My biggest mistake when I was learning Spanish
I read something this morning about mistakes people make when learning Spanish. It mentioned things like prepositions, making literal translations, following English word order and other typical mistakes which are hard to avoid. But the one that really caught my attention was this one: being afraid to speak to people or, in other words, wanting everything to be perfect before practicing speaking to people.
This is worth mentioning in the blog because it was not only my biggest mistake, I also see it in most of the students I've taught. One lady especially comes to mind: she had no trouble grasping the grammar and learning the vocabulary but actually trembled in the class when she had to speak since she was sooooo worried about making a mistake.
One example of my own stupidity was one morning in the early days in Tijuana when I had successfully - but not without an enormous amount of trepidation and worry - bought a bus ticket to Guadalajara. I then left the station and was starving to death. I paced back and forth in front of a bakery and didn't go in because I didn't know the names of anything in Spanish. And yes, I went hungry. (As a side note, none of my teachers had taught me that you can point and say "Uno de eso" and you will get what you are asking for).
The students I've had who aren't bashful have always learned more quickly than those who were, even if they had less talent for grammar and other intricacies of language learning. In my own experience, when I decided to learn Portuguese I had a devil-may-care attitude towards it (I suppose since it was a hobby whereas learning Spanish had been a serious goal) and it was a totally different, rewarding experience.
For those of you who are like I was, it's essential that you remember that people in Spanish speaking countries are generally friendly and extremely tolerant of foreigners' mistakes when trying to speak Spanish. The best method I've found for easing into practicing conversation is to find a native Spanish speaker who is trying to learn your language, and exchange conversation time: 30 minutes only in Spanish and then 30 minutes only in English (or whatever language). It's a good way to prepare yourself for situations out there in "real life".
Brad
