Look at this carnival cowboy!
Hello to everyone, readers old and new! Thanks for the support over the past week, I’ve had an incredible response from people reading about my progress on Fluent In 3 Months, so thanks very much. You’re all helping to spur me onward in my quest for fluency. Let’s hope that you too can make the leap!
So as it’s time for another progress report, this month I thought I’d continue in the same trend as last time and marry it with another load of useful hints and tips. This time round I want to talk about how you can learn Spanish for cheap without having to pay for expensive classes or language learning software. As readers of this blog will know, I’ve spent almost next to nothing on learning materials, preferring a much more immersive route involving the social and contextual use of the language itself. Has it paid off? Only time will tell, yet the results seem to speak for themselves thus far.
So let’s make a start shall we? Hopefully it’ll help save you some more precious travel money so you can indulge in further trips around the world!
Language Exchanges
If you’ve been following my progress from the early days you’ll remember how strongly I’ve advocated the use of language exchanges (or intercambios as we say here in Spain) from day one. Ok, so a lot of people might have creepy experiences with leering boys and girls on platforms like Craigslist or Gumtree, yet if you persist (and continue to look hard enough) you can find some rather brilliant like-minded folk interested in sharing language experiences (and, contrary to popular belief, not their bodies) with you. Not only are these opportunities great for real conversation practice, but they’re entirely free too – relying on the system of you exchanging some time in English with the other participant.
Hang Out in Hotels and Hostels
Particularly useful for those of you not fortunate enough to be chilling out in Spain, rest assure that you learn the language at home simply by hanging out where Spanish speaking people are likely to be. Live in any of the UK’s largest and most tourist-friendly cities and you can find lots of opportunities. Try hanging out around hostels in London, hotels in Edinburgh, bed-sits in Brighton and you’ll find no shortage of native speakers to practice with. Just shake off the fear and get chatting.
Parties and Free Events
As Lola correctly points out in my progress video that follows, going to parties or events in and around the city is a great way to learn Spanish for cheap. As everyone is usually at these types of events for social reasons, it’s much easier to find and strike up conversations with people than it would be simply approaching strangers in the street. Parties and events like this also make it easier to form new relationships with people without having to buy your way into an institution or school. What’s more is that you don’t have to be in the country of the target language to find opportunities. Living in London I found Spanish language Meet Up groups promoting free events. CouchSurfing also have large and free meet-up sessions full of international people all over the world.
Tagging Along on Student Activities
This is one I’ve only experienced recently, having made a a trip to the Cadiz carnival here in Andalusia (check out my sexy mask in the lead photo for proof) with a bus load of Erasmus exchange students.
Tagging along on student events and activities though, especially if you’re in a place with a large student presence (like Granada), can be great for learning a language on next to nothing. More often that not these events don’t ask for any proof of you being a student (it’s kind of just assumed here in Spain) and are usually pretty fun and lively to join. As students are a pretty easy-going and open lot, striking up conversations with them in the target language can prove a damn sight easier than stopping to chat with older folk on park benches – something I’ve found to be the case!
Using Kindle Samples Instead of Buying Full Books
As Kindles continue to fall in price (you can pick one up for under $100) they are becoming more and more of an attractive proposition (even more so than this author) for those looking to learn Spanish for cheap. Another cool thing that I’ve found recently is that downloading sample books (for free and not the full versions) – especially easier now given Amazon is live in Spain – make for great and cheap resources to ramp up your reading and general comprehension. Just watch out for those libros calientes (Kama Sutra and the like) – or if you at least have to indulge, send me a private review innit?
So that’s it for some quick tips on how to go about learning Spanish without spending a penny (the monetary kind of course – I will permit you to defecate to your hearts desire), let’s see how I got on with my studies in my new progress report!
Progress Report – 22 Weeks of Immersion
Check out my progress speaking with the very helpful and friendly Lola above. Here you can see what life is like on a gorgeous sunny day in Granada when there’s nothing better to do than speak with a native and get plenty of practice in the process.
Last fortnight I laid out for myself the following learning goals. How did I do?
