settings, prepare you for college and/or travel, and, most importantly, allow you to share your beliefs and form friendships with people from other countries.

2) Don’t get too comfortable.

Present tense is great to learn, and it’s necessary. But push yourself out of that comfort zone to actually produce language. Try to say things you say every day in English in your chosen language, and look up all the words in the dictionary that you now realize that you don’t know.

3) Talk to native speakers.

Americans in general (homeschooled and public-schooled) often tend to overestimate their knowledge of a second language, because they’ve never actually tried to hold a conversation with a native speaker. Looking forward to real conversations is a great motivation. I am from a small town in the South with very few opportunities to speak anything but English, but I could have used language-learning websites to talk with a pen pal or chat via Skype or Viber.
Caveat: be careful about some of the language exchange websites. They are normally perfectly safe, but don’t give away your actual location or phone number. Follow online safety rules and do your research!

4) Write about your daily activities in a language journal.

Writing down what had happened during my day in Honduras was exhausting sometimes, because I had to stop to look up so many words. That’s a good sign, though. I was learning a lot of everyday, very useful vocabulary that way. Start with small steps and just write a few sentences about your day.

5) Take advantage of apps like Duolingo and other free online/mobile aids before paying a lot of money for something that you’re not sure will work.

This is especially great for listening exercises, which you will be very grateful for when you are actually trying to have a conversation with a native speaker. Use queries like, “free Arabic learning resources,” or “free Mandarin listening exercises,” when searching online. (You might enjoy these free Spanish language learning resources.) If you’re certain you’re ready to complete an entire course, try Rosetta Stone (here’s the Spanish class–or, if you’re really trying hard, here’s the Chinese course). If your language learning time happens during your work commute, try an inexpensive audio-based course such as Pimsleur’s.

6) Finally, turn your amazing new language abilities into college credit by studying for and passing the Spanish CLEP test, which can be worth up to 12 language credits, depending on your score and your future college’s requirements.

French and German tests are also offered by CLEP. Here are links to the study guides: Spanish, French, German.

A second language is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things you will ever learn, and it’s definitely worth a little time and effort. If you’re still in high school, don’t waste those years of time for learning! You’ll be thankful you used them well. And if you left high school behind long ago, get out there and make some friends who speak another language. You may not speak it perfectly, but with determination you’ll soon be able to move beyond, “Cómo está?”