Speak Spanish and they will come.

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Speak Spanish and they will come.

Let’s imagine,

You just encountered a native speaker and the circumstances were right so you tried out some phrase you had learned along the way and it went off pretty well.

Now, if you are like most of us you want that phrase and that experience to carry you through to the next time and the time after that.

Well, maybe. 

But remember, things change and so do the circumstances.

You might try and repeat that event the next time you have the chance but even if that works, it will not feel the same.

There is no growth in repeating what you already know.

You might feel good that you can replicate some part of a preplanned conversation but. . .

It’s just like most things: you do it once and then you keep on improving.

There are 2 distinct reasons for this.

1. You enjoy the event.
2. If you stop, it won’t have a chance to repeat itself.

That’s the way it is with your language adventure.

You must appreciate the successful moments and then learn some more and go out and try it again.

It’s not always going to have the same outcome, but wisdom and experience assure that if you persevere, you will improve.

The great thing about this process is that the rewards and self satisfaction gain traction and become more rewarding at each new stage.

You can become over whelmed quite easily if you bite off more than you can chew. 

For example, try for minute to recall the last time you set out to engage a Spanish speaker as if you were a native (or at least knew more than you did) with the hopes of pulling it off.

How did that go?

Frustration and some embarrassment are probably the memories that come to mind.

Now, think about the time that you engaged a waiter at a local Mexican restaurant in some small talk over the dinner menu.

If you’ve had some Spanish in school or where ever, you might have had significant success in both getting the food you ordered as well as a feeling of confidence that lasted through the meal.

That is what I mean by “doing it and keep on improving”.

That’s something you own and of which you can be proud.

If you are further advanced than just ordering food and you want to talk to a person you meet while standing in line waiting for tickets to your favorite show or maybe a movie, you might sense a similar satisfaction and even make a friend.

That’s something you own and of which you can be proud.

But regardless of where your are on the language learning spectrum, given the opportunity, you can always attempt to try out what you know and if you are humble enough not to overstate your language prowess, you will succeed in as far as bridging the imaginary language barrier to the extent that you are able in that moment.

The greatest reward is that you will be that much more confident and hopefully motivated to try again when the next speaking opportunity presents itself.

If you take it to the next level and practice a bit more you will be that much more prepared and ready to advance accordingly.

That’s the process.

The pyramids weren’t built in a day and neither will you become fluent in any language in a day much less in one conversation.

You will however start building a stronger and stronger foundation that will get you further along your language learning goals.

Each stone counts like each attempt.

You have the choice of how fast or slow the stones get placed and how firmly they are laid.

Don’t rush it but don’t waste time either.

Make your efforts worth while.

Study and speak.

They work together in concert. 

One without the other is like planning without building or building without a plan.

Plan and execute.  Study and speak.

Try it and see.

You may just like what you create.