1. Do all English-language based work with Spanish music/radio in the background
It seems that this is just become a normal habit for me now. I kind of miss it when I don’t actually have a Spanish voice chammering away in the background! My listening? Skyrocketing as a result! Achieved? Done
2. Read each day and register 10 new words in Anki to practice directly afterward
Again, reading is becoming a large part of my day and something I look forward to with great excitement – especially now the weather has changed I can sit in the sun and kickback with my Kindle or my filthy obsession, Marca! Achieved? Done
3. Start exchanging Spanish notes with my housemate and get her to correct my errors every day.
As my housemate left for the “bridge” (Spanish holiday weekend here in Andalusia) it’s been tough keeping up with this. I’m going to try and rearrest this goal now that I’ve had some cool people get in touch with me via the blog. There might be opportunity there to send them my writing. Achieved? Fail
4. Leave business cards with a message in every bar and pub I visit in Granada.
Who would have thought getting a business card printed here would be such a tricky proposition. You’d of thought they’d just lay it out for you and print it out in the shop right? Oh no! It’s just not that easy. As a result still no business cards for this blog. Achieved? Fail
5. Complete one Grammar chapter on the subjunctive tense from Demystifying Spanish Grammar by Brandan Simpson.
Here are the goals for the next progress report:
1. Do all English-language based work with Spanish music/radio in the background
2. Read each day and register 10 new words in Anki to practice directly afterward
3. Start writing a blog in Spanish online and get natives to check
4. Speak in Spanish for at least two hours every day
That’s it! See you guys in a fortnight week (I was late with this report!) and don’t forget to keep marching onward in your quest to Spanish fluency.
Oh yeah and tell your friends you can learn Spanish for cheap too!
Will, you´re doing absolutely brill! Well done! (Or cojonudo, even!).
Mo recently posted..Spartacus, My Neighbour
Cheers Mo! I’ll get around to that “why I learn Spanish” post eventually I swear!
Completely jealous in a non-begrudging way!
Stop getting your end away and start learning Thai!
One more goal:
Learn the language with Local Heroes
http://localheroes.nomaders.com/en/collections/details/18
Or become one?
Yes, Will! It would be great to see your proposals
I will also add an english proposal and description to my profile 
http://localheroes.nomaders.com/en/profile/details/stvy5ijjj5l9jq9
For me what works the most is music, radio, movies and just speaking to others
crazy sexy fun traveler recently posted..SEVILLE PARKS
Yeah but we don’t all run very popular travel blogs with sexy photos of ourselves Alex! It’s not that easy to find others to practice with for monsters like Anthony Middleton and I!
Nice post Will! Long train rides and visits to the barber are also good places as the people you chat to are a “captive audience”!
Me gustaria aprender ingles en Inglaterra, es posible tomarte como ejemplo para hacer lo mismo en tu pais, o las diferencias culturales lo impedirian?
Espero tu respuesta en español.
Gracias!!!
Rosa
Hola Rosa. Gracias por su comentario. No le sé si que sea otros o no. Voy a buscar algunos y que encuentre te avisaré.
Hola Will, con respecto a lo del blog en español, me parece una gran idea, pero para practicar. Dudo que nadie se atreva a corregirte, yo he empezado el mío en inglés con el mismo propósito de que la gente corrigiera mis errores/ cagadas, pero parece que nadie se atreve, o que temen que me enfade o algo… Y nada, ¡no hay manera! Esto es una indirecta, to say in a roudabout way that I’d like to be corrected, otherwise yo estaré muy contenta pensando que escribo muy bien y no me doy cuenta de que mi gramática da pena… jejejjee.
Sería feliz si pudiese intercambiar escritos contigo (o con quien se anime) Mi correo es: vieja.ceravieja@gmail.com
Otra cosa que te sugiero que pruebes: audiolibros infantiles en español. Como hablan con unas voces muy graciosas, como de “cartoon” te fijas más en las cosas y recuerdas mejor lo que dicen. A mí en inglés me están siendo muy útiles (aunque estén pensados para niños)!! Acabo de terminar Heidi y ahora estoy con Wind in the willows y me encantaaaaa!! jajajaj
Where’s the blog? I want to correct your spanish tongue…
Ed Rex recently posted..Funky Friday Photo: Time to ‘Bru’ up Iron!