Speaking is one of the five most important skills for every speaker of Spanish to master, and for the 99% of us it is the main objective when we decide to learn a new language, since most of the times we communicate by speaking. Nevertheless, it is the skill that causes more problems in the process of learning Spanish.
How can we practise Spanish by speaking to one self?
If you are a beginner speaker of Spanish of if you just feel uncomfortable when speaking in this language, there is one way by which you can make sure that your first conversations go in the right track. What if you don’t speak to someone you don’t know, but you start to speak to someone that you are comfortable with instead? Yes, yourself! Speaking to one self is something that we all do in our minds, so the idea is that you get used to doing it out loud in Spanish. It may seem a little awkward at the beginning, but it is the perfect first step in order to practise the language you want to master, in this case Spanish.
Advantages of talking in with one self
This technique helps you take over the language and start using it as what it really is: a tool to express your thoughts, ideas and feelings. Besides, in many occasions it may accelerate your process of learning Spanish.
Here you have a list of advantages:
1. This advantage may seem very obvious: when you speak to yourself in Spanish no one is judging you, so there is no stress and no reasons to be shy.
2. The second advantage is that you can practise the Spanish language every time you want and everywhere you want. So start speaking to yourself in Spanish in order to address the most common conversation topics. As a part of your preparation, start practising your presentations, speaking about your hobbies and passions, describing your daily routine and telling something funny. If you ever think that you lack the vocabulary necessary for all these tasks, take a look at a Spanish dictionary.
3. Record your speaking every time you can. Do it while you speak and make up a dialogue with yourself. Afterwards, listen to what you have said and try to identify and check all the possible mistakes that you have made in Spanish. Although it is an easy task, it will help you formulate complete sentences and get used to listening to your own voice speaking out loud. As a result you will be more confident and more aware of the words whose pronunciation may require more work in Spanish.
3. If you are no longer a beginner student of Spanish and your main objective is to gain fluency, this technique works if you put it into practice in your head rather than out loud. In this case, the possibilities are infinite, so try to make the most of the time you spend in the shower, washing the dishes or cleaning your house and speak to yourself. Using the language, you should practice by giving your own point of view about different topical issues as if you were talking to a friend.
I hope this article helps you a lot in the future. Finally, if you are in Spain, I recommend you come to Valencia, Spain, more specifically to Spanish & Valencia – Private Spanish lessons- , since we will help you with all the aspects related to the learning process of Spanish.
Adapted from Mosalingua
Translated by Silvia Juste Rincón
Photo by cottonbro: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-using-a-printer-3201783/