Learning Spanish (Aprendiendo Español) - Overcoming The Frustration Factor

For most of 2014, I've been trying to learn Spanish. As with anything in life, sticking with it when you hit a wall and working to overcome the frustration factor is a big part of the effort.

I took Spanish in high school and college and have always had an interest in Latin music and culture. But this doesn't mean that picking up the language comes easily or naturally to me.

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Why learn a new language? - Why do I want to learn Spanish? Number one, I have an innate desire that can't really be explained. Number two, I think knowing another language will make me a more well-rounded global citizen. I'd also like to learn French. But there are only so many hours in a day...
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Before this year, I made casual attempts to learn Spanish by listening to an instructional audiobook. I'd listen every now and then, but this year I decided to buckle down and get serious and now I play my Penton Overseas files every morning while getting dressed and in the evening while walking to my car when I get off work.

I've also read a couple of excellent books about language learning, including John Del Gaudio's How to Become Fluent in Spanish: Not for Beginners, Not Quick and Easy, but Really Effective, and Benny Lewis' Fluent in Three Months. I've found both of these books really helpful and have begun using some of the authors' tips, such as Del Gaudio's suggestion to try to learn 10 new words a day.

Despite these efforts, it's really frustrating to watch a movie or TV show in Spanish, tune into a talk show on the local Spanish radio station or listen to Spanish music and only be able to pick up a few words and phrases here and there. So how do you overcome the frustration factor?

Learning a language is much like trying to lose weight and get in shape: there will be peaks and valleys, successes and setbacks. There will be times when I'm successful at deciphering the meaning of a Spanish phrase and times when everything I've learned escapes me.

Just like when you're getting in shape and sometimes you're delighted when you step on the scale and discover that you've lost more weight than you realized. But other times you hit a plateau and can't seem to lose an ounce.

Whether it's working toward a fitness goal or learning a language, I think perseverance is really the key. You have to be committed that no matter how many plateaus you hit, you're going to keep pushing and trying new things until you have another breakthrough.

Many of us learn through repetition and reinforcement, repetition and reinforcement, repetition and reinforcement... (Get the idea?)

One thing I recently realized is that the activities I've been doing to learn Spanish thus far are fine, but I also need a more structured program that's taught in a classroom or online. A structured learning program combined with the ancillary activities I'm already doing will help me pick up the language a lot more efficiently, I believe.

 

And, of course, I need to spend time engaging in conversations with native speakers, which will force me to recall more of the words and phrases I've learned and pick up new ones.

As Benny Lewis says in Fluent in Three Months, passion for what you're doing will help you overcome obstacles. Frustration is an inevitable part of trying to accomplish something, but the effort is worth it.