1. Build your vocabulary. Try to learn a minimum of five new words daily.
2. Watch Spanish TV programs. Keep a note pad by your side and jot down new words and expressions. Later use the dictionary to look up any words and expressions you don’t understand.
3. Pay attention to the way the locals speak the language.
4. Listen to Spanish music.
5. Talk with as many different Spanish speakers as you can. You will learn something from everyone. Carry a small notebook and write down new words when you hear them.
6. Read aloud in Spanish for five minutes a day to improve your accent.
7. Try to imitate native speakers when you talk.
8. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes.
9. Practice using your new vocabulary words in complete sentences.
10. When you learn something new, form a mental picture to go along with it—visualize the action.
11. Try to talk in simple sentences. Remember, your Spanish is not at the same level as your English, so simplify what you are trying to say.
12. If you get stuck or tongue-tied, try using nouns instead of complete sentences.
13. Remember Spanish and English are more similar than different. There are many cognates (words that are the same of almost the same in both languages).
14. Learn all of the basic verb tenses and memorize the important regular and irregular verbs in each tense.
15. Study Spanish grammar, but don’t get bogged down in it.
16. Read the newspaper. The comic strips are great because they have a lot of dialog.
17. It takes time to learn another language. Don’t be impatient. Most English speakers are in a hurry to learn foreign languages and get frustrated easily because the process is slow.
18. Study a little bit everyday, be dedicated, persist and most of all enjoy the learning process.

¡Buena suerte! Good luck!

Tiquismo of the Week: Chispa refers to a person who is very intelligent.