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This week I was going to blog about what it takes to be considered an Intermediate Spanish level student, but there are still some more things I’d like to say about the Beginner level.

I’ve seen people post questions in other Spanish learning forums and web sites asking for advice and suggestions on how to ramp up their learning speed. For many, the conventional methods of reading a textbook or attending a class a few days a week isn’t enough to keep them motivated nor to get the concepts to stick.

So how about treating your Spanish learning as a game that you can customize and play whenever you’ve got time? Here’s my proposal to you: Commit to spending a minimum of 10 minutes a day, every day, to learning Spanish. Over the course of one year, you will have magically (and hopefully effortlessly) have spent at least 61 hours solely on Spanish.

Can’t find 10 minutes? Trust me, you can. Monday through Friday a minimum of 40 minutes a day to focus on Spanish automatically falls in my lap. How? That’s the amount of time I spend just in walking to and from the Metro station. Since I’m walking, the only thing I can do is listen to my iPod.  Believe me when I say that you won’t have to make time for this activity because you already have the time.

Here are 10 ways you can find at least 10 minutes each day to study Spanish:

1.    When you wake up in the morning, tune in to Spanish radio or Spanish TV.
2.    In the shower.
3.    While brushing your teeth.
4.    During breakfast.
5.    When you buy your morning coffee or stop at a newstand for a paper or cigarettes.
6.    During your daily commute, when stuck in traffic or waiting for the bus or the train.
7.    In an elevator or walking to your car or the bus or train station.
8.    While on hold or waiting for someone.
9.    At the store.
10.    When you take your dog for a walk.

Depending on what your lifestyle and routine is like, you can certainly find other ways.

And what, exactly, should you study? Well, this is the beauty of the game, you can study whatever you like.

For example, you could draft a list of words or expressions you want to memorize and look for opportunities to “use them” throughout your day. I recommend buying a pocket-sized notebook that you can jot down phrases in and that way you can look at them frequently throughout your day, whenever you’re seated or waiting for something or someone.  If you’re not living in a Spanish-speaking country, you will probably have to say these words or phrases silently to yourself, in your head, just so that the people around you won’t think that you’re crazy. But don’t worry about them, you’re working on your Spanish.

In other situations, remind yourself of the Spanish words for objects or experiences you’re seeing or having throughout the day. For example, if you see a couple hugging and kissing on the street, ask yourself internally what are the Spanish nouns or verbs related to kissing and hugging. The idea is to imprint a Spanish vocabulary on top of the words you commonly use in your native language.

If you’re a beginner, concentrate on memorizing words and expressions related to your daily routine. If possible, get a recording of a native Spanish speaker saying some of these phrases and upload them to your iPod, cellphone or mp3 player. Download a few episodes of Lingus.TV and take them on the go, if you’ve got a gadget that handles video.

Be creative! The bottomline is that you can squeeze the extra time you need to study Spanish and you will be successful if you maintain that focus. ¡Suerte!

-Eleena

Eleena also blogs over at Voices en Español, a bilingual blog and conversational Spanish podcast.

A few years ago, while still fresh off the airplane from the States, I learned rather quickly that one cannot always translate words directly from one language to another.

Still in my nubile state, dizzy from culture shock and in a state of confusion, I began teaching English classes to business executives as a way to make ends meet. For months, this went splendidly as my Spanish was nonexistent, whereby, forcing my students to converse in English. But like any native tongue, words seem to slip out unconsciously when you feel comfortable or at ease.

“Hola guapa”, my handsome forty something student said while greeting me at the door of his office.

“Wait a second, doesn’t guapa mean beautiful? Why didn’t he greet me in English? Is he hitting on me?!!”, I thought to myself while following behind his perfectly pressed suit into the conference room.

Feeling a little uncomfortable, as if I cheated on my husband, I approached my roommate later that evening and asked, “So, do I need to tell my husband that my really attractive student finds me beautiful, or is he humoring me?” Flickr photo by Foraggio Fotographic

As expected, she broke up in tears of laughter and quickly educated me that guapa is our equivalent of “honey” or “sweetie”. “Gabriella, you’ll quickly notice that even the most homely among us will be called ‘guapa‘ from both close friends and just plain friendly people.”

She was right. Once my ear was attuned to this perfect five letter word, I began to hear it everywhere. Over time, I slowly picked out different variations on the same theme, “Hola guapi!” or “Guapaton, como estas?” Some terms were exclusively used for specific friends, while others seemed to be an overall catch term for “honey”.

But there’s more:

mi rey (literally “king”, but in this case, “honey, sweetheart, darling”)

mi reina (literally “queen”, but in this case, “honey, sweetheart, darling”)

(mi) corazón (literally “heart”, but in this case, “love”)

(mi) muñeco (doll, both literally and figuratively)

(mi) muñeca (doll, both literally and figuratively)

cariño (honey, sweetheart, darling)

cielo (literally “heaven”, but in this case, “angel”)

chiquita (little one)

What’s interesting to note is that I now use many of these terms not only with friends and friendly people on the street, but also in business. I can’t tell you how many times I have had a new client thank me for something by saying, “Eres un cielo”, or on the second meeting with a client, being called “cariño“. And although I wouldn’t start practicing this on future business clients yourself, I would suggest listening in to conversations and taking note of what you hear.

Personally, I adore these terms, as I am notorious for calling everyone “honey”, “sweetie” and “love”. I appreciate hearing the butcher call me reina and my fruit vendor call me chiquita. It makes me feel cared for and a part of the community.

So remember, the next time you’re called guapo or guapa, don’t assume the hot Argentinean across from you wants your number, as they just might need you to pass an extra napkin

Saludos,

Gabriella Opaz

Gabriella Opaz is co-founder of Catavino.net – a website dedicated to Spanish and Portuguese wine